Staff Picks for August

The Help on the screen When Kathryn Stockett tried to get an agent for her first novel, she received 45 rejections before finding anyone willing to take a chance on her book. After The Help was finally published, her perseverance paid off. Boosted by word-of-mouth buzz from adoring readers, the book climbed the bestseller lists and has sold more than two million copies to date. Now set to debut as a major motion picture on August 12, the book's slow climb to stardom will accelerate once again. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, the novel is told from the perspective of three narrators: Aibileen, a black maid who cares for white children; Minny, a younger black maid who can't help but speak her mind; and Skeeter, a young white woman who seeks to share their story. If you haven't yet experienced this surprising novel, check out The Help before you head to the theater.

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The Peach Keeper By Allen, Sarah Addison 2011-03 - Bantam 9780553807226 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Her marriage a shambles, Willa Jackson returns home to Walls of Water, the town where she grew up, and tries to fit in. There she discovers an extraordinary feud that has divided two sisters for decades. …More

Full Black: A Thriller By Thor, Brad 2011-07 - Atria Books 9781416586616 Check Our Catalog Counterterrorism operative Scott Harvath returns in this latest blockbuster from a #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author--and this time, Harvath is targeted as an American deemed to dangerous to live. …More

Happy Birthday By Steel, Danielle 2011-07 - Delacorte Press 9780385340304 Check Our Catalog In a novel brimming with warmth and insight, beginning on one birthday and ending on another, Valerie, April, and Jack discover that life itself can be a celebration--and that its greatest gifts are always a surprise. Steel tells the story of three very different people, each of whom reaches a crucial turning point: a rite both bittersweet and full of hope. …More

The Hunger Games By Collins, Suzanne 2008-10 - Scholastic Press 9780439023481 Check Our Catalog 2010 Rhode Island Teen Book Award 2010 Beehive Award Winner-Young Adult 2009-2010 Maine Student Book Award Winner 2010 Colorado Blue Spruce Award Winner 2009 Teen Buckeye Book Award- Winner BookPage Notable Title An Indie Next Selection The acclaimed author of the "New York Times"-bestselling Underland Chronicles series delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in a stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to the present. HPL patron: Loved the premise for this book. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. …More

Catching Fire By Collins, Suzanne 2009-09 - Scholastic Press 9780439023498 Check Our Catalog 2010 Children's Choice Award Winner-Teen New York Times bestselling author Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen, in this second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy. …More

Blood Red Road By Young, Moira 2011-06 - Margaret K. McElderry Books 9781442429987 Check Our Catalog Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. When a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Her beloved twin brother Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. …More

The Fitzosbornes in Exile By Cooper, Michelle 2011-04 - Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers 9780375858659 Check Our Catalog This sequel to "A Brief History of Montmaray" follows the fortunes of the royal FitzOsbornes, now living in London and trying to find a way to reclaim their beloved island home. …More

Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik By Rubalcaba, Jill Author Cline, Eric H. Illustrator Brannen, Sarah S. 2011-02 - Charlesbridge Publishing 9781580893275 Check Our Catalog It started as a legend told to each new generation-a war between the Greeks and the Trojans, with heroes battling over a beauty named Helen. While some question if this war and even the city of Troy itself existed, the tales have enticed people to look for clues in order to elicit fact from fiction and in some cases, to gain their own glory. Jill Rubalcaba and Eric H. Cline did into many archeological expeditions at Hisarlik, the modern-day site believed to have been ancient Troy. The recount Heinrich Schliemann's quest for renown, Wilhelm Drpfeld's meticulous digs, carl Blegen's timeline of troy's layers from 2900 BCE to 550 CE, and Manfred Korfmann's controversial picture of troy as a political entity with Anatolian-not Aegean-ties. …More

The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon By McClafferty, Carla Killough 2011-04 - Carolrhoda Books 9780761356080 Check Our Catalog Veteran childrens author McClafferty takes a look at the life of George Washington by chronicling the fascinating process of creating life-sized statues of Washington using the latest modeling techniques. …More

Wither By DeStefano, Lauren 2011-03 - Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 9781442409057 Check Our Catalog The first book in an exciting new series by first time author Lauren DeStefano. …More

Paranormalcy By White, Kiersten 2010-09 - Harper Teen 9780061985843 Check Our Catalog Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours. But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal. …More

Newes from the Dead By Hooper, Mary 2008-04 - Roaring Brook Press 9781596433557 Check Our Catalog Beautifully written, impossible to put down, and meticulously researched, "Newes from the Dead" is based on the true story of the real Anne Green, who, in 17th-century England, survived a hanging only to awaken on the dissection table. Roaring Brook Press …More

The Help By Stockett, Kathryn 2009-02 - Amy Einhorn Books 9780399155345 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another. …More

Clutter Rehab: 101 Tips and Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love It! By Wittmann, Laura 2010-12 - Ulysses Press 9781569758632 Check Our Catalog CUT THE CLUTTER AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HOME! With 101 quick-and-easy projects for organizing your bathroom, kitchen, closet and more, "Clutter Rehab" takes the stress out of home organizing. As you painlessly tackle piles of toys, stacks of paper and over-spilling drawers, you'll discover how to make de-cluttering your home an addictive pleasure. #10 Remember in Pictures. Take a snapshot of sentimental keepsakes you don't use, then donate or even sell them for cash #26 Be Grocery Smart. Save fridge and pantry space--and money!--by buying only those items on your weekly meal planner #32 Go Green. Repurpose empty cardboard, plastic and glass containers into free organizers for all your stuff #56 Childhood Archives. Sort homework, artwork and other kid creations into easy-to-shelve, keep-forever binders …More

Ellray Jakes Is Not a Chicken! By Warner, Sally Illustrator Harper, Jamie 2011-05 - Viking Children's Books 9780670062430 Check Our Catalog Eight-year-old EllRay Jakes is sick of getting picked on. But every time he tries to defend himself against class bully Jared Matthews, EllRay is the one who winds up in trouble. This humorous and true-to-life story kicks of the EllRay Jakes series. Illustrations. …More

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science By Aronson, Marc Author Budhos, Marina 2010-11 - Clarion Books 9780618574926 Check Our Catalog When this award-winning husband-and-wife team discovered that they each had sugar in their family history, they were inspired to trace the globe-spanning story of the sweet substance and to seek out the voices of those who led bitter sugar lives. The trail ran like a bright band from religious ceremonies in India to Europe's Middle Ages, then on to Columbus, who brought the first cane cuttings to the Americas. Sugar was the substance that drove the bloody slave trade and caused the loss of countless lives but it also planted the seeds of revolution that led to freedom in the American colonies, Haiti, and France. With songs, oral histories, maps, and over 80 archival illustrations, here is the story of how one product allows us to see the grand currents of world history in new ways. Time line, source notes, bibliography, index. …More

Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet By Flannery, Tim 2011-04 - Atlantic Monthly Press 9780802119766 Check Our Catalog Beginning at the moment of creation with the Big Bang, "Here on Earth" explores the evolution of a galactic cloud of dust and gas to a planet with a metallic core and early signs of life within a billion years of being created. …More

The Lonely Polygamist By Udall, Brady 2010-05 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393062625 Check Our Catalog Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, "The Lonely Polygamist" is an unforgettable story of an American family--with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy--pushed to its outer limits. …More