Staff Kids Picks

There's nothing better than a good recommendation especially when it comes to a book...word of mouth is how bestsellers are made afterall! Many customers entering our stores make a beeline for the Staff Picks shelves and usually walk away with something they can't wait to read. We've recreated that experience here.

Check out some of our staff favorites below by hitting the review bar OR you may prefer to watch the Staff Picks Live to your right. Buy a book anytime—simply by clicking on it.

Children, ages 4 to 8

 
Buy This Book Nicole recommends:

Two Bobbies
by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

I love this book! It is so touching and heartwarming, and I love the happy ending! Beautiful illustrations. This story would make a wonderful gift for any animal lover.

 Buy This Book Colette recommends:

The Old Tree
by Ruth Brown

Tree Activism at its purest stage... an old tree inhabited by a rabbit family, badger, woodpecker, owl, magpies, squirrels, and crows who find their home marked for chopping. As a community they save their home. Beautiful! Fun!

 Buy This Book Sarah J. recommends:

Sally Jean The Bicycle Queen
by Cari Best and Christine Davenier

Watch out for Sally Jean! She loves bikes and is ready to ride. This girl builds herself a bike from junk parts after outgrowing her old bike. Her enthusiasm for bicycles is infectious as she rides around her neighborhood singing!

 Buy This Book Emily recommends:

Story Blanket
by Ferida Wolff and Harriet Savitz

A beautifully illustrated story that makes you feel cozy. About thoughtfulness and giving. Great for winter!

Children, ages 9 to 12

 
Buy This Book Sarah J. recommends:

The Bat-Poet
by Randall Jarrell

A classic that is timeless and sweet. This is the story of a bat who is different from the other bats and who sees the world in a unique way and writes poems. An extra treat are the illustrations by Maurice Sendak who uses pen and ink to capture the feeling of the forest.

 Buy This Book Sarah J. recommends:

Rapunzel's Revenge
by Shannon and Dean Hale

Check this Rapunzel out! Her hair is her greatest asset and her best weapon. She’s got a heart of gold and a fantastic sense of adventure. Told in a graphic novel style, the pictures only add to the story and, at time, tell the story itself.

 Buy This Book Libby recommends:

The Indigo Notebook
by Laura Resau

This is one of my favorite books of the year! Zetta has experienced more countries than anyone her age, but dreams of living a life in the suburbs with a mom who doesn't quote Rumi, or wakes her at dawn to swim at the base of a waterfall....It's a story of 'be careful what you wish for.'

 Buy This Book Emily recommends:

Red Necklace
by Sally Gardner

A French Revolution drama with believable, colorful, and lovable characters whose fates interlock in unexpected ways. Intriguing twists of plot and a little magic make this book an excellent read!

Children, Young Adults

 
Buy This Book Braelin recommends:

Fly on the Wall
by E. Lockhart

A fun read! This book gives a good insight into the different ways boys and girls think. I like Ginny very much because she is a unique and strong girl/woman character. Enjoy!

 Buy This Book Anonymous recommends:

My Summer on Earth
by Tom Lombardi

An alien gets sent to earth in a guy's form to make observations on the humans...Little bit of sex...bit of cursing...Really, really, really funny book –must read for the older young adults (not for the unprepared!).

 Buy This Book Telfer recommends:

Disappeared
by Gloria Whelan

An intense story told from the points of view of a sister and brother in Argentina. The brother has been taken by the secret police, has become the “disappeared.” The sister, left behind, tries to figure out how to save him. Wonderfully written.

Buy This Book Robin recommends:

The Arthur Trilogy
Book 1: The Seeing Stone
Book 2: At the Crossing Places
Book 3: King of the Middle March
by Kevin Crossley-Holland

It is 1199 and young Arthur de Caldicot is waiting impatiently to grow up and become a knight. One day his father’s friend Merlin gives him a shining piece of obsidian and his life becomes entwined with that of his namesake, the Arthur whose story he sees unfold in the stone. In this many-layered novel, King Arthur is seen as a mysterious presence influencing not just one time and place but many. The 100 short chapters are almost like snapshots, not only of the mythic tales of King Arthur, but the earthy, uncomfortable reality of the Middle Ages.