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Three animals did indeed go up in a hot-air balloon in the 18th century, but not quite the talented sheep, rooster, and duck who propel this funny and clever tale forward. Fact and fiction, cameo appearances by historical figures, and lots of illustrations are used. An author’s note reveals the history, effectively separating real from imagined.

A cyber-enhanced cat is sent into space to stop rats from eating the moon. Absurd humor propels this outlandish tale through the galaxy with unending gags, sure to make readers laugh aloud. It’s the first in a series which was inspired by Instagram video shorts created during the pandemic.

When a young and very hungry chickadee wants to eat a caterpillar, Sir Ladybug must cook up a delicious alternative. This easier to read graphic book is humorously illustrated and broken into chapters by a Caldecott honor winning creator. 

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary each tell their story, culminating in their thrilling ascent of Mount Everest. Norgay grew up in Nepal, herding yaks in the shadow of Chomolungma, the mountain also known as Everest. He has always dreamed of climbing to the top. He becomes a guide, leading treks through the Himalayas. Across the ocean, in New Zealand, Hillary grew up tending his father’s bees. He climbed his first mountain at sixteen and has climbed all over the world ever since. In 1953, the two men set out on the same expedition to climb Everest. They tramp over windswept glaciers, crawl across rope bridges, hack footholds in the ice … until finally they reach the top of the world!

Pow! Bam! Wow! Jackie Chan has been making movies and amazing audiences with his original and comedic stunts for decades. But before he was an international star, Jackie grew up in relative poverty in China, studied martial arts at the grueling China Drama Academy, and worked for years trying to find his way in film. Discover how Jackie used his goofball acrobatics to make a name and a style all his own.

Manu and her best friend, Josefina, live at a magical school for girls, where Manu is always getting into trouble. Drawing from her own Dominican experience, the author weaves together religion, and lore and creates a world where magical powers bestowed by saints and evil eye necklaces work hand in hand. This fast-paced, funny adventure is about friendship, defying expectations, and finding your place. 

What do you do when an octopus captures Grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! This clever picture book tells two stories in one.

When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean … the pulse of the sea.”

When 13-year-old Tai Pham inherits his grandmother’s jade ring, he soon finds out it’s more than it appears. Suddenly he’s being inducted into a group of space cops known as the Green Lanterns, his neighborhood is being overrun by some racist bullies, and every time he puts pen to paper, he’s forced to confront that he might not be creative enough or strong enough to uphold his ba’s legacy.

Iris loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building, except when it’s time to share the fun with her baby brother. That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button that opens up imaginary places where she can escape and explore on her own. 

The night her parents disappear, 12-year-old Robyn Loxley must learn to fend for herself. Her home, Nott City, has been taken over by a harsh governor, Ignomus Crown. After fleeing for her life, Robyn has no choice but to join a band of strangers — misfit kids, each with their own special talent for mischief. Setting out to right the wrongs of Crown’s merciless government, they take their outlaw status in stride. But Robyn can’t rest until she finds her parents. This is the first book in the Robyn Hoodlum Adventure series (see Rebellion of Thieves (opens in a new window) and Reign of Outlaws (opens in a new window)).

Caleb Franklin and his big brother Bobby Gene are excited to have adventures in the woods behind their house. But Caleb dreams of venturing beyond their ordinary small town. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Styx is sixteen and oozes cool — and he leads the brothers on a one-thing-leads-to-another adventure in which friendships are forged and loyalties are tested.

When the cops show up at Jesse’s house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he’s the #1 suspect in the missing library fund money case. But when a tornado strikes her small town, Jesse must use all of her skills to save her and those around her. This mystery will have you rooting for Jesse and her trusty Pomeranian, Sam-Sam.

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.

She’s been around since 1941 but remains perhaps the best known and most popular female superhero. Wonder Woman’s evolution is also a look at women’s history presented here in lively illustration and accessible informative text with excellent backmatter.

Hedgehog Taylor wants to fly despite his skunk friend, Sydney’s trepidation about it. This funny, warm tale of friendship is generously illustrated with complementary illustrations that augment the tone. Young readers may have met the duo in their other adventure, Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World (opens in a new window).

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.

Katie longs to go to summer camp with her friend and takes odd jobs to earn the money. When she starts catsitting for a neighbor, she doesn’t realize that she’ll be taking care of 217 felines, each exceptional. Katie wonders if the cats’ owner is really a supervillain who goes out each night to do dastardly deeds. Fun and fantasy abound in the first of a new graphic series with a likeable heroine.

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.  

Backyard play seems quite real to three sisters as they dodge a dragon, find a pocket-sized gorilla and more in their jungle. Inspired by a visit to the Yucatan with his own daughters, Linier’s easier to read graphic novel combines art and text to create tension, movement, and imaginative drama.

What can Kooky Dooky do help to inspire El Toro to train as a luchador for his next wrestling match? The first in a lively new series features animated characters and Spanish words for a fun romp. After the match, El Toro and his friend Oink Oink clean up in El Toro’s next adventure in Tag Team (opens in a new window).

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.