School is about to get even better for spunky, fourth grade Texan, Mya Tibbs. Along with being in the same class as her new best friend, popular, beauty pageant-winning, Naomi Jackson, the school is about to have its annual Spirit Week! And the prize is a pair of VIP tickets to the town’s Fall Festival, complete with a rodeo, great food, rides, and Battle of the Bands being judged by pop sensation, La’Nique. All Mya and Naomi have to do is make sure they have each other as partners and the VIP tickets will surely be theirs! They’ve even cemented the plan with a pinky-promise.
But then the unthinkable happens; they get different classmates as partners! And Mya doesn’t get just anyone! She gets mean Connie Tate, the biggest bully in her grade. Now Mya’s being called Mya Tibbs Fibs by her best friend and the rest of the school. Will Mya survive spirit week, being paired with a bully? Who will win the coveted VIP tickets? Will Mya have any friends by the time this thing is through?
Crystal Allen starts this new series off strong with this realistic, character-rich, school drama where not everyone is how they first seem. Fans of graphic novels War at Elsemere, Amelia Rules, the Dork Diaries series and anything Raina Telgemeier, check out this great new series! Best for ages 8 and up.
Prefer listen to books over reading them? Then you’re in luck, the audio version of this book further brings this fun story to life, with the talented voice actor, Sisi Aisha Johnson!
Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. So Monty vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Let me tell you something, this book was the queer John Hughes-style adventure that I never knew I needed. This book seriously has it all; queerness, pirates, alchemists, love, and smart girls kicking butt. The author acknowledges the anachronistic bits of this story, and doesn’t apologize for them. Don’t read this if you’re expecting an exacting recreation of 18th century Europe, but do if you want a fast-paced and smartly written love story. Do yourself a favor and pick up our copy today!
In this delightful and inspirational picture book, young readers meet Truly, a multifaceted girl with interests galore. She loves playing rock music, can build tall towers, imagines that she has magical superhero powers, and that is just the first few pages. Truly loves art, science, sports, and adventure, and emerges as a versatile character kids can see themselves being. Kelly Greenawalt’s bouncy, simple rhymes capture a heroine in motion, moving from one activity to the next. Amariah Rauscher’s warm, funny illustrations are packed with delightful details (love the pirate outfits on her animal friends as they sail the seas on a little boat, for example). When reading the book to a preschool storytime group, I noticed how the children instantly loved clapping for Truly as she makes teddy bears with her cool new invention, or parachutes through the air. The energy of this joyous book is contagious, making readers feel that they too can dance on the stars the way Truly does. Simply wonderful.
Those seeking a great interactive story to share with young children will find one with Ben Newman’s rollicking Boo!. Wow, what a triumph of book design this is. With bold shapes and sharp colors and striking typography, Ben Newman’s Boo! is an artfully conceived romp in which, one by one, an animal brags about being the bravest creature there ever was. As each character speaks highly of itself, another shadowy figure approaches from behind and then screams “BOO” when we turn the page. Each page turn offers a vibrant, hilarious surprise. The reaction of each character after it is startled is priceless. The beauty of the design starts on the cover with a mouse appearing under the two “O”s in the word BOO cut out in the shape of eyes. Flip open the book and we see that the eyeballs belong to a crocodile about to chomp on the mouse. When addressing the reader, each animal starts off with a greeting with an amplified, larger font, and in a nice touch, Newman changes the font for each character. To say this works in large story times is an understatement: the illustrations show beautifully across the room. Kids laugh, scream, and adore the surprise ending. It will forever be a part of my regular story hour rotation.
I loved this story with its dual parts: one about Rafael Rosales growing up in the Dominican Republic and the other about Maya living in the Twin cities caring about bees and native grasses. I loved how their lives were never supposed to intersect but then — they did, in an amazing, charming, challenging way! Kurtis Scarletta handles the plot twists masterfully; early on I was convinced to leave myself in this capable writer’s hands and let the story take me where he wanted me to go. One of our jobs as humans is to give each other hope — that’s what this story is about. A great middle grade novel just waiting to be discovered by boys who like baseball, girls who love “native forbs” and everyone in between!
Sisters Isabel and Ruth have been slaves their whole lives. Miss. Mary Finch, their owner, has just passed away. Miss. Finch promised Isabel they would be freed upon her death and even made it legal with a lawyer. But now that lawyer is gone and Miss. Finch’s son, Robert, wants to make a few bucks off them and sells them straight away. To make matters worse Ruth and Isabel are sold to a cruel loyalist family, the Locktons, who reside in New York, far from their home in Rhode Island.
It’s the middle of the revolutionary war and Isabel is determined to get her and her sister their freedom. After meeting a young slave, Cruzon, whose owner fights with the rebels Isabel thinks that she can trade information about Loyalists in return for her safe passage to freedom. Things don’t go as planned and as the war intensifies in New York, things go from bad to worse in the Lockton house, but Isabel is a survivor. If the rebels won’t help her maybe the British will. Chains, is an excellent and devastating piece of historical fiction, it illustrates the hardships of the war and the extreme cruelty of people, but also the determination of others. After reading the first in this series, you’ll want to delve into the rest.
This inspirational picture book beautifully addresses something most everyone can relate to: the fear of performing in public. The girl at the center of the story will be singing her very first solo in the Sunday church choir, and to say she has butterflies in her stomach is an understatement. After she overhears two mean kids putting down her voice, she turns to her family and neighbors for advice. Will she be able to rise above and face her fears? Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s warm, vibrant, sometimes humorous illustrations fill each page with radiant joy. I love the expressions on our heroine’s face. Denene Millner’s energetic prose builds the suspense as the time of the girl’s performance draws near. You will find yourself cheering when you reach the stirring ending. This slice of life story is a delight.
First in a series about Peter Grant, a mixed-race London constable who seems doomed to a life of low-stakes departmental paperwork…until he interviews a murder witness who just happens to be a ghost. Before he knows it, he finds himself apprenticed to Scotland Yard’s resident wizard, learning magic, and mediating disputes between the city’s gods. Think Harry Potter, but multiply the wit and grit by a factor of 10.
In addition to the novels in the series, check out the graphic novels based on the characters, starting with Rivers of London: Body Work.
In this loving, emotionally direct new sibling book, Sylvia L. Walker’s warm watercolors introduce young readers to a charming boy who cannot wait to take on his exciting new role as big brother. This helpful, resourceful little guy helps even before the baby is born: talking to his mommy’s tummy, painting the baby’s room, and making sure his mother’s bag is by the door when she has to quickly leave for the hospital. Katura J. Hudson’s succinct, child-friendly first person text walks the audience through what to expect when the baby first arrives (lots of sleeping and dirty diapers). I love how Hudson calls the new addition “the baby,” resisting gender specification and thus increasing the title’s universality. Although the book is snark-free, it doesn’t feel sappy or cloying. The boy endures some minor disappointments (like needing to be quiet around the sleeping tot and not being able to engage in loud play). Then when the child says that it’s all good at the end, you believe him thanks to the tender beauty of Walker’s art and Hudson’s prose. A beautiful little gem of a book, unassuming and universal.
Fans of slice-of-life graphic novels (like Roller Girl, Sisters, Smile, and Sunny Side Up) will be clamoring for this book, if they aren’t already. Invisible Emmie is a dual narrative, highlighting the middle school experiences of two very different girls. Meet Emmie, a shy, girl who prefers to be invisible to her peers, and popular and good at everything Katie, as they live through a day that will end up changing how other students see them, as well as how they perceive themselves. Libenson makes good use of the form, choosing to create a first person diary of sorts (with illustrations) from Emmie’s perspective and a purely graphic novel approach for Katie’s. Prepare yourself for a great twist ending. Overall, this is a satisfying, well paced first graphic novel for Libenson. We will be lucky to see what she has for us next!
