Book Finder

In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread. If they fail, they will be turned out as beggars. Using the Nguzo Saba, or “seven principles” of Kwanzaa, the author has created an unforgettable story that shows how family members can pull together, for their own good and the good of the entire community.

“You’ll have Hanukkah in summer? Talk about backwards.” “Your Hanukkah’s in winter? You’re missing out.” From their homes in New York and New Zealand, cousins Noah and Nora decide to have a competition. Winter versus summer: Who can have the world’s best Hanukkah? But as the eight nights of Hanukkah go on, the contest proves tougher than they imagined. Even as each cousin celebrates the holiday with their own unique traditions, they realize they have more in common than they thought.

Generations of readers have treasured this 1960 Caldecott Medal winner and its tale of a little Mexican girl’s excitement at the approach of Christmas. Ceci eagerly awaits Las Posadas, the traditional nine-day series of yuletide celebrations. This year she’ll lead the candlelight procession that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s trek to Bethlehem. Meanwhile, Mother takes her to the old marketplace to choose her very first piñata.

A teen nicknamed Wrecker becomes involved with a fake Covid vaccination card smuggling ring to further confuse his already complicated his life. By turns humorous and tense, this fast-paced novel set in the Florida Keys is sure to engage readers.

Asked by his mother to look for one of the twins’ socks, Milo goes to the basement of their new home where he finds a door. He enters and begins to descend — and descend — going deeper into an eerie, peculiar world. Sophisticated images create a fantastic world in which threats are overcome by love … and a pink sock.

An abandoned puppy helps 11-year-old Laura move forward after the 911 call she made to save her parents from an overdose. Now in the care of her Titi Silvia, they ultimately find a way to heal themselves in this novel in verse that explores family, communication, and friendship. 

Brother and sister Zara and Zeeshan accompany their parents to Key West where their pediatrician mother will be honored. They struggle to get along with each other during the trip, but their bickering ends when they discover a loggerhead turtle in distress that they name Sunshine. Together the siblings figure out how to help Sunshine return to the sea while gaining a new respect for each other, in this gently humorous graphic novel.

After a series of adult owners, a set of puppets — a king, a wolf, an owl, and a boy (originally owned by a sea captain named Spelhorst) — wind up in the home where two sisters live. There, the puppets’ dreams and yearnings are ultimately fulfilled. Beautiful, spare prose is accompanied by black and white illustrations for a gentle fantasy.

How does a girl stand out from the crowd when she has a braid and a fluffy, flowered sweater on picture day? Olivia (aka Viv) finds a way with unexpected consequences in this authentic, often humorous graphic novel.

Two books from a Little Free Library hold the secret of a town’s long hidden mystery. Told from different points of view — a boy named Evan, Al (a ghost librarian), and a handsome orange cat called Mortimer — reveal the secret behind the town’s puzzling history in this twisty, satisfying tale.

A fragmented family and a shared love of space brings brothers, Houston, and Robbie closer than ever. When Houston is accepted into a prestigious junior astronaut program, he must find a way to bring his younger brother along in the face of Robbie’s disabilities for a powerful story of inclusion and fraternal love.

An indigenous boy must travel up a mountain to collect obsidian for flint knapping, a trek from which his brothers did not return. There he meets a golden eagle, actually a god named Savik. This is a beautifully told and handsomely illustrated story of the origin of the Iñupiaq messenger feast celebrated by native Alaskans.

Bear and Moose, two dogs who don’t look like their names, are adopted from a shelter by a woman named Cathy. The dogs soon find a lost and lonely kitten named Tiger. This sweetly told and gently illustrated story with a very happy ending is the beginning of a new series just right for young animal lovers.

The squirrels Norma, and Belly are back and are just as hungry, tenacious, and funny as they were in the other books about them (which started with Donut Feed the Squirrels (opens in a new window)). They try to invade a fortune cookie factory, all dressed as ninjas. A simple comic format and limited text combine to make this a hit with beginning readers.

It takes a good teacher to really see an insecure child. Ms. Kern sees Lila Greer so well that Lila grows into the amazing teacher of kids like Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Sophia Valdez. Like other books in the series, is fun to read aloud and is illustrated in Roberts’ characteristically detailed (and fashion-conscious) style.

In their seventh adventure, the detective team is informed by the Coast Gourd that a captain was found but without his ship. Will the InvestiGators be able to solve their latest mystery on the high sea or will they will be all tied up (or is it tide up …)? Read in order or as a standalone, this silly, pun-filled installment is sure to delight.

The silly fun that started in The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza returns in this latest book. Soup has poisoned the Moon Queen. Can she — and the universe — be saved before it’s too late? Soup of Doom can be read alone or as a sequel (and be prepared for another madcap adventure!)   

A day in the life of residents of a sizeable apartment begins when a large clock on its front reads 6. It’s morning. Though some people are already at work, most start at 7. Readers will enjoy following activities throughout the day as only the time, sky, and activities change. Detailed papercut illustrations are unique and engaging.

A girl and her mother find and adopt a lone polar bear cub. Together they thrive until the bear is no longer a cub, who leaves the humans to find his own community. One day, the bear returns with his mother. This adaptation of an Inuit tale is simply and touchingly illustrated. 

A mother introduces her child to his rich bicultural heritage through dragons. Distinctive illustrations and lyrical language contrast the fierce dragons hidden in deep, dark forests of the West, and the water-dwelling, free-flying dragons of the East. The mother reminds the boy that, “Both journeys are yours to take. Both worlds are yours to discover.”

When snow starts falling, the perfectly normal animals on Farmer Pumpernickel’s farm start acting strangely; they catch snowflakes on their tongues! Eventually, even the farmer himself gets with the rhythm. Rhyming text accompanied by comical illustrations will make a joyful read aloud.

A girl thinks everyone else in her family is smarter and more talented that she is. The girl thinks she messes up whatever she touches, even her grandmother’s nesting dolls. Her wise grandmother helps her understand that not all family members have the same gifts or look alike, but each is an important part of the same family. The author explores her own Gullah Geechee background in this touching and universal story.

One single red apple hangs on a tree. One by one, animals see it and greedily declare it “Mine!” Only a nonplussed possum willing to share it with the apple’s resident worm winds up with the prize. Alliterative, animated, onomatopoeic language is paired with strong lines and color for a jaunty, delightful book to read aloud.

Micah knows that his new sister Lily is a Martian. His fears are confirmed by his cousin Maxwell and doubly so when Lily goes to school with Micah for show-and-tell! Humor abounds in this out-of-this-world sibling story.