Ms. Alison's Favorites of 2017

So many great books were published this past year. I wish I had time to read them all! It's challenging to narrow down the best books of the year, but here are some of my favorites from 2017.

Picture Books 

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds
In the follow up to Creepy Carrots, Buster the bunny is back. This time though, instead of carrots creeping there is a strange pair of green glowing underwear. This book is hilarious, goofy, and just weird enough to be perfect.

Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima
This is a story of a unicorn named Kelp who lives under the sea with a group of narwhals. Something's not quite right, so Kelp goes off searching for a place to fit in. It's a sweet story about belonging, identity, being true to yourself and finding family and love. Plus, kelp is totally adorable.







Kids

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez
Twelve year old Malú moves away from her Dad and everything she's ever known to Chicago where she tries her best to follow the first rule of punk: be yourself. Malú is a lovable character and her struggles with her parents, her identity, and her friends are very real to life. I loved the artistic zines scattered throughout the book, too!






Teens

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
This book was an absolute joy to read. Dimple and Rishi meet at a tech camp the summer before college they are in very different places. Dimple is avoiding her parents persistence to consider an arranged marriage. Meanwhile, Rishi is a hopeless romantic ready to woo Dimple into falling in love with him. This book is funny, sweet, adorable, and just a delight to read.





They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Spoiler alert: they both die at the end! Even though you know it going in, it still hurts when you get there. This book covers all the tough stuff: life, love, family, and death as we get to know that characters Mateo and Rufus in just one day.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Wow, what a powerful debut novel by Angie Thomas. This book inspired by the Black Live Matter movement is a must read. Starr Carter lives in two worlds: one her black neighborhood and the other her white school. One night, her life changes forever when she witnesses her childhood friend, Khalil's death at the hands of a police officer.

Adults

This year I didn't read a lot of adult fiction books, but I did read a this non-fiction title by Joanna Faber and Julie Adair King. How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen has been very useful in my interactions with young humans at the library and at home. Anyone who has little ones in their life will find this book useful! Joanna and Julie have a very realistic approach to life with young kids. Many of their tips are ways to re-frame challenges and build up communications skills of both the adults and the children.