The Librarian Recommends - January 2026

Our Library Director curates great reads for our students every day. Now, she's sharing some recommendations for the rest of our community to enjoy. Stay tuned for new suggestions!

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

Desperate to keep her family from moving away from the only home she’s ever known, 11 yr old Miv teams up with her best friend in an attempt to catch a local serial killer, only to uncover dark, unsettling secrets hidden within their own neighborhood and families.  Despite the darkness of the setting, this is also a tender story with big heart, exploring what it truly means to be a community.

Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn

Two women, a generation apart, trek the transformative Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. While Reina walks the trail to process her father’s death and Isabelle travels it to escape her past, their separate journeys eventually intertwine to reveal a miraculous shared destiny.

The War for Middle Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945 by Joseph Loconte

Already having lived through the horrors of the first World War, Tolkien and Lewis strengthened their friendship in the face of human cruelty and devastation of WWII.  Now, historian Joseph Loconte illustrates how they used their imaginations to counter the disillusionment of their era, reclaiming themes of valor, virtue, and faith to provide a "path back to goodness" through their stories.

Staying Gold: The Oral History of the Outsiders by Danny Boy O’Connor

How has The Outsiders maintained its cultural impact since its publication in 1967 and film debut in 1983?  In Staying Gold, O’Connor dives deep into history of the book, film, musical and museum to answer this question. Through interviews with cast members who were rocketed to fame afterwards, and others close to the project, we come to understand how this cultural phenomenon has “stayed gold”.