March 7, 2025
Walter and his musician father have always been inseparable as they traveled the country together. But this year, Walter is sent to live with his grandfather, in the town where Dad grew up, and start fifth grade all on his own. On his first day, Walter impresses the entire school with hilarious impersonations during the morning announcements. He finds himself tapped to try out for the school musical, but when his co-star unearths the true reason why Walter’s dad isn’t around, will Walter be able to face the music? Weirdly Walter is about unconditional love, forgiveness and how our heroes […]
March 7, 2025
Twelve-year-old sweat-averse Joey is psyched for his summer of relaxation and perfecting his butt-shaped indentation on the couch, although he wishes that his best friend, Xander, wasn’t always busy with his new cross-country team. But Joey’s summer plans are upended when his perfect older cousin Leo comes to stay at his house for the summer. The two have a tense history that goes back to the death of their Nonno. But now, Leo’s training to climb the highest mountain in California, and he wants Joey to do it with him. The plan is nuts—esp. since Leo has young-onset Multiple Sclerosis. […]
March 7, 2025
The Unlikely Hero tells the action and adventure story of one of Yellowstone’s most famous animals, Wolf 8: a runt of the litter who surprised scientists by becoming a powerful leader. Newly reintroduced along with his pack to Yellowstone National Park, Wolf 8 struggles at first. Small and bullied by his siblings, he must learn to fend for himself in his new home. Can little 8 rise to the occasion? Is he ready to be an alpha wolf? Based on McIntyre’s own sightings of Wolf 8, this is a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of wolves and a coming-of-age […]
March 7, 2025
In this captivating debut YA graphic novel, two 8th-grade best friends become more than friends, which is great till entering high school complicates matters. Faced with early mornings, bullies and homework, Amber and Nico cling to each other, neglecting their friends. Then a sleepover literally turns into a dream. Will they ever want to wake up? First off, there’s no sex in this novel. It reads like a middle-grade story in which two friends with crushes on one another end up daring to confess romantic interest, which leads to a little kissing and hugging. Meanwhile, the reader gets to […]
November 1, 2024
In 1963 Czechoslovakia, a hockey game could mean life or death. Ten-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey. The family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. Then their father, who works for a newspaper, is arrested. No one knows where he has been taken or when he might be coming home. Now Lukas and Denys realize they are being watched, too, and when the secret police promise them information about their father if they help throw a game against a visiting Soviet team, Lukas must make some difficult […]
July 5, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Vincent has a very special talent: He can jump into paintings and move around inside them. When the painting The Thunderstorm by an old Dutch painter is stolen from a London mansion, Vincent decides to track it down. During his search, to his great surprise, he meets Holly, who can dive into paintings just like him. The two make a bet: Whoever finds The Thunderstorm first, wins. Vincent is sure he will be faster, but the search turns out to be difficult, and then something is wrong with Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. Why is it that when Vincent […]
May 3, 2024
Barker Mifflin never leaves home without his go bag, army boots and trusty fly swatter. As the town of Nevermind’s resident eleven-year-old survivalist, Barker knows catastrophe can strike anytime, anywhere. But now that school is out for the summer, he might be able to let his guard down. After all, he and his friends all got jobs picking strawberries at McFadden Farm. What could possibly go wrong? Join Barker Mifflin as he pieces together a forty-foot-tall mystery hidden in the barn that could crush the whole town of Nevermind. No amount of training could prepare anyone to survive this! This […]
May 3, 2024
Suleikha, Leo and Kai, a group of 12-year-olds known as “The Freezies,” befriend the intriguing Mr. Christaki, a traveller who camps with his converted bus on their village green. Exposed as an illegal immigrant from Syria, he goes on the run with a four-year-old girl. The Freezies come up with a risky and audacious scheme to reveal his desperate plight on national TV and manage to rescue him. This rollicking, contemporary novel features three kids (two boys and a girl) in a small town in England, who connect with a vagrant music teacher and ultimately campaign to keep him from […]
May 3, 2024
What happens when a smart toy gets a little too smart? Victor is thrilled to get the toy he’s always wanted for Christmas. It’s a LenBot―a smart robot that can learn anything. For once, it’s a toy that lives up to the hype. The robot really does become Victor’s best friend. But before long the robot starts learning more than Victor has taught it and acting very strangely. Victor knows LenBot is smart, but a toy robot couldn’t be cruel. It can’t kill… can it? This delightful read is “thriller lite,” as in horror on training wheels. Told in first […]
May 3, 2024
In the real world, Leon isn’t built to be a hero, but he must become one when he gets trapped in a cutting-edge virtual-reality game. Twelve-year-old Leon loves video games. When he plays, he feels confident and amazing for just a little while. The rest of the time he feels like a loser. So Leon is shocked when Nico, the coolest kid ever and the son of a video-game developer, invites him over to test out the newest game at his dad’s high-tech lab. To play, they must submerge themselves in giant tanks filled with nanobots, which are programmed to […]