Summer 2021 Picks

The Princess and the Pony

The Princess and the Pony Canadian

By Kate Beaton | ISBN 978-0-545-63708-4
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | July 2015

Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams...

Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure

Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure

By Derek Anderson | ISBN 978-0-545-16846-5
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | May 2015

One pig looks to take a relaxing bath in solitude, only to be joined by another pig, then another, then another. When Pig Number 10 jumps into the crowded tub, the first pig comes up with a plan to enjoy his bath.

Audrey's Tree House

Audrey's Tree House

By Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley | ISBN 978-0-545-81327-3
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | May 2015

This humourous story explores the clash between a quest for independence and the longing for security. Emerging author Jenny Hughes and acclaimed illustrator Jonathan Bentley have created a picture book with outstanding warmth, sensitivity, and insight.

The Octopuppy

The Octopuppy

By Martin McKenna | ISBN 978-0-545-75140-7
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | May 2015

Edgar wanted a dog. Instead, he got an octopus named Jarvis. Jarvis is brilliant and does his best to act like the dog Edgar wants, but nothing he does is good enough to please Edgar. Ultimately, Edgar recognizes that while Jarvis might not be the dog he wanted, he is special in his own endearing way.

Prince of a Frog

Prince of a Frog

By Jackie Urbanovic | ISBN 978-0-545-63652-0
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | June 2015

One day a wise turtle suggests to Hopper the frog that maybe he's not really a frog at all. Maybe he's a prince. So starts Hopper's adventure to find his princess and unlock his true royal self. A hilarious story about finding your true friends and your true self, Prince of a Frog is a triumphant and special read-aloud that brings a new meaning to the term: Happy (Hoppy) Endings!

The Sky Is Falling!

The Sky Is Falling!

By Mark Teague | ISBN 978-0-545-63217-1
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | July 2015

When an acorn hits Chicken Little on the head, she panics and screeches, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Squirrel, who knew a thing or two about acorns, tried to set the record straight, as did the other animals. The chickens started dancing — they moonwalked, they mamboed, and they did the twist. Pretty soon the other animals joined them. You can't blame someone for wanting to dance, even if the sky isn't really falling!

Pepper & Poe

Pepper & Poe

By Frann Preston-Gannon | ISBN 978-0-545-68357-9
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | August 2015

Pepper is an old cat. He's set in his ways, and used to his normal routine in the house that he rules. Yup, he's got everything down to a science, including how to manipulate the house dog. That is until a new kitty named Poe comes along and starts messing up everything! Can Poe get Pepper to accept him as part of the family? This hilarious story reinvents the age-old new sibling topic with a furry twist.

8: An Animal Alphabet

8: An Animal Alphabet

By Elisha Cooper | ISBN 978-0-545-47083-4
Ages 3-7 | HC | Picture Books | August 2015

Discover hundreds of animals, great and small. Lion and lizard, whale and wombat. Learn one wild fact about each animal. (Did you know that gorillas yawn when they are nervous?) Look carefully, because for each letter of the alphabet, one animal is pictured eight times. Why 8? Come inside and find out.

Pip Barlett's Guide to Magical Creatures

Pip Barlett's Guide to Magical Creatures

By Maggie Stiefvater & Jackson Pearce | ISBN 978-0-545-70926-2
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | May 2015

Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures. Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok — and they often go amok — Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures.

Graceful

Graceful

By Wendy Mass | ISBN 978-0-545-77313-3
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | May 2015

Grace has powers to alter peoples' fates, and is guided by hints left behind by Angelica, the magician from the first Willow Falls books. It's supposed to take a few years for Grace's powers to return full force — but something's affecting the magic in Willow Falls, and Grace needs to do something now! Luckily, she's got the help of all her friends . . . if she can just keep them safe from their own choices and all the pizza her powers produce — which is much harder than she ever imagined.

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig

By Emer Stamp | ISBN 978-0-545-69466-7
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | May 2015

Pig is troubled. Evil Chickens are up to something evil, involving a tractor-rocket. And Duck has something else to show his porcine friend: a shed where Farmer prepares to eat Pig for dinner! What can Pig do? If he goes in the Chickens' trocket, he might run out of slops. If he stays, he'll become sausages and bacon. But if Pig and Duck can come up with a plan — maybe they can fix the Farm . . . or maybe they'll land in even more trouble.

A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars

By Cynthia Lord | ISBN 978-0-545-70027-6
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | June 2015

This powerful middle-grade novel from the author of Rules explores a friendship between a small-town girl and the daughter of migrant workers. Set amongst the blueberry barrens and by the sea, this is a gorgeous new novel by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord that tackles themes of prejudice and friendship, loss and love.

Best Friend Next Door

Best Friend Next Door

By Carolyn Mackler | ISBN 978-0-545-70944-6
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | May 2015

Meet Hannah. Her name is a palindrome. Meet Emme. Her name is a palindrome. She used to be an optimist (harder these days). At least there's Hannah. Maybe they'll become friends? But while Hannah and Emme are alike in so many ways, they're different in all the wrong ways. Is this the perfect friendship, or a recipe for disaster?

I Am Princess X

I Am Princess X

By Cherie Priest | ISBN 978-0-545-62085-7
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult/Graphic Novels | June 2015

Best friends, big fans, a mysterious web comic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting cyber thriller that is a comic/text hybrid — fully illustrated with comics throughout.

Rook

Rook

By Sharon Cameron | ISBN 978-0-545-67599-4
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | May 2015

Centuries after the Earth's poles shifted, devastating the planet, humanity has rebuilt, and civilization has begun anew. Now, the Sunken City of Paris is gripped by a terrible revolution, and no one is safe.

The Game of Love and Death

The Game of Love and Death

By Martha Brockenbrough | ISBN 978-0-545-66834-7
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | May 2015

Flora and Henry were born a few blocks from each other, innocent of the forces that might keep a white boy and an African American girl apart; years later they meet again and their mutual love of music sparks an even more powerful connection. But what Flora and Henry don't know is that they are pawns in a game played by the eternal adversaries Love and Death, here brilliantly reimagined as two extremely sympathetic and fascinating characters.

Shadow of the Wolf

Shadow of the Wolf

By Tim Hall | ISBN 978-0-545-81664-9
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | June 2015

Robin Loxley is seven years old when his parents disappear without a trace. Years later the great love of his life, Marian, is also taken from him. Driven by these mysteries, and this anguish, Robin follows a darkening path into the ancient heart of Sherwood Forest. What he encounters there will leave him transformed . . . The first book of a trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf is a breathtakingly original — and utterly compelling — retelling that will forever alter the legend of Robin Hood.

The Porcupine of Truth

The Porcupine of Truth

By Bill Konigsberg | ISBN 978-0-545-64893-6
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | June 2015

Carson Smith is resigned to spending his summer in Billings, Montana, helping his mom take care of his father, a dying alcoholic he doesn't really know. Then he meets Aisha Stinson, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family, and Pastor John Logan, who's long held a secret regarding Carson's grandfather, who disappeared without warning or explanation thirty years before. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to find the answers that might save Carson's dad, restore his fragmented family, and discover the "Porcupine of Truth" in all of their lives.

All We Have Is Now

All We Have Is Now

By Lisa Schroeder | ISBN 978-0-545-80253-6
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | August 2015

There are 27 hours and 15 minutes left until a meteor strikes North America, and the world will end. But Emerson's world already ended when she ran away from home last year. But then Emerson and her friend Vince meet Carl, who tells them that he has been granting people's wishes. Suddenly this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in 27 hours — maybe even their own.

Thirteen Chairs

Thirteen Chairs

By Dave Shelton | ISBN 978-0-545-81665-6
Ages Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | August 2015

When a boy finds himself drawn into an empty house one cold night, he enters a room in which twelve unusual-looking people sit around a table. And the thirteenth chair is pulled out for him. One by one, each of those assembled tells their own ghost story: tales of doom and death; of ghostly creatures and malevolent spirits; of revenge and reward. It is only at the end of the night that the boy starts to understand what story he must tell . . .

Haunted Canada 5: Terrifying True Stories

Haunted Canada 5: Terrifying True Stories Canadian

By Joel A. Sutherland | ISBN 978-1-4431-3929-8
Ages Ages 12 & up | PB | Non-Fiction | August 2015

With more than 25 terrifying new tales of ghostly encounters and mysterious phenomena, Haunted Canada 5 is guaranteed to keep kids across the country awake and screaming!

Une amie pour Licorne (Uni the Unicorn)

Une amie pour Licorne (Uni the Unicorn)

By Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Brigette Barrager | ISBN 978-1-4431-4100-0
Ages Ages 4-8 | PB | French Picture Book | May 2015

Licorne s'est toujours fait dire que les petites filles n'existaient pas. Malgré tout ce qu'on lui raconte, Licorne est certaine qu'elles sont vraies. Elle est persuadée qu'il y a quelque part une petite fille intelligente, forte et féerique qui aimerait devenir sa meilleure amie. Et comme de fait, non loin d'elle, une petite fille croit qu'il y a quelque part une licorne qui l'attend...

L'effet carton (Cardboard)

L'effet carton (Cardboard)

By Doug TenNapel | ISBN 978-1-4431-4568-8
Ages Ages 10-14 | PB | French Graphic Novel | August 2015

Sans emploi et sans le sou, le père de Cam se résigne à offrir à son fils le pire cadeau qui soit pour son anniversaire : une boîte de carton. Faisant contre mauvaise fortune bon cœur, le père et le fils s'amusent à transformer le carton en boxeur. À leur plus grand étonnement, le personnage prend vie! Envieux, Marcus, la petite peste du quartier, s'empresse d'utiliser le carton magique pour fabriquer ses propres créatures : des êtres maléfiques qui menaceront bientôt de tous les détruire!

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