New Nonfiction Books

September 11, 2001: Attack on New York City - Wilborn Hampton
Describes the September 11 attacks in the United States and presents several personal stories of tragedy told by New Yorkers who lived through the collapse of the World Trade Center. Includes a new postscript covering events that have happened since that day, including the death of Osama bin Laden.

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March - Cynthia Levinson
Discusses the events of the 4,000 African American students who marched to jail to secure their freedom in May 1963.

The Elephant Scientist - Caitlin O'Connell
Journey to the Namibian desert with Caitlin O'Connell, an American scientist, and witness one of nature's largest, most complex, and most intelligent mammals living today on this earth.

New Children's Books

Green - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text explore the many shades of the color green.

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems - Kate Coombs
Come down to the shore with this rich and vivid celebration of the ocean! With watercolors gorgeous enough to wade in by award-winning artist Meilo So and playful, moving poems by Kate Coombs, Water Sings Blue evokes the beauty and power, the depth and mystery, and the endless resonance of the sea.

The Hero of Little Street - Gregory Rogers
When a boy being chased through present-day London seeks refuge in the National Gallery, a dog escapes from the painting of one Dutch master and together they leap into the painting of another, where their adventures in seventeenth-century Delft are a prelude to returning to London and continuing the chase. Wordless book

Little Bird - Germano Zullo
A man drives his truck up to a cliff's edge. Unable to go any further, he opens the back door of his truck and a flock of birds flies out, but, as the man soon discovers, a small timid bird remains. Surprised and delighted, the man acts kindly towards the bird and an intimacy develops. After lunch, the man tries to show the bird that he should fly off and join his friends. The man's comic attempt at flight deepens the encounter between these two very different creatures. Soon the bird flies off and the man drives away, but in a surprise twist the bird and his friends return, and in a starkly lyrical moment we see them all experience something entirely new.

New Children's Books

I've Lost My Hippopotamus - Jack Prelutsky
A brand-new rib-tickling collection of more than 100 never-before-published poems by national bestselling poet Prelutksy.

Counting Peas - Rosemary Wells
A big sneeze scatters Max's peas in every direction.




Moonstick: The Seasons of the Sioux - Eve Bunting
A young Dakota Indian boy describes the changes that come both in nature and in the life of this people with each new moon of the Sioux year.

First Prayers: A Celebration of Faith and Love
This lavish, inspiring collection of prayers will encourage young children to give thanks for the good things in their lives. Encompassing both Biblical excerpts and psalms as well as more secular hymns to nature, family, and love, First Prayersfeatures captivating, accessible illustrations by award-winning artist Troy Howell. In addition to traditional prayers, there are classic poems written by William Blake ("Little Lamb, who made thee?"), Robert Browning ("The year's at the spring," Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("He prayeth well, who loveth well"), and others.

New YA and Children's Books

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu - Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Eleven-year-old aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy Wu is excited about finally having her own bedroom, until she learns that her great-aunt is coming to visit and Lucy will have to share a room with her for several months, shattering her plans for a perfect sixth-grade year.

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip - Jordan Sonnenblick
After an injury ends former star pitcher Peter Friedman's athletic dreams, he concentrates on photography which leads him to a girlfriend, new fame as a high school sports photographer, and a deeper relationship with the beloved grandfather who, when he realizes he's becoming senile, gives Pete all of his professional camera gear.

Orchards - Holly Thompson
Sent to Japan for the summer after an eighth-grade classmate's suicide, half-Japanese, half-Jewish Kana Goldberg tries to fit in with relatives she barely knows and reflects on the guilt she feels over the tragedy back home.

Soul Searching: A Girl's Guide to Finding Herself - Sarah Stillman
Offers young women advice on how to be true to themselves and provides information on feng shui, aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, dream analysis, journaling, and other related topics.

Cold Cereal - Adam Rex
A boy who may be part changeling, twins involved in a bizarre secret experiment, and a clurichaun in a red tracksuit try to save the world from an evil cereal company whose ultimate goal is world domination.

The Fairy Ring, or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World - Mary Losure
Relates the story of two early-twentieth-century cousins who believed they saw real fairies, created photographs using paper cutouts when they were teased by adult family members, and inadvertently drew the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a fellow believer.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again - Frank Cottrell Boyce
Down on their luck, the Tooting family buys an old camper van and begins repairing it, but after installing an engine that once belonged to an extraordinary car, they are off to find other original parts, pursued by a sinister man who wants Chitty for himself.

The Case of the Deadly Desperados - Caroline Lawrence
In 1862 Nevada Territory, after finding his foster parents murdered and scalped, twelve-year-old Pinky Pinkerton, son of a railroad detective and a Sioux Indian, inherits a valuable deed and must hide from dangerous Whittlin Walt and his gang of desperados.

The Final Four - Paul Volponi
Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large.

New DVD

Donald in Mathmagic Land
Mathmagic Land is a wondrous land of discovery where trees have square roots and rivers are brimming with numbers. During his lively journey, Donald discovers that you can have mirth with math, fun with fractions, and laughs with logic.

New Children's Books

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller - Joseph Lambert
Explores the role of Annie Sullivan as teacher and companion to Helen Keller and discusses the bond that formed between the two women as Helen went on to accomplish many feats.

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle - Claire A. Nivola
A picture book biography tells the story of Sylvia Earle's growing passion for the wonders of the sea and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world.

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda - Alicia Potter
Traces the story of a 1930s female adventurer who brought America its first panda bear, describing how she inherited a seemingly impossible expedition from her explorer husband and defied period conventions to travel up the Yangtze River and into the wilderness to bring back an adorable panda cub she named Su Lin, which means "a little bit of something cute."

Step Gently Out - Helen Frost
Step gently out, be still and look closely at the world just outside your door-you are sure to be amazed by the tiny creatures you can find. You might see a cricket leap and land, a moth open her wings, a spider walking across the air, or maybe even a praying mantis looking back at you!

Kali's Song - Jeanette Winter
Thousands and thousands of years ago, a young boy gets his first hunting bow and learns to shoot, but he prefers to use the bow to make music.

Extra Yarn - Mac Barnett
With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.

A Bus Called Heaven - Bob Graham
An abandoned bus appears in front of Stella's house one day, with a sign on front marked "Heaven", and it brings positive changes in the outlook of Stella and all who pass by in the community.

New YA Books

Froi of the Exiles - Melina Marchetta
Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family but is soon sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn where he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess.

Seeds of Rebellion - Brandon Mull
After Jason succeeds in finding a way back to Lyrian, he's immediately in more danger than ever. Meanwhile, Rachel and the others have made their own progress--as well as discovered new enemies. As the group ultimately rejoins, they strive to convince their most needed ally to join the war and form a rebellion strong enough to triumph against the emperor.

New YA Books

To the Mountaintop: My Journey Through the Civil Rights Movement - Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Starting with the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 and working back to the early 1960s, Hunter-Gault covers many of the significant moments in the civil rights movement, including her own pivotal role in desegregating the University of Georgia.

Chopsticks - Jessica Anthony
In a love story told in photographs and drawings, Glory, a brilliant piano prodigy, is drawn to Frank, an artistic new boy, and the farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness until the only song she is able to play is "Chopsticks."

Wonder - R.J. Palacio
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his clasassmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Penny and Her Song - Kevin Henkes
Penny comes home from school eager to share her very own song, but must wait until the time is right to teach it to her parents and the babies.

The Humming Room - Ellen Potter
Twelve-year-old orphan Roo Fanshaw is sent to live with an uncle she never knew in a largely uninhabited mansion on Cough Rock Island and discovers a wild river boy, an invalid cousin, and the mysteries of a hidden garden.

The Crowfield Demon - Pat Walsh
In March of 1348, the awakening of an ancient evil drives fay creatures from the woods, causes Crowfield Abbey to crumble, and haunts the dreams of the monks, but the demon seems especially drawn to Will, who is beginning to realize the significance of his Sight.

One Cool Friend - Toni Buzzeo
Elliot, a very proper young man, feels a kinship with the penguins at the aquarium and wants to take one home with him.

Z Is for Moose - Kelly Bingham
Moose, terribly eager to play his part in the alphabet book his friend Zebra is putting together, then awfully disappointed when his letter passes, behaves rather badly until Zebra finds a spot for him.

Secrets of the Garden - Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Depicts a family of four who make their garden their summer home as they prepare the soil, plant seeds, water the garden, and watch for a harvest of vegetables.

Here Come the Girl Scouts - Shana Corey
A one hundreth anniversary tribute to the Girl Scouts founder describes how she rejected the conventions of Victorian culture and introduced her pioneer family's passion for service, adventure, and independence to the girls of her time.

Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! - Jonah Winter
Pablo Picasso may have been a world-famous artist, but that doesn't mean no one ever called his artwork "ugly." Any kid who's been told what to draw, or heard mean things about something they made, will relate to this story about how Pablo faced down his critics and made something truly original.

New Pop-Up Book

Chanukah Lights - Michael J. Rosen
Counts the candles of a menorah on each night of Hanukkah while recalling images of Jewish life in different places and times, such Herod's temple in Jerusalem, a shtetl in Russia, and a refugee ship bound for the New World.

New Children's Books

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners - Judy Sierra
Illustrates basic polite behavior that one might need to use while grocery shopping at the same time as a dinosaur.

Over and Under the Snow - Kate Messner
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white, but under the snow is a secret world of squirrels and snowshoe hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many others who live outside in the woods during the winter.

Tales for Very Picky Eaters - Josh Schneider
A father tells outlandish stories while trying to get his young son, who is a very picky eater, to eat foods he thinks he will not like. Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

Aesop's Fables - Beverley Naidoo
Here are 16 of Aesop's wise, witty and timeless fables, portrayed for the first time in an African setting. This is an exciting new interpretation of one of the world's great classics. This unique story collection is vividly illustrated by Beverley Naidoo's fellow South African Piet Grobler, an internationally acclaimed illustrator.

Detective Little Boy Blue - Steve Metzger
With the help of his nursery rhyme friends, Little Boy Blue, who now runs a detective agency, solves the mystery of the missing Miss Muffet.

New Nonfiction Books

A Black Hole Is Not a Hole - Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Introduces black holes, describing their physical features, how they were discovered, what causes them, and where they exist in space.


Music Games for Every Month - Jeanette Morgan
This collection of reproducible worksheets includes note spellers, matching activities, word searches, and more, all incorporating music concepts and skills such as pitch and rhythm recognition, music history, and music vocabulary.

Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem - Rosalyn Schanzer
Tells the story of the victims, the accused witches, and the scheming officials that turned a mysterious illness into a witch hunt. Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor

Black & White: The Confrontation Between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor - Larry Dane Brimner
In the nineteen fifties and early sixties, Birmingham, Alabama, became known as Bombingham. At the center of this violent time in the fight for civil rights, and standing at opposite ends, were Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull' Connor. From his pulpit, Shuttlesworth agitated for racial equality, while Commissioner Connor fought for the status quo. Relying on court documents, police and FBI reports, newspapers, interviews, and photographs, author Larry Dane Brimner first covers each man's life and then brings them together to show how their confrontation brought about significant change to the southern city. Robert L. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor