Plymouth Staff Choices

SEARCH OF THE MOON KING’S DAUGHTER by Linda Holeman
Book - Teen Zone Fiction Main Level – Holeman

This novel is exciting historical fiction about young Emmaline Roke and her family in 1830s Victorian England. Emmaline’s father passes away when she is very young, and her mother, Cat, is unhealthy in spirit and mind. This leaves much of the responsibilities up to young Emmaline. Even though this is a difficult situation, Emmaline acquires a huge blessing by taking care of her sweet baby brother, Tommy. When he is sold to be a sweep in London to help support Cat’s drug addiction, Emmaline’s world turns upside down. Determined to find Tommy, Emmaline sets off on the adventure of a lifetime with just a few coins in her pocket and an abundance of faith. If you like to read mysteries with historical flavor and strong human spirit, you will enjoy Search of the Moon King’s Daughter by Linda Holeman!

The Trouble with Wishes by Diane Stanley
Youth New Book Shelves Lower Level – STA

Elementary school-age readers will be delighted with the clever illustrations and subtle humor in Diane Stanley’s off-beat version of Pygmalion. The story begins when Pyg (short for - you guessed it – Pygmalion) creates a sculpture of his ideal, perfect goddess. When his wish is granted and the statue comes to life, Pyg discovers that his perfect creation is perfectly rude and cold-hearted. Pyg’s friend, Jane watches with growing dismay as Pyg pursues his goddess and then she decides to create her own ideal companion. The story ends with everyone finding happiness in unexpected places.

Roaming by Jeremy Kittel
CD Bins - World Music - Europe, Scotland

U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and Saline local Jeremy Kittel is always worth listening to. On this album, he mixes traditional Scottish tunes with his own jazzy compositions, blending the two disparate styles into a whole so hot you can almost see the sparks. Fusion may not win Scottish championships, but this is clearly the music that Kittel plays to entertain himself. Even on the slow numbers, the passion shines through.

Ragtime Detroit by River Raisin Ragtime Revue
CD Bins - Easy Listening - R

It was news to me, but apparently Detroit was a significant source of popular ragtime music at the turn of the last century, with many prominent composers and two large sheet music publishers (the primary venue for spreading music at that time.) The hefty liner notes document many of these composers and the importance of the music presented, including some with titles no longer politically correct. You don’t need to read either the notes or the titles to enjoy the music, though – it’s peppy and swingy and reminded me of carousel music (but with real instruments and good recording). Get some cotton candy, put on this CD, and enjoy some quintessential summer music.

WHEN OWEN’S MOM BREATHED FIRE by Pija Lindenbaum. Youth New Book Shelves - Lower Level - L

Imagine waking up one day to find your mother turned into a dragon! That is exactly what happens to young Owen in this delightful new picture book by Pija Lindenbaum. Owen and his mother often share hectic mornings of making breakfast while trying to get ready for school and work. During these mornings, Owen always wears a dragon mask over his head which seems to match his mother’s frequent bad moods. One day, Owen wakes up to find his mother has turned into a pink dragon that doesn’t know how to cook breakfast or how to work! Owen and his mother share a hilarious day of visiting the zoo, the doctor, the local park, and Owen’s grandmother. At first Owen finds this predicament kind of funny, but he soon begins to miss the mother that knew he needed nutritious food and rules. The next day when Owen awakens, his old mother is back in the kitchen making breakfast and ready to spend the day with him. Was Owen’s day with his dragon mother all a dream or did his mother really turn into a dragon? To find out and share a few chuckles along the way, pick up a copy of When Owen’s Mom Breathed Fire by Pija Lindenbaum!

Snow by Tracy Lynn
Teen Zone – Paperbacks - L

One of my favorite subgenres is the fairy tale made into a novel. For the conceit to work, the simple cartoon outlines of the original story have to be fleshed out, the story moving from anytime, anywhere, with any motherless child to a particular time, place and characters that feel real. This is a truly excellent example of the art. Jessica was born a duchess in a tiny manor in Wales. Neglected by her father, she took refuge in the kitchens. When her new stepmother came, over forty and determined to produce an heir at any cost, Jessica became a servant girl named Snow. The new duchess’s madness grows, and Snow flees by train to London, where she finds refuge with a little band of outcasts. The late Victorian setting works beautifully for the tale, with the industrial jungle of London substituting for the forest of the original Snow White. Magic and science blend in the stepmother’s experiments, while the world that Snow lives in also flows back and forth between modern and ancient. Lynn keeps the story close enough to the original to be recognizable, yet without providing the neat edges and answers for which fairy tales are known.

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
Adult New Book Display - Main Level
Downloadable Audio Book

Fans of the smart, nuanced storytelling on the HBO series, The Wire, will also like The Night Gardener, because George Pelecanos wrote both. And just as The Wire made many TV critics’ “Ten Best” lists, The Night Gardener received critical acclaim as one of the best mysteries of 2006. Pelecanos uses his screenwriting talents to create scenes that the reader can actually “see” and the dialogue crackles as it propels the story forward.

The book opens with a child’s murder in 1985 and then jumps forward twenty years to 2005 when another child’s murder brings together the story’s main characters. The Night Gardener takes place on the gritty streets and working class neighborhoods around Washington DC - territory that Pelecanos covers right down to the fast-food wrappers blowing across the corner basketball courts. The story’s characters are all believable, complex human beings - complete with the usual foibles and flaws as well as rare moments of grace. The first part of the book allows us time to get to know the characters, so that we feel like we’re riding in the same car with them when the action accelerates and the plot takes some unexpected twists and turns. Fans of writers like Denis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendel, and Margaret Yorke who are looking for a complex, character-driven mystery will want to check out The Night Gardener.