Green is the thing, and at Artesia Public Library we have books for everything green.
Check out some of these titles below, then grab your library card, come over to the library on Quay Ave in Artesia, and borrow your favorite one.
Don’t have a card? We just need a valid picture i.d. with proof of current address. We serve Artesia and surrounding areas.
Give us a call at (575) 746-4252 if you have questions or visit our Facebook page.
Children's Books
Ada’s Violin: The story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay
by Susan Hood
From the catalog: “Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option…until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada–and her town–forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation
The Secret Garden
adapted by Calista Brill; based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
From the catalog: “Based on the beloved classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, this edition of The Secret Garden is a beautifully illustrated hardcover picture book adaptation that all children will treasure.
Once upon a time…a walled garden bloomed under the summer skies in the north of England. But it was locked up and left all alone. And it stayed all alone, for many years. Until…
When young Mary Lennox moves into Misselthwaite Manor, she hates it. She hates the cold hallways and ugly moor. And she hates how lonely she is. The only comfort Mary has is exploring the manor’s grounds.
After uncovering a hidden key, Mary discovers an old, abandoned garden that has a few secrets. With two unexpected friends, Mary gets to work bringing the garden back to life. In Mary’s determination to see the garden bloom, she undergoes a powerful transformation of her own.”
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever
by H. Joseph Hopkins
From the catalog: “Katherine Olivia Sessions never thought she’d live in a place without trees. After all, Kate grew up among the towering pines and redwoods of Northern California. But after becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science, she took a job as a teacher far south in the dry desert town of San Diego. Where there were almost no trees.
Kate decided that San Diego needed trees more than anything else. So this trailblazing young woman singlehandedly started a massive movement that transformed the town into the green, garden-filled oasis it is today. Now, more than 100 years after Kate first arrived in San Diego, her gorgeous gardens and parks can be found all over the city.
Part fascinating biography, part inspirational story, this moving picture book about following your dreams, using your talents, and staying strong in the face of adversity is sure to resonate with readers young and old.”
Paper Things
by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
From the catalog: “When Ari’s mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes: that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when nineteen-year-old Gage decides he can no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knows she has to go with him. But it’s been two months, and Gage still hasn’t found them an apartment. He and Ari have been “couch surfing,” staying with Gage’s friend in a tiny apartment, crashing with Gage’s girlfriend and two roommates, and if necessary, sneaking into a juvenile shelter to escape the cold Maine nights. But all of this jumping around makes it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises to Mama?”
Bad Kitty Camp Daze
by Nick Bruel
From the catalog: “Kitty’s life is really hard. Like really, REALLY hard. All she asks for is twenty-two hours a day to sleep and food to be delivered morning and night. But does she get it? No. And when Puppy and Baby get a little rambunctious during her naptime, Kitty gets bonked on the head and starts to believe she’s… a dog.”
Young Adult Books
Essential Reptiles
by K.A. Hale
From the catalog: “This book examines Earth’s reptiles, highlighting a diverse selection of 22 notable species from around the world. A blend of narrative text, authoritative nonfiction content, fact boxes, and vivid photos bring these amazing reptiles to life.”
A Taste for Monsters
by Matthew J. Kirby
From the catalog: “The mesmerizing story of a young woman in Victorian London, who, haunted by the ghosts of Jack the Ripper’s victims, is set on a terrifying path to salvation. London 1888, and Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the people of the city. Evelyn, a young woman disfigured by her dangerous work in a matchstick factory with nowhere to go, does not know what to make of her new position as a maid to the Elephant Man in London Hospital. Evelyn wanted to be locked away from the world, like he is, shut away from the filth and dangers of the streets. But in Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, she finds a gentle kindred, who does not recoil from her, and who understands her pain. When the murders begin, however, Joseph and Evelyn are haunted nightly by the ghosts of the Ripper’s dead, setting Evelyn on a path to facing her fears and uncovering humanity’s worst nightmares, in which the real monsters are men.”
Biggie
by Derek E. Sullivan
From the catalog: “Henry “Biggie” Abbott is the son of one of his hometown’s most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second. At an obese 300+ pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn’t understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. “Forty percent, that’s an F in any class,” he would say. As Biggie’s junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flirt with him. Hundreds of people have told him to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play ball, but Annabelle might be the one to actually convince him to try.”
Adult Books
The Kew Gardens Girls
by Posy Lovell
From the catalog: “London, 1916. England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, the Royal Botanic Gardens, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish and become a safe haven for those seeking solace–but not everyone wants women working at Kew.
The pair begin to face challenges on the home front. When a tragedy overseas affects the people closest to them, can the women of Kew pull together to support themselves and their country through the darkest of times?”
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
From the catalog: “London, 1916. England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, the Royal Botanic Gardens, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish and become a safe haven for those seeking solace–but not everyone wants women working at Kew.
The pair begin to face challenges on the home front. When a tragedy overseas affects the people closest to them, can the women of Kew pull together to support themselves and their country through the darkest of times?”
Ireland
by Neil Wilson
From the catalog: “Lonely Planet’s Ireland is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the Causeway Coast, have a pint in the pub, and drive the Ring of Kerry; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Ireland and begin your journey now!”
The Thin Place
by C.D. Major
From the catalog: “When journalist Ava Brent decides to investigate the dark mystery of Overtoun Estate–a ‘thin place’, steeped in myth–she has no idea how dangerous this story will be for her.
Overtoun looms over the town, watching, waiting: the locals fearful of the strange building and the secrets it keeps. When Ava starts to ask questions, the warm welcome she first receives turns to a cold shoulder. And before she knows it, Ava is caught in the house’s grasp too.
After she discovers the history of a sick young girl who lived there, she starts to understand the sadness that shrouds it. But when she finds an ominous old message etched into a windowsill, she is forced to wonder–what horrors is the house protecting? And what will it cost her to find out?
with her own first child on the way, Ava knows she should stay away. But even as her life starts to unravel, and she receives chilling threats, the house and the bridge keep pulling her back…”
The Searcher
by Tana French
From the catalog: “Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.”
Article originally published in Focus on Artesia 2022 Fall edition.
