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“Deep in the primeval forest lurks a dangerous predator. Her name is Regina.” This small but fierce T-Rex is eager prove she’s ready to join the hunt but is thwarted by…an angry bee! Expressive illustrations and recognizable attitudes are sure to resonate with young readers as they chuckle at Regina and her attempts to show how grown she is.

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.

Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. This simple tale about overcoming your fears captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy.

Tally is smart, compassionate, and she has a superpower: autism. Inspired by young coauthor Libby Scott’s own experiences with autism, this is an honest and moving middle-school story of friends, family, and finding one’s place.

Middle school is never easy but 7th grade becomes particularly tough for Ross when he’s diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer. In spite of his best friend preparing to move and being bullied for the effect of the grueling cancer treatment, Ross finds power in music and friendship — and discovers something about his nemesis. This uplifting, often humorous novel is based on the author’s experience.

A girl and her family visit their little blue cottage by the bay every summer as she grows. Lyrical language and gentle illustrations expressively depict time passing until the girl, now grown, returns with her own family, implicitly diverse and intergenerational.

Harris is a “very small hare with very big feet.” His grandfather helps him realize that those big, strong feet will carry Harris around the world and back. Elegant illustrations use different perspectives to show the distance the younger and older hares travel as Harris gains confidence.

Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn’t happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister’s sake – and her own.

Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach, but eventually returns to school, where she’s dealing with the usual highs and lows. It soon becomes clear that Raina’s tummy trouble isn’t going away…and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What’s going on? In this autobiographical graphic novel, Telgemeier gives young readers an honest and compassionate look at one girl’s struggles with anxiety.

Dani is spending her winter break with her grandparents in Stockholm, away from her best friend Ella. No one can travel with Dani to celebrate Ella’s birthday, so Dani decides to go alone. Not only does she miss Ella’s birthday, she gets sick to boot! Poor Dani but all’s well that ends well as her almost stepmother reminds, her that “where Dani goes, happy follows.” Charmingly told and gently illustrated, this is sure to please young readers.

Iris is the only Deaf student in her class. Though sometimes frustrated, she reads lips though prefers to use American Sign Language (ASL). She’s also most comfortable when working with old radios and their components. When she learns about a unique whale, Blue 55, that is not part of a pod she becomes convinced that it, too, is deaf and thus separate from others. And unlikely but riveting adventure with her grandmother leads to healing and a satisfying conclusion.

Jess runs Sunnyside Stables where Chloe is going to spend a week learning how to jump a horse. But will she be able to learn anything with the horse named Cookie?  Not only does Chloe learn to trust and enjoy Cookie, she learns a great deal about herself and her expectations. Like others in the Pony Camp series, this is told as though written in Chloe’s diary. Line illustrations are sprinkled throughout.

Young Carter Jones first meets Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, an English butler, on a particularly hectic and rainy morning. Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick comes to the Jones family from Carter’s recently deceased grandfather to bring order, cricket and help to the family while the father is deployed. By turn humorous and touching, Carter grows emotionally as do his fellow cricket players and the entire family in this fast, fresh, and nuanced novel.

Fifth-grader, Liam, is the oldest of the three with two younger sisters. Confident Dakota is a third grader just waiting until she can cure cancer; friendly second grader, Izzy, is a hugger and notices things that other kids miss. Their parents are divorced and money is tight. Can the kids figure out what is causing their beloved dog to urinate on the apartment’s carpet – before the landlord evicts them? Difficult themes are handled with a light touch by the author of Newbery-honor winning, Al Capone Does My Shirts.

As Bat’s year in third grade nears its end, he begins to worry about releasing his skunk kit into the wild; he worries that his best friend will forget him during his summer away, and more. But Bixby Alexander Tam (Bat for short) still looks forward to working with his veterinarian mom and time with his sister. This is the third book about Bat (who is likely on the autism spectrum and first introduced in A Boy Called Bat (opens in a new window)) but this book stands alone.

Future rock star or friendless misfit? That’s no choice at all. Twelve-year-old Apple grapples with being different, with friends and backstabbers, and with following her dreams. A story about family, friendship, popularity, and going your own way.

Charlotte and Ben — friends connected only by an online Scrabble game — will intersect in unexpected ways as they struggle to navigate the turmoil of middle school. A sensitive look at friendship, bullying and coming of age.

David, the naughty but loveable kid from No, David (opens in a new window), again hears those words. This time, however, it’s his big brother who shouts them; David is too little to play with the older boys. The illustrator’s signature illustrations and hand drawn text create a humorous, recognizable addition to books about this sharp-toothed little boy.

From first cry to first meal all the way to the first birthday, there are many firsts when a baby is born. Share the fun in the brief, rhyming text and illustrations depicting diverse, slightly frumpy and totally real families.

New things can be intimidating. Learning to tie shoe laces means giving up Velcro; writing letters may mean giving up chunky crayons. Starting a new school can be especially scary but “with each goodbye, a new hello.” Flat forms in bold, colorful shapes and staccato language effectively present the rights of passage of growing up and accepting new things.

Eugenia Lincoln is a practical person with no time for gee-gaws, whoop-de-whoops, or frivolity. When an unexpected package containing an accordion arrives at her house, she is determined to have nothing to do with it. But her plans to sell the accordion, destroy the accordion, and give the accordion away all end in frustration. How can Eugenia stop being tormented by this troublesome package? Might she discover that a bit of unforeseen frivolity could be surprisingly … joyous?

Francis strives to make the best shoes possible, even from material that is hard to acquire. When his friend doesn’t return with one such item, Francis goes on a jungle trek to find him. Along the way, he comes across actual animal residents. Photographs are incorporated into comics as is a bit of factual information for a rollicking good adventure.

A baseball game. A kid watching. An outfielder needed. It should be an easy out, but not really when all manner of fantastic things get in the way of catching the ball. What really happens in this a riveting, nearly wordless baseball game is open to interpretation and certainly worthy of multiple examinations.

Jordie is thrilled when Professor Reese moves in next door with her dog, Baxter. Is it possible that Baxter can understand what Jordie says? Has the professor’s work put her in danger? This fast-paced adventure combines mystery and science fiction sure to intrigue.