New books — the gifts that keep on giving

Another holiday season has come to an end. With it, our annual Gift-A-Book campaign has wrapped.

We are grateful to receive support from our communities in creating better access to library materials for everyone.

This year our campaign raised more than $2,500 in just over one month with all of that money directly funding new materials.

In appreciation of all those who gave to this campaign, we wanted to highlight some of the books that can now be checked out at your local library because of these donations. There is something for every reader in our new selections.

For the youngest family members, we have some great titles like

Snowball Soup by Mercer Mayer and Brady Brady and the Puck on the Pond by Mary Shaw to celebrate the season and maybe even inspire the whole family to get outside for some winter time fun! For kids who may be starting into their first chapter books you can’t go wrong with the newest title in the Kingdom of Fantasy Series, The Guardian of the

Realm by Geronimo Stilton or starting the Terrible Two Series with The Terrible Two and The

Terrible Two Get Worse, both by Mac Barnett.

Tweens, teens and even adults will find a variety of new YA novels going onto the shelves. If you’ve been a fan of fantasy novels like the Three Dark Crowns series then you should think about adding Rule by Ellen Goodlett to your to-read list. Set in the fantasy realm of Kolonya as the king nears his death, he calls upon three sisters who unexpectedly find out that one of them, but only one, can be the next heir to the throne. If your preference is for stories with real-life characters and drama, you might want to try Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich or Blended by Sharon Draper. These novels explore some of the everyday struggles many people face during adolescence and into adulthood, such as discovering your identity and sense of belonging and community in the digital age.

The Gift-A-Book campaign also allows us to add extra copies of some of the most popular titles in the library, helping get books into your hands faster. If you already have your name on the holds list for titles like Past Tense by Lee Childs, or Look Alive TwentyFive by Janet Evanovich, we will be adding extra copies to get you reading quicker. If you are just looking cold winter for weather, an escape you from can curl the up with a lighter read such as

Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shavis or Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane by JoAnn Ross.

For the non-fiction fans we have a number of new books going into the collection. If you enjoy biographies there are The Never Ending Present: The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip by Michael Barclay or The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created by Jane Leavy. To get inspired you could checkout Make Something Good Today by Erin and Ben Napier, the creative stars of HGTV show Home Town; or if you’re a history buff then you might be interested in Tim Cook’s new book, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War, or learning more about the industry that shaped our province in Nova Scotia’s Industrial Heritage: A Guidebook by David Rollingson.

No matter your reading preference, the library has something for everyone. You can search our online collection and place a hold on your next book anytime on our library website www.parl.ns.ca, or stop by your local library to browse the shelves and talk to the library staff for a personal recommendation.

Thank you to all those who donated to our Gift-A-Book campaign and continue to support the library and literacy in our communities.

For more information on upcoming library programs, special events and services, drop by your local library branch, follow us on Twitter, find us on Facebook or visit us online at www.parl.ns.ca.