Early Chapter Books
Kitty and the great lantern race
Paula Harrison
jFICTION Harrison Paula
Early Chapter Books
"Kitty is proud of the lantern she has crafted for Hallam City's Festival of Light. But just as the parade starts, a series of mysterious burglaries occur in the crowd. Kitty spots a shadowy figure and knows that she must use her catlike superpowers to investigate. Chasing the culprit without the help of her cat crew tests her bravery and superhero skills, but Kitty is determined to track down the thief before the city's festival is ruined"--
Welcome to scare school
Jarrett Lerner
jFICTION Lerner Jarrett
Early Chapter Books
Bash is a young ghost who has never been good at scaring people is nervous about his first day at scare school, where he will learn to master the necessary skills to become a successful ghost.
A great transitional chapter book - for kids just beginning to read chapter books on their own! Absolutely adorable illustrations, funny stories, with large text, plenty of white space, and picture support. -Anne W
The Hotel Balzaar
Kate DiCamillo
jFICTION Dicamill Kate
Fiction, Mystery, Kids, Early Chapter Books, Picture Books, Short Story
At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta's mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly like a little mouse. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story--in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father's disappearance lie in the countess's tales? --
I am beyond excited for another Júlia Sardà illustrated title! I cannot wait to read this collaboration with incredible storyteller, Kate DiCamillo. -Casey
The Wee Free Men
Terry Pratchett
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Pratchett, Terry
Kids, Early Chapter Books, Fantasy
A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.
The Tiffany Aching books are a delightful introduction to Pratchett's Discworld, and I wholeheartedly recommend the entire series. -Chelsea
Bunny & Tree
Balint Zsako
jE Zsako
Picture Books, Early Chapter Books, Fantasy, Adventure
"Bunny, who's looking for his rabbit friends, convinces Tree that it's time to uproot and see the world."
This is a beautiful long-form, wordless picture book debut! I'm hopeful we see more like it from Balint Zsako. -Casey
The skull : a Tyrolean folktale
Jon Klassen
jFICTION Klassen, Jon
Kids, Early Chapter Books, Fiction, Paranormal, Short Story
"This is an old story. It is about a girl named Otilla who runs away. It is also about a house in the woods, and a skull who lives there, and a secret the skull has, and the night that Otilla finds out what that secret is."--
Jon Klassen’s signature offbeat humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding and quite different from most of our chapter books on our shelves! -Angie
The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
Leali, Michael, author.
jFICTION Leali Michael
LGBTQ+, Early Chapter Books, Fiction
"Amos Abernathy lives for history. Literally. He's been a historical reenactor nearly all his life. But when a cute new volunteer arrives at his Living History Park, Amos finds himself wondering if there's something missing from history: someone like the two of them. Amos is sure there must have been LGBTQ+ people in nineteenth-century Illinois. His search turns up Albert D. J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who might have identified as a trans man if he'd lived today. Soon Amos starts confiding in his newfound friend by writing letters in his journal--and hatches a plan to share Albert's story with his divided twenty-first century town. It may be an uphill battle, but it's one that Amos is ready to fight."--Amazon.com.
For Pride I want to focus on this book because of how special to me it is now. If I had had this book when I was Amos' age I could have seen myself so much earlier than I did. Maybe I would have come out sooner, maybe I would have been able to accept myself sooner. As I was reading I saw myself in a lot of the characters, even now as an adult there's a lot you can learn and realize about yourself looking back at how teens are today versus how you might have been. The writing and relationships in this book had me feeling like a teen again, but in the best way--the nervousness of my first relationship, the excitement that comes with sitting next to one another watching a movie, pushing your leg against them, moving your pinky closer and closer until you're finally holding hands at that one instance is so so special but so so tiny in scope. The Civil War of Amos Abernathy is also incredibly inspiring. Sometimes it's important to break the rules of the world which are neither just, nor fair, and that message comes through here--books like this will change lives for not only the children and teens who read them, but our whole future. It will tell them that things sometimes need to change and change can come from them. -Zach
The first case
Ulf Nilsson
jFICTION Nilsson Ulf
Mystery, Early Chapter Books
When Vladimir the squirrel's stockpile of nuts disappears, the portly Detective Gordon deputizes his young, enthusiastic friend Buffy the mouse to help him discover the identity of the thieves.
This is the first in a four-book series about the bumbling, often flustered (but totally endearing) Detective Gordon (a frog) and his sidekick Buffy (a mouse). The mysteries (translated from the original Swedish) are clever and funny, gentle but contain enough action to sustain interest, and are heavily illustrated and perfect for those just getting comfortable with chapter books (around first and second grades). They also make great family read-alouds. The newest (and last) book, A Case with a Bang, just hit ICPL shelves. -Anne W
Akiko on the Planet Smoo
Mark Crilley
Diverse Characters, Adventure, Early Chapter Books, Fantasy
Akiko Series, Book 1 When this fourth-grader comes home from school one day, she finds an envelope waiting for her with no stamp and no return address. The message inside reads Dear Akiko: We are coming to get you. Meet us outside your bedroom window tonight at 8:00. Don't forget your toothbrush. How could anyone meet her outside her window? She lives on the 17th floor, for goodness sake. But that evening, as Akiko is preparing to study for tomorrow's geography test, she finds a small spacecraft hovering outside her window with two odd little men inside. They have been sent to whisk Akiko off to the Planet Smoo where she will lead a team enlisted to find the King of Smoo's kidnapped son, Prince Froptoppit. Akiko, the leader of a rescue mission? She's too timid to be on the school's safety patrol! So begins Akiko's adventure across the land of Smoo to find a prince and become a leader.
Added by Alexander
Rabbit & Bear. Attack of the snack
Julian Gough
jFICTION Gough Julian
Early Chapter Books, Kids, Humor
When Rabbit and Bear's swim is disturbed by a small owl, Bear is interested in learning more but Rabbit relates horror stories and wants to imprison the sleeping bird.
Rabbit and Bear books are great for beginning readers; the simple stories, laugh out loud humor and great illustrations mean that they are the perfect transition from picture books to chapter books. Plus they are a great and fun read aloud to younger kids. Look for the other four books in this hilarious series! -Angie
This series is a great choice for readers moving on from very short, very early chapter books but not quite ready for longer, denser chapter books. Short sentences and simpler vocabulary without seeming babyish! Absolutely adorable illustrations in a palette of orange, black, and white add to the whimsy and fun of this series, which blends magic and mystery as Kitty, a shape-shifting superhero, saves the day in one exciting, page-turning volume after another. -Anne W