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An eerie tale of magic and friendship. When Jack is sent to Hazelwood, Iowa, to live with his strange aunt and uncle, he expects a summer of boredom. Little does he know that the people of Hazelwood have been waiting for him for quite a long time.

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. A different kind of fairy tale, about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.

Warring nations, mysterious stone figures, and the running thread that magic is alive and dangerous all add to the gripping cnarrative of two children who find strength and ingenuity from being pushed out of their comfort zones. Áine, the daughter of the Bandit King, is haunted by her mother’s last words: “The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.”

Visiting her grandmother in Louisiana, Maddy realizes she may be only the sibling to carry on her family’s magical legacy. And when a disastrous oil leak threatens the bayou, she knows she may also be the only one who can help. A coming-of-age tale rich with folk magic. See the two other two books in the Louisiana Girls Trilogy, Ninth Ward (opens in a new window) and Sugar (opens in a new window).

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community. Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett takes Jerome on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life.

When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Dèja can’t help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. A story about young people who weren’t alive to witness 9/11, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.

Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder? What keeps the planets orbiting around the sun? What metal is a liquid at room temperature?  Using an accessible question-and-answer approach, key concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, earth and general science are explored and demystified. An engaging and fun way to understand how science surrounds us every day.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There’s no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan, again. Crenshaw is a cat. He’s large, he’s outspoken, and he’s imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him.

Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true.

This tale is told by a tree named Red, a red oak who is “two hundred and sixteen rings old.” Touching on bigotry and the environment, Applegate keeps the emphasis on her characters, the many animals and birds who find shelter in the tree’s branches all year round.

Meet a young Zora Neale Huston through the eyes of her best friend Carrie Brown. They are in the African American town of Eatonville, Florida, in 1903. Two time periods converge when the Westin of 1855 results in an old mystery solved and a town saved in this fast-paced novel.

When the human crew goes missing, the trained space dogs — the Barkonauts — must survive on the ship, Laika. Will they find the astronauts? Can they complete the mission? This space saga moves along at a quick clip.

The Vanderbeekers are back in this standalone companion to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (opens in a new window). Here they help create a community garden to help a neighbor and to avoid losing parts if their neighborhood to even more development.

Absolute silliness results when a chicken is caught up in a struggle with a Norse god. The result is a superhero chicken. The hybrid clucker (half god, half fowl) is sure to cause readers to chuckle as well as groan with its heroic absurdity.

Billy loves snakes and since he lives with in Florida with his sister and eagle-obsessed mom, he has ready access to them. Then Billy tracks down his father and his new family in Montana. Set between the two distinct locations, the latest environmental adventure is fast-paced with broad appeal (and a few snakes).

When Louie’s father brings home a sickly, premature baby miniature donkey, he’s not sure he can do anything for it. But Louie falls for the small animal and Winslow not only survives but thrives as does a friendship with a new and quirky girl. How Winslow helps both Louie and Nora is told with heart.

Merci Suarez lives with her parents and older brother and her grandparents, Abuela and Lolo. She’s a hardworking, good kid who cares about her family and her community. How she navigates the changes that she and her family confront is both touching and plausible. Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal.

Louisiana Elefante lives with her peripatetic grandmother, moving frequently. But at long last, Louisiana finds family, friends, and home in this touching, eccentric novel. Readers may remember Louisiana from Raymie Nightingale (opens in a new window), but this is Louisiana’s own story told in her unique and memorable voice.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. And the women readers meet here certainly seem to support that notion. Have you ever seen a baby in a “snugli”? It was invented by a woman who wanted to keep her baby calm. How about “Scotchgard”? This woman came up with it to help wipe away stains. Meet these inventors and others who had good ideas, skill, and stick-to-it-ness.

The classic tale of the Revolutionary War is now 75 years old. An introduction by Nathan Hale in his signature graphic history style is likely to bring this to a new audience.  

Alberto lives in a remote town called Allora. After his family is gone, Alberto is lonely until he rescues a desperate boy. They share a folktale and see it come true in this evocative store with elements of magic realism.

Only Livy sees the greenish creature when she and her family visit Gran in Australia. They see her talking to a chicken. But Bob is not only not a chicken, he’s quite special. Told from both Livy and Bob’s point of view, this handsomely illustrated and well told tale is fresh and intriguing.

Making wishes is easy; making them come true in a world of diminishing magic isn’t so easy. That doesn’t stop a new Granter, a young fairy named Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets, from trying along with a canine friend and a couple of humans in this warm, gently humorous, and fresh novel.

Mark Twain’s partial tale told to his own children has been carefully completed by Philip Stead and is interpreted for modern listeners.