National Poetry Month

April celebrates National Poetry Month!  Check out one of the following books and discover some new poetry this year in celebration.

Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku by Paul B. Janeczko

A collection of senryu--similar poetry to haiku--tackles a wide range of such child-friendly subjects as baby-sitters, jumping rope, snoring parents, and Grandpa's underwear.

Bookjoy, Wordjoy by Pat Mora

An inspiring collection of Pat Mora's own glorious poems celebrating a love of words and all the ways we use and interact with them: reading, speaking, writing, and singing.

My Thoughts are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness by Georgia Heard

A poetry collection that both illustrates what mindfulness is and encourages young, growing minds to be present.

More Books of Poetry --

Behold Our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh From a School Garden by Allan Wolf

Everything Comes Next: Collected & New Poems by Naomi Shahib Nye

I Wish Had a Wookie: and Other Poems for Our Galaxy by Ian Doescher

Lemonade by Bob Raczka

Love Your Amazing Self: Joyful Verses for Young Voices by Ofosu Jones-Quartey

Outside the Box by Karma Wilson

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems by Deborah Ruddell

The Weather Can Be Wild . . .

With the recent wild weather and storms I thought this would be a good time to share some picture books about the weather.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

A Hat for House: One Storm, Many Helpers by Audrey Perrott
One windy day, House’s hat blows clean off his head! His friends are happy to help, but nothing they try seems quite right. Then the wind gets even stronger and thunder rumbles, making House wonder how he can keep his family safe and if he’ll ever feel quite like himself again. 

Little Cloud by Eric Carle
A little cloud becomes all sorts of things--sheep, an airplane, trees, a hat--before joining other clouds and raining.

Snowflakes on Our Tongues by Mike Ornstein

Farmer Pumpernickel has a blissful, peaceful farm with his contented cows, satisfied sheep, pampered piglets, cheerful chickens, and happy horse. All is as it should be. But as snow starts to fall, the farm animals share their delight in the tasty flakes coming down from the sky. 

Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear

The air is full of waiting. The sky is full of breeze. The trees gust and billow. All before it rains.Rumble, rumble. Distant thunder. Rain is coming, rain is coming.

Weather Girls by Aki

Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring the Weather Girls are ready for whatever the seasons might bring!

More Books --

All Year Long by Kathleen W. Deady

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Do I Have to Wear a Coat? by Rachel Isadora
Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall

From Season to Season by Ethan Long

It Was Supposed to be Sunny by Samantha Cotterill
Not Now, Cow by Tammi Sauer
Rain by Cynthia Rylant
Really Bird, Really Scared by Harriet Ziefert
Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming

Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada

Sweater Weather by Matt Phelan
Winter Is Here by Kevin Henkes

Winter on the Farm by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Winter Woes by Marty Kelley

Dear Diary . . .

This week, I'm sharing teen books written in a diary format.  Check them out . . . .

The Runaway's Diary by James Patterson & Emily Raymond

Eleanor is happiest when she's left alone to dream up elaborate stories. Sam is polished, fun, and popular. Still, the sisters have always been there for each other--until everything changed. Now Sam is somewhere in Seattle, and Eleanor runs after her.

The Year I Didn't Eat by Samuel Pollen

Fourteen-year-old Max records his efforts to control his anorexia in a therapist-prescribed journal that also chronicles his parents' difficult relationship and his feelings for a new girl at school, Evie.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

More Books --

83 Days in Mariupol by Don Brown

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Break to You by Neal Shusterman

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke

Ghost Diary by Seiju Natsumegu

Layers by Penelope Bagieu

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Witch Child by Celia Rees

All You Need is Books

 February is Library Lovers Month.  So we're sharing teen books featuring storylines centered around books.  

The Case Study of Vanitas series by Jun Mochizuki

Rumors revolving around The Book of Vanitas, a clockwork grimoire of dubious reputation, draw Noé, a young vampire in search of a friend's salvation, to Paris.

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

Working at her family's independent bookstore during the summer before she leaves for college, Madeline Moore is determined to make the store succeed when she discovers that her crush, Jasper, works at the competing chain bookstore across the street.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

New York high school student Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," and when she gains coveted access to its Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and the other pages are drawn into a series of frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods.

More Books --

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Forgotten Book by Mechtild Glaser

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

The Lefthanded Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson 

Library Wars series by Kiiro Yumi

Magus of the Library series by Mitsu Izumi

Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Celebrating Black History Month

February is celebrated as Black History Month.  So we're sharing chapter books for kids by African-American authors.  

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles

When adventurous cousins Otto and Sheed Alston accidentally extend the last day of summer by freezing time, they find the secrets between the unmoving seconds are not as much fun as they expected.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds

Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower to keep everybody safe, but when his superhero parents start fighting a lot he feels the responsibility to save them.

More Books by African-American Authors

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Black Boy Joy edited by Kwame Mbalia

The Dark Thirty by Pat McKissack

Ethan Fairmont by Nick Brooks

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew by Davaun Sanders

Kin: Rooted in Hope by Carole Boston Weatherford

Love Like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

The Skull Talks Back and Other Haunting Tales by Joyce Carol Thomas

The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist

Football: Facts & Fun

 Are you ready for the Super Bowl?  Get in the mood with these fun, informational books for kids . . . .

Great Football Debates by Barry Wilner

Most sports fans have strong opinions about the players and teams they follow. And they love to share their views with their friends. Great Football Debates various players, rules, topics, and issues related to the sport.

Football's Funniest Mascots by David Carson

Football fans enjoy the goofy antics of many colorful mascots. Have a good laugh while learning about the funniest football mascots!

The Super Bowl: Chasing Football Immortality by Matt Doeden

The NFL is the most popular sports league in the United States, and the Super Bowl is its grandest stage. The incredible runs, the gutsy defensive stands, and the game-winning touchdown throws are all here.

More Books --

The Everything Kids' Football Book by Greg Jacobs

Football Records Smashed! by Bruce Berglund

Game Day by Tiki and Ronde Barber

Legends: The Best Players, Games and Teams in Football by Howard Bryant

Pro Football Records by Shane Frederick

A Super Fan's Guide to Pro Football Teams by Drew Lyon

Touchdowns and Tailgates: Behind the Scenes of Game Day Football by Martin Driscoll

The Ultimate College Football Road Trip by Andy York

Celebrate the Lunar New Year -- January 29, 2024

The Lunar New Year changes dates each year to coincide with the Lunar calendar.  This year (2025 = The Year of the Snake), it is celebrated on January 29th.  Check out one of these Lunar New Year of snake themed picture books to celebrate . . . .

The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine
On Chinese New Year's Eve, a poor man who works for the richest businessman in Beijing sends his son to market to trade their last few eggs for a bag of rice, but instead he brings home an empty--but magic--wok that changes their fortunes forever.

Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
A Chinese American family prepares for and celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Verdi by Janell Cannon
A young python does not want to grow slow and boring like the older snakes he sees in the tropical jungle where he lives.

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Ten mice outsmart a hungry snake.

More Books --

Crictor by Tomi Ungerer

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble

I Don't Like Snakes by Nicola Davies

Knot Cannot by Tiffany Stone

Long-Long's New Year by Catherine Gower

Maisy's Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins

The More the Merrier by David Martin

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom

Popo's Lucky Chinese New Year by Virginia Loh-Hagan

Snakes on the Job by Kathryn Dennis

Two New Years by Richard Ho

Wally Wants to Hug by Barbara Joosse

A World of Magic

This week, I'm sharing magical books for teens.  All of these books include magic within the story.  Check out these books . . . 

Witch Hat Atelier series by Kamome Shirahama
In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch...until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician.

Storm-Wake by Lucy Christopher

Moss lives alone with her magician father and a dog on a magical island, until a tempest sweeps a wild, not-quite-human boy, Callan, onto its beaches, and the two grow close, despite her father's worries--and then one day, a young man from the outside world is shipwrecked on her island, and after that nothing will be the same again.

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

In an alternate version of present-day Manhattan, magic is dying, and Esta, a Mageus with a talent for manipulating time, travels back to 1901 to stop the destruction of a book that can possibly restore magic, but in Old New York, Esta must navigate gangs, secret societies, and her feelings for another magician in order to save the future of magic.

Fairy Tail series by Hiro Mashima

Cute girl wizard Lucy wants to join the Fairy Tail, a club for the most powerful wizards. But instead, her ambitions land her in the clutches of a gang of unsavory pirates led by a devious magician. Her only hope is Natsu, a strange boy she happens to meet on her travels. Natsu's not your typical hero-he gets motion sickness, eats like a pig, and his best friend is a talking cat. With friends like this, is Lucy better off with her enemies?

More Magical Books -- 

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Ancient Magus Bride series by Kore Yamazaki

Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Delusionist by Don Calame

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Incredible Doom by Matthew Bogart

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Tarot Cafe series by Sang-Son Pak

Zatanna by Alys Arden