Kid Lit News: Released This Week

Good Night Owl

By Greg Pizzoli

Owl is ready for bed. But as soon as he settles in, he hears a strange noise. He'll never get to sleep unless he can figure out what's going on! He looks everywhere-in his cupboard, underneath the floorboards-even in his walls. But while he's busy tearing his house apart, he doesn't notice one tiny, squeaky, mouse-shaped detail. . . . Will Owl ever get a good night's sleep?

Teachers Rock! By Todd Parr

Teachers are amazing! They teach you new things, make you laugh, and help you meet new friends. They always encourage you to do your best. They make the classroom a great place to be! From admiring the way teachers foster creativity in the classroom to how they ensure all children's needs are met, Todd Parr offers an ode to everything teachers contribute to the world. Bursting with positivity about school and the people who make it special, this book is sure to become a classroom and at-home favorite.

Little Lola Saves the Show By Julie Saab and David Gothard

Little Lola is a curious cat with a love of adventure. When she sees a young dancer drop one of her ballet slippers on the way to a recital, Lola decides that she wants to be part of the fun and stumbles—literally—into a ballet performance. She dances beautiful pirouettes, arabesques, and pas de chat (the step of the cat, her favorite) until disaster strikes and she must save the show!

Stop Following Me, Moon! By Darren Farrell

Bear is hungry. So hungry that when he spies a squirrel's berry snack, he can't help taking the whole berry bush. Then, when he wanders past a busy beehive, Bear knows he's hit the jackpot. But someone is on to him—the moon! Or so Bear thinks. Before he knows it, Bear is on the run with his stolen snacks, causing a whole lot of trouble for the other animals in the forest.

Click! By Frank W. Dormer

Things are not at all what they seem in this picture book mystery filled with rhyming wordplay. "It's a perfect day to catch a cat," muses a dog. But to his annoyance, all he seems to find are things that rhyme with cat. Rat. Bat. Gnat. Why can't he catch a cat?! In a fascinating and delightful twist, we 'click!’ to see the reason: the cat has been telling the story all along!

Oh No, Astro! By Matt Roeser and Brad Woodard

Astro is a cranky asteroid who just wants everyone to respect his personal boundaries. But when a satellite knocks Astro out of orbit, he is forced to embark on an epic adventure through space…whether he wants to or not! Filled with playful illustrations and tons of cool facts about space, this picture book is a must-have for all the future astronauts who are ready to journey through the galaxy.

The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero (Max Crumbly, #1) By Rachel Renée Russell

Max Crumbly is about to face the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School. There’s a lot that’s great about his new school, but there’s also one big problem—Doug, the school bully whose hobby is stuffing Max in his locker. If only Max could be like the hero in his favorite comics. Unfortunately, Max’s uncanny, almost superhuman ability to smell pizza from a block away won’t exactly save any lives or foil bad guys. But that doesn’t mean Max won’t do his best to be the hero his school needs!

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse By Brian Farrey

In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a black and desolate bog that the happy people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it, except for one dire warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could possibly conceal that might topple her family’s thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Emberfell, where everyone lives with unending joy, a girl named Aon hides a sorrow she can never reveal. She knows that something in the carse--something that sings a haunting tune only Aon can hear--holds the cure for her sadness. Yet no matter how many times she tries to enter, the terror-inducing dreadwillow trees keep her away. After a chance meeting, Princess Jeniah and Aon hatch a plan to send Aon into the heart of the carse to unlock its darkest secret. But when Aon doesn’t return, a guilt-stricken Jeniah must enter the carse to try and rescue her friend--even if it means risking the entire Monarchy.

Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle By N. D. Wilson

Sam Miracle’s life is made up of dreams, dreams where he’s a courageous, legendary hero instead of a foster kid with two bad arms that can barely move. Sometimes these dreams feel so real, they seem like forgotten memories. And sometimes they make him believe that his arms might come alive again. But Sam is about to discover that the world he knows and the world he imagines are separated by only one thing: time. And that separation is only an illusion. The laws of time can be bent and shifted by people with special magic that allows them to travel through the past, present, and future. But not all of these “time walkers” can be trusted. One is out to protect Sam so that he can accept his greatest destiny, and another is out to kill him so that a prophecy will never be fulfilled. However, it’s an adventurous girl named Glory and two peculiar snakes who show Sam the way through the dark paths of yesterday to help him make sure there will be a tomorrow for every last person on earth.

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions By Tracey Hecht and Kate Liebman

The Nocturnals features three unlikely friends: Dawn, a serious fox, Tobin, a sweet pangolin and Bismark, the loud mouthed, pint sized sugar glider. The stories all play out in their nighttime world with teamwork, friendship and humor in every adventure. In The Mysterious Abductions, the animals form a brigade of the night after a random encounter with a blood-thirsty snake, and just in time because something is threatening their night realm. Animals are disappearing without a trace. Together with the help of a wombat, a band of coyotes and many others, Dawn, Tobin and Bismark journey to the depths of the earth in a wacky, high stakes game that will determine all of their survival.

Nothing Up My Sleeve By Diana López

Sixth graders Dominic, Loop, and Z stumble upon a new magicshop in town and can't wait to spend their summer masteringcool tricks to gain access to the Vault, a key holders-only backroom bound to hold all kinds of secrets. And once they getin, they set their sights even higher: a huge competition at theend of the summer. They work on their card tricks, sleights,and vanishing acts, trying to come up with the most awesomeroutines possible....Problem is, the trip is expensive, and it'smoney that each guy's family just doesn't have. To make things worse, the shop-owners' daughter, Ariel (whojust so happens to be last year's competition winner), will doanything to make sure the boys don't come out on top. Even pitthem against one another. Will they make it to the competition?And if so, at what cost?

Falling into the Dragon's Mouth By Holly Thompson and Matt Huynh

In a Japanese seaside neighborhood lives Jason Parker: a sixth grader / one year older than his classmates / a stinking foreigner to some classmates / an orange belt in aikido / a big brother. Jason Parker is just a boy trying to get through his days with calm and courage. If only everyone around him would let him. This is a beautifully spare novel in verse about one boy's life--a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to fit in.

#justreleased #kidlitnews #april2016