Your Librarians have been busy ordering new books this year, just like any other. Since we have been closed, our shelves are bursting with books that would typically be checked out! In honor of Read a New Book Month, here is a taste of some of our new arrivals!
Picture Books
A Journey Toward Hope by Victor Hinojosa & Coert Voorhees
Four unaccompanied migrant children come together along the arduous journey north through Mexico to the United States border in this ode to the power of hope and connection even in the face of uncertainty and fear.
Supertato by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet
Supertato must rely on his superhero powers to save the supermarket from one pea’s mischief in the vegetable section.
The Unicorn Came to Dinner by Lauren DeStefano
The unicorn smells nice, but she is very rude. She never waits for an invitation to come over, she walks right in and tracks heart-shaped hoof-prints across the carpet. She sits in Elizabeth’s chair and makes a complete mess of the house. She even sleeps in Elizabeth’s bed. When the unicorn comes to dinner, is there even room for Elizabeth?
If Winter Comes, Tell It I’m Not Here by Simona Ciraolo
Nothing is better than summer, with its joys of swimming every day and eating ice cream. One little boy’s older sister tells him he’d better make the most of it, because summer is going to end soon. When winter comes, she assures him, it will be cold and dark, and the icy rain will turn to snow. They’ll be stuck on the sofa for days and won’t even dream of eating ice cream.
Keith Among the Pigeons by Katie Brosnan
Keith is a cat, but he’d rather be a pigeon. He loves to watch them and learn their ways, but they won’t let him get too close. Will Keith ever make friends with the pigeons and learn how it feels to be one? Will he ever find out who he really is and feel comfortable just being Keith?
Pizza by Frank Asch
After trying pizza for the very first time, everything Baby Bear sees reminds him of the tasty treat and he decides never to eat anything else.
The Purple Puffy Coat by Maribeth Boelts
Receiving a giant puffy purple coat from his fashionable friend, Beetle, as a birthday gift, Stick Bug unhappily accompanies Beetle all over town before finding the courage to admit that he does not really care for the flashy coat or the attention it brings.
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
Chloe is jealous and sad when her favorite uncle announces that he will be getting married, but as she gets to know Jamie better and becomes involved in planning the wedding, she discovers that she will always be special to Uncle Bobby–and to Uncle Jamie, too.
Sometimes a Wall by Dianne White
A day at the playground starts out with a chalk wall to draw on, a water wall to splash in, a climbing wall to clamber up, and a wall of kids playing an all-in-good-fun game. But it isn’t long before one child is excluded, as another child leads the rest in building a castle wall that comes between them and the child they are leaving out. When the bully bellows “MINE,” declaring the castle they have built together as his alone, he alienates all the other children. A change of heart, a heartfelt handshake, a sincere offer of friendship, forgiveness, and some paint, imagination, and creative togetherness, and the castle walls take on a whole new look and meaning. Friendship reigns!
Second Banana by Blair Thornburgh
When a girl who feels rotten about playing Second Banana in the annual food and nutrition pageant learns that the girl playing First Banana has stage fright, she suggests a solution to both problems.
A Search For the Northern Lights by Elizabeth Rusch and Izzi Rusch
A mother and daughter go on adventures as they search for a glimpse of the northern lights.
On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex
Improbable, ridiculous remedies accumulate when there is gum stuck in your hair.
Goodnight Mermaid by K.J. Oceanak
As the full moon rises, we meet the lively, lovely mermaids and a breathtaking array of oceangoing friends, from turtles and seals to whales, octopi, polar bears, and many more. And here come the mermaids’ cousins-the adorable selkies and the fairy-like nymphs! Meanwhile, Her Majesty the Merqueen keeps watch over them all.
Mad About Plaid by Jill McElmurry
Madison Pratt is delighted to find a lonely plaid purse in the park one afternoon. It’s just the fashion statement she’s been looking for. Until–oh no! The plaid begins to spread. It crawls up Madison’s sleeve, over her jacket, and under her hat. The purse’s mad curse causes Madison–and her whole neighborhood–to turn plaid! Will Madison’s spunk and optimism help to reverse the curse before it’s too late?
Warm Clothes For Bear by Sam Loman
Bear is all dressed up to play outside in the snow. His friends are there too. But they aren’t quite as prepared. Bear shares his warm clothes with his friends. But what about Bear?
Chapter Books
American As Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar
When a racist incident rocks her small Michigan town, eleven-year-old Lekha must decide whether to speak up or stay silent, even as she struggles to navigate her life at home, where she can be herself, and at school, where she is teased about her culture.
The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean
A fifth-grader whose best friends walked away, whose mother is detached, and whose father does unspeakable things, copes with the help of friend Sofie and anonymous letters tied to balloons and released.
The Turnover by Mike Lupica
When a young basketball star decides to research his grandfather–and coach–for a school project, he uncovers a decades-old scandal that changes everything he thought he knew about his grandfather.
Jonesy Flux and the Gray Legion by James Pray
Enter Canary Station, in the Noraza system, where many died and only a few were left alive. Jonesy is one of a pack of children still living there after the station was brutally destroyed by a mysterious ship and an invasive computer virus. Separated from their families during the evacuation, these intrepid kids have bonded and survived, making the most of what remains, repairing what they can, and planning for a rescue.
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
In Silver Springs, Arizona, her mother’s stories of the monstrous La Llorona are thrilling but unbelievable to science-loving Paola until she and her best friends Dante and Emma take a walk through a cactus field near the Gila River.
Crossing the Farak River by Michelle Aung Thin
Fourteen-year-old Hasina is forced to flee everything she knows in this gripping account of the refugee crisis in Myanmar. For Hasina and her younger brother Araf, the constant threat of Sit Tat, the Myanmar Army, is a way of life in Rakhine province–just uttering the name is enough to send chills down their spines. As Rohingyas, they know that when they hear the wop wop wop of their helicopters there is one thing to do–run, and don’t stop.
The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell
Xar and Wish are on the final leg of their journey — first stop: The Mine of Happiness. Here, starvation is never far away for the Magical creatures who toil in its horrible depths. Xar and Wish must escape and fast; Xar needs to take control of his ever-growing Witchstain, and Wish must achieve her Destiny. But the Tazzelwurm is in their way, a grotesque monster who threatens to block every entrance. Time is not on their side, but the forests are calling them. Will their combined strength be enough for the biggest quest so far: to defeat the Kingwitch once and for all?
Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan
Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa, who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home, and her mother talks of leaving. From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world’s highest mountains and face hunger, exhaustion, even snow leopards. And yet, Asha has the unshakeable sense that the spirit bird of her grandmother–her nanijee–will be watching over her.
The King of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters
Thirteen-year-old Robbie never knows from one day to the next if there is going to be enough to eat or if his father will even come home.
When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten
Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there’s nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah–even though lately she’s not acting like a best friend. The only thing out of the ordinary for Clara is that something happened to her memory that made her forget everything that happened last summer after a hurricane hit. But this summer is going to be different for Clara. Everyone is buzzing with excitement over a new girl in the village who is not like other visitors. She is about to make big waves on the island–and give Clara a summer she won’t forget.
Zero’s Journey by D.J. Milky
Jack Skellington is the undisputed Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and creative genius behind the most spooktacular scares. Beside him through every great new creepy concept is his ever-faithful ghost pup, Zero. Finding himself lost in a curious land of baked goods, hand-wrapped presents, decorated trees, and joyful caroling, Zero must traverse the unfamiliar world of Christmas Town to find his way home!
Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu
Having just moved to Seattle from Taiwan, twelve-year-old Cici enters a cooking competition to win the chance to see her grandmother again, but she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food.
School For Extraterrestrial Girls: Girl on Fire by Jeremy Whitley and Jamie Noguchi
Tara Smith’s parents are super strict with all their rules and routines, and Tara is a dutiful daughter. Rule #1: No friends her own age. Rule #2: keep her bracelet on, or else. But when she breaks her routine–and then loses her bracelet–she’s in trouble. Now outed as an extraterrestrial after wielding fire and losing her humanoid form, Tara is captured by the government. She’s given two options: get shipped far away where she won’t be a danger to anyone or stay on Earth and join a school for other extraterrestrial girls like her.
Tales of the Feathered Serpent: Rise of the Halfling King by David Bowles
A magical boy from Mayan mythology faces impossible tasks and a ruthless king to save the people of Mexico.
Nonfiction Books
Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee
Every Falling Star, the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is the intense memoir of a North Korean boy named Sungju who is forced at age twelve to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly re-creates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his ‘brothers’; to be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution.
The Missing: The True Story of My Family In World War II by Michael Rosen
By turns charming, shocking and heart-breaking, this is the true story of Rosen’s search for his relatives who “went missing” during the Second World War, told through prose, poetry, maps and pictures. The six great-aunts and great-uncles had been living in Poland or France at the beginning of that war. They were there before the war, his dad would say, and weren’t after. Over many years, Rosen tried to find out exactly what happened: he interviewed family members, scoured the internet, pored over books and traveled to America and France. The story he uncovered was one of terrible persecution– and it has inspired his poetry for years since.
A Hopeful Heart: Louisa May Alcott Before Little Women by Deborah Noyes
A middle-grade biography about literary icon Louisa May Alcott.
Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest For Fair Prices by Lindsay H. Metcalf
In the late 1970s, grain prices had tanked, farm auction notices filled newspapers, and people had forgotten that food didn’t grow in grocery stores. So, on February 5, 1979, thousands of tractors from all parts of the US flooded Washington, DC, in protest.
The Book of Mythical Beasts & Magical Creatures by Stephen Krensky
Enter the enchanting world of mythical creatures and explore the history behind them in this beautifully illustrated compendium for kids aged 7 to 9. You’ll meet an incredible cast of mind-boggling fictional animals from all around the world. Say hello to Bigfoot in the forests of North America and learn about the Native American traditions that inspired its story. Voyage to Japan to meet kitsune, supernatural nine-tailed foxes that can turn into humans. And jump onboard an ancient storm-battered ship to learn why mermaids were the last thing a sailor wanted to see…
Climate Emergency Atlas: What’s Happening — What We Can Do by Dan Hooke
This unique graphic atlas tells you everything you need to know about climate change and what we can do to turn things around. Which countries generate the highest CO2 emissions? Which coastal cities are most vulnerable to rising sea levels? What will the polar ice caps look like in 10 years’ time? Which countries have successfully harnessed renewable energy sources? Packed with facts and figures and more than 30 dynamic maps, Climate Emergency Atlas is clear and easy to understand, making it the perfect reference guide for all young climate activists.
Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Sarah Prager
Rainbow Revolutionaries brings to life the vibrant histories of fifty pioneering LGBTQ+ people from around the world. Through Sarah Prager’s (Queer, There, and Everywhere) short, engaging bios, and Sarah Papworth’s bold, dynamic art, readers can delve into the lives of Wen of Han, a Chinese emperor who loved his boyfriend as much as his people, Martine Rothblatt, a trans woman who’s helping engineer the robots of tomorrow, and so many more.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party: A Pioneer Tale by Nathan Hale
The Donner Party expedition is one of the most notorious stories in all of American history. It’s also a fascinating snapshot of the westward expansion of the United States, and the families and individuals who sacrificed so much to build new lives in a largely unknown landscape. From the preparation for the journey to each disastrous leg of the trip, this book shows the specific bad decisions that led to the party’s predicament in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.