Stop by the Lower School library to find some holiday reads for your family.
Let It Snow by 
Night Tree by 
Great Joy by 
What Dogs Want for Christmas by 
'Twas Nochebuena by 
The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by 
Celebrate Hanukkah by 
The Night Before Christmas by
In her fresh imagining of Clement C. Moore's timeless classic, acclaimed watercolorist Holly Hobbie introduces an entirely new character to capture the magic and heighten the wonder of this exciting, mysterious time. Her inimitable illustrations glow with warmth and feeling and will transport you to a place where anything can happen.
Check out these new books!
The Dragonsitter by
Relates the adventures of Edward Smith-Pickle and his family during the time they are left watching Eddie's Uncle Morton's pet dragon while he is on vacation, told entirely in emails.
Diary of a Mad Brownie by
Angus Cairns is a brownie, a magical creature with a fastidious nature. Alex Carhart is the messiest eleven-year-old in the United States of America. Together, this unlikely pair embarks on an unforgettable adventure.
Milo Speck, Accidental Agent by
When Milo Speck enters Ogregon, a land populated with hungry ogres, enormous turkeys, children needing rescue, and his own, ordinary, salesman-father, his top priority is to escape--but only after thwarting a plot to turn children everywhere into ogre snack food.
The Secret of the Skeleton Key by
Using their code-breaking skills, four middle-schoolers solve the mystery of the eccentric man who draws stick figures on his second-floor bedroom window.
Escape from Baxters' Barn by
When Burdock, a young barn cat, sneaks into the house to get warm he hears that the farmer, Dewey Baxter, has terrible plans that will endanger all the animals, and he leads them in an attempt to escape before it is too late.
Rain Reign by
Struggling with Asperger's syndrome, Rose shares a bond with her beloved dog, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, Rose is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels, even if it means leaving her routines in order to search for her pet.
Fuzzy Mud by
Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world"--Provided by publisher.
Teddy Mars by
Ten-year-old Teddy Mars seeks to stand apart from his six siblings, none of whom could be called "normal," by earning a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Come to the Merke Learning Commons to see our new books and check out a good one for break!
Christmas in Williamsburg by
Showcases traditions, crafts, recipes, and customs from throughout three hundred years of American Christmas celebrations, with photographs and descriptions of holiday festivities in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
This Side of Wild by
The Newbery Honor-winning author of Hatchet and Dogsong shares surprising true stories about his relationship with animals, highlighting their compassion, intellect, intuition, and sense of adventure... His understanding and admiration of animals is well known, and in 'This Side of Wild', which has taken a lifetime to write, he proves the ways in which they have taught him to be a better person
Old Wolf by
A wolf and bird must fight the starving time and find food, while a human boy learns to hunt
Seven Dead Pirates by
Eleven-year-old Lewis Dearborn who is lonely, anxious, and shy finds his life turned upside down when his great grandfather passes away and leaves his family with a decaying seaside mansion which is occupied by the ghosts of seven dead pirates.
Circus Mirandus by
When he realizes that his grandfather's stories of an enchanted circus are true, Micah Tuttle sets out to find the mysterious Circus Mirandus--and to use its magic to save his grandfather's life.
Clementine for Christmas by
Josie is timid at school, comfortable at home, and confident when she and her dog Clementine are volunteering at the pediatric ward of the local hospital; Oscar is acting out and in trouble at school, miserable at home, and forced to volunteer as a punishment; Gabby is popular at school, but her perfect life is threatened because she is hiding a dangerous medical condition--but at the hospital the three children are brought together by Clementine at Christmas.
The Last Kids on Earth by
"After a monster apocalypse hits town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan builds a team of friends to help slay the eerily intelligent monster known as Blarg"
Home for the Holidays by
The girls of the mother-daughter book club find their holiday family vacations going wrong when Megan and Becca both fall for the son of the cruise ship's captain, Cassidy and her family start to feel homesick while visiting Laguna Beach, and Emma and Jess see their plans changing by a disastrous sledding accident.
Lost in the Sun by
"As Trent Zimmerman struggles to move past a traumatic event that took place several months earlier, he befriends class outcast Fallon Little, who helps him understand that he can move on"
Winterfrost by
When twelve-year-old Bettina's parents are called away unexpectedly, they leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia, but they neglect to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse who are rumored to look after the family, and when baby Pia disappears during a nap, the magic of the nisse makes itself known.
Let It Snow by
Contains three interconnected holiday stories of love, romance, and kisses in a small town, by popular teen authors John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson.
Listen to the Moon by
Tells the story of Merry, who was traveling on the ship Lusitania to visit her father who is recovering from a war injury, and Alfie, who finds her on an uninhabited island after the ship sinks.
The Lightning Queen by
On the Hill of Dust, in the remote mountains of Mexico, an eleven-year-old Mixtec boy called Teo lives with his family and the animals that he has healed, but one day a Romany caravan rolls into town with a young girl who calls herself Esma, the Gypsy Queen of Lightning--it is the beginning of a life-long friendship that will change both their lives.
Challenger Deep by
National Book Award winner
A teenage boy struggles with schizophrenia.
The Toymaker's Apprentice by
Journeyman toymaker Stefan Drosselmeyer is recruited by his mysterious cousin, Christian, to find a mythical nut that will save Boldavia's princess and his own kidnapped father from a fanatical Mouse Queen and her seven-headed Mouse Prince, who have sworn to destroy the Drosselmeyer family.
Everything, Everything by
Book club pick for December!
"The story of a teenage girl who's literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she's ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more."
Fun reads for everyone! Romance, SciFi, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction. Stop in to the Matthews Family Library to find a great book for break!
Let It Snow by
Three interconnected stories from three bestselling authors: John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.
A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by
"Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity--and that of his pen pal--will be revealed
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by
Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.
Avalon by
"Seventeen-year-old Jeth Seagrave, the leader of a ragtag team of teenage mercenaries, skirts the line between honor and the law in an attempt to win freedom for his sister and himself in the form of their parents' old spaceship, Avalon.
Red Queen by
In a world divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities--seventeen-year-old Mare, a Red, discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. But Mare risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by
"As her high school graduation draws near, Glory O'Brien begins having powerful and terrifying visions of the future as she struggles with her long-buried grief over her mother's suicide"
Monument 14 by
Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not--you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.
Only, if it's the last time you'll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.
But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
Every Day by
Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.
We Were Liars by
Spending the summers on her family's private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer.
"If anyone asks you about this book, just lie."
Ruined by
Welcome to New Orleans:
City of Voodoo and Beauty.
Of Hurricanes and Hauntings.
Rebecca goes to New Orleans to stay with her aunt and sees the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and meets a ghost girl named Lisette.
The Beginning of Everything by
"Star athlete and prom king Ezra Faulkner's life is irreparably transformed by a tragic accident and the arrival of eccentric new girl Cassidy Thorpe"
This Is What Happy Looks Like by
"Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet online when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two 17-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship from opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. What's more, Ellie doesn't know Graham is a famous actor, and Graham doesn't know about the big secret in Ellie's family tree. When the relationship goes from online to in-person, they find out whether their relationship can be the real thing"
Winger by
wo years younger than his classmates at a prestigious boarding school, fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean West grapples with living in the dorm for troublemakers, falling for his female best friend who thinks of him as just a kid, and playing wing on the Varsity rugby team with some of his frightening new dorm-mates.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by
Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters--the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known.
It's Kind of a Funny Story by
New York City teenager Craig Gilner succumbs to academic and social pressures at an elite high school and enters a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide.
Ms. Marvel - No Normal by
"Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City - until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, Jersey!"--Back cover.
Parents and teachers are welcome to check out a book from the Upper School library.
When Books Went to War by
When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks for troops to carry in their pockets and rucksacks in every theater of war. These Armed Services Editions were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy, in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific, in field hospitals, and on long bombing flights. They helped rescue The Great Gatsby from obscurity and made Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, into a national icon. When Books Went to War is the inspiring story of the Armed Services Editions, and a treasure for history buffs and book lovers alike.
Between the World and Me by
"For Ta-Nehisi Coates, history has always been personal. At every stage of his life, he's sought in his explorations of history answers to the mysteries that surrounded him--most urgently, why he, and other black people he knew, seemed to live in fear. What were they afraid of? ... Coates takes readers along on his journey through America's history of race and its contemporary resonances through a series of awakenings--moments when he discovered some new truth about our long, tangled history of race, whether through his myth-busting professors at Howard University, a trip to a Civil War battlefield with a rogue historian, a journey to Chicago's South Side to visit aging survivors of 20th century America's 'long war on black people,' or a visit with the mother of a beloved friend who was shot down by the police"--Provided by publisher.
Bossypants by
Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.
She has seen both these dreams come true.
Billion-Dollar Ball by
Two-time Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Gilbert M. Gaul offers a riveting and sometimes shocking look inside the money culture of college football and how it has come to dominate a surprising number of colleges and universities.
Over the past decade college football has not only doubled in size, but its elite programs have become a $2.5-billion-a-year entertainment business, with lavishly paid coaches, lucrative television deals, and corporate sponsors eager to slap their logos on everything from scoreboards to footballs and uniforms. Profit margins among the top football schools range from 60% to 75%--results that dwarf those of such high-profile companies as Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft--yet thanks to the support of their football-mad representatives in Congress, teams aren't required to pay taxes. In most cases, those windfalls are not passed on to the universities themselves, but flow directly back into their athletic departments.
Every Day I Fight by
"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live." - Stuart Scott
The fearless, intimate, and inspiring story behind ESPN anchor Stuart Scott's unrelenting fight against cancer, with a foreword by Robin Roberts.
In the Unlikely Event by
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place--Nat King Cole singing "Unforgettable," Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.
All the Light We Cannot See by
"A blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II."
Trigger Warning by
This third collection of short fiction by Gaiman includes previously published pieces of short fiction -- stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013 -- as well "Black Dog," a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods.
The Nightingale by
"Viann and Isabelle have always been close despite their differences. Younger, bolder sister Isabelle lives in Paris while Viann lives a quiet and content life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. When World War II strikes and Antoine is sent off to fight, Viann and Isabelle's father sends Isabelle to help her older sister cope. As the war progresses, it's not only the sisters' relationship that is tested, but also their strength and their individual senses of right and wrong."--Provided by publisher.
The Girl on the Train by
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. "Jess and Jason," she calls them. Their life--as she sees it--is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Station Eleven by
In a future in which a pandemic has left few survivors, actress Kirsten Raymonde, having witnessed paparazzo-turned-EMT Jeevan Chaudhary try to save the life of actor Arthur Leander after he suffered a heart attack on stage, travels with a troupe performing Shakespeare and finds herself in a community in which a prophet will not let anyone leave alive. Includes subplots about Jeevan as he watches the world change from the pandemic and Arthur before his death.
Circling the Sun by
...Beryl Markham, a record-setting aviator caught up in a passionate love triangle with safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen...and who was brought to Kenya from England as a child and then abandoned by her mother, is raised by both her father and the native Kipsigis tribe who share his estate. Her unconventional upbringing transforms Beryl into a bold young woman with a fierce love of all things wild and an inherent understanding of nature's delicate balance. But even the wild child must grow up, and when everything Beryl knows and trusts dissolves, she is catapulted into a string of disastrous relationships..
The Night Circus by
A circus known as Le Cirque des Rêves features two illusionists, Celia and Marco, who are unknowingly competing in a game to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters, and as the two fall deeply and passionately in love with each other, their masters intervene with dangerous consequences.
The Martian by
Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded and completely alone on Mars, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive, but Mark isn't ready to give up and drawing on his engineering skills and determination, he faces each obstacle with resourcefulness, but will it be enough for him to survive?
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by
Manhattan, 1964. Vivian Schuyler, newly graduated from Bryn Mawr College, has recently defied the privilege of her storied old Fifth Avenue family to do the unthinkable for a budding Kennedy-era socialite: break into the Madison Avenue world of razor-stylish Metropolitan magazine. But when she receives a bulky overseas parcel in the mail, the unexpected contents draw her inexorably back into her family's past, and the hushed-over crime of an aunt she never knew, whose existence has been wiped from the record of history.
