New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Josh Baxter Levels Up, by Gavin Brown.

Video game lover Josh Baxter knows that seventh grade at a new school may be his hardest challenge yet, but he's not afraid to level up and win! Josh Baxter is sick and tired of hitting the reset button. It's not easy being the new kid for the third time in two years. One mistake and now the middle school football star is out to get him. And Josh's sister keeps offering him lame advice about how to make friends, as if he needs her help finding allies! Josh knows that his best bet is to keep his head down and stay under the radar. If no one notices him, nothing can touch him, right? But when Josh's mom sees his terrible grades and takes away his video games, it's clear his strategy has failed. Josh needs a new plan, or he'll never make it to the next level, let alone the next grade. He's been playing not to lose. It's time to play to win.

The Last Boy at St. Edith's, by Lee Gjertsen Malone.

Seventh grader Jeremy Miner has a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. 475 of them to be exact. That’s how many girls attend his school, St. Edith’s Academy.

Jeremy is the only boy left after the school’s brief experiment in co-education. And he needs to get out. But his mother—a teacher at the school—won’t let him transfer, so Jeremy takes matters into his own hands: he’s going to get expelled.

Together with his best friend Claudia, Jeremy unleashes a series of hilarious pranks in hopes that he’ll get kicked out with minimal damage to his permanent record. But when his stunts start to backfire, Jeremy has to decide how far he’s willing to go and whom he’s willing to knock down to get out the door.

Longbow Girl, by Linda Davies.

The stunningly written start to an exciting new trilogy about a smart, strong, bold girl who travels back in time to protect her family's past and ensure its future using her archery skills. Set in the wilds of the Welsh mountains, the brave and beautiful longbow girl, Merry Owen, discovers a river that takes her back in time to the autocratic kingdom of King Henry VIII. While there she finds she must compete in an archery tournament to save her ancestors' land from being seized by their aristocratic neighbors the de Courcys. Merry's best friend James de Courcy (and heir to the de Courcy wealth) follows her back in time and the two get tangled up in their families' ancient histories. There are forces working against them both in the past and the present. Will they be able to survive their pasts to save their futures?

The Shadow Queen, by C.J. Redwine.

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic of his own—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman—and bring her Lorelai's heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

The Smell of Other People's Houses, by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. (Also available in audio.)

In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn't like being a teenager anywhere else. This deeply moving and authentic debut is for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Benjamin Alire Saenz. Intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation on the edge of America's Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare talent.

Ruth has a secret that she can't hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she's always known on her family's fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it's safer to run away than to stay home--until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Four very different lives are about to become entangled. This unforgettable book is about people who try to save each other--and how sometimes, when they least expect it, they succeed.

Ten Days a Madwoman, by Deborah Noyes.

Young Nellie Bly had ambitious goals, especially for a woman at the end of the nineteenth century, when the few female journalists were relegated to writing columns about cleaning or fashion. But fresh off a train from Pittsburgh, Nellie knew she was destined for more and pulled a major journalistic stunt that skyrocketed her to fame: feigning insanity, being committed to the notorious asylum on Blackwell's Island, and writing a shocking exposé of the clinic's horrific treatment of its patients.

Nellie Bly became a household name as the world followed her enthralling career in "stunt" journalism that raised awareness of political corruption, poverty, and abuses of human rights. Leading an uncommonly full life, Nellie circled the globe in a record seventy-two days and brought home a pet monkey before marrying an aged millionaire and running his company after his death.

With its sensational (and true!) plot, Ten Days a Madwoman dares its readers to live as boldly as its remarkable heroine.

Thanks for the Trouble, by Tommy Wallach.

Parker Santé hasn't spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he'll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

Well of Witches (Thickety #3) by J.A. White.

J. A. White's The Thickety: Well of Witches is an epic quest into an enchanted kingdom with new kinds of magic, an old enemy, and only one way out. Fans of Neil Gaiman will love this third novel in the spectacular and twisty fantasy series that has readers and reviewers raving.

Kara and Taff know that only Grace Stone has the power to reverse her Last Spell on their father, and that in order to save him, they have to rescue their foe from the Well of Witches first. Forgiving Grace should be the hardest part of their journey . . . but soon the children are confronted by creatures called the Faceless, mysteries as old as magic, and an ancient secret that threatens their very lives. Back in the World, a war against magic is brewing that endangers everyone they care about. Can Kara and Taff find Grace and make it back to their father in time?
 
(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

Where I Was: Week of February 16

Some weeks you don't go anywhere. Some weeks you just sit in front of your computer screen and are thankful not to be shoveling slush, ice, and slushy ice.

Photo by Marcia Bulger.

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Bluescreen (Mirador #1) by Dan Wells.

From Dan Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling Partials Sequence, comes the first book in a new sci-fi-noir series. Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the right connections. That connection is a djinni—a smart device implanted right in a person's head. In a world where virtually everyone is online twenty-four hours a day, this connection is like oxygen—and a world like that presents plenty of opportunities for someone who knows how to manipulate it.

Marisa Carneseca is one of those people. She might spend her days in Mirador, but she lives on the net—going to school, playing games, hanging out, or doing things of more questionable legality with her friends Sahara and Anja. And it's Anja who first gets her hands on Bluescreen—a virtual drug that plugs right into a person's djinni and delivers a massive, nonchemical, completely safe high. But in this city, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and Mari and her friends soon find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that is much bigger than they ever suspected.

Burning Midnight, by Will McIntosh.

Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn't pay much--Alex Holliday's stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers--but it helps him and his mom make the rent.

No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the greater the improvement--and the more expensive the sphere.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. One day they find a Gold--a color no one has ever seen. And when Alex Holliday learns what they have, he will go to any lengths, will use all of his wealth and power, to take it from them.
There's no question the Gold is priceless, but what does it actually do? None of them is aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on this little golden orb. Because all the world fights over the spheres, but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they're here.

The Girl from Everywhere, by Heidi Heilig.

Heidi Heilig's debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City, to nineteenth-century Hawaii, to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father's ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility. Its witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, multicultural cast, and enchanting romance will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Nix's life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix's father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he's uncovered the one map he's always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix's mother died in childbirth. Nix's life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix's future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who's been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

Glass Sword, by Victoria Aveyard.*
 

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they've always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Looking for Bongo, by Eric Velasquez.

Oh no! A boy's beloved stuffed toy, Bongo, is missing. No one can help him. When he asks his abuela where Bongo is, she answers, "Yo no sé. I don't know." Mom and Dad haven't seen Bongo either. Gato just says "Meow," and runs away. When Bongo finally turns up behind Dad's drum, the problem of Bongo's whereabouts is resolved . . . but it doesn't answer how Bongo got there! The boy decides to set a trap to catch the Bongo thief. Rich illustrations help tell the story of a mystery cleverly solved.

Pilfer Academy, by Lauren Magaziner.

Troublemaking George has never heard of Pilfer Academy, a top-secret school for cultivating young crooks, until he's kidnapped as its newest student. The teachers are kooky at best, and naughty does not even begin to describe his sneaky, smart, and morally bankrupt new classmates. Between disguise classes, cracking safes, and DIY gadgets, George becomes an expert bandit and finds true friendship with Tabitha, his new partner-in-crime. But everything is ruined when George comes to a shocking realization: He is just too good-hearted to be a thief!

Unfortunately, not thieving is not an option at Pilfer Academy, and "misbehaving" students face Dean Deanbugle's favorite punishment—the Whirlyblerg! In order to gain their freedom, George and Tabitha must pull the biggest heist the school has ever seen and reveal their true colors not as thieves, but as kind (and, okay, mischievous) kids. 

Pugs of the Frozen North, by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre.

When True Winter comes, it's time for the Great Northern Race! The best sled teams in the world must reach a mysterious man called the Snowfather. He will grant one wish to the winners. Young racers Sika and Shen want to win more than anything. But they don't have big sled dogs—all they have is sixty-six yappy, yippy puppy pugs. Can this unlikely team make their dreams come true?

For early chapter book readers who are ready for something longer, the Not-So-Impossible Tales are packed with humor, action, and color illustrations on almost every page.

Revenge and the Wild, by Michelle Modesto.

True Grit meets True Blood in this delightfully dark and fantastical Western perfect for fans of Gail Carriger, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black. This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it's just perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Seven years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She's determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there's nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie's search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel's latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There's only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie's kin. With the help of Nigel's handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she's not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

The Word for Yes, by Claire Needell.

At once honest and touching, Claire Needell's debut novel is a moving look at date rape and its aftermath, at the love and conflicts among sisters and friends, and how these relationships can hold us together—and tear us apart.

The gap between the Russell sisters—Jan, Erika, and Melanie—widens as each day passes. Then, at a party full of blurred lines and blurred memories, everything changes. Starting that night, where there should be words, there is only angry, scared silence.

And in the aftermath, Jan, Erika, and Melanie will have to work hard to reconnect and help one another heal.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

*Huzzah! The print version has arrived!

Where I Was: Week of February 8

One of my favorite libraries to visit in our system is the Norwood Public Library. Library director Rebecca Donnelly is always trying something new, whether it's a pop-up library on the village green, circulating canning supplies, or replacing old public computer towers with Chromeboxes. I had the opportunity to go there on Tuesday, and it was well worth the three hours of round trip travel from my office.*

The latest art at Norwood, created by their teen group.

I think I've mentioned before that the North Country Library System is large. In point of fact, we're bigger than Connecticut.** It's not very often that we get all of our member library staff in the same room; the annual meeting is probably the only time we even come close, and as the name suggests, that's a once-a-year thing. As a result, some of our libraries have formed county-based groups that meet more frequently to coordinate localized initiatives, such as participating in a county fair, advocating for county funding, or standardizing loan policies. Best of all, it gives the attendees a chance to celebrate and commiserate, to share and learn from each other, to ask for help, and to gain perspective.

This is so, so important, and it's something that many of our small libraries don't often get the opportunity to do - it's hard to leave the library to attend a meeting when you're the only one in the building. It's even harder if you have to drive a significant distance to do so and/or you don't get paid for mileage or time worked outside your regular hours at the library.

Which, unfortunately, can be a fact of life in small libraries.

And when the director is the only person on staff (as is the case in some small libraries), they are asked to attend meetings and classes that in a larger library would be divided among other departments. The directors in our system are asked to attend director meetings, tech services meetings, IT trainings, youth services workshops, etc. It's a lot to ask of one person - especially a person who doesn't work full-time, which is also not uncommon in small libraries.

To add a county meeting on top of all the other ones - well, I think it's a testament to the value of the discussion that happens there that the attendees are willing to make time for it.

St. Lawrence County is just getting their county group off the ground, and they held their latest meeting on Tuesday at Norwood. It's not my place to share their discussion here, but I'm so glad they are building this network for themselves. And I'm definitely looking forward to sharing their projects when I can!

*As an added bonus, the library is located within walking distance of a diner that does tasty daily specials, great pie, and perfect hot chocolate. (Trust me. I don't drink coffee. I know from hot chocolate.) 

**Our 6,187 square miles to their 5,018 square miles.***

***I get varying numbers for how big CT actually is when I do a quick Google search, but surely the state itself knows how big it is. I have to believe that. 

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Audacity Jones to the Rescue, by Kirby Larson. (Also available in audio, narrated by Lyssa Browne.)

Audacity Jones is an eleven-year-old orphan who aches for adventure, a challenge to break up the monotony of her life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls. Life as a wayward girl isn't so bad; Audie has the best of friends, a clever cat companion, and plenty of books to read. Still, she longs for some excitement, like the characters in the novels she so loves encounter. So when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield visits the school and whisks Audie off to Washington, DC, she knows she's in for the journey of a lifetime. But soon, it becomes clear that the Commodore has unsavory plans for Audie — plans that involve the president of the United States and a sinister kidnapping plot. Before she knows it, Audie winds up in the White House kitchens, where she's determined to stop the Commodore dead in his tracks. Can Audie save the day before it's too late?

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard. (Audio only, narrated by Amanda Dolan.)*

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they've always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever.

The Pages Between Us, by Lindsey Leavitt and Robin Mellom.

Told in letters, posters, blog posts, homework assignments, and more, The Pages Between Us is a totally fun, totally earnest snapshot of middle grade friendship—and what it truly means to be there for someone during the ups, downs, and everything in between.

Piper and Olivia have been best friends since...well, forever. But they're distressed to find that their new middle school schedules aren't giving them enough together-time. Luckily, an idea sparks when Piper finds a cute, sparkly notebook to disguise as her "French Class" homework. It's genius—now the two BFFs can stick together all the time. And document their adventures—you know, for anthropology's sake.

But as the two navigate the tricky new world of sixth grade, they realize that they may need to branch out more than they originally thought. Their notebook, once a life raft, begins to feel like a big responsibility. Can they grow up, without growing apart?

Samurai Rising, by Pamela S. Turner.

Minamoto Yoshitsune should not have been a samurai. But his story is legend in this real-life saga.

This epic warrior tale reads like a novel, but this is the true story of the greatest samurai in Japanese history.

When Yoshitsune was just a baby, his father went to war with a rival samurai family—and lost. His father was killed, his mother captured, and his surviving half-brother banished. Yoshitsune was sent away to live in a monastery. Skinny, small, and unskilled in the warrior arts, he nevertheless escaped and learned the ways of the samurai. When the time came for the Minamoto clan to rise up against their enemies, Yoshitsune answered the call. His daring feats and impossible bravery earned him immortality.

The Siren, by Kiera Cass.**

Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human—a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger . . . but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

Sweet Home Alaska, by Carole Estby Dagg.

This exciting pioneering story, based on actual events, introduces readers to a fascinating chapter in American history, when FDR set up a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression.

Terpsichore can't wait to follow in Laura Ingalls Wilder's footsteps . . . now she just has to convince her mom. It's 1934, and times are tough for their family. To make a fresh start, Terpsichore's father signs up for President Roosevelt's Palmer Colony project, uprooting them from Wisconsin to become pioneers in Alaska. Their new home is a bit of a shock—it's a town still under construction in the middle of the wilderness, where the residents live in tents and share a community outhouse. But Terpsichore's not about to let first impressions get in the way of this grand adventure. Tackling its many unique challenges with her can-do attitude, she starts making things happen to make Alaska seem more like home. Soon, she and her family are able to start settling in and enjoying their new surroundings—everyone except her mother, that is. So, in order to stay, Terpsichore hatches a plan to convince her that it's a wonderful—and civilized—place to live . . . a plan that's going to take all the love, energy, and Farmer Boy expertise Terpsichore can muster.

Where Futures End, by Parker Peevyhouse.

Perfect for fans of innovative storytelling, like Marcus Sedgwick's The Ghosts of Heaven and David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks, Where Futures End is a collection of five time-spanning, interconnected novellas that weave a subtly science-fictional web stretching out from the present into the future, presenting eerily plausible possibilities for social media, corporate sponsorship, and humanity, as our world collides with a mysterious alternate universe.

Five teens, five futures. Dylan develops a sixth sense that allows him to glimpse another world. Brixney must escape a debtor colony by finding a way to increase the number of hits on her social media feed so she'll attract corporate sponsorship. Epony goes "High Concept" and poses as an otherworldly being to recapture her boyfriend's attention. Reef struggles to survive in a city turned virtual gameboard. And Quinn uncovers the alarming secret that links them all.

These are stories about a world that is destroying itself, and about the alternate world that might be its savior. Unless it's just the opposite.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.) 

*Curses. Another case of audio first, print later. 

**Huzzah! The print version only took two weeks to arrive!

Where I Was: Week of February 1

I realized this week that I am not always going to be able to tell you about where I go in the course of my job as a library consultant. Not because I don't go interesting places and have interesting discussions, but because sometimes my job is about not sharing those discussions, which definitely rules out putting them on my blog.

But I can tell you about bringing my nephew to the library on Saturday, which just so happened to be Take Your Child to the Library Day. (Or as I choose to interpret it, Take A Child You Adore To The Library Day.)  I can tell you about that.

My nephew loves the library. He is nearly three years old. He loves books, loves the toy train that chugs around a track in the children's room, loves scanning the barcodes when we do the self-check. Once, when the self-check was being used by someone else, he picked up the mouse from a public computer and pretended to scan his book's barcode with that.

My heart grew three sizes that day.

When we arrived on Saturday, the first thing he wanted to do was play on the AWE tablet that was set up at the online catalog station. That kind of surprised me, though it shouldn't have. He knows what a tablet is and can use a touchscreen. It was just the first time he'd ever noticed it. Maybe they were new, I don't know. Usually, he makes a beeline for the coloring pages set up on the little tables. But that day, the early literacy tablet was the big winner.

I have sat with my nephew and helped him scroll through the music on my phone to pick out a song to listen to. He knows which icon will take him to photos, and knows how to get a video to play. I understand that digital media is a part of this kid's formative years in a way that it never was in mine (unless you count the Speak & Spell, which...do we?). And no matter how much of a throwback I am (Exhibit A: That time I bought a rotary phone and it was the 21st century, Exhibit B: That time I told the college I would not be needing an e-mail account, because I had stamps), I do get that screen time is not inappropriate, especially when I am right there helping. (Right, media mentors?)

We played together on the tablet for about ten minutes, then we went to look for books. He selected one picture book from the new book display, and then put some puzzles together on the floor. We watched the train go around the track, then checked out our book and made our way toward the exit...and the Penny Racer. 

The Penny Racer is a name invented by my niece for a coin donation funnel - which is basically the most fun you can have donating money. There are two sides to drop the money in, and if you do both sides simultaneously, it does look like the pennies are racing each other. It is how we end every library visit.

The most fun you can have donating money.

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Pax, by Sara Pennypacker.

From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic, beloved for generations to come.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own...

Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys. (Also available in audio.)

In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Told in alternating points of view, and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson's critically acclaimed #1 NYT bestseller Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff—the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.

Some Kind of Courage, by Dan Gemeinhart.

Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony-fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her. Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left. Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything. But he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back-no matter what.

The critically acclaimed author of The Honest Truth returns with a poignant, hopeful, and action-packed story about hearts that won't be tamed... and spirits that refuse to be broken.

Spirit Week Showdown (Magnificent Mya Tibbs #1) by Crystal Allen. 

A hilarious and spunky new heroine in the vein of the heroines of such beloved books as Ramona the Pest, Ivy and Bean, and Clementine, from Crystal Allen—the acclaimed author of How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy.

Nine-year-old Mya Tibbs is boot-scootin' excited for the best week of the whole school year—SPIRIT WEEK! She and her megapopular best friend, Naomi Jackson, even made a pinky promise to be Spirit Week partners so they can win the big prize: special VIP tickets to the Fall Festival!

But when the partner picking goes horribly wrong, Mya gets paired with Mean Connie Tate—the biggest bully in school. And she can't get out of it.

 Good gravy.

 Now Naomi is friend-ending mad at Mya for breaking a promise—even though Mya couldn't help it—and everyone at school is calling Mya names. Can Mya work with Mean Connie to win the VIP tickets and get her best friend back?

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

Where I Was: Week of January 25

First off: I have no photos of the Belleville Philomathean Library to show you. I'd intended to take some, especially since they've moved some things around to make better use of their limited space. The impetus behind this switch-it-change-it-rearrange-it was the decision to automate.

So, a word on that.

Only 49 of the 65 libraries in our system are using our automated circulation system as of the moment I am typing this blog post. Two are in the middle of the process, and one (Belleville) has progressed to the point where books are ready to be barcoded and item records added to the aforementioned computer system. At this stage, a member of the NCLS technical services department travels to the library and walks staff and volunteers through the process. Since I have never seen a library go through the automation process (the places I've worked were part of systems that were already 100% automated), I asked to tag along so I could learn something or answer the odd question.

Which I did, on both counts. It was a good visit, and I'm really pleased with the progress being made. And the library looks great! The old workstation was blocking the flow of foot traffic, so it was moved to another part of the room, and the doorway into the back half of the building is now clear. The collection was thoroughly weeded prior to barcoding (because why would you want to spend time processing materials you're not sure you even want to keep?) so everything was relatively shiny. And what's more, the library had displays on winter-themed or snow-related books and had just put up some heart-shaped decorations for Valentine's Day.

Unfortunately, the only photos I have from my visit are the ones I took of the damage done to my car when a very large chunk of ice flew off of another vehicle and hit the front end of mine with some force.* Very grateful it didn't hit the windshield - because I suspect I would no longer have one - but still.

This is why nobody** wants to go anywhere in January.  

*And while the insurance company will want to see them, you probably don't. 

**And by 'nobody' I mean 'me.'  I don't want to go anywhere in January.