Recommendations
Need some book recommendations?
Fill out our Personalized Picks online form to tell us about what you want to read. Our experts will put together a custom book list based on your responses and e-mail it to you!
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Book Club Collection
Ames Public Library has multiple copies of many books that are popular with book clubs, and they can be checked out for 6 weeks! See the Book Club Collection list in the online catalog or view the PDF.
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Latest Library Notes
Poetry: It’s for Adults Too (Even After April)
You might remember this rhyme from childhood:
“Keep a poem in your pocket, and a picture in your head, and you’ll never feel lonely at night when you’re in bed.”
The catchy stanza comes from Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, a 1900s children’s book aut...
SEL at APL
My day is not complete at the Library without a caregiver hauling out a screaming toddler, tears streaming down their little face, kicking, screaming and wailing. Boy do I feel for those caregivers when trying to manage a screaming child, but I also kinda feel good ins...
Black Arts Festival at the Ames Public Library
Stocked on our shelves are stories from individuals and communities located all around the globe. They are stories that inspire greatness, encourage learning, bring new perspectives, amplify often unheard voices, and so much more between their pages. They gather here together i...
Get recommendations for each month's "12 to Try" reading challenge category. Find out more>>
Gift Guides
Need gift ideas for a reader? Check out the lists below or download the printable lists:
Online Resources for Readers
BookFlix
This engaging resource for children in grades PreK–3 will help early readers develop and practice essential reading skills, and introduces them to a world of knowledge and exploration.
Novelist Plus
NoveList is a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 120,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Feature Articles.