Fiction

Elementary

Sam in Winter - Edward van de Vendel
When his dog Sam goes missing, Kix must enlist the help of an old enemy in order to find him.




Middle Grades

Forever or a Long, Long Time - Caela Carter
Flora and her brother, Julian, don't believe they were born. They've lived in so many foster homes, they can't remember where they came from. And even now that they've been adopted, Flora still struggles to believe in forever. So along with their new mother, Flora and Julian begin a journey to go back and discover their past -- for only then can they really begin to build their future.

In Over Their Heads - Margaret Peterson Haddix
Twelve-year-old twins Nick and Eryn and their robot stepsiblings, Jackson and Ava, try to save humanity from killer robots.




Young Adult
Empress of a Thousand Skies - Rhoda Belleza
Two fugitives, a princess-in-exile and her accused killer, cross the galaxy as they fight to reclaim her family dynasty and save the universe from a deadly threat.


Defy the Stars - Claudia Gray
Teenaged soldier Noemi and an enemy robot, Abel, who is programmed to obey her commands, set out on an interstellar quest to save her home planet, Earth colony Genesis.

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers - Deborah Heiligman
The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Heiligman draws on the letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime to weave a tale of two lives intertwined as Theo supported Vincent's struggles to find his path in life.

Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor
War orphan and junior librarian Lazlo Strange gets an unexpected opportunity to follow his dream of seeking the mythic lost city of Weep with the Godslayer and his band of legendary warriors.

The Pearl Thief - Elizabeth Wein
Fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in a hospital not knowing how she was injured, and soon befriends Euan McEwen, the Scottish Traveller boy who found her, and later, when a body is discovered, she experiences the prejudices his family has endured and tries to keep them from being framed for the crime.

Picture Books

Priscilla Gorilla - Barbara Bottner
Priscilla is obsessed with gorillas. But when her ape-like behavior gets her sent to the Thinking Corner, Priscilla wonders if she is really channeling her inner gorilla, or just being a troublemaker.

Shake a Leg, Egg! - Kurt Cyrus
It's springtime, and the pond is bursting with new life. There are beaver pups, heron hatchlings, and lots and lots of ducklings. Everyone is out and about, swimming, flapping, chirping, and quacking--except for one family of geese.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors - Drew Daywalt
You've played the game. Now read the legend of how it all began...Long ago, in an ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of Backyard, there lived a warrior named ROCK. Meanwhile in the Empire of Mom's Home Office, a second great warrior sought the glory of battle. And his name was PAPER. At the same time, in the Kitchen Realm, in the tiny village of Junk Drawer, lived a third warrior. They called her SCISSORS. These three were the strongest, smartest, and fastest in all the land. Time and again they beat the most fearsome opponents they could find: an apricot, a computer printer--even frozen, breaded, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets! But when the warriors finally meet each other, the most epic round of battles begins...and never ends. That is why, to this day, children around the world honor these worthy adversaries by playing ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!

Olivia the Spy - Ian Falconer
Listening in on her mother's conversations hoping to discover the secret plan for her upcoming birthday, Olivia instead hears her mother talking about her poor behavior and becomes concerned she'll be sent to military school.

Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! - Candace Fleming
When Pig plops into his sty at bedtime, he finds Cow sleeping there and must send her off to her stall, setting off a chain reaction of animals being awakened to move to their own beds.

All Ears, All Eyes - Richard Jackson
As darkness falls in the forest, animals hoot, chirp, whirr, and bark, lulling drowsy children to sleep.

John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien - Caroline McAlister
John Ronald loved dragons. He liked to imagine dragons when he was alone, and with his friends, and especially when life got hard or sad. After his mother died and he had to live with a cold-hearted aunt, he looked for dragons. He searched for them at his boarding school. And when he fought in a Great War, he felt as if terrible, destructive dragons were everywhere. But he never actually found one, until one day, when he was a grown man but still very much a boy at heart, when he decided to create one of his own. This picture book biography introduces the creator of Middle Earth and author of The Hobbit to a new generation of children who see magic in the world around them.

Over and Under the Pond - Kate Messner
Celebrates the forms of life that live above and under a pond, including turtles, red-winged blackbirds, blue herons, minnows, frogs, and catfish.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff - Jerry Pinkney
Three billy goats must outwit the big, ugly troll that lives under the bridge they have to cross on their way up the mountain.


A Perfect Day - Lane Smith
Today is a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Cat is lounging among the daffodils. Dog is sitting in the wading pool, deep in the cool water. Chickadee is eating fresh seed from the birdfeeder. Squirrel is munching on his very own corncob. Today is a perfect day in Bert's backyard. Until Bear comes along, that is. Bear crushes the daffodils, drinks the pool water, and happily gobbles up the birdseed and corncob. Today was a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Now, it's just a perfect day for Bear.