September Recommendations

Novels:

In A PROPERLY UNHAUNTED PLACE, by William Alexander (National Book Award winner for Goblin Secrets), Rosa Romona Diaz is not impressed when she and her mother move to a basement apartment underneath the Ingot Public Library, where Rosa’s mom is the new library appeasement specialist. Usually, the job involves calming down ghosts who get upset, but there are no ghosts in this town. In fact, it’s "the only unhaunted place that Rosa had ever heard of,” and nobody knows why. Except suddenly there’s a massive haunting at the town’s splendid but historically inaccurate Renaissance Festival. A succinct gem promoting respect and the power of listening. (MG)

THE WRATH AND THE DAWN and its follow-up, THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER, by Renee Ahdieh, are a richly imagined duology inspired by A Thousand and One Nights. In the kingdom of Khorsan, the Caliph takes his bride in the evening, only to have her put to death at dawn. When Shahrzad’s best friend becomes victim to this horrific cruelty, Shahrzad vows to get revenge. She marries the monstrous boy-king herself, and stays alive by weaving tales and charming him in her chambers at night. Determined to make sense of the nightmare, she digs into the Caliph's deeply buried secrets. Before long, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love, even as she feels honor-bound to kill this king who has so much blood on his hands. Over the course of the series, their love must survive a devastating curse, betrayals, dangerous magic, and the growing threat to Khalid’s throne, orchestrated by his uncle, the Sultan of Parthia, and Shahrzad's childhood sweetheart, Tariq Imran al-Ziyad. Mesmerizing. (YA)

Picture Books:

WHEN’S MY BIRTHDAY, by Julie Fogliano and Christian Robinson, is an exuberant, poetic celebration of that most personal and universal of holidays, the birthday. Loose, kid-like, collaged art perfectly suits this "happy happy" take on a “happy happy day,” where one can get wishes and kisses and berries and even tiny sandwiches with soup if one is extremely lucky!!

PUG MEETS PIG, written by Sue Lowell Gallion and illustrated by Joyce Wan, is a charming friendship story about contented Pug, who must make room for interloper Pig. It’s not friendship at first sight, but Pug and Pig work things out admirably by the end.

In Pug & Pig, Trick-or-Treat, Pig likes her Halloween costume very much. But Pug does not like his, until it’s scattered in pieces all over the yard. But who will celebrate Halloween with Pig? Pug has a solution so they can both enjoy the festivities!

--Lynn