The peculiars return A Map of Days, the latest installment (and first in a new trilogy) of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children. Although the wights were eliminated at the end of Library of Souls (2015), there is much work to be done to rebuild the world they destroyed. The first task facing the peculiars is learning how to blend in […]
Lauren Oliver (Replica, 2016) continues to thrill teen audiences with her latest novel, Broken Things (Harper). Who killed Summer Marks five years ago? It wasn’t Mia or Brynn, her best friends, who everyone thinks are prime suspects, who were obsessed with Summer’s favorite novel, The Way into Lovelorn. When a discovery reopens Summer’s murder case, her friends […]
What makes someone a citizen? That’s what Dave Eggers hopes to explain to young readers in What Can a Citizen Do? (Chronicle). Collaborating once again with illustrator Shawn Harris (Her Right Foot, 2017), Harris’ art acts as a whimsical backdrop to bite-size examples of actionable things people can do in order to become great citizens, from picking up […]
Hip is a bunny who raps super fast, while Hop is a turtle who raps super slow. Apart, their rapping doesn’t catch on with the crowd, and it is only by teaming up that they can grab the attention of the residents of Oldskool county. Hip and Hop in the House! collects both Hip and […]
Sally Green, author of the internationally bestselling Half Bad series, makes her triumphant return with The Smoke Thieves (Viking). The first in a new trilogy, it follows five protagonists—a princess preparing for a political marriage, the soldier she loves, a servant hatching a plot against his prince, a wayward thief, and a young demon hunter risking […]
From the J.P. Delaney, bestselling author of The Girl Before (2013), comes Believe Me, a twisty psychological thriller about a woman playing both sides of a murder investigation. The trailer features a changing checkerboard overlay as the novel is introduced: Claire Wright likes to play other people… to trap them in her web. Her rules are clear: Don’t get […]
J. R. Ward (of Black Dagger Brotherhood series fame) is at it again with a fiery protagonist, a fiery romance, and actual fires in her new novel. coming this October. When the consequences from a rash decision leaves adrenaline-junkie Anne unable to continue her work as a firefighter, she turns to arson investigation, starting with […]
Jo Watson Hackl debuted last month with Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe (Random), a middle-grade novel that places an art mystery in a Mississippi ghost town. The story is narrated by 12-year-old Cricket, who Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan describes as “idiosyncratic, intrepid, and wholly likable.” Cricket grew up hearing about a secret room, and when […]
Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, which already has a movie deal in the works, is a feast for fantasy lovers. A world stripped of magic, a people feared and oppressed, and a ruthless king create the foundation for Zélie’s story. Her quest to avenge her mother’s death and return magic to her people will keep readers […]
David Arnold’s latest novel, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik (Viking, May 2018), follows 16-year-old Noah Oakman as his quirky interests and highly specific observations intensify after he believes he’s been hypnotized. The live action trailer shows clips of Noah in various settings—at home, at a party, at the pool—all with his eyes closed as the world […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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