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Sturdy Folk: Personal Accounts of Life and Work on the Olympic Peninsula by Mavis Amundson
Thirty-one personal accounts of people who lived through hard times and flourished in towns, on farms, and in fishing and logging communities on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. 1999.
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Sonic Boom: The History of Northwest Rock, from "Louie Louie" to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Peter Blecha
A history of Pacific Northwest rock music from the late 1950s through the early 1990s with special emphasis on the Tacoma and Seattle scenes. Covers the bands as well as the clubs, promoters, and business aspects of the scene. 2009.
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The Inimitable Adele Ferguson: Bremerton's Legendary Columnist by John C. Hughes
Adele Ferguson was known as an outspoken and respected political columnist for the Bremerton Sun. She knew the major figures in Washington state government from the 1960s through 2010,and had strong opinions about all of them. Most of the book is made up of interviews with her. Includes some of her columns. 2011.
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Trial by Fire by J. A. Jance
Former anchorwoman Ali Reynolds is the new media-relations officer for the sheriff in Sedona, Arizona. Her first case involves an amnesiac woman badly burned in an arson fire. Ali attempts to unravel the mystery with the help of a nun who advocates for unidentified hospital patients. 2009.
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Folly by Laurie R. King
After the deaths of her husband and daughter, Rae Newborn, a celebrated artist, moves to the remote and uninhabited island of Folly where she begins the work of rebuilding a house and rebuilding her life. She finds herself struggling with sadness, lonliness, panic and paranoia that she is being watched. Set in San Juan County WA.
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Stories for Boys: A Memoir by Gregory Martin
This quirky, heart-wrenching memoir looks at family secrets, truth and reconciliation, acceptance and forgiveness. As Martin struggles to come to terms with revelations of his father's homosexuality following an attempted suicide, he relates humorous stories about parenting two young sons mixed with memories of his own happy childhood with the father he thought he knew. Some strong language and descriptions of sex. 2012.
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Best Places Northwest Cookbook: Recipes from the Outstanding Restaurants and Inns of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia by Cynthia C. Nims, Lori McKean, and Lara Ferroni
The recipes in this book range from easy to advanced and feature local ingredients. The recipes are for breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main dishes, and desserts. The book has useful sidebars about ingredients and cooking techniques. Includes an index of ingredients and recipes as well as a list of restaurants and inns that contributed recipes.
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All Books

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Acheba
Portrays traditional Ibo society in nineteenth-century Nigeria and one of its great men, Okonkwo. Through rituals, the lives of the individual and the community are unified, giving them order and significance. But the time-honored system of beliefs and behavior falls apart with the arrival of missionaries and colonists.
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Spokane Indian Reservation. Fourteen-year-old Junior, beset with physical problems caused by brain damage, transfers to an all-white town school. Called a traitor by his best friend and Tonto by his new classmates, Junior uses humor and wit to bridge the cultural divide. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2007.
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The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Alende
Rolfe Carle lies in bed beside Eva Luna and savors the love they have just shared. Breaking the quiet picture, he asks Eva to tell him a story she has never told anyone before. And she does -- twenty-three in all. She tells him stories about peasants and rich people, beauties and tyrants, politicians and military leaders, and the battles between men and women. Companion to "Eva Luna". Bestseller.
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Paula by Isabel Allende
Novelist Allende wrote this book for her comatose 28-year-old daughter Paula in case Paula will have lost memories when she awakens. Allende records the story of her family. Intertwined is the account of Allende fighting to save her daughter, until Paula finally comes to her in a dream and asks to be released.
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Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All by Mary Amato
Orville and Wilbur Riot aim to make something exciting happen every day by solving mysteries, inventing gadgets, and if all else fails, cracking each other up until they snort milk through their noses. Grades 2-4.
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Sturdy Folk: Personal Accounts of Life and Work on the Olympic Peninsula by Mavis Amundson
Thirty-one personal accounts of people who lived through hard times and flourished in towns, on farms, and in fishing and logging communities on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. 1999.
volume 1, volume 2
The Blind Connemara by C. W. Anderson
The beauiful white Pony that Rhonda loves is going blind, and Rhonda can't bear to think that the Connemara might have to be put away. She is joyful, however, when the horse is given to her, and she earns his trust with patience and devotion. For grades 4-7.
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Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning by Laurence Anholt
A brief biography of a young English fossil hunter in the early 1800s. Describes how Mary Anning learns about treasures in the rocks and how at age twelve she makes an important scientific discovery--bones of a sea monster that are 165 million years old. For grades K-3.
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Raising More Money: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building Lifelong Donors by Terry Azelrod
Based on the author's seminars.
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The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward fourteen-year-old princess suddenly becomes a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to try to become human again. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee
Anu is devastated when, on one of their birdwatching hikes, his beloved grandfather has a heart attack and dies. Anu tries everything he can think of to bring his grandfather back, or keep his spirit nearby, including trying to practice the rigors of a sadhu (holy man in India). Sasquatch nominee. Grades 4-7. 2010.
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Lenny's Space by Kate Banks
Nine-year-old Lenny is smart, but his attention is seldom where adults want it to be, and verbal outbursts accompany whatever his mind is exploring. A therapist is helping him explore his emotional issues, and he succeeds in making a friend, but that friend has leukemia. Grade 3 and up. 2007.
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Frog's Best Friend by Marian Dane Bauer
Frog learns how to share his best friend, Turtle, with the other animals. Grades 1-2.
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Remember Me by Deborah Bedford
Bachelor pastor Sam Tibbits returns to Piddock Beach on the Oregon Coast, where he spent his childhood summers in the late 1960s. Looking to reconnect with himself and God, Sam stumbles upon his childhood sweetheart, Aubrey.
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Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender
Inspired by the simple beauty of an Amish quilt, the author, an artist from Berkeley, California, spent months in Iowa and Ohio with two Amish families.
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Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender
The author relates the lessons learned from her stay with the Amish, and the impact on her life of the lessons learned there and subsequently.
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Bear Daughter by Judith Berman
One morning, young Cloud awakens in the form of a human girl, shedding the bear shape she inherited from her true father. Determined to learn to live in her new body, Cloud struggles to fit into the life of Sandspit Town, but her mother's human husband, King Rumble, despises her and seeks her downfall. Draws on the myths of the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest.
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Triumph Over Darkness by Lennard Bickel
Born in France in 1809, Louis Braille stabbed himself in the eye at age 3. He began to experiment with a method of writing for the blind at age 16. Tuberculosis took his life at the age of 43, before his code was adopted throughout the world.
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Long Journey: Contemporary Northwest Poets by David Biespiel
An anthology of poems by over eighty of the Pacific Northwest's leading poets.
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Sonic Boom: The History of Northwest Rock, from "Louie Louie" to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Peter Blecha
A history of Pacific Northwest rock music from the late 1950s through the early 1990s with special emphasis on the Tacoma and Seattle scenes. Covers the bands as well as the clubs, promoters, and business aspects of the scene. 2009.
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More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Washington Women by L. E. Bragg
Brief biographies of sixteen extraordinary women from Washington's past. Includes Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, Kick-Is-Om-Lo (Princess Angeline), and Mayor Bertha Knight Landes.
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Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
A modern novel which takes a comic and light-hearted, rather than angry or satirical, approach toward the experiences of living. This edition taken from an anthology of three titles by Brautigan.
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Masterpiece by Elise Broach
James is disappointed to receive a pen and ink set from his artistic father, but his friend Martin, a beetle, is thrilled to discover his own talent for miniatures that soon involves the two in a scheme to apprehend an art thief. Grades 3-6. 2009.
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What it Means to be a Husky: Don James and Washington's Greatest Players by Greg Brown, editor
The greatest players in the history of University of Washington football share their memories and reflections on being Huskies. Foreword by Don James.
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Arthur's Reading Race by Brown, Marc
Arthur doesn't believe that his little sister can really read, so he challenges her to prove it. Double line spacing. Grades K-3.
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Arthur Babysits by Marc Brown
Arthur can hardly believe it himself, but he has agreed to babysit for "the terrible Tibble twins" after being volunteered by his sister, D.W. The experience for Arthur is a nightmare come true, until he outwits the mischievous twosome with tricks, laughter, and storytime fun. Grades P-2.
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Amazing Otters by Barbara M. Brownell
Introduces the physical characteristics, habits, and national environment of the otter. Grades K-3.
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Babar and the Ghost by Laurent De Brunhoff
The ghost of the Black Castle follows Babar and his family and friends back to Celesteville. Double line spacing. Grades K-3.
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Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
In this psychological horror novel, Seattle author and Nebula Award winner Butler introduces us to an apparently young girl, suffering from amnesia, who has alarming needs and abilities.
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Blow Me a Kiss, Miss Lilly by Nancy White Carlstrom
When her best friend, an old lady named Miss Lilly, dies, Sara learns that the memory of a loved one never dies. Grades K-3.
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Don't Jump!: The Northwest Winter Blues Survival Guide by Novella Carpenter and Traci Vogel
This winter-survival handbook will blast you out of your weather-induced funk! Have some good times despite a wet, dark Northwest winter.
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Singing from the Soul: An Autobiography by Jose Carreras
His life is put on hold in 1987 while this Spanish tenor copes with leukemia. Carreras recounts the events that force him off the stage, his happy discovery that this voice is not affected by treatment, and his triumphant return to a successful operatic and concert career. He describes his world prior to his illness and reflects on what he learned from the experience.
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Cathedral: Stories by Raymond Carver
Powerful short stories about the subtle shifts in familiar feelings and perceptions of ordinary people. A reluctant man of limited vision gets a glimpse of transcendence as he tries to picture a cathedral with his wife's blind friend. Marriage, infidelity, the loss of a child, and an old farm are the subjects of some of the other stories.
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Among the Missing by Dan Choan
Twelve short stories plus a reading group discussion guide. A National Book Award finalist.
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Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture by Taylor Clark
A journalist explores the rise of Seattle's Starbucks Corporation and the caffeine-crazy culture that fueled its success. Discusses related controversies including fair trade, gentrification, and labor issues. 2007.
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First Avenue: A Novel by Lowen Clausen
Story of a Seattle cop who couldn't shake the image of the abandoned dead baby he finds in a seedy hotel -- and who can't give up on finding the truth until those responsible are taken down. Also available as CBA 7663.
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Second Watch by Lowen Clausen
Katherine Murphy and Grace Stevens are Seattle police officers assigned to the Ballard beat. When the body of a boy is found in a trash compactor, they are the first officers at the scene. Due to a lack of clues, they undertake a risky undercover assignment to search for the killer.
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Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and can't see his body, his relationship with the physical world and with his parents changes. He confides his invisibility situation to a new friend, Alicia, blinded two years before, and they try to figure out what happened to him. Grades 6-9.
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The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
Sixth-grader Hart Evans finds out there's a big difference between popularity and leadership when Mr. Meinert, his choir director, gets fed up and insists a student take charge of the holiday concert. Hart is elected to the job. Grade 3 and up. 2004.
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Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: A Memoir of my Fifth-Grade Year by Esmé Raji Codell
The author has pulled events from her own fifth-grade diaries to give the reader a taste of what it was like growing up in Chicago in 1978 as a member of a free-spirited family. Grades 3-6.
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Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esme Raji Codell
According to her mother, talented Hunky Dory is destined to be the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow. She, however, suspects that life as a fairy godmother would suit her better. Sasquatch nominee. Grades 4-7.
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Blindsided by Richard M. Cohen
Emmy Award-winning television news producer and journalist chronicles his battle with multiple sclerosis and colon cancer. While detailing his vision loss and other symptoms, Cohen's frank account is "not about suffering" but about "surviving and flourishing, rising above fear and self-doubt" with the support of his wife and children. Bestseller.
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The Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth by Eoin Colfer
#2, Eoin Colfer's Legends. Marty, Will, and the rest of the family are spending the summer in a trailer on the beach. Marty makes Will walk home from a local dance, planning to scare him with the ghostly voice of Captain Crow, but Marty's the one who's scared when the rocks light up as described in the local legend. Grades 2-4. 2006
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Sailing Alone Around the World: New and Selected Poems by Bill Collins
A collection of poems, both old and new, by the Poet Laureate of the U.S.
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Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Book One in Underland Chronicles series. When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs
Humorous fantasy. Princess Meg resents being the prize offered to the prince who rids the kingdom of a witch, a dragon, and Robinhood-like bandits, and besides would rather protect those things than destroy them. With the help of friends, she escapes the tower where she is "sequestered" to take on that challenge. Grades 4-7. 2006.
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Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney
When he has to unexpectedly share his home and his room with a church-sponsored family from war-torn Sierra Leone, teenager Jared becomes suspicious of their odd behavior. Some violence. Grade 5 and up. 2007.
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The Beloved Dearly by Doug Cooney
Ernie, a twelve-year-old tycoon, makes a tidy profit in the pet funeral business. When he refuses to give a raise to his star employee, a tomboy named Swimming Pool, the enterprise starts falling apart. It takes the death of Ernie's own dog to bring everyone back together. Grades 4-7.
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The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Book Two in The Dark Is Rising series. Early on the morning of his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton, seventh son of a seventh son, wakes to discover that he is one of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to controlling the evil forces of the Dark. He is destined to seek the six magical signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph. Grades 4-7.
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Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
Book Three of The Dark Is Rising series. In a series of disturbing and dangerous events, the Drew children discover the whereabouts of a priceless stolen grail and the Wild Magic of the powerful Greenwitch is loosed over the land. Grades 5-8.
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Sarah's Unicorn by Bruce and Katherine Coville
Although she tries to keep her friendship with Oakhorn a secret, Sarah's wicked aunt finds out and is determined to rob the unicorn of his magic. Grades K-3.
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A Heart for Any Fate: Westward to Oregon - 1845 by Linda Crew
Both young adults and adults will find appeal in this Oregon Trail novel. Lovisa and the rest of the extended King family join a wagon train in 1845. There's plenty of hardship and even death, but the family still has time to wonder if outspoken Lovisa will ever find a husband. Based on a real family who populated Kings Valley, Oregon. Grade 6 and older readers. Winner of the Jasper G. and Minnie Stevens Literary Prize.
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The Winning Hand by C. K. Crigger
Washington State, 1893. Caroline Pruett loses her thoroughbred stallion King to cowhand Micah Sutton in a poker game. Caroline accidentally shoots Micah while stealing King back. Only slightly wounded, Micah sets out after Caroline to retrieve the horse, but Micah isn't the only one after King.
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Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross
Music journalist draws on interviews to trace the life and untimely death of the Seattle musician. Investigates Hendrix
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Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross
Music journalist draws on interviews and diaries to trace the life and untimely death of the Seattle musician. Investigates Cobain's unhappy teen years, success with his band Nirvana, heroin addiction, marriage to fellow rocker Courtney Love, and 1994 suicide at age twenty-seven. Bestseller.
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Rodzina by Karen Cushman
A twelve-year-old girl boards an orphan train in Chicago and heads west where she faces a life of unpaid servitude. 2004 Washington State Book Award; 2006 Sasquatch Reading Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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Orphans by Charles D'Ambrosio
This collection of eleven thoughtful and atmospheric essays by the Seattle writer examines subjects ranging from a haunted house in Texas to the Mary Kay Letourneau trial. Washington State Book Award winner.
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Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela and Steven D'Amico
Ella is nervous about the first day of school in her new town, but wearing her grandmother's good luck hat makes her feel better -- until the other students tease her and call her names. Grades P-2.
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The Alpine Kindred by Mary Daheim
Newspaper editor Emma Lord investigates the brutal stabbing of a pompous local philanthropist while rumors spread like wildfire through the old logging town of Alpine, Washington.
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For Mike's Sake by Janet Dailey
Seattle, Washington. When circumstances bring Maggie and her ex-husband together six years after their divorce, Maggie is surprised by the loving feelings she still has for Wade.
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Amber Brown Goes Fourth by Paula Danziger
#3 in the Amber Brown series. Amber Brown has her notebook, pens and pencils, new shoes, and new clothes for the new school year. But she is not looking forward to the fourth grade. Her best friend, Justin, has moved away, her dad lives in France, and her mother has a new friend, Max. Amber does her best to "Go Fourth," though, and eventually makes a new friend and even decides she might like Max. Grades 3-6.
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Amber Brown Sees Red by Paula Danziger
#6 in the Amber Brown series. Everything is changing in Amber's life in the fourth grade. Her mother is marrying Max, her father is moving back from Paris and wants Amber to live with him part time, and her own body is growing out of control. Grades 2-4.
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You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger
#2 in the Amber Brown series. Amber Brown is one very excited third grader. She is going to visit London with her Aunt Pam and then visit her father in France . She's all set for her best vacation ever, until she gets the chicken pox. She's itchy and bored, and, in addition, she's upset about her parents' separation and impending divorce. Grades 2-4.
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Amber Brown is Not a Crayon by Paula Danziger
#1 in the Amber Brown series. Amber Brown and Justin Daniels are best friends. They sit next to each other in school, help each other with school work, and always stick together. But when Justin learns that he is moving away, everything begins to change. Grades 3-6.
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Amber Brown is Feeling Blue by Paula Danziger
#7 in the Amber Brown series. Amber has to decide to spend Thanksgiving either with Mom and Max in Walla Walla, Washington, or with Dad in New York . Also, she's feeling blue because she's not the only one in school with a colorful name. Kelly Green is the new girl. Grades 3-6.
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Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence by Jo Dereski
When the police chief is helped to a near fatal fall, a potentially incriminating library book is found within reach. The police demand the library to turn over the borrower's name. But librarian Helma Zukas is determined to uphold the privacy rights of library patrons and deletes the information from library records, but not before she takes note of it.
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Out of Circulation by Jo Dereski
Helma Zukas and her friend Ruth, hiking in the Cascades, find a dead body and are forced by weather conditions into a cabin with some pretty motley strangers.
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The Final Forest: The Battle for the Last Great Trees of the Pacific Northwest by William Dietrich
The controversy over the habitat of the spotted owl is only one element in a conflict that has polarized the Pacific Northwest. The author visits Forks on the Olympic Peninsula and visits with cutters, mill operators, rangers, landowners, ecologists, and others, showing how each is affected by the fight.
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The Brave Little Toaster by Thomas M. Disch
Feeling abandoned by their beloved master, a vacuum cleaner, tensor lamp, electric blanket, clock radio, and toaster undertake a long and arduous journey to find him in a faraway city. Subtitle: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances. Grades 3-6.
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Madison House by Peter Donahue
Chronicles turn-of-the-century Seattle's explosive transformation from frontier outpost to major metropolis. Maddie Ingram, owner of Madison House, and her quirky and endearing boarders (a handyman, a muckraking black journalist, and an aspiring actress) find their lives inextricably linked when the city decides to regrade Denny Hill and the fate of Madison House hangs in the balance.
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Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen by Tom Douglas
Recipes and cooking tips from a local cook making use of local ingredients.
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Riddle of the Bones: Politics, Science, Race, and the Story of Kennewick Man by Roger Downey
Kennewick Man refers to an 8000-year-old skull found along the Columbia River in 1996 that proved to be of Caucasian origin, countering the theory that the earliest humans in North America came from Asia. After the discovery, a legal battle between anthropologists, archaeologists, Native American groups and the U.S. government raged concerning the ownership and rightful place of the remains. 2000.
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The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole by Stephanie Doyon
In the small northwest town of Cedar Hole, mediocrity is the way of life. Even as an adult, Francis "Spud" Pinkham struggles to emerge from the shadow of his childhood rival, Robert J. Cutler, the town's optimistic golden boy.
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Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa by Don Drown
In 1892, after more than 20 years of caring for her invalid mother, 30-year-old Mary Kingsley sets off to visit the exotic West African locations she had read about in her father's library. For grades K-3.
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The Winemaker's Daughter by Timothy Egan
While Brunella Cartolano is trying to protect the Seattle waterfront from development, she also finds her father's Eastern Washington vineyard enduring the worst draught in history. Brunella struggles to protect the vineyard from someone who seems to be buying up all the water and driving away the people who work the land. When a wildfire roars out of control and kills a squadron of firefighters including her brother Niccolo, the question of the lack of water becomes ever more urgent.
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Where There's A Will by Aaron J. Elkins
After going missing ten years ago, the small private plane of ranching heir Axel Torkelsson's late Uncle Magnus has finally been found in a remote lagoon, hundreds of miles south of the Big Island of Hawaii. A Gideon Oliver mystery.
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An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliott
An exploration of Afghanistan -- its physical beauty, hospitality, religious variations, and long history. Elliot recounts events from his first visit at age nineteen in 1986 traveling with anti-Soviet mujahedin, and another journey ten years later when the Taliban forces were building power.
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The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
The Taliban rulers in Kabul, Afghanistan, impose strict limitations on women's freedom and behavior. Eleven-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy so that her family can survive after her father's arrest. Grades 5-8.
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Vertical Burn by Earl Emerson
Seattle firefighter John Finney is suspected of abandoning his partner in a burning building and setting fire to another. Finney and his co-worker Diana Moore begin their own investigation to uncover who
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The Million-Dollar Tattoo by Earl W. Emerson
Seattle P.I. Thomas Black tackles a bizarre case when his old friend Elmer "snake" Slezak calls him about a dead woman in his bed who he claims is from another galaxy. Strong language, violence, and descriptions of sex. 1996.
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Firetrap: A Novel of Suspense by Earl W. Emerson
Captain Trey Brown, one of the few black men in Seattle Fire Department's leadership, survived a devastating nightclub fire. The city erupts in riots because of allegations that the fire department left African-Americans to die in the blaze. Brown and TV reporter Jamie Estevez try to find out what really happened at the club.
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The Smoke Room by Earl W. Emerson
Some might call it a sign that Jason Gum began his new job as a firefighter with a call to clean up the remains of a pig that has fallen 11,000 feet through the roof of a Seattle home. Mistakes and social foibles compound as this noir mystery unfolds, introducing the star-crossed Gum to villainy, life-threatening challenges, and a love affair with a seductive older woman. 2005.
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The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
In the 1840s, in Omakayas's seventh spring, she helps her Ojibwa family build a summer home on an island in Lake Superior . That winter during a smallpox outbreak, Omakayas shows her devotion to her family and learns about her heritage. Grades 4-7.
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Game On! How Women's Basketball Took Seattle by Storm by Jayda Evans
A history of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), focusing on the rise of the Seattle Storm and their 2004 championship season. Profiles Storm players Lauren Jackson and Betty Lennox as well as coach Lin Dunn. Explores issues of sexism, homophobia, and economics. Foreword by Slick Watts.
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A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jules Feiffer
In this humorous story, the court magician thinks a quest will cure Prince Roger's unkinglike tendency to laugh constantly. Soon Roger's annoying people in faraway lands, and someone is unfortunately clever enough to escape the bounds of the story to seek revenge! Grade 4 and up. 1995.
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The Return of the Killer Cat by Anne Fine
Ellie's cat, Tuffy, always claims innocence, or at least justification, in all his actions. This time a vacation caretaker seems to think dried-out food is edible and a neighbor girl manages to waylay him for a humiliating game of dress-up. Grades 2-4. 2003.
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The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
Ellie's cat, Tuffy, killed a bird, left bloodstains on the carpet, ruined the garden, and is accused of killing the neighbor's rabbit. He's confused by the family's displeasure--after all, he's a cat! Grades 2-4. 2008.
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A Sudden Country by Karen Fisher
1847 Frontiersman James MacLaren loses his three children to sickness and his wife to another man. James joins a wagon train as a guide and has an affair with Lucy Mitchell that threatens to destroy her marriage. PEN/Faulkner Award. Winner of 2006 Washington State Book Award.
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No Man's Land by G. M. Ford
When convicted murderer Timothy Driver seizes control of a supposedly escape-proof prison, he demands that Seattle true-crime writer Frank Corso come to the prison to negotiate for the lives of 163 hostages. Corso, who's written a book about Driver, thinks that Driver just wants sympathetic media exposure, but his choice of escape partner suggests that he's planned a bloody, cross-country spree, with Corso along for the ride.
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A Blind Eye by G. M. Ford
Disgraced journalist turned true-crime writer Frank Corso disappears into the upper Midwest with his photographer (and former lover), Meg Dougherty after a snowstorm and car accident strands them in an abandoned Wisconsin farmhouse. Tearing up the flooring for firewood, Corso uncovers the corpses of a family, merely one set of victims in a killing spree spanning 30 years which will send Frank and Meg from state to state, from an inbred mountain enclave in New Jersey to a nunnery with a murder.
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Black River by G. M. Ford
Seattle. The only writer permitted to observe the sensational trial of a mass murderer, Frank Corso learns that his photojournalist close friend, Meg, has been hospitalized after a run-in with a pair of hoods and becomes alarmed when he realizes the two cases are related. #2 Frank Corso mysteries. Violence and some strong language. 2002.
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Blown Away by G. M. Ford
On the road to investigate an unsolved bombing case involving a possible suicide bomber, writer Frank Corso uncovers the possibility that the supposed bomber may have been a victim himself, forced to strap explosives on by a cruel mastermind.
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Eager by Helen Fox
The Bell children find their functionally designed experimental robot a little embarrassing until the more humanistic models of their wealthier classmates become aggressive. Grades 4-7. Also available as RC 59122.
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Grape Thief by Kristine L. Franklin
1925, Roslyn, Washington. Twelve-year-old Slava Petrovich is upset that he must soon leave school to help support the remaining members of his coal mining family. Joining other boys in stealing grapes from a yearly freight train, he and a friend decide that riding the rails back to California might offer them their best chance at well-paid work. Grade 5 through adult. 2003.
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The King of the Hummingbirds and Other Tales by John Gardner
Four fairy tales, featuring a stupid coppersmith's son, a witch unhappy in her profession, a gnome with power to change things, and a boy who hopes to marry a princess. Grades 3-6.
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B-E-S-T Friends by Patricia Reilly Giff
Stacy thinks the new girl, Annie, is horrible. Annie just doesn't do anything the way others do. It's not easy for Stacy to be friends with someone who says potatoes are for breakfast. Then she tries some for herself and discovers it is fun to be different. #4 in the New Kids of the Polk Street School series. Grades K-3.
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Owen Foote, Mighty Scientist by Stephanie Greene
The realities of owning a Uromastyx lizard dampen Owen's enthusiasm, and poor teamwork threaten the entire science project results he needs to get into Mr. Wozniak's sixth-grade class. Sasquatch nominee. Grades 3-6.
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The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes
Paris has a lot of obstacles in her life - an absent father, an alcoholic mother who only occasionally connects with her children, a series of inhospitable foster homes, and her biracial status in a prejudiced world - but at her new placement, she'll even be separated from her beloved big brother! Coretta Scott King Award. Sasquatch nominee. Grades 5-8.
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Chemical and Biological Warfare: A Comprehensive Survey for the Concerned Citizen by Eric Groddy
Topics include basic concepts of chemical and biological agents, brief history of chemical and biological warfare, control and disarmament, and threats and responses.
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An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Jeff Guidry
Jeff Guidrey was a volunteer at the Savey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington, Washington when he started working with a bald eagle whose wings were so badly broken that it would never fly again. The eagle survived and was given the name Freedom. It became Jeff's healer after he was diagnosed with cancer.
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The Tie That Binds by Ken Haruf
Colorado, 1896 to 1976. Edith Goodnough, the courageous daughter of homesteaders, finds herself bound by duty, love, and obligation to her crippled father and younger brother. Sacrificing her chance for happiness with the man she loves, she assumes the task of maintaining the family farm. Strong language. 1984.
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Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Life in the small town of Holt, Colorado, includes a high school teacher caring for his two young sons as his wife leaves him. His co-worker, later his lover, convinces two old rancher brothers to take in an outcast pregnant student. Bestseller.
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Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf
Former local football hero Jack Burdette returns to his small Colorado hometown to win the heart of the most beautiful girl in town. Used to having his way and operating on instinct and cunning, Jack commits unspeakable crimes that nearly destroy the town. Pat Arbuckle, editor of the local newspaper, records the action but is himself unable to act. Some strong language. 1990.
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Eventide by Kent Haruf
Continues the lives of the characters in Plainsong, the residents of Holt, Colorado. Victoria, the single mother taken in by the McPheron brothers, begins college. An engrossing, moving novel of small town life.
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Silent Proof by Michael Hawley
Thirty years ago, a woman was savagely murdered in a Seattle park. The crime went unsolved. Seattle Police Department detectives Leah Harris and Frank Milkovich have only 48 hours to make a charge stick against a suspect about to be released from prison on an unrelated crime. But new evidence and a new murder plunge the detectives into a life-and-death game with a deadly opponent. Also available as CBA 7681.
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The Double Bluff by Michael Hawley
When college coed Christina Herrera is savagely slain, Det. Sgt. Leah Harris is shocked to find a picture of John Darby, also a Seattle cop and Leah's lover, on the victim's dresser. Is the motive blind jealousy, or is she dealing with dirty cops and illegal drugs?
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The Enemy You Know by Denny Heck
A Jess Stevens Mystery. Jess retires early to build a dream home on the shores of Loon Lake, near Spokane, Washington. His wife supports him in the search for the truth that lies behind his early retirement from the public sector.
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The World's Greatest Elephant by Ralph Heller
Recounts the true and astonishing world adventures of Bram and Modoc, a boy and an elephant who became best of friends while growing up together in a German circus. Grades 2-4. 2006.
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True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway recounts his wife Mary's obsession with tracking down and killing a black-maned lion. He also writes of his devotion to Debba, an African woman he wants to take as a second wife. Hemingway's son Patrick edited this fictional memoir begun after Hemingway's last safari in Africa in the 1950s.
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Hunt for the Past: My Life as an Explorer by Sue Hendrickson
Sue Hendrickson is the discoverer of SUE, the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex. Grades 2-4.
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Northwest Wine Country: Wine's New Frontier by Kathleen Hill and Gerald Hill
A travel guide to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia for wine lovers. Emphasizes information about vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms. Includes nearby dining and tourist activities and recipes that use local wines.
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Arthur's Prize Reader by Lillian Hoban
Arthur, a clever chimpanzee, and his little sister Violet set out to win a super prize--dinner for two with King Kong--by selling the most subscriptions to Super Chimp Comics. The results are comic but not for poor Arthur. For grades K-3.
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The Trolls by Polly Horvath
Melissa, Amanda, and Pee Wee love having their Aunt Sally babysit. Her stories can make even eating vegetables fun! She also tells family stories about growing up on Vancouver Island that they never hear from their dad -- especially the tale of the trolls. Grades 3-6. 1999.
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Light's Ladder: Poems by Christopher Howell
This work contains 49 lyrical and narrative poems on the themes of internal struggles, history, and grief. Braille and vision loss are mentioned in several of the poems. The author lives in Spokane and is a professor of English and creative writing at Eastern Washington University. Washington State Book Award winner.
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Shades of Justice by Frederick Huebner
Renowned forensic attorney Will Hatton returns to his hometown of Bainbridge Island to help in the defense of childhood friend and former flame, the prominent painter Laura Arcand who is being charged with the murder of her husband, Mark.
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The Inimitable Adele Ferguson: Bremerton's Legendary Columnist by John C. Hughes
Adele Ferguson was known as an outspoken and respected political columnist for the Bremerton Sun. She knew the major figures in Washington state government from the 1960s through 2010,and had strong opinions about all of them. Most of the book is made up of interviews with her. Includes some of her columns. 2011.
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Breaking Ground by Paul Hunter
This work of 32 poems in free verse reaches back to 19th century rural practices and values, and by the end leaps ahead to the agribusiness and suburban sprawl of the 21st century. We are all in there somewhere, in how we value versatility and hearken to the mystery of growth, how we both shun and are drawn to the backbreaking labor and long contemplative silences of working on the land -- how we stand apart, tilling our thoughts. Washington State Book Award winner.
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The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian, a Jew – Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner
Three women – one Jewish, one Episcopalian, and one a Palestinian Muslim – decide to collaborate on an interfaith children's book to show the similarities of their three religions. However, their own conflicts and misunderstandings about each other's beliefs must be addressed first, leading to a candid dialogue as their "Faith Club" meets to find common ground. 2006.
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A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
When he was eleven years old, Owen Meany hit a foul ball that struck and killed the mother of his best pal, Johnny Wheelwright, the story's narrator. Thereafter, Owen believes himself to be an instrument of God. What happens to the two pals after that accident is extraordinary and terrifying.
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A Hero of Our Own: The Story of Varian Fry by Sheila Isenberg
n 1940, Varian Fry, with only three thousand dollars and a list of names, went on a secret mission to Marseilles, to help those who had fled Nazi Germany and were now trapped in southern France. The list he took included most of the premier writers, painters, and scientists of Europe. Only in the past decade has the world begun to honor Fry for his accomplishments.
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Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown
Born in 1949, Mineko Iwasaki began training in the arts of dance and ettiquette when she was five years old. She held the position of star geisha of the Gion Kobu until retirement at the age of twenty-nine. This story seeks to explain what it is really like to be a geisha and clear up misunderstandings about it.
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Mossflower by Brian Jacques
Book Two of Redwall series. Long before the building of Redwall Abbey, the inhabitants of Mossflower are under the cruel domination of Tsarmina, a brutal, tyrannical wildcat. With the arrival of a mouse named Martin the Warrior, the woodland creatures muster the courage and fortitude to band together to break Tsarmina.
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Birds of Prey by J. A. Jance
Seattle writer J.A. Jance's 15th J.P. Beaumont detective mystery. Retired Seattle homicide detective J. P. Beaumont accompanies his newly-wed grandmother on a honeymoon cruise to Alaska. But his expected rest and recreation are interrupted by two apparent murders, and the FBI is involved.
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Hour of the Hunter by J. A. Jance
Diana Ladd, who works with Native American children in Arizona, is stalked by psychotic killer Andrew Carlisle. A Papago wise woman, a mysterious blind prophet, and a local police detective help Diana to prepare for the approaching menace.
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Until Proven Guilty by J. A. Jance
Seattle writer J.A. Jance's first J.P. Beaumont detective mystery. The beautiful woman who came to the little girl's funeral was irresistible to detective J. P. Beaumont. Beau won't rest until he finds out who killed the little girl and what is going on at the religious cult in Ballard.
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Devil's Claw by J. A. Jance
Number eight in the Joanna Brady series. A week before her wedding in Cochise County, Arizona, sheriff Joanna Brady is inundated with personal problems and crime. First her elderly neighbor dies suspiciously. Then a local teen disappears and the girl's mother - newly released convict - is murdered. Joanna discovers more secrets as preparations for the big event continue.
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Paradise Lost by J. A. Jance
Number nine in the Joanna Brady series. On a late-night hike in the Arizona wilderness, two young Girl Scouts stumble across something they should not have seen--the body of a murdered Phoenix heiress. One of these girls is the daughter of Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady. Now Joanna must deal with the traumatic damage to her daughter, as well as setting out on the trail of the dead woman's husband, who cleaned out their accounts before he vanished.
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Damage Control by J. A. Jance
Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady, an exhausted new mother, juggles the investigations of four mysterious deaths. An elderly couple purposefully drives over a cliff, an ill man dies in a mobile home fire, and the remains of a developmentally delayed young woman are found after a flood. Some violence. 2008.
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Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance
Former anchorwoman Ali Reynolds, from Edge of Evil (BRW 01150) is in the midst of renovating her Sedona house for a television show when her contractor, Bryan Forester, is accused of murdering his wife. Ali's rush to prove Bryan's innocence puts her in the path of a serial killer. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller. 2008.
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Trial by Fury by J. A. Jance
Seattle writer J.A. Jance's third J.P. Beaumont detective mystery. A body is found lying naked and dead in a dumpster. The victim, a high school coach, was lynched, leaving behind a very pregnant wife with a very dangerous secret. And a sixth sense developed over twenty years on the job tells Homicide detective J.P. Beaumont that this investigation is going to the lethal extremes of the wrong kind of love and the worst kind of justice.
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Partner in Crime by J. A. Jance
Investigator J. P. Beaumont of Seattle and Joanna Brady of the Arizona sheriff's department combine forces to find the murderer of an artist who had been in a witness protection program.
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Improbable Cause by J. A. Jance
When a dentist is killed, Detective J.P. Beaumont discovers that he has plenty of suspects, all of them with a motive to get rid of the victim.
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Desert Heat by J. A. Jance
Number one in the Joanna Brady series. Joanna Brady tries to prove that her husband Andy, a candidate for sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, did not commit suicide.
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Edge of Evil by J. A. Jance
When a childhood friend recently diagnosed with ALS apparently commits suicide, former TV journalist Alison Reynolds launches an online blog as therapy. When threatening posts begin appearing, Ali realizes she might be in danger.
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Payment in Kind by J. A. Jance
The bloody corpses stashed in the broom closet of the Seattle School District were lovingly entwined. Detective J. P. Beaumont of the Seattle Police Dept. has another shocker on his hands.
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Justice Denied by J. A. Jance
Given a classified assignment involving the true fate of a deceased ex-con, Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont discovers that the victim had recently attempted to turn his life around and had been murdered for the effort. Sequel to Long Time Gone (CBA 7817, BRW 1131).
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Tombstone Courage by J. A. Jance
Number two in the Joanna Brady series. A body, barely cold, is lying in an abandoned mine shaft. Next to it are the decayed remains of a man everyone in Ccochise County has long forgotten--a murder victim who died long before Joanna Brady was born. The incoming sheriff (Joanna) faces an intensely hostile male-dominated police department.
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Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance
Pregnant Cochise County, Arizona, sheriff Joanna Brady handles two tough cases: A border patrol officer finds the mutilated body of Brad Evans, an ex-con convicted of killing his wife, whose remains were never found. Also, an animal control officer is brutally beaten while on stakeout.
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Long Time Gone by J. A. Jance
In the seventeenth J. P. Beaumont mystery, Beau, currently a homicide investigator for the Washington State Attorney
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Day of the Dead by J. A. Jance
For more than thirty years, the brutal murder of a local Papago girl has gone unsolved. Brandon Walker, former sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, feels retirement has drained his life of purpose. Then he is invited to join "The Last Chance," an exclusive fraternity of former cops who investigate unsolved murders.
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Web of Evil by J. A. Jance
When her husband, Paul Grayson, is murdered on the eve of their divorce, former anchorwoman Ali Reynolds, from Edge of Evil (BRW 1150), becomes the main suspect. Ali, her son Chris, and her high school friend Dave Holman, now a homicide detective, investigate. Bestseller.
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Dead to Rights by J. A. Jance
Number four in the Joanna Brady series. Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady investigates the murder of a convicted drunk driver and is caught in a maelstrom of danger and deception.
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Fire and Ice by J. A. Jance
Seattle, Washington, detective J.P. Beaumont looks into the murders of six young women. Meanwhile, Cochise County, Arizona, sheriff Joanna Brady probes the death of a man crushed by an all-terrain vehicle. The two investigators--first seen together in Partner in Crime--find connections between their cases. Some strong language. 2009.
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Trial by Fire by J. A. Jance
Former anchorwoman Ali Reynolds is the new media-relations officer for the sheriff in Sedona, Arizona. Her first case involves an amnesiac woman badly burned in an arson fire. Ali attempts to unravel the mystery with the help of a nun who advocates for unidentified hospital patients. 2009.
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Hand of Evil by J. A. Jance
Former anchorwoman Ali Reynolds, from Web of Evil (BRW 1242), is drawn into two crises in her Sedona, Arizona, hometown: an elderly woman's harassment by her nephew; and a detective's discovery of the secret life his adolescent daughter is living. Some violence and some strong language. 2007.
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Grandmother's Nursery Rhymes: Lullabies, Tongue Twisters, and Riddles from South America by Nelly Palacio Jaramillo
A collection of traditional South American nursery rhymes in both English and Spanish. Grades P-2.
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The World of Chief Seattle: How Can One Sell the Air? by Warren Jefferson
Tells of social life and customs of Suquamish Indians. Contains Chief Seattle's well-known speech.
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Hannah West in the Belltown Towers by Linda Johns
In the aftermath of Seattle dot-com layoffs, Hannah and her mom survive by house-sitting and getting around by bus. Disappearing paintings and oddly-behaving bike messengers are clues to a mystery. Grades 4-7.
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Hannah West in the Center of the Universe by Linda Johns
This time Hannah is housesitting in the funky Fremont area of Seattle where a dognapping ring has pet owners frightened. Grades 4-7.
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Hannah West on Millionaire's Row by Linda Johns
This time Hannah and her mom are house-sitting in an area of expensive homes on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Strange neighborhood break-ins, in which existing items are moved around and items are added rather than taken away, provide an intriguing new mystery for Hannah to solve. Grades 4-7.
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The Mummy's Mother by Tony Johnston
When his mother is stolen from her tomb, Ramose, a 4000-year-old mummy, tries to find her in the Egyptian desert, aboard an ocean liner, and in New York City 's Metropolitan Museum . A 2006 Sasquatch Award nominee. Grades 3-6.
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Naming Clark County by Pat Jollota
Alphabetical listing of more than 360 place names in Clark County and the origin of the names. Also has some historical data.
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Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
Septuagenarian Margaret Hughes lives alone in a Seattle mansion with her collection of valuable antiques. Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart, has come west to find her wayward boyfriend. As the two women begin a tentative friendship, dark secrets emerge and barriers start to crumble.
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Penelope by Marilyn Kaye
Fairytale set in modern times and concluded with a modern twist. As a result of a family curse, Penelope has the snout of a pig. The curse can be broken if someone of rank loves her, so her parents line up suitors hoping someone will fall in love before they see her face. Grade 4 and up. 2007.
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The Big Mile Race by Leonard Kessler
The animals prepare for and participate in the Big Mile Race. Double line spacing. Grades K-3.
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Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook by King County Library System
Ninety authors each contribute a favorite recipe, which range from comfort food to elegant desserts. The authors explain their reasons for choosing their recipes. Includes brief biographical notes about the authors. 2009.
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Folly by Laurie R. King
After the deaths of her husband and daughter, Rae Newborn, a celebrated artist, moves to the remote and uninhabited island of Folly where she begins the work of rebuilding a house and rebuilding her life. She finds herself struggling with sadness, lonliness, panic and paranoia that she is being watched. Set in San Juan County WA.
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The Olympic Rain Forest: An Ecological Web by Ruth Kirk
The Olympic rain forest is the classic example of a temperate-zone rain forest. This book describes the beauty and complexity of its rich, vibrant ecosystem.
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Fact and Fiction of Healthy Vision: Eye Care for Adults and Children by Clyde Kitchen
A consumer health guide to eye care written by an opthalmologist. Discusses how the eye works, common eye problems, age-related eye problems, visual aids, diabetes, and neurologic conditions affecting vision. Explains eye surgeries, enucleation, and visual aids.
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The Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri
Thirty years in the life of Gogol Ganguli, born to Calcutta immigrants shortly after their 1960's arrival in Boston. Gogol's name is a constant burden to him, so he legally changes it to Nikhil. Yet as a first-generation American stumbling along the path to maturity, he remains defined by the name Gogol. Bestseller.
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Troll by Katherine Langrish
Newly orphaned Peer Ulfsson, sent to live with his twin uncles, must find a way to stop their plot to sell children to the nearby trolls in exchange for gold. Sasquatch Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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Tacoma Confidential by Paul LaRosa
The true tale of the 2003 murder-suicide that rocked Gig Harbor, Washington. Police chief David Brame, distraught over his impending divorce, shot his wife to death in a busy public parking lot. Then, with the couple's two children only feet away, he turned the gun on himself.
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The Capture by Kathryn Lasky
Book One in Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Soren the owl is born into the tranquil forest kingdom of Tyto. Soren is captured and taken to a dark and forbidding canyon, from which the only way out is up. To escape, he and his friends must do something they have never done before -- fly. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 3-6
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The Journey by Kathryn Lasky
Book Two in Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Soren and his friends seek out the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythic place where each night an order of owls rises to perform noble deeds. They will be sorely tested and face challenges they never imagined. If they succeed and learn from their leaders and from one another, they will soon become true Ga'Hoolian owls -- honest and brave, wise and true. Grades 3-6.
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The Rescue by Kathryn Lasky
Book Three in Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.Ever since Soren was kidnapped and taken to the school for orphaned owls, he has longed to see his sister, Eglantine, again. Now she's back in his life, but she's been through a terrible ordeal. And Ezylryb, Soren's mentor, has disappeared. There must be a connection between these mysterious events. Soren must embark upon a perilous quest. Grades 3-6.
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The Siege by Kathryn Lasky
Book Four in Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.The evil Kludd and his group, The Pure Ones, launch an attack on the Great Ga'Hoole tree. Meanwhile, Soren is ordered to lead a mission to St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls - the place from which he had escaped and hoped never to see again. He and his crew must slip in as spies and, once their work is done, excape again! Grades 3-6.
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The Shattering by Kathy Lasky
Book Five in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Soren's sister, Eglantine, after falling under the spell of a strange nightly dream, suddenly disappears. The dreams become a deadly waking nightmare that endangers the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole. Soren must lead the Chaw of Chaws to rescue his sister. Thus begins the next battle between the owls of Ga'Hoole and the evil Pure Ones. Grades 3-6.
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Incredible Good Fortune by Ursula K. Le Guin
A collection of poems from the award-winning Northwest writer. Many of the short poems are in rhymed tetrameter or trimeter.
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The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin
Modern Science Fiction. The Victoria Colony was a savage, lawless prison world dominated by criminals. A woman called Luz leaves her father to lead the People Of Peace in a perilous quest to discover a new world of hope, a place they would call Heron. Some violence. 1978.
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Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay: Practical Advise for the Grammatically Challenged by Richard Lederer
Mixing humor with rigor, the authors have created an offbeat, enlightening guide to proper English usage.
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A Gesture Life by Chang-Rae Lee
Now in his seventies and retired, Doc Hata still resides in his large home of thirty years in Bedley Run, New York. A polite and unassuming man, he harbors secrets of his past as a medic in the Japanese Army during World War II.
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West Coast Journeys 1865-1879 by Caroline C. Leighton
The Northwest was a frontier in the 1860s and 1870s. Leighton left New York for San Francisco in 1865 and continued her travels throughout California and the Pacific Northwest for the next 14 years. She explored many places and witnessed many sights that no white woman had yet experienced.
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Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel
As Grasshopper sets out to follow a road, he meets some unusual characters. Grades K-3.
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The Puppeteer's Apprentice by Ann D. Love
A scullery maid called Mouse does kitchen chores in Lord Dunston's castle in medieval England until she gains the courage to follow her dreams and change her fortune. Watching a puppet play inspires her to become an apprentice to the puppeteer, who turns out to possess deadly secrets. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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A Horse's Tale by Nancy Luenn
Each story reflects the impact of historical events on the day-to-day lives of children. Stories are linked by the travels of a wooden toy horse who is passed from child to child. Grades 3-6.
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The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
Thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley finds a rare deep-sea creature stranded on the tidal flats of south Puget Sound. While struggling with becoming a local sensation who some people think is a prophet, he continues to clumsily court his former babysitter, nurse his elderly psychic friend, and search for the words that will keep his parents together.
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A View from the Inland Northwest: Everyday Life in America by Stephen J. Lyons
Collection of essays about life in the Inland Northwest - the region between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains, encompassing parts of Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Northwest Montana, and Northeast Oregon.
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Wordstruck by Robert MacNeil
Co-anchor of the "MacNeil/Lehrer New Hour," this author's memoir recalls a boyhood in Nova Scotia, and traces his fascination with the English language that began when his mother read British children's literature aloud; includes journeys through the classics, and browses through the dictionary.
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Stories for Boys: A Memoir by Gregory Martin
This quirky, heart-wrenching memoir looks at family secrets, truth and reconciliation, acceptance and forgiveness. As Martin struggles to come to terms with revelations of his father's homosexuality following an attempted suicide, he relates humorous stories about parenting two young sons mixed with memories of his own happy childhood with the father he thought he knew. Some strong language and descriptions of sex. 2012.
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Otters by Adrienne Mason
How otters grow and learn, where they live, what they eat, how they protect themselves, and much more. "Wildlife" series. Grades 3-6.
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A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Eighth-grader Mia has been keeping a secret---even from her best friend, Jenna--ever since third grade, when she realized that not everyone sees a color for each name, number, and sound. Problems at school and her cat's death lead Mia to discoveries about herself and synesthesia. Grades 5-8.
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The Bridge by Jeri Massi
Book One in the Bracken Trilogy. Pretty, spoiled and childish Princess Rosalynn gives no thought to anyone else until invaders from the enormous kingdom across the Bridge conquer the royal castle. She sets out on foot to find her father; she finds the bridge and crosses it, and meets a wise woman with whom she faces enemy soldiers, wicked outlaws, and the wilds of the river. Grades 3-6.
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Crown and Jewel by Jeri Massi
Book Two in the Bracken Trilogy. The main character is Princess Rosewyn, the brave, reckless daughter of the protagonist of the first title, "The Bridge." Grades 3-6.
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The Two Collars by Jeri Massi
Book Three in the Bracken Trilogy. Seven-year-old Krea is a slave in a traveling circus. An old woman is following the troupe and has her eye on Krea. Krea learns of love, comfort, companionship, and excitement spiced with danger. Grades 3-6.
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Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear by Norma Fox Mazer
Since 10-year-old Sprig's sister Dakota turned twelve, she's become a bossy know-it-all, making Sprig wish her sister would disappear. But with their father working far away in Afghanistan, a neighbor's unexpected illness, and best friend problems, Sprig realizes she may need Dakota after all. For grades 3-6. 2007.
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Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Northern China and Central Idaho. This biographical novel is based on the life of Polly Bemis, born Lalu Nathoy in China in 1853. First sold by her impoverished father, she changed hands until she ended up in a Central Idaho mining camp during the years of anti-Chinese racism. She eventually married Charlie Bemis and became a respected and beloved member of the community. 2004.
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Judy Moody Saves the World! by Magan McDonald
When Judy Moody gets serious about protecting the environment, her younger brother Stink thinks she is overdoing it. But she inspires her third-grade classmates to undertake an award-winning, environment-saving project. Grades 2-4.
volume 1
Judy Moody by Megan McDonald
On the first day of school, Judy Moody wakes up in a bad mood. But her third-grade teacher Mr. Todd makes the day fun. And Judy loves the first class assignment--to create a "me" collage about what is important to her. Grades 2-4.
volume 1
Judy Moody Gets Famous! by Megan McDonald
When her third-grade classmate, Jessica, gets her picture in the newspaper for winning a spelling bee, Judy wants to be famous too. She discovers that doing something for others -- without trying to be famous -- is the best way to feel good about herself. Grades 2-4.
volume 1
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
A young evangelical Christian's autobiographical essays examine the relevance of faith in our post-modern culture.
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Chief Seattle: Great Statesman by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
Biography of the Indian chief whom the city of Seattle was named after. Includes many legends and stories about him told by Indians and early pioneers. Grades 2-4.
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The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
Extensive information about tarantulas and about Sam Marshall, a scientist who finds them endlessly fascinating as he observes them in the wild and performs experiments in his laboratory. Grades 5-8.
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Skid Road: An Informal Portrait of Seattle by Murray Morgan
Seattle's history from Doc Maynard to Dave Beck, with emphasis on the unique characters providing much of Seattle's uncommon personality.
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Puget's Sound: A Narrative of Early Tacoma and the Southern Sound by Murray Morgan
From Vancouver's visit on May 19, 1792 to the 1950s, Mr. Morgan provides us with "a narrative of early Tacoma and the southern Sound." 1979.
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The Last Wilderness by Murray Morgan
A history of the Olympic Peninsula, first published in 1955.
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Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
Twelve-year-old Michael and his dog are swept off the family's boat and end up on a remote Pacific island. But they are not alone: Kensuke, a Japanese doctor, has been on the island since the end of World War II. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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The Snow Bear by Miriam Moss
A little white bear cub searches for his mother. Unable to find her, he decides to build a white bear out of snow to keep him company while he waits. All his forest friends arrive to help, but as darkness falls, their mothers call them home. After a night alone, the little bear wakes to find his mother reassuringly beside him. Grades K-3.
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Turning Up the Heat by Diane Muldrow
Book Two in the Dish series. Molly and Amanda Moore and their friends Shawn and Peichi decide to turn their cooking hobby into a business during their summer vacation. But they run into many obstacles, like parents, money, and Natasha, who wants to wreck their plans. Chapter book. Grades 3-6.
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Boiling Point by Diane Muldrow
Book Three in the Dish series. Molly and Amanda and their best friends are making money with their summer cooking business. But things get complicated. A forbidden trip to Chinatown, a mysterious antique necklace, too many orders, and not enough cooks spell trouble! Grades 3-6.
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Stirring It Up by Diane Muldrow
Book One in the Dish series. Twins Molly and Amanda Moore are tired of eating take-out every night, so they decide to learn to cook. But they then have to deal with nasty Natasha and a tragedy in a local family. Grades 3-6.
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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming. Grades 3-6. 2006.
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The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
Washington State, 1918. A small mill town votes to quarantine itself against the virulent influenza epidemic. Philip Worthy, the 16-year-old adopted son of the town founder, is one of the citizens posted to enforce the quarantine. When a cold, hungry, and possibly sick soldier begs him for entry into the town, Philip makes a life-changing decision.
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Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy
Skeptical Seattle cop Joanne Walker comes to the aid of a woman claiming to be hunted by Cernunnos, an ancient Celtic god. After a confrontation with Cernunnos, Joanne has three days to harness her newly awakened shamanic powers and save the world.
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Thunderbird Falls by C. E. Murphy
When Seattle beat cop Joanne Walker, a reluctant shaman who saved humankind three months ago, stumbles upon a plot to unleash armageddon, she must learn to control her powers when she accidentally unleashes Lower World demons while trying to save humanity. Sequel to Urban Shaman (BRW 1246).
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A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul
Trinidad. Mr. Mohun Biswas, a tenderhearted fellow with a thirst for books, struggles for independence from his wife's domineering family.
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Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka
Youngest of four in a musically gifted family, Yingtao is tone-deaf, but his father persists in teaching him the violin. The family recently immigrated to Seattle, and father hopes that the children's performance at a recital will bring him more students. Yingtao makes friends with Matthew, who plays the violin well, but whose father would rather he play baseball, at which Yingtao now excels.
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Half and Half by Lensey Namioka
Fiona and her brother Ron have both Chinese and Scottish heritage. It's Ron who's always participated in Scottish folk dancing because he looks the part, but Fiona, with her more Chinese features, is the one who really loves the dances. Global Reading Challenge Title. Grades 4-7.
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To Wear the White Cloak by Sharan Newman
A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery. Catherine is an independent spirit, fiercely loyal to both her faith and her family. And both will be tested when a Knight Templar is discovered brutally murdered in their home when Catherine and her family return to France after a long absence.
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Best Places Northwest Cookbook: Recipes from the Outstanding Restaurants and Inns of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia by Cynthia C. Nims, Lori McKean, and Lara Ferroni
The recipes in this book range from easy to advanced and feature local ingredients. The recipes are for breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main dishes, and desserts. The book has useful sidebars about ingredients and cooking techniques. Includes an index of ingredients and recipes as well as a list of restaurants and inns that contributed recipes.
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Visible Bones by Jack Nisbet
The author explores the melding of natural and human history in the Columbia River country. His subjects include the journey of a fossil trilobite, the disappearance of Northwest condors, a trove of mammoth bones, the whispers of a fading language, and the family of a legendary fur trade scout.
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Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Book One in Keys to the Kingdom series. Seventh-grader Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Arthur must venture into other realms to save humankind from a mysterious sleepy plague. Grades 5-8
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It Was All Just Rock 'N' Roll by Pat O'Day
"A Journey to the Center of the Radio & Concert Universe" The development of rock music in the Northwest and about the inner workings of the radio business.
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Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and his younger sister take a trip in their tree house back to ancient Egypt , where they help a queen's mummy continue her voyage to the Next Life. Grades 2-4.
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The Brave Little Seamstress by Mary Pope Osborne
A seamstress who kills seven flies with one blow outwits the king and, with the help of a kind knight, becomes a wise and kind queen. A reworking of the German tale "The Brave Little Tailor," one of Grimms' fairy tales. Grades K-3.
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When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
On a sunny day in Berkeley, California, in 1942, a woman sees a sign in a post office window, returns to her house, and matter-of-factly begins to pack her family's possessions. Like thousands of other Japanese Americans, they are about to be classified as enemy aliens and uprooted from their home and sent to a dusty internment camp in the Utah desert.
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The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training by Paul Owen
A manual that emphasizes an empathetic, caring approach to dog training. Includes sections on dog body language, vocalizations, clicker training, rewards, and how to humanely solve behavioral problems such as jumping, barking, chewing, and mouthing.
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Language of the Geckos and other Stories by Gary Pak
Nine short stories set in Hawaii featuring the nuanced voices and interior lives of housewives, mechanics, cabdrivers, aging hippies, and bargirls. The worlds of Pak's Hawaiians, Asian locals, and the haoles sometimes intersect and collide and other times remain parallel, but each is haunted by the past. Whether Pak evokes shadows of World War II, the Vietnam War, the radical sixties, or the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan in Korea, the larger historical context looms ominously in the background.
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Amelia Bedelia and the Baby by Peggy Parish
Amelia Bedelia follows to the letter the list of instructions for looking after the Lanes' baby. Grades K-3.
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The Siege: A Family's Journey into the World of an Autistic Child by Clara Claiborne Park
The author's account of the first eight years of her daughter's life.
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Colder Than Ice by David Patneaude
Sixth-grader Josh Showalter, insecure and overweight, hopes for a new start when he transfers to a school in northern Idaho, but he and his new friends are soon the target of a cold-hearted bully. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude
When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Joe Hanada's father is taken away by the FBI, and eventually the family is torn from their Seattle home and sent to a relocation camp in California. Also available as RC 62250. Sasquatch Award nominee. Grades 5-8 and older readers.
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Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson
Travis McKinley is an ordinary man living an ordinary life until on Christmas Day he goes out to play a round of golf. Always a fairly good golfer, he finds himself playing like a pro and is so caught up in his excitement that he continues to play, sinking putt after putt, missing Christmas dinner with his wife and family. It is too much for his already troubled marriage. His family collapses, but Travis is soon too busy living his dream to notice. His amazing new golf skills catapult him into the PGA Senior Open at Pebble Beach , and with his wife, children, and a live television audience watching, a miracle takes place on the 17th green that will change Travis, and his family, forever.
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Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
6000 years in the past, 12-year-old Torak and his wolf cub guide set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father -- to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit for help to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans. Sasquatch Award nominee. Book One, Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Grades 5-8.
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Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
Seattle's director of the Washington Center for the Book helps readers find the right book for the right time. Organized into more than 175 lists.
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Cowardly Clyde by Bill Peet
Clyde the war horse has one unfortunate weakness: he is a born coward. When he comes face-to-face with a giant, owl-eyed, ox-footed ogre, Clyde learns that acting brave is the next best thing to being brave. A comedy. Grades K-3.
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Home Run by George Plimpton
Anthology of stories about baseball's most exciting moment. Authors include Grantland Rice, John Updike, Paul Gallico, Red Smith, Bernard Malamud, and many others.
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My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Asher Lev, an artist, tells of his conflicting emotions between his ties in the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds, his success, how he achieved it, and how he copes with it.
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Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism by Dawn Prince-Hughes
Author traces her growth from undiagnosed autism to the moment, as a young woman, when she entered the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and became immediately fascinated with the gorillas. After observing and working with them, she was finally able to emerge from her solitude and connect to other people.
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I Was A Rat! by Philip Pullman
At the same time that a prince announces his marriage (to a mysterious girl), a young boy appears at an elderly couple's house. They take him in, but when they question him about his past, he says only, "I was a rat!" Grades 4-7.
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Waxwings by Jonathan Raban
By all outward appearances, Hungarian-born Englishman Tom Janeway -- professor, NPR commentator, husband, and father -- has been living the American dream for eight years. "Chick", an illegal alien recently arrived from China, is just beginning to make his own way. When circumstances bring the two immigrants together, they forge a friendship.
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My Jim: a novel by Nancy Rawles
Shreveport, Louisiana; 1884. Sadie, the wife of Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (RC 57349), relates her life under slavery to her granddaughter Marianne. Sadie recalls being sold from Jim and their children in Hannibal, Missouri. Violence and strong language. For senior high and older readers. Alex Award. 2005.
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Rani's Sea Spell by Gwyneth Rees
Morva, a sea-witch with red hair like Rani's, is helping Rani to learn how to use her magic. But can she also help Rani to find out where she's from? Grades 3-6.
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Mermaid Magic by Gwyneth Rees
Rani the mermaid loves her adopted family, but she'd like to know why she was abandoned as a baby and by whom, and why she suddenly seems to have powers that none of the other mermaids have. A friend suggests she must brave the Sea Witch's cave to find her answers. Grades 3-6.
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Curious George Visits the Zoo by Margaret Rey
Curious George visits the zoo and manages to cause trouble and make up for it in his own inimitable fashion. Adapted from Curious George film series. Grades P-2.
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B Street: The Notorious Playground of Coulee Dam by Lawney L. Reyes
The childhood memories of the author portray the building of the Grand Coulee Dam during the Depression, and the stories of the men who came to build it. B Street was the street of shops, restaurants, bars, and brothels where the workmen spent their recreational hours and wages; a raucous playground of frivolity, good times, and pretty ladies. Contrasts the extreme conditions the workers toiled under with the Indians whose villages were flooded and whose way of life was irrevocably changed. 2008.
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White Grizzly Bear's Legacy by Lawney L. Reyes
Lawney Reyes grew up in the Eastern Washington Indian village of Inchelium that flooded after the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. He describes the changes forced on his tribe and how he was sent to an out of state Indian boarding school under court order. 4 volumes.
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Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Fascinated with the character of Bertha, the madwoman in "Jane Eyre", Jean Rhys has imagined her as a carefree girl and an attractive young woman in the days before she came to England. Rhys creates a romantic, colorful, and thought-provoking past for this enigmatic woman.
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Jag's New Friend by Leann Rimes
Feeling neglected by her friends, Jag the jaguar starts spending time with a snake named Bo but soon realizes that he is not as cool as he seemed and she has put her friend Isabel the parrot in danger. Grades K-3.
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Of Forgotten Times by Marisela Rizik
The story of two women - one rich and the other poverty-stricken - whose only point in common is their connection to the ruthless dictator of their Caribbean homeland. This novel explores the elusiveness of romantic love and the strugggle of these women to claim their identity and overcome societal repression. Originally published in Spanish in 1996.
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A Dinosaur Named Sue: The Find of the Century by Fay Robinson, with the SUE Science Team of the Field Museum
Paleontologist Susan Hendrickson's discovery of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found. Covers the unearthing of “Sue” in the Badlands of South Dakota in 1990, and the restoration leading to her public debut in 2000. Grades 2-4.
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Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier by Craig Romano
Explores northeastern Washington State. Includes information on the natural history, human history, current residents, and travel in the area.
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Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors by Phyllis Root
Four humorous tall tales about the ingenious ways Aunt Nancy rids herself of pesky visitors -- those who have overstayed their welcome, and even Mr. Death! Grade 2 and up. 2009.
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Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Written in free verse, this book tells the story of Syvia, one of the 12 children who survived the German onslaught in Lodz, Poland during WWII. She was 4 and a half years old when the town was invaded and the Jewish people were forced to settle in a ghetto under impossible and horrible conditions. The story continues through 1945. Sasquatch Award nominee 2010. Grades 4 and up. 2006.
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Set This House In Order by Matt Ruff
A strange story of self-discovery. Andy Gage was "born" just two years ago, called into being to serve as the public face of a multiple personality. While Andy deals with the outside world in his job at a Seattle software company, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly co-existence. Finalist for Washington State Book Award. New York Times Notable Book.
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Close at Hand by Mary Lou Sanelli
Subtitle: Poetry of the American West: Northwest Chapters. This book contains poetry in four sections: Friendship, Men and Women, Where to Go in Our Lives, and Close at Hand.
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Persepolis: A Story of Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
Script by the 5th Saturday Radio Drama Company of radio play adapted from the graphic novel . The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. 2006 Seattle Reads selection.
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The Commitment by Dan Savage
Humor and a reality check are brought to this bitter gay-marriage debate by this polemical memoir. As the Seattle writer and his boyfriend, Terry, neared their 10th anniversary, Savage's mother put on the pressure for them to get married. Terry prefers tattoos as a sign of commitment and their six-year-old son declared that only men and women can get married.
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The Story of a Seagull and the Cat by Luis Sepulveda. Translation from Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden
Zorba the cat tries to figure out how he can possibly honor his promise to a dying seagull to protect her egg and teach the chick to fly. Original Spanish version also available on cassette (RC 58959). Grades 4-7.
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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Vida Winter, a popular author, has promised to reveal her true life story. Margaret Lea, her appointed biographer, leaves the comfortable life of her father's bookstore for the Yorkshire Moors, and becomes immersed in Winter's generational tale involving multiple births, madness, betrayal, and death. It brings to the forefront her own painful connection to a long-dead twin. 2006.
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The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
This fictionalized version of the battle of Gettysburg portrays many actual participants, such as Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Meade, as well as fictionalized characters, such as Col. Joshua Chamberlain, whose vivid rhetoric inspires his men. Sequel to Jeff Shaara's "Gods and Generals" (RC 43292). Pulitzer prize.
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A Dog Star is Born by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Fred Shedd and his parents accompany their dog, Duz, to Hollywood, where his new career as a movie star is almost ended before it begins when Duz is kidnapped. Originally published as: Genghis Khan: a dog star is born. Sequel to: The great Genghis Khan look-alike contest. Grades K-3.
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Estate Planning for People with a Chronic Condition or Disability by Martin M. Shenkman
Reviews the basic components of estate planning while considering issues of illness or disability, such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Shenkman includes techniques for organizing financial and legal records and explains the issue of competency when developing the estate plan. Model forms for powers of attorney, living wills, and living trusts are included here and are also downloadable from Shenkman's web site, www.laweasy.com. 2009.
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Steady As She Goes: Women's Adventures at Sea by Barbara Sjoholm, Ed.
Chronicles twenty women's passionate relationships with their boats, and their work and play at sea.
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Angels Among Us by Phil Smart, Sr.
Documents the wisdom and enduring life-lessons learned from young patients at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle . The author has been a volunteer there for forty years.
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Bretz's Flood by John Soennichsen
At the end of the Ice Ages, repeated floods from Lake Missoula in Montana tore through North Idaho and Eastern Washington and down the Columbia Gorge to the Pacific. The floods took much of the topsoil and left behind the channeled scablands and Grand Coulee. J Harlen Bretz was the first geologist to realize what had happened. His reports were roundly criticized. It took aerial photography and field trips by his doubters to prove him right. 2008
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Nisei Daughter by Monica Sone
The author spent her childhood in pre-World War II Seattle, in a part Japanese, part American world. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she and her family are sent to an internment camp in Topaz, Idaho. Her family attempts to maintain their values and ethics amidst the barbed wire and armed guards, demonstrating the conflict between the loss of their civil rights and their love of their adopted country. 1953.
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Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when, hours later, she realizes the ring is missing. Grades K-3.
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Sons of the Profits: There's No Business Like Grow Business; The Seattle Story 1851-1901 by Bill Speidel
A biographical view of the foibles, infighting, maneuvers, and high-handed tactics of past heroes in the power struggle to settle Seattle.
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The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford
Recounts the life of Balto, the sled dog who saved Nome, Alaska, in 1925, from a diphtheria epidemic by delivering medicine through a raging snowstorm. Double line spacing. Grades K-3.
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Snake Camp by George Edward Stanley
When Stevie Marsh leaves for his stay at Camp Viper, he believes it is a camp to learn about "Viper" computer software. A Road to Reading book, Mile 4. Grades K-3.
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747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation by Joe Sutter
Seattle, 1960's. Joe Sutter, the engineer who spearheaded the design and construction of the Boeing 747, tells the story of the world's first jumbo jet.
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Get Well, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas
Three little dragons are sick in bed. They feel awful. The Good Knight tries hard to help them get better. Double line spacing. Grades 2-4.
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Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden by Bill Thorness
Heirloom vegetables are the older varieties of familiar plants that were in use before World War II. This book tells gardeners in the coastal area from California to Canada which heirloom vegetables will do best and offers historical and cultural techniques to enhance their growing experience. 2009.
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
A proud toy rabbit named Edward, presented to Abilene Tulane on her seventh birthday, does not appreciate Abilene.
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Amber Waves and Undertow: Peril, Hope, Sweat, and Downright Nonchalance in Dry Wheat Country by Steve Turner
Telling stories specific to Columbia Plateau farmers and farmland, this journalist puts the lives and difficulties of individual farmers into national and global contexts. He interweaves family narratives, historical episodes and his own experience as a young harvest hand to illuminate the transformation of rural America from the 19th to 21st century. 2009.
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Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen
#1 in Shredderman Series. Tired of putting up with the classroom bully, Nolan fights back with humor and evidence posted to his anonymous website. Grades 3-6.
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Building Blocks by Cynthia Voigt
In an incredible trip back in time, Brann meets his father as a ten-year-old and learns for the first time to love and understand him. Grades 5-8.
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Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
A story about three baby owls named Sarah, Percy, and Bill, and their activities while their mother is gone. Double line spacing. Grades P-2.
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Dancing to the Concertina's Tune: A Prison Teacher's Memoir by Jan Walker
The author shares her experiences as a correctional teacher of family and parenting courses. In the process she shares the true stories of inmates, both male and female, trying to survive behind bars and to reconnect with their families. 2004.
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The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
This memoir begins with the author gliding down a New York street in a taxi, wondering if she is "overdressed for the evening," then looking out the window ro see her "mom rooting through a dumpster." The four Walls children grew up fending for themselves while their eccentric, alcoholic parents pursued elusive dreams and ran from responsibility.
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The Zero by Jess Walter
In a surreal post-9/11 New York, policeman Brian Remy guides celebrities on visits to Ground Zero, reinvented as a tourist attraction. Following a failed suicide attempt that causes Remy intermittent amnesia, a covert organization recruits him to help locate a suspected female terrorist. 2007 Washington State Book Award Finalist. Violence and strong language. 2006.
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Gorgon by Peter D. Ward
The Gorgons were the T. rex of their day until an environmental cataclysm 250 million years ago annihilated them and 90 percent of all plant and animal species on the planet. For more than a decade, the author and his colleagues have been searching in South Africa's Karoo Desert for clues to this world: what were these animals like? How did they live and, more important, how did they die? The author is a professor of geological sciences at the University of Washington and he combines the tale of gorgonopsians with a South African travelogue and musings on mass extinction. Washington State Book Award winner.
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The Mystery at the Dog Show by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny, once orphans living in a boxcar, now live with their grandfather. He has just received a letter from an old friend, Mrs. Annabel Teague, who is coming to Greenfield for the annual dog show to enter her prized golden retriever. The children are excited about their first dog show and the myriad of dogs they see. Then strange things happy that theaten the day. A Boxcar Children Book for grades 3-6.
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Tadpole by Ruth White
When 13-year-old Tadpole suddenly shows up at his aunt Serilda's house, the widow and her four daughters are tickled pink. But when the previously orphaned Tadpole reveals that his guardians have been whipping him, Serilda and the girls set out to keep his brutal overseer at bay and bolster Tadpole's can-do attitude. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 4-7.
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The Sweetbriar Bride by Brenda Wilbee
Seattle, 1853. The second book in the Sweetbriar series follows newlyweds Louisa Boren Denny and David Denny as they begin their life together in a cabin on Elliott Bay.
volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4
Sweetbriar by Brenda Wilbee
#1 in the Sweetbriar series. This first book in the Sweetbriar series follows the Boren and Denny families as they journey west in 1851 and found the city of Seattle. Louisa Boren's rugged determination and deep faith leads her across the country and into the heart of David Denny.
volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4
The Way We Ate: Pacific Northwest Cooking, 1843-1900 by Jacqueline B. Williams
The pioneers and homesteaders in the Pacific Northwest raised and prepared much of their own food. This well-researched book follows food from the barnyard and garden to the kitchen. It describes the ingredients, equipment, and techniques the cooks used. 1996.
volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4, volume 5, volume 6
Prenatal Parenting: The Complete Psychological and Spiritual Guide to Loving Your Unborn Child by Frederick Wirth, M.D.
The author helps the reader to understand her emotions and explains how to handle situations that engender stress, fear, and anger.
volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4, volume 5, volume 6
Stadium Stories: Washington State Cougars by Bud Withers
A sports reporter for the Seattle Times shares his favorite moments in the history of the Washington State University football team. 2006.
volume 1, volume 2
Minn and Jake by Janet S. Wong
Fifth-grader Minn , the tallest girl in school, begins a rocky friendship with Jake, a new student who is not only very short, but is also afraid of the worms and lizards that Minn likes to collect. Written in free-verse. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 3-6.
volume 1, volume 2
My Name Is Sally Little Song by Brenda Woods
Sally Harrison and her family are slaves on a Georgia plantation. When they learn the children are to be sent to the Master's brother's plantation, the family decides to attempt an escape to Florida where they have heard the Seminole Indians will shelter them. Young Readers' Choice nominee. Grades 4-7.
volume 1, volume 2
The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island by Laurence Yep
In 1922, ten-year-old Gim Lew reluctantly leaves his village in China to accompany his father to America. He spends the voyage practicing stutterless responses to the grueling immigration test that he must pass at Angel Island. Includes facts about immigration from China and the experiences of the author's family. 2010 Sasquatch nominee. Grade 4 and up. 2008.
volume 1, volume 2
When the Circus Came to Town by Lawrence Yep
An Asian cook and a Chinese New Year celebration help a ten-year-old girl at a Montana stage coach station to regain her confidence after smallpox scars her face. A 2006 Sasquatch Book Award nominee. Grades 3-6.
volume 1, volume 2
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Twelve-year-old Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel whisks her from a contemporary Passover seder to a Polish village in the early 1940s. Just as she begins to adjust, Nazi soldiers come to take her and her shtetl relatives to a death camp. There she learns an unforgettable lesson--some must live, at whatever cost, in order to bear witness. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 1988.
volume 1, volume 2
The House of Hope and Fear: Life in a Big City Hospital by Audrey Young, MD
Memoir of an idealistic, young doctor entering her first post-graduate job at the Harborview county hospital in Seattle. Examines the personal experiences of hospital staff, patients, and their families, as well as the health care system as a whole. 2009.
volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4