Staff Picks by Apollo

Apollo and Pippi having out together among the books

Inkheart (Inkheart Trilogy, Book 1) By Cornelia Funke Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780439709101
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Scholastic Paperbacks - May 1st, 2005

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Realm of the Blue Mist: A Graphic Novel (The Rema Chronicles #1) By Amy Kim Kibuishi Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781338115130
Availability: Available to Order from Our Warehouse
Published: Graphix - April 5th, 2022

This graphic novel has some serious Ghibli vibes, and in all the best ways. A young, truth-seeking girl trying to get back home, an honest and no-nonsense hero with a heart of gold, and ferocious but virtuous friends that would abandon their way of life to stand up to wickedness and corruption.
This is a beautifully drawn story, the colored panels paint the world in such soft shining beauty! Over all a very wonderful read!

(Graphic Novel, ages 10+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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The Aquanaut: A Graphic Novel By Dan Santat, Dan Santat (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Dan Santat, Dan Santat (Illustrator)
$12.99
ISBN: 9780545497619
Availability: Available to Order from Our Warehouse
Published: Graphix - March 1st, 2022

A really sweet story about some endangered sea critters learning to pilot an antique diving suit to find help on the surface. They make friends with an excitable little girl and her hard working uncle and attempt to save more than just themselves while they try their hardest to maintain a low profile on land.

Wonderfully illustrated with really great character designs!

(Graphic Novel, ages 8+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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Silverwing: The Graphic Novel (The Silverwing Trilogy) By Kenneth Oppel, Christopher Steininger (Illustrator) Cover Image
$13.99
ISBN: 9781665938471
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - September 19th, 2023

This beautiful graphic adaptation of Silverwing hits all the right notes with pacing, art style, and personality. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a gorgeous and dramatic take on one of my favorite Oppel novels—just the portrayal of the Zotz-worshiping vampire bats is sure to send chills down your spine!

(Graphic Novel, ages 8+) - Reviewed by Apollo 


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Gallant By V. E. Schwab Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062835789
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Greenwillow Books - May 30th, 2023

Even as I flipped through the very first pages of Gallant, I understood immediately why V.E. Schwab's work comes highly recommended. Through her beautiful storytelling she hits all the right notes of Gothic Horror and displays the decrepit and long-forgotten dead occupying the world of a mute and long-forgotten orphan.

Not only is the story captivating, but the style in which this novel is written and presented is artful. While Olivia is alone for much of her journey, Schwab includes the reader as a constant companion by sharing journal pages. We pour over her mother’s frantic words along with her, pondering her disappearance, the beautiful ink drawings, and the warning in the very last entry.

This is a must-read for any aspiring Horror fan; especially one fascinated by the mystery shrouding Death.

(Young Adult, Ages 14+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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The Last Unicorn By Peter S. Beagle, Patrick Rothfuss (Introduction by) Cover Image
By Peter S. Beagle, Patrick Rothfuss (Introduction by)
$17.00
ISBN: 9780451450524
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Ace - January 1st, 1991

A quintessential fantasy novel that truly feels like it is written from the heart. Truly breathtaking & magical not only in the adventure, but also in the prose. Anyone looking to dive deeper into "classic" 1960s fantasy should read this.

(YA Fantasy, ages 15+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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Akata Witch (The Nsibidi Scripts #1) By Nnedi Okorafor Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780142420911
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Speak - July 11th, 2017

Pick this book up if you have even a passing interest in Nigeria, leopard-people, & magic. Nnedi Okorafor brilliantly depicts teenage self-discovery with a uniquely non-European lens & adds not a little, but a LOT of magic. Fitting in with physical differences is hard enough, but add a magical society surrounding African Jujuism & pursuit of a serial killer in the mix & you've got one heck of a complicated coming of age story. Seriously recommend.

(YA Fantasy, ages 12+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza By Mac Barnett, Shawn Harris (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Mac Barnett, Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
$10.99
ISBN: 9780063084094
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Katherine Tegen Books - September 26th, 2023

A delightfully hilarious graphic novel starring a princess, and nail-clipping robot, and a cat who team up to save the moon (and Earth) from evil space rats!

(Graphic Novel, ages 6+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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The Ogress and the Orphans By Kelly Barnhill Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9781643754017
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Algonquin Young Readers - October 31st, 2023

Is goodness only for the good and wickedness for the wicked? If the good perform wicked acts, are they still good? Is a neighbor only those which dwell next door, across town, or just outside your front door? What is goodness, when not shared with a neighbor that needs it? The idea of individualism is challenged consistently all throughout this book, as time and again misunderstandings and misinformation drive people apart. The children we love deserve to be heard too... sometimes they do indeed know more than us adults!

(Fantasy, ages 8+) - Reviewed by Apollo


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The Darkness Outside Us By Eliot Schrefer Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062888235
Availability: Available to Order from Our Warehouse
Published: Katherine Tegen Books - May 10th, 2022

An incredibly fresh addition to the world of young adult sci-fi. The protagonists are put through the wringer, and despite their differences and their patriotism putting them at odds, they still manage to form an unlikely community with each other. While psychologically thrilling, it leads to a hopeful ending-- you can’t go wrong picking this one up.

(YA sci-fi, ages 13+) — Reviewed by Apollo


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Blackwater By Jeannette Arroyo, Ren Graham Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250777058
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks - July 19th, 2022

A spooky graphic novel set in the ~50’s. Perfect for monster lovers and fans of noir-style moody illustration. LGBTQIA+ Horror!

(YA graphic novel, ages 13+) — Reviewed by Apollo


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The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure By William Goldman Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780156035156
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Harper Perennial - October 8th, 2007

Just as good as you think it is. A delightfully charming story that feels truly timeless. Classic swashbuckling fantasy—with a dreadful pirate, a damsel in distress, and a cunning Sicilian!

(Fantasy, ages 12+) — Reviewed by Apollo


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Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #1) By Tamsyn Muir Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250313188
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: Tordotcom - July 14th, 2020

A sci-fi/fantasy space opera starring lesbian necromancers. It’s got Haunted Mansions! Body horror! Political Intrigue! SAT vocab! This first in a trilogy has it all. Grab this if you want to learn more words to seem smarter—of if you just want something exciting, spooky, tragic and mysterious.

(Adult fantasy) — Reviewed by Apollo


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Sabriel 25th Anniversary Classic Edition By Garth Nix Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780063040496
Availability: Recently On Our Shelves
Published: HarperCollins - August 3rd, 2021

Fun, scary, action-packed. Sabriel is one of my all-time favorite trilogies. A young woman tames the dead as her father once did— and she does it well. So well that the dead start to hunt her! Gripping and engrossing, recommended for young adults venturing into fantastical horror.

(YA Fantasy/Horror, ages 14+) — Reviewed by Apollo

 


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The Eye of the World: Book One of The Wheel of Time By Robert Jordan Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250768681
Availability: Available to Order from Our Warehouse
Published: Tor Books - August 11th, 2020

One of those quintessential fantasy novels that EVERYONE needs to read. For fans of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones (though, its difficult to compare them) this fantasy saga perfectly scratches the itch if you want a classic hero’s journey or to just get lost in a deliciously deep, lore-filled universe.

(Fantasy, ages 13+) — Reviewed by Apollo


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The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel By Terry Pratchett Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780062225672
Availability: Available to Order from Our Warehouse
Published: Harper - January 29th, 2013

Absurd, hilarious, and irreverent, one of if not THE best series by Sir Pratchett. The Color of Magic introduces you to the wild and wonderful fantasy universe in DISCWORLD. Full of monsters, wizards, and dragons!

(Fantasy, ages 10+) — Reviewed by Apollo