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Sayville Library will be closed all day, Sunday, April 5th for Easter.

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Dating After the End of the World

Jeneva Rose

There's nothing like the undead to bring the living together in an action-packed and apocalyptically romantic genre-shattering novel by a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Casey Pearson grew up with a doomsday-prepping father. At eighteen, tired of living an unconventional life, she left home, vowing never to return.

More than a decade later, a mysterious viral outbreak changes everything, including the people it infects, turning them into zombielike creatures. It's the end of the world, and no one saw it coming--well, except for Casey's father. With no place left to run and danger lurking around every corner, Casey is forced to return home.

Upon arrival, she's surprised to find that her dad has hunkered down with a group of survivors, including her archnemesis, Blake Morrison, the high school bully who made Casey's teenage years a living hell.

While struggling to live on the compound, face outside threats, and survive alongside her handsome enemy, Casey will learn that although the world has ended, hers is just beginning.

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Turns of Fate

Anne Bishop

A young detective investigating crimes of the uncanny will learn that bargains can change your fate—for good or ill—in this darkly enthralling fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Others and the Black Jewels series.

Words have power. Intentions matter.

Most people come to Destiny Park for entertainment. They come to have their cards read to tell them a bit about their future. They come to walk through a beautiful park and to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. They come in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Arcana, the paranormal beings who rule the Isle of Wyrd.

But some people come to make a bargain with the Arcana—to change their fate. And some people come for dark purposes.

When Detective Beth Fahey is sent to Destiny Park to inquire about a “ghost gun,” she will begin a strange journey on which she must learn to navigate the Arcana’s unforgiving laws and dangerous attractions. Her search will draw her into seemingly impossible cases and the secrets of her own past as tensions rise between the Arcana and their human neighbors across the river.

For the Isle of Wyrd is a place where the dead ride trains to their final destinations, predators literally become prey, and seekers’ true natures are revealed in the ripples of destiny unknowingly stirred in their wakes.

Who will live? Who will die? And who will be lost in between?

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The Grave Artist

Jeffery Deaver

Perfect couples are his perfect victims. Now he's hunting those hunting him in a riveting thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado.

A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the blissful day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Though the incident appears to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the tragedy is the third in a series of similar deaths and conclude something far more sinister is at play.

The two uncover chilling evidence pointing to a serial killer who has taken evil to the next level. Dubbed the Honeymoon Killer, this man isn't interested in his victims but in creating his own macabre masterpiece from their graves--focused on the survivors and reveling in their grief. And now his dark obsession has turned to Carmen and Jake...

The Honeymoon Killer has decided they are the perfect next target. Take one out and delight as the other crumbles. Time is running out as a deadly game between predator and prey begins.

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Next Time Will Be Our Turn

Jesse Q. Sutanto

A grandmother tells her granddaughter about her twisty, often surprising, journey to who she is now in this sweeping love story by USA Today bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Izzy Chen is dreading her family’s annual Chinese New Year celebration, where they all come together at a Michelin-starred restaurant to flaunt their status and successes in hopes to one up each other. So when her seventy-three-year-old glamorous and formidable grandmother walks in with a stunning woman on her arm and kisses her in front of everyone, it shakes Izzy to her core. She’d always considered herself the black sheep of the family for harboring similar feelings to the ones her Nainai just displayed.

Seeing herself in her teenage granddaughter's struggles with identity and acceptance, Magnolia Chen tells Izzy her own story, of how as a teen she was sent by her Indo-Chinese parents from Jakarta to Los Angeles for her education and fell in love with someone completely forbidden to her by both culture and gender norms—Ellery, an American college student who became Magnolia's best friend and the love of her life. Stretching across decades and continents, Magnolia's star-crossed love story reveals how life can take unexpected turns but ultimately lead you to exactly who you're meant to be.

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Other People's Fun

Harriet Lane

A chance encounter draws two old classmates toward an unforgettable reckoning in this "very smart and darkly funny" novel exploring power--and how it tangles with privilege, marriage, motherhood, and midlife--from the acclaimed author of Alys, Always, and Her (Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy).

"I look. I can't stop looking. That's the deal, isn't it? We all know that's how it works. If someone wants to be seen--and oh, how they want to be seen--then someone has to watch."

Ruth is alone, unnoticed, and at a loss: her marriage has ended, her daughter is leaving home, and her job is leading nowhere.

But luckily Sookie is back in her life-vivid, self-assured Sookie, who never spared the time for Ruth when they were teenagers, but who now seems to want to be friends. But as Ruth is caught up in Sookie's life, she sees that everything is not as Instagrammable as Sookie would have you believe. As the truth about Sookie becomes clearer, so too does the choice Ruth will have to make.

Unputdownable, spiky, and subtle, Other People's Fun is a novel about modern life, from the little lies we tell our neighbors, friends, families, and ourselves to the hall of mirrors that is social media. Filled with Harriet Lane's trademark creeping unease and forensic observation, this page-turner considers how desperately we want others to see us as we are--and what happens when they finally do.

"Sharp. . . . A tale of toxic friendship, with a midlife mean-girl twist." --New York Times Book Review

"This deliciously twisted tale is a one-sitting read steeped in tension and unease." -- Red Magazine (UK)

"Like an influencer's feed, this is hard to look away from." --Publishers Weekly

"If you loved Notes on a Scandal, then this is for you." --Prima (UK) 
 

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The Night That Finds Us All

John Hornor Jacobs

A troubled sailor. A hundred-year-old sailboat. An ancient curse. Welcome to award-winning author John Hornor Jacobs’ nautical nightmare.

It begins and ends as always, with the sea.

Sam Vines is struggling. Her boat is up on the hard and she doesn’t have enough money to get her back in the water. Turns out the snorkelers and the scubadivers are looking for the ultra-luxury boating experience, not the single-handed, rarely sober, snarky stylings of sailboat captain Samantha Vines. So it’s a good thing when her former crewmate Loick asks her to help deliver a massive, hundred-year-old sailboat from Seattle to England. Sam is the only one who can handle the ship’s engine, and did Loick mention that the money is good? It’s very good.

The Blackwatch is a huge boat. An ancient boat. It’s also probably (definitely) haunted.

Sam’s alcohol withdrawal (sobriety is important at sea) has her doubting her senses, but when one crewmate disappears and another has a gruesome accident, she knows that this simple delivery job has spiraled into something sinister.

By turns terrifying, darkly funny, thought-provoking, and heartfelt, The Night That Finds Us All is a seductive, nautical nightmare.

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Darker Days

Thomas Olde Heuvelt

"Darker Days is a meticulous work of terror, a harrowing drop into a moral nightmare. If you can imagine the philosophical oomph of Bergman's The Seventh Seal joined to the rustic shocks of Midsommer, and all of it transported to America's suburbia, you'd have something like Darker Days. It's a scream." -- Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of King Sorrow

"Darker Days reinforces that Olde Heuvelt is one of the most vital and exciting voices in modern horror"-- Mike Flanagan, director of The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Dr. Sleep

From the author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller HEX comes a modern twist on the Faustian tale about a gilded street in a Pacific Northwest town where the charmed residents have made a frightening deal . . . resulting in devastating consequences.

Sometimes you think you can see things behind the fence. Bad things. So it's better not to look . . .

In Lock Haven, a quiet little town in Washington State, Bird Street is a special place. The residents of this pretty cul-de-sac on the edge of the woods are all successful, healthy, and happy. Their children are prodigies; well-mannered and... unnaturally smart.

But come November, the "Darker Days" descend, bringing accidents, bad luck, conflict, and illness. Luana and Ralph Lewis-da Silva prepare for this, and so do their children Kaila and Django. It is in November when a stranger appears to collect on a longstanding debt. A price must be paid for the good fortune they enjoy the rest of the year. A sacrifice must be made.

So it has been for over a century. To assuage their guilt, the residents of Bird Street choose carefully who will be sent into the woods. Usually, it is an elderly or terminally ill individual who wishes to die with dignity and is content to be helped on their way.

But this year, things don't go to plan, and events take a terrifying turn . . .

Darker Days is a propulsive, haunting novel that begs the questions: "How far will we go for our own happiness and what sacrifices are we willing to make?"

  • A great read for spooky-season nights
  • A perfect addition to any Halloween reading list



 

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Book of Lives

Margaret Atwood

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from the author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments, one of our most lauded and influential cultural figures.

'Every writer is at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes. Though everything written must have passed through their minds, or mind, they are not the same.'

Raised by ruggedly independent, scientifically minded parents - entomologist father, dietician mother - Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec. This childhood was unfettered and nomadic, sometimes isolated (on her eighth birthday: 'It sounds forlorn. It was forlorn. It gets more forlorn.'), but also thrilling and beautiful.

From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking seminal moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel year that spawned Cat's Eye to the Orwellian 1980s Berlin where she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. In pages bursting with bohemian gatherings, her magical life with the wildly charismatic writer Graeme Gibson and major political turning points, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood actors and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.

As we travel with her along the course of her life, more and more is revealed about her writing, the connections between real life and art - and the workings of one of our greatest imaginations.

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Life, Law & Liberty

Anthony Kennedy

Throughout his thirty-year tenure on the US Supreme Court, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy authored landmark opinions on some of the most contested issues in American society, including abortion, gay rights, and free speech. At the ideological center of a divided Court, Kennedy sided with justice, fairness, and the liberty our Constitution guarantees.

Often defying expectations, Anthony Kennedy’s pursuit of equal justice helped him define the law of the land for a generation. His pivotal vote in closely watched 5-4 decisions led Time magazine to call him “The Decider.”

The fifteenth-longest-serving Supreme Court Justice in US history, Kennedy crafted headline-making opinions that legalized gay marriage, protected political speech, abolished the death penalty for minors, and, in a nuanced ruling, upheld a woman’s right to choose—decisions that were both celebrated and criticized across political lines.

How did this devout Catholic, Reagan appointee to the Court, and conservative in both temperament and politics end up authoring some of the most consequential liberal decisions of our time?

To understand Anthony Kennedy is to realize that, for him, judging is independent of politics, preferences, and religious beliefs. It is about a fundamental conviction that neutral principles must drive the decision and an unyielding commitment to the rule of law. Sometimes called a “swing vote,” the term misunderstands Kennedy’s approach. In his own words, “The cases swing, I don’t.”

Life, Law, and Liberty serves as a reflection on the role of a judge and the life story—filled with personal heartbreak and incredible accomplishment—of a precocious boy from Sacramento, California, who became the man Chief Justice John Roberts describes as “a special combination of legal acumen, collegiality, and kindness.”

The last Justice to be confirmed to the Court unanimously (97–0) by the Senate, Anthony Kennedy serves as a role model for our fractious times, an example of civility, decency, and ethics, and a deeply principled guardian of liberty.

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Crossroads of Ravens

Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series is a global phenomenon with over thirty million copies sold and translated into over forty languages worldwide. Crossroads of Ravens is the instant New York Times bestselling standalone novel following fantasy's most beloved monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia, on his first steps towards becoming a legend. 



"A wonderful insight into the beginnings of one of fantasy's most beloved and iconic characters, Geralt of Rivia. Immersive, exciting, and emotional. Crossroads of Ravens is not to be missed." - John Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author



Witchers are not born. They are made.



Before he was the White Wolf or the Butcher of Blaviken, Geralt of Rivia was simply a fresh graduate of Kaer Morhen, stepping into a world that neither understands nor welcomes his kind.



And when an act of naïve heroism goes gravely wrong, Geralt is only saved from the noose by Preston Holt, a grizzled witcher with a buried past and an agenda of his own.



Under Holt's guiding hand, Geralt begins to learn what it truly means to walk the Path - to protect a world that fears him, and to survive in it on his own terms. But as the line between right and wrong begins to blur, Geralt must decide to become the monster everyone expects, or something else entirely.



This is the story of how legends are made - and what they cost.



"Geralt is one of the great characters in all of fantasy. Whether you're coming from the games, TV show, or are simply new to the Witcher universe - these books are absolutely worth the read." - James Islington, author of The Will of the Many



"Sapkowski is a true master of fantasy literature, and Crossroads of Ravens is his latest example of his writing prowess." - Popverse



Witcher Story Collections

The Last Wish

Sword of Destiny



The Witcher Saga

Blood of Elves

The Time of Contempt

Baptism of Fire 

The Tower of Swallows

Lady of the Lake



Standalone Witcher Novels

Season of Storms

Crossroads of Ravens



The Hussite Trilogy

The Tower of Fools

Warriors of God

Light Perpetual



Translated from original Polish by David French



 

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Isn't It Obvious?

Rachel Runya Katz

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

"I'm obsessed with everything Rachel Runya Katz writes.” - Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author

After a meet-disaster, a podcaster and her producer fall in love over email without realizing they know (and hate) each other in real life.

When high school librarian Yael’s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she’s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he’s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?

Rachel Runya Katz’s Isn’t It Obvious? is a sharp, funny romance about loving the whole person and finally taking a chance on love.

Includes fan favorite tropes:
- enemies to lovers
- epistolary / falling in love through messages
- hidden identity
- slow burn romance
- forced proximity
- workplace romance

"This kind of hidden identity story is my absolute favorite, and I am on my KNEES with gratitude that Katz wrote one just for me. I adored every toe-tingling moment..." - Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Art of Catching Feelings

“Smart, sexy, and sincere... Yael and Kevin’s banter-filled interactions in person will have readers giggling and kicking their feet!” - Samantha Markum, USA Today Bestselling Author of Love, Off the Record
 

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The Last Death of the Year

Sophie Hannah

The brilliant Belgian detective rings in the New Year with a chilling murder investigation on a Greek island in this all-new holiday mystery from Sophie Hannah, author of Hercule Poirot's Silent Night.

New Year's Eve, 1932. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool arrive on the tiny Greek island of Lamperos to celebrate the holiday with what turns out to be a rather odd community living in a dilapidated house. A dark sense of foreboding overshadows the beautiful island getaway when the guests play a New Year's Resolutions game after dinner and one written resolution gleefully threatens to perform "the last and first death of the year."

Hours later, one of the home's residents is found dead on the terrace.

In light of the shocking murder, Poirot reveals to Catchpool the real reason he's brought him to the island and both men resolve to ensure that the first murder will be the last.

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Happy Bad

Delaney Nolan

"Nolan is a skillful satirist, and one whose aim is extensive, wickedly funny and true."—New Orleans Times-Picayune

"A self-assured debut that is also a warning."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Delaney Nolan has written a brutal, joyful, surprising, and gorgeous novel of human contradictions. It’s a stunner."—Julia Phillips, author of Bear and Disappearing Earth

Hernan Diaz meets Ottessa Moshfegh in this madcap road trip chronicle; a moving display of human connection in the face of violence and climate destruction from a remarkable new voice in fiction.

Beatrice works at Twin Bridge, a chronically underfunded residential treatment center in near-future East Texas, teeming with enraged teenage girls on either too many or not enough drugs. On a normal day, it’s difficult for Beatrice and the other staff—Arda, Carmen, and Linda—to keep their cool in dust-blown Askewn. But when a heat wave triggers a massive, sustained blackout, Beatrice and the other staff and residents must evacuate. Facing police brutality, sweltering heat, panicked evacuees, the girls’ mounting withdrawal, and the consequences of her own lies, they search for a route out of the blackout zone. A catastrophe novel by turns tender and hilarious, fueled by a low-simmering political rage, Happy Bad is a rocket arrived on Earth.

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Clementine Crane Prefers Not To

Kristin Bair

For fans of Maria Semple, Clementine Crane is a one-woman whirlwind, managing every aspect of her family’s life—until she hits her breaking point. In this quirky and heartfelt novel, author Kristin Bair explores family, community, and womanhood with sharp wit and keen insight.

Clementine Crane has a few things on her plate: She keeps the peace, picks up the slack, and always puts everyone else first. But when her first hot flash strikes, perimenopause sends her into a tailspin. Between a husband who can’t navigate a revolving door without her, three kids who treat her as their fixer, and a career stuck in neutral, Clementine begins to wonder: When is enough enough?

Overwhelmed and fed up, Clementine takes a stand—one small refusal at a time. She goes on strike, ditching obligations, setting boundaries, and venting her frustrations on social media. When her raw, hilarious, and unexpectedly poignant videos go viral, Clementine finds herself at the heart of a movement she never saw coming.

Clementine can’t stay on strike forever, but can she let a few things fall through the cracks—before she cracks again? Speaking to the emotional, and often invisible, labor that so many women bear, Clementine Crane finally asks: When does it become too much?

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The Spy in the Museum

Erin McGuire

This riveting, “visually stunning” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book biography tells the true story of Rose Valland’s valiant efforts to save thousands of works of art during World War II by becoming a spy in her own museum.

Rose Valland loved art. When the Nazis invaded Paris during World War II and took over her beloved museum, Rose could have fled. But who would save the artwork?

So, Rose remained and saw how she was underestimated by the soldiers for being a quiet, unassuming woman. She knew it was the time to act. And Rose had a secret weapon: she could speak German. She listened, kept track of all the stolen art, and saved what she could. Rose became a spy. And in the end, she saved thousands of works of art.

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Outside In and the Inside Out

Emmy Kastner

A thoughtful and whimsical picture book about Arnold Lobel, award-winning creator of Frog and Toad.

Arnold Lobel was many things: a quiet observer, an avid reader, and the kind of man who kept a gorilla suit in his closet, just in case. Above all else, Arnold was an artist and a storyteller. And he infused pieces of himself in the characters he created. This made sharing his books with the world scary sometimes—but his stories would go on to inspire and delight readers and live on in their hearts for generations.

A rare window into the life and work of Arnold Lobel, creator of the Frog and Toad series, Outside In and the Inside Out captures the iconic creator of some of the most beloved children's books of all time.

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Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles

Steve Jenkins

This latest book by the Caldecott Honor-winning team of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page highlights the numerous strange and fascinating features and appendages from teeth to toes to tongues of all kinds of animals.



Did you know...

a praying mantis only has one ear?

a squid has three hearts?

a giant African land snail can have up to eighteen thousand teeth?



Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles celebrates and highlights the numerous unusual and strangely fascinating features and appendages of all kinds of animals, from horns to toes and stomachs to hearts. From the two-tongued loris to a scallop's 200 eyes, readers will find joy in numbers with this latest book by these two masters of nonfiction. While not a counting book in the traditional sense, readers will enjoy learning all kinds of fun facts from the animal world as they look for fingers and fins!

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Finding Home

Mike Unwin

Beautiful, non-fiction storytelling pairs with stunning illustrations in this nonfiction book about habitats, perfect for animal lovers everywhere.

From polar bear dens deep beneath the Arctic snow to eagle's treetop nests as big as cars, marvel at twenty amazing animal homes of all shapes and sizes from all over the world.

Finding Home features breathtaking full-color illustrations alongside an engaging entry into the science of habitats. This second book by internationally bestselling pair Mike Unwin and Jenni Desmond is a celebration of animals and their drive to survive no matter the odds--finding shelter in every nook and cranny on Earth, from the obvious to the unusual.

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Journey of the Humpbacks

Juliana Muñoz Toro

"Extraordinary...An unforgettable encounter that will spark a lifelong fascination." -- Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)

The amazing migration of humpback whales, explored through lyrical language, fascinating infographics, and colorful art.

Come meet the humpback whales: we'll travel with them from the Antarctic to the Colombian Pacific, back where they were born. Let's learn about how their fins help them swim, how long they can live, why and how they sing, how their calves grow up, and how they fit into the baleen whale family. As we migrate with these marine mammals, we'll discover the joy of sharing our planet with these incredible creatures. 

Created in collaboration with humpback whale researchers, this browsable book welcomes readers to follow the animals for their full adventure or enjoy a few intriguing facts along the way. Journey of the Humpbacks is the perfect read for aspiring marine biologists, avid whale-watchers, and anyone who's ever dreamed of diving beneath the waves.

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Dream On

Shannon Hale

If you loved the Real Friends books, check out Shannon Hale's latest graphic novel series, the bestselling Dream On (Good Housekeeping's Best Book of the Year). It's a wholesome and sensitive story of hope, friendship, and heartfelt wishes, perfect for fans of Allergic and Click.

Something is missing from Cassie's life.

Her parents don't have much money, she has to share her bedroom (and bed!) with her sisters, and her family never seem to have time for her. To make matters worse, her best friend Vali is always busy with a new friend.

When Cassie gets a letter from a magazine sweepstakes with the words “YOU’RE THE WINNER” stamped on the front, she thinks it’s the answer to all her problems.

She could buy new furniture to replace their shabby old sofa. Or maybe a car so her family doesn’t have to take two trips to go places. Or maybe she can make Vali her best friend forever by taking her on a fabulous vacation. The possibilities are endless, like an all-you-can-eat buffet!

But will prizes really solve Cassie’s problems?

And what will she lose if she doesn’t win anything at all?

With bright and charming illustrations by Marcela Cespedes and Lark Pien, Dream On is a joyful story filled with imagination, big dreams, and wonder. This book is perfect for readers who want to enjoy a gentle and accessible friendship story, as well as anyone looking for SEL themes about empathy, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

This story also features children experiencing high sensitivity, big emotions, and feelings of sadness, making it a helpful tool to spark conversations and connections with young readers.

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Vote for the G.O.A.T.

Ali Terese

From the author of National Book Award–longlisted Free Period comes a new hijinks-fueled comedy about finding your voice, perfect for fans of Carrie Firestone and Lisa Yee!

Sporty Meg and fashionista Jo don’t have much in common besides being seventh graders at Somerset Middle School, where everyone is obsessed with being voted the Greatest of All Time and celebrated at the Harvest Ball. But when their mascot Somerset Babette (a.k.a. the world’s cutest goat) is kidnapped, Jo and Meg are wrongfully accused of being the culprits. 

The burned-out soccer star and chronically ill overachiever band together and assemble a rag-tag squad to steal the goat back. Banter, activism, self-care, double-crosses, big shenanigans, and even bigger feelings follow as the girls fight to change how animals are treated at their school and achieve true freedom for their four-legged, sweater-chewing friend in this laugh-out-loud middle-grade heist centering friendship and bodily autonomy.

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Ghoul Summer

Tracy Badua

In this beachside ghost story that's perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Wednesday, twelve-year-old Barnaby is forced to spend his summer helping his grandpa move, only to be confronted by Maxwell--a moody ghost boy with some unfinished business.

Barnaby had grand plans for his summer. He should've been spending his days watching movies and gaming with his friends. Instead, his parents drag him to the boring beach town of Sunnyside to help his grandpa move.

Just when he thinks this summer can't get any worse, a ghost boy named Maxwell shows up in their vacation rental home to kick Barnaby and his family out.

Barnaby tries everything to get rid of Maxwell on his own. But when his attempts fail and Maxwell actually becomes stronger, Barnaby realizes that there's only one solution to his ghost troubles: helping Maxwell figure out his unfinished business. If he doesn't, the ghost might ditch the rental home for Barnaby's body instead.

With the clock counting down to the end of the trip, Barnaby is forced to enter an uneasy truce with Maxwell to find the truth--or be haunted forever.

  • Perfect for Halloween reading
  • A charming cozy seasonal pick



 

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Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb

Kai Bird

A young readers edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus was the inspiration for the blockbuster film, Oppenheimer.

This brand-new edition introduces the next generation to one of the twentieth century's most iconic and complex global figures.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant physicist who led the American effort to build the atomic bomb during World War II, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of the revolutionary weapon he helped create. 

Readers of all ages will witness the rise and fall of a scientific and historical icon in this masterful new edition. Exploring his childhood, his secret work on the bomb, his central role in the Cold War, and his tragic downfall, this quintessential biography is history at its finest. Filled with dozens of photographs and updated information, this riveting and deeply informative account is now available to a middle and high school audience.

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Schoolbot 9000: A Graphic Novel

Sam Hepburn

A hilarious—and ominous—new graphic novel series about what happens when one school’s human teachers are replaced by robots!

“Freethinkers, rebels and techno-skeptics will find a lot to love here.”—The New York Times

James Gordon is already annoyed by the robots in his life—the drones that look like bugs, the dogbots at the park, his HomeBot babysitter, and now? He’s just found out that Schoolbots are replacing all of his favorite middle school teachers.

James’s teachers have always cared about his feelings and supported his art, but with the news that artificial intelligence is replacing them, James’s life feels like it’s full spiraling into chaos. All the Schoolbots care about is improving students’ test scores and efficiency, and they’ve had some seriously unnerving glitches.

James is determined to fight back but is going to need some help from a very unlikely ally in order to keep these robot teachers from taking over his school.

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Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There

Judith Henderson

Two best friends follow their flights of fancy in this first book in a graphic novel series for early readers. Best friends Willa and Wade really want to fly. Sure, Willa’s an ostrich and Wade’s a penguin. But there must be some way they can get off the ground! The two thorough thinkers try different ways — from pirouettes to pogo sticks — to catch some air. But while they do a lot of trying, it doesn’t lead to any flying! Will the friends ever reach their lofty goal? Kids will be charmed. Who doesn’t want to fly? Especially with your best friend beside you!

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Lost Evangeline

Kate DiCamillo

This captivating original fairy tale set in the world of The Puppets of Spelhorst and The Hotel Balzaar features an exclusive color illustration and gilded edges on the first printing.

When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker's wife, however, fears that Evangeline has bewitched her husband, so when an opportunity arises to rid herself of the girl, she takes it. Evangeline finds herself far from her adopted father and her home, a tiny girl lost in the wide world. But she is brave, and she is resourceful, and with the help of those she meets on her journey--including a disdainful and self-satisfied cat--she may just find her way again. Return to the magical land of Norendy in this third original fairy tale by renowned storyteller Kate DiCamillo, perfect for savoring alone or for reading aloud with someone you love. Graced with exquisite black-and-white illustrations by Sophie Blackall, this timeless story of a girl and her father will make you believe in the impossible.

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The Vanishing

Christopher Holt

When all humans in his world disappear, Max, a yellow Labrador Retriever, searches for Madame Curie who, he knows, will help find his people but as he and friends Rocky and Gizmo search, they face angry wolves, a gang of subway rats, and the Corporation, a supposed "perfect" society for dogs.

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The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea

Leigh Hodgkinson

A gluttonous pea runs afoul of a very hungry princess in this playful cautionary tale inspired by a favorite cumulative rhyme and a classic fairy tale.

There was a green pea who swallowed a sprout. Without a doubt, a brussels sprout. What's that about?

This little pea is hungry! So hungry it swallows a sprout, slurps up some soup, munches the bread, gobbles the cake, noshes the pickle, guzzles the cheese, drinks all the tea, and even chomps down the table it's all served on. After all that, it needs to sleep. But whose dinner did it steal? And whose mattress is the now-humungous pea resting under? With bold, delightfully detailed illustrations and a bouncy verse perfect for reading aloud, this wickedly funny mash-up of "The Princess and the Pea" and "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" will have little listeners clamoring for multiple helpings.

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What's Inside A Bird's Nest?

Rachel Ignotofsky

Discover the next nonfiction picture book about eggs, nests, and birds from the creator of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science, Rachel Ignotofsky! 

Want to learn more about the bird that chirps outside your window? Ignotofsky crafts a perfect read out loud with a touch of humor and compassion for our friends with wings in the sky!

Find out more from the moment they hatch, to how they create their homes in this perfectly detailed and soon-to-be springtime favorite read!

Rachel Ignotofsky's beautiful, distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about birds, eggs, and nests in this nonfiction picture book series.

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The Usborne Big Book of Big Bugs

Emily Bone

Looks at the world's biggest bugs, including spiders bigger than a dinner plate, a stick insect longer than your arm, a beetle the same size as a rat, and moths and butterflies larger than a small dog. This title features the biggest swarms and colonies, the deadliest bugs, and the bugs that are best at camouflage.

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The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle

Sy Montgomery



 

"A remarkable story." -- Washington Post

The bestselling and Sibert Honor-winning creators of The Book of Turtles bring us the true story of a snapping turtle's extraordinary journey--and the amazing conservationists who helped give him a second chance. This feel-good, gorgeously illustrated story about beating the odds is complete with inspiring back matter and photos.

Here is the true story of a very lucky turtle. His story began long ago when he was hatched from a very small egg on an autumn day. After decades of traveling between his summer pond behind the firehouse and his winter pond across the street, he never could have guessed that on one October day he would become unlucky . . .

The amazing friends and challenges he met along the way are all chronicled by the Sibert Honor-winning duo behind The Book of Turtles in this tribute to the resilience and good luck of their dear friend, a very lucky turtle indeed.

Detailed back matter includes an author's note, information about snapping turtles, and reader resources for how to save injured turtles.

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The Usborne Big Book of Big Monsters

Louie Stowell

Warning: this book contains some seriously scary monsters! Do not read before bed or when the wind is howling outside ... From the Ancient Greek cyclops to Japanese orges, discover some of the most terrifying beast in myths and legends.

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How Rocket Learned to Read

Tad Hills

Children will love learning to read with this New York Times-bestselling picture book, starring an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird. Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own!

Don’t miss the animated movie based on the bestselling Rocket books--now airing on PBS!

With a story that makes reading fun—and will even help listeners learn to read—this book is ideal for kindergarten classrooms and story hour or as a gift for that beginning reader. 

Tad Hills, the creator of the beloved Duck & Goose series delivers another heartwarming story, filled with fresh, charming art making this a favorite for story time. 

Discover the next book in the series-- the instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, Rocket Writes a Story.

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Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town

Li Chen

The world's cutest cat detective is back on the case in this indie bestselling series. Li Chen's newest Detective Beans adventures are a must-read for anyone who loves mystery stories, cute animals, and hilarious original storytelling.

Detective Beans is back on the case! In this series of mysteries and adventures, the world's cutest cat detective comes to the aid of her fellow villagers, searching for a cookie thief (with surprising results!), aiding a deceptive duck in the recovery of lost goods, and even doing his best to help a confused bear prove that the moon is made of cheese. In addition to these small capers, Adventures in Cat Town features behind-the-scenes footage of the crime-solving documentary directed by Beans best friend, Biscuits, as well as comics, stories, and even horoscopes illustrated by Beans himself. Called a "must-read" by School Library Journal and "absurdly funny and clever" by Kirkus, it's no mystery why this new series is such a hit!

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If You Laugh, I'm Starting This Book Over

Chris Harris

Perfect for fans of The Book With No Pictures, The Serious Goose and Press Here, this hilarious interactive picture book is guaranteed to be a major hit at storytime!

Okay, kid... I have a BIG THING that I really want to tell you. But it's VERY SERIOUS. So please, NO LAUGHING while I read you this book. Because...IF YOU LAUGH, I'M STARTING THIS BOOK OVER!

In this riotous read-aloud from the bestselling author of I'm Just No Good at Rhyming and The Alphabet's Alphabet, the reader insists that listeners MUST. NOT. LAUGH--but the demand NOT to laugh leads to the absolutely irresistible temptation to do just that! Chock full of silly narrative twists, giggle-worthy character names, and ridiculously goofy illustrations by Serge Bloch, this interactive romp is sure to become a new storytime essential, whether you make it to the end or not!

Don't miss these other books by Chris Harris: 
The Alphabet's Alphabet 
I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Children and Immature Grownups 
My Head Has a Bellyache: And More Nonsense for Mischievous Children and Immature Grownups

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Steve, a Rare Egg

Kelly Collier

The second book in a graphic novel series about Steve, a pretty incredible horse (just ask him!). Steve makes an intriguing discovery as he is munching leftover party cake in the picnic area. The thingamabob, as he has named it, is oval shaped and smooth. Hmm. It must be an egg! True, no one has ever seen a red egg before … but that must be because they’ve never seen a super rare thingamabob egg before! Now that Steve has identified it, he’d better take care of it until they find its parents. Steve knows a lot about caring for eggs. What could possibly go wrong? Kids will be rooting for Steve as he tries to solve this mystery … and laughing at how he’s never even close!

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Why Do Camels Have Such Long Eyelashes?

Jack Beard

Have you ever wondered WHY desert animals do the things they do?

Learn fun facts about some of your favorite animals including rattlesnakes, fennec foxes, lizards, coyotes, tortoises, and camels in this simple yet informative introduction to nonfiction.

Featured animal questions:
* Why do rattlesnakes rattle?

* Why do fennec foxes have big ears?

* Why do lizards feel cold to the touch?

* Why do coyotes howl at night?

* Why do tortoises have shells?

* Why do camels have such long eyelashes?

About the Why Do series: Introduce early learners to nonfiction with this layered series full of fun and learning. Each book explores a STEM topic by answering questions kids want to know! The whimsical pages of these books feature the why do questions and silly answers and illustrations before revealing the true answers. Vocabulary words and simple activities are scattered throughout to add to the fun. Plus additional facts and photos of the featured animals can be found in the back pages to enhance the readers knowledge of each animal!
 

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Whose Baby Is This?

Radka Piro

Peek-a-Boo, Baby Animals!

Embark on a lift-the-flap adventure through pastures, ponds, meadows, forests, and grass as Mama Goose and her little babies search for their lost gosling. Lift each flap to reveal fascinating habitat facts and adorable baby animals including baby frogs, sweet foals, newts, gorgeous butterflies, noisy baby cuckoos, and more! This interactive book about baby animals and their habitats is both an educational and hands-on experience for young explorers. Whose Baby is This? fosters a love for animals and fuels a passion for the natural world around us.

  • Interactive Lift-the-Flap Adventure: Uncover adorable baby animals hiding in their natural environments on every page.
  • A Heartwarming Search: Mama Goose and her goslings search will keep children engaged from start to finish.
  • Discover Baby Animals: Reveal adorable creatures like rabbits, owls, snakes, turtles, lizards, ants, pheasants, falcons, and more!
  • Explore Different Environments: Learn about different animal habitats in a fun and unique way.
  • Early Science Fun: Introduces concepts of animal life cycles and habitats through interactive play.
  • Part of a Trusted Series: A charming and educational addition to the wonderful Stories from Nature series.
  • Great for Ages 3-6: Perfect for preschoolers and early readers that ignites a curiosity of animals and their different habitats.


 

For over 75 years, Albatros Media has been crafting original and innovative children's books that are both playful and educational, fostering curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in young minds. We deliver the highest quality children's books from novelty, picture, pop-up, and how-to books, to non-fiction, and fairy tale books.

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Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody: the Hat of Great Importance

Patrick Ness

In the second book in this wry series, award-winning author Patrick Ness explores school anxiety and the highs and lows of friendship with sidesplitting honesty--and pits our heroes against a slippery new supervillain.

On what should be a normal school day at their normal school--recently rebuilt at great expense by the town's supervillain after her son destroyed it with a giant robot pelican suit--things begin to spin out of control for monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia and Meil the hawk the moment they board the school bus. For no good reason, Zeke is deeply unsettled by Daniel's new pink hat. The tower sprouting on the town's tallest hill surely contains a Death Ray of Death. And Meil's predator instincts have kicked in: what if he accidently eats his friends or their new classmate, Peggy the flounder, in her portable aquarium? At school, Zeke suspects the new guidance counselor--who hails from the same pelican crime family as their nemesis--of turning Daniel and Alicia against him. Or was it something Zeke said? With lively graphic illustrations, breakneck action, and a big heart, book two blends droll satire with belly laughs to prove that when life turns up the heat ray, you get to choose who to be. Even unlikely reptilian heroes need the courage to say they're sorry.

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The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle

Maddalena Bearzi

Follow the captivating yet perilous life of one sea turtle in this dazzling nonfiction tale by the co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society, perfect for fans of Jason Chin's ISLAND.

On a beach at the Ría Lagartos nature reserve in Mexico, a sea turtle is born.

Newly hatched into a big world, she breaks out of an egg buried in the sand. Now, her journey begins. To reach the ocean she must avoid predatory opossums, crabs, and raccoons -- many of her siblings will not make it. But our sea turtle does, and when she finally dives beneath the blue sea, she’ll travel for thousands of miles on a beautiful and pulse-pounding adventure.

Brilliant, informative, and compelling, The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle is a sweeping nonfiction tale following one turtle’s extraordinary life from hatchling to adulthood, written by sea turtle expert and activist Maddalena Bearzi, and illustrated by rising star Alex Boersma.

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Aurora

Red

Fans of the hit webcomic Aurora will delight in the first series installment in print, which follows a found family of heroes on a journey to save a god from an immortal witch.

The shining city of Vash in the world of Aurora is protected by a great and powerful god of the same name, but even Vash's incarnation cannot withstand the Collector, an immortal sorceress bent on unmaking the world. Vash's city is destroyed and his soul abducted, leaving only ruins and the wounded, empty body of his incarnation. When newborn soul Kendal awakens in the body, he is driven to rescue the imprisoned Vash. Now Kendal must grapple with living as a mortal and defeating a force powerful enough to sunder the gods.

Kendal is aided by the friends he makes along the way: Alinua, a volatile elven hermit terrified of her uncontrollable life magic; Erin, the prideful Elemental Magus, master of all six elements, who is burdened with a world-shattering curse; and Falst, a surly beastman trying to find his way in a world that hates him. Together, they will journey through magic and mystery, explore perilous environments, and confront ancient forces. Stars dance beyond the shimmering curtains of Aurora; it is time to draw those curtains back . . .

With exclusive author commentary and bonus story content, Aurora (Volume 1) has plenty for both fans and new readers to enjoy.

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The Tournament

Rebecca Barrow

Three girls with entangled pasts compete for glory in their private school’s annual tournament, putting their survival skills and their relationships to the test, in this young adult thriller that’s “Shakespearean…stunning…dark academia at its finest” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Gardner isn’t like other boarding schools. They take in those who’ve been rejected everywhere else, they offer a survival skills class that has students killing and gutting animals, and then there’s the Tournament.

A competition available only to seven elite seniors, the Tournament is revered by the entire student body. They’d do almost anything—including completing a series of grueling physical challenges—to win the champion’s cup.

And this year, three seniors make the Tournament more cutthroat than ever.

Max, the ruthless scholarship student who can’t afford any distractions, not even her ex best friend Nora’s stupid confession of love at the end of last year that ruined everything between them.

Nora, who always put herself on the sidelines so Max could have everything she wanted, but might just be ready for center stage now that Max has brutally excised herself from Nora’s life.

And Teddy, the transfer who’s on her last chance and will chase any high that can pull her back from the gaping, dark void inside herself that’s always threatening to pull her in.

If one of them wants to win, then they can’t let anything—or anybody—get in their way.

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Kill the Lax Bro

Charlotte Lillie Balogh

A fresh and darkly funny 90s murder mystery about one high school's net of lies that begin to unravel when a star lacrosse player winds up dead.

The night before graduation, all of Hancock High celebrates at their school’s annual lock-in. But what starts out as a fun night turns horribly wrong when a body is found—and the victim is none other than Troy Richards, the school’s star lacrosse player. 

Everyone is acting totally clueless. As for suspects? There’s Jennifer (the dream girl), Naomi (the geek), Sassi (the overachiever), and Tatum (the rebel). At a glance, it seems like they couldn’t be more unalike, except for the fact that they all hated Troy (the lax bro) . . . but who wanted him dead? 

From debut author Charlotte Lillie Balogh comes a wickedly sharp take on high school stereotypes, including the boys we love and love to hate: lax bros.

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Hit Me with Your Best Charm

Lillie Vale

“Enchanting, flirty, and crafted from pure practical magic!”—Julian Winters, award-winning author of Right Where I Left You

The occasionally magic, always superstitious town of Prior’s End is famous for three things: whimsical charm at the annual Fall Festival,
the legend of the wishing well hidden in a forest bristling with secrets, and Nova Marwood’s missing hiker father.

Every year without him, it gets easier to pretend Nova doesn’t believe in myth and magic. Easier to pretend she’s doing okay. Easier to pretend she doesn’t have a secret crush on the girl she fake-hates.

Kiara Mistry is the luckiest girl in town and the thief of every crush Nova had her heart set on first. In theory, Nova should resent Kiara. But it’s getting harder to deny her feelings.

When Nova lays an unintended hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, and one misfortune after another swiftly follows, soon Kiara’s very survival is at stake. To reverse the bad luck, Kiara’s exes turned BFFs commence a quest for the miraculous wishing well. There’s only one person who can get them there . . . Nova.

But to save Kiara—and maybe find her dad, too—she’ll have to believe in something much stronger than magic. Nova will need to believe in herself.

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I Wanna Be Your Girl, Volume 1

Umi Takase

Being in love with your childhood best friend can be complicated, especially when, right before high school, she transitions to living as a girl. Printed for the first time in English, this manga series tells a thoughtful story about the complications of first loves, friendship, and what it truly means to be an ally.

“Takase explores gender identity, presentation, and acceptance in this gentle manga that feels comfortably grounded. . . . Sweet and engaging.” —Kirkus Reviews

Hime has secretly been in love with her childhood best friend Akira for as long as she can remember. She was the first person who knew that Akira identified as a girl, and she made it her mission to be her Akira’s protector against the world. Hime is thrilled that Akira has finally decided to live as her true self now that they are starting high school.

However, as Akira starts to attract all types of attention, Hime takes it upon herself to aggressively stick up for Akira whenever necessary. Not wanting her to be singled out or bullied, Hime decides that her only option is to put herself in Akira's shoes. Hime dresses like a boy in support of the friend she loves...too bad her plan only backfires on them both.

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Max Meow 6: When Pancakes Go Bad (Really Bad!)

John Gallagher

Max Meow—the superhero with cat-itude and his best friend, Mindy (aka Science Kitty!) are back in the sixth volume of this action packed, laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel series that Kirkus Reviews called "catnip for fans of Dav Pilkey's Dog Man."

Kittyopolis is in chaos! Pancakes are turning monstrous and FLIPPING out. Mindy's inventing in her sleep! And a bunch of Max's old foes are organizing themselves into a Legion of Nasty to put our favorite feline on PERMANENT PAWSE.

Luckily, Max's pal Rex Rocket, Cosmic Weiner Dog, is here to help. But will their combined efforts be enough to clean up such a massive mess?! Will Agent M be able to stay a good guy and resist joining the Legion of Nasty?! Will breakfast ever be the same?! Stay strong, heroes-- Kittyopolis needs you more than ever!

"Max Meow's super heroics will have kids meow-ling with laughter!" —John Patrick Green, creator of the InvestiGators

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The Peddler of Puddles

Beth Ferry



 

A beautiful new book by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld, the bestselling creators of Stick and Stone!

Here's a heart-expanding story about an on-the-go inventor who makes homes for others before realizing the rewards of putting down his own roots. The Peddler of Puddles is a friendship-forward tale, perfect for fans of Bear Came Along and Strictly No Elephants.

The Peddler travels the countryside making perfect puddles for all his forest friends. Puddles that delight ducks, refresh frogs, and satisfy even the thirstiest hummingbird. But being constantly on the go can be lonely, and it's not until his friends step in that the Peddler discovers the joys of a home sweet home of his own.

Filled with whimsy and adorable detail, this tale is a tribute to finding a place to hang your hat.

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A Day on the Road with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle

Spend a day on the road with The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Let’s take a ride with The Very Hungry Caterpillar! What will you find? From planes high in the sky to big trucks on the ground, discover all kinds of ways to travel in this tabbed board book with easy-to-flip tabs, easy-to-read text, and easy-to-love Eric Carle art featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

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Stella & Marigold

Annie Barrows

A USA Today and National Indie Bestseller!

From the creatorsof the New York Times-bestselling Ivy + Bean comes a fun and funny new series about two small sisters with very big imaginations.

★ -- "Readers will long for a sibling like Marigold or Stella." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ -- "All the heart. None of the pablum. Sisterhood at its finest and freshest." -- Kirkus, Starred Review

Generations of readers have fallen in love with Ivy + Bean, which has sold over 8 million copies and been adapted into a popular Netflix Original Film series. Now, bestselling author Annie Barrows and illustrator Sophie Blackall are back with the first book in a bright new series about a pair of sisters named Stella and Marigold.

Stella, who's seven, is kind, a good storyteller, and ponders big questions like, what do animals think of people? Marigold, at four, tells imaginative stories (her mother calls them "fibs") and likes to wear her favorite Halloween costume year-round. Stella and Marigold do all the regular things--like going to school, playing, getting sick sometimes, and visiting the zoo--but even the most regular things have a secret side.

Sure to delight fans of Ivy and Bean, these adventure tales--animated with full-color illustrations of the sisters' encounters with magical bathrooms, snow monkeys, dream lions, howling wolves, a lost Vice President, and much more--are filled with vibrant characters, creative storytelling, and a whole lot of laughs.

BELOVED CHILDREN'S BOOK CREATORS: Annie Barrows is the author of numerous award-winning and New York Times-bestselling books for children and adults, including The Magic Half, The Best of Iggy Series, and The Truth According to Us. Sophie Blackall is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner Finding Winnie and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote.

CLASSIC / CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERS: No one creates universal yet unique characters the way Annie and Sophie do. Their distinctive combination of stories and art centered on family connection, empathy, and understanding appeal to adults, who find them lovely, and kids, who find them relatable (and laugh-out-loud funny!).

GREAT FOR NEWLY INDEPENDENT READERS: With lots of adventure, a dynamic relationship that captures an enormous range of emotions, and colorful pictures that bring the text to life, this series is perfect for emerging readers.

STRONG SIBLING RELATIONSHIP: The warm, loving relationship between Stella and Marigold is at the heart of this book. Parents looking for a positive depiction of the ups and downs of sisterhood will love this series.

Perfect for:

  • Independent readers age 6-9
  • Parents, teachers, and librarians seeking entertaining elementary school chapter books
  • Gift-givers looking for an early readers series for kids who enjoy stories full of humor and heart
  • Readers who love such bestselling book series as Ivy + Bean, Junie B. Jones, Beezus and Ramona, Dory Fantasmagory, and Princess in Black
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Is That My Hat?

Kevin Payne

The perfect read for fans of I Want My Hat Back and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Mole is struggling to find the perfect hat. After trying on big, spooky, and silly hats, Mole ends up creating the perfect hat for himself. Full of creativity and bright illustrations, this picture book is a charming and engaging read.

Pick up I Want a Hat if you are looking for:

A classic read for ages 3 and up

A book for the classroom or bedtime

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I Am Rebel

Ross Montgomery

A #1 New York Times bestseller!

The Letter for the King meets The Incredible Journey in this story of one dog's quest to save the human he loves.

I'm Tom's dog, and he's my human. We belong to each other.

Rebel is a good dog. He loves his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner, Tom--until one day, when the war comes too close. Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king's men, but Rebel knows that war is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to save his beloved human. How can he bring Tom home before it's too late? A heartwarming adventure told from a dog's perspective as he travels across a pseudo-Civil War Britain on his loyal mission, I Am Rebel holds sure appeal for fans of I, Cosmo; When the Sky Falls; and War Horse.

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This Is a Moment

Micah Player

Life is a collection of big and little moments, and all are celebrated in this vibrant, moving keepsake—a perfect gift for graduations or other notable events.

A moment is made when everything that came before meets what is happening now. Each moment is new. It’s a song and how you hear it. It’s a sunny day and how you feel it.

In this exhilarating and meaningful book, all the happenings in a person’s life—the brave ones, the peaceful ones, the nervous, proud, and grateful ones—combine to make us who we are and to light the way to what’s next. It’s just the right read for a child who’s about to graduate from kindergarten, celebrate a birthday, or move to a new home, or even for a teenager on their way to college. Like Oh, the Places You’ll Go and The Wonderful Things You Will Be, this cherishable book brings joy and inspiration.

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Pig Makes Art

Laura Gehl

From Laura Gehl, author of Cat Has a Plan and Goat Wants to Eat, comes a laugh-out-loud Ready-to-Go! Ready-to-Read about an artistic pig and a cat who is not impressed!

Pig makes art. Cat does not like the art. Will Cat have a change of heart?

Perfect for kids at the beginning of their reading journeys, Pig Makes Art was written for children who have learned the alphabet and are ready to start reading! And what better way to get kids excited than with a fun story featuring words they can actually read and starring some very funny animals?

Each Ready-to-Go! Ready-to-Read includes a note to parents explaining what their child can expect, a guide at the beginning for readers to become familiar with the words they will encounter in the story, and reading comprehension questions at the end. Each Ready-to-Go! story contains around 100 words and features sight words, rhyming words, and repetition to help children reinforce their new reading skills. In this book, readers will learn seven sight words, and eleven words from four word families. So come on and get reading!

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Vacation

Ame Dyckman

A Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner

In the second book in the Bat, Cat & Rat picture book series from New York Times bestsellers Ame Dyckman and Mark Teague, the roommates try to compromise on vacation plans in three-and-a-half sweet and silly stories.

Bat, Cat, and Rat decide they need a vacation, but planning a trip is no picnic. Conflicts, compromise, and some well-meaning pranks ensue as prep work brings out the trio’s mischievous side.

In “Working,” Bat, Cat, and Rat discover their Vacation Jar is empty, and set off working odd jobs to save up funds. But Rat believes that all work and no play is no fun at all—and he knows just the way to fix that.

In “Choosing,” the trio can’t decide where to go on their vacation. Bat wants an adventure, Cat wants some R&R, and Rat just wants everyone to stop bickering about it.

In “Vacationing,” Rat takes the vacation planning into his own hands. Will he be able to come up with a compromise that makes everyone happy?

Bat, Cat, and Rat’s dynamic friendship and amusing antics are sure to have readers laughing.

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That's Not My Cow...

Fiona Watt

Meet five friendly cows in this charming addition to the much-loved That's not my. series. Babies love the best-selling That's not my. books with their bold illustrations, patches to stroke, and a mouse to spot on every page, all designed to develop sensory and language awareness.

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Ready to Soar

Cori Doerrfeld

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rabbit Listened, a story of learning to stay true to yourself, rather than what others want you to be.

Riley made a paper airplane and couldn’t wait to let it soar. But just before the plane could take off—SQUAWK. An eagle swoops in and insists Riley’s plane could never fly. It’s much too small. So Riley makes it bigger! But just as this bigger paper airplane is ready to go, a parrot squawks that the plane is way too boring to fly. So Riley makes it fancier! Bird after bird offers advice, and Riley tries making the airplane faster longer, taller, and slimmer.

When the plane crashes to the ground after all these changes, Riley finally meets a more supportive friend . . . and rediscovers the joy and wonder of soaring.

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I Am Not a Chair!

Ross Burach

Grab the best seat in the house with this funny, touching picture book about a giraffe who keeps being mistaken for a chair!

From the acclaimed author-illustrator of There’s a Giraffe in My Soup comes a curious tale about finding one’s courage and standing up for oneself. Full of vibrant and playful illustrations and hilariously absurd logic, kids will want to read it again and again.

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Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb

Kai Bird

A young readers edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus was the inspiration for the blockbuster film, Oppenheimer.

This brand-new edition introduces the next generation to one of the twentieth century's most iconic and complex global figures.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant physicist who led the American effort to build the atomic bomb during World War II, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of the revolutionary weapon he helped create. 

Readers of all ages will witness the rise and fall of a scientific and historical icon in this masterful new edition. Exploring his childhood, his secret work on the bomb, his central role in the Cold War, and his tragic downfall, this quintessential biography is history at its finest. Filled with dozens of photographs and updated information, this riveting and deeply informative account is now available to a middle and high school audience.

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Band Nerd

Sarah Clawson Willis

Perfect for fans of Roller Girl and New Kid comes a heartfelt coming-of-age story about music, family, and friendship, wherein twelve-year-old Lucy Carver must navigate life as a band nerd in a new school, all while competing for a top flute soloist spot. But for Lucy, facing the music means dealing with the problems at home. Middle school is tough--thank goodness there's band. For twelve-year-old Lucy Carver, music isn't just a way of life, it's an escape from homework and an off-key homelife with her alcoholic father. When Lucy starts seventh grade at Windley School of the Arts, with its high academic standards and even higher artistic expectations, it becomes much harder to keep life in tune. Determined to be the conductor of her own life, Lucy focuses all her energy on beating snobby Tolli Claybourne for first chair flute. As things spiral out of control with her parents and her schoolwork, Lucy grows desperate for a win. Just when she thinks she's hitting all the right notes, an accident leaves her unable to play, and her mother threatens to withdraw her for poor grades. Now, Lucy must choose: sabotage Tolli or give up on her dream. Packed with heart, Band Nerd is a poignant coming-of-age story about resilience, family, and using your voice to find harmony even during life's most discordant moments.

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One Step Forward

Marcie Flinchum Atkins

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

One Step Forward is a compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young--the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women's right to vote.

Raised in a politically divided family, Matilda wondered if she could be as courageous as her older sister who fought for suffrage. Joining the radical protest movement came with plenty of risk. Women were routinely scorned, harassed, arrested--and worse. And taking a stand for her rights could tear her family apart.

Told in powerful verse, One Step Forward follows Matilda's coming-of-age journey as she takes her first step into action. Amid the backdrop of World War I, Matilda's story vividly highlights the extreme mental, physical, and emotional battles faced by the protestors leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It also reveals the bravery, hard work, and spirit of the women who paved the way for future generations to use their voices and votes.

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It's You Every Time

Charlene Thomas

A story about self-discovery, grief, and destiny that begs the question: How do you keep going when your world has stopped spinning?

 

When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to--quite literally--bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke.

 

When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can't ignore the urge to get to know him better--or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her.

 

After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe--just maybe--after years of loss and heartache, she's finally reached the good part.

 

But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn't sure--all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24-the morning of her big exam--again.

 

 

 

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When We Ride

Rex Ogle

Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That's why she gave him her car.

Diego's best friend, Lawson, needs a ride--because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego's not carrying, not selling, it's cool. It's just weed.

But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened. As the lines between dealer and driver blur, everything Diego has worked for is jeopardized, and he faces a deadly reckoning with the choices he and his best friend have made.

Award-winning memoirist and poet Rex Ogle's searing first novel-in-verse is an unforgettable story of the power and price of loyalty.

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The Fix-Its: Power Up with Power Drill

Sarah Lynne Reul



 

The Fix-Its: Power Up with Power Drill is the latest offering from I Can Read Comics, an early reader line that familiarizes children with the world of graphic novel storytelling and encourages visual literacy in emerging readers. In the second installment of Sarah Lynn Reul's STEM-focused series, all the tools in the toolbox are excited when a new member arrives--Power Drill!

When the toolbox gets its first power tool, a drill eager to get to work, everybody else kicks back and relaxes--until Power Drill's battery runs out! Can the rest of the tools help their new friend recharge

The Fix-Its: Power Up with Power Drill is a Level Three I Can Read Comic, geared for kids who are comfortable with comics and can read on their own but still need a little help.

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Caboose

Travis Jonker

Caboose is a hilarious picture book all about the antics of classroom line-ups from children's book creator and elementary school librarian Travis Jonker, with art from critically acclaimed illustrator Ruth Chan

Every kid knows the joy of being line leader. You can make the line go fast. You can make the line go slow. You can stop suddenly and make the line crash--oh, the power!

Cedric has all sorts of tricks to make sure he's first in line. There's the fast walk, the slow run, the shoulder tap, the slingshot, and so much more. But when Cedric's line leader antics go too far, he's banished to the back of the line. The very back of the line.

Now that Cedric's the caboose, he must hatch a whole new world of hijinks. The turtle walk, the step back, the cloak of invisibility, the "no, no, after you!" The possibilities are endless!

"A chaotic yet hilarious story grounded in real childhood emotions." (Kirkus starred review) 
"Comically and intricately mapping a circuitous path through the playground." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

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Sea Legs

Jules Bakes

Set sail for adventure! Dive in to this hilarious and moving middle grade graphic memoir about friendship, growing up, and life at sea.

 

Janey's family is about to set sail for the adventure of a lifetime! The only problem? Janey must leave her school, her life, her best friend, the entire country behind for new adventures - coral reefs, colorful markets, and new cultures. Life at sea is exhilarating, but there's a major downside: when you're raising anchor every few days with sights on a new harbor, it's almost impossible to make new friends.

 

Finally, Janey meets the cool and aloof Astrid - a fellow boat kid who's equally starved for friendship. But Astrid can be a challenging friend to navigate, and beyond that, hurricane season has only just begun . . . .

 

At turns laugh-out-loud hilarious and heartbreakingly poignant, this stunning graphic memoir charts both the turbulence and joys of growing up.

 

 

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Are You Stronger Than an Ant? Fun Facts about Extraordinary Animals

Karen Koepcke Morgan

Included in CBC's November Hot Off the Press reading list!

Could you drink 20 gallons of water in under 15 minutes? Or carry 100 times your own weight? Some animals can! Animals can do countless remarkable things that people could never do. Within these pages, you'll learn about 11 animal species and their extraordinary abilities: camels, hummingbirds, bats, ants, elephants, beavers, crocodiles, sloths, flamingoes, penguins, and mosquitoes.

Each page invites readers to question, "Could you?" followed by interesting and informative facts about animals who do. From the hummingbird's ability to consume half its body weight in food each day while remaining lean and trim to the remarkable adaptations of other creatures, this book showcases the diversity and ingenuity of the animal kingdom.
Accompanied by simple illustrations that bring each animal to life, this book offers an immersive and informative reading experience. Perfect for sparking curiosity and fostering a love for nature, this book is a must-have addition in class or for any young reader's library.

An immersive and informative guide to 11 animals and the fascinating things they can do. For animal lovers aged 6 years and up.
 


 

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Never Feed a Yeti Spaghetti

Make Believe Ideas

A rhyming board book with novelty felt mouths to feed!

 

You should never feed a yeti spaghetti, offer a llama a banana, or give a cheetah a fajita! Find out why in this hilarious rhyming book. Each animal has a giant open mouth and big, felt teeth, so children can reach through the holes to mimic feeding them!

Children of all ages, 0 and up, will love:

  • The interactive tactile features of this durable board book
  • The amusing rhyming text that helps promote an early love of reading
  • Receiving this fun book as a birthday gift, stocking stuffer, Easter basket goody, road trip activity, or just because

Parents and their little ones will enjoy reading aloud Never Feed a Yeti Spaghetti again and again.

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See Touch Feel: Tummy Time

Roger Priddy

Encourage your baby's early motor skills with See, Touch, Feel Tummy Time from Priddy Books.

This casebound board book features two double page fold-outs so the book can stand up and open out. It was designed this way to be used while babies are lying on their fronts, encouraging them to strengthen their back, arm, and neck muscles as part of their daily tummy time routine. 

The book features a mix of black-and-white high contrast imagery, appealing photographs of happy babies, and bright colorful handprint artwork which the See Touch Feel series is best known for. The varied art style will engage and entertain babies as they get older. 

There is also touch and feel textures to explore and a mirror at the end for babies to look into and enjoy.

Part of the best-selling See, Touch, Feel series which includes See, Touch, Feel; See, Touch, Feel 123; See, Touch, Feel ABC; See, Touch, Feel Colors; See, Touch, Feel Create, and See, Touch, Feel Roar.

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Ticket to Ride(tm) : an Unexpected Journey

Adrienne Kress

All aboard the journey of a lifetime! Ticket to Ride is an immensely popular board game where players test their skills in teamwork, strategy, and luck. This new, 100% official, and high stakesTicket to Ride book will whisk readers all throughout the North America, is perfect for fans of all ages, with black-and-white illustrations by artist David Miles and chilling, pulse-pounding prose by bestselling author Adrienne Kress. 

To say twelve-year-old Teddy loves trains is an understatement. He is obsessed. He knows everything there is to know about them, has the most amazing model train setup in the basement, and he carries around a classic caboose, a small model of a caboose of a 19th century steam engine that he received as a birthday gift. It's his good luck charm! So when Teddy wins a Ticket To Ride the Excelsior Express in a writing contest, he can't wait. The Excelsior Express is a train that's modeled to look like it's from the 1920's but is outfitted with a high-tech locomotive system. This will be the train's flagship journey, and it's a dream come true for Teddy. Plus, he'll get to see his grandparents in Los Angeles, and travel all across North America from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. 

Wait . . . dream come true?

Or maybe a nightmare.

When the train gets rerouted from Omaha to Pittsburgh, at first, Teddy doesn't think anything of it. Trains get rerouted all of the time. But then the train gets rerouted again. What's more, his lucky caboose is missing.

As it turns out, this ticket to ride takes Teddy, his new friend Olivia, a woman always dressed in yellow named Mina, two traveling musicians named Allie and Dex, and their fellow passengers on an unexpected journey and through some pretty hefty corporate corruption.

Based on the hit board game, Ticket to Ride, author Adrienne Kress weaves fascinating story with adventure in this book that's full of mystery, adventure, and friendship, in a style reminiscent of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl. Illustrator David Miles's spot art leaps off the page . . . and onto a train track. Fans of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Adrienne's own Bendy and the Ink Machine novels will love this series.

"Perfect for readers who love trains and adventure. A valuable addition with an entertaining story line and enjoyable artwork." - School Library Journal

"With a crisp, engaging voice and sharp wit, Adrienne Kress is always a treat to read." - Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Lady of the Lines

Michaela Maccoll

When scientist and explorer Maria Reiche visited Peru’s Nazca Lines in 1941, she was immediately captivated by the larger-than-life animal carvings. But what were they, and why were they there? This STEAM nonfiction picture book for young readers reveals the story behind one of the greatest indigenous artworks in the Americas, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Maria Reiche wanted to put her curious mind to the test. When visiting Peru in 1941, she trekked across the land and discovered hidden lines covered in centuries of clay and sand. Fasciated, she picked up a broom from her tools and began sweeping for miles and miles to uncover more details, taking time to track her movement and sketch out the precise shapes she followed. Her first discovery was a spider-shaped carving spanning hundreds of feet of desert! Sweeping her way across the land, other shapes followed—a monkey, a condor, and a whale. But in the midst of these discoveries, she found out the land was going to be used for farming. She got to work again, this time demanding a press conference to announce her discoveries and stop the destruction of these ancient works of art—and it worked! Her efforts protected the land, which was later named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 thanks to Maria’s tireless efforts.

Author Michaela MacColl’s lyrical writing and extensive research showcase Maria’s triumphant tale, accompanied by art from Peruvian illustrator Elisa Chavarri, a past recipient of the Pura Belpré Honor.

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Earl & Worm #1: The Bad Idea and Other Stories

Greg Pizzoli

This sweet, giggle-inducing early reader kicks off a brand-new series featuring two unlikely friends in the tradition of Frog and Toad, from the beloved Geisel Award-winning author of The Watermelon Seed.

Earl and Worm have been friends for a very, very long time, but their friendship had a rocky start. Earl is a happy go-lucky bird who plays saxophone to his plants because they love music in the morning. His neighbor Worm, on the other hand...well, Worm is the exact opposite. She would rather read in silence.

How will these very different neighbors become the very best of friends? With some sweet lemonade, the right shade of paint, and an unfinished poem, and most of all, sharing a little bit about themselves.

Award-winning creator Greg Pizzoli delivers three funny and heartwarming stories that will delight fans of other iconic duos like Elephant and Piggie or Pizza and Taco.

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Little Dinos Don't Yell

Michael Dahl

Little Dino has a loud roar. Sometimes it's amazing and astounding, but sometimes it's just too much. She must learn that yelling all the time is not okay. Part of the Hello Genius series for toddlers, this sturdy board book teaches manners and reinforces positive behavior with a relatable story for kids.

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Your Nose!

Sandra Boynton

Shiny, sturdy, and featuring a die-cut cover, this board book from beloved and bestselling creator Sandra Boynton that is a year-round valentine from parent to child is now available in an oversized lap edition!

Starring a little fox child and a big fox parent, this book is a loving ode to terrific noses of all kinds and a celebration of the love between a parent and child—and of the beautiful, BOOP-able noses they love. It’s BIG fun from Sandra Boynton in the big, big lap edition of this favorite board book.

I love your nose!
Oh whoa, whoa, whoa your nose!
You can tell everybody I told you so.
It’s the greatest little nose I know.

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Find the Kind: The Biggest Day in Kindness History

Samantha Berger

The Gnumans are moving! And they are in for quite an adventure. Packed with hilarious details, larger-than-life characters and endless amounts of kindness, this zany read-aloud story reimagines classic search-and-find kids books with a whole new world of fun. With its focus on kindness, friendship and community, this storybook makes a perfect gift for kids ages 4-8.

* A NYT Wirecutter Pick *

The Gnumans, a family of gnus, aren’t sure how they will feel about their new home. After a rocky move to Kindness County, they discover that their new neighbors have BIG plans for them. Young ones will laugh out loud as the family and the narrator try to keep up with an itinerary that only keeps getting bigger and more exciting!

Throughout, readers will look for Otto the sharing otter, Hildey the helpful hippo, Plácido the polite-y-osaurus, the Grati-Dude and many more kind critters on every page. Searching for and finding each of these characters’ acts of kindness makes this book a unique search-and-find story adventure. And with so much to look for, readers will discover new details every time they return to this book.

Find the Kind offers a thoughtful and fun read-aloud experience that young children will love. It’s the perfect book to spark conversations at home or in the classroom about the concepts of friendship, empathy and kindness. Highlights children’s books are crafted by childhood experts to promote strong social and emotional skills and build positive associations with reading from an early age.

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We Are Going to Be Pals!

Mark Teague

An egret and a rhinoceros navigate the ups and downs of their symbiotic relationship—which is more like a friendship!—in this warm and witty book from bestselling author-illustrator Mark Teague.

In a not-so-simple symbiotic friendship between two pals, Egret does his best to teach Rhino about how to be a friend. Friends eat together, have fun together, and help each other out, right? But they also respect boundaries, recognize their differences, and compromise (sometimes).

When Egret ends up in a sticky situation, it’s Rhino to the rescue as this unlikely pair realizes that communication and kindness are the key to any friendship.

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Ant Party

Ross Montgomery

Andy the ant is planning a small party for his birthday. But as word spreads around the anthill, the guest list grows and grows! Exuberant fun on every colorful page.

It's another busy day at the anthill. Farmer ants collect food, worker ants build tunnels, and soldier ants guard the queen. But for Andy, it's a very special day: his birthday! He invites his neighbors for a fun party with dancing and dips. But unbeknownst to Andy, his neighbors invite a few of their friends, and then those friends invite a few of their friends . . . Soon the event is shaping up to be a full-blown mega ant party! Andy is shocked by the turnout, but soon gets into the swing of things. Until, that is, an unwelcome guest crashes the party--and Andy's house!--and the ants must work together to save the day (and the dips). Jovial text and lively, detailed illustrations make this story a comedic delight.

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Diary of a Bee

Stepanka Sekaninova

Follow the delightful daily adventures of Matilda the bee in this fully illustrated diary that reveals the vital role bees play in nature and their life cycle.


 

Step into the buzzing world of bees with Diary of a Bee, a fully illustrated non-fiction book that takes young readers on an engaging journey through the life cycle of Matilda, a hardworking bee, and her friend Thomas. Presented in a diary format, this captivating narrative combines story with fascinating facts, exploring how bees live, their daily activities, and the various roles they play within the hive. From gathering nectar to tending to the queen, kids will discover the fascinating jobs that bees undertake throughout their lives, all illustrated with lively pictures that bring the story to life.


 

Perfect for curious minds aged 6-9, this book not only entertains but also educates about the crucial importance of bees in our ecosystem. By blending captivating storytelling with rich illustrations and informative details, it inspires a love for nature and fosters an understanding of environmental awareness.

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Cranky Makes a Friend

Phuc Tran



 

In this second picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of the Food Group series, Pete Oswald, and acclaimed picture book author Phuc Tran's bestselling Cranky series, Cranky is feeling extra cranky when a new crane joins the crew.

There's a new crane on the construction site! His name is Lefty and he's the opposite of Cranky--smiley, talkative, and a jokester. Everything Lefty does makes Cranky feel extra cranky. But everyone else seems to love him. What if Cranky's friends like Lefty more than him

Find out how self-acceptance and a supportive crew help one cranky truck make a new friend in this humorous story about big trucks, big feelings, and even bigger friendships. With Phuc Tran's hilarious text and Pete Oswald's bold, expressive illustrations, this read is perfect for fans of Grumpy Monkey and construction vehicles.

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Cactus Queen

Lori Alexander

A 2025 Bank Street College of Education Cook Prize Silver Medalist
The Nature Generation's 2025 Green Earth Book Award Short List

How did the Joshua Tree National Park in California come to be? Meet Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, an artist, activist, and environmentalist, whose determination saved the desert and helped to create the park, in this STEAM picture book.

Long before she became known as the Cactus Queen, Minerva Hamilton Hoyt found solace in the unexpected beauty of the Mojave Desert in California. She loved the jackrabbits and coyotes, the prickly cacti, and especially the weird, spiky Joshua trees.

However, in the 1920s, hardly anyone else felt the same way. The desert was being thoughtlessly destroyed by anyone and everyone. Minerva knew she needed to bring attention to the problem. With the help of her gardening club, taxidermists, and friends, she took the desert east and put its plants and animals on display. The displays were a hit, but Minerva needed to do much more: she wanted to have the desert recognized as a national park. Although she met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and won him over, Minerva still had to persuade politicians, scientists, teachers, and others to support her cause. And, it worked! Minerva’s efforts led to what came to be known as Joshua Tree National Park in California, and saved hundreds of thousands of plants and animals. Now, the millions of people who visit each year have learned to love the desert, just as Minerva did.

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Faith Takes the Train

Kesi Augustine



 

Follow Faith on a joyful journey on a New York City train, where she learns a delicious lesson about courage and being kind. A perfect pick for fans of Milo Imagines the World, Last Stop on Market Street, and Saturday at the Food Pantry.

Faith takes the train with her mother most days, and today she's eating one of Grandma's delicious sandwiches. Isaiah, who usually sings a song on their ride home, instead asks a question that quiets a busy train into awkward silence.

"Can anyone please spare some change A bite to eat"

When Faith sees his face, her heart goes thump-thump-thump. Will she have the courage to answer

This sweet and relatable picture book from author Kesi Augustine and illustrator Mokshini is sure to spark conversations about the small ways we can show kindness and help people in need.

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The Jellyfish Bus

Suhyeon Lee

A slow-moving jellyfish finds his groove transporting deep sea tourists in this story about the power of community

Slowpoke the jellyfish bus loves his job transporting fellow sea creatures, but he struggles to keep up with demands for faster travel. After he's called into headquarters and told to consider a different career, he feels sad and decides to set out on a sightseeing vacation.

Down in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, Slowpoke encounters an anglerfish who needs help navigating to the ocean's night bazaar up above. Slowpoke offers a ride. And as he travels through unfamiliar terrain and obstacles, he collects a diverse crew of excited passengers who are also headed to the bazaar and eager to see different parts of the sea. Slowpoke finishes the journey feeling inspired to start a new career that suits him perfectly--a deep ocean jellyfish tour bus!

Told in graphic novel-style panels and illustrated in a striking palette of aquatic hues, this funny, friendly story is a lighthearted look at finding community and turning a salty situation into an epic adventure.

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The Not-So-Sleepy Little Panda

David Walker

A charmingly cozy rhyming picture book about a sweet little panda who has trouble falling asleep.

The moon is too far,
the stars are too high.
Little Panda is scared
by the dark of the sky.
But a marvelous bug,
with a magical light,
is just what she needs
to sleep through the night.

It’s time for bed, but Little Panda wants to stay awake! Her bed is too lumpy, lullabies don’t work, and the dark is a little scary. But with the help of her parents and some twinkling friends, Little Panda might face her fears after all. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll even fall asleep!

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So-Hee and Lowy

Anna Kang

From the creators of Theodor Seuss Geisel winner You Are (Not) Small and Christopher Award winner Eraser comes a heartfelt story about the power of friendship.

So-Hee is lonely. She doesn't have a brother or sister, nor does she have many friends. More than anything, she longs for a pet she can hold and love. The trouble is, she's allergic to just about everything. When So-Hee meets a snake named Lowy, all at once, her life starts to change in unexpected ways.

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Hello, Sun!

Lala Watkins

Inspired by never-before-seen sketches by Dr. Seuss, creator Lala Watkins builds a bright and playful story about a worm in this brand-new beginning reader that is the first in the Seuss Studios line of Beginner Books.

If you could play with the sun, what would you do? Would you sing? Dance? Play hide-and-seek?

Join Norbit the Worm, his friends, and the sun itself as they spend a day doing everything they can think of, from swimming and hiking to blowing bubbles and watching the clouds drift by! By encouraging imaginative play, Hello, Sun! keeps kids entertained as they learn to read.

Seuss Studios is a new line of Beginner Books with original stories and art from emerging authors and illustrators. Every Seuss Studios story was inspired by never-before seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss archives, which you can find in the back of each book! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, Beginner Books make learning to read FUN!

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The Cartoonists Club: a Graphic Novel

Raina Telgemeier

#1 New York Times bestselling cartoonists Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud team up for a one-of-a-kind friendship story about creativity and self-expression that blends how-to and comics magic. Welcome to the club!

 

Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!

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Every Monday Mabel

Jashar Awan

Five starred reviews!
“An arm-pumping, truck-horn toot to each person reveling in their own ‘garbage.’” —BCCB (starred review)

From the creator of I’m Going to Build a Snowman comes a “enthusiastic, delightful” (BookPage, starred review) celebration of community helpers that captures the joy and wonder of being a kid, centering around a precocious girl whose favorite day of the week is Monday.

Every Monday, Mabel wakes up early and peeks out her window to make sure she didn’t miss the one thing she’s been looking forward to the whole week. She drags her chair down the hallway, past her big sister and Mom and Dad, out the door, and waits.

What is Mabel waiting for every Monday? According to Mabel, it’s the best thing in the world. But no one else in her family seems to understand…until they see what’s honking down the street!

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Nellie's Big Splash

Cori Doerrfeld

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rabbit Listened, an unforgettable story of being brave and jumping into new experiences

When Nellie the sea turtle hatched, she was on a beach surrounded by lots of her brothers and sisters. Soon all the other turtles joyfully ran into the ocean and swam away, but Nellie? She was too scared. The ocean was loud, it was deep, and it was unknown. She stayed on the safe, dry sand instead. 

But when night starts to fall and it gets too dark and cold for a tiny little sea turtle on land, Nellie realizes that if she looked past the scary crashing waves, there's actually a whole world out there, just waiting for her to jump in.

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How to Staycation Like a Snail

Naseem Hrab

Introverted party animal Snail is back in this delightfully hilarious SHHHelebration of homebodies

Snail is an epic explorer ... kind of. He loves the quiet things about adventures, like reading maps, hiking along slime trails, and collecting souvenirs. On big vacations, he finds the sights, sounds, and unfamiliar foods--like escargot!--way too overwhelming. In fact, his favorite part of a vacation is when he gets to return to his home SHHHweet home.

So, while his friends take a trip to the city, Snail and his buddy Stump decide to have an adventure in their own backyard--a staycation! The pair smell the silence, listen to the SHHH SHHH of the waterfall, and read their guidebooks with their indoor voices. Just when they start to wonder if they've run out of things to do, they notice something new: parachute seeds falling from the sky! The seeds have arrived for a vacation, and who better to show them around than Stump and Snail?

Snail's second adventure is just as witty and charming as his first, with laugh-out-loud moments and hidden puns on every page. Snail and Stump's staycation reveals the unexpected joys of staying home and promises that readers will find wonder around every corner, however close to home they may be.

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The Digger and the Dark

Joseph Kuefler

From popular author-illustrator Joseph Kuefler comes the perfect bedtime book for fans of big trucks. The ideal next book for readers of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train.

After a long day's work, Digger and the other big trucks are ready to tuck themselves into bed. They wash, they brush, and they sing a goodnight song. But before they can fall asleep, two mischievous raccoons appear. And they are not tired--at all.

Surely, just a few more minutes of playtime won't hurt...will it?

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Shut Up, This Is Serious

Carolina Ixta

WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ YA AUTHOR AWARD

* A Morris Award Finalist * Parade Best Young Adult Books of All Time * Indie Next List Pick *

An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez.

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant--by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about, because he's Black, and her parents are racist.

Things are hella complicated.

Weighed by a depression she can't seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?

From debut author Carolina Ixta comes a fierce, intimate examination of friendship, chosen family, and the generational cycles we must break to become our truest selves.

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Conditions of a Heart

Bethany Mangle

Two starred reviews!

“Achingly touching, heartfelt, and true, Brynn’s story of reinvention and self-discovery resonates on every page. A book to savor and hold dear.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas

For fans of Talia Hibbert and Lynn Painter comes an “emotionally rich” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and unflinchingly honest story about a teen who must come to terms with her disability and what it means for her identity, her love life, and her future.

Brynn Kwan is desperate for her high school persona to be real. That Brynn is head of the yearbook committee, the favorite for prom queen, and definitely not crumbling from a secret disability that’s rapidly wearing her down. If no one knows the truth about her condition, Brynn doesn’t have to worry about the pitying looks or accusations of being a faker that already destroyed her childhood friendships. She’s even willing to let go of her four-year relationship with her first love, Oliver, rather than reveal that a necessary surgery was the reason she ignored his existence for the entire summer.

But after Brynn tries to break up a fight at a pep rally and winds up barred from all her clubs and senior prom, she has nothing left to prop up her illusion of being just like everyone else. During a week-long suspension from school, she realizes that she doesn’t quite recognize the face in the mirror—and it’s not because of her black eye from the fight. With a healthy sister who simply doesn’t understand and a confused ex-boyfriend who won’t just take a hint and go away like a normal human being, Brynn begins to wonder if it’s possible to reinvent her world by being the person she thought no one wanted: herself.

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The No-Girlfriend Rule

Christen Randall

An instant USA TODAY bestseller
Four starred reviews!

Julie Murphy meets Heartstopper with a D&D twist in this “magical, heartwarming” (Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of She Gets the Girl) queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends, and a shot at real, swoon-worthy love.

Hollis Beckwith isn’t trying to get a girl—she’s just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a boyfriend: Chris. Their relationship isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she’s a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris’s favorite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery—but his unfortunate “No Girlfriends at the Table” rule means she’ll need to find her own group if she wants in.

Enter: Gloria Castañeda and her all-girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria’s cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in-game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armor, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.

But then an in-game crush develops between Hollis’s character and the bard played by charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis’s stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants…or if she’s content to just play pretend.

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The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting

Natalie C. Parker

This riveting, superpowered adventure unveils a shadow world of Talented bounty hunters--and plumbs the nature of identity, deadly secrets, and found family.

Tru has been hiding all her life. Her parents taught her to conceal her bastion Talent: indestructible skin, muscles, and bones. In a world where Talents are common and varied, no one trusts a bastion--they're too powerful. Hiding failed to keep Tru's parents alive, but moments before their murder, Tru's mom pointed her to Logan Dire, a famed recluse assassin who adopted and trained orphaned Tru. At seventeen, she's still hiding. Not even her closest friends know her true name or Talent, or that she's balancing high school with knife and stealth training (while crushing on her BFF's older sister). When assassins interrupt a mundane babysitting job booked through BountyApp--where lethal hunters find work and babysitters for their kids--Tru flees with a one-year-old strapped to her chest and spiraling questions: Who killed her parents? Whom can she trust? What does it mean to be a bastion? And is it ever OK to kiss a girl who's trying to hunt you down? From an award-winning author comes a masterfully plotted thriller that holds character and relationship on a par with action and nail-biting suspense.

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The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends

Arie Kaplan

In this unique exploration of world mythology, discover how ancient tales across cultures have influenced today’s pop culture, from Beyoncé to Game of Thrones. 

Fun and engaging, The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends details the influences of classical stories on contemporary popular culture. Without these myths, passed down through the generations over three millennia, many of the stories we enjoy in our current media wouldn’t exist! 

Along with colorful illustrations and graphics, author Arie Kaplan makes unexpected connections in our everyday lives. Are you wearing Nike shoes? The company is named after the Greek goddess of victory. Big on astronomy? Most of the planets in our solar system, like Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars, are named after members of the Roman pantheon. Kaplan takes you on a deep dive into mythology from around the world and shows that Superman and Achilles are connected, Frankenstein and Prometheus were cut from the same cloth, and how an Egyptian sun god has inspired video games, the musical stage, and the silver screen.  

The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends deftly combines history and modern pop culture to enrich your experience of both worlds. This captivating book covers:
 

  • Not only the Greek Pantheon but mythology from cultures from all around the world, from West African mythology to Egyptian, Roman, Incan, Celtic, Indian, Zoroastrian, Norse, Japanese, Chinese, and British myths, to name a few. 
  • Unexpected correlations between things we see in our everyday lives and mythology, like Beyoncé's use of imagery of the Yoruba water goddess Osun, the Marvel Universe and Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin, and Superman's conception through Hercules, King Arthur, and Moses.
  • Fascinating sidebars that break down legendary lore such as unicorns, the Tooth Fairy, and Stonehenge, as well as examinations of mythic masters who have expertly woven these timeless tales into pop culture like Neil Gaiman and George Lucas. 
  • A deep dive into the fascinating folklore from all around the world, and how we all are connected, no matter how far apart we might be. 


With countless Easter eggs revealed throughout, The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends is an exciting way to learn about ancient mythology. You may think you know what inspired The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson, but now you can truly discover the source of these modern tales.

The Wonderpedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy illustrated references on a range of intriguing topics, including archeological discoveries, world mythology, pop culture, global superstitions, and the fascinating stories behind signs and symbols. A cross-cultural exploration of what makes humans tick, this series magnifies the connective threads between us across time and geography and demystifies the surprising, confounding sides of life.  

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Meet the Mini-Mammals

Melissa Stewart

Meet some of the world’s very smallest mini-mammals in this “interesting and engaging” (School Library Journal, starred review) picture book with actual-size illustrations from Sibert Honoree Melissa Stewart and Caldecott Honoree Brian Lies.

Big mammals like elephants, hippos, and giraffes get a lot of press, but what about the little guys? From pint-sized flying squirrels to itty bitty chipmunks and teeny tiny mouse lemurs, learn all about the mini-est mammals from around the world, depicted at their real-life size.

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Ice Cream Everywhere

Judy Campbell-Smith

Everywhere you go, all around the world people are eating ice cream! And while some folks spoon up sundaes and some savor Syrian bouza--one thing is always true: ice cream is joy! Travel the globe and discover a mouthwatering selection of cold, creamy treats. Which one is your favorite?!

Ice Cream Everywhere includes a map, an author's note--and three scoops of fun!

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InvestiGators: Class Action

John Patrick Green

An Amazon Best Book of the Year

DING DING DING!! Is that the school bell, or is it three million readers ringing in the return of V.E.S.T.-wearing case-busting secret agents Mango and Brash for another hilarious adventure? (It’s the latter, we’ll solve that mystery for free.)

The InvestiGators are back...to school?! Mango and Brash have always been a class act but can these alligator detectives convincingly go undercover as average middle-school students? Why has the super-spy organization S.U.I.T. been assigned protection detail for a small-town team mascot? Is it a coincidence that the school happens to be the same one that Agent Mango (just barely) graduated from? Is Mango’s family in danger? Will Brash pass home economics? Is Friday still pizza day? Find out in Class Action, the A+ return of the New York Times bestselling series by John Patrick Green! Read up, because there just might be a pop quiz later!

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My Life as a Cartoonist

Janet Tashjian

In Book Three of the popular "My Life . . ." series by Janet Tashjian, Derek Fallon's plan to help out a new classmate backfires miserably 

There's a new kid in Derek Fallon's class. His name is Umberto and he uses a wheelchair. Derek's family is still fostering Frank the monkey, and Derek thinks it would be great to train Frank to assist Umberto. But Derek quickly realizes that Umberto is definitely not looking for any help. Derek soon becomes the butt of Umberto's jokes. On top of that, Umberto starts stealing Derek's cartoon ideas and claiming them as his own. How did Derek get himself into this mess, and how can he find a way out before he is the laughingstock of school? The answer may very well be his cartoon strip—SUPER FRANK! 

My Life as a Cartoonist features illustrations by Janet Tashjian's son, Jake Tashjian.

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As You Wish

Nashae Jones

A girl learns the hard way to be careful what she wishes for in this sweet and funny middle grade rom-com featuring a chaos-loving West African trickster god.

Birdie has big plans for eighth grade. This is the year that she gets a boyfriend, and since she and her best friend, Deve, do everything together, it makes sense that Deve will get a girlfriend. This is the kind of math Birdie doesn’t find intimidating—it’s Eighth Grade 101. (Birdie + Boyfriend) + (Deve + Girlfriend) = Normal Eighth Grade Experience. And normal is something Birdie craves, especially with a mom as overprotective as hers.

She doesn’t expect Deve to be so against her plan, or for their fight to blow up in her face. So when the West African god Anansi appears to her, claiming to be able to make everything right again, Birdie pushes past her skepticism and makes a wish for the whole mess to go away. But with a trickster god, your wish is bound to come true in a way you never imagined.

Before long, Birdie regrets her rash words…especially when she realizes what’s really going on with her and Deve. With her reality upended, can Birdie figure out how to undo her wish?

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Just Another Epic Love Poem

Parisa Akhbari

Best friendship blossoms into something more in this gorgeously written queer literary romance.

"The heartache and longing of witnessing a beloved character pine hopelessly over her best friend has never brought me this much unadulterated joy." –National Book Award Finalist Sonora Reyes, author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School

Over the past five years, Mitra Esfahani has known two constants: her best friend Bea Ortega and The Book—a dogeared moleskin she and Bea have been filling with the stanzas of an epic, never-ending poem since they were 13.

For introverted Mitra, The Book is one of the few places she can open herself completely and where she gets to see all sides of brilliant and ebullient Bea. There, they can share everything—Mitra’s complicated feelings about her absent mother, Bea’s heartache over her most recent breakup—nothing too messy or complicated for The Book.

Nothing except the one thing with the power to change their entire friendship: the fact that Mitra is helplessly in love with Bea.

Told in lyrical, confessional prose and snippets of poetry Just Another Epic Love Poem takes readers on a journey that is equal parts joyful, heartbreaking, and funny as Mitra and Bea navigate the changing nature of I love you.

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