IT’S A TIGER by David LaRochelle
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A boy is exploring the jungle, watching the monkeys swing from vine to vine. But one monkey looks suspiciously like . . . A TIGER! The boy tries to escape the tiger, hiding with various other jungle creatures. But everywhere he goes, the tiger seems to turn up! Does the tiger want to eat the boy? Or is he just looking for some attention?
This new picture book from David La Rochelle has great, bold illustrations and a fun story that is sure to keep kids giggling. The large illustrations and frequent repeated refrain (“It’s a tiger!”) make this a great book for story times as well.
IF THAT BREATHES FIRE, WE’RE TOAST by Jennifer J. Stewart
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When Rick’s mother first decides that they will be moving from their home in San Diego out to the middle of nowhere near Tuscon, Arizona, Rick is horrified. He wasn’t even consulted before his mom made this huge decision that affected his life terribly. And Arizona is approximately a billion degrees all the time. Although his new neighbor Natalie seems pretty cool, she is a girl and therefore less-than-ideal best friend material. But when the company that is supposed to be sending them a new furnace instead sends them a real, live dragon, life in Arizona promises to get a little more interesting.
This book is a fun, light read for readers who enjoy books about dragons (but aren’t purists–this dragon doesn’t always act like a dragon) or readers who like silly, quirky stories. Other books about adapting to a new home after a move include Lost: A Dog Called Bear by Wendy Orr, Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn, The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, and Ellie Ever by Nancy Ruth Patterson.
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM–1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Kenny has never been one of the popular kids, in part because of his lazy eye that makes him look kind of funny, but mostly because he is smart and good at school–which automatically makes him uncool. It is both a blessing and a curse that he has the very cool troublemaker Byron as his older brother. While Byron and his friends often bully Kenny, Byron can also get Kenny off the hook with some of the other school bullies. But when Byron crosses one-too-many lines, their parents make a big decision: the whole family (including Byron and Kenny’s little sister Joetta) will be leaving their home in snowy Flint, Michigan and traveling down to Birmingham, Alabama where their grandmother lives. Byron will be spending the whole summer with Grandma Sands, and if he doesn’t get his act together, he’ll be stuck there for the whole next school year. Kenny is excited about his first adventure to the South, but there are some things he couldn’t quite prepare for.
Dedicated to the four young victims of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 is undeniably a Civil Rights story. But the approach that Curtis takes in his novel is somewhat unique. The majority of the story is not about politics, racism, or hatred. The focal point of the story is the family relationships. Curtis focuses on characters, rather than events, making this family living in the past seem real and relatable to modern readers. When the Civil Rights issue finally enters toward the end of the novel, the reader’s understanding of the events is framed by the reader’s intimacy with the characters. While Curtis does not shy away from describing events that are both frightening and tragic, the strength and resilience of his characters and the message of his epilogue will leave readers with a sense of hope and closure. This is a phenomenal book, and I highly recommend it!
If you liked The Watsons Go To Birmingham–1963, you might like The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon.
FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg
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Claudia knows that she is under-appreciated, and she intends to teach her parents a lesson. That is why she begins plotting to run away. She selects her younger brother Jamie as her companion, for although Claudia has all of the grand plans, she lacks Jamie’s sense for financial planning. They hide in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, originally planning to return after a few days, when their parents are sure to no longer take Claudia for granted. But when they discover a mystery surrounding a museum sculpture, the adventure becomes even more exciting and Claudia is determined not to return home until the adventure has changed her from the ordinary girl she was into someone heroic and different.
Winner of the 1967 Newbery Award, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a children’s literature classic. It addresses themes of growing up, the balance between fun and responsibility, and finding adventure in ordinary life. If you liked From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I would also recommend Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. For teens, I would recommend Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt.
LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
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The Breakfast Bunch have always wondered what their Lunch Lady’s life was like outside of school. But they never suspected that she was secretly a crime-fighting vigilante who uses her incredible strength and a slew of interesting gadgets to keep the school safe from all evil. So when a suspicious substitute teacher shows up, the Lunch Lady is immediately on his tail, with the unsuspecting Breakfast Bunch trailing along behind them.
This popular graphic novel series is both action-packed and hilariously funny. Captain Underpants lovers will be delighted to discover this new comical school-themed superhero series. It will appeal most to upper-elementary age readers.
If you like the Lunch Lady series, you might like N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley.
THE FANTASTIC SECRET OF OWEN JESTER by Barbara O’Connor
Owen hates that his family had to move into his grandfather’s house. First off, the horrible housekeeper, Earlene, has no sense of humor and yells at Owen for the stupidest things. And now that Owen doesn’t live on the same street as Travis and Stumpy, his friends always do things without him. Worst of all is Viola, his annoying, know-it-all next door neighbor who always sticks her nose into Owen’s business. There only good thing about living at his grandfather’s house is Tooley, the biggest bull frog in Carter, Georgia, who Owen caught in his grandfather’s pond. But when Tooley starts looking ill, Owen needs to find a way to make the frog happy. And when he hears a crate fall off of a train in the night, Owen realizes he may have another exciting summer project–both of which he is determined to accomplish without Viola’s help.
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester is a story about responsibility and friendship. As Owen matures throughout the novel, he is able to empathize, first with his frog and then with Viola, and he begins to make less selfish decisions. The book will most likely appeal to upper-elementary age readers who enjoy realistic fiction or stories with detailed Southern settings.
If you liked The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, you might like The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, The Missing Manatee by Cynthia DeFelice, and Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool.
FABLEHAVEN by Brandon Mull
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Kendra and Seth are dreading spending two weeks with their Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson. First, their trip was prompted by the death of both of their maternal grandparents who requested in their will that all of their children (including Kendra and Seth’s parents) use their inheritance to take a long vacation. Second, although Kendra and Seth were very close to their grandparents who passed away, they hardly know the Sorensons at all. They’ve never been to visit, and every time their grandparents visit them, there is something distant and mysterious about them. When they arrive at the farm, their grandmother is missing, and their grandfather immediately lectures them with bizarre rules and forbidden areas of the property. But when Seth begins exploring out of bounds and Kendra finds some keys and a mysterious diary hidden in the attic, they discover that there are more secrets on Grandpa Sorenson’s farm than they ever could have imagined. Suddenly plunged into a world of fairies, witches, naiads, and other fantastical creatures, Seth and Kendra quickly learn that even a small act of carelessness could plunge their entire family into mortal danger.
The Fablehaven series is sure to be popular with fantasy lovers. While much of the first book is devoted to establishing the characters, the fantasy world, and the future conflict, the action picks up toward the end of the novel and leaves you hanging with the promise of sequels. The adventure continues in Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star. There are five books in the series.
If you liked Fablehaven, you might like The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley or Dreamwood by Heather Mackey. Teen readers who liked Fablehaven and enjoy dark fantasy might enjoy Reckless by Cornelia Funke.
SMILE by Raina Telgemeier
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Raina was already dreading getting braces–particularly since correcting her overbite would require her to wear headgear! Even if she only had to wear it at night, it was still a social nightmare. But when she tripped and accidentally knocked out her two front teeth, the nightmare got even worse. Raina had to endure a series of painful operations and start middle school with a set of fake teeth that she was sure everyone would notice. In the format of a graphic novel, Raina tells the story of her experience growing up with braces, as well as dealing with friendship troubles, trying not let her crushes know she likes them (but secretly hoping they’ll find out!), making decisions about her dreams and goals for the future, and trying to keep her self-esteem high despite the metal in her mouth.
This graphic-memoir is a great book for girls who are going into middle school and/or getting braces. It touches on all of the friendship and self-esteem issues that are typical for tween and teen girls and normalizes a lot of the challenges of growing up. Plus, Raina’s story is engaging and fun to read. It will likely appeal to girls who like realistic fiction books like Dork Diaries, Babymouse, Dumped by Popular Demand, or Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf.
If you liked Smile, you might also like El Deafo by CeCe Bell.
INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher
Finn has never known any world except Incarceron. He was born in a cell, with one of the red eyes of the prison staring at him, mocking him. Some prisoners, like his blood brother Keiro, don’t believe that there is a world outside of the prison. But Finn believes, and he is determined to escape–even though the prison itself is alive and determined to stop him. When the violent prison tribe to which Finn belongs kidnaps a woman from a more peaceful tribe, Finn finally has the opportunity to learn something of his past and to gain a crystal key that may somehow unlock the prison. Through the key, he finds that he can communicate with a girl on the outside called Claudia, daughter of the warden of Incarceron. Claudia is betrothed to the heir to the throne in her own world, but she is really just a pawn in a political game between her father and the queen. But when she gets in touch with Finn and realizes that Incarceron is not a utopia as the government claims, she also begins to discover more dark secrets behind the throne. In order to unravel these secrets, Claudia must find a way to rescue Finn from Incarceron before her wedding day arrives.
Somewhere between science fiction and fantasy, Catherine Fisher’s dark dystopia will likely appeal to teens who enjoyed series like The Hunger Games and The Looking Glass Wars. The storytelling is gritty and fast-paced and the world of the prison is intricately imagined. Incarceron is followed by a sequel, Sapphique.
BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF BASS REEVES, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
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In the late 1800s, Bass Reeves was one of the most famous lawmen in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Though many gunmen—outlaws and lawmen alike—were known for their ruthlessness and deadly accuracy with a weapon, Bass Reeves was known for his strict sense of justice and duty, and he never killed a man unless he had to. He was both feared and respected by the men and women he arrested, despite the fact that many white men and women in this time period were hesitant to respect African Americans in positions of power.
Bad News for Outlaws tells the story of Bass Reeves’ life and career in the style of a Western. Although in the format of a picture book, this book will be enjoyed most by upper-elementary age readers who enjoy history and tales of the Old West. The book won a Coretta Scott King Book Award in 2010 and appears on the Virginia Reader’s Choice Award list for 2012-2013.
Susan the Librarian 