Andi Diehn loves books. Also dogs, cats, ducks, and coffee. When she's not at the bookstore, she's working as an editor for a local educational publisher. She also writes children's books in her spare time - which there isn't a lot of, because she has three sons, a husband, and lots of dogs, cats, and ducks. Thank goodness for coffee.
This slim book packs a sweet emotional punch as it explores love, death, trauma, cocktails, and carpentry. Sara, a talented mixologist avoiding her past, is not the person Emilie was looking for to help break a years-long holding pattern, but the two women eventually find themselves on a path with long-term potential. Can they keep their difficult pasts from getting in the way? A perfect book for a summer (fall, winter, spring) afternoon. -Andi
A literary mystery with a 13-year-old protagonist named Duchess, who I want to slip into the pages and adopt. Because she's neglected and amazing--and paired with the town's ailing chief of police, the two might have a fighting chance at evading the danger that threatens to follow them both to early graves. Maybe. A gritty, smart, surprising mystery--the best kind. -Andi
Three siblings struggle in their own distinct ways to fit in, stand out, and survive warring parents in small-town 1986, until a national disaster makes them realize they are stronger together. Wonderfully recognizable characters that you just want to shake awake - in a good way! -Andi
Cat? Squirrel? Cat? Squirrel? Mina says cat. Her father says squirrel. And when you're a mouse, it's good to know for sure the species of your houseguests. "Everything will be fine," Mina's father promises. And he turns out to be right! Mostly. -Andi
Pablo and his dad are ready to go to a party, but there's one problem. Pablo doesn't want to wear pants! But everyone wears pants, his dad explains. Dogs? Cats? Bears? When they finally get to the party, they discover they could have skipped the argument. Hilarious and charming! -Andi
When her dad and his boyfriend decide to get married, 10-year-old Bea is over-the-moon excited about getting a stepsister in the bargain. But as the wedding gets closer, Bea discovers that a growing family can cause some growing pains. Stead's writing is pitch perfect and riveting - and funny! -Andi
Bug used to love summer, but she isn't allowed to go to the beach alone, especially not with the Midnight Marauder on the loose. When Frankie moves into the building for a few weeks, Bug figures life is going to get better. In some ways it does, but in other ways... Well, growing up is hard. Venice Beach in the '80s is the perfect setting for this coming-of-age story. -Andi
Need a feel-good book that's fun, smart, and pairs well with flannel PJs and a glass of your favorite beverage? This is it. Two people with nothing in common have really excellent conversations and manage to become friends despite a few hilarious pitfalls. Romantic and realistic, in a good way. -Andi
Ellie is smart and tough, but is she smart and tough enough to save her father from a coma? Maybe, with the help of a couple new, old friends. Set during the Depression, a book about learning to survive and discovering that your family is deeper - and stronger - than you suspected. -Andi
Eleven-year-old Melody has a brilliant mind. She also has cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk - until she gets a Medi-Talker that lets her type what she wants to say and then translates her words into a voice. Suddenly, people are listening to what she has to say. And that's an amazing feeling - but it's also a lot harder than she expected. A truly original voice. -Andi
Looking for a smart mystery with plenty of atmosphere, curious characters, challenging conundrums, and tangled family connections? Try the first in the Maggie D'arcy series. Pitch perfect and compelling, by an author local to Vermont with one foot across the pond in Ireland. -Andi
Not a feel-good book, but certainly an important book. Just a few years in the future, teenagers around the world suffer another pandemic--suicide. A band of young people, feeling like they haven't got much to lose, set out on a quest to control events beyond their control--grim, sometimes gruesome, but ultimately hopeful.
When Silas's father is carted away by a gang of outlaws, Silas isn't sure if he should follow. After all, Pa said stay and wait. But when a piebald pony shows up, it's as good as an invitation, despite the misgivings of Silas's friend Mittenwool, who happens to be a ghost. Mystery, adventure, history, and the supernatural - a great family read aloud with older kids. -Andi
A sweet LGBTQ+ romance between the First Son and the Prince of Wales. McQuiston is a master at inviting readers into a highly unlikely scenario with characters that are vivid, loveable, and - somehow! - relatable to those of us who are missing royal blood and don't live in the White House. Delightful and joyous!