Won't You Be My Valentine?

 Get in the mood for Valentine's Day with one of these chapter book stories . . . .

Babymouse: Heartbreaker by Jennifer Holm

Valentine's Day is Babymouse's favorite holiday, but this year there's going to be a dance and Babymouse is desperate to find a date for it.

Goblin Market by Diane Zahler

In this story inspired by Polish folklore, two sisters face a goblin prince in the dark forest.

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne

Noah Frye comes up with a foolproof plan to teach herself how to have a crush on a boy to fit in better with her friends--only to discover she's been looking in the wrong place, and her crush was right beside her all along.

More Books --

Aphrodite the Beauty by Joan Holub

Captain Awesome Gets Crushed by Stan Kirby

Heart-to-Heart with Mallory by Laurie B. Friedman

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine by Barbara Park

The Malted Falcon by Bruce Hale

Valentine's Day From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Worst Love Spell Ever by Wanda Coven

The Dead Parents Society

This week, we're sharing teen books featuring orphans.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

 

Fruits Basket series by Natsuki Takaya
After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out ... into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own -- when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings-such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?


More Books --
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed
Burden Falls by Kat Ellis
Forbidden by Eve Bunting
The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
The Orphan's Wish by Melanie Dickerson
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Promised Neverland series by Kaiu Shirai
The Reader by Traci Chee
Snow and Poison by Melissa de la Cruz

Animal Books Aren't Just for Little Kids

Do you love animals?  Want a good animal story to read?  Try one of these teen books featuring animals . . . .

Creepy Cat, v.1 by Cotton Valent

Flora moves into a mysterious mansion and finds it inhabited by a strange creature -- Creepy Cat! Thus begins her strange and sometimes dangerous life with a feline roommate.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Bored with her proper, circumscribed life as a princess, Cimorene runs away to join a powerful, fascinating dragon named Kazul and encounters a host of adventures along the way.

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. 

More Books --

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Cat + Gamer series by Wataru Nadatani

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Me and Mr. Cigar by Gibby Haynes

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Time Travel Tales

Start the new year off with a bang!  Read one of these tales about traveling through time.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.

The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones

Once he becomes a pawn in a game played by a powerful group he calls "Them," twelve-year-old Jamie is repeatedly catapulted through space and time.

More Books --

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn

Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua Levy

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

Joplin Wishing by Diane Stanley

Larklight by Philip Reeve

The Lincoln Project by Dan Gutman

The Mona Lisa Key by Liesl Shurtliff

Stealing the Sword by Wendy Mass

The T.Rex Attack by Rex Stone

This Again by Adam Borba

The Time Travel Twins by James Patterson

Holiday Read-Alouds

Looking for some good read-alouds for the holiday season?  Check out one of these Christmas picture books . . . . 

And Then Comes Christmas by Tom Brenner
A story that celebrates the signs of the approaching season--from icicles clinging to roofs and houses strung with colorful lights to visiting Santa and hunting for the perfect tree.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Loren Long
In Loren Long's touching interpretation of "Twas the night before Christmas," readers are invited to visit the homes of four families-- each on Christmas Eve. What do these four homes share? The excitement and anticipation of the most splendid night of the year.

Is This . . . Winter? by Helen Yoon

For one spirited little puppy, winter means romping in the snow, birds to chase, fragrant evergreen trees, and joy, joy, joy! Then again, winter also means -- oddly unfriendly deer? Millions of little lights? Contorting inflatable snowmen? Wait, what? If this is all winter, too, then winter is kind of weird.

Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins
An old woman who was too busy to travel with the Wise Men to find the Child now searches endlessly for Him each Christmas season.



More Books --

The Animals' Santa by Jan Brett

Bunnies in a Sleigh by Philip Ardagh

Candy Corn Christmas by Jonathan Fenske

Cat's Christmas by Alison Murray

A Dance with Santa Claus by Sandra Boynton

Decorate the Tree by Amanda Jane Jones
Dino-Christmas by Lisa Wheeler

How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett
The Latke That Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket

Merry Christmas, Gus by Chris Chatterton

My Christmas Wish for You by Lisa Swerling
One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland

Peppermint Post by Bruce Hale

Red & Green by Lois Ehlert

Santa Baby by Jonathan Stutzman

Santa Jaws by Bridget Heos

Six Snowy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Emma Randall

Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Richard B. Smith

We Disagree About This Tree by Ross Collins

What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe Tuma

Novels in Verse for Teens

This week, we're sharing novels for teenagers in verse format.  Check out some of these great titles . . . .

The Seventh Raven by David Elliott

When Robyn and his brothers are turned into ravens through the work of a curse, their younger sister is their only hope for them to become human again. Though she's never met them, April is determined to restore her brothers' humanity. But what will become of Robyn, who has discovered a much greater affinity to the air than to the earth-bound lives of his family?

White Rose by Kip Wilson
Tells the story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenges the Nazi regime during World War II as part of the White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Brown

Sky is used to standing in the shadow of her best friend. Lay Li is the sun everyone orbits around. But since high school started, Lay Li has begun attracting the attention of boys, and Sky is left out in the cold. The only place Sky can find her footing is on the basketball court. With each dribble of the ball, Sky begins to find her own rhythm. Lay Li may always be the sun, but that doesn’t mean Sky can’t shine on her own.

More Books --

500 Words or Less by Juleah del Rosario

All That Shines by Ellen Hagan

Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

Not Hungry by Kate Karyus Quinn

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Wild Dreamers by Margarita Engle

Family Stories

Check out one of these great picture books featuring stories about families.  Here's a few of our favorites . . .

The Tiny King by Taro Miura

A tiny and lonely king learns the joys of having a family.

Templeton Gets His Wish by Greg Pizzoli

Templeton the cat makes a wish for his family to disappear, but quickly learns that being alone isn't as great as he had thought it would be.

Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins

In words and pictures, a girl describes the three humans and two cats that live in her house, and details some of the traits that they share.

Catch That Baby! by Nancy Coffelt

Everyone from Mom to Grandpa joins the chase when baby Rudy decides he does not want to get dressed after his bath.

More Books --

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling

The Bear in My Family by Maya Tatsukawa

Big Family Beach Day by Nina Crews

A Family for Louie by Alexandra Thompson

A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary

Family Reunion by Chad Richards

A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins

Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio

Grandpa Is Here by Tanya Rosie

Hiking Day by Anne Rockwell

How to Welcome a New Baby by Jean Reagan

I Got You: A Brother's Promise by Derrick Barnes

I'm Not a Baby by Jill McElmurry

Little Good Wolf by Janet Stevens

Mama and Papa Have a Store by Amelia Lau Carling

Milo Is Missing Something by Vern Kousky

The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin

Oddbird's Chosen Family by Derek Desierto

Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis

One Family by George Shannon

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles by Jake Gyllenhaal

The Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Connor

Summer Is For Cousins by Rajani LaRocca

Under the Table by Allan Ahlberg

Waiting for Mama by Ianna Marino

What's In Baby's Morning by Judy Hindley

The Worm Family by Tony Johnston