Emma's Favourite Reads for 2020

From picture books to YA to adult fiction and some seriously thought-provoking non-fiction, Emma picks her reading highlights for the bumpy ride that was 2020.

Best Picture Book: This is a tough one, but I think I’m going to go with I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. It doesn’t talk down to the reader and the illustrations aren’t particularly childish either. When the dialogue doesn’t match the pictures, you get a real giggle, knowing that the characters are telling lies. This picture book has worked well one-on-one with toddlers as well as in class settings with primary students and special needs high school students. Plus I like just reading it to myself. There are two more hat stories by Klassen to enjoy as well: This Is Not My Hat and We Found A Hat. 

The Book That Got Me Out of My Lockdown-Can’t-Read Slump: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by she-who-must-not-be-named. A familiar favourite that I tried to read every day in lockdown but couldn’t until we hit Covid alert level 2, when I could suddenly follow a narrative again!

Best Non-Fiction: a tie between Clementine Ford’s Fight Like a Girl and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race. Both gave me a deeper understanding of the issues (sexism and racism, respectively), and both got me suitably riled up to have some important conversations with people I love, but would usually avoid these topics with. Ford’s Australian voice and Eddo-Lodge’s UK perspective were both a refreshing departure from the US narratives that tend to overshadow these conversations.

Best YA: Puddin' by Julie Murphy. A sequel to Dumplin’, which was made into an awesome Netflix movie. It’s great. So great. Just read it. Friendship, growing up, inclusiveness, girl power – it’s just so great. Just awesome characters – some of whom struggle with accepting who they are, and some who live with full confidence, unafraid to broadcast their quirks. 

Overall Best Book I Read This Year: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Really. As long as she can distract herself with work or alcohol, she’s utterly okay. I love Eleanor’s way of thinking. It’s relatable, ridiculous, hilarious, and terrifying by turns. Spoiler alert: she’s not actually fine. This book made me laugh out loud and cry heaving sobs.

Posted by Emma

Hana's Top 10 for 2019

I’m going to divvy my top 10 of this year into five for me, and five that my kids and I have enjoyed. Share and share alike!

Top 5 for me:

Graphic novels - Late this year I found out about graphic novels too with thanks to the many suggestions and posts from fellow resident children’s and young adults librarian, Sas! I have particularly enjoyed “Giant Days”, a comic about three young girls and two guys navigating their way together through their university days, and Raina Telgemeier – graphic novel queen. She wrote and illustrated a series of three graphic memoirs titled “Smile”, “Sisters” and “Guts” her latest where she details her experience of developing anxiety as a child.

Young Adult fiction – This year I discovered that YA does not have to be read by young adults! My favourite this year was probably ‘All the bright places’ by Jennifer Niven, but I don’t like to single things out…

Young Adult non-fiction – Just because we’ve put something in our YA section, doesn’t mean it can’t be read by anyone. If you don’t want to be seen in that area, please just place a hold on one of the books. I read at least two great YA non-fiction titles this year that I’ve recommended to customers. One I just finished reading called, “Just mercy: a true story of the fight for justice” by Bryan Stevenson. Only at the end, did I recognise the writers’ voice, as he said something he’d also said in a documentary called “13^th” by Ava DuVernay. Just Mercy is an account of Bryan’s experience in the criminal justice system as a lawyer and advocate for wrongfully incarcerated people of colour, following his work and stand-out cases and clients he’s worked for, at no charge.

Non-fiction – Reading facts and learning more about the world we live in has always interested me, so when I came across this book, “Prisoners’ of Geography: ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics”, I jumped on it. It seems a bit boring at face value, but I actually learnt quite a bit about some of the historical reasons why countries and their governments do the things they do or how they got to where they are.

A second non-fiction book that I really appreciated this year is titled, “How to be calm” by Anna Barnes. A self-help book with a sky-blue cover and rounded page corners (somehow this is really complements the comforting nature of the content); it has simple reminders on each page and beautiful accompanying imagery and artwork. It’s a great book to have on hand J

Top 5 for my kids:

Puzzles – the libraries have heaps of these for kids if you haven’t found them yet. Check out the kids areas in each library. We’ve particularly enjoyed the many floor puzzles on offer, perfect for a 3 and a half year old boy.

Look and find books – These are great books to share on your lap with one to three children. It gets a bit difficult the more you have around you, so try to keep it to two at the most. We’ve enjoyed such titles as “Where’s the poo? A pooptastic searchand find book”, “Where’s the unicorn?” and “Where’s the unicorn now?” and of course there’s always “Where’s Wally?”. It all helps with getting them to notice the small things J

Narwhal and Jelly
Narwhal and Jelly was a surprising success for all my kids, the youngest being 3. It’s a series titled Narwhal and Jelly, about a couple of unlikely friends in the sea – a Narwhal and a Jellyfish – and is full of lots of silly puns that will amuse all.

It’s found in the junior illustrated (comic book) section and we have at least one in the series at all three libraries. But be warned, they aren’t staying on the shelves for long as people have already found out about them J

“The curious guide to things that aren’t”
Another surprising find for me, as I thought it’d be a bit difficult for my kids to guess these things. It’s a neat guessing game that goes through the alphabet describing things that are intangible, with easily understood clues for young kids. There’s about six clues for each thing, and as the clues continue, they naturally help the reader (or listener) to correctly guess the ‘thing’. I tried this book out at an early childhood centre where the youngest were 4 and a half years of age and they were intrigued to see what the next ‘thing’ would be on the next page.

Here’s an example of a ‘thing’ and the clues for it, “This starts with the letter G. You can’t see, touch, smell, taste, or hear it, but you feel it when you try to jump… And when you swim, it seems to disappear completely. Birds and airplanes have to overcome it, and when astronauts are up in space, they don’t feel it at all…”

Can you guess what it is?

“How (not) to annoy Dad”
This book is hilarious! It’s like they can see into our home life, our exact conversations with the kids and have put it in picture book form with cute Koala’s as the family’s characters. Written by Dave Hughes aka ‘Hughsie’ an Australian comedian, the koala family centres around Dad and his three koala children. His day starts bright and early and is filled with all manner of thoughts, questions, observations, arguments and comments from his offspring.

Example A “Find interesting things with Dad: “Dad, look at this spiky stick. I love it! Can you carry it home for me?” with a picture of the child who has found a ginormous stick, then one page later, “Dad, I found a new stick. I don’t need that one anymore”.

Accompanying voices on this second spread are, “Look, Dad! Cockroaches! I’m going to pat them!” and “Dad, I found an amazing rock. But I dropped it. Can you help me find it?” when the groundcover is rocks.

Hard to describe sorry, you’ll just have to get it out. Luckily we have one in each library! (Sorry, I’ve still got mine on loan, it’s doing good time).

Now I realise these two top 5’s don’t entirely and succinctly add up to a “top 10”. I apologise.
The library has more than 10 for me J

Sas' Top Ten Picture Books of 2019

Aroha’s Way by Craig Phillips

I was very excited when we finally got this book, as its initial run sold out pretty fast, and I heard nothing but glowing reviews. This book is about Aroha, and how she wards off nervousness, fear, worry and apprehension with simple mindfulness tools that can be used by both children and adults. At the back of the book there are two pages titled ‘Aroha’s ways to help with Anxiety”, as well as a third page with different websites, 0800 numbers to call, and numbers to text if you, your whanau, or your friends need help with anxiety or depression. A wonderful book that I will be recommending to everyone who has, or works with children.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty & illustrated by David Roberts

This is a fun picture book aimed at older picture book readers, as it is a bit long, and has a couple of concepts that might fly over younger kids heads. However it is a funny story about a girl with a giant imagination, and a thirst for knowledge. Ada is a young girl who draws on walls, makes stinky concoctions, and causes chaos wherever she goes, all in the name of science.






There’s Only One You by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook, illustrated by Rosie Butcher 

This is a book that celebrates all the things that makes a child different. A book about finding the awesomeness in your uniqueness - whether tall or short, thin or stout, outgoing, meek, no matter your skin colour, or hair type, whether you speak sign language, or with an accent, if your voice is booming, or just a squeak, if you need glasses, a wheelchair, or a hearing aid – this book is all about celebrating diversity. Top it all off with beautiful, colourful art and you end up with an excellent picture book.





I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong & illustrated by Nidhi Chanani

This follows a day in the life of a young girl going to school, attending classes, making new friends, and speaking in front of the class. While this may seem like a rather plain idea for a book, it is turned into an exciting read as our young hero compares it all to a fantasy story, with her colourful dress becoming her armour, the school bus is a ‘many-headed’ serpent, and (my personal favourite) the library contains a ‘mountain of knowledge’ with the librarian as the ‘Guardian of Wisdom’. This is a clever, sweet book about a young girl with a lot of imagination treating every day like an adventure.

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
A beautiful story about trying to be brave when things may seem scary. My favourite line was “At times the world can seem… Too big. Too loud. Too hard. Too much.” which I think will be very relatable to both children and adults alike. It then goes on to compare courage to a light hidden inside of you, before giving a couple of techniques to find and focus on feeling brave. A lovely story that may go over younger readers heads, so it would be best to read with an adult who can help them understand.

Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival

A wonderful story about what to do when you are feeling overcome by worry. Ruby is a typical young girl, until one day she notices she has a worry following her around. While it starts off small, it keeps growing and growing and she doesn’t know what to do about it. Thankfully she finds a friend, and the two talk about their troubles until their worries shrink. A beautiful story about the importance of friendship, and talking to people you love when you feel worried about something. A great way to introduce younger kids to looking after their mental health.


I Say Ooh, You Say Aah by John Kane
This is a super fun book that requires at least two people reading it together. It is one of my favourites to read to a class or a group of children, as it is interactive, very silly, and can become very loud! Just be warned, this book will cause any children you are reading it to to shout the word Underpants very loudly, and very often.




All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Set in a class room, ‘All are Welcome here’ is about the beauty in diversity, and that no matter who you are, or where you come from, all children are wonderful, and that the classroom is a safe space for everyone. – “No matter how you start your day, what you wear when you play. Or if you come from far away. All are welcome here” and a few pages later “We’re part of a community. Our strength is our diversity. A shelter from adversity. All are welcome here.”



                                                      
Bottoms! By Nikki Slade Robinson
Another great book by New Zealand children’s picture book writer and illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson. She has written some of my favourite picture books, and this one is a great one for kids who love potty humour. Filled with different types of bums (both human, and animal) it is a fun rhyming book for those who don’t mind a bit of silliness. A line that is sure to make even the grumpiest child grin is “Your bottom follows you around (and sometimes makes a little sound).”


Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

This is the story of a young prince who finds his true love. At the beginning of the story he is told by his parents that he must find someone to marry and rule by his side, unfortunately none of the princesses his parents introduce him to are what he was looking for. One day a dragon attacks his kingdom, and the prince goes to battle it alone, until a mysterious knight shows up and helps him defend the village. The two fall in love, and the book ends with a beautiful same sex wedding as the entire kingdom cheers. It is a pretty standard fairy-tale, with a fantastic LGBT twist.

Reviewed by Sas

Kristen's 2019 Top 10 (in no particular order)

They Both Die at the End – Adam Silvera

“On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.”

Spoiler alert: The title says it all and that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens.

Silver - Chris Hammer

“For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now there is no escaping. He'd vowed never to return to his hometown, Port Silver, and its traumatic memories… Martin arrives to find his best friend from school days brutally murdered…With the police curiously reluctant to pursue other suspects, Martin goes searching for the killer and finds the past waiting for him.”

Scrublands was one of my favourite books from 2018 and this book didn’t disappoint me.

Hangman – Jack Heath

 “Timothy Blake, codename Hangman. Blake is a genius, known for solving impossible cases. He's also a sociopath - the FBI's last resort. Timothy Blake has a secret, one so dark he will do anything to keep it hidden. He also has a price. Every time he saves a life, he takes one…”

A friend lent me this book, he loved it. I know a lot of my friends struggled with it. I was both - I couldn’t put it down and can't stop thinking about it but I don’t know how I feel about Timothy - part disgusted, part attached?

Traitor and the Thief/ The Clockill and the Thief – Gareth Ward

“Discovered picking pockets at Coxford’s Corn Market, fourteen year old Sin is hunted across the city. Caught by the enigmatic Eldritch Moons, Sin is offered a way out of his life of crime: join the Covert Operations Group (COG) and train to become a spy.”

A steam punk, adventure story which keep me engaged and then left me sad when I finished as I wasn’t ready to leave the world the Gareth so beautifully crafted. 

I can’t remember the title but the cover is blue – Elias Greig

“Veteran bookseller Elias Greig collects the best, worst and downright weirdest customer encounters from his years working as a Sydney bookseller."

This book really struck a chord with me as an ex bookseller. It was quick, easy to read but very funny and well presented. I also really enjoyed a moment when a customer asked for this book and the staff member on the desk tried to work out what the blue covered book might be called.

Lockwood and Co. Series – Jonathan Stroud

“For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city”

Lockwood and Co. is a steampunk, adventure, ghost story, horror all rolled into one with a strong, female lead.  I demolished the whole series in a matter of days.

Captain Marvel (film)

“Captain Marvel is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Carol Danvers. Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in the centre of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations.”

I am currently working my way through all the Marvel movies and TV shows in chronological order. I really enjoyed this, a really strong female lead with a good dash of nostalgia thrown in.

All we can do is wait – Richard Lawson

“In the hours after a bridge collapse rocks their city, a group of Boston teenagers meet in the waiting room of Massachusetts General Hospital”

Told from multiple perspectives, I spent hours piecing the story together and crying.

Living Big in a Tiny House – Bryce Langston

“Exploring small-space design projects from New Zealand and around the world, a must-have resource for anyone interested in living well with less, packed full of ideas and inspiration for any aspiring tiny-house owner.”

I find Bryce’s YouTube channel fascinating and this book did not disappoint with its awesome photography and interesting write ups of many of the homes seen on said YouTube channel.

Broken Lands – Jonathan Maberry

“Ever since her mother’s death, Gabriella “Gutsy” Gomez has spent her days flying under the radar. But when her mother’s undead body is returned to her doorstep from the grave and Gutsy witnesses a pack of ravagers digging up Los Muertos—her mother’s name for the undead—she realizes that life finds you no matter how hard you try to hide from it.”

I read the Rot and Ruin series in 2018 and loved that they are set 15 years AFTER the zombie apocalypse so I jumped at the chance to revisit this world and many of the same characters again

When the Floods Came by Clare Morrall

I was totally absorbed in this unusual novel and did not want it to end:  part realist dystopian fiction; part domestic fiction; part psychological thriller – something for everyone really!

Set in the near future some years after a deadly virus has swept through Great Britain; the island has been put in quarantine by the rest of the world.  Those who have survived are infertile, apart from a tiny minority who have natural immunity. Severe weather events are common, with huge rain storms putting London and other areas permanently in flood and unlivable.

Roza’s family, consisting of her parents and three siblings, have chosen to remain isolated in a large weather-proof tower block apartment on the outskirts of Birmingham.  The Capital has been moved to Brighton and there is pressure for fertile young people to move there and start families, as there are very few children left alive.  Rosa is engaged to a young man she has only met on-line and is about to meet him, leave her family and move to Brighton.

The family are close, and very resourceful in feeding and looking after themselves between drone drops of supplies from the Americans.  Twenty-two  year old Rosa and her younger brother Boris work on-line for the Chinese; Roza translates resources from Chinese to English.

After years of isolation, a charismatic and mercurial young man suddenly appears, changing family dynamics, avoiding questions about his past and bringing information about a local fair being held nearby.

The big question for the family is: can they trust this young man’s word?  Roza’s parents are suspicious and very protective of their children, Roza’s older siblings are desperate for adventure and contact with others their own age.  What happens next will change all their lives forever…

The strengths of this novel are the great characters, the building tension and the believable descriptions of life for this family in a ravaged and unpredictable world.  Recommended.

Posted by Katrina

Catalogue link: When the Floods Came

Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Can twelve 12-year-olds escape from the most ridiculously brilliant library ever created?

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library plunks a dozen sixth-graders into the middle of a futuristic library for a night of nonstop fun and adventure.

In a nod to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this fast-paced new novel features an eccentric billionaire who welcomes a group of children into a fantasy setting full of weird, wondrous touches.

Lynette, one of our children's librarians, recommends Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library:

"If you love libraries, if you love board games, if you love solving riddles and puzzles then you will love this book. It is fun, it is clever, and it is intriguing. Even though the book is for kids ( junior fiction), you don’t have to be a kid to love this book."

Catalogue link: Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

Author website/book trailer

Kristen's Young Readers' January Picks

Need a little kick to help jump start your January reading? Check out some of these titles!

Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda (ages 9+)

Years ago the seven gems that make up the belt of Deltora were stolen and scattered throughout the land of Deltora, each gem guarded by creatures and challenges more dangerous than the last. The belt meant protection for the citizens of Del from the evil residing in the Shadowlands. 16 years have passed and things are looking pretty grim. On Leif’s 16th Birthday he is sent on a quest to find the gems and restore the belt to its former glory. Follow Leif and his travel companions, Barda and Jasmine, as they undertake a journey with danger, and action, at every turn.

This is a series that I have enjoyed for near on 15 years. Originally published in 2000, Leif’s journey spanned 3 series and 15 books. As of May 2015, Emily Rodda has written a new series, Star of Deltora, set in the same world, for those of you that can’t get enough!



Wonder by R.J Palacio (ages 10+)

Auggie Pullman is a regular 10 year old boy living in Manhattan. Well, at least he feels regular. Do regular 10 year old boys cause children to cry, point and stare, scream and avoid them? Due to a rare, and severe, facial deformity Auggie has always been home-schooled. The decision is made that it is time for Auggie to attend “real school” despite the fact that his family are worried about how the other children will perceive him. Wonder explores the situations that all children and teenagers find themselves in and is told from the point of view of members of his family, students from school, friends and of course, Auggie himself.

I could not put this book down, it made me laugh and cry. As someone said to me, it is a book that makes you want to hug everyone around you. On Friday, a book of short stories called Auggie and Me crossed my desk. I will let you know how it goes once it is finished!



Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (ages 9+)

Nancy Drew stories are timeless; publishing began in the 1930’s and continues on today. With well over 100 titles and various reincarnations it is not hard to see why she is still so popular. Nancy Drew lost her mother at a young age and lived with her father growing up. Now in her teenage years, Nancy Drew is an amateur sleuth. Throughout the series Nancy must use her brains to get herself out of all sorts of situations and solve many mysteries. It is always great to read a story with a strong female lead.

Within the past year we have gotten hardback versions of the original titles and I can’t believe how popular they have been. It is great to see them getting such a workout.



Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (ages 9+)

Gregor, 11, has has a hard life since his Dad dissapeared years ealier. His family are struggling and he has to stay home from summer camp to look after his 2 year old sister, Boots. While doing the washing in the basement, Boots crawls into a hole in the wall. When Gregor follows they fall miles below New York city into the Underland.

Here starts Gregor and Boot's journey into a land where bats, rats and cockroaches are all the size of humans and their arrival has all races preparing for an all out war.

I took this book home to read on a Friday. On Saturday morning I was at the library to collect the rest of the series!

Posted by Kristen