Kids
Leeva at last
Sara Pennypacker
jFICTION Pennypacker, Sara
Kids
What are people for? That's the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom. Fame! says Leeva's mom, the mayor of Nutsmore. Money! says her dad, the town treasurer. With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer--setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.
The last mapmaker
Christina Soontornvat
jFICTION Soontornvat, Christina
Adventure, Fiction, Fantasy, Kids
A high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world. This is the story of a young woman's struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman - and in a kingdom where the status of one's ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn't the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands - a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining - she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as intricate as the maps of old.
I recently read a graphic novel by Soontornvat that I enjoyed about cheerleading, and though its a very different genre, I enjoyed both. This is a great adventure story with an element of fantasy and a strong female protagonist! -Mari
Beneath
Cori Doerrfeld
jE Doerrfel
Picture Books, Kids, Nature
Finn is in a bad mood, so his grandfather takes him on a walk in the forest, and tells him about all the things that are beneath the surface of plants and animals--and even people.
Beneath this cover is a touching story about recognizing what we cannot see in our world and in one another. Cori Doerrfeld's illustrations and prose make for an emotional yet healing read. Readers will be rewarded by spending some time with the endsheets and exploring what lies beneath the dust jacket as well. -Casey
The real Dada Mother Goose : a treasury of complete nonsense
Jon Scieszka
jE Scieszka
Classics, Humor, Picture Books, Kids
"The classic nursery rhymes we know and love--upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds--as only Jon Scieszka could stage them. Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism's rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright's The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of classic nursery rhymes and stitches them back together (or not quite together) in every clever way possible."
The Real Dada Mother Goose is a delight! Anyone well versed in Mother Goose owes this one a perusal. -Casey
One winter up north
John Owens
jE Owens
Picture Books, Kids
"In winter the Boundary Waters, way up north in Minnesota, is not the same place you canoed last summer--but still it beckons and welcomes you. Grab a pack, strap on snowshoes, make a path (Oh! they take some getting used to!), and venture out across the frozen lakes and through the snowy woods. The vast wintery world here is so still and quiet, you might think you're all alone--but no! Who made these tracks? A deer? A hare? A fox? And far off there's a musher, making tracks with his sled dogs. It's a magical place. The bright sun brilliant on the snow, the sparkling silence--wait, is that a wolf calling? Try to answer! And when the dark descends, the stars and pine trees holding up the night, your nose gets cold and it's back to camp, to your warm winter tent, where Father feeds the stove with wood you gathered, Mother snuggles into her big sleeping bag, and you curl up in the fire's glow and know that in your dreams and memories you will return again and again to this one winter up north."--Provided by publisher.
Create some cozy winter feelings with this wordless picture book depicting a family's adventures snowshoeing and camping in the Superior National Forest in winter. Beautiful winter landscapes are depicted in sweeping, gentle watercolors. -Anne W
My Pokémon cookbook : delicious recipes inspired by Pikachu and friends
Victoria Rosenthal
Explore culinary delights from across the Pokémon universe in this official cookbook. Featuring favorite flavors from every region, dive into dishes that celebrate the world of Pokémon and fuel up for your next battle! Perfect for fans of all ages, My Pokémon Cookbook is the perfect addition to any Pokémon Trainer's kitchen. --
Do I play the Pokémon trading card game? Nope! Have I played the videogames? Nope! Do I watch the show? Not in 25 years or so! Do I love this cookbook? YUP! The first recipe is a Pokémon Poke Bowl, which is both clever and delicious. I found the recipes in this book both irresistibly adorable and delicious, and I think some of the Pokémon are so cute! Look out for an entire week of Pokémon programming the first week of 2023!! -Mari
Polar bear
Candace Fleming
j599.786 Fleming
Kids, Nonfiction, Animals
As spring approaches in the Arctic, a mother polar bear and her two cubs tentatively emerge from hibernation to explore the changing landscape. When it is time, she takes her cubs on a forty-mile journey, back to their home on the ice. Along the way, she fends off wolves, hunts for food, and swims miles and miles.
What an informative yet emotional, beautifully-illustrated nonfiction picture book about a mother polar bear and her cubs! Mother bears are incredibly capable creatures - you won't doubt it after devouring this edge-of-your-seat book describing the long journey of a bear family's first year. A great read-aloud with gorgeous Arctic-landscape illustrations! -Anne W
Tumble
Celia C. Pérez
jFICTION Perez Celia
Kids, Diverse Characters
Before she decides whether to accept her stepfather's proposal of adoption, twelve-year-old Adela Ramírez reaches out to her estranged biological father--who is in the midst of a career comeback as a luchador--and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, bringing Adela closer to understanding the expansive definition of family.
This is a super-fun read about an eccentric family of luchadors (Mexican-style pro wrestlers) set in New Mexico. The book is heartwarming without the ending being pat or too neat and tidy, which I appreciated. Also clear-eyed from a kid's perspective about the failures and shortcomings of adults in your life, though overall showing the centrality of family and how important it is for them to have your back (in and out of the wrestling ring!). -Anne W
Front country
Sara St. Antoine
jFICTION Stantoin Sara
Kids, Travel, Nature
Eighth grader Ginny Shepard attempts to ground herself after realizing that the world is apathetic to the very real, very urgent realities of climate change, and reckoning with her own feelings of guilt and impotence.
This is a slow-burn but powerful coming-of-age novel about a girl who goes to the wilderness to find herself. Ginny is doing all the "right things" - getting straight A's, playing competitive tennis, pleasing her parents, etc. But when she finds out how urgent climate change is and what might be lost if the adults in charge don't act immediately, she can't understand why no one else seems to feel as upset as she does about it. She ends up attending a wilderness camp that is sort of a therapeutic program for "troubled" youth, where she is the only girl among some strange boys and exhaustingly upbeat yet nitpicky counselors. But as she gets to know what motivates her fellow campers and experiences the Montana mountain setting, she begins to find her way and figures some stuff out. This is a sophisticated, nuanced, slow-paced book best for upper-elementary-readers. It has a great message without being preachy or on-the-nose. The dialogue and Ginny's struggles are rendered realistically and empathetically. -Anne W
I'm a unicorn
Helen Yoon
jE Yoon
Picture Books, Humor, Fantasy, Kids
"See?" cries the calf. "Uni means one, and corn means horn!" Even their baby picture proves it: they were born with one horn! But as the eager little calf continues their research, a budding identity crisis arises...
Potty humor AND unicorns?! Get ready to repeat this read. -Casey
If you enjoy the spirited early-chapter-book Clementine series about an eccentric and opinionated 8-year-old girl and the people in her apartment building, or Pax, the moving middle grade story of the bond between a boy and a fox and the lengths they'll go to in order to reunite after tragedy, try Sara Pennypacker's new middle grade novel, Leeva at Last. Perfectly paired with Matthew Cordell's scratchy illustrations, Leeva at Last is a quest/coming-of-age story that is totally hilarious, profound, and features some fantastic librarians. -Anne W