Picture Books
by Matthew Cordell
Charlie has just died, and Louise is sad. Charlie wasn't just the family dog; he was Louise's best friend. Angry and sad, Louise boats across the lake one morning to the island to be alone. But she's not alone. The island is filled with all kinds of curious critters, including a lone bear who seems just as angry and sad as Louise feels. Each day, Louise returns, and each day, she and the bear grow less angry and sad. Until one day, the bear must hibernate. Louise knows this means she'll have to say another goodbye. Will this one be as painful as the last?
This is a picture book that addresses healing after loss.
by Claudia Friddell
To the men of Antietam--the wounded and the dying--she was an Angel on the Battlefield. She left her job as a public school teacher and clerk in the US Paton office to go to the front and tend to the soldiers. She brought medical supplies, food rations, and compassion.
This is a picture book memoir of a few days in the life of Civil War hero and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. The story is told through actual excerpts of Barton's correspondence and a narrative poem that lyrically reiterates each journal entry or letter. While the illustrations of the wounded are crafted with children in mind, they may be troubling for sensitive readers.
by Steven Kellogg
He's the King of the Keelboatmen along the Mighty Mississippi. But he wasn't always. As a baby, Mike Fink snuck out of his crib to wade in the pond with the bullfrogs. As a young child, he strapped on a plow like an ox and helped his Mamma clear the land. As a young man, he wrestled grizzly bears in the woods. He's an excellent marksman, a champion heavyweight, and an exceptional navigator. He's ornery enough to go toe to toe with alligators and snapping turtles. But when the steamboats begin taking over the river, Mike must face his most formidable rival yet, Hilton P. Blathersby, captain of The Buffalo.
This is a delightful tall tale about one of America's most famous frontiersmen.
by Robert McCloskey
"You never can tell what will happen when you learn to play a harmonica." Little Lentil sure had no idea. He only started learning one day when it was clear he didn't have the pipes to sing or even to whistle. So, he bought himself a "mouth organ" and began practicing. And boy, did his practice pay off!
When Colonel Carter, the town hero, comes to Alto after a two-year absence, dozens of folks show up at the train station to welcome him. The stage is set for a grand homecoming. But then, the professional band gets waylaid and can't perform. Grabbing his harmonic, Lentil saves the day!
The black-and-white illustrations and Andy-Griffith-esque storyline will take readers back to a simpler time.
Leveled Readers
by Jennifer Armstrong
This is a round-trip-style book, which means the story is told in the daytime as the sun is just beginning to shine on the town. And then, the same story is presented in reverse order as the moon starts to appear. The first line of each page in this Level 1 story reads "Sun shines on the..." or "Moon shines on the..." and contains one to two rhyming lines.
by Betsy Byars
May-May and Rose are singing, dancing, and slightly scatterbrained sisters headed west. They plan a vaudeville-type show at each town they come to, but when they step out onstage, something always goes wrong. While the pair, at times, disagrees, they always come to a compromise, apologize when necessary, and do their best to help each other perform.
This whimsical Level 3 reader is the first of three books based on the misadventures of the Golly Sisters. Please note: Book 2 has the pair performing magic tricks.
Illustrated Chapter Books
by Sarah Dillard
Best friends Tigerlily and Violet have just been promoted from Buttercups to Acorns in Mouse Scouts. Though they are excited to join the older girls and learn new scouting skills, they've heard that troupe leader Miss Poppy is quite stern. She challenges the girls to earn their Sow It and Grow It badge, which requires them to work together to plant, nurture, and harvest a garden. But gardening proves to be much more challenging than they ever thought possible, especially when bugs, slugs, and other critters threaten to eat all their crops.
Between each chapter of the fictional story are snippets from the Mouse Scouts Handbook, which includes kid-friendly information about gardening.
This is the first in a cute four-part series. Please note: In the third book, the scouts tell "scary" stories around a campfire.
by Clyde Robert Bulla
Sigurd, a young Norwegian Viking, travels to North America, following the path of his hero Leif Eriksson, who explored parts of Wineland (now Newfoundland) over 100 years earlier. Once there, Sigurd and the entire boat crew are attacked by villains. The boy escapes and makes it back home, only to find that his family is no longer alive. He tries telling the village leaders about his harrowing trip, but no one believes him. Determined to be heard, Sigurd learns to read and write and preserves his memories for future generations.
Some of the battle scenes might be difficult for sensitive readers.
Middle-Grade Novels
by Sam Sedgman
Amid a nationwide debate over "New Time," Isaac Turner joins his dad, Chief Horologist of England, in the belfry of Big Ben to set the weights and wind the clock. But then, his dad vanishes. Despite what the authorities conclude, Isaac is confident that his father was kidnapped and that his disappearance has something to do with the men and women determined to change England's system of time calculations. Would reverting to a 10-hour day streamline the country's way of life, as many in Parliament claim? And why would anyone want to change time anyway? If Isaac can answer these questions, maybe he can find his dad.
Please note: This is a fast-paced, kid-friendly thriller that contains two to three instances of God's name being used in vain. Additionally, Isaac's friend, Hattie, convinces him to sneak out of the house to look for his dad. She also lies to her own dad about having met Isaac before being introduced to him formally.
by Barbara Williams
Since his dad's death, thirteen-year-old Albert Trask has been the man of the house. But now, Grandmother and Uncle Clay have arrived in England and insist on bringing the family back to America. Albert, though not excited about conceding some of his independence, is excited about traveling across the Atlantic on the famed Titanic. If only Mother would stop worrying about his little sister Virginia, who, in Albert's estimation, is not as sick as she is pretending to be and is only acting ill to garner sympathy from others. But when the ship hits a giant iceberg, Albert has to put his irritation aside and act fast to save her.
Please note: Virginia is quite whiny and spoiled throughout the story. However, this is a necessary inclusion of the plot, which makes Albert's final sacrifices seem all the more heroic.
by Mary Louise Sanchez
The year is 1934. The Great Depression has forced 10-year-old Margarita Sandoval, her Mama, and siblings to leave their ancestral land in New Mexico and join her Papa and older brother Alberto in Fort Steele, Wyoming, where the two men have been working for the railroad. Although they are American citizens by birth, the Sandoval's are outsiders who speak with an accent. Alienated by their cultural differences, they set out to introduce their new Wyoming neighbors to the food, customs, and even holiday traditions of their people. Although many townsfolk welcome Margarita and her família, several old-timers see the Sandovals as a threat to the town and will stop at nothing to force them to return to New Mexico.
Fans of Little House on the Prairie and Sweet Home Alaska will appreciate how the family works together to overcome hardship. It is a beautiful portrait of frontier life and the day-to-day struggles experienced during the 1930s. Spanish words and phrases are sprinkled throughout the text and are either translated into the characters' dialogue or can be interpreted through context clues.
Please note: Because the Sandovals are Catholic, each chapter is named after a Catholic saint who is the patron of a particular adversity mentioned within the chapter. Additionally, one of the town naysayers buys beer and cigarettes from the general store, is later found drunk, and makes a decision that he hopes will ruin Papa's reputation.
Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine
by Caroline Starr Rose
Smuggled aboard the steamer Queen headed from Kirkland, Washington, to the Klondike to escape their alcoholic father, brothers Jasper and Melvin Johnson hear rumors of the abandoned claim of an old coot named One-Eyed Riley. Apparently, before leaving the area, the grizzled miner left clues leading to his cache of gold. Armed with only a pocket watch and a washboard, the brothers set out to find the hidden treasure. But how can a pair of young boys find a payload that has eluded even the most experienced minors? Better yet, how can they survive a harsh Alaskan winter?
Please note: The scenes depicting their alcoholic father are not graphic and only appear in the first few chapters. Additionally, the books contains a few old-timey cuss words like "god-awful" and "gosh-durn."
Parents, Be Aware
by Joanna Lapati
Nineteen-year-old Rosetta Wakeman refused to sit around and watch her nation be torn apart. Cutting her hair, changing her name to Lyons, and donning the uniform of a Union soldier, she left her comfortable domestic life in New York to join a regiment headed to Virginia and later Louisiana. Throughout the war, she wrote letters home until her death from dysentery.
Based on the true story of the only documented woman to serve on the front lines of the Civil War, this book was created with scratchboard illustrations similar to the wood etchings that were popular in the late 19th century.
Things to know: While the story text does not explicitly mention transgenderism and the reasons behind Wakeman's decision to live as a man for many years of her life, the author's notes at the back of the book go into further detail and present speculation about Wakeman's gender confusion and that of other women who also served in the American Civil War.
by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
It all started when Theodora Tenpenny spilled a bottle of rubbing alcohol on a painting her grandfather had owned for years. As paintings go, this one was nothing special--just a simple rendering of an egg. But when the alcohol dissolves the top layer of paint, a new image surfaces. Thanks to all the many art lessons she received from her grandfather before his death, Theo is certain this is no ordinary portrait. In fact, she's quite sure it is La Fornarina, a work of the famed Renaissance painter Raphael that has been missing since American soldiers found it in a hidden Natzi bunker during WWII.
Before retiring, Grandfather worked as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Could he have stolen this priceless portrait? All signs point to his guilt. But Theo knows he is innocent, and it's up to her and a ragtag band of neighborhood friends to prove it.
Things to know: Historians and art enthusiasts will love this who-done-it-style mystery. The book is free of language, violence, and modern agenda that would be problematic to most conservative families, but it does feature a few historical details about Raphael's life that, while accurate, could be considered inappropriate for middle-grade readers.
In chapter 7, when describing the painter's personal life, Theo concludes, "He strung along an engagement to the niece of a powerful cardinal for seven years while he fooled around with his mistress, even refusing to finish the Pope's frescoes unless she was bought to his villa for 'inspiration.' Vasari records his early death at thirty-seven as due to 'sexual excess'--a medical condition that I'm pretty sure has since been disproven."
Additionally, when defining "iconography," Theo's mother describes why a portrait shows Mary holding her breast, symbolizing that she was a nursing mother. Afterward, Theo thinks to herself, "It explained the hand on the boob."
Just for you, Mom
by Courtney Walsh
While walking down the sidewalk, hands laden with the coffee orders of her coworkers, overworked and undervalued junior book editor Kelsey Worthington gets hit by a car. While not exactly on her bucket list, the accident is just the wake-up call she needs to start living her life with intention.
She's placed in a shared hospital room with business mogul Georgia Tate. Hoping to glean valuable wisdom from the older, more accomplished woman, Kelsey questions Ms. Tate about her biggest life regrets. She has many, namely her estranged relationship with her husband and grown son. With her kidneys failing, she figures it's too late to make amends.
Kelsey sees Georgia's confession as an invitation--an opportunity to finally start living her own life well and help a dying woman make things right. She declares the upcoming months as "The Summer of Yes!" and insists that the pair agree to every adventure that comes across their paths. But when she meets Georgia's very single and startlingly handsome son, she realizes that some yeses might be too good to be true.