Spring Holiday Hours

Manitowoc Public Library will be open the following hours for the upcoming spring holidays: Friday, April 18: Open 9AM-1PM; Saturday, April 19: Open 9AM-3PM; and Sunday, April 20: CLOSED. 

Drive-thru book drop & online resources are available 24/7.

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The Aquanaut

Dan Santat

Dive in to this whimsically adventurous graphic novel from Caldecott Medalist and National Book Award Winner Dan Santat!

 

Ever since her father was lost at sea, Sophia has been moping around Aqualand, the marine theme park her dad and uncle created. But Sophia's world is turned upside down when an "aquanaut" breaks into the park's research lab.

 

To her amazement, Sophia discovers that the aquanaut is not what it seems -- inside lives a band of four goofy sea creatures! And when they all realize that Aqualand has evolved into something much darker than Sophia's dad had envisioned, Sophia is determined to help the aquanaut crew free the park's captive marine life before it's too late.

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Diana: Princess of the Amazons

Shannon Hale

From New York Times bestselling authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale comes a story about making mistakes, learning the hard way, and growing up to become a hero.

Eleven-year-old Diana has an almost perfect life on the island of Themyscira. But even though she has a loving mother and many "aunties," she is an only child. The only child on the entire island, in fact. Every other person on the island is an adult who's the best in their trade and mighty in body, while Diana is small, sometimes clumsy, and not particularly good at anything. She's not Wonder Woman...yet.

What Diana needs is someone her own age whom to talk to. Taking matters into her own hands, she creates a playmate out of clay. It's all fun and games for a while, until things get out of control and Diana has to decide whether she's made a new friend...or a monster!

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Garlic and the Vampire

Bree Paulsen

An enchanting, farm-fresh debut graphic novel starring an unusual heroine who is braver than she realizes, for middle grade readers looking for a cozy, adventuresome read in the vein of Witch Boy or Be Prepared.

Garlic feels as though she's always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it's nice and safe.

But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.

After all, garlic drives away vampires...right?

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Wishtree

Katherine Applegate

An oak tree and a crow help their neighbors embrace their differences in this beautiful, nuanced, New York Times-bestselling middle-grade novel from Newbery Medalist author Katherine Applegate.

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all.

Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experience as a wishtree is more important than ever.

Funny, deep, warm, and nuanced, this is Katherine Applegate at her very best—writing from the heart, and from a completely unexpected point of view.


This book has Common Core connections.

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The Yawn Book

Diana Kim

Why do we yawn? Do animals yawn? And why are yawns so CONTAGIOUS? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this fact-filled and funny nonfiction picture book for fans of Carson Ellis and Matt Lamothe.

Yawning: Everyone does it. But no one knows why.

Why did you yawn before your piano recital? Do you yawn more than your grandmother? And is your pet dog really yawning because you are? Find out in The Yawn Book, a funny and fascinating book of facts, including the most unbelievable one: no one knows for sure why we yawn at all.

One thing we do know for sure...this book will definitely make you yawn!

"Informative and, intrinsically, interactive." --Kirkus

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The Secret Signs of Nature

Craig Caudill

The Secret Signs of Nature will show you how to navigate through any landscape--forests, deserts, even your own backyard--through observation of the world around you!

Put away your map, look up from your phone, and let nature be your guide.

Rediscover nature's hidden signs as you delve into the amazing science of natural navigation. Meet two young adventurers, as they discover the joy of finding their way using nature's clues. From worms, honeybees, and spiders to trees, flowers, and clouds, young adventurers are shown what to look and listen for wherever they are--whether in the back garden, a vast meadow, or the open sea.

Top wilderness trainer Craig Caudill shares more than 200 tips for reading nature from decades spent walking the land around his home and around the world. So, whether you're walking in the country, along a coastline, or out at night, this is the ultimate guide on what the land, sky, plants, animals, and weather can reveal--if you only know where to look!

By opening our senses to the unfolding world of nature all around us, this visual compendium illustrated by Carrie Shryock can be enjoyed by all the family to transform the way the natural world is experienced.

"Created with graphite and digital tools, the detailed double-page illustrations are well composed, beautifully colored, and full of interesting details . . . An attractive guide to nature." --Booklist

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Maggie and Pie and the Perfect Picnic

Carolyn Cory Scoppettone

Highlights Puzzle Readers offer an innovative approach to learning that integrates puzzles and stories to develop motivated, confident readers. These Level 1 books are perfect for kids who are reading simple sight words and sounding out decodable text.

Maggie and Pie are bird buddies that love to cook—but sometimes Maggie gets a little mixed up! As they make fruit salad, in this Level 1 Highlights Puzzle Reader, kids can use clues in the story to find the supplies they need in simple visual puzzles that double as picture support for the text. With a bonus recipe, Maggie and Pie and the Perfect Picnic will appeal to junior chefs who are just discovering reading.

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Heart Stones

Maryann Cocca-Leffler

HEART STONES is a fast-paced middle grade magical realism mystery novel aimed at ages 8-12. It follows Gale Hope and her friend Celia as they piece together the clues of the Heart Stones. It's a story of love, community and friendship and the power of believing. Born in a Blizzard ten years earlier, Gale was given the name "Gale Hope," to symbolize the hope that the town needed at the time. In the recent devastating storm, heart shaped stones begin to wash up on the shore of her coastal town, which begins a mystery. Gale once again helps to heal a broken community and this time changes it for good.

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David Dixon's Day As a Dachshund (Class Critters #2)

Kathryn Holmes

David Dixon's Day as a Dachshund continuesKathryn Holmes's funny and wholehearted Class Critters chapter book series featuring second-grade students who each become an animal for a day--featuring illustrations by Ariel Landy.

When Mrs. Norrell invites her students to bring something they love from home for show and tell, David Dixon sneaks in his new dachshund puppy, Bandit. But during the presentation, the puppy escapes. By the time David rushes into the hallway, his mischievous puppy has vanished. Mrs. Norrell launches a formal search, but David is an "act first, worry about the consequences later" kind of kid. Without stopping to think or tell anyone what he's doing, David races off into the school building by himself to find Bandit. As he runs away from Mrs. Norrell's classroom, David turns into a dachshund!

At first, he's delighted by the transformation and even tracks down Bandit. He and Bandit are able to do whatever they want as dogs--eat the day's lunch, jump in the suds-filled sink, and run around on the playground. But he doesn't want to be a dog forever!

In this chapter book series, Mrs. Norrell's second-grade classroom has magic that allows kids to transform into animals to learn important life lessons. Each book will follow a different kid and their animal transformation and will include fun natural science facts about the featured animal in the back matter.

Class Critters:

Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle (#1)

David Dixon's Day as a Dachshund (#2)

Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse! (#3)

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The Kindest Red

Ibtihaj Muhammad

The sequel to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Proudest Blue shows the power of friendship and kindness, from Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad.

It's picture day and Faizah can't wait to wear her special red dress with matching hair ribbons, passed down from her mother and sister. Faizah's teacher starts the day by asking her students to envision the kind of world they want, inspiring Faizah and her friends to spend the day helping one another in ways large and small.

But when it's time for sibling pictures, Faizah realizes that she and her older sister, Asiya, don't match like her classmates do with their siblings. With help from her classmates inspired by Asiya's hijab, Faizah finds that acts of kindness can come back to you in unexpected ways.

From Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and fellow bestselling, award-winning creators S.K. Ali and Hatem Aly comes a heartfelt exploration of friendship, faith, and the joy of spreading kindness wherever you go.

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New Kids and Underdogs

Margaret Finnegan

When perpetual new kid Robyn signs up her special needs dogs for agility training, she gets an unexpected lesson in friendship in this “well-paced…thoughtful” (Kirkus Reviews) novel from the author of We Could Be Heroes and Susie B. Won’t Back Down.

Robyn Kellen has been the new kid six times. She’s practically an expert on the subject and has developed foolproof rules to help her get by: Blend in, don’t go looking for trouble, and move on. Unfortunately, Robyn’s mom has a rule, too: Robyn must do an after-school activity.

When Robyn discovers a dog agility class, she thinks she’s found the perfect thing—but then her dogs, Sundae and Fudge, are rejected from the class. Sundae won’t do anything without Fudge, and Fudge is deaf and blind, and the instructor refuses to change the rules to fit their needs. Luckily, the instructor’s grandson, Nestor—a legend at Robyn’s new school—offers Robyn a deal: If she helps him with math, he’ll train Sundae and Fudge. Problem is, Robyn isn’t so great at math herself, so she’s forced to recruit the class outcast, Alejandra, to help.

Suddenly, Robyn finds herself surrounded by people who do anything but blend in—and sticking to her rules becomes harder than ever. But as Robyn learns how to adapt the rules of agility for Sundae and Fudge, she will find that some rules are worth breaking altogether.

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Oona in the Arctic

Kelly DiPucchio

New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Raissa Figueroa are back with another gorgeous and grand tale from the big sea's littlest mischief-maker, Oona!

Oona is on a mission! A baby beluga whale has lost her way from her family and needs help getting back to her icy arctic home!

But Oona and her best friend Otto have never traveled from their warm ocean waters before. Will old ship maps and a compass be enough to lead them through the dangerous storms ahead?

Oona may be a little mermaid, but she is determined to see this big adventure through! With a bit of bravery and help from some new friends, they'll do all they can to reunite this baby whale with her pod once more.

As School Library Journal said of the first book in this series, Oona: "This title celebrates independence, self-confidence, and bravery to try the new even after defeat as Oona becomes aware of the true treasure in her personal effort."

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The Late, Great Endlings

Deborah Kerbel

★"This beautiful dedication to these special animals brings the reality and the irreversible finality of extinction to the forefront and calls on readers to act now, before so many other animals become endlings. Highly recommended for all collections."--Booklist, starred review

The endlings: the last known survivors of a species.

Something that you may not know: in each and every case of a disappearing species, extinction had a face.

Over the past 500 years, thousands of species of plants and animals have become extinct. The Late, Great Endlings pays homage to some of the more well-known endlings of the past century with rhyming stanzas that accompany watercolor illustrations and factual descriptions of each animal, along with the circumstances that led to their species' extinction. Together, these portraits of animals, like the passenger pigeon, the Pinta Island tortoise and the Tasmanian tiger, are a poignant symbol of a world irreversibly altered by human development, habitat loss and climate change. Readers are invited to reflect on the interconnectedness of all life forms on our planet with an additional look at animals that are at risk of becoming extinct in our lifetime. Concluding on a hopeful note, the final page offers suggestions for what kids can do to change the course of this mass species extinction crisis.

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Whale Done

Stuart Gibbs

In the eighth novel in New York Times bestselling Stuart Gibbs’s FunJungle series, Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle’s resident sleuth to find the culprits behind a blown-up whale and a string of beach sand thefts.

After an escaped kangaroo starts a fire that burns down his house, Teddy Fitzroy accepts an invitation to go to Malibu with his girlfriend, Summer, and her mother, Kandace. He’s hoping to spend some time relaxing on the beach, but wherever Teddy goes, trouble isn’t far behind.

First, a massive dead whale has washed up on the beach—and before anyone can determine what killed it, it explodes. Doc, the head vet from FunJungle, suspects something fishy is going on and ropes Teddy and Summer into helping him investigate.

Then, Teddy stumbles upon yet another mystery involving tons of stolen sand. And the paparazzi start spreading rumors about Summer dating a celebrity, leading Teddy to question their relationship.

Without Summer as his trusted partner, can Teddy navigate the rough waters of this glitzy world and uncover what’s going on?

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Camila the Spelling Bee Star

Alicia Salazar

Camila enters the spelling bee and is doing all she can to become a star speller. But when she gets nervous, her mind goes blank. Her anxiety is making her forget everything she's learned. Can Camila find a way to stay calm and spell her way to success?

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Sleepy Sheepy

Lucy Ruth Cummins

From critically acclaimed author Lucy Ruth Cummins and Pete Oswald, New York Times bestselling illustrator of The Sour Grape, comes a rhyming bedtime tale featuring brand new picture book character Sleepy Sheepy, a sheep who is definitely NOT sleepy!

Sleepy Sheepy was not sleepy
But it was time for bed
(At least, that's what the clock said.)
But Sleepy Sheepy would not sleepy.
He was wired. And absolutely not tired!
In fact, he was WIDE-AWAKE.

Despite his name, Sleepy Sheepy is NOT sleepy. He'd much rather build with blocks or knit socks than go to sleep. Will Ma and Pa Sheepy ever get their sheepy to go to sleepy?

From acclaimed author Lucy Ruth Cummins and brought to life by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Pete Oswald (The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, The Smart Cookie, The Sour Grape), Sleepy Sheepy is a hilarious bedtime read-aloud that will appeal to little lambs everywhere.

Praise for Sleepy Sheepy:

"Caregivers will enjoy making this a bedtime read, and librarians will turn to this often for pajama storytimes. An entertaining tale sure to resonate with those on either side of the bedtime battle."—Kirkus reviews

"This could easily end up a story hour favorite and an often checked-out new bedtime classic for not-so-tired kids and their very tired parents; this will especially work a spell on preschoolers." —School Library Journal

"Sleepy Sheepy, rendered by Oswald in fluffy, cloud-like textures, insists he's anything but sleepy . . .even the most bedtime-resistant readers will respect his exhausted capitulation.” Publishers Weekly

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The Secret Stream

Kimberly Ridley

The poetic story, combining lyricismwith natural history excellence, is augmented and enriched by informativesidebars and backmatter. Birds, mammals, amphibians, and insects peek out from the beautiful, scientifically accurate illustrations.

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Mystery at Mermaid Cove

Melody Mews

Itty has a mystery on her paws! She must figure out why the mermaids of Lollyland have stopped singing in this twelfth Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter book.

The mermaids of Lollyland, who usually sing all the time, have fallen silent. And Itty Bitty Princess Kitty is on the case. Working with mermaids can be tricky, though—they mostly keep to themselves and don’t like to be disturbed. But Itty manages to befriend a mermaid named Aria, who confesses that someone new has been singing and it’s making the mermaids too confused to carry on their own songs! Can Itty help the mermaids uncover the mystery musician?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on every page, the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

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Cupcakes

Clara Cella

Sweet Life highlights unique and classic cupcakes that are filled, frosted, and sprinkled to perfection.

But those cupcakes don't just appear from thin air. First, someone has to come up with an idea. Then they have to make a recipe. Bakers must think of new flavors, create new designs, and turn their ideas into reality.

Young readers will learn about crazy ingredients and new ways to sell sweet treats--and even get a chance to make their own. The world of cupcakes has never been so delicious!

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There's a Mouse in My House

Ross Collins

The tables have turned in this hilarious follow-up to There’s a Bear on My Chair. But this time it’s Bear who has an unwelcome guest, and this mouse just won’t leave! He’s making a real commotion in Bear’s house—eating all the food, listening to loud music, and even spilling bathwater all over the floor! But when there’s an unexpected knock at the door, will Bear decide that visitors aren’t so bad after all?

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Anzu the Great Kaiju

Benson Shum

An adorable picture book about a tiny monster with a big heart trying to follow in his family's footsteps.

All great Kaiju are born with a super power to strike fear in the heart of the city.
But Anzu is different.
Instead of mayhem, he likes May flowers.
Instead of striking fear, he prefers to be sincere.
Can Anzu find a way to make his family proud and stay true to his kind self?

From Disney animator and illustrator Bensom Shum comes an adorable and heartwarming picture book about making your own way and the unexpected power of gentleness—perfect for fans of Ferdinand the Bull.

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A Parliament of Owls

Devin Scillian

From a mischief of mice and a shiver of sharks to a caravan of camels and a rhumba of rattlesnakes, animals from around the globe gather a group and sashay, swim, slither, or sail through this party of animal plurals. The only question is "What to call this animal arcade? This critter convention? This zigzag zoo? This purring and preening parade?" A delightful and colorful romp through the perfection of animal plurals from the author of Memoirs of a Goldfish!

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A Parliament of Owls

Devin Scillian

From a mischief of mice and a shiver of sharks to a caravan of camels and a rhumba of rattlesnakes, animals from around the globe gather a group and sashay, swim, slither, or sail through this party of animal plurals. The only question is "What to call this animal arcade? This critter convention? This zigzag zoo? This purring and preening parade?" A delightful and colorful romp through the perfection of animal plurals from the author of Memoirs of a Goldfish!

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Sun Flower Lion

Kevin Henkes

"As brilliant as can be."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A simple but thought-provoking story."--Booklist (starred review)

"Endearing."--Horn Book (starred review)

"A must-have for all collections."--School Library Journal (starred review)

A sun. A flower. And a lion. With three visual motifs, three colors, and fewer than 200 words,, renowned Caldecott Medal winner and #1 New York Times-bestseller Kevin Henkes cracks open the wide world and the youngest child's endless imagination. This irresistible picture book is a must-have for every reader and every family.

On a warm morning, a little lion sleeps under a sun that shines so brightly, it looks like a flower. He dreams the flower is as big as the sun. He dreams the flower is a cookie. He lets his imagination soar.

Caldecott Medal winner Kevin Henkes uses simple shapes, limited colors, and a pitch-perfect text to tell Lion's story in this transcendent picture book. Sun Flower Lion introduces emerging readers to short chapters, action verbs, and adjectives, while bright illustrations transform simple shapes into something magical.

Sun Flower Lion will shine at story time and bedtime and for young children just learning how to read on their own.

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Hummingbird

Natalie Lloyd

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book

From the bestselling author of A Snicker of Magic comes a heartfelt story about a girl who -- armed with her trusty, snazzy wheelchair -- refuses to let her brittle bone disease stand in the way of adventure

 

Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as "fragile" just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.

Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It'll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

When it becomes clear that she can't solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

 

 

 

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Snow Song

A. K. Riley

The perfect winter story. This ode to snow, told in rhythmic free verse, follows a girl delighting in the outdoors on a wintry day. All she encounters is framed by the snow. There are fine pearls of snow, a twirl of snow, a curl of snow. The sky unravels into snow, while the hills are knitted caps of snow. She is captivated, as the snow swaddles her world, and makes everything snug — from first light, to the darkness of bedtime. The glorious snow-filled pages of this enchanting story will have children everywhere searching for their mittens.

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Step by Step

Alice B. McGinty

Perfect for first day of school sharing or graduation at year’s end, this tender and comforting book is about tackling life’s firsts, one step at a time.

On the morning a little boy is going to start school, his father reassures him: when things seem overwhelming, take it step by step! Whether it is making new friends, learning to write and count, or cleaning up a big mess at the end of the day, he can get through it all and have fun along the way.

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After the Snowfall

Richard Lo

This is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces children to the wonder of nature in winter:

A Fox Peeks Out of His Den at a White Forest

All is Silent

A Buck Stands Camouflaged

A great horned owl sits on a nearby branch

The fox climbs out of this den

He passes squirrels eating

He passes mice foraging

The fox reaches a stream where he takes a cold drink

A family of mallard ducks swims by

Across the stream, river otters rest on a rock

Suddenly, the earth trembles. Towering over the fox, a moose takes a cold drink

His thirst quenched, the fox heads home

He passes rabbits hiding in a hollow tree

Chattering crows greet the fox outside his den

After the snowfall.

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Lost

Sam Usher

The third title in a quartet of imaginative picture books in which a boy and his beloved granddad discover the wonder of the natural world

A boy and his granddad spend the morning gathering materials to make a sled. When they take it out for a spin, they end up searching for a lost dog. Their snowy adventure takes them all the way to the Arctic, where they are finally able to find the dog—and her new friends!

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Somewhere in the Bayou

Jarrett Pumphrey

Simple, subtle, and drolly funny, the Pumphrey brothers’ newest picture book is a layered exploration of the foolishness of making assumptions and the virtue of curiosity.

When four swamp creatures looking to cross a river come upon a log that would allow for precisely that, they can’t believe their luck. But a questionable tail adjacent to that log gives them second thoughts. Opossum believes it’s a sneaky tail and that they must pass it quietly. Squirrel thinks it’s a scary tail that can be cowed by intimidation. Rabbit decides it’s a mean tail that deserves a taste of its own medicine. As the critters exhaust approaches one by one, Mouse, the smallest of the lot, observes their folly and adjusts accordingly. But is it the mouse or the tail that will defy expectations?

Pairing their iconic illustration style with a wry irreverence, the Pumphrey brothers have crafted a delightful tale that reminds us to think before we act.

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The Lucky Ones

Linda Williams Jackson

Award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell the story of Ellis Earl, who dreams of a real house, food enough for the whole family—and to be someone.

It’s 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer—or maybe both—and live in a big brick house in town. There’ll always be enough food in the icebox, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work as a maid in order to support Ellis Earl and his eight siblings and niece, Vera. So Ellis Earl applies himself at school, soaking up the lessons that Mr. Foster teaches his class—particularly those about famous colored people like Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright—and borrowing books from his teacher’s bookshelf. When Mr. Foster presents him with a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ellis Earl is amazed to encounter a family that’s even worse off than his own—and is delighted by the Buckets’ very happy ending. But when Mama tells Ellis Earl that he might need to quit school to help support the family, he wonders if happy endings are only possible in storybooks. Around the historical touchstone of Robert Kennedy’s southern “poverty tour,” Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell a detail-rich and poignant story with memorable characters, sure to resonate with readers who have ever felt constricted by their circumstances.

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The Saintly Outlaw

Paul McCusker

Andrew Perry likes history, but he never expected to experience it firsthand. But that's what happens when he meets the unusual Eve Virtue, a direct descendent of the explorer and entrepreneur Alfred Virtue. Eve has uncovered Alfred Virtue's greatest secret: the mysterious Radiant Stone. Before Andrew knows it, the two of them are in twelfth-century England, caught up in the adventures of the saintly outlaw Robin Hood.

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Bright Winter Night

Alli Brydon

The forest calls, and creatures come:

big and small, one by one.

They sense there is a task to do

as night descends, replacing blue.

On one bright winter night, a group of woodland creatures emerges from the forest. Despite their differences, they start to build something together, using items found on the forest floor. What are they making? And how quickly can they build it? Something special is happening tonight, and soon the animals are off--in a race to catch a glimpse of one of nature's most astounding wonders! With lyrical text and sparkling artwork, Bright Winter Night is a celebration of the joy and beauty of nature and the special gift of friendship and togetherness.

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Very Good Hats

Emma Straub

The first picture book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow, this is a joyous, inventive, adorably illustrated read-aloud that will inspire kids to see ordinary objects in a whole new way.

Some people think hats are fancy things you can buy at a dressy store, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this book, acorns and raspberries are snug hats for your fingers, and an empty pudding cup is a good hat for a stuffed bear. Pajama pants make dangly hats, books can be dramatic hats, and bubbles make very fine hats as well (if temporary). Readers will be delighted to discover that anything can be a hat if you believe it is. Hats are everywhere you look!

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The Sun Is Late and So Is The Farmer

Philip C. Stead

On a peculiarly long night, three farm animals set off on a daring quest to bring the sunrise.

Fans of Erin and Philip C. Stead’s books will instantly love this quirky barnyard trio’s magical quest to bring the sunrise, in the style of their previous animal books A Sick Day for Amos McGee and Bear Has a Story to Tell.

A mule,
A milk cow,
A miniature horse,
Standing in a barn door,
Waiting for the sun to rise.

As this trio rests in their comfortable barn, a realization slowly dawns on them. . . the sun is late to rise.

After consulting barn owl (who always knows what to do), they take Rooster and set off on an epic journey further than they’ve ever gone before; through the acre of tall corn, past the sleeping giant, all the way to the edge of the world.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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Twelve Dinging Doorbells

Tameka Fryer Brown

A cumulative all-holiday carol packed to the brim with family, food, love, and Black joy, especially perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, graduations, and all family celebrations.

Every holiday, aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and neighbors come over to eat, sing, and celebrate life. But all our main character can think about is the sweet potato pie Granny makes just for her. As tables fill with baked macaroni and cheese, chitlins, and other sides a-steaming, she and Granny move the pie to keep it intact. The task becomes tricker as the room grows with dancing and card games and pie cravings. Just when all seems lost and there’s no more pie, Granny pulls out a sweet surprise. 
 
Written to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Twelve Dinging Doorbells is exuberant. Author Tameka Fryer Brown’s cumulative rhyme is impossible to resist, and the humorous details in Ebony Glenn’s cut-paper collage will welcome readers to this party again and again.

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So Much Snow

Hyunmin Park

The magic and wonder of deep winter snow will delight and entertain everyone in this beautiful and intriguing, mostly wordless, picture book that is soon to become a classic!

It snowed all night long. It snowed so much that when two children awake in the morning and want to go outside to play, a shovel isn't even close to being enough. It's SO MUCH SNOW!

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A Spark in the Dark

Pam Fong

A powerful picture book about the ocean of feelings inside all of us.

 

 

Whether you are mad, sad, scared, or lost in the dark, there's always hope--a spark of light to lead you back home. A Spark in the Dark is a book to read aloud, a book to share, and a book to return to whenever you need it.

There is light, and there is dark. But sometimes the dark creeps up and surrounds you. Still, even in those deep, dark moments, you can always find a spark of light, if you look. Because while you need light to find your way through the dark, you also need dark to see the light.

Author-artist Pam Fong's gentle text and luminous artwork guide readers through the dangers and marvels of the deep sea with an expressive little fish who must find its way home. A lush and moving picture book that gives young readers--and their parents--a way to think about and talk about the wide ocean of emotions that everyone feels.

A Spark in the Dark is an exceptional choice for social and emotional learning that belongs on shelves beside Cori Doerrfeld's The Rabbit Listened, Dan Santat's After the Fall, and Aliki's Feelings.

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A Unicorn on a Unicycle

Lynda Graham-Barber

A unicorn, animals driving cars, and fireworks! Counting numbers is a ton of razzle-dazzle fun for everyone!

Follow along with a cool cast of critters as they parade down a road, led by unicorn a unicycle. Let’s count all the wheels on their scooters, bikes, and cars as they go by! 1, 2, 3… How many wheels can you see at the Zoom-Zoom-Whee Jamboree?

Math lovers will enjoy searching each spread for wheels to count as they’re introduced to a variety of vehicles alongside their 1 through 10 numbers. Each time a new animal joins the unicorn's parade, critical thinkers can be encouraged to keep cumulative track of the total number of wheels.

BONUS CONTENT: Grow with numbers 1 through 100 on the endpapers!

With so many opportunities to use the book beyond rote memorization, you'll want to grab this jolly read for your little learner's bookshelf today!

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A House

Kevin Henkes

Caldecott Medal-winner and #1 New York Times-bestselling author Kevin Henkes explores what it means to be at home in this stunning picture book. Brimming with interactive call-and-response questions, A House is a timeless and irresistible must-have for both very young children and emergent readers--as well as the entire family.

Where is the door to the house? Do you see any clouds? What does the house look like when it is sunny outside? When it is raining? And what will the house turn into when its family returns? A home.

Caldecott Medal-winner Kevin Henkes employs interactive questions, declarative sentences, basic shapes, and a limited color palette in this brilliant and classic picture book. A House introduces young readers to shapes, numbers, the weather, and the parts of a house, with a rhythmic, repetitive text and remarkable illustrations.

A story about home, family, community, and belonging, A House is an excellent choice for emergent readers, for social and emotional development, and for storytime sharing.

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Attack of the Black Rectangles

A. S. King

Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write.

When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged.

Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.

But who?

Even though his unreliable dad tells him to not get so emotional about a book (or anything else), Mac has been raised by his mom and grandad to call out things that are wrong. He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship... but her response doesn't take them seriously.

So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself.

Mac's about to see the power of letting them out.

In Attack of the Black Rectangles, acclaimed author Amy Sarig King shows all the ways truth can be hard... but still worth fighting for.

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Odder

Katherine Applegate

Now a #1 New York Times bestseller! A touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, from Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, author of Wishtree.

Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:

Nobody has her moves.
She doesn’t just swim to the bottom,
she dive-bombs.
She doesn’t just somersault,
she triple-doughnuts.
She doesn’t just ride the waves,
she makes them.

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and about the humans who hope to save her.

Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.

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The Flower Garden

Renee Kurilla

After planting a seed packet in the backyard, things don't go as expected for best friends Anna and Tess. They fall asleep in the sun and wake up to blooms as tall as buildings! Did the seeds really grow that fast? All is explained when Anna and Tess meet May, a little garden gnome whose magic is responsible for the transformation. The girls are May's size now, and they follow her through the flower garden and into May's underground gnome home--discovering new things about their world and themselves along the way.

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We Are All Under One Wide Sky

Deborah Wiles

Children will learn to both celebrate diversity and embrace how much we all have in common.

In We Are All Under One Wide Sky, Deborah Wiles beautifully weaves together images from the natural world in a lovely, lyrical poem. Andrea Stegmaier’s fresh and captivating illustrations feature children from around the globe and celebrate different architecture, landscapes, and activities.

By the end of the book, children will have internalized the message that although we are from different places, we are the same in so many ways. What we have in common is what is most important—family, laughter, love, nature, and friendship. We all share the same wide sky.

We Are All Under One Wide Sky is a peace anthem with a timely and important message for children: to both celebrate diversity and embrace how much we all have in common.

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Bob

Wendy Mass

It’s been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy’s grandmother in Australia. Now that she’s back, Livy has the feeling she’s forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house.

It turns out she’s right.

Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn’t forget Livy, or her promise. He’s been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can’t remember who—or what—he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it’s time to keep that promise.

Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.

Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.

This title has Common Core connections.

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Dig, Dogs, Dig

James Horvath (Cartoonist)

Top dog Duke leads a busy work crew to a new construction site. All sorts of dogs have plenty to do before the day is out. These clever dogs will dig, haul, push, plow, and even bring in a crane to build a new park. But what happens when they find something unexpected buried deep in the ground?

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A River Enchanted

Rebecca Ross

#1 International Bestseller

"With lush world building and lyrical prose, A River Enchanted feels like the echo of a folktale from a world right next to our own." --Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch's Heart in Rebecca Ross's brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.

Jack Tamerlaine hasn't stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack's childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard's music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.

As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross's brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.

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Refugee

Alan Gratz

A tour de force from acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087), this timely -- and timeless -- novel tells the powerful story of three different children seeking refuge.

 

A New York Times bestseller!JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.This action-packed novel tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.

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Most People

Michael Leannah

The world can be a scary place. Anxious adults want children to be aware of dangers, but shouldn't kids be aware of kindness too? Michael Leannah wrote Most People as an antidote to the scary words and images kids hear and see every day.
Jennifer Morris's emotive, diverting characters provide the perfect complement to Leannah's words, leading us through the crowded streets of an urban day in the company of two pairs of siblings (one of color). We see what they see: the hulking dude with tattoos and chains assisting an elderly lady onto the bus; the goth teenager with piercings and purple Mohawk returning a lost wallet to its owner; and the myriad interactions of daily existence, most of them well intended.
This reassuring picture book is a courageous, constructive response to the dystopian world of the news media.

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Ms. Bixby's Last Day

John David Anderson

A funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking contemporary story about three boys, one teacher, and a day none of them will ever forget.

Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don’t even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.

Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan—more of a quest, really—to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them—and what the three of them mean to each other.

John David Anderson is the author of Sidekicked and The Dungeoneers, proven winners with middle grade readers, and Ms. Bixby's Day is no exception.

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The Rain Wizard

Larry Dane Brimner

In December 1915, San Diego's leaders claimed the town's reservoirs were nearly dry. Knowing the city would not survive and grow unless it had water, they hired Charles Mallory Hatfield, whose skills at making rain were legendary. But when torrents and torrents of rain came, disaster struck. Roads were closed, people drowned, and dams burst. The town elders blamed Hatfield and refused to pay him. Was Hatfield really a rain wizard, or simply a fraud? Renowned author Larry Dane Brimner examines the man and the myth by relying on personal recollections from growing up in California, as well as extensive research. Readers will be captivated by Hatfield—a man once known as the Frankenstein of the air—and his secret rainmaking formulas. Includes author's note, source notes, and bibliography.

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Mud Kitchen Crafts

Sophie Pickles

Stimulate your child’s senses—right in your own backyard!

Steer your little ones away from their screens and into the outdoors with projects designed to spark their insight, dexterity and imagination: Just add mud! With parenting blogger Sophie Pickles’s expert guidance, you’ll transform your backyard into a lively space where your children can experiment with different textures—there’s even a taste-safe alternative!—and understand the wonderful world around them.

Using natural ingredients that are on-hand or easily obtainable, you’ll help your kids explore concepts like environmentalism, culinary science, creativity and math, while never losing sight of all the delightful sensory stimulation. Bond over the sheer fun of Shape Play, or try out Muddy River for an introduction to physics. Watch them delight in creating their own food station, with projects like Juice Bar and Mud Café. Better yet, help them build the blocks of critical thinking and observational skills, with activities like Mud Investigation and Mini Beast Hunt.

With Mud Kitchen Crafts, education meets fun in a major way.

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The Tarnished Garden

Alyssa Colman

In this enchanting follow-up to The Gilded Girl, Maeve and Izzy O'Donnell must adjust to a new life together at the Manhattan School for Magic—but when Maeve's magic goes rogue and their school is in danger, they'll need to lean on one another to make things right.

The Manhattan School for Magic is the newest kindling school in New York, but Maeve O’Donnell knows she doesn't deserve her place there. Though her sister, Izzy, is one of the school's founders and a hero to those who can now kindle, Maeve can't control her magic and she lives in fear of anyone—especially Izzy—finding out.

When Maeve’s worst fears come true and her magic goes rogue, it damages not only the new school but Izzy’s reputation as well. While trying to repair what she’s broken, Maeve discovers a mysterious garden in the tenement neighborhood of the Tarnish, a hidden place where her magic actually works. As her magic and confidence grow, she befriends the others for whom the garden is a haven: a litter of talking kittens (house dragons, of course) who need Maeve’s help to find their missing mother. But someone else is searching for the kittens, too, someone who doesn’t care how many magical sites they have to destroy to stop magic’s expansion. And Maeve’s unstable magic might be the only way to save her sister’s school from being snuffed out next.

The Tarnished Garden is a sparkling middle-grade novel from Alyssa Colman.

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Hunters of the Lost City

Kali Wallace

 

 

“Reminiscent in feel to Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this lovely fantasy introduces a complicated, brave, and believable heroine. . . . An absolute delight.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Packed with shocking twists, frightening monsters, and dark magic, this is a page-turning fantasy adventure for middle-grade fans of Holly Black and Tamora Pierce.
Twelve-year-old Octavia grew up believing the town of Vittoria was the only one left in the world. The sole survivors of a deadly magical war and plague, the people of Vittoria know there’s no one alive outside the town walls—except the terrible monsters that prowl the forest.
 
But then the impossible happens: Octavia meets another girl beyond the walls, someone who isn’t Vittorian. Everything she’s ever believed is thrown into question, and there’s no going back.
 
In her quest for the truth, Octavia discovers a world full of lies, monsters, and magic. She’ll have to use every scrap of her skill, wits, and courage to uncover what’s real about Vittoria and the rest of the world.

 

 

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Sharks

Miriam Forster

An epic, oversize nonfiction picture book in the vein of Bees: A Honeyed History--all about sharks and their prehistoric predecessors

Sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the earth (or, rather, in its waters). This epic survey follows sharks from their earliest appearance in the Paleozoic era up through the challenges they face today.



Along the way, readers will meet many different sharks from different points in history. They will get an up-close evolutionary look at what makes a shark a shark--like their skin, their teeth, their fins, and more. And they will get a crash course in archeological time, as the book mostly covers prehistoric sharks or modern-day sharks who have been around much longer than humans. Like the hammerhead, who has been patrolling tropical coastlines for more than 20 million years!



With lush illustrations from Gordy Wright and meticulous research from author Miriam Forster, Sharks: A Mighty, Bite-y History is sure to delight shark lovers, science fans, and any reader who loves to discover new wonders about the world around them.

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Noodle and the No Bones Day

Jonathan Graziano

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

From the creator of the viral “Bones or No Bones” TikTok videos comes a sweet and entertaining picture book following Noodle the pug and his human as they navigate Noodle’s first No Bones Day—a day for being kind to yourself!


Noodle is a sweet, silly old pug who enjoys doing all his favorite activities with his favorite human, Jonathan. But one day when Jonathan goes to take Noodle on his morning walk, he finds Noodle still comfortable in bed. When Jonathan lifts Noodle up, Noodle just flops over. It’s almost like Noodle woke up without any bones!

Noodle isn’t sick or sad—but he also isn’t interested in going for walks or sitting outside (he will accept snacks, though). Today, all he needs are extra snuggles and belly rubs. Jonathan soon learns that not every day can be a Bones Day, and sometimes a No Bones Day is exactly what you need to get through the week.

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Real Pigeons Peck Punches (Book 5)

Andrew McDonald

It's a bird! It's... another bird? Well, actually it's a whole flock of crime-fighting pigeons! The hilarity continues in this reluctant-reader favorite, perfect for fans of BAD GUYS and DOG MAN.

With the Real Pigeons World Wild Network, more pigeons are fighting crime than ever before! But that doesn't mean the squad can rest. There are still thieves to catch and endangered birds to protect! But what will the Real Pigeons do when they find a traitor in their own nest?!

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Puppy Bus

Drew Brockington

A hilarious back-to-school story from the creator of CatStronauts, Drew Brockington

When a boy and his family move, he has to start all over at a new school--and gets plenty of first day jitters. The teachers will be different, he'll have to make new friends, and he won't even know where the bathroom is!



On the first day, he nervously gets on the bus, only to end up at Puppy School. Everything is strange and different--but at the end of the day, new friends prove that maybe starting at someplace new isn't so bad after all.

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The Dinos on the Bus

Peter Millett

Roar, stomp, and clap along to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus" with a group of playful dinosaurs as they go on their first bus journey!

Hop on the bus with a rowdy bunch of dinosaurs, as they travel up and down, round and round, all through the land. A delightful reinvention of the classic "Wheels on the Bus" rhyme, this book is full of action-packed moments, dynamic illustrations, and is sure to take readers on a fun-filled adventure!

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Out of Range

Heidi Lang

Hatchet meets Raina Telgemeier’s Sisters in this “realistic, riveting” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade tale of three warring sisters who find themselves lost in the wilderness and must learn to trust each other if they want to survive.

Sisters Abby, Emma, and Ollie have gone from being best friends forever to mortal enemies.

Thanks to their months-long feud, they are sent to Camp Unplugged, a girls’ camp deep in the heart of the Idaho mountains where they will go “back to nature”—which means no cell phones, no internet, and no communicating with the outside world. For two whole weeks. During that time, they had better learn to get along again, their parents tell them. Or else.

The sisters don’t see any way they can ever forgive each other for what they’ve done, no matter how many hikes and campfire songs they’re forced to participate in. But then disaster strikes, and they find themselves lost and alone in the wilderness. They will have to outrun a raging wildfire, make it through a turbulent river, escape bears and mountain lions and ticks. They don’t have training, or food, or enough supplies. All they have is each other.

And maybe, just maybe, it will be enough to survive.

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Rosie and the Pre-Loved Dress

Leanne Hatch

A sweet picture book about a girl who finds a special dress at a thrift store and imagines who may have owned the dress before her.

When Rosie finds the most beautiful yellow dress at her local thrift store, the first thing she notices when she brings it home is a name written on the tag: Mila. Rosie wonders if Mila liked any of the same things she did, and what amazing things Mila might have done in the dress.
 
The dress makes Rosie feel like her best self--like she can do anything. But soon it’s time to donate the dress so someone else can make their own memories with it. Letting it go is hard, but Rosie smiles when she wonders what the dress’s next owner will do while wearing it….
 
The joy and wonder of recycled clothing is brought to life by Leanne Hatch's charming text and whimsical illustrations.

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The Queen of Kindergarten

Derrick Barnes

A confident little Black girl has a fantastic first day of school in this companion to the New York Times bestseller The King of Kindergarten.

MJ is more than ready for her first day of kindergarten! With her hair freshly braided and her mom's special tiara on her head, she knows she’s going to rock kindergarten. But the tiara isn’t just for show—it also reminds her of all the good things she brings to the classroom, stuff like her kindness, friendliness, and impressive soccer skills, too! Like The King of Kindergarten, this is the perfect book to reinforce back-to-school excitement and build confidence in the newest students.

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The World Belonged to Us

Jacqueline Woodson

Two children’s book superstars—#1 New York Times bestseller Jacqueline Woodson, the author of The Day You Begin, and Leo Espinosa, the illustrator of Islandborn­—join forces to celebrate the joy and freedom of summer in the city, which is gloriously captured in their rhythmic text and lively art.

It's getting hot outside, hot enough to turn on the hydrants and run through the water--and that means it's finally summer in the city! Released from school and reveling in their freedom, the kids on one Brooklyn block take advantage of everything summertime has to offer: Freedom from morning till night to go out to meet their friends and make the streets their playground--jumping double Dutch, playing tag and hide-and-seek, building forts, chasing ice cream trucks, and best of all, believing anything is possible. That is, till their moms call them home for dinner. But not to worry--they know there is always tomorrow to do it all over again--because the block belongs to them and they rule their world.

(This book is also available in Spanish, as El mundo era nuestro!)

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Brain Games: Experiments

Anna Claybourne

Trick your senses and test your noodling skills with mind-blowing experiments in this fascinating, kid-friendly book based on the hit National Geographic TV show Brain Games!


Can you outsmart your brilliant brain? You may be surprised by what it can--and can't--do. In this awesome interactive book you'll discover what makes your mind tick. Explore the secrets behind smell, taste, touch, and vision. Find out how to trick your friends into thinking they taste something they don't. Then turn the tables as you try to outsmart your own brain. Put your own mental powers to the test with tricky quizzes, optical illusions, and more. Learn about phantom sensations as you make your brain think your nose is six feet long! Each kid-friendly experiment is paired with step-by-step instructions, vibrant photography, and intriguing explanations of the neuroscience at work.


Mind-blowing topics include:
* Senses: Test your powers of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.
* Brain and Body: Explore how your mind knows where your body is, how to play brain games with your friends, and secrets behind superhero super poses.
* Thinking: Challenge your memory, strength of the hive mind, puzzle power, mind-reading abilities, and concentration.
* Reactions: Put your reflexes to work to catch, dodge, check snap judgments, and more.


Perfect for fans of National Geographic Channel's award-winning Brain Games series who want to get in on the fun at home!


Complete your collection with these National Geographic Kids books:
Brain Games: The Mind-Blowing Science of Your Amazing Brain
Brain Games: Big Book of Boredom Busters
Brain Games: Colossal Book of Cranium-Crushers
Brain Games: Mighty Book of Mind Benders
Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to Do With Your Canine Companion
Cat Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to Do With Your Feline Friend
Edible Science: Experiments You Can Eat

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Trucks on Trucks

Sorche Fairbank

What's better than a truck? A truck on top of another truck! Trucks on Trucks hits the highways and the byways while exploring basic concepts such as size, shape, color, numbers, and professions. A wonderful choice for children who love vehicles vehicles and books such as Donald Crews's Truck and Freight Train, and Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry's Little Blue Truck.

Trucks on trucks on trucks! Large trucks, small trucks, red trucks, blue trucks . . . and don't forget about your truck.

Featuring Sorche Fairbank's lively, rhythmic text and illustrator Nik Henderson's bold and energetic art, this picture book stars page after page of trucks hauling trucks. Trucks on Trucks is custom-built for vehicle lovers and introduces young readers to basic preschool concepts such as size, colors, numbers, professions, and community. A fresh new take on the classic "things that go" theme.

 

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Little Homesteader: A Fall Treasury of Recipes, Crafts and Wisdom

Angela Ferraro-Fanning

This charmingly illustrated seasonal treasury of nature-based crafts, baking recipes, and gardening projects for the fall celebrates the homesteading lifestyle with self-sufficient and eco-friendly fun.

Locally printed on 100% recycled paper, Little Homesteader: A Fall Treasury of Recipes, Crafts and Wisdom offers:

  • Easy yet delicious autumn recipes and treats that introduce young readers to local and seasonal eating. From pumpkin muffins to homemade apple chips, the easy-to-make recipes will inspire kids to get into the kitchen.
  • Suggestions for using up unloved parts of produce, such as ways to make use of apple cores and peel, demonstrate a naturally zero-waste way of living.
  • Accessible and fun crafts, such as making a gratitude tree and a woven basket, have instructions broken down into clear steps illustrated in AnneliesDraws’ cute and wholesome style.
  • The seasonal gardening and growing projects, such as planting herbs, can be done in a big back yard or on a windowsill, making this eco-friendly activity book a fun resource, whether readers are based in towns or the country.


Woven alongside the cooking, crafting, and planting projects are little snippets of seasonal information and self-sufficient wisdom from homesteading teacher Angela Fanning of Axe and Root Homestead, with a focus on enjoying and celebrating the best of what the fall season has to offer.

Find even more nature-centered seasonal fun in: Little Homesteader: A Winter Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom.

Ivy Kids brings you beautiful, sustainably printed books to rewild your child, nurture creativity, and foster a deep connection with the living world. Winner of the Sustainability Award at the Independent Publishers Awards 2022, Ivy Kids books are planet-friendlyprinted on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, locally to where they will be sold.

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Doggie

Nancy Armo

A heartwarming book about expectations, surprises, and a cat named Doggie. For animal lovers ages 4 years and up.

A little boy wants a dog and is surprised when a cat comes to live at his house. Can this cat play fetch? NO! Can this cat do tricks? NO! Can this cat replace a dog? MAYBE.Maybe this cat is just what a little boy needs.

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Hey, Bruce!

Ryan Higgins

In Hey, Bruce!, Bruce the bear experiences . . . well, whatever readers want him to.

Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs, the fun-loving mice in Bruce's begrudgingly expansive family, guide readers on a quest for a fun reading experience, with Bruce the ever-reluctant star. As readers turn the page, flip the book, and follow the mice's increasingly silly instructions, Bruce is sent flying and tumbling--all as he looks right up the reader's nose! How will you interact with Bruce?

Bruce's life is what YOU, the reader, make it in this special interactive addition to the award-winning Mother Bruce series.



 

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Creepy Crayon!

Aaron Reynolds

A #1 New York Times bestseller!

From the team behind the New York Times bestselling Creepy Carrots! and Creepy Pair of Underwear! comes the third in this hilariously spooky series about a young rabbit and his peculiar encounters—featuring a sinister crayon!

Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow…it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help.

At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn’t have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It’s everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.

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There's a Unicorn in Your Book

Tom Fletcher

Galloping glitter! A unicorn has landed in YOUR book! An engaging new adventure from the team that brought you There's a Monster in Your Book and its companions.

Unicorns love to sing, but this unicorn isn't singing because a worry gremlin has crept in! Help unicorn up by using your finger wand and listening to its worries in this interactive book with an important social-emotional message about expressing your emotions. For more read-aloud fun in the Who's In Your Book series, look for these: There's a Dragon in Your Book, There's an Elf in Your Book, There's an Alien in Your Book, There's a Superhero in Your Book, and There's a Witch in Your Book!

Tom Fletcher is one of Britain's bestselling children's authors (in addition to being a rock star!), and his YouTube videos have been viewed tens of millions of times.

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Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover)

Helen Yoon

Hungry Wolf disguises himself as a sheep and nobody suspects a thing! (Or do they?)

Wolf dreams of tasty sheep--sheep sandwiches, sheep sushi, sheep tacos! In his clever sheep costume, he infiltrates the friendly neighborhood herd, blending in by helping with chores, reading bedtime stories to the lambs, and working up a sweat in sheep aerobics class. Wolf's sneaky plan works so well, he becomes part of the family. And suddenly, the sheep don't seem quite as tasty. . . . With a charming twist ending and lots of visual fun--including the running theme of Wolf's disguise not being quite as convincing as he thinks--this hilarious take on the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing will have readers howling for more.

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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Jessica Townsend

An instant New York Times bestseller!
"A Harry Potter-esque adventure." --Time Magazine
A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

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Small Spaces

Katherine Arden

New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback.

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man"—a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.
Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.
Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. As the trio head out into the woods—bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them—the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small."
And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.

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Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Kelly Jones

Fans of Polly Horvath or Roald Dahl will love this quirky story of a determined girl, and some extraordinary chickens.

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they've inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, theentire henhouse....

And then more of her great-uncle's unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.

Told in letters to Sophie's abuela, quizzes, a chicken-care correspondence course, to-do lists, and more,Unusual Chickens is a quirky, clucky classic in the making.

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Please Don't Read This Book

Deanna Kizis

In this laugh-out-loud book that begs readers to break the rules, silliness and hilarity reign supreme! Perfect for fans of The Book with No Pictures.

Wait--are you reading this book? Even though the cover asked you not to?

Well, if you're going to read it, then you'll have to follow the rules, or you're going to have WAY too much fun. And you don't want to have FUN, do you? DO YOU?!

That's what I thought. So definitely, positively, DO NOT read this book!

Join along for zany antics, silly sounds, and endless fun in this breaks-the-fourth-wall book that will have readers coming back time and time again--regardless of what the title says.

Praise for Please Don't Read This Book:

"Inviting of energetic engagement and laughter." --Kirkus Reviews

"A brilliant job of engaging even the most reluctant reader, showing how much fun a book can be." --New York Journal of Books

"'Please Don’t Read This Book!' is hard to resist — and that’s clearly the plan." --The Virginian-Pilot

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Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Judy Blume

Two is a crowd when Peter and his four-year-old brother, Fudge, are in the same room. Grown-ups think Fudge is absolutely adorable, but Peter and his pet turtle, Dribble, know the truth. Fudge is actually a tiny terror in disguise, causing mischief everywhere he goes.

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We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

Traci Sorell

 

2019 Sibert Honor Book
2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book
NPR's Guide To 2018’s Great Reads
2018 Book Launch Award (SCBWI)
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2018
School Library Journal Best Books of 2018

2018 JLG selection
2019 Reading the West Picture Book Award

The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.


The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.


"A gracious, warm, and loving celebration of community and gratitude"—Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

"The book underscores the importance of traditions and carrying on a Cherokee way of life"—Horn Book STARRED REVIEW

"This informative and authentic introduction to a thriving ancestral and ceremonial way of life is perfect for holiday and family sharing"—School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

"An elegant representation"—Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW

 

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Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme

Avery Monsen

From the coauthor of the smash hit All My Friends Are Dead and the creator of the beloved Dory Fantasmagory chapter book series comes a hilarious read aloud about a boy who loses his gift for rhyme.



There once was a youngster named Chester van Chime Who woke up one day and forgot how to rhyme. Chester loved rhyming, in poem or song. It always felt right, but today it felt...not right. VERY not right.

Chester van Chime is usually the BEST at rhyming. He can normally tell you all about cats wearing hats and snails delivering mail, but today, something has changed. Today there's no dog on a log. No duck in a truck. Just a Pomeranian on a sideways tree and a waterfowl in a full-size pickup. What's a kid to do?!



Filled with irresistible wordplay and whimsically silly illustrations, bestselling creators Avery Monsen and Abby Hanlon's read aloud tells the story of a boy who learns not to be stressed if he's not at his...tippy-top peak performance.

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Ear Worm!

Jo Knowles

A musical treat for the ear and eye, this antic tale of a worm on a mission doubles as a cozy bedtime book.

One summer day, as Little Worm heads out to play, he discovers he has a song stuck in his head. "What's that you're singing?" Owl asks, but Little Worm can't say. He wriggles past, determined to learn who filled his head with "Shimmy shimmy, no-sashay." Owl flaps along with a song of his own, and before long Chipmunk, Bunny, and Fox fall in line, each contributing an ear worm to the joyful cacophony. Amid all the singing and dancing, Little Worm forgets his musical mystery until later when--surprise!--Papa Worm tucks him in. Hip, vintage-inspired illustrations and whimsical typesetting meet movement, sound play, and comic, cumulative delights in a picture book that will charm media-savvy children and their parents alike.

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Worser

Jennifer Ziegler

A bullied 12-year-old boy must find a new normal after his mother has a stroke and his life is turned upside down.

William Wyatt Orser, a socially awkward middle schooler, is a wordsmith who, much to his annoyance, acquired the ironically ungrammatical nickname of “Worser" so long ago that few people at school know to call him anything else.

Worser grew up with his mom, a professor of rhetoric and an introvert just like him, in a comfortable routine that involved reading aloud in the evenings, criticizing the grammar of others, ignoring the shabby mess of their house, and suffering the bare minimum of social interactions with others. But recently all that has changed. His mom had a stroke that left her nonverbal, and his Aunt Iris has moved in with her cats, art projects, loud music, and even louder clothes. Home for Worser is no longer a refuge from the unsympathetic world at school that it has been all his life.

Feeling lost, lonely, and overwhelmed, Worser searches for a new sanctuary and ends up finding the Literary Club--a group of kids from school who share his love of words and meet in a used bookstore– something he never dreamed existed outside of his home. Even more surprising to Worser is that the key to making friends is sharing the thing he holds dearest: his Masterwork, the epic word notebook that he has been adding entries to for years.

But relationships can be precarious, and it is up to Worser to turn the page in his own story to make something that endures so that he is no longer seen as Worser and earns a new nickname, Worder.

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The Dark Hills Divide

Patrick Carman

An extraordinary debut weaving magic and heroism into a classic tale of good and evil, featuring a heroine you'll never forget.

Inquisitive twelve-year-old Alexa Daley is spending another summer in the walled town of Bridewell. This year, she is set on solving the mystery of what lies beyond the walls. Legend says the walls were built to keep out an unnamed evil that lurks in the forests and The Dark Hills. But what exactly is it that the townspeople are so afraid of?
As Alexa begins to unravel the truth, pushing beyond the protective barrier she's lived behind all her life, she discovers a strange and ancient enchantment -- and exposes a danger that could destroy everything she holds dear.

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Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game

Chris Grabenstein

Before Mr. Lemoncello became everyone's favorite game maker, he was a kid who liked to roll the dice . . . Discover the origins of what James Patterson calls "the coolest library in the world" in this PREQUEL to the New York Times bestselling Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Go back to the START and meet thirteen-year-old, PUZZLE-obsessed Luigi Lemoncello!
Luigi has a knack for games and puzzles. But sometimes it feels like the cards are stacked against him. UNTIL a carnival arrives in town and Luigi gets the CHANCE OF A LIFETIME--the opportunity to work for the world famous Professor Marvelmous--a dazzling, banana-hat-wearing barker who puts the SHOW in SHOWMAN! When the carnival closes, Professor Marvelmous leaves behind a mysterious puzzle box along with a clue. A clue that will lead Luigi and his friends on a fantastical treasure hunt to a prize beyond anything they could imagine--if they can find it!
Can Luigi crack the codes and unlock the box's secrets? Will there be puzzles? Of course! Balloons? You bet! Will it be fun? Hello! It's a Lemon-cello! BONUS! Can YOU crack the hidden puzzle inside?!

* A worthy successor to . . . Willy Wonka. --Booklist, starred review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

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Coraline

Neil Gaiman

The day after they moved in,
Coraline went exploring....

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.

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Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Dana Simpson

"Phoebe is a remarkably real little girl, as bright and imaginative as Bill Watterson's Calvin, as touchingly vulnerable as Charles Schulz's Charlie Brown. And if these strike you as big names to conjure with, I'll go further and state for the record that in my opinion Heavenly Nostrils is nothing less than the best comic strip to come along since Calvin and Hobbes. Simpson is that good, and that original."
--Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, from the Introduction


A boy and his dog . . . a girl and her . . . unicorn?

It all started when a girl named Phoebe skipped a rock across a pond and accidentally hit a unicorn in the face. Improbably, this led to Phoebe being granted one wish, and she used it to make the unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, her obligational best friend. But can a vain mythical beast and a nine-year-old daydreamer really forge a connection? Indeed they can, and that's how Phoebe and Her Unicorn unfolds.

This beautifully drawn comic strip follows the unlikely friendship between a somewhat awkward girl and the magic unicorn who gradually shows her just how special she really is. Through hilarious adventures where Phoebe gets to bask in Marigold's "awesomeness," the friends also come to acknowledge that they had been lonely before they met and truly appreciate the bond they now share.

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The One Thing You'd Save

Linda Sue Park

If your house were on fire, what one thing would you save? Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park explores different answers to this provocative question in linked poems that capture the diverse voices of a middle school class. Illustrated with black-and-white art.

When a teacher asks her class what one thing they would save in an emergency, some students know the answer right away. Others come to their decisions more slowly. And some change their minds when they hear their classmates' responses. A lively dialog ignites as the students discover unexpected facets of one another--and themselves. With her ear for authentic dialog and knowledge of tweens' priorities and emotions, Linda Sue Park brings the varied voices of an inclusive classroom to life through carefully honed, engaging, and instantly accessible verse.

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No Bunnies Here!

Tammi Sauer

A laugh-filled, bunny-filled new picture book from author-illustrator dream team Tammi Sauer and Ross Burach, just in time for Easter baskets and spring celebrations.

From the author of Wordy Birdy and the illustrator of The Very Impatient Caterpillar comes a hilarious picture book about a super-sassy bunny who tries to save himself and his cotton-tailed pals from a wolf by conning him into thinking they are not bunnies, despite the fact that a.) they are very clearly bunnies and b.) more and more (and more!) bunnies keep showing up. How many bunnies are in this book? A LOT!

Young readers and their parents won't be able to stop giggling at this chatty, boisterous, fur-filled, fun-filled caper.

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The Iron Trial

Holly Black

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a riveting new series that defies what you think you know about the world of magic.

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

From the remarkable imaginations of bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, pulse-pounding plunge into the magical unknown.

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Connect the Dots

Keith Calabrese

Liar & Spy meets The Parker Inheritance in this whimsically complex story about human connection and the power we all have to determine our own fate.

Is there anything more random than middle school? Sixth graders Oliver and Frankie don't think so. Their first few weeks have been full of weirdness -- lunchtime thievery, free beef jerky, and Matilda, the mysterious new girl who knows everything about them, but has a lot to learn about making friends.

But what if none of it is random at all? What if a reclusive genius is keeping an eye on them and making sure the tiny pieces of his puzzle fall into place, one by one, until strange, seemingly unconnected incidents snowball totally out of control? Imagine the odds First a cardamom shortage takes down the school bully. Then a giant dog leads to some extracurricular spying. Soon Oliver is being followed and Matilda is hacking the FBI. And by the time they discover a gang of angry clowns and the world's largest game of Mousetrap, an insanely brilliant plan has been set in motion that will change their lives forever.

Connect the Dots is an intricately plotted story about the power of human connection and a chain of "coincidences" so serendipitous they must be destiny at work.

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This Book Is Not for You!

Shannon Hale

From New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale and award-winning illustrator Tracy Subisak, comes a zany picture book that pokes fun at overly gendered notions of "boy books" and "girl books" and celebrates the pleasure of a good book.

Stanley's thrilled for bookmobile day--until the old man at the window refuses to lend him the story he wants, all because it features a girl. "Girl books" are only for girls, the book man insists, just like cat books are only for cats and robot books are only for robots. But when a dinosaur arrives at the bookmobile and successfully demands a book about ponies, Stanley musters the courage to ask for the tale he really wants--about a girl adventurer fighting pirates on the open seas. By speaking up, Stanley inspires the people, cats, robots, and goats around him to read more stories outside their experiences and enjoy the pleasure of a good book of their choosing.

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Donut

Laura Gehl

Here's the hilarious story of Donut, a scruffy unicorn who can't fly-- but who keeps on trying! From the author of One Big Pair of Underwear and the illustrator of Sweety.

When Donut, a fluffy, scruffy unicorn with a colorful horn spots a bird in the air, she thinks, why can't I be up there, too? And so she jumps! off of a log and and even a trampoline. But thump! she falls down to the ground. After many attempts at flight (including wings fashioned out of sticks), Donut schemes with the other animals in the field, and finally comes up with an ingenious and imaginative solution. Finally, her perseverance pays off-- and Donut flies!


With a simple text and expressive art, here is a character-driven story from a popular author-illustrator duo that's laugh-out-loud funny, ingenious, and sure to appeal to all those unicorn fans out there--especially those who like their unicorns a little on the imperfect side.

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Fry Bread

Kevin Noble Maillard

Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
A 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner

“A wonderful and sweet book . . . Lovely stuff.” —The New York Times Book Review

Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.

Fry bread is food.
It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.

Fry bread is time.
It brings families together for meals and new memories.

Fry bread is nation.
It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.

Fry bread is us.
It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.

A 2020 Charlotte Huck Recommended Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Picture Book of 2019
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019
A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019
A Booklist 2019 Editor's Choice
A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2019
A Goodreads Choice Award 2019 Semifinalist

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2019
A National Public Radio (NPR) Best Book of 2019
An NCTE Notable Poetry Book
A 2020 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
A 2020 ALA Notable Children's Book
A 2020 ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year List
One of NPR's 100 Favorite Books for Young Readers
Nominee, Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award 2022-2022
Nominee, Illinois Monarch Award 2022

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Finding Junie Kim

Ellen Oh

For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Amina's Voice comes a breathtaking story of family, hope, and survival from Ellen Oh, cofounder of We Need Diverse Books. When Junie Kim is faced with middle school racism, she learns of her grandparents' extraordinary strength and finds her voice. Inspired by her mother's real-life experiences during the Korean War, Oh's characters are real and riveting.

"Both unique and universal, timely and timeless." --Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home

A moving story that highlights how to find courage in the face of unspeakable hardship. --Hena Khan, award-winning author of Amina's Voice

Junie discovers where she comes from and gains the courage to make a difference in the future. --Wendy Wan-Long Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Junie Kim just wants to fit in. So she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out.

Then Junie's history teacher assigns a project and Junie decides to interview her grandparents, learning about their unbelievable experiences as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma's fierce determination to overcome impossible odds, and her grandpa's unwavering compassion during wartime. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie taps into the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what is right.

Finding Junie Kim is a reminder that within all of us lies the power to overcome hardship and emerge triumphant.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book

A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

Included in NPR's 2021 Books We Love List

2021 Nerdy Award Winner

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The Night Bus Hero

Onjali Q. Raúf

What does it take to turn a bully into a hero? Empathy and the power of forgiveness take center stage in this poignant novel by the award-winning author of The Boy at the Back of the Class.

Getting in trouble is what Hector does best. He knows that not much is expected of him. In fact, he gets some of his most brilliant prank ideas while sitting in detention. But how far is too far? When Hector plays a prank on a homeless man and is seen and shamed by a schoolmate, he reaches a turning point. He wants to be viewed differently and decides to do something that will change his fate for the better. But will anyone take him seriously?

This moving story told with humor and heart presents readers with some recognizable characters, like a bully and a teacher's pet, and introduces them to some they may not be so familiar with-- like those who are homeless, who live on the street, and whose stories are equally meaningful and important. Readers will feel motivated to see the best in others and hopeful that bad things can be overcome with effort.

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Breaking Cat News

Georgia Dunn

This just in: Three adorable house cats are reporting the most hilarious breaking news! Based on author/illustrator Georgia Dunn's real life pets, Elvis, Lupin, and Puck strap on neckties and pick up microphones to provide the most up-to-date relevant news stories (at least according to them).

Cats reporting on the news that matters to cats with stories such as The Vacuum Cleaner Is Back!, The Woman Is Cooking Bacon!, and The Ceiling Cats Are Everywhere Tonight! Cynical, no nonsense Elvis and shy, sweet, sensitive Puck are the reporter kitties in the field, while the adventurous jokester Lupin serves as anchor cat. Together they break headlines on the food bowl, new plants, mysterious red dots, strange cats in the yard, and all the daily happenings in their home.

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The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as Told to His Brother)

David Levithan

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief.

Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible. But it's the story Aidan is sticking to.

His brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. But Lucas is aware of what other people, including their parents, are saying: that Aidan is making it all up to disguise the fact that he ran away.

When the kids in school hear Aidan's story, they taunt him. But still Aidan clings to his story. And as he becomes more of an outcast, Lucas becomes more and more concerned. Being on Aidan's side would mean believing in the impossible. But how can you believe in the impossible when everything and everybody is telling you not to?

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The Anti-Book

Raphael Simon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Name of This Book Is Secret comes a darkly funny story about a boy who wants the world to disappear. This fantastical quest for comfort and belonging was called "a surprisingly powerful, formula-breaking coming-of-age story" by the New York Times.

Mickey is angry all the time: at his divorced parents, at his sister, and at his two new stepmoms, both named Charlie. And so he can't resist the ad inside his pack of gum: Do you ever wish everyone would go away? Buy The Anti-Book! Satisfaction guaranteed. He orders the book, but when it arrives, it's blank--except for one line of instruction: To erase it, write it. He fills the pages with all the things and people he dislikes . . .

Next thing he knows, he's wandering an anti-world, one in which everything and everyone familiar is gone. Or are they? His sister soon reappears--but she's only four inches tall. A tiny talking house with wings looks strangely familiar, as does the mysterious half-invisible boy who seems to think that he and Mickey are best buds. The boy persuades Mickey to go find the Bubble Gum King--the king, who resides at the top of a mountain, is the only one who might be able help Mickey fix the mess he's made.

From Raphael Simon (a.k.a. beloved author Pseudonymous Bosch!) comes this Phantom Tollbooth for today's generation--a fantastical quest for comfort and belonging that will resonate with many, many readers.

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Dead Wednesday

Jerry Spinelli

Can playing dead bring you back to life? Maybe on Dead Wednesday... On this day the worlds of a shy boy and a gone girl collide, and the connection they make will change them both forever. A brilliant new novel from the Newbery Medal winner and author of the New York Times bestseller Stargirl.

"Jerry Spinelli has created another middle grade masterpiece."
-BookPage, starred review

On Dead Wednesday, every eighth grader in Amber Springs is assigned the name and identity of a teenager who died a preventable death in the past year. The kids don black shirts and for the whole day everyone in town pretends they're invisible-as if they weren't even there. The adults think it will make them contemplate their mortality. The kids know it's a free pass to get away with anything.

Worm Tarnauer feels invisible every day. He's perfectly happy being the unnoticed sidekick of his friend Eddie. So he's not expecting Dead Wednesday to feel that different. But he didn't count on being assigned Becca Finch (17, car crash). And he certainly didn't count on Becca showing up to boss him around! Letting this girl into his head is about to change everything.

This is the story of the unexpected, heartbreaking, hilarious, truly epic day when Worm Tarnauer discovers his own life.

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Inkling

Kenneth Oppel

"Astonishing"--The New York Times Book Review

A brilliantly funny, highly illustrated story about how a little ink splot changes a family forever. Perfect for those who love Hoot, Holes, or Frindle!


The Rylance family is stuck. Dad's got writer's block. Ethan promised to illustrate a group project at school--even though he can't draw. Sarah's still pining for a puppy. And they all miss Mom.

Enter Inkling. Inkling begins life in Mr. Rylance's sketchbook. But one night the ink of his drawings runs together--and then leaps off the page! This small burst of creativity is about to change everything.

Ethan finds him first. Inkling has absorbed a couple chapters of his math book--not good--and the story he's supposed to be illustrating for school--also not good. But Inkling's also started drawing the pictures to go with the story--which is amazing! It's just the help Ethan was looking for! Inkling helps the rest of the family too--for Sarah he's a puppy. And for Dad he's a spark of ideas for a new graphic novel. It's exactly what they all want.

It's not until Inkling goes missing that this family has to face the larger questions of what they--and Inkling--truly need.

* A New York Times Notable Book
* A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year -- top ten selection
* "A true-to-life family, some can't-put-it-down excitement, a few deep questions, and more than a little bit of magic. This book is everything, and I loved every page." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medalist for When You Reach Me

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