Scholastic Canada | Dewey Diva Picks

Dewey Diva Picks - Spring 2017

Happy Dreamer

By Peter H. Reynolds | ISBN 9780545865012
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | April 2017

While the world tells us to sit still, to follow the rules, and to colour inside the lines, Happy Dreamer celebrates all those moments in between when the mind and spirit soar and we are free to become our own true dreamer maximus! In Peter's signature voice and style, this empowering picture book reminds children of how much their dreams matter, and while life will have ups and downs, he enlists readers to stay true to who they are, to tap into their most creative inner selves, and to never ever forget to dream big!

Hello, Mr. Dodo!

By Nicholas John Frith | ISBN 9781338089394
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | February 2017

Martha is absolutely cuckoo for birds! She's identified every single bird in the woods behind her house. But one day she sees a bird unlike any other... Can that really be a dodo? It turns out that dodos make very good friends (and are crazy about doughnuts!). But when Martha's secret gets out and the whole town wants to see her new friend, will Martha have to say goodbye to Mr. Dodo?

Old Turtle: Questions of the Heart

Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? How do we find happiness? Once again, Old Turtle's wise answers offer readers of all ages inspiration, solace, and the most important gift of all — hope.

Out

A brave little girl and her mother escape a war-torn land. On the difficult sea voyage there is little to eat, but there is abundant love and caring. Her adopted country offers a safe place to live, a new school, and supportive friends. There are also hurtful labels, flashbacks, and the ever-present ache of a missing father. Over time there's a new job for her mother, time for play, music — even dancing! — and hope for the future.

Timely, powerful and moving, Out celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the darkest times, and the many paths people take to build a new life.

The Little Knight Who Battled a Dragon

In a curious kingdom built on top of a forest lives a little knight. His life is carefree. During the day, he has fun training flies. At night, he relaxes in a hammock, befriending the bats. But one day the village falls under the shadow of a dragon and our hero must set off to fight the fearsome beast. When he finds the dragon, however, the little knight sees that what's needed to save the day is a dose of kindness.

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!

La Paz is a happy, but noisy village. A little peace and quiet would make it just right. So the villagers elect the bossy Don Pepe as their mayor. Before long, singing of any kind is outlawed. Even the teakettle is afraid to whistle! But there is one noisy rooster who doesn't give two mangos about this mayor's silly rules. Instead, he does what roosters were born to do. He sings: "Kee-kee-ree-KEE!"

This & That

Two mice set off on a storytelling adventure that takes them through cavernous caves, atop crazy giraffes, and over palace walls until they return safely home to the comfort of their beds. A sweet, rhyming story, This & That is perfect for helping children develop their sequencing skills!

Me and Marvin Gardens

By Amy Sarig King | ISBN 9780545870740
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2017

Obe Devlin has problems. His family's farmland has been taken over by developers. His best friend Tommy abandoned him for the development kids. And he keeps getting nosebleeds, because of that thing he doesn't like to talk about. So Obe hangs out at the creek by his house, in the last wild patch left, picking up litter and looking for animal tracks. One day, he sees a creature that looks kind of like a large dog, or maybe a small boar. And as he watches it, he realizes it eats plastic. Only plastic. Water bottles, shopping bags... No one has ever seen a creature like this before, because there's never been a creature like this before. The animal — Marvin Gardens — soon becomes Obe's best friend and biggest secret. But to keep him safe from the developers and Tommy and his friends, Obe must make a decision that might change everything.

The Bad Guys #1

They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys... and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that... Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr. Snake please stop swallowing Mr. Piranha?!

The Crystal Ribbon

By Celeste Lim | ISBN 9780545767033
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2017

In the village of Huanan, in medieval China, the deity that rules is the Great Huli Jing. Though twelve-year-old Li Jing's name is a different character entirely from the Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing — but maybe is also a source of greater destiny and power. Jing's life isn't easy. Her father is a poor tea farmer, and her family has come to the conclusion that in order for everyone to survive, Jing must be sacrificed for the common good. She is sold as a bride to the Koh family, where she will be the wife and nursemaid to their three-year-old son, Ju'nan. It's not fair, and Jing feels this bitterly, especially when she is treated poorly by the Koh's, and sold yet again into a worse situation that leads Jing to believe her only option is to run away, and find home again. With the help of a spider who weaves Jing a means to escape, and a nightingale who helps her find her way, Jing embarks on a quest back to Huanan — and to herself.

The Goldfish Boy

By Lisa Thompson | ISBN 9781338053920
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | March 2017

Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbours from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac. When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbours is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?

The Harlem Charade

By Natasha Tarpley | ISBN 9780545783873
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2017

WATCHER. SHADOW. FUGITIVE. Harlem is home to all kinds of kids. Jin sees life passing her by from the window of her family's bodega. Alex wants to help the needy one shelter at a time, but can't tell anyone who she really is. Elvin's living on Harlem's cold, lonely streets, surviving on his own after his grandfather was mysteriously attacked. When these three strangers join forces to find out what happened to Elvin's grandfather, their digging leads them to an enigmatic artist whose missing masterpieces are worth a fortune — one that might save the neighbourhood from development by an ambitious politician who wants to turn it into Harlem World, a ludicrous historic theme park. But if they don't find the paintings soon, nothing in their beloved neighbourhood will ever be the same . . .

The Impossible Clue

By Sarah Rubin | ISBN 9780545940252
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | January 2017

Math whiz Alice Jones has already cracked a mystery or two. She's smart and she's fearless, so who else would her classmates turn to? But when a famous local scientist vanishes from a locked room, Alice and her detective skills graduate to the big leagues. Dr. Learner had been working on a top-secret invisibility suit that everyone wants. Rumour has it he's vanished under suspicious circumstances . . . literally. But is wacky science really behind his disappearance? Or is it something more sinister? Alice won't stop until she knows the truth . . .

The Icarus Show

By Sally Christie | ISBN 9781338081619
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | January 2017

Alex has worked out a foolproof plan to avoid being picked on. Don't React. It's so simple, it just might work. David, a boy in his class, Does React. He's branded a weirdo, becomes an outcast, and is given a terrible nickname. Alex is determined not to suffer the same fate. But one day, Alex gets a note in his bag that forces him out of his safe little world. Who sent the note? And is what it promises true — will a boy really fly? The Icarus Show is a powerful story about friendship, loneliness, and a strange kind of genius.

The Erth Dragons #1: The Wearle

By Chris d’Lacey | ISBN 9780545900188
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | January 2017

A Wearle of dragons set out on an expedition from their home planet and was never heard from again. Now, a new Wearle, determined to find the first, has come to the place its creatures call Erth. Gabrial, who still has the blue scales of a young dragon, is eager to prove himself, and to find his missing father. But when Gabrial causes an accident that results in a baby dragon going missing, he'll have to prove himself worthy of remaining with the Wearle at all. Across the scorch line, most Hom, or humans, live in fear of the dragons. But a boy named Ren is too fascinated to stay away, and will soon find his fate intertwined with that of the dragons. When conflict erupts between the dragons and humankind, Ren does the unimaginable, crossing into dragon territory. Will he be able to gain the dragons' trust and prevent an all-out war?

NewsPrints

Blue is an orphan who disguises herself as a newsboy. There's a war going on, and girls are expected to help the struggling economy by selling cookies. But Blue loves living and working at the Bugle, the only paper in town that tells the truth. And what's printed in the newspapers now matters more than ever. But Blue struggles with her secret, and worries that if her friends and adopted family at the Bugle find out that she's a girl, she'll lose everything and everyone she cares about. And when she meets and befriends Crow, a boy who is also not what he seems, together they seek the freedom to be their true selves... and to save each other.

Almost Autumn

By Marianne Kaurin | ISBN 9780545889650
Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | January 2017

It's October 1942, in Oslo, Norway. Fifteen-year-old Ilse Stern is waiting to meet boy-next-door Hermann Rod for their first date. She was beginning to think he'd never ask her; she's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But Hermann won't be able to make it tonight. What Ilse doesn't know is that Hermann is secretly working in the Resistance, helping Norwegian Jews flee the country to escape the Nazis. The work is exhausting and unpredictable, full of late nights and code words and lies to Hermann's parents, to his boss... to Ilse. And as life under German occupation becomes even more difficult, particularly for Jewish families like the Sterns, the choices made become more important by the hour: To speak up or to look away? To stay or to flee? To act now or wait one more day? In this internationally acclaimed debut, Marianne Kaurin recreates the atmosphere of secrecy and uncertainty in World War II Norway in a moving story of sorrow, chance, and first love.

Frogkisser!

By Garth Nix | ISBN 9781338052084
Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | March 2017

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own. Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land — and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low.

Hearts & Other Body Parts

By Ira Bloom | ISBN 9781338030730
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | April 2017

Sisters Esme, Katy, and Ronnie are smart, talented, and gorgeous, and better yet . . . all three are witches. They have high school wired until the arrival of two new students. The first is Norman, who is almost eight feet tall and appears to be constructed of bolts and mismatched body parts. Despite his intimidating looks, Esme finds herself strangely — almost romantically — drawn to both his oversized brain and oversized heart. The second new arrival is Zack, an impossibly handsome late transfer from the UK who has the girls at school instantly mesmerized. Soon even sensible Esme has forgotten Norman, and all three sisters are in a flat-out hex war to win Zack. But while the magic is flying, only Norman seems to notice that students who wander off alone with Zack end up with crushed bones and memory loss. Or worse, missing entirely. Hearts & Other Body Parts is a wickedly addictive novel about love, monsters, and loyalty. And oh yeah, a Japanese corpse-eating demon cat.

Honestly Ben

By Bill Konigsberg | ISBN 9780545858267
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | April 2017

Ben Carver is back to normal. He's working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He's even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past. Except... There's Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighbouring school, who attracts him and distracts him. There's his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there's Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else . . . and maybe the real normal that Ben needs.

Night Witches: A Novel of World War II

By Kathryn Lasky | ISBN 9780545682985
Ages 13 & up | HC | Young Adult | April 2017

Fifteen-year-old Valya knows what it feels like to fly. She's a pilot who's always felt more at home soaring through the sky than down on earth. But since the Germans surrounded Stalingrad, Valya's been forced to stay on the ground and watch her city crumble. When her mother is killed during the siege, Valya is left with one burning desire: to join up with her older sister, a member of the famous and feared Night Witches — a brigade of young female pilots. Using all her wits, Valya manages to get past the German blockage and find the Night Witches' base . . . and that's when the REAL danger starts. The women have been assigned a critical mission. If they succeed, they'll inflict serious damage on the Nazis. If they fail, they'll face death . . . or even worse horrors.

One Thousand Hills

Agabande, Rwanda, April 1994. Life is simple but good. Pascal and his brother go to school with their friends, their parents work hard, their little sister is growing up, and on Sunday almost everyone they know goes to church to thank God for his goodness. But lately, there have been whispers and suspicious glances around town, and messages of hate on the radio, and people are leaving. . . Then, in one awful night, Pascal’s ordinary life in the land of a thousand hills is turned upside down.

Wild Lily

By K.M. Peyton | ISBN 9781338081602
All ages | HC | Young Adult | March 2017

It's the 1920s — cars and planes are new. Lily Gabriel is scruffy and confident and takes no nonsense from anyone. Antony is rich, spoiled, and arrogant, and Lily is completely and utterly — no nonsense! — in love with him. So join Lily as she falls... Falls in love... Falls out of the sky... Falls through time... And effortlessly, inescapably, falls into her future. Life is never what you expect or what you predict. But if you're lucky, you hold onto exactly what you need — a young and wild heart. Wild Lily is a striking, timeless coming-of-age story that reminds us that the untamed life is always worth living.

Lesser Spotted Animals

By Martin Brown | ISBN 9781338089349
Ages 7-10 | HC | Non-Fiction | February 2017

Bison? They're banned! Tigers? Taboo! Say goodbye to the gnu, cheerio to the cheetah, and peace to the panda. The world of Lesser Spotted Animals STARTS HERE! Find out all about the amazing animals you need to know but never get to see, from the numbat to the zorilla, and everything in between.

Penguin Day

By Nic Bishop | ISBN 9780545206365
Ages 3-5 | HC | Non-Fiction | March 2017

Rockhopper penguins live by the sea, but in many ways, their families are just like ours. Penguin parents take good care of their children. Mama Penguin fishes for food, while Papa stays home and watches the little one. But even little ones get tired of waiting for dinner, and sometimes they wander off... Luckily, penguin parents always save the day!

Rivers of Sunlight: How the Sun Moves Water Around the Earth

By Molly Bang | ISBN 9780545805414
Ages 4-8 | HC | Non-Fiction | February 2017

In this brightly illustrated narrative, readers will learn about the constant movement of water as it flows around the Earth and the sun's important role as water changes between liquid, vapour, and ice. From sea to sky, the sun both heats and cools water, ensuring that life can exist on Earth. How does the sun keep ocean currents moving, and lift fresh water from the seas? And what can we do to conserve one of our planet's most precious resources?

The Vimy Oaks: A Journey to Peace

Imagine, a young soldier standing in the midst of a landscape ravaged by war, pocketing a handful of acorns from the blasted trees, and posting them home. In April 1917, after the Battle at Vimy Ridge, Leslie H. Miller — a teacher, a farmer, and a soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Force — did just that. Over the following one hundred years, those acorns became majestic oaks, standing at the site of Miller's family farm in Ontario.

Vimy Ridge is considered Canada's greatest First World War victory, although its toll was devastating. This moving book, filled with beautiful artwork and archival photos contextualizes a Canadian soldier's experience in the Great War while highlighting this extraordinary gesture of hope and renewal. Now, a century later, the results of this simple act have created a living memorial to those who served. In April 2017, seedlings from these oaks will be repatriated to their original territory at Vimy Ridge in France as part of the ceremonies to mark Canada's contribution to the war.

Enfin, le grand jour!<br />(Today Is the Day)

Enfin, le grand jour!
(Today Is the Day)

Mutanu n'en peut plus d'attendre. Tout en faisant ses corvées, elle pense à la journée qui s'en vient et se demande quelles surprises elle apportera. Aujourd'hui n'est pas une journée comme les autres à l'orphelinat où elle vit. Chaque année, une fête d'anniversaire est organisée pour les nouveaux. À partir de ce moment-là, les orphelins et orphelines ont une journée qui leur appartient, une journée à célébrer, une journée dont ils se souviendront.

Mutanu is excited. As she goes about her chores, she thinks about the day to come and what surprises it might bring. For today is no ordinary day at the orphanage she lives in. Every year, the orphanage honours its newest arrivals by creating a birthday day especially for them. From that moment forward, the orphans have a day that they know is theirs — a day to celebrate, a day to enjoy, a day to remember.

Ma branche préférée
(The Branch)

Une petite fille s'éveille un matin, après une tempête de verglas. La branche de son arbre préféré est cassée. Cette branche était son château, sa base d'espions, son bateau. Elle ne laissera personne partir avec SA branche. Puis son voisin, un homme âgé, l'aide à donner une deuxième vie à ce qui semble n'être qu'une simple branche aux yeux des autres.

In this eloquent story, a young girl is crestfallen when a branch from her beloved tree snaps off in an ice storm. But she's not about to let anyone chop it up or clear it away. With the help of an elderly neighbour, she finds a way to give new life to what others might consider "just a branch".

Cher Journal : Les mots qu’il me reste<br />(Dear Canada: These Are My Words)

Cher Journal : Les mots qu’il me reste
(Dear Canada: These Are My Words)

By Ruby Slipperjack | ISBN 9781443156004
Ages 9 & up | HC | French | January 2017

Mais le pire c'est la peur qui la tient. La peur d'oublier tout ce qu'elle a toujours chéri; l'anishnabe, sa langue, le nom des personnes qu'elle connaissait et ses coutumes. Bref, la peur d'oublier qui elle est. Son journal est le seul endroit où elle peut exprimer ses véritables inquiétudes, ses déchirements et se souvenir du passé. Peut-être qu'écrire lui permettra de finalement voir la lumière au bout de ce tunnel infernal.

Violette Pesheen is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her "white" school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name — she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.

Her notebook is the one place she can record all of her worries, and heartbreaks, and memories. And maybe, just maybe there will be hope at the end of the tunnel.