Picture Books
by Andrew Prahin
Fed up with the constant threat of Cat, a young mouse packs her gingersnaps--her favorite treat--into a ship in a bottle. Rolling the bottle out of a window and into a river, she leaves the menacing cat behind and floats serenely to a new life. Her peace is short-lived, however, when her little vessel floats past seagulls that attempt to steal from her, rabbits that ravage her snacks, and a storm that threatens to destroy her little glass world. The bottle eventually washes up on the shores of a large city. A cautious but kind chipmunk offers the mouse a meal; she hesitantly accepts, and a new friendship is formed. Has the mouse found her forever home?
by Thomas Harding
On a little piece of marshy land next to a newly built canal, a house is built. It is lovely with strong brick walls, pine floors, and a green door. Eventually, other houses are built around it, and a neighborhood begins to take shape. Over the next four centuries, the house will be home to a Christian family of 12 escaping persecution, an elderly childless couple, a budding chemist, and an ironmonger. Eventually, it will be turned into a storefront where a Jewish man will sell herbs and spices to support his wife and children. When war breaks out and the Jews are threatened, he hides his family in the upstairs annex rooms of the house, including his young daughter, Anne. While in hiding, Anne writes a diary detailing her life in the attic. The family is later found and turned over to the authorities. Only the man, the girl's diary, and the house survive. This is the story of one house through its entire history.
by Allen Say
When Grandfather was a young man, he boarded a ship, leaving his home in Japan to see the world. He traveled all the way across the Pacific Ocean and came to California. But his journey was not done. By train, riverboat, and even on foot, Grandfather explored this new country and grew to love it. America wasn't home, however, and Grandfather longed to return to the place of his childhood. Years later, after he had a wife and a grown daughter, Grandfather finally set foot on Japanese soil again and realized that a person can feel at home in more than one place.
This living book will gently introduce the 19th-century cultures of Japan and the American West.
by Verla Kay
When the Confederate Army calls for soldiers, Johnny leaves his childhood games behind to become a drummer boy. His job is to drum out rhythmic signals to give the soldiers battlefield instructions. He marches with his fellow southerners, experiencing the adventurous side of military life, such as campfires and hot-air balloons used for reconnaissance. But all too soon, Johnny comes face to face with the harsh and dangerous realities of battle--the sounds of cannons and musket fire and the sight of casualties. When the South is defeated, Johnny crosses the looted battlefields to return home, where he finds life forever changed. His family's land has been sold, and their former slaves are now working as hired hands in the cotton fields.
This book, written entirely in rhyme to match the rhythm of a drum, offers young readers a glimpse into the Confederate perspective of the Civil War, a side that is often underrepresented in children's literature. It does not glamorize the Southern cause nor attempt to create sympathy. It merely shows what it looked like for a child in the defeated South.
Leveled Readers
by Emily Arnold McCully
While walking through town with their mother, six ducklings are swept up by a gush of water and washed down a storm drain. The mother duck, worried for her babies, chases them from drain to drain, trying to calm them down with her reassuring "Quacks." Meanwhile, the little ducklings "cheep cheep" and sail through the dark sewer pipes. As the chase moves into the busier part of the city, the mother duck's persistent quacking draws the attention of a kind-hearted man. The man arrives with a net and is able to rescue the ducklings from the storm drain.
This Level C reader features short, three- to five-word sentences that contain one- and two-vowel words, as well as a few digraphs.
Paddywack
by Stephanie Spinner
Paddywack is a spirited pony whose rider, Jane, is struggling to learn new skills. He wants to help her, but won't perform without treats. On the day of a big horse show, the pair does poorly in the early rounds. Before the final jumping event, Jane admits she forgot the horse treats. Paddywack, however, decides to do his best anyway. Will he be able to jump high enough? Will Jane be able to stay in the saddle?
This Level 3 reader is a fun introduction to the world of show jumping and equestrian competitions.
Illustrated Chapter Books
by Mary Jane Finsand
When iron ore was discovered beneath the town of Hibbing, Minnesota, something had to be done. The ore was too valuable to be ignored, but so were the memories and familial connections of the townsfolk. To access the rich mineral deposits, the Oliver Iron Mining Company collaborated with the townspeople to relocate nearly 200 structures to a new site two miles south. From 1919 to 1921, structures—including houses, businesses, and even large hotels— were hoisted onto rollers and pulled down the main road to the new townsite.
Based on a true story, this book recounts the determination of one small town to preserve its way of life in an unconventional and fantastical way.
by Jan Wahl
Pleasant is a kind, self-assured, albeit somewhat misguided fieldmouse. He wants nothing more than to be a good neighbor to Mrs. Worry-Wind Hedgehog, Haunted Beaver, Graybeard Tortoise, and all the many other creatures who call the forest home. However, no matter how well-intentioned and heroic his efforts may be, he often makes a mess of the situation.
Each chapter of this book is a stand-alone story that details the whimsical adventures of Pleasant and his friends. Fans of The Wind in the Willows and the writings of Beatrix Potter will enjoy this and the other three titles of the Pleasant Fieldmouse trilogy.
Middle-Grade Novels
by Avi
Life is well-planned for a girl in 1848 New England. She is to marry, start a family, and take her place in genteel society. But 14-year-old Victoria "Tory" Blaisdell wants adventure. She wants independence. When her father and younger brother, Jacob, board a ship heading West in hopes of finding gold, Tory is instructed to stay behind with her mother. Instead, she stows away on their California-bound vessel. When the ship docks in San Francisco, Tory is disappointed to find a chaotic, muddy tent city rather than the glamorous city she imagined. Her father, consumed by gold fever, leaves Tory and Jacob alone to fend for themselves while he heads to the gold fields. Tory adapts quickly, working odd jobs in men's clothing to provide for herself and her brother. But then one day, Jacob disappears. She discovers that he was likely kidnapped by "crimpers," criminals who steal unsuspecting boys to sell as enslaved crew members to ship captains. With the help of two new friends, Tory must find him before it's too late.
Please note: At the beginning and ending of the book, Tory rebels against her parents' idea of a girl's role. Additionally, at the beginning of her new life in San Francisco, she sees her brother as a burden to her independence. Though Tory wears men's clothes, it is not an attempt at gender transitioning, but merely a practical solution to the often cumbersome women's fashion of the day.
by Brian Selznick
12-year-old orphan Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a Paris train station, secretly winding the station's clocks and attempting to repair a mechanical man (an automaton) that he believes contains a secret message from his deceased father. When his dad's sketch book of ideas gets stolen by a local toymaker, Hugo is forced out of hiding to find it. He befriends Isabelle, the adopted daughter of the toymaker, and together they work to retrieve the notebook. Their search leads them to some surprising truths about the toymaker's past. But will they find the notebook, and will Hugo ever be able to fix the automaton?
The story is a tribute to the beginnings of film. It is a unique blend of traditional text and wordless, cinematic illustrations, which means that although it is published in audiobook format, it's best read in print.
Please note: In one scene, Hugo's uncle becomes intoxicated.
by Katy Morgan
In this imaginative retelling of 1 & 2 Samuel, readers will get a narrative account of the lives of Israel's first two kings, Saul and David. The story is told through the alternating points of view of Saul, Jonathan, David, and Michal, giving readers a deeper understanding of each character's motives and struggles. It opens with the Israelites calling for a king, leading to the selection and anointing of Saul by the prophet Samuel, and ends with David firmly established on the throne, dreaming of building a temple for God. While it stays true to the biblical account, using fictionalized details and dialogue to bring the story to life, it does leave out some of the more mature and complicated aspects of David's story, including his multiple wives. To ensure Biblical fidelity, the author includes notes at the end to differentiate between scriptural fact and imaginative elements.
This is one of three Biblical retellings by Katy Morgan.
Please note: Because so much of Saul and David's kingly lives involve war with other nations and with each other, some chapters may be difficult for sensitive kids. That said, the descriptions of war scenes are biblically accurate and age-appropriate for most middle-grade readers.
Stuart Little
by E.B. White
When the Little family's second son is born, he is a two-inch-tall mouse. Mr. and Mrs. Little are unfazed, raising him as they would a normal child. Despite his diminutive size, Stuart quickly shows his resourcefulness. He helps his mother by bravely retrieving her wedding ring after it falls down the drain and later proves his sailing prowess by single-handedly winning a model boat race in Central Park.
Stuart has a rocky relationship with Snowbell, the family's cat, who is a constant threat. However, he makes a dear friend in a bird named Margalo, whom the family gives shelter. Stuart must protect Margalo from Snowbell and another alley cat who has scared her away. Borrowing a miniature, gasoline-powered car from a dentist named Dr. Carey, Stuart heads north, the direction Margalo would have flown in spring. Along the way, he works as a substitute teacher and meets a small human girl named Harriet Ames.
Will he ever find Margalo?
Parents, Be Aware
by Polly Carlson-Voiles
While walking through the forest one dark night, Nora, Grandma, and Grandpa encounter all kinds of nocturnal critters--flying squirrels, calling loons, and hooting owls. But they've no time to stop and say hello. The trio is headed to a favorite spot on the dock to have a star party. Out in the wild, away from the city's glow, they have an unblemished look at the night sky. Nora marvels at the billions of stars shining above and reflecting in the dark lake below, and learns from her grandparents that people all over the world share this same experience of gazing at the night sky.
Things to know: When Nora asks if the stars ever come down to Earth, Grandpa replies, "Scientists say life is made from stuff that came from distant stars." Nora then says, "Maybe I'm part star." Her grandparents affirm that everything on earth is part star, inadvertently denying the truth of the first two chapters of Genesis.
by A.M. Morgen
Through a series of unfortunate deaths in his family, George, the third Lord Devonshire, is orphaned and believes himself to be cursed with bad luck. His neighbor, Ada Byron, is a brilliant and daring inventor whose mother refuses to let her see her father, the famous poet Lord Byron. Along with a mischievous orangutan and Oscar, a pirate's son, the pair travels across Europe in Ada's flying machine, facing pirates, criminals, and mysterious forces in a race to recover a legendary treasure map and the Star of Victory--two Devonshire family heirlooms that a band of nefarious criminals has stolen. Their cross-continent journey forces them to trust each other and find strength in their friendship, despite their initial fears and differences. They also uncover secrets about their own families.
Things to know: To recover the missing items, the children must lie and steal a few times. Ada assures a hesitant George that lying is acceptable under the circumstances. To excuse his father's pirating ways, Oscar explains that good and bad are shades on a spectrum and that a pirate can be a good person even if the law says otherwise. Additionally, the children have a brief conversation about whether ghosts are real.
Halfway through the book, the kids meet a boy named Charles Darwin, who is conducting experiments on rats to prove that animals evolve in response to their circumstances. While evolution is not a major talking point in the story, Darwin does make several appearances and continues to discuss his yet-to-be-confirmed theories.
Just for you, Mom
by Lisa Wingate
In the devastating aftermath of the Civil War, three unlikely traveling companions set off from a now-destitute Louisiana plantation and head for Texas. Hannie, a freed slave, hopes to find her family, who were sold away before the war. She carries with her a book of "Lost Friends," a collection of advertisements that formerly enslaved people used to search for their loved ones. Lavinia, the pampered daughter of the plantation owner, is attempting to collect her inheritance. Juneau Jane, Lavinia's Creole half-sister, joins the journey to claim her birthright.
Over a century later, a first-year teacher named Benedetta "Benny" Silva takes a teaching position at a rural school in the tiny Louisiana town of Augustine. She's hoping the job will help her pay off her student loans. While working in the library of a crumbling plantation home, Benny discovers a hidden book that chronicles the century-old story of Hannie, Lavinia, and Juneau Jane.
As they learn the details of their journey and Hannie's search for her family, Benny and her students begin to explore the town's buried history. They unearth painful truths about the past and stir up long-standing racial tensions in the community.
This is a dual-time novel that jumps between 1875 and 1987.