GRAPHIC NOVELS
TATER TALES: THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD by Ben Clanton. Creator of Narwhal & Jelly books, a laugh-out-loud silly competition between tater tots: Rot, Snot & Tot, to see who is the greatest. Clanton sneaks in lots of dialog and description to go with the uproarious story. Gr 1-4.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: JOURNEY UNDER THE SEA. This adventure is part of a new graphic novel format. The same excitement, now with large, dynamic colorful panels. Gr 3+
THE FLAMINGO by Guojing. Another masterful work nearly wordless, about a grandmother sharing a story and strengthening the bond between herself and her granddaughter. Once, a little girl found an egg on the seashore and took care of it when it hatched into a flamingo. You will want to read this enchanting story more than once, noticing fresh details and adding some of your own thoughts and interpretations. All Ages.
SERIES UPDATE
ONCE UPON A TIM: THE LABYRINTH OF DOOM (BOOK 2) by Stuart Gibbs Our hapless knight-in-training, Tim, is back for more misadventures as a member of the Knight Brigade. He and his friends must navigate the Labyrinth of Doom in their latest quest. Full of drawings and snarky remarks, a good read-alike for those who enjoyed the How to Train Your Dragon series. Gr 2-4.
WIND RIDERS: WHALE SONG OF PUFFIN CLIFF by Jen Marlin. Max and Sofia embark on their 4th sailing adventure on the Wind Rider!, a magic sailboat that can travel all over the world in no time at all. Their newest port of call is a puffin colony in Iceland, where the puffins are in danger of losing their habitat to litter. Two-tone illustrations every few pages. A fun informative series for nature lovers, sort of an ecological Magic Tree House. Gr 1-4.
THE LEMONADE WAR: THE BRIDGE BATTLE by Jacqueline Davies. Fans of The Lemonade War series will be happy to find a new story about siblings Evan and Jessie Treski. It’s summertime and each is headed off in a different direction neither is too happy about: Evan to Summer School (WAY different than Summer Fun Camp, he points out) and Jessie to Fairy Land Camp. Not too interesting to a girl who would rather help engineer a bridge competition than throw glitter around. What will they encounter? How will the summer turn out? Gr 3-7.
SECRETS OF EDEN ELD: GLASSHEART by Kate Alice Marshall. The finale in a creepy trilogy preceded by Thirteens and Brackenbeast. A dark and twisted story about a sleepy town with a dark secret-and the three kids brave enough to uncover it. Eleanor, Pip and Otto have defeated the wicked Mr. January and his evil sister, Mrs. Prosper. Now they must face the worst of the siblings. Gr 4-6.
MAZE CUTTER by James Dashner. Dashner returns to his survival saga, set 73 years after Thomas and other immunes were sent to an island to survive an apocalypse. Their descendants have thrived. Now, however, they are called back to the civilization their ancestors escaped, where things have become even more deadly. Although a prologue sets the stage and gives us the backstory, try this series from the beginning with The Maze Runner. Gr 6+.
PLOTTING THE STARS: MOONGARDEN by Michelle A. Barry. A new tale of The Secret Garden, given a sci fi twist. Earthlings have colonized other planets to escape their own planet’s toxic botany. Misfit Myra Hodger attends a lunar colony school, unable to find her special talent, or Creer. However, when she discovers a secret, albeit, deadly garden, she thinks she may have found her destiny. Gr 4-6.