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Everyone knows that garlic repels vampires and so it falls to Garlic to rid her vegetable community of the newcomer. This delightfully illustrated tale with anthropomorphized plants with a kindly witch is more charming than spooky concluding with very satisfying if unexpected friendships.

It all started when a king learned of that a girl would unseat him and change the world. How a girl, a monk, and a goat named Answelica come together for a riveting tale handsomely illustrated to create a medieval world in which the unexpected can and does occur.

With her favorite hat atop her head, Dominiguita visits the library to borrow The Three Musketeers. Thus begins the latest adventure of the Cuban American girl and her imaginative friends in this standalone book in the Dominguita series. Other titles include Knight of the Cape (opens in a new window) and Captain Dom’s Treasure (opens in a new window).

Things are changing at the start of second grade for Audrey Locke. Her best friend Diego seems to have found other friends and to make matters worse, another Audrey is joining the class. Kids will recognize the minor crises in this recognizable, appealing, and generously illustrated story.

Regina Petit’s family has always been Umpqua, and living on the Grand Ronde Tribe’s reservation is all ten-year-old Regina has ever known. But when the federal government enacts a law that says Regina’s tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes “Indian no more” overnight. Now that they’ve been forced from their homeland, Regina’s father signs the family up for the federal Indian Relocation Program and moves them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood on 58th Place. She’s never met kids of other races, and they’ve never met a real Indian, and Regina comes face to face with the viciousness of racism, personally and toward her new friends. In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis’s own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American, or both? And will she and her family ever be okay?

What do Indian shoes look like, anyway? Like beautiful beaded moccasins… or hightops with bright orange shoelaces? Ray Halfmoon, a young Cherokee-Seminole boy living in Chicago with his grandpa, prefers hightops, but he gladly trades them for a nice pair of moccasins for his grandpa. After all, it’s Grampa Halfmoon who’s always there to help Ray get in and out of scrapes and share a laugh. 

Lily and Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family — and their friendship? Little do they know that a mysterious boy has been watching them from the oak tree outside their window. A boy who intends to take them away from home for good, to an island of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children, to a sea of merfolk, pirates, and a giant crocodile. A boy who calls himself Peter Pan.

When Louise Wolfe’s first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. It’s her senior year, anyway, and she’d rather spend her time with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, the ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper’s staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town.

Fifth grader, Wes, is the son of activist parents who is content to defend his “best dressed” reputation — that is until he sees how his own gentrifying neighborhood is changing. And not for the better. He decides he must stand out and stand up for what he believes in. Wes is not only plausible but likeable as are other characters who are placed in an increasingly familiar situation. 

When 12-year-old Aidan returns home after missing for 6 days, how will he explain that he’s been in a Narnia-like place called Avenieu? Confronted with relief followed by anger, Aidan’s journey is told by Lucas, Aidan’s 11-year-old brother. This fascinating exploration of what happens when one person’s reality conflicts with another is taut and convincingly told. 

When Cece’s sister, Juana, is kidnapped by a bride-stealing criatura, Cece is determined to get her back even if it means pretending that she’s a dark witch. This slightly dark, taut, and gripping novel is imbued with Mexican lore, told in a cadence that evokes the desert setting.  

Popcorn is a healthy snack, right? Not if you’re Ellis. She’s banned from having her daily portions of popcorn, so she secretly tries to pop some. One kernel, however, comes alive to upset her life in this very funny (and a bit peculiar), illustrated novel that was first published in the Netherlands. This is likely to be the first in a series, so stay tuned for more about cowboy-hat-wearing (Popcorn) Bob!

Marisol has a vivid imagination. She names most things, including a backyard tree which she is afraid to climb. Illustrated by the author, Kelly makes Marisol and her family and friends come to life in a quiet but engaging story in which readers will see themselves as well as common concerns, and overcoming fear.

As Billy blew out the candles on his birthday cake, an ambulance rushes down the street. Could his wish for some excitement have caused a dear neighbor friend to become ill? Billy and his family, first introduced in The Year of Billy Miller (opens in a new window) return in this quiet, touching, and relatable standalone volume. 

Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex and, as an autistic person, change can be terrifying. With the first day of high school only a couple of months away, Alex is sure that having a friend by his side will help. So, he’s devised a plan – impress the kids at school by winning a trophy at the PAWS Dog Show with his trusty sidekick, Kevin.

A gripping view of the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a 12-year-old spy. When young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, she resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. 

As the former Colonies struggle for freedom, the American Revolution is in the hands of a brave and resourceful teenage girl. At sixteen, Susanna Bolling is like America in rebellion; she craves independence. When British General Cornwallis invades her family’s Bollingbrook Plantation, she overhears his secret plan to defeat the Patriots. Much to her shock, she finds herself at the center of the war.

Born into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” enslaved person. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be a fugitive. From her childhood, to her time with the Washingtons and living in the slave quarters, to her escape to New Hampshire, readers will get a glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history.

She was named after a white actress of the time, but this young Black girl’s life took a very different path. Claudette Colvin became a 15-year-old activist who refused to give up a bus seat to a white woman — before Rosa Parks. This early chapter biography makes a difficult and complex time and life accessible to younger readers. Look for additional titles in this thoroughly researched, well conceived, and thoughtfully presented series.

Seven-year-old Anthony has autism. He flaps his hands. He makes strange noises. He can’t speak or otherwise communicate his thoughts. Treatments, therapies, and theories about his condition define his daily existence. Yet Anthony isn’t improving much. This debut work of fiction sheds light on the inner and outer lives of children with nonspeaking autism, and on their two worlds — and how they navigate their way through the multitude of theories about autism that have affected the lives of many children and their families. As one of the few works of fiction written by a person with non-speaking autism, it offers readers an insider’s point-of-view into autism and life in silence, with warmth, humor, and sharp intellect.

Vivy Cohen, an 11-year-old with autism, won’t let anything stop her from playing baseball — not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. This novel-in-letters captures Vivy’s growing sense of her own capabilities. It’s a satisfying baseball story that never minimizes the challenges of autism but celebrates skill, determination, and love for the game.

This book opens a window into nonverbal autism through dozens of short, autobiographical essays each offering new insights into autism symptoms, effective and ineffective treatments, and the inner emotional life of a severely autistic boy. In his essays, author Ido Kedar, a brilliant 16-year-old with autism, challenges what he believes are misconceptions in many theories that dominate autism treatment today while he chronicles his personal growth in his struggles to overcome his limitations.

Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming 13-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that provides a window into how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds. It is a “… wise, beautiful, intimate and courageous explanation of autism as it is lived every day by one remarkable boy.”

The Watson family travels to Birmingham and gets caught up in the devastating events of 1963. For its 25th anniversary, this edition has a cover that resembles a Green Book, the guide for African Americans traveling in the South. The award-winning novel is as fresh today as when it was first published.