Spring 2021 Picks Adult Fiction - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - Mendon Public Library

Spring 2021 Picks

                                Adult Fiction

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann
Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A World War II novel like no other, Shaffer and Barrow’s book is set on an island off the coast of England.
When the German’s occupy the island, the residents devise a unique way to break curfew by starting a book
club. The club is filled with an eccentric cast of characters who begin writing to an author on the English
mainland. This story is filled with warmth and joy, and it will be treasured by many.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
“The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion,
asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating
mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to
anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and
emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through
the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her
questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past,
she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.”” –Amazon.com

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay
A mission trip to Indonesia goes horribly wrong when civil war breaks out on a nearby island. The team of
teenagers is forced to flee into the mountainous jungle before they, too, become victims of the growing
violence. This is a nail biter that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Adult Fiction

One by One by Ruth Ware
This suspenseful thriller is set in a ski chalet in France. An idyllic company retreat goes very wrong when an
avalanche hits and it seems you can’t trust any of your co-workers when it comes to survival on the
mountainside. Ware weaves a web of relationship entanglements and various twists and turns that will keep
you wondering who will be left standing at the end.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid
“Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been
shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black
‘stand-in mother,’ Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both
free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by
an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey,
and the Black Madonna.” Amazon.com

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
The Shoemaker’s Wife is filled with drama, romance, and war while spanning the ocean. Italy and the States
are far geographically, but not when it comes to matters of the heart. This is a beautiful story told by a master
storyteller.

                                 Adult Nonfiction

The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science by David Blistein
and Ken Burns
Learn the history of an amazing medical facility that began more than a century ago. Hundreds of photos
document the Mayo Clinic’s transformation from a one-room office to an award-winning facility that focuses
on service and innovation. This is a very interesting read.

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality
by Michael J. Fox
This self-professed optimist revealed getting a dose of “this is too much.” Luckily, wonderfully supportive
family, friends, and medical providers were all a part of the process of pulling out of the depths.
Some insights: “Good things can come from bad things.” -M.F. “Accept what has happened in the past.
Embrace the present. Remain open to the probability that it will get better in the future.” -The Class of
2020 “With gratitude, optimism becomes sustainable.” -S.P.

YA Fiction

Legend by Marie Lu
“What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its
neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a
prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-
year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem…
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.” —
Amazon.com

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
A classic worth reading over and over again, The Outsiders is as discussion worthy today as it was when it
was first published 50+ years ago. It is the first realistic fiction title for young adults and was considered by
the publisher to be too violent for a female author, so initials were used in place of her first name. The story
pits the Socs and Greasers against each other. Readers will meet Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Johnny, and
Two-Bit, characters they won’t soon forget.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi
“Zuri Benitez believes Bushwick, their economically stressed neighborhood in Brooklyn, is a good
neighborhood. Zuri doesn’t welcome change, especially when it could alter the culture of the neighborhood.
When the Darcy family moves in across the street, it takes time for Zuri to see that the new neighbors are
respectful of the neighborhood.” –MCLS Teen Services Librarians 2019

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
Sixteen-year-old Jenna turns shoe-store spy when her boss, the owner of the Gladstone Shoes dynasty,
hires her as a salesclerk. First, Jenna must drive her aged boss across the country in an equally aged
vehicle, but the lessons learned by both occupants spans the generations.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
When two high school friends head out on a cross-country bike trip, one goes missing. Unfortunately, the
other doesn’t know it because the two had a fight mid trip and went their separate ways. Bradbury chronicles
what happens to both in this shocking and highly suspenseful story.

J-Fiction

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
“In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets
Lizzie Bright Griffin, an African American girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former
slaves.” Amazon.com

Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
This hilarious story centers on seventh grader Holling Hoodhood and his many trials. Holling is forced to
spend his Wednesday afternoons with his teacher because his classmates are in religion class. Holling’s
stint in “solitary confinement” is anything but quiet. Bullies, rats, baseball heroes, and even cream puffs
invade his space.

                                    J-Nonfiction

Do You Really Want to Meet a Moose by Cari Meister
Learn about moose in this colorful book, including where they live, what they eat, how they spend their time,
how to find them, how big they grow, and more.

Fingerprint Drawing Book by Doug Emberley
Learn how to make a cast of characters and objects, including people, flowers, frogs, cars, dragons, and
more, using your fingerprints! Kids of all ages will enjoy creating lots of pictures using Mr. Emberley’s easy-
to-learn techniques.

Mason Jar Science by Jonathan Adolph
Try 40 slimy, squishy, super-cool experiments using common household products and a glass mason jar.
Fun activities include making a lava lamp, a string of stalactites, ink from berries, a bug vacuum, a light
bender, and more!

Recent Picks

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Past YA Nonfiction

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Previous Selections

                                          Adult Fiction

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr      The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg
As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark             The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger               The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate                 Look for Me by Lisa Gardner
Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan          Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
Best Day Ever Kaira Rouda                         The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
Blackout by Marc Elsberg                          Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek               Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor
    by Kim Michele Richardson                     News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock                   The Only Woman in the Room by Benedict
Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict                 The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Death of Ivan Llyich by Leo Tolstoy               Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson            The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine               The Sound of Glass Karen White
    by Gail Honeyman                              Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner
Eternal Life by Dara Horn                         Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Fifth Doctrine by Julia Whelan                The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts                The Storyteller’s Secret by Sejal Badani
The First Lady by James Patterson                 The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani
The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar                The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Fountains of Silence by Rita Sepetys          The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker                     We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick            We Were the Lucky Ones Georgia Hunter
A Good Neighbor by Therese Anne Fowler            A Willing Murder by Jude Deveraux
The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd                   Winter World by A.G. Riddle
Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge

Adult Nonfiction

Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate    How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease            The Library Book by Susan Orlean
    and Biological Weapons by Kris Newby              Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams
The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians    More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
   on the Texas Frontier by John Zesch                The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age
Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an              of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
    Unlikely Hero & the Animals Who Helped Him        Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls
    Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke            Wilder by Caroline Fraser
A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English      The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill,
    Countryside by Susan Branch                          Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik
Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien                               Larson

                                                YA Fiction

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World             Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
   by C.A. Fletcher                                   The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
Endangered by Eliot Schrefer                             by Julie Berry
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale                        Unblemished by Sara Ella
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson          The Wave by Todd Strasser
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer                 When We Were Lost by Kevin Wignall
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

                                            YA Nonfiction

Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s         STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
   Life & Work by Victoria Ortiz                      We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai

J Fiction

Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack               The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker          The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock           School Ship Tobermory by Alexander McCall Smith
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson                        Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School             Squirm by Carl Hiaasen
   by Kristin Mahoney                                  Things Seen from Above by Shelley Pearsall
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks         Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker             The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts by Avi
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The         The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood                       by Karina Yan Glaser
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly        War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
The Long Ride by Marina Tamar Budhos                   The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo                    Brubaker Bradley
Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson               We’re Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl                  Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin
   by Stacy McAnulty

                                                 J Nonfiction

Children of Orphan Trains by Holly Littlefield         Gabe & Izzy by Gabrielle Ford
The Duel by Judith St. George                          The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky