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Identical twins Sammie and Charlie are starting out seventh grade at a brand-new school. As they make new friends, and join different clubs, the sisters (and once inseparable best friends) start to grow further and further apart. Told from Sammie’s point of view, this moving yet funny story will be gobbled up by middle-school girls! This is the first book in the Almost Identical series.

Meet Daniel Funk, a regular guy who’s stuck living in a house full of girls. Why couldn’t he have a brother instead of all those sisters? That would be so cool. When Daniel shrinks to the size of the fourth toe on his left foot, he discovers that he actually does have a brother. A little brother. A very little brother. He’s Pablo Funk, Daniel’s tiny twin, who is a toeful of trouble. When Daniel and Pablo decide to have some fun at their sisters’ party and let loose a giant hissing cockroach just to watch the girls scream, they find out that it’s dangerous to be so small. This is the first book in the Daniel Funk series.

It’s 1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and baseball. This coming-of-age story is populated by a cast of vivid family characters and it explores the things that tear them apart and the things that bring them back together. The book includes an Author’s Note with photographs and additional background on World War II, Internment camps, and 1950s America.

Twelve-year-old tomboy May Amelia Jackson, the youngest of seven children and the only girl in a Finnish immigrant family, lives in the wilderness along the Nasel River in Washington State in 1899. Through May Amelia’s travels, readers witness the diverse ways of life in the expanding West: peaceful relations with the Chinook Indians, the dangers posed by the neighboring logging camp, her aunt’s life in the nearby boomtown of Astoria, Oregon, as well as the rhythms of the seasons.

In 1935, jobs are hard to come by, and Turtle’s mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can’t stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West to live with relatives. Turtle discovers a startlingly different way of life amid boisterous cousins, Nana Philly, and buried treasure. This richly detailed novel was inspired by Holm’s great-grandmother’s stories.

Orphaned at birth, Lanesha has second sight, giving her the ability to see her mother’s ghost. She also senses an impending storm which will devastate New Orleans and that her grandmother won’t survive. How Lanesha stays alive and the people she meets and helps along the way — plus a bit of magic realism — create a compelling read. See the two other two books in the Louisiana Girls Trilogy, Bayou Magic (opens in a new window) and Sugar (opens in a new window).

No one is more surprised than 11-year old Martin when the Tyrannosaurus Rex hatches from what Martin thought was a fossilized egg. Feeding the growing dino and keeping him hidden becomes a major challenge. How Martin saves Rufus from a life in the circus with the help of an astute science teacher and his best friend, Audrey, make for a fast-paced, often humorous, and very satisfying adventure. For a gentler dino-come-alive novel, try Oliver Butterworth’s Enormous Egg (opens in a new window).

Bone, a stray dog, narrates the sometimes harrowing tale of how he finds a permanent home, effectively and evenly read.

Miss Drake, a strong-willed dragon, has a new pet, a girl named Winnie who thinks Miss Drake is her pet. When Winnie’s sketches come to life, can dragon and girl work together to put things right? Read in an appealing British accent, this is sure to delight listeners of all ages.

Linda Blackmon was the youngest person to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement. An informal tone in an open, heavily illustrated format provides insight into the time and events, sure to spark discussion among readers.

In the early 20th century, an Irish woman named Mary Mallon worked as a cook. The New York home in which she operated was struck with typhoid fever to become the first of many incidents. The story of the cook who became known as Typhoid Mary is presented as a medical mystery which introduces the time and its history in a riveting narrative.

When a huge, rough man threatens King Arthur’s court, it is the honorable, brave Sir Gawain who accepts the challenge and faces the Green Knight for what is sure to mean death. The cadence of a storyteller is used to highlight the adventure and tension of this traditional tale of honor and chivalry.

Adam Melon (better known as Melonhead) narrates the adventures he and his best friend, Sam, have during winter break. The boys stay with Melonhead’s grandparents in Paradise, Florida. Their exploits include deciding to get Sam an alligator with very funny — and potentially disastrous results.

An assigned pen pal correspondence between an American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe that started in grade school becomes a cultural exchange and a lifelong friendship. Sophisticated readers will appreciate the contrast between the cultures and how friendship can span great distances.

Frank Einstein must figure out an alternate source of power or succumb to his archenemy T. Edison’s exorbitant prices for electricity. In this latest of over-the-top funny Einstein series, actual science fact is couched in humorous fiction.

Serendipity Smith is the pseudonym used by Tuesday McGillicuddy’s mom. Serendipity is a famous children’s author who goes missing while working on the last of her adventure series. On their quest to find her mom, Tuesday and her faithful dog find myriad adventures involving writing, mystery, mayhem, and pirates in a breathtaking, satisfying, often humorous fantasy.

When the human to whom Angus (a brownie) is bound dies, he must leave his native Ireland to serve Sarah’s nearest relative. Serving an American girl named Alex means she must acclimate to having a magical creature and whose slovenly habits are in stark contrast to a cleanliness-obsessed brownie.  

Girls didn’t always have the freedom to choose what they wanted to do. This is certainly true for Callie Tate, the only girl in her family. How she follows her interests and deals with not being taken seriously is revealed in rich, well-paced language. Callie’s story started in The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate though both books can be read without the other. Both will appeal to sophisticated readers.

Martha Graham was tenacious; she was a dancer with a vision who left her mark on the modern American dance. Her life and art combine in this highly readable biography revealed through photographs and narrative which incorporates interviews with those who knew her.

Sophisticated baseball aficionados will appreciate the highs (and lows) of the game over decades, organized by its three seasons: spring, summer, fall. The author’s work as a sports writer is evident in his chatty, approachable style.

Young people see a need and work to better their world in this upbeat chronicle of youthful activists.

Much to his horror, Charlie is assigned to perform as the Nice Gnome in “The Sorcerer’s Castle,” his 4th grade class play. Even though he perfected the laugh of the Evil Sorcerer, as the Gnome, Charlie saves the day — and the performance — in this laugh-out-loud funny story. Told through Charlie’s narration, readers will surely see themselves in these likeable characters.

Bogle-catching in Victorian England is comes alive in this deliciously spooky tale effectively presented in an accented voice and a capella singing.

The first in the series of adventures shared between Annabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft and their families is well-voiced in a light British accent.