We’re pleased to announce the following are our February selections for the Featured Book of the Month program!
Adult Title
The Submission by Amy Waldman
The Submission, this year's On the Same Page selection, explores how 9/11 has challenged our personal convictions and changed the public debate on what it means to be American. A jury charged with choosing the design for a memorial to those who died in a terrorist attack selects an anonymous winning design, only to discover that its creator is an American Muslim. Deeply conflicted, they can imagine what a firestorm of controversy their choice will cause. And of course it does. The story is told through the eyes of characters on all sides of the controversy, including a widow of one of the victims (the jury member who most passionately supports the winning design), outraged protesters representing the families of the victims, the widow of an illegal immigrant killed in the attack, and the winning designer himself, the assimilated son of immigrant parents who has never thought much about his Muslim heritage until he becomes the symbol of his religion and the focus for the controversy.
Teen Title
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
“This first book in the Lorien Legacies series (written by one of the Elders of the planet Lorien) revolves around human-looking aliens living on Earth. Ten years before the story begins, nine young Lorien children and their guardians escaped in an airship to Earth after their planet was invaded and decimated by Mogadorians. Thanks to a protective charm placed on the children before they left Lorien, they can only be killed in numerical order. As the book opens, the first three are dead, and Number Four and his guardian, Henri, flee to Paradise, Ohio, where Number Four assumes the identity of John Smith, a high school sophomore. Tired of hiding, he takes some chances and befriends two of the book's most memorable characters: a dog named Bernie Kosar and a boy named Sam. John also falls in love and starts to develop his Legacies, or special powers, which may one day help him and the other Loriens defeat the Mogadorians who have come to Earth to kill them and destroy Earth, too. This highly plot-driven science fiction novel moves at an intense pace while still focusing on character development.”
— Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Children's Title
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
“Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. It is a time when the federal prison is home to notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone. Depressed about having to leave his friends and winning baseball team behind, Moose finds little to be happy about on Alcatraz. He never sees his dad, who is always working; and Natalie's condition-- her tantrums and constant needs--demand all his mother's attention. Things look up for Moose when he befriends the irresistible Piper, the warden's daughter, who has a knack for getting Moose into embarrassing but harmless trouble. Helped by Piper, Moose eventually comes to terms with his new situation. With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this warm, engaging coming-of-age story has plenty of appeal, and Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz Island.”
— Booklist Reviews
Look for displays of all our Featured Book of the Month titles at your local branch and the Main Library!