MLC Staff Reads: November 20, 2015

Lemony Snicket wrote in Horseradish that you should, "Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." Here are a few that you'll find a delight to tuck into your carry-all.

Last Stop on Market Street

written by Matt de la Peña

illustrated by Christian Robinson

picture book

five stars

Last Stop on Market Street is an inspirational and heartwarming picture book about an ordinary Sunday for CJ and his grandma. As they go about their normal routine--church, walk, bus stop, bus ride, walk, soup kitchen--they encounter other people who have more (and less) than they do. Each time CJ asks his grandma why the two of them don't have a convenience that other people do, she gives him an upbeat answer explaining how rich they already are. The bright illustrations perfectly complement the beautiful story.

 Career of Evil

written by Robert Galbraith

(pseudonym of J.K. Rowling)

fiction: mystery

four stars

The third installment in J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series, Career of Evil is a fast-paced mystery with the added bonus of great character development (and Blue Öyster Cult lyrics, which precede each chapter!). There’s also a perfectly ambiguous cliffhanger ending that will guarantee we’ll be on the edge of our seats until the next book comes out.

 Dispatches from Pluto:

Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta

written by Richard Grant

nonfiction: Mississippi
four stars

To natives of the state, Mississippi is simply our home. We tend to forget that it is a place of contradictions; Mississippi has given birth to a population who manifests and embraces those seeming differences. Richard Grant has a keen ear for a good story and the Mississippi Delta has stories in spades. While no single book can tell the whole story of any place (especially a place like Mississippi!), Grant's tales of his meetings with wildlife and with humans and of his travels and adventures around the Delta are humorous, insightful, and well-written.

X: A Novel

written by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

young adult
four stars

X by Ilyasha Shabazz, Malcolm X's daughter, and Kekla Magoon follows the life of a young Malcolm X before he became a great human rights activist. Even though this is a work of fiction, X is based on the real life of Malcolm X and his actions from boyhood until his arrest for theft at the age of 20. This is a great novel that will challenge teen readers while teaching them more about the human rights movement and the work of Malcolm X.

We have these books lined up to read next week:

 

• Nino Wrestles the World
  written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales 
• Stella by Starlight
  written by Sharon Draper
• Hold Tight, Don't Let Go
  written by Laura Rose Wagner
• Inside the O'Briens
  written by Lisa Genova
  
  
  Until next time, happy reading!