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This wordless time-travel fantasy takes readers on a trip to a world of secret messages left in secret boxes hidden in secret places. The story begins as three boys discover a box in the top floor of their urban boarding school that holds decades-old sepia photographs of a schoolboy, a postcard, and a map leading to a location on the coast.

Retellings in verse present a host of memorable females in traditional stories from around the world. Join Prince Ivan’s quest, revisit the girl in the tower, listen to Sheherazade as she spins her tales. Then examine the detailed, luminous illustrations to find hidden people and things in this inventive recasting of familiar folktales. 

An young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. The swiftly paced plot draws many threads together to form a web of characters, magic, and interwoven lives. (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)

Piper Green lives off the coast of Maine on Peek-a-Boo Island. Could it be the fairy tree that grows in her front yard that brings her the pony? This latest story about Piper and her life on the island is as satisfying as the others in the cheery series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Join a mother and her children on an imaginative journey to places where bears ride bicycles and wear scarves, lions read books, and buses are fish that fly through the clouds. Highly detailed, inventive black and white illustrations with splashes of red move the journey along until the very satisfying conclusion.

The unicorn that Lucy got for 25 cents isn’t the special Sparkle she had envisioned. This unicorn resembles s a speckled goat plus he’s got fleas and is quite naughty. Lucy considers returning Sparkle but discovers that she loves him in spite of his peculiarities. Line illustrations are detailed adding humor and movement to the satisfying story.

Charles’ brother and sister told him there was no such thing, but the little boy and his sled set out to find the wish tree. In this sensitive story, a boy’s conviction and kindness are rewarded in kind. Illustrations in muted color accompany the text.

Robbie Darko loves magic but simply is not good at it. That is, until his grandmother teaches him a few tricks she learned as a professional magician. Filled with pathos and good nature, this novel is sure to resonate with readers.

Nine tales from German folklore are presented in a large, vibrantly illustrated format are made to share. Well-known tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, and Sleeping Beauty are included, as are lesser-known stories.  

Hardscrabble Street transformed when Dr. Fell moved into the old abandoned house. Only Jerry, Nancy and Gail seem to be immune to a web that captivated kids and grownups as they played on Dr. Fell’s amazing new playground.  Part mystery, part magic, this creepy story is not recommended for the fainthearted!

Charlie learns that wishes granted by a magic fish do not work as planned. In fact, Charlie learns that it sometimes takes a lot more to confront the most difficult things, including her older sister’s heroin addiction. 

Middle school is stressful for everyone, especially for Ava. When she discovers her pencil can answer questions, Ava learns that there’s more to consider than just being right. Magic allows tough topics to be tackled.

Tuesday McGillycuddy, first introduced in Finding Serendipity is back to save stories from colliding and writers from being hurt when thrown far away from where they start. 

A mother warns her seven children not to open the door in her absence, but alas, the children are duped by a tricky witch named Heckedy Peg. Their mother’s wisdom, however, cleverly saves the day. Told in the cadence of a folktale, this richly illustrated tale makes a fine read aloud.

Nory, Elliott, Andres, and Bax are just four of the students in Dunwiddle Magic School’s Upside-Down Magic class. In their classroom, lessons are unconventional, students are unpredictable, and magic has a tendency to turn wonky at the worst possible moments. This is the first book in an offbeat series about a group of misfits who set out to prove that life on the other side of ordinary has its charms.

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. (2009 Newbery Medal Winner)

Two plush toys, Stingray and a buffalo named Lumphy, and Plastic, a red ball, want to play in the snow. And so they do! Lush illustrations and rich language come together in the toys’ first picture book adventure. (The characters were first introduced in longer novels; all are ideal as read-alouds for younger children.)

In this Magic Tree House story, Jack and Annie’s vacation in the glorious waters off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula doesn’t turn out quite like they expect. An encounter with sharks and with a Mayan girl plus a bit of magic create another satisfying, fantastical adventure in the series. A companion book, Sharks and other Predators (opens in a new window) helps readers separate fact from fiction.

Miss Drake, a strong-willed dragon, has a new pet, a girl named Winnie who thinks Miss Drake is her pet. When Winnie’s sketches come to life, can dragon and girl work together to put things right? Read in an appealing British accent, this is sure to delight listeners of all ages.

When a huge, rough man threatens King Arthur’s court, it is the honorable, brave Sir Gawain who accepts the challenge and faces the Green Knight for what is sure to mean death. The cadence of a storyteller is used to highlight the adventure and tension of this traditional tale of honor and chivalry.

Serendipity Smith is the pseudonym used by Tuesday McGillicuddy’s mom. Serendipity is a famous children’s author who goes missing while working on the last of her adventure series. On their quest to find her mom, Tuesday and her faithful dog find myriad adventures involving writing, mystery, mayhem, and pirates in a breathtaking, satisfying, often humorous fantasy.

When the human to whom Angus (a brownie) is bound dies, he must leave his native Ireland to serve Sarah’s nearest relative. Serving an American girl named Alex means she must acclimate to having a magical creature and whose slovenly habits are in stark contrast to a cleanliness-obsessed brownie.  

A boy in a fedora uses his pen to travel, grow, “make giants of old men/who have seen better days” (an homage to his late father, Walter Dean Myers), and visit places real and imagined. Black and white line drawings and sophisticated, poetic language effectively convey the power of art and imagination and are sure to spark conversation.

A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam — anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there’s no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share … and to keep. (2007 Caldecott Medal Winner)