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Very Dangerous Things

Lauren Muñoz

A murder mystery game turns deadly in this young adult whodunit by the author of Suddenly a Murder. 

"Dark academia meets classic detective fiction in this clever, twisty page-turner." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

Everyone in town knows about the game. For decades, J. Everett High has staged an annual murder mystery to put its criminology students to the test. And this year, crime junkie Dulce Castillo is dead set on winning. Soon, the game kicks off, and the student playing the victim, Xavier Torres, is found poisoned in the school’s greenhouse . . . except his death is not pretend.

It’s murder.

When the authorities open an investigation, all the evidence points to Sierra Fox, Xavier’s ex-girlfriend and Dulce’s ex-best friend. Claiming innocence and desperate to clear her name, Sierra begs Dulce to look past their bad blood and find the culprit.

After all, Dulce knows this school better than any investigator ever could, but she must use caution to solve this mystery. Because these historic halls are full of suspects with no shortage of motives. And in this game of cat and mouse, the other player kills.

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The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday

Kelsey B. Toney

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Delia Bridges is striving to become the compassionate doctor she's been unable to find in her journey to diagnose her excruciating period pain--but when a single rule-breaking incident jeopardizes her future, she must find a way to reclaim her dreams in this funny, period-positive novel.

High school senior Delia Bridges has the most amazing mom and sister, a killer GPA--and periods that are so painful they make her scream, pass out, and throw up. Though she doesn't know it yet, Delia has endometriosis, an affliction plaguing millions of people that is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Pain makes everything harder, but Delia is just one semester away from graduating from Stockwood Prep and pursuing her dream of becoming the kind of doctor she's never had: one who takes her symptoms seriously. But when she breaks a rule for the first time ever and is caught using marijuana at school to manage her pain, Delia is expelled.

Her expulsion jeopardizes her college acceptance, her planned mentorship, and everything she had carefully planned for years. Without her academic success and no closer to a diagnosis, is Delia anything more than her period?

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And They Were Roommates

Page Powars

*An Instant New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie Bestseller*

“A vibrant story that’s perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston”—People

"[A]n achingly cute romance that’s hard to put down." —Rolling Stone

You can't resist this hilarious, unputdownable second-chance-romance about the most unlikely, gay roommate mishap.

Romance is the last thing on Charlie’s mind.

On his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie’s carefully crafted plan to hide his identity as the school’s only trans student is set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been assigned the worst roommate in the world (possibly the universe): Jasper Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie’s heart the year before he transitioned.

Except, Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie.

Who knows how long until Jasper realizes the truth? Charlie has one shot at freedom and a dorm room all to himself, but only if he helps Jasper write love letters on behalf of their fellow students first. No problem. Charlie can help Jasper with some silly letters.

Long nights spent discussing deep romantic feelings with Jasper? Surely, no unintended consequences will arise...

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Immortal Consequences: A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick

I. V. Marie

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick!

SIX RIVALS. ONE VICTOR. ETERNITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

“A twisty and thrilling dark academia fantasy that will have you enthralled from the very first page.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

Six students compete to change their fate at a darkly enchanted boarding school in purgatory where graduation is the only escape—and love can cross the boundaries between life and death.

This stunning hardcover edition will feature gorgeous, flower-patterned sprayed edges, colored endpapers, and an exclusive foil-stamped case!

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located on the fringes of the afterlife. Once a pupil enters the academy’s arched gates, there is no way out…except the Decennial, a cut-throat magical competition with only one victor.

This year, six of the Academy’s top students have been chosen to face the Decennial’s tests. Two academic archrivals, whose strange connection blurs the lines between obsession and hate. One girl driven solely by ambition, and another plagued by memories of the love she lost. And a charming playboy who never cared for anyone—until he met the academy’s newest student. But what none of them know? They aren’t the only ones playing Blackwood’s game.

Who will win, and who will fall? Only one thing is for certain: in this game, some fates are worse than death.

Book One of the Souls of Blackwood Academy Series

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A Language of Dragons

S. F. Williamson

In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel.

* New York Times Bestseller * #1 International Bestseller * As Seen in Cosmo * Audible Most Anticipated Audiobooks of 2025 *

Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn't worried. She's going to follow the rules, get a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to free one dragon.

By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker--if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn't, they'll all die.

As Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels it.

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Thorn Season

Kiera Azar

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

Shadow and Bone meets The Selection in this first book in Kiera Azar's sharp, sexy, and twisty debut YA romantasy trilogy!

"Dark, sexy, and completely addictive, romantasy lovers will devour Azar's Thorn Season. With epic betrayals, shocking twists, and delicious tension, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. An absolute thrill of a novel."--Rachel Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches

In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre-a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.

Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she's escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father.

Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal--and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth--and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.

With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner--and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation--Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It's Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she'll need to become the most vicious of thorns. . . .

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Falling Like Leaves

Misty Wilson

Gilmore Girls meets Jenny Han in this “delightfully autumnal small-town romance” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about a city girl stuck in a quaint small town who must confront her future and her old flame while the town prepares for an annual fall festival.

Ellis has a plan: spend her senior fall prepping her application for Columbia, get into their journalism program, and set the foundation for a respectable career. So when her parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, to live with her aunt and cousin, it couldn’t come at a worse time.

From past summers spent in Connecticut, Ellis knows Bramble Falls is idyllic and charming. But it also seems to be full of distractions. There’s local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis’s one-time best friend and first kiss who now wants nothing to do with Ellis. And then there’s the Falling Leaves Festival, a local autumnal celebration run by Ellis’s aunt where people from all over come to see Bramble Falls’s beautiful foliage. The house is stuffed with decorations, and every conversation seems to center around the festival.

Dragged to every oh-so-charming event from apple picking to pumpkin carving, Ellis can’t stop bumping into Cooper…or falling for the quaint town and its quirky residents. As her return to Manhattan gets repeatedly delayed, Ellis finds herself caught between two very different places—and the futures they represent.

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Scarlet Morning, Book 1: Scarlet Morning

N. D. Stevenson



 

From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel, the start of a duology, following two orphans who leave the only home they've ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates.

Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren't coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.

Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend--and the key to saving all of Dickerson's Sea from obliteration--before the truth tears them apart.

Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we'd go to save a world broken beyond repair.

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Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes

Tanita S. Davis

With her mom's new boyfriend, her best friend's new crush, and her dad's interest in her gym teacher, Berry vows to never catch a crush--and to show everyone how much better things would be without theirs--in this stand-alone contemporary middle grade from Tanita S. Davis, author of The Science of Friendship and Partly Cloudy.

Every year, Berry's mom, Ivy, visits for a three-week "August Invasion." And every summer Berry hopes will be the one when Ivy will stay--forever.

Which is why Ivy's surprise return visit is amazing--until Berry realizes her mom didn't come for her. Ivy's back to pack the last of her things, and she's brought her new "friend," Mr. Cole to help. When Berry discovers that Mr. Cole is taking a job in England, she's convinced that Ivy wants to move all the way across the ocean with him, to where an August Invasion can't reach. Even at school, messy feelings are ruining everything. Berry's best friend, Lia, rearranges her schedule to have classes with her crush, leaving Berry alone all day. Even Berry's normally boring dad is making excuses to talk to her gym teacher.

All these crushes are crushing the life out of Berry. Weren't things better before these extra people came along? Why do things have to change?

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Schooled

Jamie Sumner

A “insightful and absorbing” (Shelf Awareness, starred review) novel from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner about new schools, unexpected friendships, and overcoming loss.

Eleven-year-old Lenny Syms is about to start college—sort of. As part of a brand-new experimental school, Lenny and four other students are starting sixth grade on a university campus, where they’ll be taught by the most brilliant professors and given every resource imaginable. This new school is pretty weird, though. Instead of hunkering down behind a desk to study math, science, and history, Lenny finds himself meditating, participating in discussions where you don’t even have to raise your hand, and spying on the campus population in the name of anthropology.

But Lenny just lost his mom, and his Latin professor dad is better with dead languages than actual human beings. Lenny doesn’t want to be part of some learning experiment. He just wants to be left alone. Yet if Lenny is going to make it as a middle schooler on a college campus, he’s going to need help. Is a group of misfit sixth graders and one particularly quirky professor enough to pull him out of his sadness and back into the world?

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The School for Thieves

Peter Burns

For the first printing only! This hardcover features vibrant sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.

A New York Times bestseller

A young pickpocket gets recruited into an elite group of thieves in this “page-turning, edge-of-the-seat” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) upper middle grade boarding school adventure full of heists, danger, and secret plots perfect for fans of Spy School and Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Tom Morgan’s life on the streets of London consists of shining shoes, picking pockets, and keeping his group of street kids out of the hands of snatchers. When he fails at the last and their home is raided, Tom is the only one not carted off to the workhouse. He’s determined to rescue his friends, but breaking into the workhouse is a nearly impossible task, let alone breaking back out.

Tom is at a loss until he’s approached by a mysterious figure claiming to be an accomplished thief and Tom’s ticket to the best training in the clandestine arts in the world: an elite international boarding school that would teach him all the skills necessary to help his friends. Without any better ideas—and his curiosity piqued—Tom accepts the invitation.

Whisked away to the snowy Alps, Tom enters a thrilling world of intrigue and heists. But the deeper he gets into the Shadow League, the harder it becomes to leave. Tom has to learn fast and uncover the nefarious secrets within the league to have any chance of saving himself, his friends—and maybe even the world.

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Tinker Bell: An Enchanters Tale

Jen Calonita

Fable meets The Magicians in New York Times bestselling author Jen Calonita’s second Enchanters novel with the untold story of fan favorite fairy, Tinker Bell.

Before the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell ran with a different crowd—an anxious pirate, an apathetic mermaid, an enthusiastic shapeshifter, and the adventurous Tiger Lily. The one thing they all have in common? They’ve noticed strange and disturbing occurrences around the island. Wildlife is disappearing. The weather is volatile. Pockets of land are scorched. Could Never Land be dying?

Tink ventures off to London in search of answers. While stranded there by the rain, she spends time with the most curious humans—James, a young inventor whose passion rivals her own; and Peter, a charismatic storyteller. And she grows attached to the orphans James and Peter look after at the boys’ hospital. 

Wondering if they can help each other, Tink takes the boys back to Never Land—where a perfect storm awaits. Power-hungry pirates, betrayal, heartbreak, and an unforgiving ticking clock. Soon Tink must forge a new path and imagine a new future for Never Land . . . or lose everything she’s grown to love.

Filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance, Tinker Bell explores what happened before once upon a time….

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How Far I'll Go

Keala Kendall

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • What if Moana broke the heart of Te Fiti?

After a devastating battle with Te Kā, Moana’s worst fears are realized: the heart of Te Fiti is in ruins, Maui is frozen in volcanic rock, and darkness threatens to envelop her beloved home. Desperate to fix things, Moana stumbles upon an island already crumbling under the blight. All life is gone, save one sole survivor—a young woman named Noe.

Moana is relieved to find another wayfarer, even if this stranger is more than a little intimidating. Better still, Noe has an idea how to fix the heart: using the tears of Te Fiti, gems infused with the goddess’s essence. The catch? The tears are said to be scattered throughout the realm of monsters. 

Banded together, Moana and Noe set a course for an impossible mission to find the powerful lost tears. Will Moana be able to restore the heart amid secrets and monsters? Or will the blight overtake everything Moana holds dear?

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Welcome to the Ghost Show

J. W. Ocker



 

The Ghost Show is coming . . . are you ready Three friends must face their deepest fears in this spine-tingling horror novel by USA Today bestselling author J.W. Ocker that's perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Mary Downing Hahn.

When mysterious ads for the Ghost Show appear around town, nobody can tell what it is. A band A movie A game But that magic word--ghost--excites Hazel Gold, or Zel to her friends. As founder of her school's Creepy Club (three members strong!), she's always looking for paranormal activity.

Turns out the Ghost Show is a black, five-story skull that appears on the edge of town as a supernatural attraction. Stepping inside, the Creepy Club is greeted by the eccentric Amadeus Everest Mancer, a self-proclaimed ghost catcher who guides them through an aquarium full of vaporous floaty things--sheets that cover gobs of dripping red goo.

Then Mancer offers Zel what she's always wanted: the chance to see a real ghost. But it turns out to be more than she bargained for. To stop him, the Creepy Club must fight a massive ghost infestation and free the trapped souls within, culminating in chilling battle that blurs the line between reality and the supernatural.

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Hurricane Heist

James Ponti

A New York Times bestseller!

When a hurricane uncovers new information in a cold case, the Sherlock Society investigates a decades-old heist in this second book in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti!

When a category three hurricane hits Miami Beach, it uncovers a body buried at the renowned Moroccan Hotel. The body is identified as the man who served as the hotel’s bell captain sixty years ago…and the presumed culprit of the million-dollar jewel heist that took place just before his disappearance.

Since the bell captain clearly didn’t take off with the goods as had been long believed, the Sherlock Society sets their sights on uncovering the real culprit of the theft. But when the thief may also be implicated in the bell captain’s murder, even sixty years later, there are people who want the truth to stay buried.

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The Poisoned King

Katherine Rundell

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Return to the magic of the Archipelago in the dazzling sequel to the runaway, smash hit Impossible Creatures, hailed as “an instant classic” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan)!

*This spectacular book features foil and embossing on the jacket, full-color designed endpapers, and brilliant stained edges*

Christopher Forrester woke to find a dragon chewing on his face—and his heart leapt for joy! He’d been dreaming of going back to the Archipelago, the secret cluster of islands where all the creatures of myth still live, and here was his summons.

But there is a poison spreading in the Archipelago. Rooting it out will involve a daring rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, a stealthy entrance to a dragon’s lair, and a death-defying plan to save a prisoner held in the heart of a castle. At the center of this storm is Anya: a small girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket, and a ravenous hunger for justice.

Katherine Rundell’s second thrilling installment in the Impossible Creatures series involves castles, dragons, and revenge—the things of which great stories are made. The splendors within are brought to life with fifty illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

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Never Silent

Setsuko Thurlow

To be published on what will be the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, survivor Setsuko Thurlow shares her memories of that horrific event and her resulting lifelong commitment to activism to ban nuclear arms.

When Setsuko Thurlow was thirteen, she witnessed one of history's most horrific events. She experienced--and survived--the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to educate people about the catastrophe and to ensure that it never happens again. As a leading member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), she gave the acceptance speech when the organization won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Never Silent recounts Setsuko's earliest memories of her happy life in Hiroshima, followed by the devastating firsthand impact she witnesses after the dropping of the atomic bomb, and finally traces the steps she takes to rebuild a life in the aftermath of her experiences. With informational text scattered throughout the book to give historical context for the places and events, readers are given a full and profoundly affecting picture of what it was like after the bomb dropped, the struggle to return to normalcy, and the plea for activism to ban nuclear weapons.

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Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Jordana Pomeroy

The dramatic life story of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, one of the greatest portrait painters of all time.

Supremely talented and strategically charming, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) overcame tragedy and broke gender barriers to reach the height of success as a portrait painter, first in Paris, and then across Europe. After losing her father at age twelve and facing financial insecurity, she fought to gain access to artistic training and opportunity. She was coerced into marriage at age twenty, to an art dealer who both helped and harmed her career. Vigée Le Brun deployed her intelligence and beauty to attract powerful clients, who relied on her to style the personal identities they projected to the world.

Vigée Le Brun's salons were the talk of Paris, and she became court painter to Marie Antoinette. Then came the French Revolution, when marginalized groups demanded change to centuries-old systems of oppression. Vigée Le Brun was forced to reexamine her alliances and run for her life, taking her young daughter but leaving her husband behind. Making her way through the countrysides and capitals of Europe and Russia--including a stay at the imperial court of Catherine the Great--the artist conquered fear and adversity to refashion her life and her art.

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1929 Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--And How It Shattered a Nation Andrew Ross Sorkin

Andrew Ross Sorkin

Named a Most Anticipated Book by New York Times Books Review, TIME, Washington Post, Associated Press, Town & Country, New York Post, and more

From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, “the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis,”* comes a spellbinding narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history. With the depth of a classic history and the drama of a thriller, 1929 unravels the greed, blind optimism, and human folly that led to an era-defining collapse—one with ripple effects that still shape our society today.

In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.

With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again.

This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that “this time is different.” It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming—only to be dismissed until it was too late.

Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time—with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.

*The Atlantic Monthly

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Remain Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks

A one-of-a-kind novel that grapples with the supernatural mysteries of life, death, and human connection—an unprecedented collaboration between the globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thrillers like The Sixth Sense

The stunning hardcover of Remain features a premium dust jacket, beautiful endpapers, and a deluxe case stamped with replica images of the authors’ signatures! These stamped “signatures” are reproduced in gold foil.

When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.

Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren’s idyllic small-town life, hatred, jealousy, and greed are festering, threatening their fragile relationship just as it begins to blossom. Tate realizes that in order to free Wren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out . . . a quest that will make him doubt whether we can ever believe the stories we tell about ourselves, and the laws that govern our existence. Love—while transformative—can sometimes be frightening.

A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?

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Otherwise Engaged

Susan Mallery

A twisty, tender and wise look at how secrets can transform the powerful--and sometimes problematic--bond between mothers and daughters, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.



When Shannon gets engaged, her beloved mom, Cindy, is the first person she wants to tell--and the last. Cindy's engaged, too, and has already hinted at a double wedding. The image of a synchronized bouquet toss with her mom fills Shannon with horror. She'll keep her engagement a secret until Cindy's I-dos are done.



Victoria has never been proper enough for her mother, Ava, so she stopped trying. She lives on her own terms and amuses herself by pushing Ava's buttons. Ava loves but doesn't understand her stuntwoman daughter. When a movie-set mishap brings Victoria home, Ava longs to finally connect.



Chance brings the four women together at a wedding venue, where a shocking secret comes tumbling out. Twenty-four years ago, desperate teenager Cindy chose wealthy Ava to adopt her baby--then changed her mind at the very last second. The loss rocked Ava's world, leaving her unable to open her heart to the daughter she did adopt, Victoria. As Shannon and Victoria deal with the fallout from the decisions their mothers made, they wrestle with whether who they are is different than who they might have become.

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Exit Strategy Lee Child

Lee Child

Jack Reacher will make three stops today. Not all of them were planned for. The page-turning new Jack Reacher thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Don’t miss the hit streaming series Reacher!

First—a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing around. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can’t deal with swiftly. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks the pocket holding his cash and passport. There’s no problem. Nothing is missing.

Second—a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climates. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help.

Third—wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy’s technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more . .

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Dead and Alive essays

Zadie Smith

A profound and unparalleled literary voice, Zadie Smith returns with a resounding collection of essays

In this eagerly awaited new collection, Zadie Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years.

She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about Tár, and to New York to reflect on the spontaneous moments that connect us. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North-West London and welcomes us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic – and the meaning of "the commons" in all our lives.

Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.

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The Black Wolf

Louise Penny

The 20th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.

But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.

Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning...

In a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.

From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.

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Megalodons, Mermaids, and Climate Change

Ellen Prager

"From mythical marine creatures to wacky weather questions, marine scientist Ellen Prager and meteorologist Dave Jones have spent years responding to oft-repeated misinformation and misunderstandings about the ocean and atmosphere. Their colleagues get many of the same questions, time after time. (Should you pee on a jellyfish sting? Do Megalodons still exist? What about mermaids? Can a person be swallowed by a whale? Why is my local forecast for rain wrong all the time?) In this book, the authors use humor, storytelling, and their personal experiences to showcase science misunderstandings related to topics in their fields of expertise: the ocean, marine life, weather, and climate change. In each topical chapter, the authors will present and answer frequently asked and often wacky questions and include additional and relevant information about the subject matter. For example, is the Bermuda Triangle supernatural? Does climate change cause hurricanes? The chapters increase in complexity over the course of the book, from simple yes/no questions (Are mermaids real?) to the very complex topic of climate change. Concluding chapters explore where ocean and climate misinformation originates and how to find trusted sources of information and data in these areas"-- Provided by publisher.

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A Most Perilous World

Kristina R. Gaddy

The stories of the four teenage children of prominent abolitionists before and during the Civil War combine to form a surprisingly familiar tapestry of struggle, disappointment, and ultimately hope.

"Impeccable research and incredible details bring the stories of these four young people to life as they come of age in the years leading up to and during the Civil War."—Kip Wilson, award-winning author of White Rose

Flowers in the Gutter author Kristina R. Gaddy tells the story of America’s tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War and of the war itself from the viewpoints of four children of famous abolitionists, including those of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Gaddy crafts a surprisingly contemporary coming-of-age narrative, supported by meticulous research and featuring dozens of primary documents. Each of these four young people—two white, two Black—was strongly committed to the anti-slavery cause but felt just as keenly a need to make their own names, away from the often over-protective or disapproving shadows of the famous adults in their lives. This is a true story of how a torch of resistance is passed and how a new generation makes its mark.

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Shift Happens

J. Albert Mann



 

For readers of Stamped and An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People, Albert J. Mann's Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States is an accessible and comprehensive YA history of the way the labor movement has shaped America and how it intersects with many of the major issues facing modern teens.

"Mann explores the often oppressive, abusive, and bloody history of labor conditions and the merciless rise of capitalism with wit, snark, and comprehensive context.... Riveting, enlightening, infuriating, and timely: compulsory reading." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Its edgy title may attract attention, but it's the compelling narrative and enlightening content that will keep readers engaged from cover to cover." --SLJ (starred review)

"In other hands, the snarky, conversational tone might feel like an adult's overreach, but Mann's simmering anger and clear passion for the working class will inspire readers just as much as the union leaders and organization efforts she covers." --BCCB (starred review)

"Mann's introduction to the history of labor is full of sharp, galvanizing points that will keep readers engaged and help them look critically at some of our entrenched systems." --ALA Booklist

"The narrative's laser focus on organizing heroes and essential employees, and the power of unions and striking workers to enact change, results in powerful storytelling." --Publishers Weekly

You need to work to live.

That's the truth for most people, and plenty of people in power have been abusing that truth for centuries.

Long before the first labor unions were formed, workers still knew what exploitation looked like. It looked like the enslavement of Black people. It looked like generations of children dying in dangerous jobs. It looked like wealthy people hiring private militaries to attack their employees.

But workers have always found a way to fight back. Lokono tribespeople resisted Columbus and his colonizers. Enslaved people led walkouts and rebellions. Textile workers demanded a wage that would let them have fun, not just survive. Miners died for the right to unionize. From 30,000 young seamstresses striking in the early 1900s to Uber drivers organizing for change today, people have learned we're stronger when we are united.

Shift Happens is a smart, funny, and engaging look at the history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor, and so much more.

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Fault Lines in the Constitution (Third Edition)

Cynthia Levinson

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution. This book explores 21 of the fault lines that were created in 1787 and are still causing problems today.

"Should be read by every single adult who lives in America." --Laurie Halse Anderson

Many of us take certain features in our political system for granted, even when we complain about them. But these fault lines didn't spontaneously arise--they have their roots in the Constitution itself, the result of disagreements and compromises made by the Framers in 1787--and we're still feeling the ramifications today.

Fault Lines in the Constitution takes readers back to the creation of this historic document and discusses the original intent and worldview of the Framers, when and how problems arose after the fact, and possible solutions for those problems, inspired by both constitutions of individual US states and other countries. Each chapter begins with a true story that connects directly back to a section of the document that forms the basis of our society and government.

Written by an award-winning middle grade author and a constitutional law scholar, this new edition includes updated content throughout; two new chapters on Impeachment and Secession; significant expansion of the chapters on Emergency Powers and Term Limits; and revisions throughout that reflect political and social changes leading up to and following the 2024 national election.

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Death in the Jungle

Candace Fleming

How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history.

Using riveting first-person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming reveals the makings of a monster: from Jones’s humble origins as a child of the Depression… to his founding of a group whose idealistic promises of equality and justice attracted thousands of followers… to his relocation of Temple headquarters from California to an unsettled territory in Guyana, South America, which he dubbed "Jonestown”… to his transformation of Peoples Temple into a nefarious experiment in mind-control. 

And Fleming heart-stoppingly depicts Jones’s final act, persuading his followers to swallow fatal doses of cyanide—to “drink the kool-aid,” as it became known—as a test of their ultimate devotion. 

Here is a sweeping story that traces, step by step, the ways in which one man slowly indoctrinated, then murdered, 900 innocent, well- meaning people. And how a few members, Jones' own son included, stood up to him... but not before it was too late.

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Caitlin Clark: Basketball Superstar and Inspiration for a New Generation

Leanne Currie-McGhee

This book explores the life of professional basketball player Caitlin Clark, from her early days playing sports with her brothers to becoming a college basketball phenomenon and a rising WNBA star. Clark's story is not only about her athletic achievements but also about her resilience, determination, and the impact she's had on inspiring a new generation of young athletes.

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Strange Bedfellows

Ariel Slamet Ries

In this stunning graphic novel by two-time Ignatz award-winning graphic novelist Ariel Slamet Ries, Oberon must choose between fantasy and reality when he develops the ability to conjure his dreams in real life--including the facsimile of the boy who got away.

In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you're more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed.

None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control--from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world.

Oberon's newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot) than Oberon remembers.

Kon makes it his mission to turn Oberon's life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own--dangerous ones.

Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams--even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with--the only way to find happiness in reality?

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A Song for You and I

K. O'Neill

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy romances.

Rowan knows exactly what they want: to be a ranger, protecting their village alongside their trusted flying horse Kes. But when Rowan's eagerness to show off their worth gets Kes injured, Rowan is suddenly unsure if they're capable of being the protector they've always dreamed of becoming. 

With Kes needing to heal, Rowan is assigned a slow and winding expedition across the outlying lands. Paired with a lackadasical sheep hearder Leone, Rowan only finds frustration as they seem to fail even the simplest tasks. But Leone's own struggles, and endless support brings a new possibility to Rowan. Could their unlikely friendship be something more? And if it is, will Rowan be able to leave Leone behind to pursue being a ranger once Kes is healed?

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Lunar New Year Love Story

Gene Luen Yang

An NPR Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Best Book of the Year
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Best Book of the Year
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love.

She was destined for heartbreak. Then fate handed her love.

Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love.

But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?

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Hell Followed with Us

Andrew Joseph White

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors.

“A long, sustained scream to the various strains of anti-transgender legislation multiplying around the world like, well, a virus." —The New York Times

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.
 
But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.    
 
Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation.


"A defining voice of our generation." –H.E. Edgmon, author of The Witch King
"Hands down the best YA horror book I've read." ­–Aden Polydoros, author of The City Beautiful
"A chimera of horror, romance, and something stranger." –Rose Szabo, author of What Big Teeth
"A timely and riveting tale." –Ray Stoeve, author of Between Perfect and Real

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Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Soon to be a Netflix Film

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today

"Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender." -- Washington Post

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

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Accountable

Dashka Slater

YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The 57 Bus comes Accountable, a propulsive and thought-provoking true story about the revelation of a racist social media account that changes everything for a group of high school students and begs the question: What does it mean to be held accountable for harm that takes place behind a screen?

“Powerful, timely, and delicately written.” —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times–bestselling and National Book Award-winning author

When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as “edgy” humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account. Pretty soon, everyone knew.

Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account’s discovery. Not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults—educators and parents—whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse.

In the end, no one was laughing. And everyone was left asking: Where does accountability end for online speech that harms? And what does accountability even mean?

Award-winning and New York Times–bestselling author Dashka Slater has written a must-read book for our era that explores the real-world consequences of online choices.

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Starter Villain

John Scalzi

Now a New York Times bestseller!

Featuring an exclusive short story from the perspective of your favorite feline!

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. 

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. 

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.

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Divine Rivals

Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

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Monstrous

Sarah Myer

"A beautiful, courageous book.”
Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese

Five Starred Reviews and a Finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize

Monstrous is a poignant, award-winning young adult graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl who uses fandom and art-making to overcome racist bullying. 

Sarah has always struggled to fit in. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, she grows up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors. People whisper in the supermarket. Classmates bully her. She has trouble containing her anger in these moments—but through it all, she has her art. She's always been a compulsive drawer, and when she discovers anime, her hobby becomes an obsession.

Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others. And in high school, the bullies are louder and meaner. Sarah's bubbling rage is threatening to burst.

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Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

Kirsten Miller

"Kirsten Miller has that rare ability to take a serious subject and make it very, very funny. I enjoyed this novel and you will too."--James Patterson

The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change, brings us a bracing, wildly entertaining satire about a small Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books--none of which she's actually read. To replace the "pornographic" books she's challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she's sure the town's readers need.

What Lula doesn't know is that a local troublemaker has stolen her wholesome books, removed their dust jackets, and restocked Lula's library with banned books: literary classics, gay romances, Black history, witchy spell books, Judy Blume novels, and more. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean's library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean's enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town's disgraced mayor.

That's when all the townspeople who've been borrowing from Lula's library begin to reveal themselves. That's when the showdown that's been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.

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The House in the Cerulean Sea

TJ Klune

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
A 2021 Alex Award winner!
The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner!
An Indie Next Pick!
One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020"
One of Book Riot’s “20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies”

Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger)

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn. 

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Zoulfa Katouh

A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility. Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Salt to the Sea.

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager's life. 

Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe. 

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. 

Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are--not a war, but a revolution--and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria's freedom.

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This Is My America

Kim Johnson

"Incredible and searing." --Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin

The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time--her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy's older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a "thug" on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town's racist history that still haunt the present?

Fans of Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Jason Reynolds won't want to miss this provocative and gripping debut.

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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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A Face for Picasso

Ariel Henley

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens

"Raw and unflinching . . . A must-read!" --Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends

"[It] cuts to the heart of our bogus ideas of beauty." –Scott Westerfeld, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Uglies 

I am ugly. There's a mathematical equation to prove it.

At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome -- a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive it.

Growing up, Ariel and her sister endured numerous appearance-altering procedures. Surgeons would break the bones in their heads and faces to make room for their growing organs. While the physical aspect of their condition was painful, it was nothing compared to the emotional toll of navigating life with a facial disfigurement.

Ariel explores beauty and identity in her young-adult memoir about resilience, sisterhood, and the strength it takes to put your life, and yourself, back together time and time again.

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Rez Ball

Byron Graves

This compelling debut novel by new talent Byron Graves tells the relatable, high-stakes story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be.

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team--even though he can't help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.

When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.

But stepping into his brother's shoes as a star player means that Tre can't mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with.

After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn't over yet.

This book is published by Heartdrum, an imprint that publishes high-quality, contemporary stories about Indigenous young people in the United States and Canada.

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Looking for Smoke

K. A. Cobell

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

In her powerful debut novel, Looking for Smoke, author K. A. Cobell (Blackfeet) weaves loss, betrayal, and complex characters into a thriller that will illuminate, surprise, and engage readers until the final word. A must-pick for readers who enjoy books by Angeline Boulley and Karen McManus!

When local girl Loren includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet Giveaway to honor Loren's missing sister, Mara thinks she'll finally make some friends on the Blackfeet reservation.

Instead, a girl from the Giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered.

Because the four members of the Giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation. And all of them--Mara, Loren, Brody, and Eli--have a complicated history with Samantha.

Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer.

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Plan A

Deb Caletti

A sixteen-year-old girl’s road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World, this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us.

Ivy can’t entirely believe it when the plus sign appears on the test. She didn’t even know it was possible from . . . what happened. But it is, and now she is, and instead of spending the summer working at the local drugstore and swooning over her boyfriend, Lorenzo, suddenly she’s planning a cross-country road trip to her grandmother’s house on the West Coast, where she can legally obtain an abortion.

Escaping her small Texas town and the judgment of her friends and neighbors, Ivy hits the road with Lorenzo, who, determined to make the best of their “abortion road trip love story,” has transformed the journey into a whirlwind tour of the world: all the way from Paris, Texas, to Rome, Oregon . . . and every rest-stop diner and corny roadside attraction along the way.

And while Ivy can’t run from the incessant pressure of others’ opinions about her body or from her own expectations and insecurities, she discovers a new world of healing and hope. As the women she encounters share their stories, she chips away at the stigma, silence, and shame surrounding reproductive rights while those collective experiences guide her to her own rightful destination.

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Promise Boys

Nick Brooks

"Thrilling, captivating, and blade-sharp." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"I was at the edge of my seat . . . A brilliant pulls-no-punches mystery with bruised hearts at its core." —Adam Silvera, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of They Both Die at the End

Three teen boys must investigate their principal's murder to clear their own names. Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks's dark academia murder mystery, Promise BoysThe Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying. 

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students—J.B., Ramón, and Trey—emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award 2023 Honoree. A New York Public Library and Kirkus Best Book of the Year!

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Dungeons and Drama

Kristy Boyce

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn't hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR

No one loves musicals more than Riley Morris—her dream is to be a Broadway director. But when the spring show is canceled, Riley has to figure out a way to bring it back. Easier said than done—she’s stuck working at her dad’s game store. The place that means more to him than his family does.

Riley can't waste time at a dead-end job when her entire future is resting on making a name for herself. So she convinces her co-worker Nathan Wheeler—the floppy-haired, glasses-wearing guy she barely knows from school—to help her. In exchange, she’ll help him make his gamer-girl crush jealous. Plus it won’t hurt to show her egotistical ex, Paul, just what he’s missing without her.

Soon Riley and Nathan are “a couple,” and people seem to believe it. But selling the ruse means joining Nathan’s role-playing game. To Riley’s surprise, the game is almost fun. And even more surprising, flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she thought it would. . . .

And don't miss Kristy Boyce's next gaming romance, Dating and Dragons, out 12/31/24!

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You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

Kalynn Bayron

Instant New York Times bestseller!

At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .

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A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits)

Lisa Yee

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When a notorious thief is out for priceless treasure (gems! cats! general decorum!)—who're you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that's who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat!

“For any kid who’s felt like a misfit, this crackling adventure packs a wallop!” —Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate and Max & the Midknights

Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that's now a “reforming arts school”!

But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems—and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time.

Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.

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Greenwild

Pari Thomson

The Secret Garden meets A Wrinkle in Time in Greenwild: The World Behind the Door, the first book in the most extraordinary new fantasy series.

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller*

"If you don't believe in magic, you will after you've read Greenwild" - A. F. Steadman
"An eco-thriller novel that every child should read" - The Telegraph

Open the door to a spellbinding world where the wilderness is alive and a deep magic rises from the earth itself . . .

Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her mother has been keeping big, glittering secrets, and now she has vanished. Daisy knows it’s up to her to find Ma—but someone is hunting her across London. Someone determined to stop her from discovering the truth.

So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she can barely believe her eyes—she has stepped out of the city and into another world.

This is the Greenwild. Bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders, it seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy’s mother.

And someone wants to destroy it.

Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk with animals, and a spunky cat to uncover the truth about who she really is. Only then can she channel the power that will change her whole world . . . and save the Greenwild itself.

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Parachute Kids

Betty C. Tang

**National Book Award Longlist Title**

**Asian/Pacific American Award Honor Book**

This funny, fast-paced, and heartrending story about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants is perfect for fans of New Kid and Front Desk.

A DREAM TRIP TO AMERICA TURNS INTO A NIGHTMARE!

Feng-Li can't wait to discover America with her family! But after an action-packed vacation, her parents deliver shocking news: They are returning to Taiwan and leaving Feng-Li and her older siblings in California on their own.

Suddenly, the three kids must fend for themselves in a strange new world--and get along. Starting a new school, learning a new language, and trying to make new friends while managing a household is hard enough, but Bro and Sis's constant bickering makes everything worse. Thankfully, there are some hilarious moments to balance the stress and loneliness. But as tensions escalate--and all three kids get tangled in a web of bad choices--can Feng-Li keep her family together?

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Warrior Girl

Carmen Tafolla

An insightful novel in verse about the joys and struggles of a Chicana girl who is a warrior for her name, her history, and her right to choose what she celebrates in life.

Celina and her family are bilingual and follow both Mexican and American traditions. Celina revels in her Mexican heritage, but once she starts school it feels like the world wants her to erase that part of her identity. Fortunately, she’s got an army of family and three fabulous new friends behind her to fight the ignorance. But it’s her Gramma who’s her biggest inspiration, encouraging Celina to build a shield of joy around herself. Because when you’re celebrating, when you find a reason to sing or dance or paint or play or laugh or write, they haven’t taken everything away from you. Of course, it’s not possible to stay in celebration mode when things get dire--like when her dad’s deported and a pandemic hits--but if there is anything Celina’s sure of, it’s that she’ll always live up to her last name: Guerrera--woman warrior--and that she will use her voice and writing talents to make the world a more beautiful place where all cultures are celebrated.

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What Happened to Rachel Riley?

Claire Swinarski

  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Regional Indie Bestseller
  • Audie Award Winner
  • Edgar Award Nominee
  • Cybils Award Nominee
  • YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
  • New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
  • Amazon Best Book of the Year
  • SLJ Best Book of the Year
  • Texas Lone Star Reading List
  • Capital Choices Noteworthy Book for Children
  • BookPage Best Book of the Year
  • 2024 Elizabeth Burr/Sheridan Worzalla Award for the most distinguished work in children's literature

In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that's Where'd You Go, Bernadette with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school.

Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there's something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why.

As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there's always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won't stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley?

With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there's one thing she's certain of: If you're going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.

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Impossible Escape

Steve Sheinkin

From three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor author Steve Sheinkin, a true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust—one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape.

It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolf (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he must escape. Even if death is more likely.

Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe: the methodical mass killing of Jewish prisoners. As trains full of people arrive daily, Rudi knows that the murders won’t stop until he reveals the truth to the world—and that each day that passes means more lives are lost.

Lives like Rudi’s schoolmate Gerta Sidonová. Gerta’s family fled from Slovakia to Hungary, where they live under assumed names to hide their Jewish identity. But Hungary is beginning to cave under pressure from German Nazis. Her chances of survival become slimmer by the day.

The clock is ticking. As Gerta inches closer to capture, Rudi and his friend Alfred Wetzler begin their crucial steps towards an impossible escape.

This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.

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World Made of Glass

Ami Polonsky

An "inspiring" (Kirkus, starred review), "heartfelt" (The Horn Book, starred review) coming-of-age novel about a girl finding her way to activism in the early years of the AIDS pandemic, from award-winning author Ami Polonsky.

Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she'll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that's off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she'll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange?

In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS--and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself.

Critically-acclaimed author Ami Polonsky has crafted a lyrical, tender, earth-shattering novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

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The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

Sally J. Pla

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish. A Schneider Family Book Award winner!

Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life--one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she's scared.

When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It's another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?

As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends--and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth--and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad--before summer is over?

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Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call

Molly Knox Ostertag

From New York Times bestselling author Molly Knox Ostertag and critically acclaimed illustrator Xanthe Bouma comes an all-new Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series!

Middle school is a dungeon... At least, that's how Jess sees it.

Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius.

But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game--and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure--and their friendship--finally come to an end?

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Don't Want to Be Your Monster

Deke Moulton

A 2024 Sydney Taylor Honor Book!

Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See.

Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it's morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They're vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family.

Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?

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Mexikid

Pedro Martín

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER • An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico

“One of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it.”—Victoria Jamieson, creator of the National Book Award finalist When Stars Are Scattered 

WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ AUTHOR AWARD AND ILLUSTRATOR AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

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Medusa

Katherine Marsh

"You won't be able to stop turning pages . . . it is so stinking good!" --Colby Sharp, author of The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection

From National Book Award finalist Katherine Marsh: Percy Jackson meets Wednesday Addams in this fantastical adventure about Ava, who attends a boarding school for the descendants of Greek monsters and uncovers a terrible secret that could change the world forever.

Ava Baldwin has always tried to keep her anger in check, just like her mom taught her. But when know-it-all classmate Owen King tries to speak over her yet again, Ava explodes . . . and Owen freezes, becoming totally unresponsive.

Although Owen recovers, Ava's parents whisk her off to her mother's alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, a mysterious international boarding school in Venice. There, Ava and her brother, Jax, discover that the Olympian gods founded the Accademia to teach the descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions and their powers and become functioning, well-adjusted members of society.

But not everything at the Accademia is as it seems. After her friend Fia is almost expelled for challenging a teacher, Ava realizes the school is hiding a dangerous secret. To uncover the truth, Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology--and themselves--forever...or end their lives.

Praise for Medusa

  • "I'm in love with this book. Like the best Pixar movies, Katherine Marsh's Medusa is full of layers." --Jennifer La Garde, The Adventures of Library Girl!
  • "Here is a novel that casts young people as agents of that change, while acknowledging the risks they face when adults, or a pack of patriarchal gods, lie in wait to silence those who speak truth to power. In this feminist retelling, girls take the lead while boys support and trust them." --The New York Times
  • "Sound the sirens! Katherine Marsh has gifted us with the Greek mythology series we didn't know we were missing!" --Melissa LaSalle, The Book Mommy and What to Read to Your Kids
  • "A unique and distinctly feminist fantasy series launch set in a contemporary world." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
  • "A fast-paced adventure offering a fresh, feminist take on popular themes." --Kirkus Reviews
  • "A story flipping traditional mythology and the voices telling them on their head starring a resourceful, brave Gorgon. Suggested where mythology stories are popular." --School Library Journal
  • One of Kirkus's most anticipated books of 2024!
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Hands

Torrey Maldonado

“Gorgeous and gripping, Hands is a poetic page-turner. You might just finish it in one sitting. Torrey Maldonado understands the kids he writes for at the deepest level.” —Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Inquisitor’s Tale
The author of What Lane? and Tight delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands—to build or to knock down.

Trev would do anything to protect his mom and sisters, especially from his stepdad. But his stepdad’s return stresses Trev—because when he left, he threatened Trev’s mom. Rather than live scared, Trev takes matters into his own hands, literally. He starts learning to box to handle his stepdad. But not everyone is a fan of his plan, because Trev’s a talented artist, and his hands could actually help him build a better future. And they’re letting him know—but their advice for some distant future feels useless in his reality right now. Ultimately, Trev knows his future is in his hands, and his hands are his own, and he has to choose how to use them.

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The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

Beth Lincoln

#1 New York Times bestseller!

The critically lauded, wickedly smart whodunit with a “Knives Out feel by way of Lemony Snicket,” now in paperback.

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name, and a definition. A definition it is assumed they will grow up to match.

Meet Shenanigan Swift: Little sister. Risk-taker. Mischief-maker.

Shenanigan is getting ready for the big Swift Family Reunion and plotting her next great scheme: hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure. She’s excited to finally meet her arriving relatives—until one of them gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs.

So what if everyone thinks she’ll never be more than a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can become whatever she wants, even a detective. And she’s determined to follow the twisty clues and catch the killer.

Deliciously suspenseful and delightfully clever, The Swifts is a remarkable debut that is both brilliantly contemporary and instantly classic. A celebration of words and individuality, it’s packed with games, wordplay, and lots and lots of mischief as Shenanigan sets out to save her family and define herself in a world where definitions are so important.

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A Work in Progress

Jarrett Lerner

A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant and “perceptive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration.

Will is the only round kid in a school full of thin ones. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who he knows he doesn’t have a chance with, because of his size—but he can’t help wondering what if?

Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing.

As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.

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Ghost Book

Remy Lai

Perfect for fans of Spirited Away, Coco, and Ghosts comes a spooky fantasy graphic novel about the friendship between a girl who can see ghosts and a boy who is stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead. 

An Indie Bestseller! An Amazon, School Library Journal, and Chicago Public Library best book of the year!

Twelve years ago, the boy and the girl lived. But one was supposed to die.

July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it's Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth—for William to live, July must die. 

Inspired by Chinese mythology, this dark yet resoundingly hopeful tale about friendship, sacrifice, and the unseen world of ghosts is a dazzling heir to beloved Studio Ghibli classics. 

"Absolutely gorgeous and a completely unique adventure. Remy Lai is a master storyteller!" —Christina Soontornvat, two-time Newbery Honor Winner 

"Spooky, spellbinding and full of heart!" ―Kayla Miller, bestselling author of Click

"A deliciously spooky, funny adventure." ―Jessica Townsend, bestselling author of The Nevermoor series 
 

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The Bellwoods Game

Celia Krampien

Perfect for fans of Doll Bones and Hocus Pocus, this “beautifully creepy” (Kirkus Reviews), highly illustrated middle grade novel follows a girl who hopes to fix her outcast status through a game in the haunted woods, only to discover that some legends shouldn’t be played with.

Everyone knows Fall Hollow is haunted. It has been ever since Abigail Snook went into the woods many years ago, never to be seen again. Since then, it’s tradition for the sixth graders at Beckett Elementary to play the Bellwoods Game on Halloween night. Three kids are chosen to go into the woods. Whoever rings the bell there wins the game and saves the town for another year, but if Abigail’s ghost captures the players first, the spirit is let loose to wreak havoc on Fall Hollow—or so the story goes.

Now that it’s Bailee’s year to play, she can finally find out what really happens. And legend has it the game’s winner gets a wish. Maybe, just maybe, if Bailee wins, she can go back to the way things used to be before her grandma got sick and everyone at school started hating her. But when the night begins, everything the kids thought they knew about the game—and each other—is challenged. One thing’s for sure: something sinister is at play…waiting for them all in the woods.

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Final Season

Tim Green

**INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

From New York Times bestselling author and former NFL player Tim Green comes a gripping, deeply personal standalone football novel about a star middle school quarterback faced with a life-changing decision after his dad is diagnosed with ALS. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica!

With two all-star college football players for brothers and a former Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman for a father, it is only natural for sixth-grade quarterback Benjamin Redd to follow in their footsteps.

However, after his dad receives a heartbreaking ALS diagnosis--connected to all those hard hits and tackles he took on the field--Ben's mom becomes more determined than ever to get Ben to quit football.

Ben isn't playing just for himself though. This might be his dad's last chance to coach. And his teammates need a quarterback that can lead them to the championships. But as Ben watches the heavy toll ALS takes on his dad's body, he begins to question if this should be his final season after all.

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Simon Sort of Says

Erin Bow

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD - SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR - FINALIST FOR THE AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST MIDDLE GRADE AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR

"Funny, poignant and--most important--hopeful." --New York Times

Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school.

Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone--the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who's determined to give the scientists what they're looking for, he'll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.

Simon Sort of Says, the Newbery Honor-winning novel by Erin Bow, is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.

INCLUDES DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

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Eb & Flow

Kelly J. Baptist

A ten-day suspension has tweens De'Kari and Ebony seeing the world with a fresh perspective. Don't miss this poignant novel in verse from the award-winning author of Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero.

Two kids. One fight. No one thinks they’re wrong.

Flow 
I don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking.
I roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes.

Shoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet.

Eb
It was all just an accident!
Nobody was trying to mess up
his Stupid Ugly Shoes.

Now I’ve got my third suspension of seventh grade.

Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior—to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.

Award-winning author Kelly J. Baptist delivers a novel in verse that follows Eb and Flow as they navigate their parallel lives. Single-parent homes, tight funds, and sibling dynamics provide a balancing act for the growing tweens. And whether they realize it or not, these two have a lot more in common than they think.

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Mi Bacinica y Yo: Para El

Alona Frankel

¡Enseñar a ir al baño! Puede ser angustioso, frustrante, difícil de alcanzar y aparentemente imposible. Sea lo que sea, no suele ser fácil. Por fin hay un libro honesto y divertido sobre las dificultades y los logros del aprendizaje para ir al baño. Está disponible en ediciones "Hers" y "His" para ayudar a padres e hijos pequeños a superar el trauma del aprendizaje.

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Mi Bacinica y Yo: Para Ella

Alona Frankel

¡Enseñar a ir al baño! Puede ser angustioso, frustrante, difícil de alcanzar y aparentemente imposible. Sea lo que sea, no suele ser fácil. Por fin hay un libro honesto y divertido sobre las dificultades y los logros del aprendizaje para ir al baño. Está disponible en ediciones "Hers" y "His" para ayudar a padres e hijos pequeños a superar el trauma del aprendizaje.

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How to Pee: Potty Training for Girls

Todd Spector

Out with the old and in with the new! Family physician Dr. Todd Spector presents a fresh and outrageously fun way to encourage little girls to give up their diapers. They can try it fresh-air style (in the backyard!), or use the potty with the help of a few props and plenty of imagination. Peeing in the potty is a lot more fun if you do it princess style, dance-party style, or gymnast style!
Inspired by Dr. Spector's own experiences potty training his children, this combination of laugh-out-loud scenarios and useful advice turns the dreaded potty-training process into an exciting adventure for all.

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How to Pee: Potty Training for Boys: Potty Training for Boys

Todd Spector

Out with the old and in with the new! Family physician Dr. Todd Spector presents a fresh and outrageously fun way to encourage little boys to give up their diapers. They can try it freestyle (in the backyard!), or give the potty a try with the help of a few props and plenty of imagination. Peeing in the potty is a lot more fun if you do it rocket style, cowboy style, or superhero style!
Inspired by Dr. Spector's own experiences potty training his son, this combination of laugh-out-loud scenarios and useful advice turns the dreaded potty-training process into an exciting adventure for all.

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Goldilocks and the Just Right Potty

Leigh Hodgkinson

Little Goldilocks wants to wear underwear — big-girl underwear that’s not too silly and not too frilly, but just right. But that means she also needs to find the “just right” potty. Will she know when she needs to go? And will she get to the potty in time? Find out in this lighthearted story that will have parents and their little ones feeling ready to tackle toilet training.

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Even Superheroes Use the Potty

Sara Crow

It’s potty time for superheroes, firefighters, ninjas, soldiers, and KIDS!

Young ones will enjoy this funny, rhyming story that teaches great bathroom habits with the promise that all their heroes use the potty too. And the book comes with stickers and a bathroom reward chart, so good potty habits can be celebrated each time kids put the lid down, flush, and wash their hands! It’s a book-and-sticker package that will help parents achieve toilet-training harmony.
 
And don’t miss the companion book—Even Superheroes Have to Sleep!—to help restless kids settle in at night.

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I Really, Really Need to Pee!

Karl Newson

Bush Baby is in a jam. He didn't need to go to the bathroom before he left home--but now he needs to and right away! Uh-oh! But what will he do if there's just nowhere to go? A funny tale of determination and self-awareness.

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It Hurts when I Poop!

Howard J. Bennett

Helping children overcome their fear of pooping with colorful illustrations and a thoughtful story. 

Ryan is scared to use the potty. He is afraid to have a poop, because he's afraid it's going to hurt. He does NOT want to go. This story, along with Ryan's "poop program," will help young children gain the confidence they need to overcome this common problem and establish healthy habits. Includes a Note to Parents by the author.

From the Note to Parents:

The book includes a "poop program" that I use with children between the ages of 3 and 6. While the program is ostensibly for the main character, my hope is that your child will want to follow these steps as well. How you approach the program will vary somewhat depending on your child's age. Most 3- to 4-year-olds do not need to do the program in a formal way. Instead, you can incorporate parts of the program into your daily routine--make the needed dietary changes, reward successful pooping with stickers, and consider reviewing how poops come out of the body. Most 5- to 6-year-olds are interested in doing the full program, though it is still important to be flexible. For example, if a 5-year-old does not want to do Potty Practice, I would adjust things accordingly.

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How to Poop Everyday

Steve Herman

A must have book for children and parents with potty training.

Teach your child how to poop easily everyday.

Fun, cute and entertaining with over 46 pages of beautiful illustrations, this playful book will make the frustrating toilet training process easy and fun.

Get this book now and enjoy!

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Potty Time with Bean (Ms. Rachel)

Ms. Rachel

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Toddlers can now learn to use the potty with this sturdy board book featuring Ms. Rachel— YouTube phenomenon, household name, and America’s favorite teacher!

For many young children and their caregivers, potty training is an uncertain time in their lives. Ms. Rachel’s comforting and age-appropriate Potty Time is fun, educational, and perfect for those embarking on this milestone. With sweet illustrations, familiar songs, and have-to-know gestures, Ms. Rachel brings her expertise to this brand-new board book with sturdy pages in an engaging story that will have little ones using the potty in no time. Features helpful potty training tips and advice in the back to assist with this important developmental milestone!

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Time to Pee! Board Book

Mo Willems

Potty training is an adventure when introduced by celebrated children's author and illustrator Mo Willems. With Mo's signature wit and style, readers embark on a hilarious journey from inkling to tinkling. Featuring a crew of supportive sign-wielding mice, first-timers are amused and inspired to reach for the stars and pee. Now available in board book format.
 

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ABCs of Art

Sabrina Hahn

rt connects us all on the deepest level and this book will inspire young minds.” —Ken Griffin, founder & CEO of Citadel, trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, and trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art 

Learn the alphabet through fine art!

Spark your child’s creativity and curiosity with this delightfully curated alphabet book featuring some of the world’s most iconic paintings.

In this collection, your child will discover artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, and many others. Help them locate the earring in Vermeer's...

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B Is for Ballet: A Dance Alphabet

John Robert Allman

A is for arabesque, B is for Baryshnikov, and C is for Coppélia in this beautifully illustrated, rhyming, alphabetic picture book, filled with ballet stars, dances, positions, and terminology. Written by the acclaimed author of A Is for Audra: Broadway's Leading Ladies from A to Z, the dazzling, creative wordplay forms a graceful pas de deux with the stylish, swooping lines and rich color of the sumptuous illustrations. In partnership with the American Ballet Theatre, here is the perfect gift for any ballet fan, from children just starting ballet to adults who avidly follow this graceful artform.

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P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

Raj Haldar

Let's get real—the English language is bizarre. A might be for apple, but it's also for aisle and aeons. Why does the word "gnat" start with a G but the word "knot" doesn't start with an N? It doesn't always make sense, but don't let these rule-breaking silent letters defeat you!

This whimsical, funky book from Raj Haldar (aka rapper Lushlife) turns the traditional idea of an alphabet book on its head, poking fun at the most mischievous words in the English language and demonstrating how to pronounce them. Fun and informative for word nerds of all ages!

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Alphabeasts: A Monstrously Fun Book

Hazel Quintanilla

Welcome to Monsterlovers Headquarters! As the newest recruit to our secret organization, you're invited to explore our classified files about some of our favorite Alphabeasts from A to Z! This curated creature collection features unique information about some of the silly, cuddly, smelly, and mysterious monsters found all over the world. WARNING: Many of these monsters may cause you to laugh and learn, and maybe even inspire you to go searching for monsters yourself! Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a monster's classified file with information about where they are found, what they look like, and a unique fact about them. The book also includes a map of the monsters and where they have been 'spotted' around the world!

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The ABCs of Baby's Needs: A Sign Language Book for Babies

Loris Lora

Help your baby communicate! This Irresistible board book teaches your little one the letters of the alphabet while also reinforcing phrases that convey their basic needs. A is for All Done. B is for Bath. C is for cold. These 26 needs are accompanied by clearly illustrated sign language diagrams to learn with your baby. Gorgeously illustrated by Pura Belpré Award Honoree, Loris Lora, these essential signs and adorable babies will help every kiddo, regardless of verbal or hearing ability, express themselves.

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Veo veo letras (I Spy Letters)

Therese M. Shea

Learning to recite the alphabet is an important step to reading. This beneficial book builds on that crucial step, asking readers to locate letters of the alphabet among a variety of colorful images that begin with those letters. They'll review their knowledge of what different letters look like and how they differ from other letters while honing their reading fluency with simple sentences. Emerging readers will love the appealing pictures and find the activity of spying letters motivating and rewarding.

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An Alphabet of Alphabets

A. J. Wood

Take a ride through 26 fully-illustrated alphabets, each one an A to Z of things to spot.

From an A to Z of Birds (A is for Albatross, B is for Bluebird), to an A to Z of Zoo (A is for Aardvark, B is for Baboon), this is an alphabet of alphabets. Jam-packed full of funny things to spot and plenty of Where's Waldo-style humour, this the best way to learn your ABCs and lots of new words as well!

Great for parents and guardians to use with kids, or for young readers to enjoy independently, the 26 fun puzzles will keep readers entertained for hours.

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D Is for Dog

Em Lynas

Bound into this playful and energetic rhyming text featuring an adorable cast of dogs.

Whether it's getting marvelously muddy, leaping and lolloping, or hiding under the bed with a stolen slipper, a dog's life is so much FUN. This hilarious alphabet celebration of canine capers is perfect for dog lovers young and old.

Featuring stylish and vibrant artwork by the award-winning Sara Ogilvie, illustrator of Julia Donaldson's The Detective Dog.

This bright and cheerful book is the perfect gift for any child (or adult!) to read aloud or enjoy alone.

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Star Wars ABC-3PO

Calliope Glass

Experience the ABC's like never beforeWith galactic friends who are hardly a bore.From Akbar to Zeb, this nice little primerWill teach you and make you an excellent rhymer.So, Padawans, prepare, get ready, get setTo learn the ways of the Force--and the alphabet!

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Big Words for Little Geniuses

Susan Patterson

Teach the little learner in your life the world's biggest words with this fun, adorably illustrated picture book for kids.
Filled with amazing A-to-Z art, this clever New York Times bestselling picture book by James and Susan Patterson includes sophisticated words and definitions for clever children to learn. This is the perfect gift for the little ones in your life with "bibliomania," who will appreciate the "juxtaposition" of impressive words and bright, beautiful illustrations. Includes a list of extra words in the back for further learning.
Delightfully whimsical artwork by artist Hsinping Pan brings these big words to life, making this early foray into learning fun for all.

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Paloma Flies Away

María J. Guarda

Paloma's home has changed. The dictator who took over the country has stripped its people of their freedoms, and it's no longer OK to think for yourself. So, like birds, Paloma and her parents fly away in search of a new home, without a chance to pack or say goodbye. The new country is different and generous, and their arrival is a big adventure. Though things are unfamiliar and Paloma misses the country she left, her new friends are soon like family, and she feels right at home. Then she grows older, and more changes come, and Paloma and family are flying away again, to a country she can barely remember . . . With a simple narration and stunning illustrations, María J. Guarda brings us a tender story about home, family, and identity during times of immeasurable change.

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Descendants: Stories from Auradon and Beyond

Steve Behling

All four Descendants films are brought to life in Level 2-reader form in this World of Reading four-book bind-up, featuring color photography from the Disney Original Movies. From fighting alongside Mal and Ben to going back in time with Red and Chloe, Descendants fans have been through it all with their favorite characters--and now they can relive the adventures of all four films.

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