Blog Type

Chinese Menu

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods
By Grace Lin
Children’s Nonfiction

Who doesn’t love egg rolls, sizzling rice soup and General Tso’s Chicken?

Author and artist Grace Lin grew up eating authentic Chinese food cooked by her immigrant mother – but she also loved Americanized Chinese food from her favorite restaurants. This 288-page, lavishly illustrated, “story feast” breaks down the menu at a typical American Chinese restaurant, telling the reader how each dish got its name, where it came from, and how it is t...

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Hurt You

Hurt You
by Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Young Adult Fiction

 

Hurt You is narrated by Korean-American teenager Georgia Kim.  Her older brother Leo is neurodivergent, which sometimes causes seizures, socially inappropriate behavior, and violent meltdowns.  The family has moved from the city to suburban Sunnyvale for a school district that supposedly has a great program for special needs students.  The family now has their own house and lots of room, but Georgia aches for the true sense of community she felt in their urban apartment. Georgia is thr...

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Schedule a PLOS Bookmobile Visit!

Our Bookmobile is on the move, bringing mobile services to partner agencies all around Saginaw! And we're currently looking to add more stops to our regular routes.

Bookmobile stops are scheduled once a month and typically last an hour, during which patrons can sign up for a library card, check out books and Chromebooks, get help accessing the library’s ebook collections and return library materials.

Unlike Bookmobiles of the past, the current Public Libraries of Saginaw Mobile Outreach Vehicle is designed to transport books but not be a self-contained unit. “Setting up ...

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Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt
Adult Fiction

This debut novel from Shelby Van Pelt is a beautiful story, full of feel-good moments and a whole lot of life lessons. The story is alluringly sensitive, building on your heart piece by piece. The narration is partially given from a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus McSquiddles. Through his perspective we see real human feeling, emotion and even some mischief (the octopus can pick locks, sneak out of his tank, and go for late night snack runs…all amazing and hilarious).

In another central pers...

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Plants to the Rescue!

Plants to the Rescue!
By Dr. Vikram Baliga
Illustrated by Brian Lambert
Children’s Nonfiction

 

Plants to the Rescue! by Dr. Vikram Baliga and illustrated by Brian Lambert is a remarkable book that shines a spotlight on the author's profound passion for the plant kingdom. This book is a captivating journey into the world of plants and their incredible abilities to heal, nourish, and rejuvenate our planet.

Brian Lambert's illustrations complement Dr. Baliga's narrative beautifully, bringing the wonder of plants to life with vibrant and ...

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The Eyes & The Impossible

The Eyes & The Impossible
By Dave Eggers
Children’s Fiction
Recommended for ages 8-12


This is an outstanding adventure story and one of my top favorite reads.  It is written for children but adults will also enjoy this title immensely. Animal lovers will especially like this story. It is compelling and heartfelt.  

It is written from the perspective of the animals that live in an expansive park, with Johannes the dog as the main character.  Johannes is the eyes for the other animals in the great park. He gives daily reports...

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The Seven Year Slip

The Seven Year Slip
By Ashley Poston
Adult Fiction

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so I was hoping for good things from her follow-up. I was not disappointed in this story of time slips and second chances.

Clementine always had a special bond with her artistic Aunt Analea. When the two of them weren’t off exploring the world together, Clementine spent a lot of time at Analea’s magical New York City apartment. Sometimes, one could walk in the door and slip into a moment seven years in the past, but Analea always wa...

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Ab(Solutely) Normal

Ab(Solutely) Normal:  Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes
edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen
Young Adult Fiction

A vampire learns that he alone can save his town from destruction, but is not sure he can do so, because this act would involve being “seen,” and he suffers from social anxiety.  A girl pours her heart out in letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, explaining that their breakup stemmed from her struggle with PMDD.  A boy teased for his uncontrollable crying is befriended by a strong girl who is the victim of b...

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Pineapple Street

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Honestly, it was the cover of Jenny Jackson’s debut novel Pineapple Street that captured me initially. It had a Great Gatsby feel and, from the first couple of pages, I could tell it was a very character-driven story. The characters weren’t ones I expected though. In fact, they were kind of annoying. Why did you keep reading? Well, the characters were so laughable, so totally not-relatable (except to maybe the wealthiest of New York City), that my reading journey felt like an escapist funhouse. I couldn’t put the book down.

In Pineapple ...

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Evergreen

Evergreen by Matthew Cordell

This new picture book is sure to be a treasured favorite.  It is a story about Evergreen the squirrel who is afraid of pretty much everything.  When Granny Oak becomes sick Evergreen is tasked with delivering Mom’s special soup to help her feel better.  Just the thought of traveling across Buckthorn Forest all by herself deeply frightens Evergreen but she knows she must go. With her mother’s reassurance that she can do it the adventure begins. Along the way Evergreen meets a rabbit, a hawk, a toad and other forest dwellers and each time ...

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The Peacekeeper

The Peacekeeper by B.L. Blanchard

In this alternate history, the Great Lakes region is part of an independent Ojibwe nation that was never colonized by Europeans. The peacekeeper of the title is Chibenashi, a lawman who has lived in the village of Baawitigong (which we know better as Sault Ste. Marie) his entire life.

Keeping the peace in Baawitigong usually isn’t a very strenuous job, but when a brutal murder occurs, the horror seems all too familiar to Chibenashi. When he was a teenager, his mother was killed in a very similar way. His family was further torn apart whe...

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The Minus-One Club

The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon

At first, I doubted that I would review this book.  There are multiple issues going on (sometimes it seems like too much.)  It’s heavy.  It’s messy.  It’s unresolved.  However, it turns out that The Minus-One Club is not a book I could read and not say something about, because, in the right hands, it has the potential to be a life saver.

It was the recognition of Kekla Magoon as an award-winning YA author, the unique premise, and the retro-looking cover (including an image of the protagonist and random piec...

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In the Upper Country

In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas

In the years before the American Civil War, Canada became a place of safety for formerly enslaved people who could reach its shores. There, refugees settled in communities like Buxton, Ontario and the fictional town of Dunmore, which sits on the northern coastline of Lake Erie and serves as the setting for Kai Thomas’s first novel.

One evening in 1859, the peace of Dunmore is disturbed when a bounty hunter turns up looking for a group of recent arrivals from Kentucky. During his attempted abduction, he is shot and killed with his own ri...

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Verity

Verity by Colleen Hoover

The story starts with struggling writer, Lowen, who was hired to complete the remaining books of successful writer, Verity, who cannot communicate and is confined to her bed due to an “accident”. She is invited to stay with Verity and her husband, Jeremy, at their creepy mansion, so she can get into the headspace of the famous writer.  

She stumbles upon a hidden memoir written by Verity about her life as a wife and mother. She details a life of vile child abuse and pain inflicted on her children. During her pregnancy, she drank alcohol, pop...

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The 9:09 Project

The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons

I just finished a profoundly beautiful YA novel, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

17-year-old Jamison has become somewhat unmoored since the death of his mother.  Feeling isolated and lost, he turns to the art she introduced him to – photography – and begins taking photos every day at the same corner at 9:09 p.m., the time of her death.  Although at first the purpose of the project is unclear, it develops a huge following online, inspires others to start similar projects, and becomes the way in which Jamison is able to ...

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