Fury of the Dragon Goddess. Chadda, Sarwat. Los Angeles : Disney Hyperion, 2023.

The Spirit Glass. Chokshi, Roshani. Los Angeles : Disney/Hyperion, 2023.

Most likely, your kids know all about Rick Riordan’s books (Percy Jackson series, The 39 Clues, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and many more). He champions writers who use stories to share their cultural heritage. This fall, two books came out in his Rick Riordan Presents imprint, and both are fabulous fantasies that also teach readers about a cultural history different than their own.

Fury of the Dragon Goddess

This is the second in the Sik Aziz series by Sarwat Chadda. Chadda draws on Mesopotamian mythology, and her protagonist Sik is a Muslim who is immortal and is friends with the children of gods.

Sik and his friends find the tablet of destinies, and he uses it to bring his brother Mo back to life. But unintended consequences occur, and he’s changed the destinies of all people. It leads to the resurrection of Tiamat, the chaos dragon, by the god of insanity, Lugal.

Sik, Belet and Rabisu must find a way to send Tiamat back to where she came from, and fix everything before the world ends.

If you enjoy great adventure stories, Fury of the Dragon Goddess will more than fit the bill.

The Spirit Glass

This standalone novel from Roshani Chokshi is a wonderful middle grade fantasy with Filipino mythology.

Corazon lives with her aunt Tina because her parents died several years ago. However, they visit her every Saturday for dinner because her mother fashioned a soul key years ago. Tina is a powerful babaylan, and tells Corazon she will train her when her magic awakes. Corazon plans on bringing her parents back as soon as she is as powerful as Tina.

One night, at the Midnight Bridge market, a vengeful spirit tricks Corazon, and she loses her spirit key. She must go on a quest to form a new key, with one of the ghost’s possessions, and she only has three days to do it before she loses the key forever. She doesn’t go alone, however. Her gecko/alligator (if only in his own mind) companion Saso is with her, and they meet a ghost along the way who wants to be a reporter in the afterlife and wants to come along to see the action. They have to visit several locations, using mirrors to access different worlds (and the mirrors? They talk behind your back).

This is a wonderful way to learn a little more about Filipino folklore. Saso steals the show time and again, leading me to laugh a lot at his antics and dialogue. Chokshi shares the story of the vengeful ghost as Corazon visits different gods to receive their blessings, creating some sympathy for her plight.

These two books are perfect for any kid (or adult). They have a good measure of adventure, emphasize the importance of friends and family, and are just scary enough to make for good reading this October!

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.

The Twyford Code. Hallett, Janice. New York : Atria Books, 2023.

Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Gun Violence, Murder, Death of Parent, Abandonment, Domestic Abuse, Kidnapping

Steven “Smithy” Smith has recently been released from prison and can’t remember the last time anything truly good happened in his life – except Miss Iles.  The problem is, he also can’t remember what happened to her.

Miss Iles, Smithy’s middle school remedial English teacher, was the one who recognized that his reading difficulties were undiagnosed dyslexia and the one who actually treated him and the other students in the class with respect.  While in her class some 40 years ago, Smithy found a copy of a children’s book by famous but disgraced author Edith Twyford with strange notes and markings in it.  When he brought it to Miss Iles, she not only read the story to the class but became convinced that the markings revealed a code hidden in the book that would reveal the location of a hidden treasure.  The last time Smithy remembers seeing Miss Iles was on a field trip to Twyford’s hometown – he and the other students came back, but Miss Iles did not.

Now a grown man, Smithy is determined to solve this mystery from his childhood.  He tracks down the other students from the remedial class, some of whom want nothing to do with his mission and some who have even more shocking theories: the Twyford Code is real, Miss Iles disappeared because of it, and dangerous people are still trying to crack it today.

Smithy makes a compelling narrator as he tries to trace both the circumstances of his teacher’s disappearance and those of his own life’s descent into crime.  He tells his story through a series of voice recordings, as Smithy still finds it easier to explain things verbally than to write them down.  This makes for interesting reading at times, with some words being occasionally “mistranscribed,” as a section at the beginning of the book explains (for instance, “Miss Iles” frequently becomes “missiles”).  I found this enhances the reading experience, with the reader’s occasional deciphering of transcriptions paralleling the characters’ work of solving the meanings of various codes and ciphers in the all-important children’s book text.

Smithy’s voice recordings alternate between his present task and reminiscing on his past choices in life that led to his imprisonment.  Hallett weaves these together in ways that form surprising connections, provide plenty of twists and turns, and offer touching insights into the hardships faced by formerly incarcerated individuals. This title offers everything from World War II gold to commentary on the importance of libraries, all in a mystery that truly keeps you guessing all the way to the end!

Joan Hedrick is a Circulation Assistant at Graham Public Library. She can be reached at jhedrick@alamancelibraries.org and (336)570-6730.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15 each year.  One way to celebrate is to read Hispanic fiction, and we have a great list for you!

Adult Fiction

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Flor has a unique gift – she knows the day when someone is going to die. When she brings her family together for a living wake, no one knows whose death she has foretold. The book tells the stories of Flor, her sisters Matilde, Pastora, and Camila, and her nieces Ona and Yadi, and the love the sisters, aunts, cousins and nieces share.

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

Alejandra is fighting a darkness that no one else can see. She is haunted by La Llorona, who is a Mexican folk legend. La Llorona wanders near sources of water in a torn white dress, trying to save her children, whom she murdered after finding out her husband was cheating on her.

Alejandra learns that generations of women in her family have been haunted by La Llorona, and she won’t give up until she’s dragged Alejandra into the depths, like her ancestors. But Alejandra is strong, and she will call on that strength to banish La Llorona forever.

Juvenile Fiction

Felice and the Wailing Woman by Diana Lopez

A lighter read about La Llorona is the middle grade book, Felice and the Wailing Woman.

When Felice learns she is the daughter of La Llorona, she goes to the magical town of Tres Leches, on the US/Mexico border, to help her mother move on to the afterworld. She meets the children of over folktale legends as well, and they band together to free the town from the curses that plague it.

Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz by Nina Moreno

Maggie is killing 7^th grade. But when her close-knit group of three starts to fall apart, what should she do? Julian has a crush on a girl, and asks her to the dance. Zoey is so stressed, she is in danger of losing her straight-A streak. And Maggie can’t stop thinking about Eerie Eddie. The school trip is coming up, and she isn’t sure where she fits or with whom.

Young Adult Fiction

Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu

Julieta’s summer creative writing teacher encourages them to publish their works online. She is surprised when her rom-com has a new contributor, Happily Ever Drafter. She wasn’t looking for love, but now there are three boys in her life that are tempting – her best friend’s brother, the boy next door and her oldest friend. Are one of them her mysterious contributor? Will her story and her life end happily ever after?

The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Lorraine Avila

Yolanda is a senior in high school, flirting with Jose and hanging out with her best friend Victory. She is waiting to be initiated into the family bruja tradition. But when she is, she starts to have troubling visions of the new white boy at her school. Can she figure out what these visions mean, and save her community? Maybe, with the help of her ancestors and guides, the Brujas Diosas, and the support of her friends and family.

The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickleson

Sarah’s mom died just six months ago, and she is trying to keep her family together, while adjusting to life at the local public school, instead of the fine arts boarding school she had been attending. Her father is falling apart – drinking, spending money, and neglecting her younger brother, who needs him. The only art she’s doing are things she can sell online to help support her family. She is assigned a project at school that has her exploring her mother’s Mexican and Guatemalan roots, which leads to her finding out things about her mother’s history she never knew. She realizes she must voice the pain she is feeling, and she can’t do it alone.

All of these books, plus many more, are available for checkout through Alamance County Public Libraries! Come ask any of our staff for their recommendations!

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.

Since Alamance-Burlington schools are finally back in session, we’re going to celebrate this week with five great picture and easy reader books about school!

Fiona Goes to School by Richard Cowdrey, illustrated by Donald Wu. Fiona the hippo, from the Cincinnati Zoo, is probably the best-known hippo in the country! Now she and her friends are going to zoo school to learn about all of the animals at the zoo. This Level 1 easy reader is perfect for kids just learning to read. There are other Fiona books available in our collection as well.

Llama Llama Back to School by Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan, illustrated by JT Morrow. Llama Llama doesn’t want summer to end – he has had so much fun with his family and friends. He is anxious about going back to school, but with help from Momma Llama and his friends, he sees that school can be fun, too! This beloved series continues on after Dewdney’s death, with the Netflix series and writers willing to continue the magic of Llama Llama. We have this book as a Vox book as well (which is a read-along version, with the audio player attached to the book).

I Like School! (Cocomelon) by Maggie Testa. Fans of Cocomelon who are just starting to read will enjoy this Level 1 easy reader. JJ is getting ready for school, and readers get to follow along with him as he rides the bus, meets his new classmates and has fun! This easy reader series also has This is the Way We Play, featuring JJ and Nina on the playground. Familiar characters can help young students feel confident about reading, as well as excited about starting school!

The Crayons Go Back to School by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Each crayon is looking forward to a different subject, seeing their friends again, and having a blast in art class! Kids love reading the Crayon books by Daywalt and Jeffers, and this new entry is sure to be a hit!

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink his Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira. Zimdalamashkermishkada is beginning at a new school, and he is worried no one will be able to pronounce his name. He uses his nickname, Zim, but it doesn’t feel right. Will he have the courage to share his real name? This book encourages kids to be authentic and celebrate their cultural heritage, as well as their classmates’ cultures.

All of these books, plus many more, are available for checkout through Alamance County Public Libraries. Search for school in our catalog, and remember you can narrow your search by choosing “Easy Fiction” or “Easy to Read Shelf” under Collections on the left-hand side of the browser.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.

“I never thought of it that way : how to have fearlessly curious conversations in dangerously divided times.” Guzmán, Mónica. Dallas, TX : BenBella Books, Inc., [2022]

This is the book selection for the Alamance-Elon 2023 Community Book Club. We will be offering two sessions for people to engage with this book. The first is Thursday, September 21, from 4-5:30 p.m. at Elon Community Church. The author will be there for the first part of the discussion! Register by emailing elonbydesign@elon.edu. The second session will be Wednesday, October 4, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. at Mebane Public Library. To register, call 919-563-6431. The first 12 people to register will receive a free book. Attend one or both sessions, and tell us what you think!

“I never thought of it that way.” What a great phrase to utter when having a charged conversation with someone who believes differently than you!

In this book, Monica Guzmán shares her strategies on how to have difficult conversations that are productive, build bridges, and lead not necessarily to change, but to understanding each other. Her main premise is to be curious, and lead from that curiosity, not from a need to be right.

Too often, when we’re talking to someone who believes differently than we do, we shut down the conversation by using charged language, asking leading or gotcha questions, coming in with preconceived judgements about that person’s beliefs, and not listening. Instead, Guzmán encourages us to be curious about one another.

“I can tell you feel really strongly about that. What led you to that belief?”

“What is the most important challenge that you think our world is facing?”

“Tell me your story – I can tell you have a personal connection to this issue.”

“I’m curious – can you tell me a little bit more about that?”

What I loved about this book is Guzmán’s openness about her own story. She shares her journey towards being curious rather than confrontational, and from being a reporter who mapped out each and every question in an interview to someone who allows the conversation to lead the interview after one curious question. She also shares her difficult conversations with her parents, who are on the other side of the political spectrum from her. If even an “expert” occasionally gets in a shouting match with her parents, we all can feel better about ourselves! But we also can follow Guzmán’s example, and find ways to bridge the gaps in our understanding of each other. She says that while her views on issues and who should be president haven’t changed, she understands why her parents vote the way they do. It gives me hope that I, too, could have difficult conversations that lead to understanding, rather than an entrenchment on both sides about what we believe.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.

Delicate condition. Valentine, Danielle. Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark, [2023]

Trigger warnings: miscarriage, infertility, harm to animals

Every person who has been pregnant or wants/wanted to be pregnant will see themselves in this book.

Anna Alcott is an actress who has just found real commercial success in a movie called The Auteur. She also is a married woman who wants to have a baby more than anything. She is doing IVF, and hoping this time there is a viable embryo. But weird things are happening. Her calendar has the wrong time for appointments, she is leaving medicines out of the fridge, and is almost late for her shot more than once. She attributes all of this to IVF-brain and all of the hormones in her body, but it gets frustrating when her husband looks at her like she’s losing her mind.

The procedure is finally successful. Anna is pregnant, but she is also in contention for an Oscar. She feels pulled in two directions. She puts off campaigning trips to take care of herself. Her husband would prefer she not go at all, but is she really supposed to give up her career for motherhood? She wakes up one evening to find someone in her bed with her, calling her baby. It scares her so much that she and her husband move to a friend’s house, where no one can find her.

When she has a miscarriage, she is devastated and tells her friend Siobhan she was desperate and would do anything for a baby. Then she feels the baby move. How could that be? The doctor decides it was vanishing twin syndrome and that there must have been two embryos to begin with. Anna feels that isn’t right, but she doesn’t have an answer to what happened. All she knows is that this pregnancy is strange. She hears strange sounds, hallucinates, and keeps finding strange dolls of her around her friend’s house. These dolls feel threatening, with Xes over the belly and strange symbols carved in them.  

Short side stories are interspersed with the main story, all about women who were desperate for a baby, and all who feel their pregnancy isn’t a natural one. It seems Anna isn’t the only woman to go through an experience like this, but what is really happening to her?

This book isn’t scary, per se, but it is creepy and very suspenseful. It also really hits a chord as a person who has been pregnant. Even if you aren’t seeing things and being stalked as a celebrity, pregnancy can be stressful, painful, and give you the feeling that an alien is inside you! I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone who is pregnant right now, trying to get pregnant, or dealing with infertility, just because of the subject matter.

If you’re looking for a book to keep you up at night, turning pages, Delicate Condition is a great choice!

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.

Eddings, Mazey. Tilly in Technicolor. New York : Wednesday Books, 2023.

I absolutely loved this neurodivergent romance! I would categorize it as YA/New Adult. The spice level is low, with most of the action happening off the page.

Tilly has ADHD, making her a larger-than-life cosmic mess. Her perfect older sister graduated from Yale and now has her own company, and their mother can’t stop comparing them. Tilly has just graduated from high school and has no interest in going to college. Her mother isn’t listening to her and insists that at the end of the summer, she apply for spring semester somewhere.

Tilly’s older sister Mona has offered her an unpaid internship for the summer. Tilly will travel with Mona and her business partner Amina around Europe. Mona and Amina’s company sells ethical nail polish and Tilly will be their hand model and helper.

On the plane, Tilly meets Oliver. Oliver is British and has autism. He has a very successful Instagram account about color and design, and describes things through Pantone color numbers. He’s going to be a student at the University of the Arts in London in the fall. Their first encounter is horrible, so horrible that both of them are shocked to find out that Oliver is an intern for Mona and Amina’s company as well, and they’ll be working and sharing room together all summer.

Both hide their neurodivergence from each other to begin with, which leads to many misunderstandings and snafus. But they both secretly admire the other, and become close as they start to open up and share their worlds with each other.

There’s also other couples, including some queer ones, mentioned in the story. While the ending is a bit implausible, it is satisfying and wraps up the story really well.

Being neurodivergent myself, I applaud Mazey Eddings for publishing such a wonderful book that illuminates how it feels to be just a little different from everyone else. She created two characters who have different “issues” who have to survive in this over-stimulating world. I hope others can read this book and have a better understanding of how hard it can be to be neurodivergent. I hope parents read this book and understand how to communicate with their child in a way that celebrates their differences rather than pointing out their failures. And I hope all of the quirky, differently wired, ND kids read this and know that they, too, one day can find someone to love who gets them.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6981.