New Fiction

Elementary and Middle Grade Fiction

 

Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution - Avi - In 1776, after witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, newly occupied by the British army, young Sophia Calderwood resolves to do all she can to help the American cause, including becoming a spy.

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls - Claire Legrand - Practically-perfect twelve-year-old Victoria Wright must lie, sneak, and break the rules when her investigation of the disappearance of her best--and only--friend, Lawrence, reveals dark secrets about her town and the orphanage run by the reclusive Mrs. Cavendish.

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" - Lemony Snicket - Thirteen-year-old Lemony Snicket begins his apprenticeship with S. Theodora Markson of the secretive V.F.D. in the tiny dot of a town called Stain'd By The Sea, where he helps investigate the theft of a statue.

The Fire Chronicle - John Stephens - "In the second book in the Books of Beginning Trilogy, Michael and Emma must track down the Chronicle of Life, while Kate must find a way back to present day from the year 1899."-- Provided by publisher

YA Fiction

 

Tiger Lily - Jodi Lynn Anderson - Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily receives special protections from the spiritual forces of Neverland, but then she meets her tribe's most dangerous enemy--Peter Pan--and falls in love with him

FitzOsbornes at War - Michelle Cooper

"In this third installment to the Montmaray Journals, Sophie and her family come together to support the war effort during World War II, meanwhile fighting to protect their beloved Montmaray"-- Provided by publisher

Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen - Richard Paul Evans

Fifteen-year-old Michael Vey, born with Tourette's syndrome and special electromagnetic powers, joins his techno-genius best friend and an alliance of other "electric" teenagers to battle powerful foes in the jungles of Peru, where Michael learns the Order of Elgen's plan to "restructure" the world.

Son - Lois Lowry - A companion book to The Giver, Gathering Blue and Messenger. Unlike the other Birthmothers in her utopian community, teenaged Claire forms an attachment to her baby, feeling a great loss when he is taken to the Nurturing Center to be adopted by a family unit.
 
Dodger - Terry Pratchett - "In an alternative version of Victorian London, a seventeen-year-old Dodger, a cunning and cheeky street urchin, unexpectedly rises in life when he saves a mysterious girl, meets Charles Dickens, and unintentionally puts a stop to the murders of Sweeny Todd."-- Provided by publisher

New Picture Books

Christmas Wombat - Jackie French

"Christmas from a wombat's point of view, including competition for the carrots children have left out for Santa's reindeer, and guess who gets stuck in the chimney?"-- Provided by publisher

Archie - Domenica More Gordon
Archie, a fashion-loving dog with a faithful pet of his own, leads a quiet life until he gets a sewing machine and begins creating canine couture that captures attention all over town, even from a queen and her two royal corgis.


 Cat Tale - Michael Hall - These inquisitive cats set out to spend the afternoon snacking and reading, but wind up chasing words, including homophones and homonyms, on a silly tongue twister of an adventure!


This is Not My Hat - Jon Klassen
A tiny minnow wearing a pale blue bowler hat has a thing or two up his fins in this underwater light-on-dark chase scene.


Penguin's Hidden Talent - Alex Latimer
Penguin helps organize the annual talent show because he cannot identify his own gift, but when the show is over and the performers throw a party to show how much they appreciate Penguin's work, his aptitude becomes clear.



Sleep Like a Tiger - Mary Logue
At bedtime a young girl asks, "Does everything in the world go to sleep?"


Too Tall Houses - Gianna Marino
Owl and Rabbit are good friends and neighbors atop a hill, but when Rabbit's garden blocks Owl's view of the forest Owl builds a higher house, which prevents sunlight from reaching Rabbit's plants.


Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! - Wynton Marsalis  - "Takes readers (and listeners) on a rollicking, clanging, clapping tour through the many sounds that fill a neighborhood"-- Provided by publisher

Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller - Doreen Rappaport - An introduction to the life and legacy of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan.



Because Amelia Smiled - David Ezra Stein
A little girl's smile as she skips down the street in New York inspires a neighbor to send cookies to her grandson in Mexico, and the goodwill soon spreads around the world.

The Quiet Place - Sarah Stewart - A little girl moves to the United States from Mexico with her family and writes letters to her aunt in Mexico about her new life.


Let's Go for a Drive! - Mo Willems
Elephant Gerald and Piggie want to go for a drive, but as Gerald thinks of one thing after another that they will have to take along, they come to realize that they lack the most important thing of all.

Each Kindness - Jacqueline Woodson
When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya's shabby clothes and refusing to play with her.

New Picture Book

The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular! - Ethan Long
Five hilarious ducks juggle pies--splat; spin plates--crash; and show off their magic box--Wowee! as they introduce the concepts greater than, less than, and equal to as well as addition and subtraction.

New Biography

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
- Sy Montgomery
An authorized portrait about Grandin's life with autism and her groundbreaking work as a scientist and designer of cruelty-free livestock facilities describes how she overcame key disabilities through education and the support of her mother.

New Fiction

Elementary and Middle Grade Fiction



Freaky Fast Frankie Joe - Lutricia Clifton

Twelve-year-old Frankie Joe Huckaby, forced to live with the father he never knew, a stepmother, and four half-brothers in Illinois, starts a delivery service to finance his escape back to his mother in Texas, not realizing he is making a better life for himself than he ever had with her.
  
Starring Arabelle - Hillary Hall De Baun
Arabelle starts high school with big dreams which are soon dashed when she is discouraged from auditioning for the school play and must volunteer at a nursing home, but surprises await, both in the theater and at Heavenly Rest.


The Second Life of Abigail Walker - Frances O'Roark Dowell
Bullied by two mean girls in her sixth-grade class, a lonely, plump girl gains self-confidence and makes new friends after a mysterious fox gently bites her.

Caught - Margaret Peterson Haddix
When Jonah and Katherine travel to early 1900s Switzerland and Serbia to return Albert Einstein's daughter, Lieserl, to history, her mother Mileva grasps entirely too much about time travel and has no intention of letting her daughter go.

Island of Thieves - Josh Lacey
 Tom goes with his Uncle Harvey to Peru, where they narrowly escape imprisonment and death as they hunt for buried treasure after tracking down a journal written by John Drake, a young relative of Sir Francis Drake, on a voyage to Lima in 1577. Includes biographical information on John and Francis Drake.

The Sports Pages - John Scieszka
A collection of sports stories featuring everything from fighting to friendship, set everywhere from the tennis court to the hockey rink.  Authors include Tim Green, Dan Gutman, Joseph Bruchac, Gordon Korman and Jacqueline Woodson.

 

 

YA Fiction

Don't Turn Around - Michelle Gagnon
After waking up on an operating table with no memory of how she got there, Noa must team up with computer hacker Peter to stop a corrupt corporation with a deadly secret

A Certain October - Angela Johnson
"Scotty compares herself to tofu: no flavor unless you add something. And it's true that Scotty's friends, Misha and Falcone, and her brother, Keone, make life delicious. But when a terrible accident occurs, Scotty feels responsible for the loss of someone she hardly knew, and the world goes wrong. She cannot tell what is a dream and what is real. Her friends are having a hard time getting through to her and her family is preoccupied with their own trauma. But the prospect of a boy, a dance, and the possibility that everything can fall back into place soon help Scotty realize that she is capable of adding her own flavor to life"--Provided by publisher

Enchanted - Alethea Kontis
When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises.


My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher
With his family still grieving over his sister's death in a terrorist bombing seven years earlier, ten-year-old Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and keeping his new Muslim friend Sunya a secret from his father.

My Family for the War - Anne C. Voorhoeve
Before the start of World War II, ten-year-old Ziska Mangold, who has Jewish ancestors but has been raised as a Protestant, is taken out of Nazi Germany on one of the Kindertransport trains, to live in London with a Jewish family, where she learns about Judaism and endures the hardships of war while attempting to keep in touch with her parents, who are trying to survive in Holland.

New Picture Books

1-2-3 Peas - Keith Baker

Busy little peas engage in their favorite activities as they introduce the numbers from one to 100.

 

 

 

 

 

Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives - Gene Barretta

Shares a portrait of the inventor famed for such innovations as the incandescent lightbulb, batteries, and movie cameras, exploring his life-changing achievements and perseverance in the face of numerous failures.

 

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin - Robert Byrd
Lean all about the life of Benjamin Franklin, from his childhood to his golden years, in this beautifully illustrated, thoughtful, and thorough book.






Llama Llama Time to Share - Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama doesn't want to share his toys with his new neighbors. But when fighting leads to broken toys and tears, Llama learns that it's better to share.

Ready for Pumpkins - Kate Duke
A classroom guinea pig learns about gardening by growing his own pumpkin.

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses - Ian Falconer
Olivia is having an identity crisis--there are too many ruffly, sparkly princesses around these days stealing her spotlight, so she embarks on a quest for individuality, to stand out, and feel special.

Oh, No! - Candace Fleming
A series of animals falls into a deep hole, only to be saved at last by a very large rescuer.

Underground - Denise Fleming
Pulp paintings and rhyming text spotlight the underground world of burrowing, tunneling, and digging animals. Includes "Creature Identification" page.

unBEElieavables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings - Douglas Florian
A collection of poems about honeybees and their role in the ecosystem.



Dog in Charge - K.L. Going
When his human family goes to the store, Dog is left in
charge of five wiley cats.



Awesome Autumn - Bruce Goldstone
An exploration of autumn describing the changes in nature and what people do in autumn.





Penny and Her Doll - Kevin Henkes
Penny instantly loves the doll her grandmother sends her, but finding the perfect name for her is a challenge.


Rocket Writes a Story - Tad Hills
Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an idea for a story.



All for Me and None for All - Helen Lester
Gruntly is a real hog, and the other animals are tired of his greediness, but when he gets mixed up on a treasure hunt and is the last to reach the prize, Gruntly begins to realize the value of kindness and sharing.


Machines Go to Work in the City - William Low
This book provides illustrations and fold-out pictures of machines that are used in a city



I Know a Wee Piggy - Kim Norman
A cumulative, rhyming tale of an ordinary pig who leaps out of his boy's arms at a state fair and wallows in color after color, turning himself into a work of art


Fletcher and the Falling Leaves - Julia Rawlinson
When his favorite tree begins to lose its leaves, Fletcher the fox worries that it is sick, but instead a magical sight is in store for him.




 
A Strange Place to Call Home: The World's Most Dangerous Habitats & the Animals That Call Them Home - Marilyn Singer
Looks at fourteen animals who defy the odds by thriving in Earth's most dangerous places.


Demolition - Sally Sutton
Illustrations and rhyming text show the enormous and powerful machines that are used to demolish a building so that a playground can be built.



The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse - Helen Ward
A retelling of Aesop's well-known fable in which a country mouse visits a town mouse and they find they prefer very different ways of life. Set in 1930s New York at Christmas.


Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs - Mo Willems
The wacky story of three dinosaurs, including a visitor from Norway, who insist that they have not tidied up their home and prepared yummy pudding to trap a tasty little girl.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything - Linda Williams
A little old lady who is not afraid of anything must deal with a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods trying to scare her.