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CHANGING HANDS STAFF PICKS 2018We also present you with our Best Kid's Books of the 2018! Curated by our fabulous kids team. |
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Thought I had it all figured out but was totally wrong! The story pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading. There were just enough hints along the way to clue you in to what was happening, and then she would throw an unexpected twist you wouldn't see coming. Loved this book! ~Kim
My son knows what girls can do, we have the Rebel Girls books, Women in Science, Rad Girls Can, some of his favorite books star young girls kicking butt and changing the world. Unfortunately, it's much harder for us to find stories of boys who are sensitive and don't choose to fight or bully their way out of trouble. For a sensitive kid with big feelings, it can be hard to figure out how to navigate the world, especially when most of the media they interact with replaces feelings with fighting. Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different gives boys real role models and helps teach even little kids that kindness, generosity, empathy, and thoughtfulness can change the world. I am so glad this book exists and I hope we see more like it. ~Heather
The Templars... Defenders of the bloodline of Jesus Christ? Guardians of the Holy Grail? Worshipers of Baphomet? The answer: not really. However the facts are far more interesting than the fiction. The Templars can rightly be called the first international corporation, they held deeds of land across the known world, they bailed out kings in debt, and financed very lucrative wars predominantly in the middle east. Jones is a master of popular history and this is one nobody should miss. ~Elijah
I'm obsessed with fairytales so when I found out Naomi Novik's latest book was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, I screamed. After finishing Spinning Silver I wanted to begin again. This novel is told from many points of view yet seems timeless. I loved the strong female characters with complex layers and backstories. Besides, anyone who can spend silver into gold and deal with uptight spoiled ice elves has my vote. ~Loretta
I don't read much non-fiction but this one was so compulsively readable and mind-blowing I finished it in one sitting. Ona Judge had the audacity to think the notion of equality and freedom applied to her. George Washington had a decidedly different opinion and never, NEVER gave up trying to reclaim his "property". Exhaustively researched without becoming dry or repetitive. We learn that for all the good he did, Washington was (gasp!) flawed and human. And Ona Judge finally claims her place in American history's long march to freedom for all. ~Elisa
Akbar paints vivid, often surreal scenes to narrate his experience with alcoholism, faith and language. Line to line, poem to poem, this book was full of surprises. One poem can deal with a fall from heaven, while another with the limits of language to truly describe a need. Calling a Wolf a Wolf chases wonder in a way that is inspiring but does nothing to dull or dilute Akbar's poetic and personal journey. ~Connor
Women and women’s anger specifically have been instrumental in sparking some of the most revolutionary social movements and moments in history. You know the names: Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, the women behind Black Lives Matter. In fact it was a woman who sparked the Stonewall Riots - the hallmark event of the LGBTQ rights movement. But rarely do you realize that women have been the primary arbiters for change. Rebecca Traister delves deep into this history and highlights the power of women’s anger to propel social justice in our country. Reading Good and Mad made me angry and it gave me insurmountable hope. Read this book. It will open your eyes, make you question your beliefs, and leave you in awe. ~Michelle
Because everyone needs a kick in the butt sometimes! ~Rosie
Somewhere between Terry Gilliam and Tolkien, this book is an incredible combination of almost Steadman-esque artwork and deadpan humor. At its heart the book is about when two cultures collide and the implications that has not just for individuals but nations as well. But its not all that serious. There is a definite lightheartedness that is sure to attract either the most elegant Elf, or the most grotesque goblin, after all "We all have pointy ears." ~Elijah
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On the surface, this is a wonderful picture of contemporary Russian politics and culture. At the core, it is a love story between grandson, Andrei, and grandmother, Seva. A subtle emotional masterpiece that evokes wonder about what it means to live and lose, again and again, A Terrible Country has taken up permanent residence in my heart. I think you will love it. ~Caitlin
I read this book in one sitting. I don't say that to brag, I'm just trying to express how captivating Hieu Minh Nguyen's collection is. Nguyen's poems are vibrant and mischievous, astoundingly witty and deeply intimate. To read these poems is not only to see the work of a keenly intelligent and clever mind, but to see that mind working as it examines the ways, and the costs, of carving out spaces for ourselves and our identities. ~Joseph
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Drug overdoses killed more Americans just last year than the entire Vietnam War, and a vast majority of them were opioid related. This meticulously researched book deftly blends heartbreaking personal accounts with undeniable statistics to finally shed light on the crisis that has been quietly killing Americans for two decades. This is the most important book I have read in years, if like me, you know someone who has been impacted by the opioid epidemic, pick this book up ASAP. ~Madeline
A Lucky Man marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice in contemporary fiction. In quiet, elegant prose, debut author Jamel Brinkley renders characters who are universally relatable yet entirely unique, with all the complexities and subtleties of living breathing people. As I read their stories, I was swept up into the lives of these characters, so much so that at times I forgot I was reading fiction and felt instead that I was reading letters from old friends. This is an important and powerful collection. Its slice-of-life stories glow with soft light, and by their gentle radiance, we can see rich details and vibrant beauty in the dark corners of human experience. Every moment held me in silent awe. ~Jason
A story of what it is like to be Black in America and how one can impact change. ~Cindy
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I’ve been buying and cooking from America’s Test Kitchen Magazine for years, as I really love the Why the Recipe Works portion and the detailed explanations and diagrams of how to do all the cooking things. As a reader, I honestly didn’t know ATK was a T.V. show until I walked in on my daughters watching an episode this year and thought it was some new thing. The look they gave me! This cookbook has 18 years worth of tried and tested recipes from the T.V. show and is stuffed with great tidbits of information to help anyone become a good cook. I’m excited to dig in and now I may even watch the show. ~Jen
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Haunting twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. ~Tara
Mary Oliver is a very fine poet and this collection is one of the best.
A poet friend asked me to let her know my favorite poem from this Mary Oliver collection. As I read on, I settled on "The Old Poets of China"(p 178). Yes, it is my fav.
"Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe
that I do not want it. Now I understand
why the old poets of China went so far and high
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist."
At times in the reading, Mary Oliver's style reminded me of the work of James Wright and how I love his poems. And then I came upon Mary Oliver's poems from Three Rivers Poetry Journal 1980 and "Three Poems for James Wright" 1982 (p 391). They were indeed friends from Ohio.
Devotions is a fine collection! ~PInna