Nonfiction

Grades 3-6

Get Into Art: Animals - Susie Brooks

Introduces children to the world of art while encouraging budding artists to develop their own artistic abilities. Accomplished artists, along with some of their famous pieces and techniques are presented, then followed up with an art project reminiscent of each artist's work or genre. Perfect for active young artists of all abilities.

 

Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More: A History with 21 Activities - Mary Kay Carson

Tracing the evolution of humankind's pursuit of astronomical knowledge, this resource looks deep into the furthest reaches of space. Children will follow along as the realization that the Earth is not at the center of the universe leads all the way up to recent telescopic proof of planets orbiting stars outside the solar system. In addition to its engaging history, this book contains 21 hands-on projects to further explore the subjects discussed. Readers will build a three-dimensional representation of the constellation Orion.

Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
- Selene Castrovilla
An account of the friendship between the first American president when he was an officer in the Continental Army and the young Marquis de Lafayette describes how the latter came to America to offer his services before earning a military position and Washington's admiration.

Locomotive - Brian Floca
Learn what it was like to travel on the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s.





Grades 5-8
Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing - Leonard S. Marcus
Describes the life and work of English illustrator Randolph Caldecott and his influence on the modern picture book.

Grades 9-12
Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice - Catherine Lewis
Uses the "Three Blind Mice" nursery rhyme to illustrate key elements of writing and literature, including plot, mechanics, foreshadowing, point of view, character, style, and dialogue.

Middle School & High School Fiction

Grade 5-8
The Thing About Luck - Cynthia Kadohata
Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers.

Hero on a Bicycle - Shirley Hughes
"Florence, Italy, 1944: The city is under heavy Nazi occupation, but for thirteen-year-old Paolo, war is a long and boring wait. Too young to fight for the resistance, yet desperate for action and adventure, he sneaks out each night to ride his bicycle along the darkened city streets. For Paolo, the risk is thrilling. But when he is accosted by Partisans--covert members of the anti-Nazi movement--thrilling quickly becomes dangerous as Paolo and his family are thrust into a terrifying and impossible situation. Finally at the center of the action, Paolo must figure out once and for all whether he has what it takes to truly be a hero."--Dust jacket

YA Titles

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey"Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them"-- Provided by publisher


SYLO - D.J. MacHale
Pemberwick Island, Maine is occupied by a Navy section called SYLO who claim a virus has been unleashed, but Tucker Pierce, who has seen strange aircraft and experienced the power of the Ruby, realizes something else is going on.

Elementary & Middle Grade Fiction

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library - Chris Grabenstein
"Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape."-- Provided by publisher


Elvis and the Underdogs - Jenny Lee
All his life Benji, now ten, has been sickly and he has long been targeted by the school bully, but after a seizure Benji gets a therapy dog that is not only big enough to protect him, it can also talk.

The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail - Richard Peck
A very small mouse of unknown origins runs away from school in the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace shortly before the celebration of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, celebrating her sixty years on the British throne.

Romeo Blue - Phoebe Stone
A follow-up to The Romeo and Juliet Code. During World War II, Felicity Bathburn is living in Bottlebay, Maine, with her eccentric relatives and their foster child Derek, whom she has grown to love, but when a man claiming to be Derek's true father arrives and starts asking all sorts of strange questions Felicity becomes suspicious of his motives.

New Picture Books

Beatrice Spells Some Lulus and Learns to Write a Letter - Cari Best
Beatrice enjoys learning to spell, and gets really excited about it after some encouragement from her grandmother, but she has trouble convincing her classmates that spelling is not boring.

Inside Outside - Lizi Boyd
Images from the following pages appear through die-cut holes, for example, a plant outside becomes a plant in a vase.

Twenty-six Pirates - Dave Horowitz
Twenty-six pirates, one for each letter of the alphabet, demonstrate their particular--and sometimes silly--talents and skills.



Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg - Lori Mortensen
 Following increasingly chaotic attempts to give his dog a bath, Cowpoke Clyde discovers there is only one way to get Dawg into the tub.

Steam Train, Dream Train - Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
In this book with rhyming text, the dream train pulls into the station and all the different cars are loaded by the animal workers, each with the appropriate cargo.


Bugs in My Hair! - David Shannon
A horrified boy discovers he has head lice and tries some wild remedies to get rid of them.


Dusk - Uri Shulevitz
"Boy with dog and grandfather with beard watch holiday lights turn on in the city."-- Provided by publisher

Hello, My Name is Ruby - Philip C. Stead
"Ruby, a very small bird in a very big world, is looking for a friend, so she introduces herself ..."-- Provided by publisher

That is NOT a Good Idea! - Mo Willems
A surprising lesson about the importance of listening to one's inner gosling ensues when a very hungry fox issues a dinner invitation to a very plump goose.

New YA Titles

Fiction:
The Silver Six - A.J. Lieberman & Darren Rawlings
 "When a group of orphans are thrown together under mysterious circumstances, Phoebe and her pal Oliver lead them in a daring escape from their orphanage to an uninhabited moon. But their idyllic paradise is shattered when the powerful corporate boss who ordered the deaths of their parents sends a relentless henchman to track them down. With nowhere left to turn and time running out, Phoebe and her friends decide there's only on thing left to do: fight back!"--Dust jacket flap

The Rithmatist - Brandon Sanderson
As Wild Chalklings threaten the American Isles and Rithmatists are humanity's only defense, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice.



Nonfiction:
Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdika
- Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks
In graphic novel format, explores the lives and work of scientists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas, who lived with and studied chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, respectively, in their natural habitats, creating between them a body of work that greatly improved our understanding of primates, including humans.

Wonderful Life with the Elements: The Periodic Table Personified - Bunpei Yorifuji
"Get to Know the Elements! From the brilliant mind of Japanese artist Bunpei Yorifuji comes Wonderful Life with the Elements, an illustrated guide to the periodic table that gives chemistry a friendly face. In this super periodic table, every element is a unique character whose properties are represented visually: heavy elements are fat, man-made elements are robots, and noble gases sport impressive afros. Every detail is significant, from the length of an element's beard to the clothes on its back. You'll also learn about each element's discovery, its common uses, and other vital stats like whether it floats--or explodes--in water. Why bother trudging through a traditional periodic table? In this periodic paradise, the elements are people too. And once you've met them, you'll never forget them"-- Provided by publisher

New Books for Elementary Students

Mitchell Goes Bowling - Hallie Durand
One Saturday, when Mitchell almost knocks down his dad, his dad catches him and puts him in the car. And when they step into the bowling alley, Mitchell feels right at home. Pizza! Giant crashing noises! Special shoes! But as Mitchell picks up the biggest ball and quickly learns the word gutter, and when Dad does a little kick with his leg and earns a big X on the scoreboard, Mitchell starts to get peevish. How can Mitchell get a chance to do a steamin'-hot-potato-dance, too? With wit, warmth, and comedic charm, Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile roll another strike with this tale of a lovably rambunctious child and his doting dad.

Which is Round? Which is Bigger? - Mineko Mamada
"This deceptively simple concept book prompts the reader to compare pairs of objects and then choose which one has a particular attribute. At first the answer seems obvious--until the page is turned to reveal a delightful twist!" - Amazon

Foxy! - Jessica Souhami
Fox tricks gullible humans into peeking into his sack and trades what escapes from the sack for tastier meals until he is outfoxed by a woman who swaps a captive boy for a big dog that chases the fox away for goodessica Souhami.


Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes - Roseanne Greenfield Thong
A little girl discovers things that are round, square, and rectangular in her Hispanic American neighborhood.

Lessons on Liberty: A Primer for Young Patriots - Peter A. Lillback and Judy Mitchell
"Packed with colorful illustrations, this entertaining and educational hardcover book uses a simple alphabet poem to guide the reader through the fundamental principles of American liberty. Incorporating early 19th century dictionary definitions and enhanced graphics, Bible quotations and Poor Richard's Almanack, this engaging book adds powerful historic quotes, surprising facts, and truths about our nation's founding to excite young and old about our country-this beacon of liberty for the world. Included also are activity pages to further teach young scholars with a hands-on approach-perforated for easy tear-out, these pages may be reproduced on a copier for group use."--Provided by publisher

I Remember - edited by Mark Latta, Darolyn "Lyn" Jones, Barbara Shoup, Corrie Herron, Olivia
Gehrich, Brett Hiatt, and James Sandberg
Funded by the Summer Youth Program Fund, the Indiana Writers Center's "Building a Rainbow" creative writing program serves a diverse group of young people in Indianapolis, improving their writing and literacy skills through a series of creative writing exercises that teach them how to write the stories of their own lives. Working one-on-one, Writers Center instructors, student teachers, and volunteers help the young writers get their words on the page and also encourage them to reflect upon the experiences they've written about, considering how what they've learned can help them make their dreams come true. I Remember is a collection of writings completed during the Indiana Writers Center summer youth writing programs.

New Audiobooks for Elementary Students

These audiobooks include a read-along book and cd.

Bathtime for Biscuit - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Biscuit, the puppy, runs away from his bath with his puppy friend, Puddles.

Biscuit - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
"It's time for bed, but Biscuit wants to have a snack, and play, and hear stories. Will he ever go to sleep?"

Biscuit Goes to School - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
A dog follows the bus to school, where he meets the teacher and takes part in the activities of the class.

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree - Eileen Christelow
Five little monkeys sitting in a tree discover, one by one, that it is unwise to tease Mr. Crocodile.

Rachel Fister's Blister - Amy MacDonald
Rachel Fister's blister sends adults scurrying for a cure, but nothing seems to help until they appeal to the Queen for advice.

Piggie Pie! - Margie Palatini
Gritch witch flies to Old MacDonald's farm for some pigs to make a piggie pie, but when she arrives she can't find a single porker.

Mary Wore Her Red Dress and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers - Merle Peek
Each of Katy Bear's animal friends wears a different color of clothing to her birthday party.

Sheep in a Jeep - Nancy Shaw
A group of sheep embark on a series of misadventures when they go riding in a jeep.