We’ve got some exciting new books for young readers in Monroe County! Here are some of the highlights:
Local author and Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park celebrates uniqueness and diversity in her children’s book Gondra’s Treasure, a story about a little dragon with an Eastern dragon dad and a Western dragon mom.
Harriet Brundle helps introduce kids to hearing aids and the hearing problems that affect many people around the world in her book Using Hearing Aids.
Lastly, H.M. Bouwman’s A Tear in the Ocean delivers a fantastic historical fantasy adventure perfect for young readers.
Click the “Read More” link to check out the rest of the books below!
Chapter Books
Ruff Vs. Fluff by Spencer Quinn
From the outside, Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog appear to have a lot in common. Both pets live in the charming Blackberry Hill inn. They both love their humans, twins Harmony and Bro. They both have a fondness for sausage. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are mortal enemies.
Goofy, big-hearted Arthur loves everyone he’s ever met… except the snobby, scheming cat who’s devoted her life to ruining his. Queenie is a bit choosier. And who can blame her? When you’re brilliant AND exquisitely beautiful, you can’t be expected to rub tails with commoners. Especially not slobbery dogs.
But when the twins’ beloved uncle is framed for murder, Queenie and Arthur must work together to clear his name… something Queenie finds even more distasteful than inexpensive caviar. Can two enemies put aside their differences long enough to solve the mystery?
Friendroid by M.M. Vaughan
Eric Young is an android, but he doesn’t know. He does know that he’s just moved to Ashland, so it’s important to make the right kind of friends–the kind that would be interested in skateboarding and the new Slick sneakers his Uncle Martin sends him.
Danny Lazio doesn’t have any friends, but he doesn’t care. Even if his classmates don’t accept him, he still has Land X, the online role play game that he’s actually really good at. But then Eric takes an interest in Land X, and suddenly Danny thinks he might have found a real friend…if he can figure out the mystery behind Eric’s sudden disappearances and strange lifestyle. It becomes harder to ignore the weird events that happen only around Eric. But uncovering the secret behind Eric’s identity is an act that might cost them both as powerful forces soon move in around them.
This heartfelt story about friendship and what it means to be human is sure to tug at your soul–or your soul-chip if you’re like Eric.
A Tear in the Ocean by H.M. Bouwman
Putnam, the future king of Raftworld, wants more than anything to prove himself. When the water in the Second World starts to become salty and his father won’t do anything about it, Putnam sees his chance. He steals a boat and sneaks off toward the source of the salty water. He doesn’t know he has a stowaway onboard, an island girl named Artie.
Artie isn’t trying to save the world, she’s just trying to save herself. On the run from an abusive stepfather, Artie just wants a place to call home. Putnam isn’t the partner she would have chosen, but as the two face uncertainty and danger in their shared adventure, an extraordinary friendship forms.
Meanwhile, more than a hundred years in the past, Rayel is also on the run from Raftworld, escaping an arranged marriage she discovers is really a plot to kill her father. She’d planned to be gone just long enough to foil the plot, but once at sea and sailing ever southward, Rayel discovers she has an astonishing magical power that leads her to a new home and a sadness so deep it infects the world.
Told in alternating perspectives with Putnam and Artie traveling further and further into the uncharted southern sea–and Rayel, the key to the saltwater mystery, sailing the same sea in her own time–Putnam and Artie must put aside their differences and figure out why the sea is salty before it’s too late.
How I Became A Spy by Deborah Hopkinson
Bertie Bradshaw never set out to become a spy. He never imagined traipsing around war-torn London, solving ciphers, practicing surveillance, and searching for a traitor to the Allied forces. He certainly never expected that a strong-willed American girl named Eleanor would play Watson to his Holmes (or Holmes to his Watson, depending on who you ask). But when a young woman goes missing, leaving behind a coded notebook, Bertie is determined to solve the mystery. With the help of Eleanor and his friend David, a Jewish refugee–and, of course, his trusty pup, Little Roo–Bertie must decipher the notebook in time to stop a double agent from spilling the biggest secret of all to the Nazis.
From the author of The Great Trouble, this suspenseful WWII adventure reminds us that times of war call for bravery, brains and teamwork from even the most unlikely heroes.
The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey . . . until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents’ fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world.
To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they’ve come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld and the Rakkhoshi Queen in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it . . .
Picture Books
On The Playground: Our First Talk About Prejudice by Dr. Jillian Roberts
On the Playground: Our First Talk About Prejudice focuses on introducing children to the complex topic of prejudice. Crafted around a narrative between a grade-school-aged child and an adult, this inquiry-focused book will help children shape their understanding of diversity so they are better prepared to understand, and question, prejudice witnessed around them in their day-to-day lives and in the media. Dr. Jillian Roberts discusses types of discrimination children notice, what prejudice means, why it’s not okay, how to stand up against it and how kids can spread a message of inclusion and acceptance in the world around them.
Using Hearing Aids by Harriet Brundle
Many people are born with or develop hearing problems, which leads them to wear hearing aids. Readers learn about how these devices help those with hearing problems through accessible text and fact boxes that focus on science, technology, and guidance. The sensitive tone promotes self-acceptance for those who wear hearing aids, provides answers for those who may need them, and fosters a sense of empathy among readers who may know people with hearing problems. The imaginative illustrations, including colorful characters, make this an educational and entertaining learning experience for young readers.
If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! by Elise Parsley
Note to self: If your teacher tells you to bring something from nature for show-and-tell, she does not want you to bring an alligator But nothing will stop Magnolia, who’s determined to have the best show-and-tell of all–until her reptilian rapscallion starts getting her into some major trouble. Now it’s up to Magnolia to find a way to send this troublemaker home–but what could possibly scare an alligator away?
You’re Missing It! by Brady Smith
A busy Hollywood couple spins a hilarious cautionary tale about what happens when you are glued to your phone. It’s a lively day at the neighborhood park. Birds are singing, squirrels are frolicking, dogs are causing a commotion–and wide-eyed children are enthralled by it all. Too bad the parents are missing everything! It’s going to take something really BIG to get them to disengage from their phones… This timely story, brought to life with beautiful bold art, is a great reminder to slow down and savor time together.
Gondra’s Treasure by Linda Sue Park
Gondra, a little dragon with an Eastern dragon dad and a Western dragon mom, celebrates her uniqueness in this sparkling collaboration between Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park and rising star artist Jennifer Black Reinhardt.
Published on June 18, 2019.
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