Staff Picks

Ship Happens!

Set sail with a collection of adult books featuring unforgettable voyages, maritime adventures, and life on the water. From the high seas to hidden harbours, these stories are sure to make waves.

All Hands on Deck: A Modern-day High Seas Adventure to the Far Side of the World

Will Sofrin

Ship of Spells

H. Leighton Dickson

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

Shannon Chakraborty

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck

Sophie Elmhirst

The Odyssey

Lara Williams

The Woman in Cabin 10

Ruth Ware

Total Dreamboat

Katelyn Doyle

Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic

Michael Smith

Ship of Dreams

Donna Jone Alward

Austen at Sea

Natalie Jenner

Enemy of All Mankind: A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt

Steven Johnson

Murder Takes a Vacation

Laura Lippman

The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island

Heather Webb

The Shippers

Katherine Center

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

Rita Chang-Epigg

Animal Tales

Animal lovers, this one’s for you! Explore a collection of books featuring memorable animal characters, fascinating wildlife, and stories that celebrate our furry, feathered, and finned friends.

The Whale's Tale and the Otter's Side of the Story: A Book Read From Front to Back and Back to Front

Kate Messner; illustrated by Brian Biggs

Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival

Trina Moyles

Huxley's Island Adventure

Haley Healey; illustrated by Kimiko Fraser

The Cat Who Saved the Library: A Novel

Sōsuke Natsukawa

Hazel & Herbert

Alexandra Thompson

The Animals

Cary Fagan

Skunk! Skedaddle!

Peter Bently; illustrated by Laurie Stansfield

Wild Life: A Novel

Amanda Leduc

Love Rolls In

Erin Soderberg Downing

Pugs & Kisses

Farrah Rochon

Beasties

Peter Lerangis

How My Dog Saved My Life: Thirty Tales of Courage and Compassion

Cate Cochran

Windy Creek Stables: Presley and the Impossible Dream

Kaitlyn Sage Patterson; illustrations by Kelley McMorris

Wolf, Moon, Dog: A Novel

Thomas Wharton

Wombat Waiting

Katherine Applegate; illustrations by Jen Bricking

Dead Bees Still Sting: Tales of Life at the Edge of Nature

Susan Cormier

Who's Making That Big Stink?!

Darrin P. Lunde; illustrated by Erica J. Chen

The Tortoise's Tale: A Novel

Kindra Coulter

Sun Bird: The Amazing Journey of the Arctic Tern

Lindsay Moore

The Island of Last Things

Emma Stoley

Elephant Bowling and Other Animal Play

Richard Haynes; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

Everyone Has a Secret

Some secrets are worth keeping—and some are waiting to be discovered. Dive into these intriguing stories of mystery, deception, and the truths that refuse to stay hidden.

Weyward

Emilia Hart

The Rema Chronicles (Volume 1): Realm of the Blue Mist

Amy Kim

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Patti Callahan Henry; illustrated by Dan Santat

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum

Lisa Yee

The Cartographers

Peng Shepherd

The Connellys of County Down

Tracey Lange

The Swallowtail Legacy: Search for the Sunken Statue

Michael D. Beil

A Nearly Normal Family

M.T. Edvardson

Famous Anonymous

Morgan Baden

I Was Never Here: My True Canadian Spy Story of Coffees, Code Names and Cover Operations in the Age of Terrorism

Andrew Kirsch

Children of the Quicksands

Efua Traoré

The Last Russian Doll

Kristen Loesch

Black Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson

The Bletchley Riddle

Ruta Sepetys

Unearthing

Kyo MacLear

Detective Aunty

Uzma Jalaluddin

The Sherlock Society

James Ponti

Looking for Jane

Heather Marshall

A Strange Thing Happening in Cherry Hall

Jasmine Warga

The Secret Keeper

Genevieve Graham

The Kids are Alright

In celebration of International Youth Day (August 12), find inspiration in these books about about young people who are making a difference in the world.