Picture Books

Boats for Papa - Jessixa Bagley
Buckley and his mother cope with the loss of their father/husband by sending small wooden boats, built by Buckley, off into the ocean.

The Monkey and the Bee - C.P. Bloom
"The monkey has finally gotten his banana, but now a bumble bee wants a bite. The monkey tries to swat away the bee, but in the process finds himself with a bigger problem on his hands. Will the monkey and the bee be able to work together and become friends?"-- Provided by publisher

Bow-Wow Wiggle, Wiggle - Mary Newell DePalma
Simple, rhyming text follows a rambunctious dog throughout a day of fun.

And What if I Won't? - Maureen Fergus
A young boy's question about what his mother would do if he didn't put his plate in the sink turns into an imaginative adventure for both of them.

What Forest Knows - George Ella Lyon
Follows the changing seasons in a forest as trees and animals are nourished and are dependent on each other.

The Potato King - Christoph Niemann
King Fritz, aka Frederick the Great of Prussia, tricks his citizens into enjoying potatoes when he plants a field and has an army of men guard the perimeter.


Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution - Mara Rockliff
"A stirring picture book biography about a forgotten hero of the American Revolution who rose to the occasion and served his country, not with muskets or canons, but with gingerbread!"-- Provided by publisher

Ask Me - Bernard Waber
A father and daughter explore their neighborhood, talking and asking questions as they go.

Science & Nature Picture Books

The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea - Brenda Z. Guiberson
"Fascinating facts and spectacular illustrations will inspire young readers to choose their own favorite sea creature.s"-- Provided by publisher
 
 Egg: Nature's Perfect Package - Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
"Explore how a simple, often colorful, sometimes surprisingly shaped package, reveals nature's life cycle, unusual animal defensive strategies, parenting behavior, evolution, and more, in this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book."-- provided by publisher

Little Puffin's First Flight - Jonathan London
Follows a family of puffins from the time the parents greet one another off the coast of Alaska and prepare to raise a family, through the care of their fragile egg and ravenous chick, to Little Puffin's first flight across and into the sea. Includes facts about puffins.

Fur, Fins, and Feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo - Cassandre Maxwell
Abraham Dee Bartlett knew from a young age that he wanted to spend his life working with animals. But in Victorian London, there weren't many jobs that provided an opportunity to do that. Still, Abraham spent years gaining knowledge and pursuing his dream until he eventually became superintendent in the London Zoo. Driven by his compassion for the animals, Abraham dramatically improved the conditions of the zoo to ensure that the animals could be happy and healthy.With engaging back matter and charming illustrations, Cassandre Maxwell's book brings to life the little-known story of the man who helped to create the modern zoo.

Plants Feed Me - Lizzy Rockwell
"Watermelons are fruits. Cabbages are leaves. Walnuts are seeds. Carrots are roots. People eat many parts of plants. Even flowers!" -- Provided by publisher


 Changes: A Child's First Poetry Collection - Charlotte Zolotow
"Published in time to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of acclaimed author/editor Zolotow, this collection of 28 seasonally organized poems celebrates the delightful, unexpected moments that arise as the months pass, temperatures change, and the Earth transforms itself."-- Provided by publisher

Fiction & Nonfiction for Young Adults

Fiction

The Heir - Kiera Cass
Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon's heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn't expect her Selection to be anything like her parents' fairy-tale love story ... but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.


Fairest - Marissa Meyer
"Queen Levana is a ruler who uses her "glamour" to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story - a story that has never been told...until now."-- Provided by publisher


I Am Princess X - Cherie Priest
Best friends Libby Deaton and May Harper invented Princess X when they were in fifth grade, but when the car Libby is in goes off a bridge, she is presumed dead, and the story came to an end--except now, three years later, Princess X is suddenly everywhere, with a whole underground culture focused on a webcomic, and May believes her friend must be alive.

Nonfiction

Up for Sale: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery - Alison Marie Behnke
Describes human trafficking around the world, in which children and women are forced to work as prostitutes, debt slaves, household servants, and soldiers.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans - Don Brown
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water. Property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage -- and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality. Don Brown's kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.

Ida M. Tarbell: The Woman Who Challenged Big Business and Won! - Emily Arnold McCully
Tarbell was the catalyst for exposing the truth behind corruption and unfair business practices. She investigated and published works about the Standard Oil Trust for McClure's Magazine that informed the world of shady business dealings and skyrocketed her into the public eye. She wrote inspiring and engaging biographies on public figures, her most notable on Abraham Lincoln. Although largely forgotten as the country forged into the 20th century, her writing of the truth lives on.
A 2015 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist.

Fiction for Upper Elementary and Middle School

I Lived on Butterfly Hill - Marjorie Agosin
Eleven-year-old Celeste Marconi is a dreamer, a writer, a collector of words. But then a new whispered word trickles into her life: "Subversives." Her beloved country of Chile has been taken over by a military dictatorship, and subversives--people considered a threat to the new government--are in increasing danger. Celeste's doctor-parents must go into hiding to remain safe, and Celeste, heartsick, must say good-bye to them. But the situation continues to worsen. More and more people are "disappearing," and soon Celeste herself is sent thousands of miles away, all the way to the coast of Maine--where she doesn't have a single friend or know a word of English. How can she possibly call another country--a country where people eat breakfast out of a box, where people eat breakfast out of a box, where the cold grays of winter mirror the fears that envelope her--home? WIll she ever see Chile again? And is she does--what, and who, will she find there?

Circus Mirandus - Cassie Beasley
When he realizes that his grandfather's stories of an enchanted circus are true, Micah Tuttle sets out to find the mysterious Circus Mirandus--and to use its magic to save his grandfather's life.


Chasing Secrets - Gennifer Choldenko
Thirteen-year-old Lizzie and her secret friend Noah, who is hiding in her house, plan to rescue Noah's father from the quarantined Chinatown, and save everyone they love from contracting the plague that is spreading in 1900 San Francisco.


Roller Girl - Victoria Jamieson
A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart.

Firefly Hollow - Alison McGhee
Because their dreams of daring adventures go against the cautious teachings of their nations, Firefly and Cricket set out on their own, find a home with kindly Vole, and together help a grieving "miniature giant" named Peter.

New Picture Books

I'm Trying to Love Spiders - Bethany Barton
This fresh and very funny non-fiction picture book shares lots of fascinating facts about spiders in an entirely captivating way. If "I'm Trying to Love Spiders" doesn't cure your spider phobia, it'll at least make you appreciate how amazing they are...and laugh a lot as you learn about them.

The Princess and the Pony  - Kate Beaton
Princess Pinecone would like a real war horse for her birthday, instead of which she gets a plump, cute pony--but sometimes cuteness can be a kind of weapon, especially in a fight with dodgeballs and spitballs and hairballs and squareballs.

Little Big - Jonathan Bentley
A little boy imagines what it would be like to be big, with long legs like a giraffe, big hands like a gorilla, or a big mouth like a crocodile, but realizes that there are advantages to being perfectly little.


Monkey Not Ready for Kindergarten - Marc Brown
Kindergarten is just a week away and Monkey is not ready, but with help and encouragement from family and friends, he begins to get excited.


Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story - Alyssa Satin Capucilli - It's Bear's first day of school, and he's a bit reluctant to go. Mama says all bears love school; Bear isn't so sure. But school turns out to be full of fun--painting pictures, listening to stories, and making new friends. Maybe this bear will like school after all.

The Day the Crayons Came Home - Drew Daywalt
One day, Duncan is happily coloring with his crayons when a stack of postcards arrives in the mail from his former crayons, each of which has run away or been left behind, and all of which want to come home.


By Mouse and Frog - Deborah Freedman
"Mouse has one idea about what a book should be and how to tell a story. Frog has another. What happens when these two very different friends try to create a book together?"-- Provided by publisher

The Night World - Modicai Gerstein
Sylvie the cat persuades her boy to go into the darkness very late at night, where they're greeted by the shadows of roses and other flowers, and by nocturnal animals who whisper, "It's almost here."


I Will Chomp You! - Jory John
A monster tries to chomp any reader who wants to go past the first page of the book in order to keep his cakes safe.

Float - Daniel Miyares
A wordless picture book about a boy who loses his paper boat in the rain.


If You Plant a Seed - Kadir Nelson
While planting seeds in their garden, two animals learn the value of kindness.

This is Sadie - Sara O'Leary

Sadie is a little girl with a big imagination. She has been a girl who lived under the sea and a boy raised by wolves. She has had adventures in wonderland and visited the world of fairytales. She whispers to the dresses in her closet and talks to birds in the treetops. She has wings that take her anywhere she wants to go, but that always bring her home again. She likes to make things -- boats out of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything Sadie likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all. For Sadie, the world is so full of wonderful possibilities ... This is Sadie, and this is her story.

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat - Deborah Underwood
Cat tries to trick the Tooth Fairy, but he meets his match in a mischievous mouse.

New Nonfiction

Elementary Grades

Max's Math - by Kate Banks
Max and his brothers drive to Shapeville and Count Town searching for problems, and are able to use their skills in arithmetic and sleuthing to help get things ready for a rocket launch.


Curious Critters: Marine - by David FitzSimmons
A variety of marine animals, including birds, fish, and invertebrates, pose for portraits against a white background while narrating distinctive aspects of their natural histories.


I See a Pattern Here - by Bruce Goldstone
"Patterns are fascinating! They can be so beautiful that people come from all over the world to see them, or so familiar you hardly notice them. They appear everywhere: beehives, dinner plates, even the bottoms of your shoes! With stunning photographs that show diverse examples from nature and artwork around the world, Bruce Goldstone reveals the secrets behind patterns--and gives you some fun ideas for making your own"-- Provided by publisher

Daylight Starlight Wildlife - by Wendell Minor
Minor's vivid introduction to diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal (nighttime) creatures invites readers to experience the movements, sounds, colors, and textures of nature. By day a red-tailed hawk soars through sky, and by night a barn owl silently swoops through it. In the daylight a family of fluffy cottontail rabbits hops into a field to forage for food, and under starlight a family of pink-nosed opossums does the same. As day turns to night and night to day, amazing critters large and small come and go. Children will enjoy comparing and contrasting the roaming habits of the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us.

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France - by Mara Rockliff
Discover how Benjamin Franklin's scientific method challenged a certain Dr. Mesmer's mysterious powers in a whimsical look at a true moment in history


Grades 5-8

Island Treasures: Growing Up in Cuba - Alma Flor Ada
These true autobiographical tales from renowned Hispanic author and educator Alma Flor Ada are filled with family love and traditions, secrets and deep friendships, and a gorgeous, moving picture of the island of Cuba, where Alma Flor grew up. Told through the eyes of a child, a whole world comes to life in these pages: the blind great-grandmother who never went to school but whose wisdom and generosity overflowed to those around her; the hired hand Samoné, whose love for music overcame all difficulties; the beloved dance teacher who helped sustain young Alma Flor through a miserable year in school; her dear and daring Uncle Medardo, who bravely flew airplanes; and more.

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War - David Almond and others
Writers of this collection of short stories were inspired to write about the First World War by physical objects associated with the war.



High School

I Will Always Write Back - Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of -- so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World's Favorite Treat - Kay Frydenborg
"A fascinating account for teen readers that captures the history, science, and economic and cultural implications of the harvesting of cacao and creation of chocolate. Readers of Chew On This and The Omnivore's Dilemma will savor this rich exposé."-- Provided by publisher

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club - Phillip Hoose
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phil Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.

FDR and the American Crisis - Albert Marrin
An accessible portrait of the 32nd president traces his privileged upbringing, the polio that cost him the use of his legs and his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II.

Elementary and Middle Grade Fiction

Grades K-3

Bad Kitty: Puppy's Big Day - Nick Bruel
Uncle Murray takes Puppy on a walk on a day that Bad Kitty is being unusually difficult, but has several unpleasant encounters with a police officer and one mean dog along the way. Text is interspersed with information about dog behavior, pet care, and more.

The Princess in Black - Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
"Who says princesses don't wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!" -- from Amazon



Grades 3-6
Rogue Knight - Brandon Mull
When the hunt for his lost friends leads Cole Randolph to the kingdom of Elloweer, he and new friends Mira, Twitch, and Jace team up with the resistance movement to search for Mira's sister, Honor, but enemies abound and Cole and Mira must use a new kind of magic to protect themselves.

The Creeps: Night of the Frankenfrogs - Chris Schweizer
At Pumpkins County Middle School weird things happen every class period, not to mention during lunch, but nobody ever makes a fuss. Principal Garish thinks what's weird and ... well ... creepy is how fascinating the mysterious goings-on are to Carol, a big-city girl new to Pumpkins County, who finds kindred spirits in Mitchell (monster expert), Mark (military brat with logistics know-how), and Rosario (girly girl on the outside, muscle underneath). The Creeps are on the case to figure out the spooky mysteries and still get to class on time. Last week it was a pudding monster. This week, it's disappearing classmates and a suspiciously coincidental animal-rights petition being passed around by the snootiest girl in class. Could she be behind an amphibian menace? Or could it be the mad genius who lives in the sewers? How about the school janitor? The Creeps will track down the answers!"-- provided by publisher

Grades 5-8

Blackbird Fly - Erin Entrada Kelly
Future rock star, or friendless misfit? That's no choice at all. Apple Yengko moved from the Philippines to Louisiana when she was little, and now that she is in middle school, she grapples with being different, with friends and backstabbers, and with following her dreams. Apple has always felt a little different from her classmates. Her mother still cooks Filipino foods, speaks a mix of English and Cebuano, and chastises Apple for becoming "too American." It becomes unbearable in middle school, when the boys -- the stupid, stupid boys -- in Apple's class put her name on the Dog Log, the list of the most unpopular girls in school. When Apple's friends turn on her and everything about her life starts to seem weird and embarrassing, Apple turns to music. If she can just save enough to buy a guitar and learn to play, maybe she can change herself. It might be the music that saves her... or it might be her two new friends, who show how special she really is.

Mark of the Thief - Jennifer A. Nielsen
When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds himself in possession of an ancient amulet filled with magic once reserved for the Gods, and becomes the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and destroy Rome.