It's summer and Little Kunoichi's friends are away on vacation. After exploring every nook and cranny of her super, super secret island home with her pet, Bunny, she is bored, bored, BORED! Little Kunoichi shares her ideas to spice things up--a new bike, another pet--with her parents. But they have a better idea: a visit to her wise, quirky, and creative grandma, Ba-chan!
Little Kunoichi, joined by her little brother and Bunny, is excited for her visit. They are met with many surprises as they spend time with Ba-chan on an island she made herself and together learn that curiosity, resourcefulness, love, and imagination have more value than things money can buy.
Easy: 2.6
Fiction: 5.8
Nonfiction: 3.8
Winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award
In soaring words and stunning illustrations, Margarita Engle and Rafael López tell the story of Teresa Carreño, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln. As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worst of all, there was fighting in her new home, too—the Civil War. Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa’s music bring comfort to those who needed it most?
NONFICTION: 5.5
Easy: 3.6
Pencil and his boy Jackson are a great pair: they draw, they sketch, they scribble. But then Jackson gets Tablet and Pencil finds himself dumped in the dreaded junk drawer; he just can’t compete with Tablet’s videos, games, and movies. How will Pencil ever reclaim Jackson’s attention? With the help of some new pun-loving junk-drawer friends (and a drooling, pencil-chomping dog), Pencil sketches out a plan to draw Jackson back into their friendship.
A former educator whose first book was shortlisted for a Crystal Kite award, author Ann Ingalls uses kid-friendly puns and an upbeat tone in this story that celebrates friendship, collaboration, and unplugged fun. Buoyed by award-winning artist Dean Griffith’s always-exuberant illustrations, Pencil: A Story with a Point is a gentle reminder that technology is no match for imagination.
Easy: 2.5
Iggy Peck has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers? This empowering workbook book features art and the characters from the picture book Iggy Peck, Architect, and it will inspire young readers with activities of all kinds.
Iggy Peck takes readers through more than forty exciting STEM and design projects, from drafting and doodling to building and blueprints. Aspiring architects and young dreamers will get a sense of the unique mix of science, technology, and art skills used to create lasting structures. Packed with the same quirky humor and gorgeous illustrations that made Iggy Peck, Architect a favorite with kids, parents, and educators, the project book will appeal to fans who crave more from Miss Lila Greer’s clever class. Easy: 4.1
EASY: 1.4
Graphic Novel: Interest level K-3
Fiction: 5.0
Never underestimate the power of the bean. Tucker MacBean has been drawing comic books almost as long as he’s been reading them. When his favorite comic has a contest for kids, he hopes he has finally found a way to fix his family—all he has to do is create the winning superhero sidekick . . . Introducing “Beanboy”—the first comic book character to truly harness the power of the bean for good. He is strong, he is relentless, he can double in size overnight (if given enough water).
With thoughtful characterizations and copious comic book illustrations, this laugh out-loud novel will have readers rooting for a superhero with true heart.
Fiction 4.3
Fiction: 4.1
Fiction: 5.1
It all starts with a note folded into the shape of an origami octopus: "Hi, Me. Yes, you. You're me, and I'm you." If you believe this and the other origami notes that follow--which middle schooler Meade Macon absolutely, positively does NOT--the concept of parallel dimensions is true, and there is a convention full of alternate versions of Meade waiting for his RSVP. It's got to be a joke.
Except . . . the octopus is an origami fold Meade thought he invented. And the note writer has a lot of intel on him that nobody else should know. I mean, he's told his best friend Twig a lot about himself, but he's definitely kept mum about that time he sleepwalk-peed into his Lego container when he was six. Could Me Con be a real thing? And why does the origami stalker want him to go so badly anyway?
Fiction: 5.0
Adventure awaits!
From the imagination of Rowley Jefferson comes an adventure of epic proportions. Join Roland and his best friend, Garg the Barbarian, as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mom from the White Warlock. Will our heroes survive? Find out in Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure!
Fiction:5.7
The Midnight Blade ended with a shocking twist: a long-missing villain has returned and now has an army of the dead at his command Jack, June, Quint, and Dirk have battled the worst kind of monsters, zombies, and cosmic servants, but an endless horde of animated skeletons is next-level.
While the kids plan their next move, an unexpected threat emerges and June gets separated from her friends, dragged miles away from Wakefield to a town overgrown with monstrous vines and never-before-seen creatures. Drawing on her post-apocalyptic survival and action skills--and with the help of some odd new companions--June attempts to make her way back home. But not before she uncovers critical information about the mysterious Tower. Information that the future of our world may hinge upon . . .
Fiction: 4.1
The glorious start to a middle-grade trilogy about a brilliant boy, his loyal friends, and some amazingly intelligent beetles that brings together adventure, humor, and real science! Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum. Vanished without a trace! From a locked room! So Darkus moves in with his eccentric Uncle Max and next door to Humphrey and Pickering, two lunatic cousins with an enormous beetle infestation. Darkus soon discovers that the beetles are anything but ordinary. They're an amazing, intelligent super species and they're in danger of being exterminated. It's up to Darkus and his friends to save the beetles. But they're up against an even more terrifying villain--the mad scientist of fashion, haute couture villainess Lucretia Cutter. Lucretia has an alarming interest in insects and dastardly plans for the bugs. She won't let anyone or anything stop her, including Darkus's dad, who she has locked up in her dungeons! The beetles and kids join forces to rescue Mr. Cuttle and thwart Lucretia.
Fiction: 4.9