Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
*Winner of the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this debut novel-in-verse.
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules–like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space–her swimming pool–where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self. -Goodreads
Anyone who has been bullied, and sadly very few of us haven’t been, will identify with this book. I thought this book was wonderful in how aptly it shows how unintentionally cruel people are. Constantly is the refrain “If you would only lose weight, you wouldn’t have these problems.” Basically, if you’d just be like everyone else and fit in, you won’t be criticized. Thank goodness Ellie’s therapist has a dog who Ellie can open up to and her wonderful friend Catalina. I look forward to this author writing more !
This book is coming soon to our J FIC collection. Also available to download on the Libby app.
-Cori C.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson
Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.
I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.
Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.
Who was it?
Let’s get started.
This book was a total delight. It’s a cheeky, self-aware cozy mystery that isn’t afraid to get a little meta. It is narrated by a mystery writer who has an infamous family that always seems to get tied up in crime and murder. As they gather for a reunion at a ski resort to welcome their brother after his release from jail, a stranger turns up dead in the snowbank. It doesn’t take long for things to go sideways for the Cunninghams as everyone begins pointing fingers at one antoher.
The narrator walks us through the mystery with regular asides that break the fourth wall to explain the mechanics of a good mystery story, following the classic rules outlined by Ronald Knox in 1929.
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed having the narrator speak directly to me.
Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries, “Knives Out,” and The Word is Murder.
This book is coming soon to our library collection. Also available to download on the Libby app.
-Brittney T.
