LibGuides: Siperstein Library: Book Recommendations!

Bookish Websites

New York Times Book Review

Use your Prep New York Times account to read book reviews and more!

Book Riot

Check out Book Riot for all things books--news, recommendations, essays, and more!

Fiction DB

A Comprehensive fiction database--find a new book or series! Also allows you to keep track of what you've read.

Goodreads

Connect with the worldwide reader community! Find books, log what you've read, and write your own reviews.

Search the catalog!

Library Info

Contact our Librarians

Mr. Reese: reesew@spprep.org

Ms. Friedlander: friedlanders@spprep.org

Looking for something to read, but don't know where to start? Fill out the BOOK MATCH form and Ms. Friedlander, a reading expert, will tailor a reading list based on your responses. A great way to find something new!

Request a book

To request a book for the library, just complete the questions on the linked form and we will do our best to get it.

eBook and eAudiobooks

To download books, search for the Axis 360 app in your APP store. Follow the link and use your Prep login information to check out books.

Reading Lists

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip Dick
Call Number: PS3554.I3 D6 2007
ISBN: 0345350472
Publication Date: 1987-07-12
This book was adapted into the iconic science fiction noir Blade Runner. Both the book and the film are excellent, but they differ in some key places. Read the book and watch the movie to compare.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Call Number: PZ 7 .L9673 Gi 2014
ISBN: 9780544340688
Publication Date: 2014-07-01
The original dystopian novel--if you haven't read this book yet, check it out immediately! The slow burning plot turns around Jonas, who lives in the Community, where every aspect of life is highly controlled. Instead of being assigned a normal life path by the Elders, he is to be the next Receiver of Memory. This position allows him to see life differently from the rest of the Community.
Neuromancer by William Gibson; Jack Womack
Call Number: PS3557.I2264 N48 2000
ISBN: 0441007465
Publication Date: 2000-07-01
This novel defines the cyberpunk genre, a mash up of noir, sci fi, punk and dystopian themes.

Henry Case is a down and out hacker/criminal who has been dosed with toxin, as punishment for theft. Armitage, a former military figure, offers him a cure in exchange for his services, but his motives are unclear. This is a dense, tightly plotted novel for fans of Philip K Dick and Isaac Asimov.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Call Number: PR6051.D3352 A6 2002
ISBN: 0345453743
Publication Date: 2002-04-30
In this extremely funny book, Arthur Dent learns that aliens exists moments before aliens destroy earth. He ends up on a space ship called Heart of Gold, traveling through the galaxy on an adventure full of wacky characters.
Warcross by Marie Lu
Call Number: PZ7.L96768 War 2017
ISBN: 9780399547966
Publication Date: 2017-09-12
If you like Ready Player One, you must try this book--it's better! Emika Chen is a bounty hunter--she tracks down people who bet on Warcross, a virtual reality multiplayer game. Through chance and luck, she ends up playing in a huge tournament and draws the attention of the video game's creator. Intrigue and excitement ensues!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Call Number: PZ7. W4358 Cod 2013
ISBN: 9781423152194
Publication Date: 2012-05-15
A must read for any budding WWII historian, this twisty thriller is also a deeply felt portrait of friendship.
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
ISBN: 9781442413603
Publication Date: 2010-12-21
Book one in the popular series--meet James, a quietly brilliant teen who is recruited into a secret spy orgaization.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
Call Number: PR 6062 .E33 S69 1991
ISBN: 9780143124757
Publication Date: 2013-09-03
During the 50's and 60's, Le Carre worked for both MI5 and MI6--he left his first career to write full time when this book became a smash. His expertise is clear from these densely plotted, methodical books. The ending is explosive enough to make it worth the wait!
A Hero of France by Alan Furst
Call Number: PS3556.U76 H47 2016
ISBN: 9780812996494
Publication Date: 2016-05-31
Mathieu is a leader in the French Resistance, a covert group hoping to bring down the Nazis occupying Paris. Can he help a downed English airman escape enemy territory?

The Dark Tower by Stephen King; Michael Whelan (Illustrator)
Call Number: PS3561.l483 G86 2004 Sublocation: Horror
ISBN: 1880418622
Publication Date: 2004-09-21
Did you know Stephen King wrote high fantasy? Fans of It and The Shining should check out the Dark Tower series. The first book is named for the protagonist of the series, Roland of Gilead, a.k.a the Gunslinger. These books combine fantasy and western tropes to create a mood all their own. Librarian note: you might find that the first Dark Tower book is a little slow! Book 2 picks up a bit.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Call Number: PS3560.O7617 E94 1990
ISBN: 9780812511819
Publication Date: 1990-11-15
This series is an absolute classic of the genre, perfect for Lord of the Rings fans. The 14 book series follows hero Rand and allies, as they fight against dark forces and political machinations. This series has everything: prophecies, magic, good vs. evil, enchanted forests, battles, shape-shifting...read it before the Amazon TV adaptation is released!
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Call Number: PS3618.O8685 N36 2009
ISBN: 9780756404741
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
The first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle is a high fantasy coming-of-age story, all about Kvothe a legendary wizard. He tells the story of his life, how he came into his magic power and later became an infamous fugitive. This series is still in progress, read the first one now and join the many Rothfuss fans waiting impatiently for a third book.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Call Number: PZ7.N647 Sab 2014
ISBN: 9780062315557
Publication Date: 2014-06-03
The Old Kingdom book series, eerie and unforgettable, is still wonderfully unique decades after it was written. In these books, Death is a place, and Neuromancers can raise the dead to do their bidding Sabriel's father is an Abhorsen, tasked with putting the dead to rest, until he disappears beyond the Seventh Gate. Sabriel must follow in her father's footsteps and continue the fight against the Neuromancer who would destroy the living world.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Call Number: PZ 7 .B25024
ISBN: 9781250027436
Publication Date: 2013-05-07
Fans of Six of Crows should check out the Shadow and Bone trilogy, set in Ravka, a kingdom what is unfortunately surrounded by the Shadow Fold, a terrible dark wilderness full of people eating monsters. The heroine, Alina, has magical ability that could save the kingdom, but only if she can survive the machinations of Ravka's other magicians.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Call Number: PZ7.T85565 Th 2017
ISBN: 9780062642967
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
In the same way the Harry Potter series morphed slowly from a children's book to a sprawling fantasy series, the Queen's Thief series develops a complicated, rich world. These books are set in fantasy-version Ancient Greece, and the hero is the clever Eugenides, who thinks he can steal anything. In these fantastic novels, nothing is what it seems. Librarian note: these are Ms. Friedlander's favorite books!

The 100 by Kass Morgan
Call Number: PZ 7 .M8249 Aam 2013
ISBN: 9780316234498
Publication Date: 2014-03-18
After nuclear war destroyed the Earth, humanity has lived in space. One hundred juvenile delinquents are sent back to Earth to see if it can be colonized. Their overlords don't care if they ever come back...will the 100 be able to live on a very inhospitable Earth?
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
Call Number: PR 6106 .L457 B69 2019
ISBN: 9780316449458
Publication Date: 2019-04-23
There are only a few hundred people left after rampant depopulation. Griz has siblings but no neighbors, no friends. He's only met a handful of people in his whole life. When his beloved dog Jess is stolen, Griz must leave all he knows to get her back.
Pure by Julianna Baggott
Call Number: PZ7 .B14026 Pu 2012c
ISBN: 9781455503056
Publication Date: 2012-09-04
In Juliana Baggott's exciting book series, the apocalypse has come and gone. The Pure were rich enough to hide from the fallout in the exclusive Dome. The rest of the population live amid the radioactive rubble, barely scraping by. Many people were left permanently scarred by the blast. When a wretch from the outside named Pressia meets a Pure named Partridge, the world just might change for good.
Gone by Michael Grant
Call Number: PZ 7 .G7671 Go 2008
ISBN: 9780061448768
Publication Date: 2008-06-24
In the first book of Michael Grant's long-running series, all the adults in the whole world disappear. The young are left to fend for themselves in a frightening new world, wondering if they too will disappear someday.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Robin Buss (Introduction by, Notes by, Translator); Alexandre Dumas pere; Coralie Bickford-Smith (Illustrator)
Call Number: PQ 2226 .A33 2012
ISBN: 9780141392462
Publication Date: 2013-08-27
This book is a rip-roaring revenge adventure. Edmond Dantes is falsely accused of treason and thrown in prison--will he escape and wreak havoc on his enemies? Read to find out!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Call Number: PR 5397. F7
ISBN: 0553212478
Publication Date: 1984-05-01
Jane Eyre by George Stade (Consultant Editor); Susan Ostrov Weisser (Introduction by, Intro and Notes by); Charlotte Brontë
Call Number: PR4167 .J3 2003
ISBN: 1593081170
Publication Date: 2005-01-30
Charlotte Bronte's coming-of-age novel has everything: ghosts, arson, mistaken identity, and a surprise inheritance. Jane Eyre is one of the best written characters in all of English literature: her inner monologues have been quoted for hundreds of years.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde; Peter Ackroyd (Contribution by)
Call Number: PR 5819 .A1
ISBN: 014043187X
Publication Date: 1986-04-01
At the end of the preface to Dorian Gray, Wilde wrote, "All art is quite useless". The rest of the book is equally devil-may-care and witty.