Kid Lit News: Released This Week
Emma and Julia Love Ballet
By Barbara McClintock
Emma is little. Julia is big. They both love ballet. Emma takes ballet lessons. So does Julia. Emma is learning to be a ballerina. Julia is a professional ballerina. They are both excited about the big performance in the theater tonight. Emma will be watching from the audience. Julia will be dancing onstage! And afterward, Emma will go backstage to meet her ballet hero!
Lionheart
By Richard Collingridge
Richard hears something in his room before bedtime. Is it a monster? He doesn't wait to find out and sets off running through the streets, over the hills, through the forest, and into the fields until he finds himself in a magical jungle. With the help of his stuffed lion Lionheart, Richard finds the courage he needs to face his fears.
The Knowing Book
By Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Matthew Cordell
Inspiring and wise, this story begins and ends with the sky that is always above you. In between, a young rabbit travels through the wide world, experiencing joy and sorrow and all the wonder that the world has to offer. Along the way he chooses a path, explores the unknown, and ventures along trails on and off the map. And at the end of the journey, braver and more confident, he returns home, the place he can always count on and will always know. This beautiful celebration of life is the perfect gift to mark any milestone in a child’s life from birth to graduation.
Baa Baa Smart Sheep
By Mark Sommerset and Rowan Sommerset
Little Baa Baa is bored. When Quirky Turkey comes along, the opportunity to make some mischief proves too hard to resist.
Good Night Like This
By Mary Murphy
Filled with dreamy, colorful art, this is the perfect soothing bedtime book for little children. The rhythmic text is just right for gently lulling them to sleep while cuddly rabbits, bears, dogs, and even a dragonfly each take turns tucking in their little ones. The gentle pacing and sweet pictures will be sure to elicit lots of oohs, aahs, and . . . zzzzzzs! Featuring novelty elements such as cut-away pages and foil effects, this is a cozy and delightful bedtime book for parents and children to share.
Bears in a Band
By Shirley Parenteau and David Walker
The little bears pick up their instruments and play a noisy song. They don’t care if the notes are wrong! But uh-oh, Big Brown Bear is fast asleep. Will their lively music wake him up? A small moment of trepidation segues into a jubilant performance in a story that will be sweet music to little ears.
There's a Giraffe in my Soup
By Ross Burach
What if you found a giraffe in your soup, an alligator in your entreé, an elephant on the table, or even an ostrich in your dish? In this debut picture book from author-illustrator Ross Burach, an assortment of hairy, scary animals pop out from under the lid at a restaurant!
Alan's Big, Scary Teeth
By Jarvis
Deep in the jungle lurks Alan the alligator, descended from a long line of very scary alligators. He prepares carefully — polishing his scales, brushing each of his big, scary teeth, and practicing his frightening faces — then sneaks into the jungle to terrorize the jungle critters. ("I’m big, scary Alan! Fear my razor-sharp teeth!") But after a long day of scaring, Alan likes nothing better than to enjoy the crossword, run a warm mud bath, and take out his teeth, which nobody else knows are false.Until one morning, when Alan wakes up and finds that his teeth are gone! Without those teeth, he’s just not very scary, and scaring is the only thing he knows how to do. Or is it? Witty, charming, and playful storytelling will have preschoolers cheering for Alan as he discovers a new way to fit in.
The Sleepy Songbird
Suzanne Barton
Peep awakes one morning to the sound of beautiful birdsong--but where is it coming from? It's the Dawn Chorus! And Peep wants to sing with them. But despite trying his hardest, Peep realizes he doesn't quite fit in with the other birds in the chorus. Little does Peep know, he's about to meet someone who will show him how special being a nightingale can be . . .
How Do Dinosaurs Stay Friends?
By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
From early childhood to life after eighty, the great challenge of any friendship is keeping it healthy and strong. In this funny, engaging book, award-winners Jane Yolen and Mark Teague present humorous, naughty dinosaur antics that any young sibling or friend will instantly recognize -- followed by dinosaur-sized hugs and expressions of affection. Do children in your home ever fight over a toy? Do good friends at school ever push or call names? And do buddies also know to share, give cookies, and apologize?
Ida, Always
By Caron Levis and Charles Santoso
Gus lives in a big park in the middle of an even bigger city, and he spends his days with Ida. Ida is right there. Always.Then one sad day, Gus learns that Ida is very sick, and she isn’t going to get better. The friends help each other face the difficult news with whispers, sniffles, cuddles, and even laughs. Slowly Gus realizes that even after Ida is gone, she will still be with him—through the sounds of their city, and the memories that live in their favorite spots. Ida, Always is inspired by a real bear friendship.
The Clover Curse (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse #7)
By Poppy Green and Jennifer A. Bell
Sophie Mouse is painting in Clio’s Clover patch on a beautiful spring day when she spots something unusual. It’s a clover…but it has four leaves! Four-leaf clovers are supposed to bring good luck, right? Sophie waits and waits for this good luck, but it seems like just the opposite is happening. She spills paint all over herself, she doesn’t have any fun daydreams, and she forgets about an adventure she was supposed to go on with Hattie! Will Sophie ever be able to break this Clover Curse?
The Rangers Rustlers (Ballpark Mysteries #12)
By David A. Jelly and Mark Meyers
Let’s play ball, y’all! Mike and Kate are very excited to watch a Texas Rangers game. Mike even bought an official shirt. But little did he know—it’s a fake! A sneaky crook is tricking Rangers fans into buying the wrong shirts. Can the cousins help a real-life police ranger round up the culprit?
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 (I Survived #13)
by Lauren Tarshis, Scott Dawson
In May of 1937, the Hindenburg, a massive German airship, caught fire while attempting to land in New Jersey, killing 35 people. Lauren Tarshis's latest thrilling addition to the New York Times bestselling I Survived series, will feature an 11-year-old boy in the middle of this historic disaster.
Unicorns vs. Goblins (Heavenly Nostrils #3)
By Dana Simpson
School’s out! That means no more teachers, no more books, and lots of time to compliment Marigold Heavenly Nostrils on her good looks. In this third volume, Phoebe and her obligational best friend, Marigold, learn that summer still has plenty of surprises for the both of them. All of our old friends are back—Phoebe’s part-time “frenemy” Dakota, upon whom Marigold has bestowed sentient hair, Phoebe’s goofy parents, and even Lord Splendid Humility (but please, ignore his magnificence if you can)! Have fun as Phoebe and Marigold continue the “Phoebegold Detective Agency,” spend a week at Wolfgang Music Camp, and find themselves in more misadventures, thanks to Marigold’s enchanted sparkles! Along the way, Phoebe makes some new friends, such as Sue—her unique clarinet-playing bunkmate, Florence Unfortunate Nostrils, Marigold’s estranged sister, and Camp Wolfgang’s lake monster who enjoys tacos and Wi-Fi. When school resumes, read along as Phoebe enjoys (or suffers from) a brief case of popularity, mentally catalogs her grievances against dodge ball, and, with Marigold’s help, rescues Dakota and her hair from the queen of the goblins. Through these wacky adventures, Phoebe and Marigold learn that their friendship is the second most magical thing of all, after Marigold’s beauty, of course.
The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price
By Jennifer Maschari
Ever since twelve-year-old Charlie Price's mom died, he feels like his world has been split into two parts. Before included stargazing and Mathletes and Saturday scavenger hunts with his family. After means a dad who's completely checked out, comically bad dinners, and grief group that's anything but helpful. It seems like losing Mom meant losing everything else he loved, too. Just when Charlie thinks things can't get any worse, his sister, Imogen, starts acting erratically—missing school and making up lies about their mother. But everything changes when one day he follows her down a secret passageway in the middle of her bedroom and sees for himself. Imogen has found a parallel world where Mom is alive! There's hot cocoa and Scrabble and scavenger hunts again and everything is perfect . . . at first. But something doesn't feel right. Whenever Charlie returns to the real world, things are different, and not in a good way. And Imogen wants to spend more and more time on the other side. It's almost as if she wants to leave the real world for good. If Charlie doesn't uncover the truth, he could lose himself, the true memory of their mother, and Imogen . . . forever.
The Last Boy at St. Edith's
By Lee Gjertsen Malone
Seventh grader Jeremy Miner has a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. Four hundred and seventy-five of them. That's how many girls attend his school, St. Edith's Academy. Jeremy is the only boy left after the school's brief experiment in coeducation. And he needs to get out. His mom won't let him transfer, so Jeremy takes matters into his own hands: He's going to get expelled. Together with his best friend, Claudia, Jeremy unleashes a series of hilarious pranks in hopes that he'll get kicked out with minimum damage to his permanent record. But when his stunts start to backfire, Jeremy has to decide whom he's willing to knock down on his way out the door. Written with equal parts humor and heart, Lee Gjertsen Malone's debut is all about fitting in, standing out, and finding the place where you belong.
Saving Wonder
By Mary Knight
In this utterly transporting debut about the power of words, the importance of friendship, and the magic of wonder, Curley Hines must decide whether to fight to save the mountain he calls home. Having lost most of his family to coal-mining accidents as a little boy, Curley Hines lives with his grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Wonder Gap, Kentucky. Ever since Curley can remember, Papaw has been giving him a word each week to learn and live. Papaw says words are Curley's way out of the holler, even though Curley has no intention of ever leaving. When a new coal boss takes over the local mining company, life as Curley knows it is turned upside down. Suddenly, his best friend, Jules, is interested in the coal boss's son, and worse, the mining company threatens to destroy Curley and Papaw's mountain. Now Curley faces a difficult choice. Does he use his words to speak out against Big Coal and save his mountain, or does he remain silent and save his way of life?
Just My Luck
By Cammie McGovern
Fourth grade is not going at all how Benny Barrows hoped. He hasn’t found a new best friend. He’s still not a great bike rider—even though his brother George, who’s autistic, can do tricks. And worst of all, he worries his dad’s recent accident might be all his fault. Benny tries to take his mom’s advice and focus on helping others, and to take things one step at a time. But when his dad ends up in the hospital again, Benny doesn’t know how he and his family will overcome all the bad luck that life has thrown their way. Just My Luck is a deeply moving and rewarding novel about a down-on-his-luck boy whose caring heart ultimately helps him find the strength to cope with tragedy and realize how much he truly has to offer his friends and family.
The Lincoln Project (Flashback Four #1)
By Dan Gutman
Congratulations! You are invited to participate in a very special once-in-a-lifetime experience. Please do not share this invitation or discuss it with anyone. In New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman's all-new series, which blends fascinating real history with an action-packed and hilarious adventure, four very different kids are picked by a mysterious billionaire to travel through time and photograph some of history's most important events. This time, the four friends are headed to 1863 to catch Abraham Lincoln delivering his famous Gettysburg Address. They'll have to work together to ask the right questions, meet the right people, and capture the right moment. And most important—not get caught! Back matter separating fact from fiction and real black-and-white photographs make Flashback Four the perfect mix of true history and uproarious fun.
Beetle Boy
By M.G. Leonard
The glorious start to a middle-grade trilogy about a brilliant boy, his loyal friends, and some amazingly intelligent beetles that brings together adventure, humor, and real science! Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum. Vanished without a trace! From a locked room! So Darkus moves in with his eccentric Uncle Max and next door to Humphrey and Pickering, two lunatic cousins with an enormous beetle infestation. Darkus soon discovers that the beetles are anything but ordinary. They're an amazing, intelligent super species and they're in danger of being exterminated. It's up to Darkus and his friends to save the beetles. But they're up against an even more terrifying villain--the mad scientist of fashion, haute couture villainess Lucretia Cutter. Lucretia has an alarming interest in insects and dastardly plans for the bugs. She won't let anyone or anything stop her, including Darkus's dad, who she has locked up in her dungeons! The beetles and kids join forces to rescue Mr. Cuttle and thwart Lucretia.
Tales of the Fallen Beast (Spirit Animals: Special Edition)
By Brandon Mull
All across the world, legends are appearing. Great Beasts -- once the most powerful beings in Erdas -- are being summoned as spirit animals. Bonded to special kids, they unite the human and animal worlds. But a mysterious stranger is hunting these legends, just as they are reborn, and he's crushing anyone who stands in his way. These are the stories of those stolen legends, and of the young heroes who will stop at nothing to get them back.
Well of Witches (The Thickety #3)
By J.A. White and Andrea Offermann
Kara and Taff know that only Grace Stone has the power to reverse her terrible Last Spell on their father and in order to save him, they have to rescue their foe from the Well of Witches first. Forgiving Grace should be the hardest part of their journey…but soon the children are confronted by creatures called the Faceless, mysteries as old as magic, and an ancient secret that threatens their very lives. Back in the World, a war against magic is brewing that endangers everyone they care about. Can Kara and Taff find Grace, find their way out of the Well, and make it back to their father in time?
Firelight (Amulet #7)
By Kazu Kibuishi
Emily, Trellis, and Vigo visit Algos Island, where they can access and enter lost memories. They're hoping to uncover the events of Trellis's mysterious childhood -- knowledge they can use against the Elf King. What they discover is a dark secret that changes everything. Meanwhile, the voice of Emily's Amulet is getting stronger, and threatens to overtake her completely.
The Key to Extraordinary
By Natalie Lloyd
Everyone in Emma's family is special. Her ancestors include Revolutionary War spies, brilliant scientists, and famous musicians--every single one of which learned of their extraordinary destiny through a dream. For Emma, her own dream can't come soon enough. Right before her mother died, Emma promised that she'd do whatever it took to fulfill her destiny, and she doesn't want to let her mother down. But when Emma's dream finally arrives, it points her toward an impossible task--finding a legendary treasure hidden in her town's cemetery. If Emma fails, she'll let down generations of extraordinary ancestors . . . including her own mother. But how can she find something that's been missing for centuries and might be protected by a mysterious singing ghost?