Book Finder

Holly loves doing experiments and learning new things in science class! But when she finds out the next experiment is making slime, she’s worried. Slime is made with glue, and glue is sticky. Holly has sensory issues because of her autism and doesn’t like anything sticky! With help from family and her teacher, Holly receives the accommodations and encouragement she needs to give slime a try.

A powerful story about the extraordinary mind of a young nonverbal girl with autism, her passion for space exploration, and the bond between sisters.

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.

Very Big Crab reassures Little Crab when they leave their tiny tidal pool for the large sea. Few details are needed as illustrations swirl expressively across pages as the pair makes their way to the joys that they find in the ocean.

How do you feel when you see red? Does pink make you feel differently? Explore feelings with colorful animals in rhyming text and simple illustrations, easy to find with color-coded felt tabs.

Jingwen feels more like he’s on Mars than in Australia when he, his younger brother Yanghao, and their mother relocate from China. English is a breeze for Yanghao but a struggle for Jingwen who hears it as just gibberish. Line and wash illustrations cleverly depict the language confusion as well as the brothers’ plausible relationship. Even with serious issues present (the boys’ father has died; their mother works long hours) this remarkable book is witty, engaging, and entirely credible.

Twelve-year-old Lucy lives with her father in Rockport, Massachusetts. Her mother, a marine biologist, died several years earlier. Lucy and her best friend and neighbor with a passion for science are making a field guide about marine animals: Fred writes; Lucy draws. Loss, grief, and healing are deftly handled in this memorable, striking novel in which community, art, science, and love intersect.

A child travels alone on a bus through a bustling city. Who is the narrator addressing? Is the reader or someone else? The child offers advice, like “Alleys can be good shortcuts…” but there are dangers, too. Arriving home to a red door and a warm embrace, the child confidently says “You will be all right.” Only close examination of the stunning illustrations provides clues as to who (or what) is really small and alone in the city.

In spite of his canine mother’s assurances, a puppy is mistreated by people and winds up at a shelter. A boy named Patrick and his mother spend the summer — and beyond — at his grandfather’s home. How the dog who lost his bark and a boy with no friends and parents who are separating help each other heal is tenderly told and gently illustrated in this short, moving novel.

Why is the question a small rabbit asks a gentle but imposing bear. Why can’t the bear go into rabbit’s hole? Why did rabbit fall from the tree? Bear patiently answers most of the questions, but for some there are no answers. Expressive art and child-friendly text fuse seamlessly in this moving and evocative book.

Poor porcupine! No one will give the prickly (but needy) critter a hug. Not Lou the rabbit, not Ken the deer, not even big bear, Joe. They are all afraid of the green kiss-seeking snake. But porcupine isn’t! Animated, comical illustrations combine with conversation bubbles to tell a very funny, understated, and satisfying story. 

Ben got the best birthday present of all when he walked into his classroom that day. Until then, after being teased at school, Ben hid his love for colorful fingernails, only painting them on weekends. His friend Margarita and Ben’s parents had always been supportive, but now everyone would share Ben’s joy. Line and wash illustrations complement this unique way of accepting differences. 

From a lap to sit on to “this earth we ride on…” people and animals are grateful for the everyday things they see and experience. Idealized illustrations complement the text to focus on simple, commonplace pleasures.

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.

The narrator assures and informs the unnamed child depicted that once she dons her swimsuit, the swimming lesson will be fine. Humorous illustrations express the concern and joy of the first splash into the pool with an adult swimmer and other children all around. Children may see themselves or perhaps feel that they know things that the book’s character doesn’t.  

Lottie won’t join the other swimmers in her class. She knows that there’s a shark there to eat only her; that is, until a large, gentle walrus named Walter appears. With Walter’s help, Lottie overcomes her fear and joins her mom and brother for the Saturday pool party. Soft watercolors illustrate Lottie and her imaginary friend, allowing her to overcome her fear of water.

Hamilton Squidlegger is fearless! Well, almost. During the day he can best all the frackensnappers, skelecragons, and bracklesneeds in the swamp, but at night he quakes in terror. Will his father be able to help Hamilton remain fearless in his own mud all night?

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.

Amelia wants to spend just one summer week in Florida. But her always-working father won’t agree. How Amelia finds consolation and friendship in the art studio to which she escapes her too quiet house is wholly plausible and quite touching. Characters develop fully as does the plot in spare, evocative, and effective language.

Aisulu’s brother, Serik, wants to become an eagle hunter but ill health prevents it. When Serik is diagnosed with cancer, Aisulu finds the orphaned eaglet and becomes a rare female eagle hunter and competes to win money to pay for Serik’s treatment. Sophisticated readers are likely to enjoy the fast-paced action set in contemporary Western Mongolia.

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.

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.

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.