THE PUPPETS OF SPELLHORST by Kate DiCamillo.  A fable about 5 puppets who yearn for an adventure.  Setting a story within a story within a story, DiCamillo creates a fable at times poignant, amusing and joyous.  A king, a boy, a girl, an owl and a wolf are given to 2 sisters who decide to put on a play.  The play itself mirrors the story of a previous owner and the desires of the puppets themselves.  All ages. 

WHITE HOUSE CLUBHOUSE by Sean O’Brien. The daughters of the newly elected Madam President discover a secret passage in the White House dining room and a candlelit clubhouse full of antique curiosities and mysterious doors. The candle blows out, a door opens, and the girls find themselves in the White House of President Teddy Roosevelt. Boisterous adventures follow, with the current president's emphasis on ecology uniting her with President Roosevelt's early attempts at conservation.  Who wouldn't want to be part of this clubhouse?  Gr 3-7

GROUNDED by Aisha Saeed et al.  Similar concept to You Are Here, with a group of culturally similar strangers who are stranded at an airport and their interconnecting stories.  Gr 4-7. 

THREE TASKS FOR A DRAGON by Eoin Colfer/P.J. Lynch.  Treachery at court.  A knight on a quest. Fire breathing dragons.  All the elements of a classic tale with beautiful illustrations throughout, evoking a legendary time.  Family read aloud & Gr 4+. 

PROJECT F by Jeanne DuPrau.  Futuristic society postapocalyptic where people live a “simpler” (yet regimented) life.  13-year-old Keith stumbles upon a secret society of those who want to move forward, literally – create jet packs for flying. Will they, unlike Icarus, succeed?  Gr 3-7. 

RUNAWAY ROBOT by Frank Cotrell-Boyce.  Very funny story about a British boy whose best friend robot has gone missing.  Witty, thoughtful writing, including a lot of British terms and slang that are fun for the reader to work out.  Gr 4-8

ROSIE FROST & THE FALCON QUEEN  by Geri (Spicegirl) Halliwell-Horner.  Fantasy mashup of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, show-biz style.  Gr 7+ 

 

GRAPHIC NOVELS 

STRIKERS by Kiel Phegley/Jacques Khouri.  Hard luck teens from a hard luck town (Flint, Michigan) keep scrambling to turn their hockey team from losers to winners. 

 

SEQUELS AND SERIES 

HEIDI HECKELBECK: THE SECRET’S OUT (#36) by Wanda Coven.  Heidi is is thinking about letting the town know she is a witch! Gr K-4. 

TOP STORY (#5) by Kelly Yang.  Fans of Mia Tang (Front Desk and others) will enjoy this trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown as she and her friends start going off in different directions. Gr 3-7.

PINE ISLAND VISITORS by Polly Horvath.  Sequel to the endearing Pine Island Home as the 4 sisters, who have set up housekeeping under the guardianship of their neighbor prepare to receive a visit from dear Mrs. Weatherspoon.  As the visit lengthens, they find her interference stifling.  How can they politely ask her to leave?  Old fashioned fun.  Gr 3-7. 

THE LONGEST NIGHT IN EGYPT by David Durham.  Sequel to the superior solarpunk fantasy Shadow Prince, set in an alternate ancient Egypt.  Ash, who has become the secret bodyguard/double of Prince Khufu, is trapped along with royals and friends in eternal darkness.  They must use both brains and brawn to battle the evil Set and rescue the sun god Ra.  Gr 4-6. 

DEADLANDS: TRAPPED by Skye Melki-Wegner.  More Warrior-type action between ferocious dinosaur clans: herbivores vs carnivores. Gr 4-6.

ELLIS JOHNSON MIGHT BE FAMOUS by Shawn Amos. Following up Cookies and Milk, the further misadventures of the Famous Amos Cookies father and son founders. Gr 4-7. 

HOW TO SAVE A UNICORN by Meg Cannistra.  Another care of magical creatures  tale by the healer Giada as she travels to New York and discovers sinister underpinnings to the unicorn’s plight.  Gr 4-7. 

PLOTTING THE STARS: SEAGARDEN by Michelle Barry.  Sequel to Moongarden, a sci fi take on The Secret Garden.  Myra has discovered her forbidden Botan abilities, and travels to Venus on an exchange program to find answers to her questions about other Botans, and the ever-worsening food crisis.  Gr 4-6. 

ENOLA HOLMES AND THE MARK OF THE MONGOOSE (#9) by Nancy Springer.  Sherlock Holmes’s younger sister takes on Victorian London. Gr 7+