Blog

The cursed moon / Angela Cervantes

One two, the Caretaker’s coming for you. Three-four, you’ll breathe no more. Five-six, you’ll float like sticks. Seven, eight, you’ll meet your fate. Rafael Fuentes isn’t easily scared. He loves writing ghost stories, reading scary books, and entertaining his friends with terrifying tales he creates on the spot. Rafa has come up against enough real-life scary situations that fictional hauntings seem like no big deal. Rafa’s incarcerated mom is being released from jail soon, and will be coming to live with him, his sister, and their grandparents. For the first time in a while, Rafa feels a pit of fear growing in his stomach. To take his mind off his mom’s return, Rafa spends an evening crafting the scariest ghost story he’s ever told. As an eerie blood moon hangs in the sky, Rafa tells a group of friends about The Caretaker. The Caretaker is an evil ghost who lures unsuspecting kids into the neighborhood pond. . . and they don’t ever come out. Rafa is really proud of his latest creation, until strange things start to happen around him. With a sinking feeling, Rafa realizes the Caretaker is real. Rafa has brought the ghost to life–and only he can stop him

Book/spanish/ ebook/eaudio

The probability of everything / Sarah Everett

When an asteroid has an 84.7% chance of colliding with the Earth in four days, eleven-year-old Kemi, who loves scientific facts and probability, assembles a time capsule to capture her family’s truth as she tries to come to terms with saying goodbye.

Book/ ebook/eaudio

The superteacher project / Gordon Korman

Oliver and Nathan, determined to get to the bottom of their new homeroom teacher’s fishy behavior, discover Mr. Aidact is actually an AI robot from a secret experimental program.

Book/ eaudio

Good different / Meg Eden Kuyatt

Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be “normal” she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different–and why that is ok. Told in verse.

Book/ ebook/eaudio

Farther than the moon / Lindsay Lackey

All thirteen-year-old Houston Stewart has ever wanted is to become an astronaut. His dreams feel like they’re finally coming true when he’s accepted to the highly-competitive Junior Astronaut Recruitment Program – if only he could bring his little brother, Robbie, with him. Ever since their dad left, Houston and Robbie have been inseparable. It’s hard to tell where Houston’s love of space ends and where Robbie’s begins. But Robbie’s cerebral palsy and epilepsy mean he needs medical attention at home, so Houston is forced to take this giant leap for the two of them all on his own. At camp, Houston is quickly drawn into the orbit of new friends, cosmic adventures, and a long-lost grandfather. But as Houston struggles to meet the program’s rigorous demands, he’s forced to reckon with the truth that Robbie may never visit space like the brothers have always hoped. But Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream, even if it seems like an impossible mission. So, like a good astronaut, he dares to make a new plan — one that shoots for the stars.

Book/ eaudio

A work in progress / Jarrett Lerner

Will is the only round kid in a school full of thin ones. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who he knows he doesn’t have a chance with, because of his size–but he can’t help wondering what if? Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing. As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.

Book/ ebook/eaudio

Mexikid / Pedro Martin

Pedro Martin’s grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir

Book/ ebook/eaudio

Superpod : saving the endangered orcas of the Pacific Northwest / Nora Nickum

The endangered Southern Resident orcas whistle and click their way around the waters of the Pacific Northwest in three small family groups while facing boat noise, pollution, and scarce food. Superpod introduces young readers to the experts who are training scat-sniffing dogs, inventing ways to treat sick orcas, quieting the waters, studying whales from the air, and speaking out. Author Nora Nickum also discusses her own work on laws to protect the orcas, tackles the dark history of orca capture for marine parks, and shares moments of wonder.

Book/ ebook

Lasagna means I love you / Kate O’Shaughnessy

When eleven-year-old foster kid Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else’s family recipes, she collects the stories behind them and builds a website to share them, secretly hoping a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own.

Book/ ebook/eaudio

The fire, the water, and Maudie McGinn / Sally J. Pla

Maudie McGinn has a secret. It’s a big, scary one. And right before Maudie, who’s autistic, travels to spend the summer with her dad, her mom makes her promise not to reveal it. As Mom puts it: “A promise is a promise, and must be kept.” When a wildfire forces Maudie and her dad to flee to the small beach town where her dad grew up, Maudie’s summer is turned upside down. Yet she becomes captivated by the surfers she sees each morning. And as Maudie starts to navigate these new waters, she finds herself making friends and feeling accepted like never before. Still, a clock is ticking: soon she will have to go back to face the fire of her always-angry stepfather. Can she find some way to stay with her dad? Should she break her promise to Mom, and reveal the truth about life back home, before the summer is over?

Book/ ebook/eaudio

Enemies in the orchard / Dana VanderLugt

Based on a true story and told in alternating voices, follows the growing friendship between thirteen-year-old American Claire and Karl, a young German POW hired to work on her family’s Michigan apple farm in October 1944.

Book/ ebook/eaudio

What happened to Rachel Riley? / Claire Swinarski

Thirteen-year-old new girl Anna Hunt decides to make an investigative podcast about how fellow classmate Rachel Riley went from being the most popular girl in school to the most hated

Book/ ebook/eaudio

Jawbreaker / Christina Wyman

Twelve-year-old Max, who has an extreme overbite, must navigate sibling rivalry and middle school bullies.

Book/ ebook

Elf dog & owl head / M.T. Anderson ; illustrated by Junyi Wu

Quarantined with his family as a global plague ravages the world, Clay retreats to the woods where he meets a special little dog who leads him on surreal adventures where choosing the wrong path could cause them both to lose their way forever.

Hidden hope : how a toy and a hero saved lives during the Holocaust / written by Elisa Boxer ; illustrated by Amy June Bates

During World War II, families all across Europe huddled together in basements, attics, and closets as Nazi soldiers rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced Jewish people to carry papers stamped with that star, so that it was clear who to capture. But many brave souls dared to help them. Jewish teenager Jacqueline Gauthier, a member of the French Resistance who had to conceal her identity, was one who risked her life in secret workshops, forging papers with new names and without stars in order to help others escape. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? An ordinary wooden toy duck held the answer, a hidden compartment: hope in a hollow. Written by award-winning journalist Elisa Boxer and movingly illustrated by the acclaimed Amy June Bates, Hope in a Hollow celebrates the triumph of freedom and the human spirit, a story of everyday heroism, resilience, and finding hope in unexpected places

Book/ ebook

Zeus : water rescue / W. Bruce Cameron ; illustrations by Richard Cowdrey

Some dogs were born to lend a helping hand (or paw!). Zeus, a chocolate lab puppy, is one of them. With his courage, smarts, and strength his purpose seems clear: he’ll become a water rescue dog! When a young boy named Kimo is tasked with training Zeus, they quickly become best friends. But Zeus’s excitement makes training hard, and worse yet, becoming a working dog means being separated from Kimo. Can Zeus and his boy figure out how to stay together forever?

Book/ ebook/ eaudio

Sparrow being Sparrow / Gail Donovan ; illustrated by Elysia Cas

Nine-year-old Sparrow Robinson blames herself for her elderly neighbor’s accident, so she promises to take care of Mrs. LaRose’s seven cats, all while trying to adjust to a new school–but things become complicated when she has to find new homes for all of the cats plus some unexpected kittens.

Book/ ebook

The penguin of Ilha Grande : from animal rescue to extraordinary friendship / Shannon Earle ; illustrated by Renato Alarcão

A man rescues a penguin off the coast of Brazil and finds a lifelong connection in this delightful true story about the power of friendship. When an oil-covered penguin washes up in Brazil, Seu João saves the penguin’s life. Soon man and penguin are friends, and Dindim the penguin won’t return to the wild. At last Dindim swims away, only to return four months later! For seven years, Dindim the penguin lived with Seu João in Brazil for eight months a year, disappearing for four months after his annual molting. Readers will enjoy discovering the wildlife of Brazil while learning about the impacts of oil spills and the importance of conservation. This inspiring, true account of real and unusual friendships is sure to win the hearts of nature and animal lovers alike.

Book/ ebook

Just Gus / McCall Hoyle ; illustrations by Vivienne To

After guardian dog Gus is injured defending his flock of sheep, he is sent to recuperate and heal with a young boy, Diego, whom Gus finds he can help by learning how to work as an emotional support animal.

Book/ ebook/ eaudio

 Squished / Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighborhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she’s tired of feeling squished by her six siblings! They’re noisy and chaotic and the younger kids love her a little too much. All Avery wants is her own room — her own space to be alone and make art. So she’s furious when Theo, her grumpy older brother, gets his own room instead, and her wild baby brother, Max, moves into the room she already shares with her clinging sister Pearl! Avery hatches a plan to finally get her own room, all while trying to get Max to sleep at night, navigating changes in her friendships, and working on an art entry for the fair. And when Avery finds out that her family might move across the country, things get even more complicated. Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter have once again teamed up to tell a funny, heartfelt, and charming story of family, friendship, and growing up

Book/ ebook/ spanish

When sea becomes sky / Gillian McDunn ; illustrations by Yaoyao Ma Van As

As Pelican Island’s history-making drought wears on, the water level on Bex and Davey’s beloved marsh reveals the hand of a statue that has been underneath the water for who knows how long, and the siblings are determined to find out more.

Book/ ebook/ eaudio

How do you spell unfair? : MacNolia Cox and the national spelling bee / Carole Boston Weatherford ; illustrated by Frank Morrison

A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.

Book/ ebook

Finally seen / Kelly Yang

When ten-year-old Lina Gao leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, she must reckon with her hurt, anger, and curiosity and find a way to get her bearings in this new country–and the almost-new family that comes along with it.

Book/ ebook/ eaudio