Oak Park’s Best of 2024 is back!
See our teen fiction and nonfiction staff favorites on this page or browse more using the links below.
Adult fiction: General | Adult fiction: Romance, lives & relationships |
Adult fiction: Thriller, graphic novel, sci-fi & fantasy | Adult nonfiction |
Teen fiction & nonfiction | Kids books | Picture books | Movies & TV shows | Music
Teen fiction & nonfiction
Creature: Paintings, Drawings & Reflections by Shaun Tan
Why you should try it: "Beautiful, thought-provoking, and unsettling art by Shaun Tan, alongside his commentary, will stick with you. Great coffee table book." —Joey, Children's Services Library Assistant
Description: This volume collects together, for the first time, unseen and stand-alone illustrations, each resonant with unwritten tales of their own. Detailed commentary by the artist offers an entertaining insight into the endless allure of imaginary, non-human beings and what they might tell us about our so-called “normal” human selves.
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
Why you should try it: "Both of the mysteries were really beautifully and hauntingly done, and the 1930s one really kept me guessing. I had a new theory after each new horror was revealed, and still didn't get it right!" —Shelley, Children's Services Librarian
Description: The fire wasn't Marlowe Wexler's fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that's how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It's easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition. Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?
Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Why you should try it: "Loved the feminist rage in this witchy thriller." —Jenna, Collection Management Librarian
Description: To get what they want most, Zara and Jude search for Emer, an orphaned witch with dark and deadly powers, but when a serial killer targets Emer's clients, the three girls form an uneasy alliance to hunt the killer before they meet the same fate.
Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar
Why you should try it: "Heartbreaking and hopeful." —Nora, Latine Language & Culture Librarian
Description: Set during the controversial 2017 Honduran presidential election, 17-year-old Libertad finds purpose in writing political poetry as she navigates her sexuality and concerns for her activist brother's safety.
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & Lueyen Pham
Why you should try it: "Beautiful art and a heartwarming story." —Jenna, Collection Management Librarian
Description: Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?
Plain Jane & the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol
Why you should try it: "This graphic novel touches on all the elements I love in a story: a determined female heroine who learns to grow into herself, magical folklore, a dash of romance, and evil mermaids! Absolutely wonderful!!" —Camila, Patron Services Library Assistant
Description: Jane is incredibly plain. Everyone says so: her parents, the villagers, and her horrible cousin who kicks her out of her own house. Determined to get some semblance of independence, Jane prepares to propose to the princely Peter, who might just say yes to get away from his father. It's a good plan! Or it would've been, if he wasn't kidnapped by a mermaid. With her last shot at happiness lost in the deep blue sea, Jane must venture to the world underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancé. But the depths of the ocean hold beautiful mysteries and dangerous creatures. What good can a plain Jane do?
She Loves to Cook & She Loves to Eat by Sakayomi Yuzaki
Why you should try it: "I love a story that can bring people together through their love of food." —Andrea, Collection Management Librarian
Description: Cooking is how Nomoto de-stresses, but one day, she finds herself making way more than she can eat by herself. And so, she invites her neighbor Kasuga, who also lives alone. What will come out of this impromptu dinner invitation...?
