Magical and mysterious, a fantasy for adults that will fascinate young adults as well, the Night Circus confounds your vision before you reach page 1. Two magicians train gifted apprentice illusionists for the competition of a lifetime to be performed within the rings of a wondrous cirque. A perfect gift for escapist winter reading.

It is not only because I was a school librarian that I enjoyed The Borrower. It is because Ian is the child that we root for when we’re not ripping out our hair, Lucy Hull, the twenty-six year old children’s librarian, is a spunky, unconventional, self-questioning narrator who occasionally relates her tale in the rhythms of children’s classics, and how often have we wished we could run away for one reason or another? Yes, if you pull for the good guys and mutter curses at the bad ones, you will like this novel because it’s not entirely clear who the good guys and the bad guys are. A little far fetched perhaps, and plaguing because we are forced to ask ourselves the proverbial question, “If we were behind Lucy’s desk, would our journey have been the same?”

One of Kevin Henkes' great gifts is his able evocation of the child's psyche. Almost-eleven-year-old Alice is returning to her family's longtime Florida vacation spot and anticipating another wonderful week with the visitors she has come to love in years past. Perhaps she will find a rare Junonia shell this year. Children and adults will connect immediately with Alice's expectations, disappointments and surprises. A perfect summer read for your reflective 9-12 year-old child, this beautifully designed volume with its seashell graphics and heavy toothed paper is a book you will want to own in hard cover.

A call to action for all of us who love to read and believe it to be critical to the inner and outer lives of those we love. Alice Ozma's father was an elementary school librarian who was passionate about reading aloud. He and Alice made a promise to one another when Alice was 8, that they would read together every night for 1001 nights. Achieving that goal, they continued their streak for the next 3128 nights--until Alice's first day of college--sharing ten minutes of father/daughter reading time. This is the story of the relationship of a father and daughter through the books they read. Once you've read this book, pass it on to your grown children. Give it as a wedding present. Buy it for new parents. It's time to inspire the next generation.

If Tina Fey is not the funniest woman on the planet, she at least has the power to make a confirmed curmudgeon crack a smile. Page after page, my family of grown daughters laughed out loud as Tina related her life story. Always salty, occasionally crass, ever surprising, Tina's view of the world makes you think back to your own childhood and wonder, was my life really that boring? Warning note: Although middle schoolers who watch 30 Rock may want to read this book, it's a better choice for college students and 20+ somethings. Save it until the kids are older!