By Irene Luxbacher | ISBN 9781338356335
Ages 4-8 | Picture Book | September 2020
Oh, to be a bear in the forest! To rest and play, day after day, always feeling safe and at home. But when change fills the air, and it's time to journey into a different kind of wilderness, will it ever feel the same? This sensitively imagined story illuminates the difficult transitions and magical transformations that help us discover how to be at home in the world.
By Elise Gravel | ISBN 9781443181747
Ages 3-8 | Picture Book | September 2020
When dad asks who left socks all over the place, a brother and sister insist that it was “Not Me.” Dad is quite sure the kids are not telling the truth, until he is introduced to the actual Not Me, a creature who in turn accuses Not True, who exposes the real sock bandit, the ever-complaining Not Fair! Parents and caregivers will appreciate this highly relatable book that manages to slyly address the blaming and excuse-making that often happens, while focusing on the humour of the situation.
By Andy Lee | Heath McKenzie | ISBN 9781338668988
Ages 4-8 | Picture Book | October 2020
This hilarious series opener from Australian comedian Andy Lee is full of twists and surprises for disobedient readers! From the very cover of this picture book, a funny blue monster pleads with readers not to keep reading. As his pleas grow more impassioned, however, readers will delight in doing exactly what they are asked not to do — no matter the consequences for the blue monster!
By Rachel Bright | Chris Chatterton | ISBN 9781338634082
Ages 4-6 | Picture Book | October 2020
It's a beautiful day and Worrysaurus has planned a special picnic. But it isn't long before a small butterfly of worry starts fluttering in his tummy...What if he hasn't brought enough to eat? What if he gets lost in the jungle? What if it rains?! With a little help from his mom, Worrysaurus finds a way to soothe the anxious butterflies, chase his fears away, and find peace and happiness in the moment at hand. Perfect for any reader who might feel the flutter of an anxious butterfly in their tummy.
By Jessika von Innerebner | ISBN 9781443182348
Ages 4-8 | Picture Book | October 2020
Everyone knows that everyone loves unicorns. When it comes to making friends, they really know their stuff — especially Kevin! So when a newni-corn moves in next door, Kevin can’t wait to meet his new best friend. Only Kevin and the newni-corn have a problem finding their bestie-corn groove. What’s a unicorn to do? This delightful picture book sparkles with humour and serves as a reassuring reminder that you can be friendly, even if you’re not best friends.
By Jon J Muth | ISBN 9780439634281
Ages 4-8 | Picture Book | October 2020
Addy has moved to a new neighborhood with her beloved kitten, Trumpet. But when Trumpet is hit by a car, Addy seeks her wise friend, Stillwater. She is sure he will know how to bring Trumpet back to life. Stillwater tells Addy she will need to find a special medicine. To do this, she must go to everyone in the neighborhood and collect a cup of sugar. But there is one condition: it can only come from the home of someone who has never been touched by loss. Muth's stunning interpretation of this Buddhist tale is infused with light and compassion.
By Tami Charles | Bryan Collier | ISBN 9781338574852
Ages 4-8 | Picture Book | October 2020
Tami Charles pens a poetic, lyrical text that is part love letter, part anthem, assuring readers that they always have, and always will, matter. This powerful, rhythmic lullaby reassures readers that their matter and their worth is never diminished, no matter the circumstance: through the joy and wonder of their first steps and first laughs, through the hardship of adolescent struggles, and the pain and heartbreak of current events, they always have, and always will, matter. Accompanied by illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, All Because You Matter empowers readers with pride, joy, and comfort, reminding them of their roots and strengthening them for the days to come.
By Kelly Yang | ISBN 9781338591385
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade | September 2020
Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever, but turns out, sixth grade is no picnic...1. Mia's new teacher doesn't think her writing is all that great. And her entire class finds out she lives and works in a motel! 2. The motel is struggling, and Mia has to answer to the Calivista's many, many worried investors.3. A new immigration law is looming and if it passes, it will threaten everything — and everyone — in Mia's life.
By Daka Hermon | ISBN 9781338583625
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade | September 2020
Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend. Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong. One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.
By Chen Jiatong | ISBN 9781338635379
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade | October 2020
The first modern Chinese middle grade series to be translated and brought to the English-speaking market, from bestselling author Chen Jiatong. A young white fox named Dilah dreams of being human. When his parents are taken from him, long-held secrets and a legend about a miraculous treasure rise to the surface in this perilous quest for self-discovery. A treasure with the power to make animals human...
By N. H. Senzai | Shannon Hitchcock | ISBN 9781338617665
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade | October 2020
Twelve-year-old Noura Alwan's family is granted asylum in the United States, after spending two years in a Turkish refugee camp, having fled war-torn Aleppo. Twelve-year-old Jordyn Johnson is a record-breaking swimmer in Tampa, Florida. The girls' lives intersect at Bayshore Middle School where Jordyn serves as the Alwan children's school ambassador. Noura knows that her family is safe from the civil unrest in her home country, but is not prepared for the adversity she now faces on American soil. While the president's Muslim ban tests the resolve and faith of many, it is friendship that stands strong against fear and hatred. A heartrending Own Voices story told in dual perspectives.
By Aida Salazar | ISBN 9781338343809
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade | September 2020
Nine-year-old Betita knows she is a crane. Papi has told her the story, even before her family fled to Los Angeles to seek refuge from cartel wars in Mexico. The Aztecs came from a place called Aztlan, what is now the Southwest US, called the land of the cranes. Papi tells Betita that they are cranes that have come home. Then one day, Betita's beloved father is arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported to Mexico. Betita and her pregnant mother are left behind and they too are soon detained and must learn to survive in a family detention camp outside of Los Angeles. Even in cruel and inhumane conditions, Betita finds heart in her own poetry and in the community she and her mother find in the camp. Will Betita and her family ever be whole again?
By Roald Dahl | Pénélope Bagieu | ISBN 9781338677430
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade Graphic Novel | September 2020
Witches are real, and they are very, very dangerous. They wear ordinary clothes and have ordinary jobs, living in ordinary towns all across the world — and there's nothing they despise more than children. When an eight-year-old boy and his grandmother come face-to-face with the Grand High Witch herself, they may be the only ones who can stop the witches' latest plot to stamp out every last child in the country! Graphic novel readers and Roald Dahl fans alike will relish this dynamic new take on a uniquely funny tale.
By Varian Johnson | Shannon Wright | ISBN 9781338236132
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade Graphic Novel | October 2020
Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran — a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?
By K. A. Applegate | Michael Grant | Chris Grine | ISBN 9781338538090
Ages 8-12 | Middle-Grade Graphic Novel | October 2020
Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack — and were given the power to fight back. Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen. . . .
By Bill Konigsberg | ISBN 9781338325034
Ages 14-18 | Young Adult | September 2020
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is — only that she will never be good enough. On the bridge, there are four things that could happen: Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't. Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't. They both jump. Neither of them jumps. Or maybe all four things happen, in this astonishing and insightful novel from Bill Konigsberg.
By Wai Chim | ISBN 9781338656114
Ages 14 and up | Young Adult | November 2020
Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could be a normal teen. As her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other. A heart-wrenching, true-to-life exploration through the often neglected crevices of culture, mental illness, and family.
By Vitor Martins | ISBN 9781338620825
Ages 14 and up | Young Adult | November 2020
Felipe's winter break plans get turned upside down when he learns that Caio, his neighbor, will be staying with him for fifteen days. Which is a problem because (a) Felipe has had a crush on Caio since, well, forever; and (b) Felipe has a list of body image insecurities and absolutely NO idea how he's going to handle them while sharing a room with his lifelong crush. Suddenly, the days that once promised rest and relaxation are a gauntlet of every unresolved issue in Felipe's life. But if he can overcome his insecurities, then maybe — just maybe — this break won't turn out to be such a disaster after all . . .
By Linda Elovitz Marshall | Aura Lewis | ISBN 9781338312294
Ages 6-8 | Non-Fiction | September 2020
Linda Elovitz Marshall introduces readers to the story of Anne Frank in this powerful book about family, war, and the importance of finding your voice. During her two years in hiding from the Nazis, Anne Frank poured her soul into a red plaid diary named Kitty. She wrote honestly of the reality of Nazi occupation, of daily life in the annex, and of her longing to be heard. More than anything, Anne spoke the truth, and her words have echoed throughout history.
By Rania Abouzeid | ISBN 9781338551129
Ages 12 and up | Non-Fiction | September 2020
Since the revolution-turned-civil war in Syria began in 2011, over 500,000 civilians have been killed and more than 12 million Syrians have been displaced. Rania Abouzeid, one of the foremost journalists on the topic, follows two pairs of sisters from opposite sides of the conflict to give readers a firsthand glimpse of the turmoil and devastation this strife has wrought. Through the stories of Ruha and Alaa and Hanin and Jawa, Abouzeid presents a clear-eyed and page-turning account of the complex conditions in Syria leading to the onset of the harrowing conflict.
By Christine MacGregor Cation and Roy MacGregor | Mathilde Cinq-Mars | ISBN 9781443181365
Ages 4-8 | French | Picture Book | September 2020
See below for English description.
Un livre touchant de l’auteur à succès Roy MacGregor, tiré d’une histoire vraie. Clarence Brazier garde précieusement un lourd secret depuis presque cent ans : il ne sait pas lire. Lorsque la seule qui connaisse son secret, son épouse, décède il décide d’apprendre la lecture. Va-t-il y arriver malgré son âge avancé? Cette histoire vraie inspire et souligne l’importance de l’alphabétisme et de la détermination.
Award-winning author Roy MacGregor brings us a moving picture book based on a true story. Clarence Brazier kept a big secret for nearly one hundred years: he doesn’t know how to read. But when his wife passes away — the only one who knew his secret — he decides he wants to learn. Will Clarence let his age stand in the way? This inspiring true story highlights the power of literacy and the importance of never giving up!
Original title: Clarence's Big Secret
By Lupita Nyong'o | Vashti Harrison | ISBN 9781443181884
Ages 4 and up | French | Picture Book | October 2020
See below for English description.
Sulwe a la peau noire comme le ciel de minuit. Elle est plus foncée que tous les autres membres de sa famille. Elle est aussi plus foncée que tout le monde à son école. Tout ce que Sulwe souhaite, c’est être belle et avoir le teint aussi clair que celui de ses parents. Mais un soir, une aventure magique dans le ciel lui ouvrira les yeux et changera tout...
Dans cet album magnifiquement illustré, l’actrice Lupita Nyong’o crée une histoire chaleureuse qui inspirera les enfants à apprécier la beauté sous toutes ses formes.
Sulwe has skin the colour of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.
By Devin, Terry and Eric Fan | ISBN 9781443180344
Ages 4 and up | French | Picture Book | November 2020
See below for English description.
Barnabé est une créature mi-éléphant mi-souris qui vit dans un laboratoire secret pour les Animaux idéaux. Toutefois, il est loin d’être idéal : il se trouve dans une section du labo pour les Projets ratés. Un jour, Barnabé prend une décision qui va changer le cours de sa vie. Suivez cet être courageux dans cette aventure remarquable alors qu’il poursuit ses rêves de liberté! Les frères Fan se surpassent avec des illustrations à couper le souffle. Un livre à lire absolument!
What happens when you put a half-elephant, half-mouse, in a secret lab? Barnabe´ lives in a secret lab for perfect pets. There’s just one catch: he’s not a perfect pet. One day, the half-elephant, half mouse makes a life-changing decision. Follow Barnabe´, who has never seen the outside world, on a remarkable adventure! A stunning picture book from international bestsellers The Fan Brothers, joined by their brother Devin Fan.
Original title: The Barnabus Project