Library Closed for Thanksgiving

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th in observance of Thanksgiving. All three buildings will reopen with regular business hours on Saturday, November 30th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 5:30pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 9am to 5:30pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through LibbyFreegalTumbleBooksQC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Library Business Assistance

The Davenport Public Library is proud to announce that we have a new service. It is Library Business Assistance. This new service is available to anyone starting or operating a business. The Library is here to help!

Some of the services that we have to offer are:

  • Data Axle Reference Solutions
  • Gale Business Plan Builder
  • LinkedIn Learning
  • Candid: Foundation Directory
  • BrainFuse
  • Books on various business topics

We also offer one-on-one appointments with our librarians. They can help you with the various products and assist you with your business journey.

So, if you have questions about business, just ask us at the library! We are here for you.

For more information about Library Business Assistance, check out our website: https://www.davenportlibrary.com/services/business-services

Library Closed for Veteran’s Day

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed Monday, November 11th in observance of Veteran’s Day. All three buildings will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, November 12th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 8pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) noon to 8pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through LibbyFreegalTumbleBooksQC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Social Work Spotlight: Safe Families for Children (SFFC) Quad Cities

Safe Families for Children (SFFC) Quad Cities: A Lifeline for Families in Crisis

This month, we are turning our attention to an organization that is making a profound difference in the lives of families facing crisis in the Quad Cities region. Safe Families for Children (SFFC) Quad Cities. Since 2005, Safe Families for Children has provided a compassionate safety net for families in Iowa and Illinois, helping parents navigate hardships like homelessness, unemployment, medical emergencies, Incarceration, and other personal challenges.

At the heart of Safe Families for Children is a mission of family preservation. The organization aims to keep children safe while empowering parents to stabilize their lives. By creating a Circle of Support, SFFC connects children with screened and trained Host Families who provide temporary, loving homes. This allows parents to address their personal challenges without fear of losing custody of their children. This support is crucial, offering a lifeline enabling families to remain intact while they get back on their feet.

Established in 2003 in Chicago, Safe Families for Children is part of a national movement dedicated to keeping children out of the foster care system and changing how families in crisis are supported. Instead of promoting separation, SFFC focuses on preserving families, aiming to decrease the number of children entering foster care. Safe Families offers temporary, voluntary care, establishing a community-driven support system to empower families during challenging periods.

One of Safe Families’ key distinctions is that hosting is 100% voluntary. Parents retain full custody of their children throughout the process and can request their return anytime. Depending on the family’s needs, hosting can last as briefly as a few hours or as long as several months upon volunteer availability. During this time, parents can focus on overcoming their crisis, knowing that their children are in safe and caring hands.

Volunteers serve as Host Families and act as an extended family, providing children with a nurturing, stable environment. Communication between parents and Host Families is a cornerstone of the program, ensuring parents stay connected with their children throughout the process.

Safe Families’ success lies in its volunteer-driven approach. Volunteers are background-checked and well-trained, serving in several key roles:

  • Host Families: These families open their homes to children needing temporary care, providing a safe, nurturing environment.
  • Family Friends: These volunteers support parents and Host Families through friendship, encouragement, transportation, meals, and practical help during challenging times.
  • Resource Friends: These individuals donate essential items like groceries, household goods, clothing, and other necessities to help families meet their basic needs.
  • Family Coaches: These volunteers walk alongside parents, helping them set goals and offering guidance as they work towards regaining stability.

The Quad Cities chapter of SFFC has partnered with local churches, community agencies, and government organizations to build a robust network of support. Together, they provide a comprehensive system of care that ensures children are safe and families are kept together.

Safe Families for Children is more than just a temporary solution. It is a community-driven initiative rooted in kindness, compassion, and generosity. The Quad Cities Chapter of Safe Families offers reliable, unwavering assistance and support to families in crisis, ensuring children are safe and families remain together.

For more information about Safe Families for Children, to volunteer, or to seek help, contact the local office at 563-949-9803 or quadcities@safefamilies.net. Or visit their website at hpps://quadcities.safe-families.org

Booker Prize 2024 longlist

The Booker Prize longlist has been announced! On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, a longlist of thirteen books, featuring three debut novels and six previously nominated writers was announced by the 2024 judging panel. Lucky for you, dear reader, the Davenport Public Library owns copies of all thirteen titles, so you can read the longlist in preparation for the shortlist announcement on Monday, September 16th and the winner announcement on Tuesday, November 12th.

These titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library at the time of this writing. The descriptions have been provided by the publishers and/or authors.

The Booker Prize 2024 Longlist

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion prison castle,where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.

In a novel that is by turns shattering and wondrous, Tommy Orange has conjured the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in There There—warriors, drunks, outlaws, addicts—asking what it means to bethe children and grandchildren of massacre. Wandering Stars is a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that has the force and vision of a modern epic, an exceptionally powerful new book from one of the most exciting writers at work today and soaring confirmation of Tommy Orange’s monumental gifts. – Knopf

This title is also available in large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.


Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

A small-town feud. A madcap kidnapping. A wild weekend to change everybody’s lives…

As Ballina prepares for its biggest weekend of the year, the simmering feud between small-time drug-dealer, Cillian English, and County Mayo’s enforcers, Gabe and Sketch Ferdia, spills over into violence and an ugly ultimatum.

When the reclusive Dev answers his door on Friday night he finds Doll – Cillian’s teenage brother – in the clutches of Gabe and Sketch. Jostled by his nefarious cousins and goaded by his dead mother’s dog, Dev is drawn headlong into the Ferdias’ revenge fantasy.

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Nicky can’t shake the feeling something bad has happened to her boyfriend Doll. Hungover, reeling from a fractious Friday night and plagued by ghosts of her own, Nicky sets out on a feverish mission to save Doll, even as she questions her future in Ballina. – Grove Press


Held by Anne Michaels

1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory as the snow falls—a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night.

1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near a different river. He is alive but still not whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and tries to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts with messages he cannot understand.

So begins a narrative that spans four generations of connections and consequences that ignite and reignite as the century unfolds. In radiant moments of desire, comprehension, longing, and transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later. – Knopf


Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner

Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions, and clean beauty, who is sent to do dirty work in France.

“Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to her lover, to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to the reader.

Sadie has met her love, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian, by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone Sadie targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.

In this region of centuries-old farms and ancient caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who communicates only by email. Bruno believes that the path to emancipation from what ails modern life is not revolt, but a return to the ancient past.

Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno Lacombe is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story. – Scribner


This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud

An immersive, masterful story of a family born on the wrong side of history, from one of our finest contemporary novelists.

Over seven decades, from 1940 to 2010, the pieds-noirs Cassars live in an itinerant state—separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a complicated colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all. This Strange Eventful History, told with historical sweep, is above all a family story: of patriarch Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them and stifles their children; of François and Denise, devoted siblings connected by their family’s strangeness; of François’s union with Barbara, a woman so culturally different they can barely comprehend one another; of Chloe, the result of that union, who believes that telling these buried stories will bring them all peace. – WW Norton


Playground by Richard Powers

Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic new novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Overstory at the height of his skills. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.

They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped to feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.

Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can. – Richard Powers


Enlightenment by Sarah Perry

Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay have lived all their lives in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Though separated in age by three decades, the pair are kindred spirits—torn between their commitment to religion and their desire to explore the world beyond their small Baptist community.

It is two romantic relationships that will rend their friendship, and in the wake of this rupture, Thomas develops an obsession with a vanished nineteenth-century astronomer said to haunt a nearby manor, and Grace flees Aldleigh entirely for London. Over the course of twenty years, by coincidence and design, Thomas and Grace will find their lives brought back into orbit as the mystery of the vanished astronomer unfolds into a devastating tale of love and scientific pursuit. Thomas and Grace will ask themselves what it means to love and be loved, what is fixed and what is mutable, how much of our fate is predestined and written in the stars, and whether they can find their way back to each other.

A thrillingly ambitious novel of friendship, faith, and unrequited love, rich in symmetry and symbolism, Enlightenment is a shimmering wonder of a book and Sarah Perry’s finest work to date. – Mariner Books

This title is also available in large print.


Orbital by Samantha Harvey

A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.

The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part – or protective – of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity? – Vintage


James by Percival Everett

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. – Doubleday

This title is available in large print.


The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.

A house is a precious thing…

It is 1961 and the rural Dutch province of Overijssel is quiet. Bomb craters have been filled, buildings reconstructed, and the war is truly over. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, Isabel knows her life is as it should be—led by routine and discipline. But all is upended when her brother Louis brings his graceless new girlfriend Eva, leaving her at Isabel’s doorstep as a guest, to stay for the season.

Eva is Isabel’s antithesis: she sleeps late, walks loudly through the house, and touches things she shouldn’t. In response, Isabel develops a fury-fueled obsession, and when things start disappearing around the house—a spoon, a knife, a bowl—Isabel’s suspicions begin to spiral. In the sweltering peak of summer, Isabel’s paranoia gives way to infatuation—leading to a discovery that unravels all Isabel has ever known. The war might not be well and truly over after all, and neither Eva—nor the house in which they live—are what they seem. – Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster


My Friends by Hisham Matar

An intensely moving novel about three friends living in political exile and the emotional homeland that deep friendships can provide – from the Booker-shortlisted, Pulitzer prize-winning author

Khaled and Mustafa meet at university in Edinburgh: two Libyan eighteen-year-olds expecting to return home after their studies. In a moment of recklessness and courage, they travel to London to join a demonstration in front of the Libyan embassy. When government officials open fire on protestors in broad daylight, both friends are wounded, and their lives forever changed.

Over the years that follow, Khaled, Mustafa and their friend Hosam, a writer, are bound together by their shared history. If friendship is a space to inhabit, theirs becomes small and inhospitable when a revolution in Libya forces them to choose between the lives they have created in London and the lives they left behind. – Viking


Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place of her childhood, holing up in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro.

She does not believe in God, doesn’t know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can’t forget.

Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation.

Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand – then disappeared, presumed murdered.

Finally, a troubling visitor to the monastery pulls the narrator further back into her past.

With each of these disturbing arrivals, the woman faces some deep questions. Can a person be truly good? What is forgiveness? Is loss of hope a moral failure? And can the business of grief ever really be finished?

A meditative and deeply moving novel from one of Australia’s most acclaimed and best loved writers. – Allen & Unwin


Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

An unexpected tragedy at a community pool. A family’s unrelenting expectation of victory. The desire to gain or lose control; to make time speed up or stop; to be frighteningly, undeniably good at something. Each of the eight teenage girl boxers in this blistering debut novel has her own reasons for the sacrifices she has made to come to Reno, Nevada, to compete to be named the best in the country. Through a series of face-offs that are raw, ecstatic, and punctuated by flashes of humor and tenderness, prizewinning writer Rita Bullwinkel animates the competitors’ pasts and futures as they summon the emotion, imagination, and force of will required to win.

Frenetic, surprising, and strikingly original, Headshot is a portrait of the desire, envy, perfectionism, madness, and sheer physical pleasure that motivate young women to fight—even, and perhaps especially, when no one else is watching. – Viking

Social Work Spotlight: Gilda’s Club Quad Cities

Cancer Support Community: Providing Comprehensive Support for Cancer Patients

Our resource spotlight shines on Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, newly known as Cancer Support Community Iowa and NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club. Since 1998, Gilda’s Club has been a pillar of hope and support for cancer patients and their families. From its beginnings at the Mansion with the Red Door on River Drive to its current locations inside the Genesis Cancer Center, Gilda’s Club Davenport, and the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Cancer Center, Gilda’s Club Moline has continually expanded its services, reaching nearly 4,500 individuals.

In line with its mission to provide comprehensive support, CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club has introduced two programs designed to enhance its services and positively impact the cancer patient’s journey: the Wig Salon and the Free Healthy Take-and-Bake Meals program. Understanding the emotional impact of hair loss during cancer treatment, CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club has established The Wig Salon to provide free wigs to those experiencing this difficult side effect. This compassionate service addresses a crucial, often overlooked aspect of the cancer journey, helping individuals maintain their self-esteem and sense of normalcy.

The Wig Salon is more than just a place to receive a wig; it’s a sanctuary of empathy and understanding. CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club team recognizes that hair loss can be a deeply personal and distressing experience. By offering free wigs, they aim to alleviate some emotional burdens, allowing individuals to face their diagnosis with confidence and dignity. Each wig is carefully selected and styled to meet each person’s preferences and needs, ensuring they look and feel their best.

In addition to The Wig Salon, CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club also offers the Free Healthy Take-and-Bake Meals program. These nutritious, home-cooked meals are prepared by Angerer Eats and are available once a week for anyone impacted by cancer in the Quad Cities community. The meals are frozen and ready to take home and bake at your convenience, offering a practical and heartfelt way to support families during challenging times. Cancer patients or their families can pick up meals once a week at Gilda’s Club Davenport or Gilda’s Club Moline.

These two programs complement the extensive range of services already provided by CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club, which include:

  • Support Groups: These are safe spaces for individuals to share their experiences and a place to connect with others who understand their journey. These groups are not just about sharing experiences but about building a community of understanding and support. There are groups for patients, caregivers, the bereaved, and specific types of cancer, fostering a supportive community.
  • Monthly Social Activities and Holiday Get-Togethers: These events promote fellowship and belonging while offering a break from the routine and a chance to celebrate life’s moments.
  • Programs for Children, Teens, and Families: Tailored programs support children and teens dealing with a loved one’s diagnosis and include activities that bring families together.
  • Healthy Lifestyle Activities: These activities are not just about physical health but also about promoting mental and emotional healing, which is essential for physical recovery. They include stress reduction techniques and healthy living practices, all contributing to a holistic approach to cancer care.
  • Educational Workshops: Workshops provide valuable information on living with cancer, addressing challenges, and thriving despite the diagnosis. These workshops are not just about providing information, but about empowering individuals with the knowledge they need to navigate their journey. Topics include nutrition, exercise, managing side effects, and understanding treatment options. CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club remains committed to evolving and meeting the community’s needs, striving to make its services more accessible and impactful.

For more information about CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club and its services and programs, please visit https://www.gildasclubqc.org/support-services/ or contact CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club at 563-326-7504 or email: gc@gildasclubqc.org. CSC Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club physical locations are Gilda’s Club Davenport: 1351 W. Central Park Ave., Suite 200, Davenport, IA 52804. Gilda’s Club Moline: 600 John Deere Road, Suite 101, Moline, IL 61265

Social Work Spotlight: Clock Inc.

Embracing Community and Inclusivity with Clock Inc.

In our ongoing efforts to highlight community resources, we focus on one of the few local organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ population. Resources and services targeting this community are scarce, making the services provided by Clock, Inc. invaluable in promoting inclusivity and acceptance.

Clock, Inc. was established in 2018 with a mission to provide a non-judgmental, secure, and dependable community center for the LGBTQ+ community. The organization is dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation among LGBT+ individuals and creating a community where everyone can feel comfortable being their authentic selves.

Since its inception, Clock Inc. has been a catalyst for change, serving over 2,000 LGBTQ+ individuals in the Quad cities. Its services and reach continue to expand, leaving an indelible mark on the LGBTQ+ community, inspiring hope and transformation.

Clock Inc. provides various community-accessible resources. These resources include free chest binders for transitioning individuals, mentoring for youths and adults facing challenges, and ensuring vital transgender clothing is available for those in need. The organization is pivotal in ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals feel supported, safe, and included in their lives and community engagement. In addition, Clock Inc. focuses on raising awareness and enhancing knowledge about LGBTQ+ issues, promoting inclusive language in all settings through partnerships with human services organizations and corporate entities.

Some of the valuable services provided by the Clock Inc. to support and uplift the LGBT+ community include:

Groups: Clock Inc. provides regular meetings that offer peer support and a sense of belonging.

Counseling: Professional mental health services tailored to the needs of LGBT+ individuals.

Training: Educational programs aimed at fostering understanding and inclusivity.

Workshops: Clock Inc. provides skill-building sessions on various topics relevant to the community.

Mentorship: Guidance and support from experienced members of the community.

Safe Space: A welcoming environment where individuals can feel secure and accepted.

Computer Lab: Access to technology for education, job searches, and more.

Binder Program: Providing chest binders for trans and gender-diverse individuals through its partnership with GC2B, the gender-affirming apparel company.

To learn more about Clock Inc. and LGBTQ+ resources in the Quad Cities, please visit their website at www.clockinc.org or call 309-558-0956.

If you or anyone you know needs help, call or text 988.

Library Closed for Independence Day

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. All three buildings will reopen with regular business hours on Friday, July 5th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 5:30pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 9am to 5:30pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through LibbyFreegalTumbleBooksQC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Library Closed for Juneteenth

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed Wednesday, June 19th in observance of Juneteenth. All three buildings will reopen with regular business hours on Thursday, June 20th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 8pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 12pm to 8pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through LibbyFreegalTumbleBooksQC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Are you an adult who likes to read young adult books? If so, join the See YA Book Club! In June, we met to discuss The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. More information about See YA can be found at the bottom of this blog post. Let’s get back to The Chaos of Stars!

Isadora is a normal teen. Well, except for the fact that she is the mortal human daughter of the immortal ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. As a sixteen-year-old, Isadora is annoyed with the drama from her family who can’t even remember her name. When Isis starts having dark dreams that portend deadly chaos in the future, she offers Isadora the opportunity to move to California to live with her brother. Isadora is ecstatic to finally escape her family. California, however, turns out to be more complicated and menacing than anyone expected. While in California, Isadora finds friends, meets a boy she really likes, and confronts her ideas of what she wants out of life vs what her parents expect. She spends her time working, hanging with her friends, and hating her family. As much as Isadora wishes she could escape her family and hopes she has done so by living in California, Egypt continually calls to her. The trouble she thought she left behind comes back deadlier than ever, forcing Isadora to decide what she really wants out of life.

I adored all the tidbits of mythology dropped in the story, which left me hoping for a sequel (sadly, this is a stand-alone title). Isadora is angry and angsty and at times heartless and annoying, but if you step back, you see that she is going through normal teenage growing pains on top of having to deal with a family of gods and goddesses.

This was a relaxing, easy read for me, but I was left wanting more: more information about the Egyptian gods and mythology, more character development. Isadora also adapted very quickly to the modern world, which I felt was unrealistic, but also interesting to watch her learn more about the world outside her family. I also recognize that as an adult, I am not the target audience for this book. While adult Stephanie wanted more, teen Stephanie would have adored and devoured this book.

More Information about See YA

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Books are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Eastern Branch. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm.