Baby/Toddler:
Global Baby Bedtimes by Maya Ajmera
(Charlesbridge Books, July 2015)
The photographs of babies in their own beds worldwide will enchant both children and parents. They are all being put to sleep lovingly and gently. Sing a lullaby while you turn the pages. This sturdy book is the fifth in a multicultural collection that deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
Emerging Readers:
Happy Birthday, Cupcake! By Terry Border
(Philomel Books, July 2015)
It’s Cupcake’s birthday. and she and her best friend Muffin are trying to plan the party. Every idea they have doesn’t work for all the guests (Hamburger might not enjoy a frosting makeover), so they don’t know what to do. Great wordplay and hilarious pictures make this a very fun read for early elementary grades.
Out of The Woods by Rebecca Bond
(Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, July 2015)
The author shares one of her grandfather’s stories of growing up in a small logging town in Canada. When a forest fire roars through the area, the humans and the animals weather the disaster together in the lake. Bond relates the story in a way that is both familiar and dreamlike. It’s a wonderful introduction to non-fiction that could encourage children to tell their own family stories.
Tweens:
The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
(Square Fish, July 2015)
Emily’s family has moved eight times in her twelve years. Emily struggles with making friends, but when her family moves to San Francisco, she’s delighted, because San Francisco is home to publisher Garrison Griswold. Griswold is the creator of Book Scavenger, a game that combines online encoded clues with the physical hunt for a book, sort of like geocaching. When Griswold is attacked and seriously injured, Emily and her new friend James must solve the clues and avoid falling into danger as well. A fantastic book for book lovers and puzzle enthusiasts.
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
(Wendy Lamb Books, August 2015)
Middle school can be so difficult. A trio of best friends must navigate the halls of school, the change in their bodies, and the inevitable difficulties in their relationship. Told with loving eyes by Newbery winner Stead, the reader walks with them as they learn and grow.
Teens:
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
(Bloomsbury Books U.S.A. for Children, August 2015)
When her grandfather’s dementia takes a turn for the worse, Tess Kendrick is plucked from the family ranch in Montana to live with her sister in Washington, DC. Her sister, Ivy Kendrick, is Washington’s #1 “fixer” — a woman who makes problems go away for a price. Soon Tess finds that she has the same skills and becomes embroiled in a political conspiracy with deadly consequences.
