When Women Were Birds, by Terry Tempest Williams  

"I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone." This is what Williams's mother, the matriarch of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah, told her daughter a week before she died. It was a shock to Williams to discover that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock to discover that the three shelves of journals were all blank. In fifty-four short chapters, Williams recounts memories of her mother, ponders her own Mormon faith, and contemplates the notion of absence in art and in our world. When Women Were Birds is a carefully crafted kaleidoscope that keeps turning around the question: What does it mean to have a voice? (Paperback, Biography.) 

Backyard Foraging, by Ellen Zachos
Kristen's staff pick!
You don't need to trek into the forest to forage edible plants. Ideal for first-time foragers, this book features 70 edible weeds, flowers, mushrooms, and ornamental plants typically found in urban or suburban neighborhoods. You'll be amazed by how many of the plants you see each day are actually nutritious edibles. Full-color photographs make identification easy, and tips on where certain plants are likely to be found, how to avoid pollution and pesticides, and how to recognize the plants you should never harvest make foraging as safe and simple as stepping into your own backyard. (Paperback, Nature.)   

 

Dance of Shadows, by Yelena Black   

Vanessa Adler isn't so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It's been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family's gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister's destiny. She has no choice. But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn't just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school's dancers - prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline - become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons. (Hardcover, Ages 12-17.)  

Sever, by Lauren DeStefano   

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn's worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine's memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine's side, even if Linden's feelings are still caught between them. Meanwhile, Rowan's growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future - and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain. (Hardcover, Ages 14+.)   

Maggot Moon, by Sally Gardner  

Beth's staff pick!  

Beth says, "Standish Treadwell, a fifteen-year old who can't read or write, doesn't see things the way other people do. He knows that there's something very, very wrong in the Motherland, but also knows enough to keep his head down and his lips sealed. Deceptively spare, beautiful prose highlights the power of a single voice in this novel that lingers in the imagination long after the final page is read." (Hardcover, Ages 12+.)

Dualed, by Elsie Chapman   

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate -- a twin raised by another family -- and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West's confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she's no longer certain that she's the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love...though both have the power to destroy her. (Hardcover, Ages 12+.)

Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys   

It's 1950 and the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets. Seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine, known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in a police investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Should she avoid Jesse, the mysterious motorcycle boy? Can she trust Patrick, her best friend at the bookstore? Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. (Hardcover, Ages 14+.)

Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell   

Beth's staff pick!  

A stunning debut young adult novel about two misfits falling in love for the first time. Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love -- and just how hard it pulled you under. (Hardcover, Ages 13-18.)

Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows     

Kristen's staff pick!  

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, one of those souls vanished, and no one knows why. When Ana travels to the capital city of Heart, its citizens treat her as a nosoul, suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame? Sam believes that Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies -- human and creature alike -- let them be together? (Paperback, Ages 13+.)

Asunder, by Jodi Meadows  

The second volume of the Incarnate trilogy explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul, a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy. Ana was told that nosouls can't love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection. When she discovers the truth about reincarnation and the hostility in Heart begins to escalate, Ana will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. (Hardback, Ages 13+.)

Winterling, by Sarah Prineas     

Kristen's staff pick! 

Kristen says, "Winterling is a heartfelt story about a girl named Fer who travels to a magical wintry world full of danger and illusion. The Lady, the ruler of that world, wants Fer to become a huntress, but Fer grew up as a vegetarian with her herbalist grandmother. Through her power to heal, Fer wins over the denizens of the wintry world, overcomes the Lady and her illusions, and allows springtime to break through." (Paperback, Ages 8-12.) 

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?, by Tanya Lee Stone

Local author!   

In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Certainly no women were doctors. But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren't smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come. (Picture Book, Ages 5-8.)