The Extraordinary in Teen Fiction

                                           

“I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen.” So begins Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the wildly popular teen novel that inspired Tim Burton’s latest film, to be released on September 30. Be sure to read Ransom Riggs’ wondrously strange book before seeing the movie, and then head for PWPL’s teen shelves to find one of these other novels featuring teenagers with extraordinary abilities or ordinary teens struggling to survive extraordinary situations. Each and every one is as entertaining as any movie, for adults as well as teens.

Ransom Riggs wrote Tales of the Peculiar as a companion to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and its two sequels, Hollow City and Library of Souls. Fans of those novels will want to fill gaps in their Peculiars knowledge with these sometimes lovely, sometimes macabre cautionary tales “passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial.”

William Ritter’s Jackaby series has been described as “Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who,” and fans of those quirky characters will not be disappointed by eccentric investigator R.F.Jackaby and his keenly observant assistant, Abigail Rook. Jackaby possesses encyclopedic knowledge, the ability to see the supernatural, and a seriously ugly hat. Seeking independence from her parents, Abigail arrives in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and is immediately caught up in Jackaby’s thrilling search for a serial killer. Two sequels, Beastly Bones and Ghostly Echoes, offer new mysteries for our intrepid investigators to solve, along with the same delightful Victorian setting, quirky humor, and unforgettably odd characters.

Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood might make a great horror-romance flick, but reading the gory, action-packed book offers more than enough thrills and chills. Seventeen-year-old Cas Lowood took over the family business of killing ghosts after his father was brutally murdered by an especially nasty spirit. Armed with his deadly athame knife, Cas roams the country with his mother and their spirit-sniffing cat, in search of murderous ghosts to destroy. After an anonymous tip sends him to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Cas meets his match in teenage ghost Anna, still dressed in the same blood-soaked dress she wore when she was murdered in 1958. Consumed by rage, Anna kills everyone who dares to enter her house – until Cas arrives and she inexplicably spares his life. Will Cas be able to finish the job he came for, in spite of his growing fascination for Anna Dressed in Blood? It is highly entertaining to get inside his head as Cas narrates this utterly compelling story with dry humor and a large dose of bravado.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness, is a laugh-out-loud funny satire about ordinary high school students trying to finish up their senior year in the most normal way possible amid an invasion of deadly Immortals. Mikey and his friends are safe from the Immortals, who target only the chosen “indie kids,” but it’s hard to focus on prom when your classmates keep turning up dead. Action and adventure take a backseat to everyday problems, as Mikey and his friends discover that they’re all extraordinary in their own ways, because “everyone’s got something.” “Everybody matters.”

Leigh Bardugo’s heart-stopping thriller Six of Crows was inspired by the author’s favorite heist films, “Oceans Eleven” and “The Dirty Dozen.” Young Kaz Brekker is a well-known criminal prodigy in Ketterdam, a bustling city of international trade rife with corruption and greed. Kaz is offered the chance of a lifetime, to pull off a deadly heist that will make him rich beyond his wildest dreams – but he can’t do it alone. He gathers a crew of five uniquely talented young people and sets out with them to storm the impenetrable Ice Court, on a mission none of them is likely to survive. Readers will want to set aside a big chunk of time to enjoy this exciting, unputdownable book and its soon-to-be-released sequel, Crooked Kingdom.

--Mary Schneeberger, Teen Services Coordinator

Season of bounty and harvest

Fall is a season of bounty and harvest.  PWPL is celebrating the season this Sunday September 18, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm at the Steinhaus Market with a barbecue.  Enjoy a delicious meal featuring the Market’s pulled pork and barbecue chicken with all the fixins as well as live music all day.  Tickets are $12.00 at the door and all proceeds will benefit the collections and services of Peter White Public Library. To enjoy your own harvest at home, check out these new cookbooks on PWPL’s shelves:

Meathead : the Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling by Meathead Goldwyn- For succulent results every time, nothing is more crucial in barbecuing and grilling than understanding the science behind the interaction of fire and food. In this book, "Meathead" Goldwyn, pitmaster, national barbecue cookoff judge, and curator of the world's most popular barbecue website amazingribs.com, debunks the myths that stand in the way of perfect outcomes. Along the way, he reveals all the secrets every successful griller needs to know, from which wood chips to use to which equipment to choose.

The Love & Lemons cookbook : an Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking by Jeanine Donofrio - Sometimes all you need is a little spark of inspiration to change up your regular cooking routine. The Love & Lemons Cookbook features more than one hundred simple recipes that help you turn your farmers market finds into delicious meals.   Organized by ingredient, The Love & Lemons Cookbook teaches readers how to make beautiful food with what’s on hand and in season.  The book also features resources to show readers how to stock their pantry, gluten-free and vegan options for many of the recipes, as well as ideas on mixing and matching ingredients.

Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking by Dana Shultz - A recipe collection from the popular food blog Minimalist Baker features simple, quick vegan recipes that require ten ingredients or less, including such options as spiced buckwheat pancakes, cornbread chili potpies, and Thai quinoa meatballs.

Modern Potluck : Beautiful Food to Share by Kristin Donnelly - Modern Potluck is a cookbook and guide for today’s potluckers that delivers Instagram-worthy dishes packed with exciting, bold flavors. These 100 make-ahead recipes are perfect for a crowd and navigate carnivore, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan preferences gracefully. With beautiful color photographs and lots of practical information such as how to pack foods to travel, Modern Potluck is the ultimate book for gathering friends and family around an abundant, delicious meal.

Crisps, Cobblers, Custards & Creams by Jean Anderson – It seems as if everything old is now new again! Anderson has put together a collection of desserts that range from silky, rich puddings to hot, baked cobblers and are destined to become new family favorites. The recipes come from family favorites, are meticulously tested, and offer something for everyone's tastes, any day of the year.

The Farmhouse Cookbook by Sarah Mayor - This collection of over 100 mouthwatering recipes inspired by the traditions of the farmhouse kitchen, with a modern twist Mayor captures the true taste of today's country cooking and brings the fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors of a farmhouse kitchen into your own home.

- Heather Steltenpohl, Development Director

Famous Photograhers

Interested in works of famous photographers? Check out these selections available at Peter White Public Library.

Ansel Adams in the National Parks: Photographs from America's Wild Places edited by Andrea G. Stillman

This year, the National Parks Service turns 100 but we can’t celebrate our national parks without mentioning the man who gave us the most iconic and breathtaking images of our treasured common spaces – Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams in the National Parks features over 200 of Adams' photographs, spans forty national parks, and provides some commentary from the artist about his creative and editing processes. This comprehensive collection of Adams’ work in the national parks is not only a testament to his skill with a camera but also to his ability to capture the beauty of our natural world.

Adult Non-fiction779.36 AD

Dorothea Lange: Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Catalogue, 1966 by the Museum of Modern Art, New York

This thin hardcover book by MOMA, with an introductory essay by George P. Elliot, serves as a brief photo examination of the life and work of Dorthea Lange. Lange helped create the field of photojournalism with her work which captured the struggles of farmers during the dust bowl, Great Depression, Japanese internment camps in the US, and many other social issues.

Adult Non-fiction 779 Ne

Finding Vivian Maier directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel

A fascinating documentary, Finding Vivian Maier follows John Maloof as he attempts to uncover all of the secrets of the mysterious nanny who has come to be known posthumously as one of the greatest street photographers of the 20^th century. Vivian Maier’s work was discovered by accident and has since been the center of controversy and delight within the photography community. Maier worked mainly in the Chicago area, never married, but accumulated a private body of work consisting of over 100,000 photographs; many of which were never printed during her lifetime.

DVD Adult Non-fiction 770.92 FI

Eames: Beautiful Details edited by Eames Demetrios 

This large, hardcover book details one of America's greatest and most iconic design couples, Charles and Ray Eames. Though the Eameses' are best known for their groundbreaking furniture designs, this book explores their important and experimental, contributions in the areas of architecture, exhibit design, textile design, product design, graphic design, toy design, film, and photography. That may seem like a lot of topics for one book to cover but all of that information is made easy to digest through glossy high-resolution images that fill the pages. The book offers a comprehensive look at the life of Charles and Ray through their eyes and the eyes of their family, with several intimate family photos found only between these pages. This book will inspire and challenge you to think "outside the box" while reminding you that the beauty of life lies within the details. 

New Adult Non-fiction 745.4 De

Sixty Years Life: a 60^th Anniversary Celebration 1936-1996 by Time Inc. Life Books

With images ranging from war to athletes, from the White House to fashion, this glossy-paged book celebrates some the most moving moments from around the world captured on the pages of LIFE magazine.  As you thumb through each page, the importance of photography as a means of documentation becomes more apparent.  As stated in the books opening pages by magazine founder Henry R. Luce, the purpose if LIFE was “to see life; to see the world.”  This book clearly shows the magazines dedication to that purpose as well as the evolution of the world during the six decades covered. 

Adult Non-fiction 779.0904 Li