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Selah knows her rules for being normal. She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it. Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student. Selah’s friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble. But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Written as a novel-in-verse.

Connor Bradley is dreading the first day of high school. Not just because he is new, or because he misses his best friends, but because he knows the other kids won’t understand his barking and tics. Connor has Tourette Syndrome, and every day has been a challenge — from the mimicking to the laughing, the questions, and the stares. It turns out school isn’t quite as bad as he expected. Connor forms a fast friendship with a girl who also has Tourette’s and is welcomed into her accepting circle of friends. He also meets a special music teacher who encourages him to take up the drums to manage his stress, and maybe get a break from his tics.

Stella knows fifth grade will be the best year ever. Her closest friends, Emiko and Latasha, are in her class and they all got the teacher they wanted. Then their favorite television show, Witchlins, announces a new guidebook and an online game! But when the classwork starts piling up, Stella struggles to stay on top. Why does it take her so long to read? And how can she keep up with friends in the Witchlins game if she can’t get through the text-heavy guidebook? It takes loving teachers and her family to recognize that Stella has a learning difference, and after a dyslexia diagnosis she gets the support and tools she needs to succeed.

In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer. But with her beloved father dead, two younger siblings to care for, and with a stepmother struggling to make ends meet, Petra has to drop out of school to shell pecans at a factory. Hoping it’s only temporary, she tries not to despair over the grueling work conditions. But after the unhealthy environment leads to tragedy and workers’ already low wages are cut, Petra knows things need to change. She and her coworkers go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions, risking everything they have for the hope of a better future.

A story that helps kids navigate grief and understand how loved ones live on in our memories. Inspired by the 9 levels of Mictlān and the role Xolo dogs play by guiding those who have passed on in Indigenous cultural understandings of present-day Mexico. Nana is surrounded by family and takes joy in her many grandchildren. She’s also tired and feels pain. Soon she begins her transition from life into death, accompanied by her beloved Xolo dog, Popo. Together they go on Nana’s journey, and by the end of the story, Nana’s family celebrates the many years of love they shared with her. And a grandchild will now care for Popo. Available in English and Spanish language editions.

After a storm devastates the farm his parents have been renting, Junior moves with his family to Roxboro, North Carolina. The year is 1959, and the nine-year-old boy has to navigate the realities of the segregated South while adjusting to life in town. Instead of farming, his father works at the lumberyard, and his mother takes in laundry from the white people in town. Junior meets new friends who have a TV ― and their own books! These new friends offer to take Junior to the library, and he’s surprised to discover that in a clearing in the forest, there’s a log cabin that houses a library for Black residents. The library in the woods feels magical, giving Junior a sense of possibility and community. The books he checks out also help him uncover a secret he never knew about his father. This fictional account is based on a real-life library that the author visited as a child. The heartfelt text, accompanied by illustrations from award-winning artist R. Gregory Christie, celebrates family, libraries, and the resourcefulness of the Black community.

An adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush — if they can survive the journey. It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don’t get to own.
 So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free — if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn’t easy — the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger. And then there’s the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention and more trouble than any of them need. All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home — but is a strong will enough to get them there? 

A chilling middle grade novel about a girl haunted by a hungry ghost. Molly Teng sees things no one else can. By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the “zaps” are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely. The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she’s been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She’s a ‘hungry ghost’ reliant on the livings’ food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition. Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade’s house, nothing will ever be the same ― for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house.

Based on the author’s own family history, this is a story about family and belonging, the child of a Jewish mother and a South Asian father hears stories about her family history. Sometimes she doesn’t feel Jewish enough or South Asian enough, but comes to realize you can feel — and be — many things at once. The girl’s mother tells her stories about her mother, a Jewish seamstress in Brooklyn, New York. She lived in a tiny two-bedroom apartment and sewed wedding dresses shimmering in satin and lace. Her father tells stories of his mother, the girl’s other grandmother, who liked to cook bubbling dal on a coal stove in Pakistan. They tell stories about how both sides came to America, and how, eventually, her parents met on a warm summer evening in Poughkeepsie. The girl sometimes feels as if she’s the “only one like me.” One day, when she spots a butterfly in her yard, she realizes it’s okay to be different — no two butterflies are alike, after all. 

Experience the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly anticipate a spectacular fireworks display. POP! As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night — the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for young children in cities and suburbs everywhere.

Sage’s thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn’t predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life ― and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all. In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl’s journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

From the NHL to the Olympics — discover the history, heroes, and hidden secrets of hockey. You’ll also discover cool trivia and surprising stories about the sport.

From holding an edge to laces and hooks, glide and dance through the alphabet explaining the history, techniques, and memorable moments of the sport. Written by four-time World Champion and professional figure skater Kurt Browning, known for his fluid movement and confidence on the ice.

Poppy is a waddling, toddling pig with big dreams. She wants to be a star! But she soon discovers that’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s only when Poppy feels the magic of gliding and sliding, swirling and twirling on ice that our most persistent pig truly believes in herself: Poppy, star of the rink! Written by Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, Kristi Yamaguchi.

Triumphant, relatable, and totally true biographies tell the childhood stories of a diverse group of international athletes who have captured the world’s attention at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, including Johnny Weir, Chloe Kim, Alex and Maia Shibutani, Surya Bonaly, and 13 other inspiring Olympians. All over the world, athletes break records and defy odds to compete in the games — and some were kids themselves when they started dreaming and training! In Kid Olympians: Winter, discover the childhood stories of legends such as: Michelle Kwan, who used to sleep in her skating clothes to get a few extra minutes of sleep before her lessons at dawn!; Cindy Ouellet, one of the few athletes to have competed in both the Winter and Summer Paralympics; and Apolo Ohno, who started skating because he thought the speed skaters looked like superheroes!

Grab your skis, ice skates, and snowboard and learn how the Winter Olympic Games became a worldwide phenomenal event watched by millions. Although fans the world over have been fascinated by the modern Summer Olympics since 1896, the Winter Olympics didn’t officially begin until 1924. The event celebrates cold-weather sports, displaying the talents of skiers, ice skaters, hockey players, and, most recently, snowboarding. Like its summer counterpart, the Winter Games are dedicated to bringing together the world’s top athletes to honor their talents and see who gets to stand on the medal podium. Learn about the highs, such as the 1980 US hockey team’s unexpected gold medal grab, as well as the lows, including the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan figure-skating scandal in 1994. Includes 80 black-and-white illustrations and a 16-page photo insert.
 

As the worst snow storm of the year rolls in, one family hunkers down together in a cozy blanket fort for the night. A little girl makes a wish on a snow globe and, in the morning, the sun rises on a winter wonderland — beckoning all outside. And what if, on this snow-filled day, families shake their busy lives and everyone goes out to play? A lyrical holiday story about wishes and community and snow — ots and lots of snow.

Katy, a brave and untiring tractor, who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs.

Join Lola as she learns what it means to be a big sister, in the third installment in the loveable Lola series. We all know how much Lola loves books, so it is no surprise that she can’t wait to share her love of reading with her new baby brother, Leo. Lola gets ready for little Leo’s arrival by reading books about brothers and sisters and picking out the perfect stories that she just knows her little brother will love. When the baby is finally here, Lola takes on the role of big sister — she helps her mommy and daddy around the house and tells Leo stories to cheer him up when he cries. Simple text and bright and charming illustrations celebrate family, reading, and what it means to be a big sister.

Taking place over the course of a summer day, we follow a young girl as she and her family gather at her nana’s house for a get-together where lessons are shared, food is prepared, and lifelong memories are created. Told in African proverbs, this book explores the importance of familial bonds and their lasting impact while presenting proverbs to inspire readers long after the story ends. Throughout the book, Nana’s house provides a safe space for our protagonist to make mistakes, learn lessons, and most importantly, find and feel love. 

Everyone needs hugs and love in this offbeat, upbeat ode to the not-so-cuddly — and yet still sweet and beloved! Fun-to-read-aloud, rhyming text describes prickly porcupines, roaring tigers, and slithery snakes — not the most cuddly creatures, but still worthy of hugs and snuggles from their mamas! With a luscious and colorful palette, Crocodiles Need Kisses Too shows that animals (and children) don’t have to be warm and fuzzy to be totally lovable.

Watch out world, here he comes! The Hug Machine. Whether you are big, or small, or square, or long, or spikey, or soft, no one can resist his unbelievable hugs. HUG ACCOMPLISHED. This endearing story encourages a warm, caring, and buoyantly affectionate approach to life. Everyone deserves a hug !

How do you give your granny a hug when she lives far away? Send it through the mail, of course! This sweet story makes a perfect gift for Mother’s Day for the granny in your life, whether she lives close or far! Owen’s hug travels across the country in a series of hilarious, sometimes awkward, always heartfelt embraces between animals of different shapes and sizes. An unexpected twist at the end will delight young readers.

How do you say “I love you” without saying “I love you”? For one big family, it’s woven into the fabric of every day in this tender, resonant picture book. My sister Nalu braids my hair every week. It’s how she says “I love you.” Tendo always races his sister to the finish line as they leave the house. Kira the dog greets her at the door with a wagging tail and a spin. Sometimes it’s Auntie Linda pulling her into her wheelchair for a hug, or Uncle Alex bringing his funny parrot for a visit. One jajja teaches her granddaughter how to make the chicken dish she learned as a child; another tells stories from far away, before she was born. Whether it’s Mom asking if she’s hungry a hundred times a day, or older siblings scaring away the monster that keeps her awake, the refrain “I love you” comes through loud and clear — and reminds us that there are countless ways to express affection to those that we hold dear.