Patch Picks: Late-Winter Reading

When it comes to reading recommendations, there’s nobody better than your local librarian. So to mark National Read Across American Day (celebrated yesterday), we asked two Brookline librarians for their favorite titles from the last year.

“The Quiet Book" by Deborah Underwood
Why: Children’s librarian Natalie Layne says the “beautiful and perfect” illustrations make this picture book, which talks about the different kids of “quiet.”

“How to Clean a Hippopotamus” by Steve Jenkins and Robin Paige
Why: “This accessible non-fiction title describes some unusual animal partnerships,” Layne says. “Torn-paper collage and lots of animal facts, who could ask for more?”

“Mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine
Why: “This is a moving story told from the point of view of 10-year-old Caitlin who has Asperger's Syndrome,” says Layne. “She is struggling to cope with her older brother's death, and trying to define the term ‘closure,’ a gray word in her black and white world.”

“Fantasy in Death” by J.D. Robb
Why: Liz Mellett, a reference librarian who also leads the Brookline Library’s mystery book discussion group, recommends this latest installment in Robb’s “In Death” series. “She does very good, hard-hitting mysteries,” she says.

“The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie” by Jennifer Ashley
Why: If romance is more your style, Mellett recommends this unusual tale of love in the 1880s. The male protagonist likely suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, Mellett says, but the disorder goes undiagnosed in the Victorian setting of the story. “He’s a little unusual, but it’s a wonderful romance,” she says.