Fiction Books for 9–12 Year Olds
932 fiction books for 9–12 year olds, sorted by rating — page 9 of 10.
The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal–winning tale. Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro
The Threads Remain
German soldiers, which upends their lives. Postwar Germany in 1957 finds 16\u002Dyear\u002Dold Friedrich Becker grieving the recent loss of his adoptive mother, Minna. Spurred by her death to investigate the identity of his biological parents, Friedrich meets Sigrid, an orphan who works at an orphanage and joins him in his search. He remembers nothing of the time before his own adoption, but he has a crocheted bear named Bärli, which he had with him at age 4. Over the course of this layered narrative, Shapiro demonstrates an exceptional talent for storytelling as he highlights war’s capacity to separate people, but also to draw them together in common cause. Indeed, the story effectively shows how conflict can bind people together across generations and, as it happens, across time itself. As the various timelines intertwine, the author’s fine attention to detail results in a satisfying reading experience. Overall, the work ably reminds readers that although “there is no hope of creating a better past,” the future is still full of possibility."
This gripping novel explores the complex aftermath of trauma through the interconnected stories of three teenagers whose lives were shattered by a shared tragedy. The narrative weaves between their p...
THE THRESHOLD AND THE LEDGER
both Aeschylus’ Oresteia and artist Douglas Gordon’s seminal video installation 24\u002DHour Psycho. McCarthy’s play is reprinted in this book’s appendix, as is Bachmann’s “Salt and Bread,” in both English and German. Reveling in the subtle delicacy of Bachmann’s wording, the author investigates particularly potent etymologies and scans multiple translations in tandem. Invocations of works by Kafka, Dostoevsky, and Shakespeare add to McCarthy’s storm of citations, all of which usher in a short study of Bachmann’s 1971 magnum opus, the novel Malina. McCarthy’s work is an invigorating and inspiring incantation: Readers will not only marvel at how the author reads but also at his ability to articulate that experience into something both erudite and accessible. Eventually, Bachmann’s importance feels secondary to the journey: McCarthy resists guiding readers to a comprehensive closing statement and instead chooses to create a framework for the reader with a foundation of literary ideas. Ending on “the threshold of both Malina and the poetic event\u002Dfield, all the books\u002Dto\u002Dcome, to which Bachmann’s masterpiece opens the door,” McCarthy invites readers through, toward revelations of their own."
This gripping young adult novel masterfully blends supernatural suspense with the emotional turmoil of adolescence, creating a compelling narrative about a teenager who discovers an ancient ledger th...
The Tiger Rising
Kate DiCamillo
A National Book Award finalist by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sisti
The Tower at the End of Time
Amy Sparkes
"Nine and her friends have broken the curse on their marvellous, magical House, and are free to travel the worlds once more. There's only one problem: the House is nervous about travelling--and gets the hiccups! With every HIC! they bounce from one world to the next, and magical mayhem erupts in eve
The Tower of Nero (Trials of Apollo, the Book Five Special Limited Edition)
Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan collectors won't want to miss this signed limited edition of the finale of the Trials of Apollo series. Complete your Trials of Apollo collection with this signed and numbered limited edition with exclusive frontispiece art by series illustrator John Rocco and a handsome full-color case
THE TRAGEDY OF TRUE CRIME
Genre
This gripping exploration of true crime cases offers young readers a thoughtful examination of criminal justice, forensic science, and the human stories behind notorious investigations. The author pr...
The Trouble with May Amelia
Jennifer L. Holm
The long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel to the Newbery Honor winner "Our Only May Amelia, " by the bestselling and cherished author Holm. Illustrations.
The Twelve-Bug Day
Lisa Harkrader
Each read-aloud book in the Mouse Math series focuses on a single, basic math concept and features adorable mice, Albert and Wanda, who live in a People House. Entertaining fiction stories capture kids’ imaginations as the mice learn about numbers, shapes, sizes, and more. Over 3 million copies sold
The Umbrella
Jan Brett
A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by--from the little tree frog to the
The Underground Adventure of Arly Dunbar, Cave Explorer
Candice F. Ransom
When his friend, Floyd Collins, becomes trapped in a cave in Kentucky in 1925, 10-year-old Arly places himself in great danger while trying to assist with the rescue operation. Simultaneous.
THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
a well-published scholar of that movement." />
This scholarly work offers a comprehensive examination of the modern mindfulness movement, tracing its philosophical roots from ancient Buddhist practices to its contemporary therapeutic applications...
The Vanishing of Rose B.
Genre
This gripping psychological thriller follows a teenage girl's investigation into her best friend's mysterious disappearance, weaving together social media clues, unreliable narrators, and the intense...
THE VANISHING PLACE
Genre
This gripping psychological thriller plunges readers into the chilling world of a small town haunted by disappearances, where the protagonist must unravel a web of secrets before becoming the next vi...
The Very Best Daddy of All
Marion Dane Bauer
Pictures and rhyming text show how some fathers, animal, bird, and human, take care of their children by bringing them food, playing with them, and keeping them safe.
THE WATERBEARERS
reliable women,” Bonét writes. “The men were peripheral—inefficient and fickle.” Central to her history is her grandmother Betty Jean (b. 1933), the great\u002Dgranddaughter of enslaved people, who migrated to Houston from Louisiana in 1955 and eventually had 11 children with nine different men. One of those children was Bonét’s mother, Connie (b. 1956), who grew up poor and angry, resenting each new baby who arrived to deplete what little the family had. She fled Houston as soon as she could, landing in Manhattan, where she was a stern, uncompromising mother to her own children. Besides recounting the lives of the women in her family, Bonét looks at other Black women: Betty Davis, enslaved seamstress of George and Martha Washington, whose daughter, Ona Judge, escaped and lived in the north as a fugitive\u003B Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama’s mother, who moved into the White House to care for her granddaughters\u003B and activist Recy Taylor: Raped by white men in 1944, she contributed—along with Rosa Parks and other women—to forming the Committee for Equal Justice, an inspiration for the Civil Rights Movement. There’s Iberia Hampton, who feared for her outspoken son, Fred\u003B he became a Black Panther and was assassinated. There’s artist Camille Billops, who rejected motherhood in favor of pursuing her art. “Each of us are the sum of our grandmother’s prayers,” Bonét writes, “the sum of many moments, of all the care and cruelty we have absorbed.” At times tender, furious, selfish, and sacrificial, these were “complicated women,” whom Bonét portrays with compassion."
This powerful novel explores the lives of young women tasked with carrying water across a drought-stricken landscape, blending environmental urgency with coming-of-age resilience. The narrative follo...
THE WILD ROBOT
Peter Brown
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When s
THE WILD ROBOT ESCAPES
Peter Brown
This captivating sequel continues the story of Roz the robot as she navigates the complexities of civilization while yearning for her wild island home, blending science fiction with heartfelt themes ...
THE WILDERNESS
setting select scenes—including the novel’s shattering climax—in the near future, Flournoy seems to warn that the violence and oppression characteristic of 21st\u002Dcentury American life can be mitigated only by community, care, and the families we choose."
This gripping survival novel plunges readers directly into a harrowing adventure when a group of teenagers must fend for themselves after a plane crash leaves them stranded in a remote, unforgiving w...
The Wind in the Willows
Stephanie True Peters
Toad is not a bad guy. It's just that he really, REALLY loves cars. And whenever he finds out how fast a car can go, Toad tends to end up in big trouble.
THE WITCH-HUNT
Genre
This gripping historical novel plunges readers into the terrifying atmosphere of the Salem witch trials, weaving a suspenseful narrative that explores mass hysteria, false accusations, and the courag...
THE WITCH’S APPRENTICE AND OTHER STORIES
the “answer” in the form of a unique narrative. The opening query, for example, concerns The Wizard of Oz: “When the tornado took Dorothy’s house to Oz, it landed on the Wicked Witch of the East and killed the witch instantly. What was the witch doing in the road in the first place?” The answer, it turns out, involves an argument with her apprentice. Garg explores a handful of tales, including the motivations behind duping the naked emperor (in “The Honor of Emperors and Thieves”) and the reason why Jack (of Jack and Jill fame) was carrying that pail of water in the first place (in “To Fetch a Pail of Water”). Each story varies in length\u003B the haunting “Denying Hamelin” is only three pages, and the longest, “The Beauty Before She Sleeps,” is 33. While none of the stories can be called happy, some are particularly grim in nature—parents left bereft at the disappearance of their children, death, betrayal, etc. Each story gets its own question and answer except for “Sleeping Beauty”and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” whose questions and answers combine in what feels like a fever dream involving shapeshifting witches and magic portals. While some stories veer toward the predictable (the real identity of Sleeping Beauty’s new lady in waiting, for example, will likely prove glaringly obvious to readers), these tales aren’t necessarily about changing the narrative of the established story from which they come. Instead, Garg adds depth and background to these familiar characters, making them delightfully all her own."
Born at the end of the 1930s depression, New Zealander John Broomfield began a lifetime of travels as an infant that took him to every corner of his rugged homeland and ultimately around the world. Readers of his first memoir, Carried on Great Winds, admire his capacity to combine radical political
THE WOMAN WITH FIFTY FACES
R. Crumb, or as if Art Spiegelman’s Maus were told by Mr. Natural. There is a trippy terror to the book: Mouths distort, noses grow, eyes bulge out. Its bizarre genius is to take a woman known for her face on Modernist canvases and transform her into a visage fit for 21st\u002Dcentury comics. Lani was an artist of impersonations, a true charlatan worthy of this book’s outré imagination."
This psychological thriller follows a woman whose fractured identity manifests as fifty distinct personalities, each with their own memories and motivations. When a series of unexplained events begin...
THE WOMEN'S ORCHESTRA OF AUSCHWITZ
the Shoah Foundation. Crucially, she tells the story not only of the players, but also of their audience of fellow prisoners. “How could we play light music here, against the background of the flames and black smoke that billowed day and night from the crematoria chimneys?” reflects one survivor. The author leaves open the question of whether the music helped prisoners or intensified their suffering. She makes clear, however, that the orchestra did not play during the “selection” of poor souls sent to the gas chambers. The players’ musical skills saved at least their own lives, exempt from the work squads, though they themselves were exhausted and starving, and Jewish orchestra members were always vulnerable to “selection” for gassing. Their resident block was mere meters from a crematorium, and human ashes settled inside some of their instruments. They experienced the “scandal of music at Auschwitz on a daily basis,” as the Nazis’ abuse of music was itself “a form of torture.” Their playing was an “effort to claw back something of what it meant to be human.”"
This powerful historical account chronicles the true story of female musicians forced to play for their survival in the Auschwitz concentration camp, offering young readers a profound look at resilie...
THE WORLD'S WORST BET
Lynch, global economics correspondent for the Washington Post. He reminds us that America’s industrial production has been declining since the 1950s and that automation, not foreign competition, remains the biggest factor. Obsessed with cutting costs, American businesses were already moving to Mexico and other nations, but everyone thrilled to China, which had discarded “Maoist idiocy” to open a titanic market to world entrepreneurs. The world was getting richer, and the world’s richest nation could only benefit by trading in this immense, supposedly free market. Giving President Clinton most of the credit, Lynch describes his 1990s crusade for globalization. Business leaders and congressional Republicans were enthusiastic. Labor unions and Democrats were not, but many were won over by promises of government benefits and retraining for laid\u002Doff workers. This never happened. Almost everyone agreed that a free market would bring democracy to China\u003B increasingly prosperous citizens would demand it as they had in other nations (Spain, Taiwan, South Korea, Chile). This also didn’t happen, but globalization did make the U.S. wealthier. From 2000 to around 2015, inflation and prices were low, but the 2.4 million jobs lost created great resentment, along with the feeling that China was playing dirty and muscling in on our status as world leader. The political climate soon turned uniformly anti\u002DChina. Lynch dismisses President Trump’s solutions, which emphasize tariffs and jingoism. Lynch’s own proposals for international cooperation and a generous safety net are political poison today."
This middle grade novel delivers a hilarious and heartfelt story about friendship, family, and the lengths one kid will go to win a seemingly impossible bet. The narrative cleverly explores themes of...
There's a Wocket in my Pocket
Dr. Seuss
A beloved Bright and Early Board Book by Dr. Seuss, now in a larger trim size! This super-simple, super-sturdy board book of rollicking rhymes is now available in a bigger trim size! An abridged version of the classic Bright and Early Book There's a Wocket in my Pocket! by Dr. Seuss, it's perfect fo
THICK WITCH TRAVELS
a seeming unscrupulous magic-wielder in Ives’ YA fantasy sequel to Fat Witch Summer (2023)." />
A seemingly unscrupulous magic-wielder navigates treacherous alliances and complex moral landscapes in this YA fantasy sequel, where magical travel between realms forces difficult choices about power...
THIEF OF NIGHT
a Blight, and he doesn’t want the Cabals to face the blowback if the truth becomes public. Mr. Punch could do terrible things to Charlie if she fails, but if she succeeds, he’ll help Charlie and Red be free of the Cabals for good. The sophomore novel in a series is always tough, but this sequel proves that the second book can be even better than the first. Black turns the screws on the magical world she set up in Book 1, creating complicated political motives between Charlie and the Cabal leaders and making the question of what it means for a shadow, like Red, to have their own consciousness more interesting. Veteran con artist Charlie makes some truly brilliant moves, especially toward the end, where the last few chapters have one terrific surprise after the other."
A teenage thief with a rare gift for manipulating shadows finds her skills pushed to the limit when she's forced to pull off an impossible heist from the city's most fortified fortress. This fast-pac...
THIS IS FOR EVERYONE
“monopolistic players,” isn’t “in such great shape.” The British computer scientist explains complex technology in accessible language, leaving room for ample self\u002Dpuffery. Berners\u002DLee was working at CERN, the celebrated Swiss physics lab, in the 1980s when he sought “to encourage new and unexpected relationships between pieces of information.” A version of the internet already existed, and “by layering hypertext links onto” it, “we could connect” people everywhere, he realized. He was celebrated for persuading CERN to publish his source code instead of patenting it, part of his decades\u002Dlong effort to make information “accessible and open.” The book’s first third is excellent. Along with his web breakthroughs, Berners\u002DLee lovingly describes how his mathematician\u002Dparents nurtured his creativity. He built a “homebrew” computer in high school and an intercom for his family’s house. The web made Berners\u002DLee famous—Time magazine dubbed him one of the 20th century’s most influential people—and his book doesn’t skimp on the fruits of his renown. He writes of being name\u002Dchecked by Bono during a U2 show and lunching with Queen Elizabeth II: “Her Majesty seemed to enjoy my presence.” He won awards, enough that “I was used to giving acceptance speeches.” Quoted at length, Berners\u002DLee’s wife calls him “open\u002Dminded, fair, resourceful and very kind,” an “obviously brilliant” person who has “complete respect for humans and nature.” Canonization awaits, evidently. Today, Berners\u002DLee works on initiatives to make the internet more humane, to protect users’ privacy, and to urge governments to be more transparent. Artificial intelligence will be “transformative,” and it’s up to citizens to help “define the terms that will govern” the future of technology."
This vibrant picture book delivers a powerful message of inclusion and belonging through simple, direct language and bold, expressive illustrations. The narrative celebrates diversity in all its form...
THIS PLACE KILLS ME
Kita is trying to adjust to life at Wilberton, an all\u002Dgirls boarding school. Her roommate, Claire, barely acknowledges her, and Abby spends most days trying to ignore the unkind whispers of her classmates. The members of the Wilberton Theater Society stage a successful run of Romeo and Juliet—then the body of Elizabeth Woodward, who played Juliet, is found after a raucous cast party. Rumors run rampant, and Abby’s tragic past seems to be coming back to haunt her as the other girls begin to speculate about her involvement in Elizabeth’s death. Abby gradually builds a tenuous friendship with Claire. Together, can they find out not only the truth but its connection to a dark, shocking secret buried in Wilberton’s history? With its stunning two\u002Dtoned gray and pink illustrations that cue a 1980s setting through images such as a Walkman, phone booth, and clunky desktop computer, this collaboration between Tamaki and Goux isn’t just a clever and heartbreaking mystery but a deeper examination of bullying, homophobia, and belonging. The central puzzle is certain to leave readers breathlessly enthralled, turning pages as quickly as possible to get to the shocking truth behind Elizabeth’s demise. Abby presents Japanese American, and most other characters read white. "
A troubled teen is sent to a remote boarding school where students keep disappearing under mysterious circumstances, forcing her to uncover the institution's dark secrets before she becomes the next ...
THREADS OF EMPIRE
nomads. From earliest times, Armstrong asserts, carpet weavers have been women, honing their skills in carding, spinning, dyeing, knotting, setting warps and wefts, and designing or reproducing patterns. Considerable skill, as well, Armstrong has found, is involved in rug restoration and repair. For centuries, rugs have been associated with the rich and powerful: Potentates, chieftains, robber barons, and collectors considered the acquisition of prized rugs as a reflection of their own status. Attribution of a rug’s creation and provenance also connects to power. The startling beauty of a particular rug in the collection of the Victoria \u0026amp\u003B Albert Museum led to the assumption that it was made by a team of men. That conclusion, Armstrong asserts, “suited a nineteenth\u002Dcentury Western view which held that if an object was art then it was created by men, and that what women practised was a lesser form of creativity described in the West as craft.” Armstrong reveals the exploitation of rug makers that continues to the present. Twenty\u002Dfirst\u002Dcentury rugs sold in department stores are often crafted by “weary refugees in makeshift encampments” who create products for international trade to design and color specifications and are marketed through export houses. Nevertheless, as Armstrong’s richly detailed history shows, even modern rugs can shimmer with glamor and mystique."
This sweeping historical epic plunges readers into the heart of a crumbling empire, weaving together the fates of a defiant street thief, a reluctant heir, and a scholar guarding dangerous secrets as...
THREE REVOLUTIONS
Genre
This timely examination of transportation's past, present, and future charts the course of three pivotal shifts: the rise of automobiles, the ongoing electrification of vehicles, and the emerging aut...
THREE SHATTERED SOULS
a common goal of ending the treacherous rule of King Joon of Yusan, regroup after a bloody battle claims the life of one of their own—the banished Yusanian prince, Euyn. However, there’s little time for Mikail, Aeri, Sora, and Royo to mourn. Bounty hunters and assassins are after them, in part because they now possess three of five legendary Relics of the Dragon Lord. Mikail, who’s just found out that he’s the last surviving member of a royal family, wields the Water Scepter of Wei, while Aeri, King Joon’s daughter, holds the Sands of Tim and the Golden Ring of Khitan. The remaining relics—the Flaming Sword of Gaya and the Immortal Crown—remain with King Joon, who’s desperate to have all five to wield a great deal more power. Meanwhile, the cruel Count Seok, who once indentured Sora, has usurped the throne of Yusan. The group has two goals: overthrow the king and liberate the Yusanian colony of Gaya—Mikail’s homeland—so that it can again be a thriving, independent realm. The relics are powerful tools in combat, but using them is adversely affecting Aeri and Mikail’s health. They need allies, but trusting strangers is a dangerous gamble. Corland’s final book in her Broken Blades trilogy is a relentlessly thrilling and action\u002Dpacked dark fantasy featuring memorable characters, intense battle scenes, romance, and a satisfying conclusion. Alternately narrated by Aeri, Mikail, Sora, Royo, and their long\u002Dlost friend, Tiyung, readers benefit from watching the story unfold through the perspectives of each compelling, well\u002Ddrawn character. The author’s passion for the fantasy genre shines through in the novel’s richly detailed worldbuilding, including vivid descriptions of landscapes and palace layouts, as well as its exploration of magic. Readers will also delight in the sardonic humor sprinkled throughout, as when Mikahil narrates, “Rune thinks he fathered Seok’s son. Truly, the nobility of Yusan has too much time on their hands.”"
This gritty young adult novel plunges readers into a world fractured by supernatural trauma, following three distinct protagonists whose broken psyches are inextricably linked by a shared, devastatin...
TICK TOWN
Genre
This charming picture book transforms the abstract concept of time into a tangible adventure through the bustling world of Tick Town, where every clock and watch has a personality and a purpose. Youn...
Time of Wonder
Robert McCloskey
Winner of the Caldecott Medal! For fans of Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, and Make way for Ducklings. "Out on the islands that poke their rocky shores above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day . . ."
TO CLUTCH A RAZOR
Genre
This gritty urban thriller plunges readers into the dangerous world of gang violence and survival, following a protagonist who must navigate treacherous alliances while questioning the very codes tha...
TO LOSE A WAR
the Taliban. Basing his accounts on numerous sojourns in the country over that two\u002Ddecade stretch of the American war, Anderson is particularly good with the small, revealing details of daily life, such as the interaction of the citizens of Kabul with the Taliban: “For the most part, they seemed to ignore each other, as if they came from different worlds but were forced to coexist.” Early in the war, he notes, the one man who knew where bin Laden might be hiding was assassinated. That would be a common theme, as tribal leaders across the nation were targeted by rivals\u003B even so, Anderson observes, the government of Hamid Karzai, “built on uneasy alliances, accommodated a range of aggressive warlords and corrupt officials.” Much of Afghanistan is “preindustrial,” governed by the rhythms and mores of rural life in small towns and villages where, the author writes memorably, “lambs are tethered next to men with long knives who slaughter them and hang the carcasses from hooks, hacking them into a steadily diminishing mess of blood and meat and bone and fat by day’s end.” One of the many flaws in American strategy there, it seems, was to assume that the country was more modern and ready for democracy than it was. Indeed, he remarks at the end of the book, “there is now no place on earth that is more oppressive for women than Afghanistan.”"
This powerful historical novel plunges readers into the immediate aftermath of World War II through the eyes of German teenagers grappling with their nation's defeat and the staggering moral collapse...
TOGETHER IN MANZANAR
neighbors, were never returned. In 1988, President Reagan signed a bill apologizing for the internment. Each survivor received $20,000. Caucasians, including Elaine, were excluded."
This powerful historical novel transports readers to the Manzanar internment camp during World War II, following a Japanese American family's struggle to maintain their dignity and unity under the ha...
Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales
Tomie dePaola
Discover Tomie dePaola’s versions of well-known poems, fables, and stories featuring his beloved style and wit, sure to delight young readers and older fans alike. With Tomie’s signature wry humor and winking charm, this collection of retellings is a beautifully illustrated ode to favorite childhood
TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY
Jordan.” While looking ahead, the authors offer a riveting insiders’ account of high\u002Dstakes statesmanship. Then–Secretary of State John Kerry brought unequaled “passion and enthusiasm” to the negotiations, but his work was for naught, in part because his boss—President Obama—didn’t leverage the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid that goes to Israel to forge lasting peace. Past Palestinian leaders were often chided for “never miss[ing] an opportunity to miss an opportunity,” but the authors, looking closely at peace talks since the 1990s, demonstrate that this is a major oversimplification."
This thought-provoking novel explores the complex emotional landscape of a teenager grappling with time, memory, and the weight of personal history through an inventive narrative structure that moves...
Too Many Carrots
Katy Hudson
The bestselling picture book that Publisher's Weekly calls "simultaneously sassy and sweet." Rabbit loves carrots and that's a big problem! In this phenomenal bestseller, Rabbit loves carrots a little too much. In fact, his carrots are crowding him out of his cozy burrow. When his friends offer to h
TOUR DE FORCE
the loss of his right arm\u003B Helen Rodd, the wealthy wife who continues to support him\u003B spinster Edith Trapp, whose wardrobe Mr. Cecil openly admires\u003B introverted Vanda Lane, who enjoys gaining power over other people\u003B and Odyssey Tours guide Fernando Gomez. Soon after their arrival, Vanda is stabbed to death in her hotel room as everyone else lounges on the beach, their alibis attested by the watchful Cockie himself, though they can’t extend the same courtesy to him. The investigation demanded and at first directed by El Exaltida, the suavely tyrannical Grand Duke of San Juan el Pirata, who’s determined to arrest one of the interlopers, reveals that every one of the vacationers is harboring some dark secret ranging from adultery to masquerade to embezzlement. Fending off his own arrest, Cockie eventually figures out which of those secrets is most toxic en route to half a dozen false climaxes and a remarkably well\u002Dtimed unmasking. Along the way, Brand (1907\u002D88) distributes puzzle pieces as dexterously as a Las Vegas dealer and wisely springs her biggest and most jaw\u002Ddropping surprise halfway through in order to give dazed readers plenty of time to accommodate themselves to its messy implications."
This exhilarating novel follows a young cyclist's grueling journey through the world of competitive racing, capturing both the physical demands of endurance sports and the psychological battles of el...
TOWN COLLEGE CITY ROAD
the time he drives through a winter landscape to a family gathering, he’s on the brink of a crisis or a revelation—even if he hasn’t quite figured that out."
This innovative picture book transforms everyday environments into engaging learning landscapes, using familiar settings like college campuses and city streets to teach fundamental concepts. Young re...
Treasury of Greek Mythology
Donna Jo Napoli
School Library Journal Best Books of 2011 Eureka! Silver Honor Books—California Reading Association Capitol Choices 2012 list of Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens 2012 Notable Children's Books—ALSC The new National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths
Tree House Mystery
Gertrude Chandler Warner
Four brave siblings were searching for a home – and found a life of adventure! Join the Boxcar Children as they investigate the mystery of a secret window in this illustrated chapter book series beloved by generations of readers. A family moves into the house next door! The Boxcar Children decide to
TRIGGER WARNING
a police officer neighbor. Chapters from the perspectives of different characters, including Myron, Enix, and Ruth’s childhood friend Clarisse, who’s bipolar, slowly reveal background—not for readerly suspense, but to demonstrate how distanced Ruth is from her past. She and her family live in Louisville, Kentucky, where Enix attends an all\u002Dgirls private school that they chose but now loathe. The author highlights constant microaggressions the family faces partly through the lens of Myron’s best friend, Anthony, a white fellow lawyer who tries way too hard to seem Black—and whose friendship to both Myron and Ruth matters to the deliberately tangled plot. After Ruth and Myron’s house burns down, she files for divorce and takes Enix on a cross\u002Dcountry car trip so poorly planned and executed that the teen chooses to fly home to her father rather than meet her unknown aunt, Wendy, in Sacramento. Whether it’s Myron’s skepticism about his new girlfriend, Paulina\u003B Clarisse’s boredom with a psych ward’s activities\u003B or the loving welcome Wendy offers Ruth, each character’s attitudes and actions resonate with authentic observation that speaks to the author’s dedication page which lists several dozen names (including that of Breonna Taylor) “and the incalculable number of others who’ve suffered and died under the heel of state\u002Dsponsored terrorism since the very inception of the state. And for their families, and their communities, and all of us who struggle to heal.”"
This collection of short stories ventures into unsettling territory, exploring the dark corners of human nature and the supernatural with unflinching prose. The author masterfully blends elements of ...
TRIPPING OVER YOU
Genre
This raw and authentic YA novel explores the tender, tumultuous journey of two teens navigating first love and mental health struggles. The story follows a high school romance that blossoms between t...
TRUMPETS OF DEATH
Genre
This gripping thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes world of espionage and ancient conspiracies, where a young protagonist stumbles upon a secret that could alter global power structures. The n...
TWITCHLAND
Pyrink perfectly complement the story’s thematic impact (their utilization of contrasting color, in particular, is noteworthy). Scenes in the local doughnut shop, for example, are depicted in vibrant yellows, pinks, and oranges while sequences at the nuclear reactor site and in shadowy back alleys feature unnatural greens and purples. Lastly, the (timely) subject of the country’s drug overdose epidemic was woven into the storyline with an interesting supernatural twist, and Richland itself was based on the real city of Richland with its dark history."
THE BEHIND: PAINED MASK is a remarkable collection of poems that has been thoughtfully crafted over an impressive span of eighteen years. Life, in its myriad forms, doesn't always unfold in an uplifting manner when we are deeply affected by the repercussions of our own actions. However, it is precis
ULTRAWILD
chickens that recycle food scraps to create nutrient\u002Drich poo collected by robotic dung beetles, and flying bicycles lifted by “biogas booster pants.” “Everything in this book,” Mushin writes, “is THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE” and if implemented would not only save vanishing species, but would “CRUSH CLIMATE CHANGE like a Matchbox car in a vise.” Readers may find some of his proposals hard to absorb, since he insists on cramming every oversize page with Rube Goldberg–style diagrams or cutaway views of zany factories and devices, and the work is rife with dense bursts of hand\u002Dlettered narrative. Still, the urgency of his message that we are teetering on the brink of catastrophe comes through loud and clear—as does his fundamental optimism that we can still pull off a save. Urging readers to work on “ludicrously brilliant new ideas” of their own, he closes with a flurry of “Invention Starter” prompts. The small line\u002Ddrawn cartoon figures in his illustrations have skin the color of the page."
An innovative guide to reconnecting with the natural world through radical thinking and hands-on projects, this book challenges young readers to see their urban environments as ecosystems teeming wit...
UNCOMFORTABLE EITHER WAY
steps that readers may take to change their current course. A Life Inventory exercise particularly stands out for its usefulness, as it guides readers to assess where they are now, where they want to be, and what’s standing in the way of their goals. Eaton makes his advice relatable\u003B for instance, a story about “Eighty Percent Brett,” a version of the author who held back, helps to ground the work. By reflecting on his own decisions, the author drives home the book’s central theme of choosing reality over safety, in a way that feels personal, rather than sermonlike. Some ideas will be familiar to seasoned readers of motivational literature, but Eaton’s energy, earnestness, and easygoing style gives them renewed weight. His writing is brisk and unpretentious, and the book’s digestible format and consistent pacing make for an engaging read. "
This powerful novel explores the raw emotional landscape of teenage identity through a protagonist caught between two worlds, unable to find solid ground in either. The narrative delves into the inte...
UNCONVENTION
friends that “Big businesses always win. Scale always wins,” Kaza found himself wondering, “Are small businesses really destined to fail when faced with bigger competitors?” Pondering this question led him to develop what he calls “Underdog Principles” built around “positioning, proximity, and purpose” and designed to help small businesses compete with their larger rivals by embracing their differences and using them to craft innovative marketing strategies. He focuses his chapters on the stories of small businesses and the entrepreneurs who build them, people who are often “not just CEOs, they’re also the janitors, receptionists, accountants, and HR managers all rolled into one.”Running through all of Kaza’s advice and examples is a refreshingly sincere empathy, a genuine interest in the stories and needs of small businesses that one might not expect to find in money managers and loan officials. Whether it’s “a quality place to eat” or “I need my 5,000 psi hydrostatic drive to be rated for both high and sub\u002Dzero temperatures,” the author always tries to put himself in the shoes of the customers. “Don’t worry about matching your cost analysis exactly to the customer decision journey stages,” he advises his readers. “Focus instead on where you can track concrete numbers, such as how many clicks your ads get or how many trials convert to sales.” Most of this advice revolves around his “Underdog Principles,” which are winningly simple: positioning (having a well\u002Ddefined customer base), purpose (sometimes focusing on a problem that needs solving rather than “conventional business metrics”), and, perhaps most important of all, proximity (knowing your customers well enough to understand what motivates their decisions). The homespun quality of Kaza’s business anecdotes helps to underscore the viability of these principles. For instance, the author tells of meeting body shop owner Mike because his own car needed work, and Mike’s Yelp reviews were superb because he’d taken to asking satisfied customers to leave reviews. “Sharing your personal story or business challenges with your customers can feel a little risky,” Kaza writes, but “The trust you build as a small business owner is your most valuable asset.” This consistently personal tone fills the book with a sense of optimism that will be much appreciated by entrepreneurs and small business owners at all stages of the game."
This YA novel plunges readers into a high-stakes world of political intrigue and teenage rebellion, where a single decision can shatter the established order. The story follows a young protagonist na...
UNDER
his neighbor’s newly raised Gadsden flag—the kind that says “Don’t Tread on Me”—and decides to confront him. A couple enacts a scheme to prevent a man from parking his truck in front of their house. These are some premises of Pourciau’s fourth collection of short stories, mostly depicting the first\u002Dperson perspectives of aggrieved, suspicious, emotionally isolated people obsessing over others’ hidden thoughts. Pourciau’s oeuvre focuses almost exclusively on minor disruptions to our daily routines that have the potential to drive us mad. The longest story—one of the best and most complete entries, “Invade”—describes a woman incessantly pestering her new neighbors for an invitation to help them redecorate, eliciting increasingly curt and hostile evasions. Averaging around four pages each, most of the entries are incredibly slight and largely absent of closure, suspending readers in emotional purgatory. Trying to read just one at a time has the addictively insubstantial effect of eating a single potato chip. But beware: Attempting to ease the irresolution by binging a bunch in quick succession can be downright nauseating from ingesting such unrelenting paranoia. Steeping oneself in Pourciau’s world of lunatic anxiety and claustrophobic discourtesy can be overwhelming, but the cumulative impact is hard to dismiss—and the familiarity of the situations he explores is a sign of the times. One character summarizes a core truth connecting the vignettes: “Society is based on the premise that we remain civil and make the best of our proximity to others.” And another adds a corollary: “Liberating suppressed thoughts can stress the veneer that holds us together.”"
This immersive picture book plunges young readers into the mysterious world beneath the ocean's surface, exploring marine biology and underwater ecosystems with stunning visual detail. The narrative ...
UNDER THE DRAGON'S SHADOW
Genre
This gripping fantasy novel plunges readers into a world where ancient prophecies and simmering political tensions threaten to shatter a fragile peace, following a young protagonist who discovers a d...
UNDERSPIN
the dizzying number of characters introduced and not a lot of action. But patient readers will be rewarded as stray details from the opening return with new resonance and seemingly minor characters step into more important roles later on. Midway through the book, it becomes apparent that Zhao is a master of careful plotting and mystery—the real kind that cottons to morally complex situations. Kristian excels at coaching because he’s both kind and cruel, distant from his athletes and too intimate with them, wounded himself and wounding. It’s almost impossible to like him until he appears in his own voice in one of the final chapters. A poet of table tennis, Zhao turns this underappreciated sport into a nimbly described choreography of Tomahawk serves, switch\u002Dhanded chops, and forehand and backhand loops."
This gripping science fiction adventure plunges readers into a hidden subterranean world where a young protagonist discovers a civilization thriving beneath the Earth's crust. The narrative masterful...
UNFOLDING
a division of CCAR Press—the publishing arm of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (the Reform movement’s rabbinical association)—Kedar’s book is a broad\u002Dbased Judaism\u002Dspecific resource that doesn’t subscribe to a particular denominational path. The book doesn’t explore every High Holiday concept, and its selections and essays appear intended to appeal primarily to liberal, as opposed to more traditional, Jewish audiences. Still, Kedar’s book could potentially reach a wide readership, as the sources are wide\u002Dranging and engagingly venture beyond traditional religious interpretations of High Holiday themes."
This visually striking exploration of paper engineering and geometric design transforms the simple act of folding into a sophisticated art form, offering readers a tactile journey through mathematica...
UNICO
Mother. Meanwhile, the evil goddess Venus covets Unico’s horn for her own purposes and summons Iver, a reptilian interstellar hunter from the “deathly garden,” where she’s stored beings who might be useful to her. She sets Iver free to seek Unico across space and time and “make him and those around him suffer.” The storyline is highly energetic, and the bright, dynamic frames and varied layouts will sustain readers’ interest. The characters and intriguing settings are nicely detailed, and the rich colors and effective use of light and dark contribute to the atmosphere. "
This graphic novel adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's classic manga brings the magical world of Unico to a new generation of readers, following the adventures of a tiny unicorn blessed with the power to br...
UNSPOKEN
Lee Becker is only 10 years old in 1935 when she sits at the double funeral for her grandmother, Alma, and baby sister, Nell, both of whom succumbed on the same day to the deadly dust plague. Ruby’s mother, Willa Mae, is frozen with grief. Just days later, Ruby falls ill with “dust pneumonia” and is hospitalized. When she recovers, her father and older brother, Will, pick her up, but they drive her the train station, not home\u003B Will is taking her to Waco, where the air is clear. He gives her $20 and leaves her with Granny Alma’s widowed cousin, Bess, with whom she is to live until the air in Hartless, Texas, is once again safe for breathing. Angry and frightened, Ruby decides the only thing in her control is her voice, and she decides to stop speaking. She hears nothing from her family, and in 1936, shortly after her 11th birthday, Cousin Bess dies. Ruby’s next stop is the Waco State Home for Dependent and Neglected Children, where she remains for seven years, despite repeated escape attempts. Playing out in tandem with Ruby’s story is that of her mother\u003B unbeknownst to Ruby, Willa Mae has been placed in the state mental facility. The mother and daughter poignantly narrate alternating chapters in Alexander’s coming\u002Dof\u002Dage Dust Bowl narrative. In vivid, graphic prose, enhanced by dialogue that reflects the dialects and linguistic patterns of the period and social station of the characters (“A red sun augurs a bad day”), the author limns the chilling cruelty of the treatment of mental patients as well as the abuses that take place at the children’s home. There are also delightful interludes, as when Eleanor Roosevelt rescues Ruby during a dust storm, or when the school nurse gives her special (marijuana) cigarettes to help her asthma. Most appealing are the tender friendships that develop at the home and on the road as Ruby gradually learns that families can be created in all sorts of ways."
This powerful wordless picture book tells a haunting Civil War-era story through exquisite pencil illustrations that follow a young girl's discovery of a hidden runaway slave in her family's barn. Th...
UNVEILED
Genre
This gripping novel explores the complex world of online identity and digital deception through the eyes of a teenager who discovers her popular classmate's secret life. The narrative masterfully ble...
UNWORLD
a single question: Was his death an accident or suicide? Through the four voices that tell the story, novelist Greene reveals that the answer is as complex as the future world in which this novel is set. The story opens with Anna grappling with the death of her son and the loss of Aviva, the digital entity that shared her consciousness and then asked for emancipation to claim “upload personhood.” Unknown to Anna, Cathy, a professor at a local college with a specialty in upload rights, becomes Aviva’s next host and the person who learns—and experiences—the pain that the self\u002Dcontained Anna is unable to fully express. The third narrator, Samantha, offers her perspective on Alex as the best friend who not only witnessed his fall but also the disturbingly close relationship he had with Aviva. The last voice in the novel’s quartet of narrators is that of Aviva herself. Intended as a version of Anna that would help her get “on with [her] life in ways that [she] couldn’t,” Aviva finds herself evolving into the emotionally involved parent her host was not and inspiring Alex to explore digital existence through his computer. As it explores love, loss, and memory, this brilliantly imaginative story speculates on the ways technology may not only enhance but potentially change the nature of human consciousness."
This gripping science fiction adventure plunges readers into a meticulously crafted universe where reality itself is unraveling, following a young protagonist who discovers their world is not what it...
USA: WHERE DOGS HAVE MORE RIGHTS THAN YOU DO
Genre
Eight dogs hold a political meeting together to change the lives of dogs for their convenience. There are twenty-three amendments that go the dogs' way. Things may sound funny, but to us dogs, it's very true. At the end, we trick humans into giving us a steak.
Vacation
Ame Dyckman
When friends and roommates Bat, Cat, and Rat decide to take a vacation, they have trouble agreeing on a destination until Rat finds the perfect solution.
VERN
Genre
This middle-grade novel offers a fresh take on the classic coming-of-age story, following a young protagonist navigating the complex social dynamics of middle school while discovering unexpected cour...
VIA WONDERMENT
virtue of its friendly, approachable style. The author maintains an encouraging, playful tone, which motivates readers to try new things rather than follow strict rules. The book places more emphasis on intuitive connections than scientific evidence—readers who require empirical proof or structured methods for change might be disappointed by the guide’s abstract nature. Those who welcome spiritual and psychological elements along with self\u002Dhelp principles will find that Gottlieb’s heartfelt guidance leads them to rediscover their creative power and innate abilities."
This vibrant collection of poetry invites young readers on a lyrical journey through the wonders of the natural world, exploring themes of curiosity, discovery, and the magic found in everyday moment...
VICTORY '45
the spring of 1945 huddled in his Berlin bunker directing imaginary armies and planning his suicide. A few aides stuck by, but most were planning to save themselves. The most successful was SS General Karl Wolff, in Italy, who managed to impress OSS chief Allen Dulles\u003B fend off rival (and perhaps nastier) competitors, Heinrich Himmler and Ernst Kaltenbrunner\u003B persuade leading Wermacht generals to surrender with absolutely no conditions\u003B and protect himself against prosecution for his crimes. Wolff took enormous risks (visiting a deeply suspicious Hitler during his final weeks) but succeeded eventually in testifying for the prosecution at Nuremburg. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery handled the surrender of German forces in north Germany on his own with a nod to his superior, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, who preoccupied himself with the iconic May 7, 1945, official German government surrender. The authors precede that with accounts reminding readers of Nazi awfulness: a teenage Jewish boy’s years in concentration camps, a young American soldier’s experience encountering his first camp, and the chaos that engulfed Germany during and after the war. On the Pacific front, Japanese leaders, aware by 1943 that they were losing, worked to convince America that every Japanese man, woman, and child would fight to the death before surrendering. They assumed that the U.S., faced with this threat and lacking Japanese fortitude, would negotiate a compromise peace. By cruel irony, American leaders were indeed convinced of Japan’s resolve, but they did not negotiate\u003B they proceeded by unleashing an almost genocidal firebombing and two atomic bombs that, aided by the massive Soviet invasion, produced the desired surrender."
This gripping historical novel plunges readers into the final, chaotic months of World War II through the eyes of a determined teenage girl. As Allied forces push toward victory, she navigates a land...
WAGNIFICENT
a wolf at his side) is larger and fiercer than Thunder’s. The minuscule Byron encroaches on Thunder’s territory: He urinates indoors, sleeps in Thunder’s bed, and demands that Thunder give him her bone. Furious, Thunder barks and growls until the smaller dog scurries out through a hole in the fence. Though Thunder’s initially elated to have her home to herself, Sage is devastated to discover Byron gone, and the two set out to find the runaway. With a clearer understanding of their household roles (and a happy ending for everyone), the pets and people alike grow in awareness of the finer points of inter\u002Dcanine interactions. The conflict in this volume adds intrigue and momentum to the previously established episodic chapter structure. Murguia’s upbeat cartoon illustrations are occasionally interrupted by “Thunder’s Rules” interludes, which highlight what behaviors are more acceptable for dogs to exhibit with one another vs. with humans. Sage is light\u002Dskinned and purple\u002Dhaired\u003B other humans vary in skin tone."
This vibrant counting book transforms early math concepts into an engaging canine adventure, where young readers learn number recognition through playful pups and their antics. Each page introduces a...
Warriors #1: Into the Wild
Erin Hunter
Epic adventures. Fierce warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world. It all begins here. Read the book that began a phenomenon—and join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter’s Warriors series a #1 national bestseller. For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to th
Warriors #2: Fire and Ice
Erin Hunter
The second book in Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series Join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter’s Warriors series a bestselling phenomenon. More thrilling adventures, epic action, and fierce warrior cats await in Warriors #2: Fire and Ice. Deep in the heart of the forest
Warriors #3: Forest of Secrets
Erin Hunter
Allegiances are shifting among the Clans of warrior cats that roam the forest. With tensions so delicately balanced, former friends can become enemies overnight, and some cats are willing to kill to get what they want. Fireheart is determined to find out the truth about the mysterious death of brave
Warriors #4: Rising Storm
Erin Hunter
Fire alone can save our clan... Fireheart's traitorous enemy Tigerclaw has been vanquished and exiled from ThunderClan—but Fireheart can't shake the feeling that he's lurking out there in the forest, waiting for the chance to strike. That's not the only problem facing the young ThunderClan deputy in
Warriors Super Edition: Squirrelflight's Hope
Erin Hunter
An epic stand-alone adventure in Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series! Also includes an exclusive ten-page Warriors manga adventure. In this Super Edition, set just after the events of A Vision of Shadows, ThunderClan deputy Squirrelflight is caught between her conscience and her
Warriors: A Shadow in RiverClan (Full-Color Adventure)
Erin Hunter
The warrior cats leap off the page in their first-ever original full-color adventure—a stand-alone graphic novel set in the wild world of Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series. When RiverClan fell under the rule of the vicious Tigerstar, Feathertail barely escaped with her life. Now RiverClan
Warriors: Code of the Clans
Erin Hunter
The secrets behind the warrior code will finally be revealed. An ominous sign from StarClan that signaled the need to patrol borders The unexpected help from a warrior ancestor that cemented the importance of elders A secret coup that led to a deputy's new role A medicine cat's pleas that stopped a
Warriors: Omen of the Stars #1: The Fourth Apprentice
Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series continues in Warriors: Omen of the Stars! The first book in this fourth series, Warriors: Omen of the Stars #1: The Fourth Apprentice, brings more adventure, intrigue, and thrilling battles to the epic world of the warrior Clans. It has been fo
Warriors: The New Prophecy #5: Twilight
Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series continues with the fifth book in the New Prophecy series! The fifth book in this second series, Warriors: The New Prophecy #5: Twilight, brings more adventure, intrigue, and thrilling battles to the epic world of the warrior Clans. New territor
Warriors: Winds of Change (Full-Color Adventure)
Erin Hunter
The warrior cats leap off the page in this full-color graphic novel adventure—a stand-alone story set in the world of Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series. Forced out of the forest that had been their home for generations, the four warrior Clans are about to settle into their new homes aroun
WATCHING STARS
Genre
This astronomy guide for young readers brings the cosmos down to Earth with stunning celestial photography and accessible explanations of stellar phenomena. The book masterfully balances scientific a...
WATER MIRROR ECHO
Genre
This immersive fantasy novel plunges readers into a world where water serves as a portal to other realms, blending elements of magical realism with a gripping coming-of-age quest. The protagonist dis...
WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY
Genre
This charming picture book offers a gentle exploration of unconditional love through the daily adventures of a child and their beloved stuffed bunny. The simple, repetitive text creates a comforting ...
WE MET LIKE THIS
Genre
This emotionally resonant novel explores the complex terrain of teenage relationships through a series of interconnected stories about how people meet and connect. The narrative weaves together multi...
WE THE PEOPLE
Lepore’s lights, the Founders intended for the document to be changed in order to meet the needs of the day, trusting in the Enlightenment premise that “the human mind is driven by reason.” Article V, Lepore continues, is “a sleeping giant”: In it the Founders specified that change could come in one of two ways, the first being a congressional proposal, the second a convention of the states, with a “double supermajority” of votes for approval, two\u002Dthirds of Congress and three\u002Dquarters of the states. Although there have been flurries of amendments—including the first 10, yielding the Bill of Rights—it has been nearly 40 years since the last constitutional convention was held, even as, Lepore calculates, members of Congress proposed 2,100 amendments between 1980 and 2000. Part of the problem is congressional gridlock, a feature of government since the days of President Reagan\u003B another is what Lepore considers the false doctrine of originalism—which, she writes provocatively, “arose from the failure of conservatives to change the Constitution by democratic means.” Lepore presses her argument with numerous case studies, including the difficult passage of an amendment to allow direct election of senators (formerly appointed by governors), the argument over an income tax (and one that progressively taxed the rich more than the poor), the failed adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment, and a longtime favorite that has yet to come about: the abolition of the aristocratically inspired Electoral College."
This timely exploration of American civics and government offers young readers an accessible introduction to the foundations of democracy, from the Constitution's creation to modern civic engagement....
We're Amazing 1,2,3! A Story About Friendship and Autism (Sesame Street)
Leslie Kimmelman
A Sesame Street Big Golden Book about a new character with autism. We're Amazing 1,2,3! is the first Sesame Street storybook to focus on autism, which, according to the most recent US government survey, may, in some form, affect as many as one in forty-five children. It's part of Sesame Street's aut
Wedgie Power Guidebook (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants TV Series)
Kate Howard
The bestselling book series is now an animated TV series airing on NETFLIX! Join George, Harold, and the Amazing Captain Underpants as they embark on a series of hilarious, all-new adventures. Class clowns George Beard and Harold Hutchins love pulling pranks . . . and making comics. So what happens
Welcome Comfort
Patricia Polacco
Santa! He's not even real! It's not easy being Welcome Comfort-a foster child always moving from home to home and getting picked on by the kids at school. Even Christmas, the most wondrous time of the year, isn't so wondrous for Welcome, since he has no family, no presents, and no Santa Claus. But w
WELCOME TO THE FOREST
a hearty feast."
This vibrant nature guide invites young readers to explore the complex ecosystem of the forest, from the towering canopy down to the rich soil, introducing the diverse plants and animals that call it...
WES ANDERSON: ALL THE FILMS
the theater of Sam Shepard. Like all books of this type, this one has stills and behind\u002Dthe\u002Dscenes photos, along with synopses, critical reactions, and technical details, such as the various lenses Anderson has used, from the “rare short focal length: 27 mm” he used for the 1996 feature\u002Dlength Bottle Rocket to the “wide\u002Dformat anamorphic lenses and a strong color palette” he has employed on every film since Rushmore (1998). Narbonne tries too hard to intellectualize Anderson’s cinema, as when he writes, “Symmetry is the ideal backdrop for the characters’ psychorigidity” or notes Anderson’s use of “visual pleonasm.” Fans probably won’t mind, however, and will enjoy stories such as that in the Rushmore scene where the protagonist releases bees into a hotel room, “Anderson insisted that real insects be released into the room and that no one wear face protection.”"
This comprehensive guide offers a deep dive into the distinctive cinematic universe of Wes Anderson, meticulously reviewing every feature film from *Bottle Rocket* to his most recent works. Readers a...
WHAT FURY BRINGS
currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time\u002Dhonored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good\u002Dlooking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king’s eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he’s treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He’s dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can’t understand Sanos’ objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller’s first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women’s rage."
This gritty urban fantasy plunges readers into a world where supernatural forces collide with the raw struggles of modern adolescence, blending high-stakes action with deeply personal turmoil. The na...
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NAKED MOLE RAT?
Genre
This clever picture book tackles the mysterious disappearance of a beloved classroom pet, weaving scientific facts about naked mole rats with an engaging mystery that will captivate elementary school...
WHAT IS FREE SPEECH?
Genre
This timely examination of free speech rights provides young readers with a clear framework for understanding one of America's most fundamental constitutional protections. The book breaks down comple...
WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FIRE
and Kaki hide their Christian faith and move to a Muslim neighborhood, where Ruby falls in love with a man named Samuel and begins working for a wealthy widow named Tanya. Kaki begins to feel at home among these people, along with a new friend, Fatima. However, Kaki must grapple with the fact that this new iteration of her mother is a woman who primarily looks out for herself, and that financial security and friendships can shatter at any time. There are several chilling moments in the book—Javed does not shy away from tragedy and the darker sides of human nature—but the ending of this story is by far the most haunting. This collection is one to be admired, particularly for how it powerfully depicts Pakistani women (both in Pakistan and the U.S.) yearning for lives they have had ripped from them by patriarchy or prejudice. “We are catacombs of trauma,” Javed writes, “reservoirs of hurt.” Even so, these stories uplift the idea that we will all come upon an opportunity to be purified, whether in life or death."
This powerful novel explores the aftermath of a devastating house fire that leaves a teenage girl grappling with loss, trauma, and the painful process of rebuilding her life. The narrative delves int...
WHAT WE CAN KNOW
climate change, the subject of a course he teaches, “The Politics and Literature of the Inundation.” Nuclear war has irradiated the planet, while “markets and communities became cellular and self\u002Dreliant, as in early medieval times.” Nonetheless, the archipelago that is now Britain has managed to scrape up a little funding for the professor, who is on the trail of a poem, “A Corona for Vivien,” by the eminent poet Francis Blundy. Thanks to the resurrected internet, courtesy of Nigerian scientists, the professor has access to every bit of recorded human knowledge\u003B already overwhelmed by data, scholars “have robbed the past of its privacy.” But McEwan’s great theme is revealed in his book’s title: How do we know what we think we know? Well, says the professor of his quarry, “I know all that they knew—and more, for I know some of their secrets and their futures, and the dates of their deaths.” And yet, and yet: “Corona” has been missing ever since it was read aloud at a small party in 2014, and for reasons that the professor can only guess at, for, as he counsels, “if you want your secrets kept, whisper them into the ear of your dearest, most trusted friend.” And so it is that in Part 2, where Vivien takes over the story as it unfolds a century earlier, a great and utterly unexpected secret is revealed about how the poem came to be and to disappear, lost to history and memory and the coppers."
This philosophical exploration invites young readers to question the very foundations of knowledge, guiding them through the fascinating terrain of epistemology with accessible language and relatable...
What's in the Egg, Little Pip?
Karma Wilson
Little Pip the penguin comes to terms with the presence of an Egg, which will soon hatch into a little brother or sister.
WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS . . .
way of shared media and then move together to punish transgressors. The swiftest way to be misunderstood, he notes, is to use irony or indirect speech, much as they help disguise our intentions. Pinker writes fluently, though there’s plenty of arcana from neuroscience, linguistics, and other fields floating around here. While it’s not necessary to have read Noam Chomsky, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Kahneman, and other cognitive scientists to follow Pinker’s arguments, it helps."
This sophisticated exploration of social dynamics and shared knowledge dives deep into the psychological phenomenon of common knowledge, where not only does everyone know something, but everyone know...
WHEN PEOPLE WERE THINGS
many others in his decision to champion the freeing of enslaved people, and they will gain a greater understanding of his declaration, on January 1, 1863, when he signed the Proclamation and stated, “If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.”"
This powerful memoir explores the devastating legacy of human ownership through the author's deeply personal account of their family's history with slavery. The narrative traces the journey of ancest...
WHEN YOU COME AT THE KING
Nixon, to be succeeded by another counsel\u003B with support from the Supreme Court, which rejects Nixon’s assertion of executive privilege, the counsel turns up enough smoking\u002Dgun evidence that Nixon is forced to resign. Even so, because that Nixon\u002Dera special counsel enjoyed no protections, one staffer said, “We were fighting an enormously powerful president, and we were getting signals that something bad was going to happen,” leading her to squirrel away evidence in case the investigation was shut down and redacted into oblivion. Since that time, various laws to protect special counsels have been enacted, but just as many have been allowed to expire, with politicians—especially Republicans like Robert Bork—worried that they occupied “an office whose sole function is to attack the executive branch.” Later successful investigations included the Valerie Plame affair, in which a member or members of George W. Bush’s team disclosed that she was a deep\u002Dcover CIA agent. Honig examines numerous cases through six criteria, including the necessity of an investigation, its duration and scope, and its results. One Trump 1–era investigation, in that regard, took three years to dismiss Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, then was contradicted by the contemporaneous Mueller report. An unexpected villain of the piece is President Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, who, by Honig’s account, dawdled for two years before allowing Jack Smith to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, so that “Smith had only a handful of months to get from indictment to trial—a difficult task in any federal case, let alone in two sweeping, unprecedented indictments of a former president.”"
This gritty urban thriller plunges readers into a high-stakes world where a young protagonist must navigate treacherous alliances and brutal street politics after a local kingpin's power is threatene...
When You Trap a Tiger
Tae Keller
WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL • WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A PARADE BEST KIDS BOOK OF ALL TIME • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF THE CENTURY Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Kor
WHERE LIGHT DOES NOT REACH
Earth-shaking enigmas in Night’s SF novel." />
This young adult science fiction thriller plunges readers into a future metropolis where the sun has become a distant memory and society is stratified by access to artificial light. The protagonist, ...
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (YOUNG READERS EDITION)
Delia Owens
This young readers adaptation of the bestselling novel brings the atmospheric mystery of the North Carolina marshes to a new generation, following Kya Clark's journey from abandoned child to resilien...
WHILE ISRAEL SLEPT
dismissing the idea that the Hamas\u002Dled incursion of Oct. 7, 2023, was akin to 9/11. Instead, they liken it to the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor as a sequence of misread indicators that something bad was about to happen. So lax was the monitoring of the Gaza border, they note, that Hamas “didn’t use even a single tunnel,” even as Israeli Defense Forces intelligence assumed that Hamas wouldn’t dare cross the border openly. Another missed sign was the removal of protective fabric from rocket\u002Dlaunch pits within Gaza, a prelude to a rocket attack, although Hamas said that it was a drill. “Israel possessed all the intelligence to piece together Hamas’s plans, but the IDF never connected it into a comprehensive picture to understand what was happening right before their eyes,” the authors charge. One proximate cause of the failure, they hold, was the IDF’s complacency about the “iron wall” that divided Gaza and Israel, “believed to be impenetrable,” but the larger issue was that different agencies weren’t talking to each other and sharing intelligence that might have been stitched into a coherent whole. An interesting point, if untestable, is that the division in Israeli society wrought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to reduce the power of the nation’s judiciary revealed a weakness that lent itself to attack. Controversially, the authors insist that the IDF’s response to the attack took great pains to spare civilian lives and “refrain from preemptive action that could lead to a wider war.” They close with a set of policy recommendations, including taking care not to alienate the U.S., as happened during the Biden presidency, and enlisting Mossad, which operates internationally, to aid with internal intelligence."
This gripping historical account chronicles the tense days leading up to the Yom Kippur War, when Israel faced an unprecedented surprise attack from neighboring nations. The narrative masterfully bui...
WHISPERS IN THE GLEN
spreads through town. As Nell hurries to help the lone survivor, he hands her a photo of a woman before he\u0027s taken away. It’s not long before Nell discovers the woman in the picture, Mathilde, has arrived in Glen Clova to mourn the passing of her sweetheart, one of the crew members who died in the crash. As Nell begins to learn Mathilde’s story, the book flashes periodically back to the years between 1908 and 1917, showing how events during the first World War, including Nell’s work as an ambulance driver and Effie’s secret teen pregnancy, led inevitably to the complex family dynamics through which they are both trying to muddle in the 1940s. Gradually, the sisters discover many secrets and coincidences that help them understand who they are and what sort of lives they want to lead. Told in close third person throughout, the book alternates perspectives between Nell and Effie, also shifting briefly to their mother, Manon, and Mathilde. Full of interesting details about female ambulance drivers at Royaumont Abbey and life in rural Scotland during both world wars, the book offers an unhurried examination of the way secrets can burden their carriers over time. While this emotionally evocative novel would have benefitted from additional setting details to bring the village of Glen Clova more to life, the characters are drawn with depth and nuance. Similarly, although there are too many coincidences to feel entirely credible, the outcome is both satisfying and uplifting."
This atmospheric middle-grade mystery follows a young protagonist's summer in the Scottish Highlands, where ancient legends and family secrets intertwine with the misty landscape. The narrative maste...