--by the Hollywood Teen Book Council

We are highly anticipating the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that will be published July 31, and looking forward to the movie release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in November. To celebrate, we created a list of our most recent favorite books, and  put them to the Sorting Hat test. Looking at the values of each of the four houses of Hogwarts, this is where we see these main characters most likely getting placed.

Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.

Head Cheerleader, Hermione, does a lot to keep the team together and enjoys the athleticism of cheerleading. She has a dedication to the craft.

Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer

Liberty cares about the mining that is destroying and polluting the town. She begins her own investigation seeking fairness and justice.

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Keekla Magoon

Growing up, Malcolm Little is constantly frustrated by the lack of fair play. Trying to leave a past behind him, he knows he can’t run forever and his new found freedom is an illusion.

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on, and finds herself to be in a long line of shadowshapers that are currently at war with evil anthropologists and unlikely zombies.

Calvin by Martine Leavitt

Calvin believes that if he can convince Bill Watterson to create one more Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, it will make him better. His dedication to this leads Calvin to go on the journey of the lifetime.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Finn keeps searching for Roza after everyone gives up. He also stands up to the terrible brothers.

Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

After his mother’s death, Matt values hard work and his job at the funeral home.

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

Larger than life Tiny Cooper, has written a play about his life. Through his quest for meaningful relationship, Tiny proves to be the most loyal  of friends.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so she prepares to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Violet is dealing with the loss of her sister, to whom she is extremely loyal. She is dedicated, and follows through on the quest to visit Indiana places.
 

Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, and wit.

Faith is all about knowledge and solving the mystery of her father’s death through science.

Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki

Monty and the other members of the mystery club are trying to figure out how things work.

The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Hannalee values intelligence and wants to be a lawyer.  First she needs to search for the truth about her father's death while avoiding trouble from the Ku Klux Klan

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

Joan values education and studies on her own after the day’s work cooking and cleaning is done.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Mikey thinks a lot, and is very intelligent. He just wants to graduate and go to prom before someone blows up the high school. Again.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson uses her intelligence to make sense of the Jim Crow South and the Civil Rights Movement.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre is witty and smart, and she doesn’t want to give that away.  She is a very good problem solver.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Noah, one half of an intense twin rivalry, wants to see how it all works while his sister Jude manipulates their fates.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Austin uses his knowledge of his own family to write the history of the world - a world that has been overtaken by unstoppable soldiers that come in the form a giant praying mantises.

Jackaby by William Ritter

Abigail has very good attention to detail and is accepting of how things come her way - skills necessary when serving as R.F. Jackaby’s assistant, an investigator who studies the unexplained.

Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness
 

Mercy wants into the St. Clare’s School for Girls and she uses her cunning to gain admission.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Lisa is ambitious, resourceful and cunning. She’s also very savvy.

Burn, Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Nora is determined to get out and get on with the next part of her life. She wants to be more than what she is currently seeing that there is.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Both Wink and Poppy use secrets to have power over Midnight and their other friends.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Charlotte Holmes is quite proud of her heritage and is resourceful enough to solve mysteries.

This Side of Home by Renée Watson

Nikki holds onto her ambition that she and her twin sister Maya have had since they were little - to leave Portland and attend a prestigious college. Gentrification in the traditionally African American neighborhood raises challenges.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

After the planet Kerenza is attacked, Kady’s mother is on another ship and Kady is determined to get to her.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Ida Mae has ambition and knows where she is going.  She wants to be a pilot and in order to do that she must use her cunning and pass as white.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

After she was out as gay and sent to a restrictive church camp, Cameron survives the re-education without being brainwashed.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Jude is very ambitious and does what it takes to get in a prestigious art school, even if it means selling out her twin brother Noah.

Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry.

Katie uses her nerve to navigate around her mother’s rules so she can discover the details of her grandmother’s story.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

While Riley demonstrates bravery by keeping a blog about what it is like to be gender fluid, they also inspire bravery in others.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

Naomi navigates through 1937 East Texas dodging racist policies and discrimination.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle

Quinn values bravery, even if he isn’t feeling up to it at the moment.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Amanda shows her bravery and nerve as she navigates her school as a transgender girl.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacy Lee

It takes guts to cross the country while dressed as boys, as Samantha and Annamae demonstrate again and again.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Theodore is brave in trying to fix his problems himself.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

Henry was very polite to Flora, but he also was steady and persistent in his pursuit of her.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Queenie is loyal to her friendships and displays bravery while standing up to her German captors that are accusing her of being a spy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon

Buffy kills vampires for her job! Is there anything braver? She also cares deeply about her family.

A message from  Director of Libraries Vailey Oehlke

The public library is a partner to youth, parents, families and caregivers from birth through high school. Exposing children early to a world rich with words, songs and play helps them become readers and succeed in school and in life. We proudly serve youth of all ages with high-quality books, fun and captivating programs, research resources, homework help, and caring staff who offer personal assistance.

For many, late fines are a real barrier that stops children and families from using and benefiting from the resources the public library offers. With the support of the Multnomah County Library District Board, our library is changing this practice. All existing late fines on youth accounts and materials will be removed as of June 15, 2016.

Patrons of all ages will still be responsible for returning library material for others to use within seven weeks of the due date, or be charged the replacement value of that item. 

I wish you all a summer filled with fun and reading. Won’t you please come visit us at the library?

Vailey Oehlke,

Director of Libraries

Long before white settlers arrived on the Oregon Trail, the Portland area was home to the Multnomah people, a band of the Chinook Tribe. One of their leaders was Chief Kiesno (sometimes spelled Cassino).  Tragically, many of the native inhabitants of our area died from diseases brought by the Europeans.

John McLoughlin is often called the Father of Oregon. He moved to the area in 1824 and established Fort Vancouver just north of Portland. Later, his general store in Oregon City became the last stop on the Oregon Trail.

Abigail Scott Duniway is famous for fighting for women’s rights, especially the right to vote. After many tries, she finally succeeded in Oregon in 1912.  Intriguingly, Abigail’s brother, Harvey Scott, editor of The Oregonian newspaper, was opposed to letting women vote.

McCants Stewart was the first African American lawyer in Portland and started a newspaper, The Advocate. Dr. DeNorval Unthank is well-known for his role in fighting for civil rights for African Americans and was named Doctor of the Year in 1958. A park in North Portland is named for him. 

Some other famous Portlanders include children’s author Beverly Cleary, Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons), and Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike.

For more information on famous residents of Portland, visit the Oregon History Project’s biography page, or search the Oregon Encyclopedia.

A good percentage of my childhood was spent at the library. When my brothers and I were young, my mom helped organize the summer reading program at our local library outside of Philadelphia. I created many a diorama based on books during those summers. A few years later, my mom started working there as a children’s librarian where, much to our chagrin, she seemed to learn all of the gossip in town (“So, I hear you’re dating so-and-so!”)

The most formative books for me as a kid were the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I related to her so much -- she seemed like a real kid. I appreciated the fact that her family worried about money, and her dad worried about finding a job. It reassured me to no end to read about kids facing real-life situations. I can’t tell you how many times I read those books. They MAY have been a factor in my deciding to move to Portland.

Other childhood favorites included Anne of Green Gables and all of the Roald Dahl, but especially The BFG.  That book inspired a lifetime of whizpopper jokes. I love re-reading childhood favorites. I teach a continuing education class in writing and illustrating children’s books at Pacific Northwest College of Art, and I always recommend re-reading old favorites. It’s fascinating to read them from an adult perspective, and if you want to write children’s books yourself, it’s a great way to remember what you loved about reading as a child.

Here’s a list of my recent favorites:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
This was the last book that made me cry — like, a deep, body-shaking sob. If you like a body-shaking sob as much as I do, this is the book for you.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
As soon as I read this book, I knew it would be a book I would read to my kids someday. It’s just a book you want to share. Now I just need to wait for my son to be old enough.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
You just have to read it. It’s an amazing book.

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
This book is both laugh-out-loud funny and cry-out-loud touching. Be careful where you read this one; I was reading it on the subway in New York when I started ugly crying.

A few more:

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

El Deafo by Cece Bell

One Crazy Summer by Rita Willams-Garcia

Get even more reading recommendations hand-picked for you by My Librarian.