Baby/Toddler:
Say Hello by Rachel Isadora
(Penguin Young Readers, May 2017)
One of baby’s first words is hello. We teach them to say hello and goodbye. This is a fun introduction to how children say this all over the world. Maybe your baby will grow up speaking one of these lovely languages.
Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
(Philomel Books, November 2017)
Jeffers offers his son advice on how to live on planet Earth. From describing the land, sea, and sky to talking about people and animals who inhabit it, the author provides his signature illustrations, and he reminds us, above all, to be kind.
Emerging Reader:
Love by Matt de la Pena
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books For Young Readers, January 2018)
Newbery-winning author Matt de la Pena explores and celebrates the many ways that love lives in all of us. Paired with Loren Long’s gorgeous, evocative images, this is a story for every family, for every home, for every library.
Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater
(Beach Lane Books, September 2017)
Marco is a fox who wants to know everything. As he’s pondering a number of questions, a ship appears on the horizon, so Marco hops aboard, hoping to find foxes with answers. As it turns out, Marco’s journey is more important than his destination. Gorgeously illustrated, this book is perfect for the elementary-school child.
Middle Grade:
Magical Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris
(Little Brown Books for Young Readers, November 2017)
Ever since his parents disappeared, Carter has had plenty of adventure: running away from his con artist uncle and ending up in a carnival with B.B. Bosso. When Carter realizes that Mr. Bosso intends to pull off a major heist, the boy escapes and meets a group of friends with magical skills. It’s up to this band of friends to put a stop to the evil plan. This is the first in a series that’s full of fun and magic.
Way To Bea by Kat Yeh
(Little, Brown Books For Young Readers, September 2017)
Bea is a happy-go-lucky middle grader who befriends Will, an ostracized boy dealing with Asperger’s. Will is obsessed with labyrinths. The fun mystery begins when Will announces he wants to walk the mysterious labyrinth on the Leland estate. Bea is eager to help. It’s a mystery set during those awkward middle years.
Teen:
All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
(Scholastic Books, September 2017)
The members of the Soria family work two-part miracles. The first miracle takes a person’s darkness and makes it a concrete thing, each with a different form. The second miracle frees the person from his/her darkness. While the Sorias initiate the first miracle, they are forbidden from helping with the second. If they do, they will unleash their own darkness, and a Soria darkness is more terrible than any other. After Daniel helps a pilgrim and brings his darkness upon himself, his cousins Beatriz and Joaquin, the rest of the Soria family, and the pilgrims of Bicho Raro try to find a way to help him. This is a beautiful story of helping others and coming to terms with one’s own darkness, whatever form it may take.
What To Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
(Delacorte Press July 2017)
High school junior David has never fit in. He is on the autism spectrum, sensitive to noise and touch, and doesn’t understand social rules and conversational skills like other kids. Kit’s father died one month ago, and she is finding that she is not quite the same person that she was before the accident. Tired of having to act in front of her friends, Kit sits at David’s table at lunch. What follows is an improbable friendship that, with the help of Kit’s friends and David’s older sister, may turn into something more.
