Recently Added to the YA Bookshelf

Taking a look at some of the most recent additions gracing the shelves of our YA department:

Once a King by Erin Summerill

Told in two voices, young King Aodren works with Lirra, a Channeler, to dismantle his father's dark legacy and end the divide between Channelers--women with a magical ability--and people without magic.

Evermore by Sara Holland

Jules Ember confronts the girl who is both her oldest friend and greatest enemy in the highly anticipated sequel to Everless.

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

Three new stories of Eragon set a year after he left Alagaësia to find a home to train the newest generation of Dragon riders.

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.

How She Died, How I Lived Mary Crockett

Kyle texted five girls that day. Only Jamie was kind enough to respond, and it got her killed. On the eve of Kyle's sentencing a year after Jamie's death, all the other "chosen ones" are coping in various ways. But the unnamed narrator is full of anger, stuck somewhere between the horrifying past and the unknown future. 

Love à La Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm

High school juniors Rosie Radeke and Henry Yi, both enrolled in an elite cooking program in Paris, must balance rivalry and romance.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Seventeen-year-olds Stella and Will, both suffering from cystic fibrosis, realize the only way to stay alive is to stay apart, but their love for each other is slowly pushing the boundaries of physical and emotional safety.

The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano

The second in a fantasy duology about a princess cursed to turn any living thing she touches into gemstone.

Getting to Know...Hannah

Introducing another valuable member of our YA Volunteer Team, Hannah Wright! Hannah has accumulated 16.25 hours since August 2018.

FAVORITE BOOK GENRES: Adventure, Mystery

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Criminal Minds, Save Our Shelter

SOMEONE I LOOK UP TO: My older brother James who is in the Navy.

SPIRIT ANIMAL: Timber Wolf

HAPPY PLACE: My bedroom or outdoors.

SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT MYSELF: I really love wild animals.

FUTURE PLANS: Becoming a dog trainer and foster. Making a rescue and adoption center.

Holiday Memories

Gather around the hearth as several or our YA patrons discuss their favorite holiday memories and what they're hoping to receive for Christmas.

Sara Boyer

My favorite Christmas memory is when my brother and I woke up at 5 a.m. to spy on Santa. We were like 7 years old. I hope to get a ton of hoodies.

Isiah Sarille

My family Christmas memory is my grandma, grandpa, aunt Korina, uncle Raul, cousins Angelica and Alex. We like Christmas and I believe Santa Claus is real. Me and my aunt Korina can go shopping for whatever I want to buy at the many different stores. It's very cold for winter so we can have hot chocolate to keep warm!  I hope my grandparents don't like the winter for Christmas.

Braden Unruh

I think my greatest Christmas memory was last year. It was my favorite because that year my sister and I waited for everyone to wake up, and it felt like my family was really together. I think the thing I would want the most for Christmas is maybe a drill.

Hannah Wright

I like the Christmas months the most because you can read or hear about the Christmas story from the Bible. You can also spend the day with family and friends. And when you go outside at night you can see all the Christmas lights people have decorated their houses with. What I'm really wanting this year is that everyone will have a very good time. Whether they are part of my family or not. And that everyone will have a Merry Christmas.

Selena Martinez

Around Christmas time 3 years ago (2015), my family sparked the idea of going to California for the holidays. Now, we were going for a relative's birthday, but they decided to have some fun while we were there. I can't remember every single detail, but I do recall when we went to Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Santa Monica Beach. Christmas was the same festive-wise, but the people I was celebrating it with were different. My family settled in California rarely came to Indiana, so it was nice to visit them around this time.

This year for Christmas, I don't want to receive any possessions as gifts. As a matter of fact, I just want to give more this year. I want more smiles and kind gestures shown in the community. I'm simply wishing for a Christmas that will bring joy.

Tackle Twelve - Spotlight on Read a Caldecott or Newbery Medal Winner

As part of BPL's Tackle Twelve promotion, 16 reading challenges have been issued. This week's blog takes a closer look at 'Read a Caldecott or Newbery Medal Winner' and offers up recommendations.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

2015 Newbery Medal Winner

2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner

New York Times Bestseller

Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with the highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

2018 Newbery Medal Winner

Lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

2013 Newbery Medal Winner
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Soon to be a major motion picture!

When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.



Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

2011 Newbery Medal Winner
2011 Spur Award Winner
Kansas Notable Book

Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

1979 Newbery Medal Winner
Ranked #9 among all-time children's novels by School Library Journal (2012)
Adapted as the 1997 feature film Get a Clue

Each of the sixteen people invited to the reading of a very strange will are given $10,000, a set of clues, and the chance to become a millionaire.



The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes

2009 Caldecott Medal Winner

A bedtime verse about the light in a house during the night.

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

2003 Caldecott Medal Winner

Something always seems to go wrong when Rabbit is around, but Mouse lets him play with his toy plane anyway because he is his good friend.



Golem by David Wisniewski

1997 Caldecott Medal Winner

A saintly rabbi miraculously brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over Jews of sixteenth-century Prague.

Tuesday by David Wiesner

1991 Caldecott Medal Winner

A whimsical, hilarious look at the events that unfold on a particular Tuesday, on which outlandish things begin to happen.

One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian

1971 Caldecott Medal Winner

A fox begins an unusual adventure when his greediness causes him to lose his tail.

Getting to Know...Selena

Introducing another valuable member of our YA Volunteer Team, Selena Martinez! A 13-year-old eighth grader, Selena has accumulated 5.75 hours since August.

FAVORITE BOOK GENRES: "All the Bright Places" is my favorite novel.

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Stranger Things, The Flash, Arrow

SOMEONE I LOOK UP TO: My mom. She's done a lot for me and the people around her.

MY SPIRIT ANIMAL: Bird. They're free-spirited and can fly off whenever to wherever they want.

SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT MYSELF: I've been a vegetarian since March 31, 2018.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "We do not remember days, we remember moments." - Cesare Pavese

FUTURE PLANS: I want to go to college. I hope to become a dentist and travel as much as possible.

AN INVENTION I WOULD UNINVENT: Phones or portable electronics. Although they do amazing things, they've done some serious damage to society.

Fictional Librarians

While perhaps not as popular as some occupations (medical, legal, law enforcement), librarians have been known to pop up here-and-there on television, in books, in movies, and (wait for it) even books. And even though all don't necessarily feature the stereotypical look (I do have glasses, but almost never wear my hair in a bun), most are generally intellectual, with a unique sense of style. Do you have a particular favorite? Several of the notable:


Barbara Gordon, Batgirl
First introduced by DC Comics in 1967 as a female counterpart to Batman. Busy tackling reference tasks by day, fighting crime by night! Arguably the first true librarian-as-superhero.


Eveylyn Carnahan O'Connell, The Mummy
1999 Hollywood film that produced several sequels and spinoffs. Who can forget her classic line to husband Rick (Brendan Fraser), "Look, I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am. A librarian."

Flynn Carsen, The Librarian

Character appeared in the 2004 television film The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. Two subsequent films followed, in addition to a long-running tv series (2014-2018). True to many studying the library sciences, Carsen holds 23 academic degrees.


Henry DeTamble, The Time Traveler's Wife
Novel published in 2003 by author Audrey Niffenegger. DeTamble is a librarian at the Newberry Library in Chicago. A rare genetic disorder causes him to involuntarily travel through time.

Madam Irma Pince, Harry Potter
First mentioned in the Philosopher's Stone (1997). JK Rowling, speaking about the irritable Madam Pince, "I would like to apologize for your and other librarians present here today and my get-out clause is always if they'd had a pleasant, helpful librarian, half my plots would be gone. 'Cause the answer invariably is in a book but Hermione has to go and find it. If they'd had a good librarian, that would have been that problem solved. So...sorry."


Rupert Giles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series (1997-2003). Served as mentor and father figure to Buffy Summers. Occult expert of the Scooby Gang, librarian. Rupert's story is continued in the comic book Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (2007-2011).


Tammy Swanson, Parks and Recreation
Deputy Director of Library Services in Pawnee, Indiana. Ruthless manipulative, and conniving, Tammy II battles wits with ex-husband Ron throughout the seven-season (2009-2015) television comedic run. Trivia note: According to her library card, her full name is Tammy Swanson Swanson. This is because Tammy and Ron married twice.

Tackle Twelve - Spotlight on Read a Celebrity Memoir

As part of BPL’s Tackle Twelve promotion, 16 reading challenges have been issued. This week’s blog takes a closer look at ‘Read a Celebrity Memoir’ and offers up recommendations.

Pretty Mess by Erika Jayne

The model, singer, and reality television star traces her rise to fame, the ups and downs of her family life, and the obstacles she overcame to achieve success.

And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O'Connell

When Meaghan O'Connell got accidentally pregnant in her twenties and decided to keep the baby, she realized that the book she needed -- a brutally honest, agenda-free reckoning with the emotional and existential impact of motherhood -- didn't exist. So she decided to write it herself.

I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

Presents a memoir told entirely in seventeen near-death experiences stemming from a dangerous childhood illness, accidents, an encounter with a disturbed person, and the author's daily efforts to protect her daughter from the vulnerabilities of a high-risk condition.

Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler

A divinity professor and young mother diagnosed with Stage IV cancer shares her perspectives on friendship, love, and death while describing her efforts to remain true to her faith in spite of impossible hardships.

Stronger by Jeff Bauman

A survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, who helped to set off one of the biggest manhunts in the country's history, discusses his experiences that day and his ongoing mission to walk again after losing both legs.

Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict

In 2009, Tiger Woods was the most famous athlete on the planet, a transcendent star of almost unfathomable fame, fortune, and what appeared to be the perfect life. But it was all a carefully crafted illusion. As it turned out, Woods had been living a double life for years. Thus, leaving the world to wonder, who is Tiger Woods, really?

Robin by Dave Itzkoff

Presents a compelling portrait of Williams that illuminates his comic brilliance and often misunderstood character, his struggles with addiction and depression, and his relationships with friends and family members.

Everything is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams by Jen Bricker

A gymnast, performer, and motivational speaker who was born without legs, describes the challenges of growing up different and inspires readers to remove the words coincidence and limitation from their vocabularies.

Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music -- The Definitive Life by Tim Riley

Granted access to previously untapped files, the author challenges many popular assumptions about the Beatle's life by presenting an authoritative examination of Lennon's life and creative legacy.

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

The comedian and actress presents autobiographical essays that reflect on her disadvantaged youth, her discovery of comedy, and her struggles with gender, race, and class boundaries in the entertainment industry.