Baby Toddlers:
Little Owl’s 1-2-3 by Divya Srinivasan
(Viking Books for Young Readers, August 2015)
We loved her first two books, so we are thrilled that the author has adapted them for little hands (and mouths!). The little owl flies around the night sky visiting his friends. Help young readers to find all the animals in this visually stimulating board book.
Emerging Readers:
It’s Tough To Lose Your Balloon
by Jarrett Krosoczka
(Random House Books For Young Readers, September 2015)
In gentle tones, Krosoczka helps explain that things don’t always go your way. You may lose a balloon, a sandwich, or even more. As we try to teach our children resilience, this book is a good conversation starter. The illustrations help guide the reader through each situation.
Tweens:
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar
(Random House Books For Young Readers, August 2015)
Tamaya, Marshall, and Cole all attend the prestigious Woodbridge Academy. When Cole begins to bully Marshall, Tamaya flings mud at Cole that she notices feels weird, fuzzy. The next day Tamaya’s hands have broken out in a terrible rash, and she discovers that Cole is having a much worse reaction. Meanwhile, ongoing Senate hearings are being conducted to discuss the ethics of Biolene, a new product that could provide an alternative energy source but that has serious environmental and health consequences. Encourages discussions about science, ethics, bullying and the lengths we go to stand up for what’s right.
Guys Read: Ten Terrifying Tales
edited by Jon Sciesczka
(Walden Pond Press, September 2015)
Walden Pond brings another fine story collection to their critically acclaimed Guys Read Series. Sciesczka has long been committed to crafting stories for the ordinary boy who might be intimidated by big books. In this collection, well known authors such as Dav Pilkey and Michael Buckley tell scary stories that keep the reader on the edge of his seat.
Teens:
The Infinite In Between
by Carolyn Mackler
(Harper Teen, September 2015)
Five students find themselves in the same group at freshman orientation. At the end of that day, they make a promise to meet in the gym when they graduate. Told in five voices, the ensuing story traces all five of their intersecting paths through high school. Realistic fiction at its best, this is a very satisfying novel.
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
(Balzer & Bray, September 2015)
Willowdean Davis is fat. She is also self-confident, fearless, funny and comfortable in her own skin. Life in Clover City, Texas, has been just fine. She’s got her best friend Ellen and she survives the Miss Blue Bonnet Clover City pageant each year (her mother is a former Miss Blue Bonnet and chairs the pageant). It’s only when she meets Bo, a cute co-worker who seems to like her as much as she likes him, that she begins to doubt herself. To find her self-confidence again, Willowdean enters the pageant to prove that she deserves the spotlight as much as anyone else.
