Look at all those thoughtful faces... A group of staff got together before work last week to talk about the best books we've read recently - many of them we'll be recommending these holidays! More details in the next newsletter, but here are a few to whet your appetite...

For our youngest readers, Stanley's Diner by William Bee is a simple story about running a diner, with beautiful pictures, evocative of the simplicity of Dick Bruna's  Miffy. Stanley the hamster appears in a series of books in which he tries out different types of job - he's a hard worker, but luckily he has friends to help him out!

Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck, illustrated by Brian Lies, is a wonderful book for fifth grade and up. Malcolm is a fifth grade classroom pet. Everybody, humans and other classroom pets alike, think he's a mouse, but he's actually a very small rat. And rats are disgusting, right? When the iguana leader of the classroom pet association disappears, it's up to Malcolm to find her and prove that rats aren't all that bad!


I Was Here is the latest novel by Gayle Forman, bestselling author of If I Stay. When Cody's best friend Meg commits suicide, a disbelieving Cody is determined to find out why. She takes on the task of packing up Meg's college belongings - and what she uncovers makes her wonder if she really knew Meg at all. Part mystery, part romance, and massively heartbreaking, this is one for older teenagers, particularly girls.


Speaking of great books, congratulations to Ta-Nehisi Coates and all the other 2015 National Book Award winners!