Summer 2021 Picks

Be You!

Be You!  Canadian

By Peter H. Reynolds | ISBN 9781338572315
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Book | March 2020

Discover a joyful reminder of the ways that every child is unique and special, from the beloved creator of The Dot, Happy Dreamer, and New York Times bestseller, The Word Collector. Here, Reynolds reminds readers to "be your own work of art." To be patient, persistent, and true. Because there is one, and only one, YOU.

The Return of Thelma the Unicorn

The Return of Thelma the Unicorn

By Aaron Blabey | ISBN 9781443175951
Ages 3-7 | POB | Picture Book | January 2020

A quiet life away from the glare of the public eye suited Thelma just fine until she realized how much her fans missed her. And when she exploded back into the world in a shower of glittery fabulousness: The whole wide world was overjoyed! Her fans all went berserk. But this time Thelma had her friend and that’s what made it work. And with the support of her good friend Otis, this time Thelma really is ready to take on the world!

Watch It Grow: Backyard Life Cycles

Watch It Grow: Backyard Life Cycles  Canadian

By Barbara Reid | ISBN 9781443175593
Ages 4-8 | POB | Picture Book | January 2020

Readers young and old will enjoy this introduction to the marvels of the natural world: watching a tadpole hatch from an egg, a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, an acorn become a mighty oak and a glorious sunflower grow from a tiny seed! Barbara blends simple text with her signature Plasticine illustrations to awaken curiosity and encourage learning. The book includes graphic illustrations of the four backyard life cycles.

The Way Home for Wolf

The Way Home for Wolf

By Rachel Bright | Jim Field | ISBN 9781338592740
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Book | January 2020

Wolf cub Wilf doesn't want help from anyone. Whatever it is, he can do it all by himself. But when he finds himself lost and alone in the chill of the Arctic night, Wilf discovers that sometimes we all need the helping hand of a friend. A stunningly illustrated story from the creators of the bestselling, multi-award-winning The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could.

Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day

Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day

By Carmen Agra Deedy | Pete Oswald | ISBN 9781338216387
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Book | March 2020

In two little houses, on two little hills, lived two best friends . . . So begins the story of Rita and Ralph. Every day they meet to play beneath the apple tree. It's always fun and games — until one roundly rotten day when a new game means someone ends up crying. Who knew it could be so hard to say "I'm sorry"? A comforting tale of healing and true friendship.

Roy Digs Dirt

Roy Digs Dirt

By David Shannon | ISBN 9781338251012
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Book | April 2020

Although it's a smelly task for those who have to constantly bathe him, Roy's happiness centers on his very favorite thing-dirt-and from sunrise to sunset, he burrows in it, rolls in it, and digs up buried treasures. There's terror in every terrier, and when Roy runs into the house after being sprayed by a skunk, he faces the dreaded bathtub. Readers will see themselves in Roy's childlike delight each time he makes the biggest mess ever.

What Could That Be?

What Could That Be?

By Reza Dalvand | ISBN 9781338530193
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Book | April 2020

On the edge of a clearing in the woods there's something mysterious lying on the ground. What on earth could it be? The raven thinks it is a piece of star fallen from the sky. The leopard fears he has lost his own spot! The cat thinks it's her poo and buries it. The fox simply has no idea what it could be. What do you think it is?

Do Not EVER Be a Babysitter!

Do Not EVER Be a Babysitter!

By Michaela Muntean | Pascal Lemaitre | ISBN 9781338283907
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Book | April 2020

Uncle Pig is babysitting his nieces and nephews, and he is clueless about what to do! His sister left him a handy list of ideas for how to entertain them, but Pig has a flair for misinterpretation (think Amelia Bedelia). When his tidy home erupts into messy chaos, what is a rookie babysitter to do? Turn to the reader for help, of course!

A Little Bit Brave

A Little Bit Brave

By Nicola Kinnear | ISBN 9781338563276
Ages 3-7 | HC | Picture Book | April 2020

Logan is a stay-at-home bunny — but he's about to discover how brave he really is. It's time for his first adventure, and he doesn't want to go. But there's an amazing world outside, if he can just pluck up the courage to look . . . A Little Bit Brave is a funny, reassuring picture book that shows that we're all a lot braver than we think.

Nat Enough

Nat Enough

By Maria Scrivan | ISBN 9781338538199
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | April 2020

Natalie has never felt that she's enough — athletic enough, stylish enough, or talented enough. And on the first day of middle school, Natalie discovers that things are worse than she thought — now she's not even cool enough for her best friend, Lily! As Natalie tries to get her best friend back, she learns more about her true self and natural talents. If Natalie can focus on who she is rather than who she isn't, then she might realize she's more than enough, just the way she is.

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (I Survived Graphic Novel #1): A Graphix Book

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (I Survived Graphic Novel #1): A Graphix Book

By Lauren Tarshis | Haus Studio | ISBN 9781338120912
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | February 2020

Lauren Tarshis's New York Times bestselling I Survived series takes on vivid new life in full-colour graphic novel editions. Ten-year-old George Calder can't wait to explore every inch of the Titanic, even if his little sister, Phoebe, has to tag along. But when George sneaks away without her and ventures into the first class baggage room, a terrible boom shakes the entire boat. Suddenly, water is everywhere, and George's life changes forever...

The Boy Who Became a Dragon: A Biography of Bruce Lee

The Boy Who Became a Dragon: A Biography of Bruce Lee

By Jim Di Bartolo | ISBN 9781338134117
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | February 2020

Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940 - in both the hour and the year of the dragon. Almost immediately, he was plunged into conflict: as a child in Hong Kong as it was invaded and occupied by the Japanese; as the object of discrimination and bullying; and as a teenager grappling against the influence of gangs. As the world knows, Lee found his salvation and calling through kung fu. The Boy Who Became a Dragon tells his story in brilliant comic form.

Dragon Assassin

Dragon Assassin  Canadian

By Arthur Slade | ISBN 9781443175517
Ages 10-14 | PB | Middle Grade | January 2020

Carmen is a student at Red Assassin School. The students have been trained to hunt using giant black swans, but Carmen has discovered a dragon. All she has to do is get on his back. But when the Emperor declares war on assassins, graduation night is about to become the fight of her life! In this heartstopping adventure by Arthur Slade, readers will root for Carmen — an Assassin with a heart of gold, determined to follow her dream against all odds.

My Best Friend and Other Illusions

My Best Friend and Other Illusions  Canadian

By Suri Rosen | ISBN 9781443146821
Ages 9-12 | PB | Middle Grade | February 2020

Charlie, a budding acrobat, is desperate to attend a gymnastics camp that will qualify her for a spot in the renowned travelling circus Circo Circo. But her mom can barely make ends meet and Charlie knows she must find a way to earn the money on her own. The solution seems to come when the perfect gymnastics partner mysteriously appears. There’s just one small thing though . . . this perfect partner is Charlie’s imaginary childhood friend — only this time he’s real. And he knows all of her deepest secrets.

Notorious

Notorious Canadian

By Gordon Korman | ISBN 9781443175920
Ages 9-12 | HC | Middle Grade | January 2020

Keenan is bored. While he is recovering from tuberculosis, he has gone to live with his dad on Centerlight, Michigan, an island of about 7000 residents in the St. Clair River which is divided in two by the Canada-US border. When he makes friends with a girl his age, ZeeBee, who lives on the Canadian side of the border, his life becomes anything but boring. Will the pair of them find the treasure and solve the mystery of what happened to Barney . . . or will the dog-murdering criminals find them first?

Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legends)

Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legends)

By Tui T. Sutherland | ISBN 9781338214604
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2020

For decades dragons have wondered how three small scavengers managed to kill Queen Oasis. Until now. Travel back to before the War of SandWing Succession, and experience Pyrrhia as we've never seen it before — through the eyes of humans.

King and the Dragonflies

King and the Dragonflies

By Kacen Callender | ISBN 9781338129335
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2020

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Just days before he died, Khalid told King to end his friendship with his best friend Sandy -that he thinks he might be gay. But when Sandy goes missing and King decides to help his friend escape an abusive father, King is forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death. A story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one's identity.

Can You See Me?

Can You See Me?

By Libby Scott | ISBN 9781338608915
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | March 2020

Tally isn't ashamed of being autistic — even if it complicates life sometimes, it's part of who she is. But this is her first year at Kingswood Academy, and her best friend, Layla, is the only one who knows. And while a lot of other people are uncomfortable around Tally, Layla has never been one of them . . . until now. Inspired by young coauthor Libby Scott's own experiences with autism, this is an honest and moving middle-school story of friends, family, and finding one's place.

Mañanaland

Mañanaland

By Pam Muñoz Ryan | ISBN 9781338157864
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | March 2020

Córdoba loves stories, especially the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers, who are true of heart, on a journey into tomorrow. If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated fútbol team, and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papá won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret-involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety—he decides to seek answers on his own and set forth on a quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.

The Girl Who Speaks Bear

The Girl Who Speaks Bear

By Sophie Anderson | ISBN 9781338580839
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | March 2020

Discovered in a bear cave as a baby, 12-year-old Yanka dreams of knowing who she really is. Although Yanka is happy at home with her loving foster mother, she feels out of place in the village where the other children mock her for her unusual size and strength. So when Yanka wakes up one morning to find her legs have become bear legs, she knows she has no choice but to leave her village. She has to find somewhere she truly belongs, so she ventures into the Snow Forest in search of the truth about her past.

Show Me a Sign

Show Me a Sign

By Ann Clare LeZotte | ISBN 9781338255812
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | March 2020

Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there — including Mary — are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage. But recent events have delivered winds of change, including the death of her brother, land disputes and the arrival of a scientist who soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. A poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability.

Rick

Rick

By Alex Gino | ISBN 9781338048100
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | April 2020

Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his father joke with him about hot girls even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn't given his own identity much thought. But now Rick's gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school's Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, including Melissa, the girl who sits in front of Rick in class and seems to have her life together. Rick wants his own life to be that . . . understood.

We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport (Scholastic Focus)

We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport (Scholastic Focus)

By Deborah Hopkinson | ISBN 9781338255720
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | February 2020

Through the moving and often heart-wrenching personal accounts of Kindertransport survivors, Deborah Hopkinson paints the timely and devastating story of how the rise of Hitler and the Nazis tore apart the lives of so many families and what they were forced to give up in order to save these children. Miles from home, the Kindertransport refugees entered unrecognizable lives, where food, clothes — and, for many of them, language and religion — were startlingly new. Somehow, these rescued children had to learn to look forward, to hope.

Into the Clouds: The Race to Climb the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain (Scholastic Focus)

Into the Clouds: The Race to Climb the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain (Scholastic Focus)

By Tod Olson | ISBN 9781338207361
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | April 2020

Three expeditions and a high-mountain rivalry. Three attempts at K2, one of the most grueling challenges the planet has to offer. Filled with displays of incredible strength and heart-stopping danger, Into the Clouds is the thrilling story of the men whose quest to conquer a mountain became a battle to survive the descent.

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List

By Joshua M. Greene and Rena Finder | ISBN 9781338593792
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | January 2020

Rena Finder was only eleven when the Nazis forced her and her family — along with all the other Jewish families — into the ghetto in Krakow, Poland. Rena and her mother end up working for Oskar Schindler, who employs Jewish prisoners in his factory and keeps them fed and healthy. When Rena and her mother are deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz, it is Schindler who helps them escape. Here in her own words is Rena's gripping story of survival, perseverance, tragedy, and hope. Including pictures from Rena's personal collection and from the time period.

Untitled Panem Novel

Untitled Panem Novel

By Suzanne Collins | ISBN 9781338635171
Ages 12 and up | HC | Young Adult | May 2020

Untitled Panem Novel will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.

The Loop

The Loop

By Ben Oliver | ISBN 9781338589306
Ages 14 and up | POB | Young Adult | April 2020

It's Luka Kane's sixteenth birthday and he's been inside The Loop for over two years. Every inmate is serving a death sentence with the option to push back their execution date by six months if they opt into "Delays", scientific and medical experiments for the benefit of the elite in the outside world. But when news of the encroaching chaos in the outside world reaches the inmates and disorder begins to strike, the prison becomes the least of their worries. Were the chains that shackled Luka to his cell the only instruments left to keep him safe?

Furious Thing

Furious Thing

By Jenny Downham | ISBN 9781338540659
Ages 12 and up | HC | Young Adult | January 2020

Lexi's angry. And it's getting worse. If only she could stop losing her temper and behave herself, her stepfather would accept her, her mom would love her like she used to, and her stepbrother would declare his crushing desire to spend the rest of his life with her. She wants these things so badly, she's determined to swallow her anger and make her family proud. But pushing fury down doesn't make it disappear. Instead, it simmers below the surface waiting to erupt . . . And there'll be fireworks when it does. A remarkably affecting story that explores the myriad of ways a girl's sense of self can be whittled away, and what might happen when she fights back.

The Light in Hidden Places

The Light in Hidden Places

By Sharon Cameron | ISBN 9781338355932
Ages 12 and up | HC | Young Adult | March 2020

It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemsyl, Poland. But everything changes when the German army invades Przemsyl. The Diamants are forced into the ghetto, and Stefania is alone in an occupied city, the only one left to care for Helena, her six-year-old sister. They wait, every day, for the knock at the door, the one that will mean death. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army. With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make.

Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights (Scholastic Focus)

Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights (Scholastic Focus)

By Lawrence Goldstone | ISBN 9781338323481
Ages 12 and up | HC | Young Adult | January 2020

Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote? In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote, Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Though this is a story of America's past, Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today's creeping threats to suffrage in this important and, alas, timely book

Kent State

Kent State

By Deborah Wiles | ISBN 9781338356281
Ages 12-18 | HC | Young Adult | April 2020

May 4, 1970. Kent State University. As protestors roil the campus, National Guardsmen are called in. In the chaos of what happens next, shots are fired and four students are killed. To this day, there is still argument of what happened and why. Told in multiple voices from a number of vantage points — Kent State gives a moving, terrifying, galvanizing picture of what happened that weekend in Ohio . . . an event that, even 50 years later, still resonates deeply.

Scholastic Canada Biography: Meet Willie O'Ree

Scholastic Canada Biography: Meet Willie O'Ree  Canadian

By Elizabeth MacLeod | Mike Deas | ISBN 9781443175616
Ages 4-8 | POB | Non-Fiction | January 2020

On January 18, 1958, Willie O’Ree made history as the first black player in the NHL when he suited up with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens. O’Ree went on to play a total of 45 games with the Bruins, a remarkable achievement considering what he overcame to get there. In addition to dealing with racism, bigotry and name-calling, Willie lived with a secret disability: he was blind in one eye — a fact he had to keep to himself, or he’d never play in the NHL. This book is a celebration of his life from childhood to playing career, to his later work as an ambassador for NHL diversity, and to his eventual induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

Cercle

Cercle

By Mac Barnett | Jon Klassen | ISBN 9781443174855
Ages 5-9 | HC | Picture Book | March 2020

C'est l'histoire de Cercle. C'est aussi l'histoire de Triangle et de Carré, les amis de Cercle. Et c'est aussi l'histoire d'une règle que Cercle a fixée, mais que Triangle ne respecte pas.

Le duo à succès cité par le New York Times et lauréat de nombreux prix, nous offre le troisième et dernier tome de sa trilogie cocasse mettant en vedette Triangle, Carré et Cercle. Mac Barnett et Jon Klassen bouclent la boucle avec leur humour subtil et intelligent qui les caractérise si bien!

Multi-award-winning, New York Times best-selling duo Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen deliver the final wry and resonant tale about Triangle, Square, and Circle.

This book is about Circle. This book is also about Circle's friends, Triangle and Square. It is also about a rule that Circle makes, and how she has to rescue Triangle when he breaks that rule. With their usual pitch-perfect pacing and subtle, sharp wit, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen come full circle in the third and final installment of their clever shapes trilogy.

Original title: Circle

Le bon petit livre

Le bon petit livre

By Kyo Maclear | Marion Arbona | ISBN 9781443180030
Ages 5-9 | HC | Picture Book | January 2020

Un jour, un garçon très contrarié entre dans une bibliothèque pour tenter de se calmer. Avec réticence, il s'empare d'un livre et se met à le lire. Le voilà absorbé par son histoire et emporté dans des contrées éloignées. Le bon petit livre devient alors le compagnon fidèle du petit garçon. Mais celui-ci le perd. Pourra-t-il retrouver son livre tant aimé?

Une histoire des plus loufoques, mais surtout des plus astucieuses, que les enfants voudront lire encore et encore…

While banished to a dusty study one day "to think things over", a boy pulls a book off a shelf and with great reluctance begins to read. As the afternoon passes, the story nabs him and carries him away. Before long, this good little book becomes his loyal companion, accompanying him everywhere ... until, one day, the book is lost. Will this bad little boy get back his good little book? Will the good little book survive on its own without a proper jacket? A quirky, enchanting tale of literary love and loss — and love found again — that will win the heart of even the most reluctant reader.

Original title: The Good Little Book

Bon voyage, monsieur Rodriguez

Bon voyage, monsieur Rodriguez

By Christiane Duchesne | François Thisdale | ISBN 9781443180696
Ages 4-7 | HC | Picture Book | April 2020

Chaque après-midi, à seize heures, monsieur Rodriguez marche dans les rues du village. Les enfants l’observent, intrigués par cet homme énigmatique à la moustache blanche. Certains disent avoir vu monsieur Rodriguez flotter. D’autres prétendent l’avoir vu jouer du piano sans toucher l’instrument. La vérité est plus encore plus merveilleuse que tout ce que les enfants auraient pu imaginer.

L’auteure de renom Christiane Duchesne et l’illustrateur primé François Thisdale ont créé une véritable ode à l’imagination.

Every afternoon at four o’clock, Mister Rodriguez steps out of a narrow laneway and strolls through the street. The village children watch him go, ever more curious about the enigmatic old man with the bushy white mustache. Some say they’ve seen him float above the ground. Others say he played a piano without touching a single key. The truth, though, is more beautiful than any of the children could have imagined.

Renowned author Christiane Duchesne and award-winning illustrator François Thisdale bring a touching story about the passing of a beloved member of the community to life with delicacy and heart.

Original title: Bon voyage, Mister Rodriguez

Art © 2021 by Victo Ngai from Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn. All rights reserved.