Staff Picks 2015
This biography of a participant in the Boston Tea
Party is really an insight into how we Americans
remember and commemorate our past. Anyone
interested in history or memory will be intrigued by
it.
Robert Barnshaw
Social Studies
The Shoemaker and the
Tea Party
By Alfred Young
John Basile
Science
Death by Black Hole
By Neil de Gras Tyson
The author is a great communicator when it comes
to tough science concepts. Topics include
astronomy and physics. This book may spark
interest in science and reading content
(information) based books!
Stacey Bickett
Social Studies
The Boys in the Boat
By Daniel James Brown
This book is great!! It details the struggles of the
1936 Olympic Rowing Teach who won the gold
medal in Berlin. Such a good backstory on the
team, training, and some of the individual members
of the team.
Jan Brodzinski
Special Education
The Precious One
By Marisa de los Santos
This book has memorable characters and a theme
that will stay with you. A complicated family, old
resentments and unexpected outcomes make this
an interesting read.
Bob Byatt
English
Go Set a Watchman
By Harper Lee
Interesting story! Really shows the importance
and influence of an editor and publisher. If you
enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, reading this is a
must.
Robert Callaway
Social Studies
Unbroken
By Lauren Hillenbrand
A fascinating story of survival against
insurmountable odds. Much better than the
movie!
Debbie Carchidi
Social Studies
Elizabeth Street
By Laurie Fabiano
Deborah Cloud
Secretary
Circling the Sun
By Paula McLain
A really good book, a fabulous story, about Italian
immigrant lives in Southern Italy and in NYC. The
story is of the Fabiano family told by the greatgranddaughter, Laurie Fabiano. It was truly an
interesting story and I can’t recommend it to you
enough.
I was drawn to this author because I liked the Paris
Wife, the story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, set
in the 1920a. This novel did not disappoint. Also
set in the 1920s, this is the story of a young girl
growing up in Kenya, Africa. Having been on safari
in Kenya and Tanzania, the book evoked wonderful
memories. I can only say that I found the story
deeply emotional and a good and interesting read.
Larissa Fanning
Guidance
Broken My Story of
Addict ion and
Redemption
By William Cope Moyers
Very powerful memoir of a man who grew up in
upper class society who struggled with addiction to
various drugs and how his drug of choice, crack
cocaine, impacted his life, career, and family. He
provides insight from both people who have
struggled with addiction, family members of
addicts, and people who have experienced neither.
He is open and honest with the repeated relapses,
his actions, and the related consequences, his pat
treatments, and provides hope for recovery. He
speaks out to break the shame and judgment our
society puts on people with addictions, allowing for
a shift in perspective to “good man…bad addiction”
to hate the addiction and still love the person.
Teresa Gatta
Special Ed Assistant
The Girl on the Train
By Paula Hawkins
Well written, suspenseful. Easy reading and
gripping from beginning to end. I loved it!
Jill Graham
World Languages
The Storied Life of Al Fikry This is a terrific story and I loved the format. AJ
By Gabrielle Zevin
Fikry is a grumpy, lonely bookstore owner on a
small island. His life is turned upside down by a
series of events. Each chapter begins with a
reference to a short story that he recommends.
Many of the stories were stories I’ve read and I
want to read the rest! The references to the short
stories begin to foreshadow the happenings in the
lives and experiences of the people on the island. It
is a terrific, easy to read, engaging novel. I loved it!
Mary Howard
Science
Undeniable, Evolution
and the Science of
Creation
By Bill Nye
Bill Nye is a classic. He has educated thousands
with his entertaining and quirky TV show, “Bill Nye
the Science Guy.” This book on evolution is just
and entertaining and educational!
Kathy Hudak
World Languages
The Girl on the Train
By Paula Hawkins
It’s a thrilling story about a woman who intervenes
in other people’s lives surrounding a murder
mystery. It was very suspenseful and had a lot of
twists and turns.
Raymond Iacovone
Special Ed Assistant
Sharpe’s Company
By Bernard Cornwell
I am a huge fan Bernard Cornwell, the most prolific
author of historical fiction today. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading Cornwell's medieval series
comprised of both the Grail Quest and Uhtred
books and that led me to the Sharpe series of books
named after Cornwell's protagonist Richard Sharpe.
Alexandria McBride
Business Ed
The Girl on the Train
By Paula Hawkins
Debbie McFadden
English
The Boston Girl
By Anita Diamant
Sharpe's Company, indeed the entire the Sharpe
Series, covers the military life of its charmed, misfit
British soldier and his band of rogues during the
British campaigns against Napoleonic France.
Cornwell, as with all of his works, blends history
and fiction so well that history comes to life from
the page.
If you like thrillers or books similar to Gone Girl this
book is for you. If you hated the way Gone Girl
ended you will LOVE this book. This book is a page
turner for sure. Hawkins keeps you guessing with
character point of view chapters, leaving you saying
“just one more chapter” over and over again. You
feel vindicated and completely surprised by the
ending. A must read!
The Boston Girl was a great novel about family and
values, friendship and feminism told through the
eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in
Boston in the early 1900s. I liked it mostly because
it told the story of a girl who found her voice while
under the rule of strict parents. She wanted to
change with the times, but her family did not agree
with the values of the era. She goes against her
family’s “old fashioned” ways and paves a new path
for herself as a young woman. It portrays how
women were trying to find their place in a changing
society and Addie does just that. Another favorite
aspect of the novel was the point of view from
which it is told. It begins with Addie as an 85 year
old grandmother telling her story to her 22 year old
granddaughter who has asked her, “How did you
get to be the woman you are today.”
Kelly Maluccio
Mathematics
Paper Town
By John Green
Laurice Miller
Library Assistant
The Murder of King Tut
By James Patterson
I’ve always wondered if Tutankhamen really died
from natural causes as we were led to believe.
Now, I see that this may not have the reason, and
this furthered broadened my search for the t rut h
The Help
By Kathryn Stochett
The book gives wonderful insight on how life was
for people, especially African Americans, in the
1960s. I enjoyed the fact that Sketter was so brave
to write her book about all the women who worked
for the white households, including Aibileen and
Minny. My favorite part of the book was the
Chocolate pie incident. Hilarious!
Greg Muscelli
Social Studies
Outlaw Platoon
By Sean Parnell
Judy Nelson
Guidance
The Nightingale
By Kristin Hannah
Outlaw Platoon chronicles the journey of a platoon
operating in Afghanistan. The book is one of those
reads that is not only tough to put down, but tough
to forget about. I sometimes find myself thinking
about the brave men mentioned in the book and
wonder what it is they are doing now. I highly
recommend Outlaw Platoon to anyone—especially
those who want to learn about some real American
heroes.
The book told the story of two strong women
during World War II in France. It was a story of
relationships, beliefs, and challenges that the
consequences of could be death. Loved, loved,
loved it.
Todd Oberholtzer
Social Studies
Waging Heavy Peace
By Neil young
Imaginative, non-chronological collection of
musings on a wide variety of topics with the central
message of leaving the world a better place and
doing good to our fellow man.
Melanie Olivo
Business
The Wright Brothers
By David McCullough
We already know the ending of this adventure;
however, the perseverance and drive of the Wright
Brothers is what makes this book an inspiration.
They were not driven by wealth or fame, just that
they were accomplishing something. Their study of
birds and wind let to their invention. Think of the
Wright Brothers whenever you walk into a plane.
Emily Peel
Special
Education/Child
Study Teach
The Opposite of
Loneliness
By Marina Keegan
Marina Keegan was an extremely brilliant young
writer who began writing in high school. This book
is full of many of her short stories she worked on
both in high school and college. The book leaves
you wanting more, mourning the loss of such a
talented storyteller.
Mary Roche
Science
Orange is the New Black
By Piper Kerman
I have not seen the show, but a friend gave me the
book. She made a mistake and it caught up with
her, but she makes amends.
Kirsten Smith
Visual and Performing
Arts
The Martian
By Andy Weir
This book was an action adventure! Astronaut Mark
Watney gets left for dead on Mars, and has no way
to contact Earth to tell them he’s still alive.
Throughout the story he uses unbelievable science
& MacGyver skills to figure out how he’s going to
get rescued, as well as learn how create food and
an environment in which to survive!
The Longest Ride
By Nicholas Sparks
Great love story!
After being trapped in an isolated car crash, the life
of elderly widower Ira Levinson becomes entwined
with that of young college student, Sophia Danko
and the cowboy whom she loves, named Luke. The
novel is told through the perspectives of these
three characters as they go through their lives, both
separately and together
Lillian Valerio
Social Studies
Jennifer Wells
English
Unbroken
By Laura Hillenbrand
Childhood’s End
By Arthur C. Clarke
I love to read science fiction and, even though this
is an older story, the ideas that it addresses are still
relevant. How would we react to a seemingly
peaceful alien invasion as a society? Clarke
addresses this question and opens up many more
by the end of the story. It’s one that really makes
you think.
Lorri Zeiders
Science
Behind the Beautiful
Forever
By Katherine Boo
Beautifully written and eye opening expose of
social injustices in the make-shift cities outside of
Mumbai.