The Ice House


Book Description

With shades of When You Reach Me, The Thing About Jellyfish, and Bridge to Terabithia, and a big, timely climate hook at its core, here is a heartfelt middle grade debut about the inevitability of change that will resonate profoundly during these extraordinary times. Spring has arrived, and yet an unyielding winter freeze has left Louisa snowed into her apartment building for months with parents coping with extreme stress, a little brother struggling with cabin fever, and—awkwardly—her neighbor and former close friend, Luke. The new realities of this climate disaster have not only affected Louisa's family, but when Luke's dad has an ice-related accident and it's unclear if he'll recover, both families' lives are turned upside down. Desperate to find an escape from the grief plaguing their homes, Louisa and Luke build a massive snow fort in their yard. But their creation opens up an otherworldly window to what could lie ahead, and sets them on a mission: to restore the universe to its rightful order, so the ice will melt and life will return to "normal". With a deft combination of heartfelt prose and a touch of magic, Monica Sherwood's affecting debut novel is a relatable story of families grappling with—and emerging from—a different kind of quarantine.




The First Rule of Punk


Book Description

A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one’s watching. There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself. The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself! Black and white illustrations and collage art by award-winning author Celia C. Pérez are featured throughout. "Malú rocks!" —Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Roller Girl




The Silver Kiss


Book Description

Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the beautiful yet frightening Simon comes to her house. Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe's brooding thoughts of her dying mother. Simon is one of the undead, a vampire, seeking revenge for the gruesome death of his mother three hundred years before. Does Simon dare ask Zoe to help free him from this lifeless chase and its insufferable loneliness?




The Line Tender


Book Description

Funny, poignant, and deeply moving, The Line Tender is a story of nature's enduring mystery and a girl determined to find meaning and connection within it. Wherever the sharks led, Lucy Everhart's marine-biologist mother was sure to follow. In fact, she was on a boat far off the coast of Massachusetts, collecting shark data when she died suddenly. Lucy was seven. Since then Lucy and her father have kept their heads above water--thanks in large part to a few close friends and neighbors. But June of her twelfth summer brings more than the end of school and a heat wave to sleepy Rockport. On one steamy day, the tide brings a great white--and then another tragedy, cutting short a friendship everyone insists was "meaningful" but no one can tell Lucy what it all meant. To survive the fresh wave of grief, Lucy must grab the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious old widower to her mother's unfinished research on the Great White's return to Cape Cod. If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she'll finally be able to look beyond what she's lost and toward what's left to be discovered. ★"Confidently voiced."—Kirkus Reviews, starred ★"Richly layered."—Publishers Weekly, starred ★"A hopeful path forward."—Booklist, starred ★"Life-affirming."—BCCB, starred ★"Big-hearted." —Bookpage, starred ★“Will appeal to just about everyone.” – SLC, starred ★"Exquisitely, beautifully real."—Shelf Awareness, starred




Horace & Bunwinkle


Book Description

The first in a young middle grade animal series in which an anxious Boston Terrier and an exuberant potbellied pig team up to solve crimes in their barnyard—from debut author PJ Gardner, with illustrations by David Mottram. Perfect for fans of the Mercy Watson series, The Trouble with Chickens, and A Boy Called Bat. Horace Homer Higgins III despises dirt. And the outdoors. And ducks. But when his person, Ellie, moves to a farm called the Homestead, the anxious Boston Terrier is forced to adapt. As if that isn’t enough to strain his nerves, Ellie adopts a perpetually cheerful potbellied pig named Bunwinkle to be his baby sister. Bunwinkle is delighted to be on the farm despite the stuffiness of her new canine brother. She’s sure she’ll crack his shell eventually—no one can resist her cuteness for long—especially once they bond over watching a TV pet-tective show. When the duo discovers that some neighborhood animals have been disappearing, they decide to use their new detective skills to team up to solve this barnyard mystery. Is it a mountain lion? Or their suspiciously shot-loving veterinarians? Only one thing seems certain: if they don’t figure it out soon, one of them might be next.




My Own Lightning


Book Description

Bestselling author Lauren Wolk returns to the world of Wolf Hollow, in this sequel to her beloved, Newbery Honor–winning debut. ★ “A powerful story to electrify the soul.” –Booklist, starred review It’s been several months since the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, and the routine of daily life in Wolf Hollow has slowly returned. But for Annabelle McBride it’s hard to move forward and make peace with what feels like threadbare justice. Newly warm summer days are about to bring a jolt of change on the winds of a powerful storm. In its wake, the search for her brother’s missing dog will set Annabelle on a new path that brings her to unfamiliar doorsteps and reunites her with a too-familiar adversary—Andy Woodberry, who was complicit in Betty’s most terrible acts. Growing up and blazing her own trail will soon force Annabelle to reexamine deeply felt truths—about people, about justice, about herself—that had once seemed so uncomplicated. Bestselling author Lauren Wolk (Beyond the Bright Sea, Echo Mountain) returns to World War II–era Western Pennsylvania in this luminous sequel to her Newbery Honor–winning debut, Wolf Hollow, proving once again why her acclaimed novels have been celebrated as “historical fiction at its finest.”




Heart of a Shepherd


Book Description

From acclaimed author of A Wolf Called Wander, Rosanne Parry welcomes readers into the Heartland in this tender coming-of-age story. When Brother's dad is shipped off to Iraq, along with the rest of his reserve unit, Brother must help his grandparents keep the ranch going. He’s determined to maintain it just as his father left it, in the hope that doing so will ensure his father’s safe return. The hardships Brother faces will not only change the ranch, but also reveal his true calling.




The Newspaper Club


Book Description

Learn what it means to be a journalist in this fun, fast-paced new middle grade series about a club of kid reporters by an award-winning author. Nellie Murrow -- the daughter of two (former) newspaper reporters -- was named after one of the fiercest journalists who ever lived. When she moves to sleepy Bear Creek, Maine, rumors of vandalism and attacks at the only park in town are keeping her saddled to the house. Some townspeople say the attacks are gang recruitments. Others blame a vagrant spotted on the hiking trails around town. But when Nellie thinks like a reporter, none of those explanations make sense. Something is happening at the park, but what? All of the fake online news and rumors are clouding the truth. Nellie wants to break the story -- and break free from the front yard -- but she can't do it alone. She needs a whole club if she's going to start the Cub Report, the town's first independent newspaper. Creating a newspaper from scratch is going to be tough; but for Nellie, making friends is even harder. Starred Kirkus Review




Hello, Future Me


Book Description

A heart-expanding story of hope, friendship, and the power that comes with realizing that magic, like family, doesn't always look the way you expect it to. Eleven-year-old June is a problem-solver. Some people might call her a busybody, but that's okay. Just look at all the couples she helped find love! (Grateful newlyweds Marlene and Big Vic have even promised June free hot chocolate for life at their cafe.)However, when June learns that her parents are getting divorced, she has to face the fact that there are some problems too big even for her. At least, that's what the adults in her life keep saying.But June's convinced there's a way to make her parents fall back in love. While brainstorming ideas on her new secondhand laptop -- purchased from a mysterious store in town called The Shop of Last Resort -- June gets a strange IM from someone named JuniePie28 . . . someone who claims to be an older version of June messaging her from the future.At first, she assumes it's a prank. But JuniePie28 knows too much about June's life to be a fraud, and future June warns her against interfering with her parents' marriage. But June can't just sit around and watch her parents' marriage dissolve, not when there's a magical shop in town that could be the answer to all her problems! Will June prove her older self wrong and stop the divorce? Or will she have to accept that there are some things she can't control?




Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor


Book Description

'Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!' - Maria Kuzniar WARNING: EPIC INVENTIONS AND SECRET SOCIETIES AHEAD . . . Leonora Bolt spends her days creating incredible inventions in her TOP SECRET laboratory, under the watchful eye of her terrifying uncle. Everything changes one day when a strange boy washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals that Uncle Luther has been stealing her inventions and selling them on the mainland. Leonora, armed with her most important inventions, must leave Crabby Island for the first time EVER to embark on an unforgettable journey that will test her brainpower to its limits. With the help of an otter with a special skilll, a questionable cook and a singing sea captain, can Leonora dream up an invention that will defeat her evil uncle once and for all? Violet Baudelaire meets Peanut Jones in this epic STEM-themed adventure about believing in your brainpower - and yourself!