From the Desk of a Librarian

One of my favourite things about being a Children and Youth librarian is that every morning someone puts on my desk all the new books that have arrived at our Branch for me to look over. It’s a really great way for me to know what we have in our collection, and I’m learning about all kinds of great new books.

Considering I don’t have time to read everything, I thought I would highlight some of the books that I find on my desk that look really interesting.

Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon - Charlie is the freak. Gloria is the freak magnet. They're pretty much destined to meet. And when they do, sparks fly . . . for Charlie. Gloria, well, she just thinks he's like every other freak who feels compelled to talk to her, although a little better-looking than most. In this he-said-she-said tale of love, loss, and lucky signs, two young strangers at a crossroads in their lives become friends by happy accident (okay, maybe some harmless stalking is involved—and not by the person you'd think!) and forever change each other. (YA)

No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis - Orphaned and plagued with the grief of losing everyone he loves, 15-year-old Abdul has made a long journey from his war-torn home in Baghdad, only to end up in The Jungle, a squalid, makeshift migrant community in Calais. Desperate to escape, he takes a spot in a small, overloaded England-bound boat that’s full of other illegal migrants and a secret stash of heroin. No Safe Place is a novel of high adventure and heart-stopping suspense by a writer at the height of her powers. (YA)

The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees - Young and beautiful Violetta may be of royal blood, but her kingdom is in shambles when she arrives in London on a mysterious mission. Violetta and her comic companion, Feste, have come in search of an ancient holy relic that the evil Malvolio has stolen from their kingdom. But where will their remarkable quest—and their most unusual story—lead? In classic Celia Rees style, it is an engrossing journey, full of political intrigue, danger, and romance. (YA)

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation by Matt Myklusch - All Jack Blank knows is his bleak, dreary life at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost. His only chance at escape comes through the comic books donated years ago to the orphanage that he secretly reads in the dark corners of the library. Everything changes when Jack receives two visitors that alter his life forever. The first is a deadly robot straight out of one of his comic books that tries its best to blow him up. The second is an emissary from a secret country called the Imagine Nation, an astonishing place where all the fantastic and unbelievable things in our world originate - including Jack. (M)