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 In the month of February, it may feel like hearts, chocolates, and mushy sayings are all around you. Well, if you are looking for an escape, the staff members have reviewed some books that are not romantic, but still great reads for every age group. Young people exploring new places and meeting new people, historical fiction, and even a guy's book on basketball. So find a place not surrounded by hearts or candy and read one of these books.
 Madapple by Christina Meldrum
Staff Reviewer: Leanne Cheek, Moore Public Library
Aslag is a young girl raised in isolation with her mother Maren, a stormy woman with little compassion and a multitude of mood swings. All Aslag knows is what her mother teaches her, which includes a limited selection of world religions, multiple languages and herbology. Her mother suddenly dies and Aslag is thrown into the world of cars, police, and people.
Her life takes a confusing turn when she discovers she has an aunt and two cousins living in a neighboring town. When she begins living with them she discovers that her mother claimed she was born of a virgin birth, a fact that her cousin, Suzanne, completely believes. Science and religion take an even stranger twist when Aslag herself becomes pregnant, the result of what appears to be divine intervention. Mystery and despair begin to intertwine as the story continues to unfold.
The plot of the story fluctuates between the present tense in which Aslag is on trial for murder and the time, five years earlier, when her mother dies and she begins living with her aunt and cousins. More questions and mysteries arise than answers are provided. From the beginning of the story, the dilemmas continue until the end of the book when the past and present collide and all is revealed.
Meldrum's story takes a unique look at religion, blending it with science and family until a true mystery is created. Each chapter focuses on a different plant that is important to Aslag and her world, as well as the story itself. This book uses strong imagery and a rotating point-of-view that makes it unique from other teen novel.
 Too Much Flapdoodle! by Amy MacDonald; illustrations by Cat Bowman Smith
Staff Reviewer: Mary Lea Wallace, Norman Public Library
Parker is a rich kid who has it all: every game and gadget invented and catering to his every whim. Then his parents go on a cruise and leave him on Great Uncle Philbert's run-down, old-fashioned farm. Parker had thought this would be easier than summer camp, plus his cousin Simon said it might be fun. But modern ideas of fun end at the old farm, and Parker's life begins to change. By the time his parents return, Parker grows to appreciate the wacky life of his aged relatives and their assorted animals. He also learns to face his worst fears.
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February is the month of 
Just in time for Library Lover's Month - and in honor of lovers of libraries and life - we are highlighting 
