Easy Books
The Gingerbread Girl
Lisa Campbell Ernes
Like her older brother, the Gingerbread Girl skillfully avoids everyone who wants to eat her. But is she clever enough to elude the wily fox who devoured her brother?
Ugly Fish
Kara LaReau
Although Ugly Fish is pretty lonely swimming around his aquarium by himself, he’d rather devour new tankmates than share his special briny flakes or his driftwood tunnel with them. And then someone bigger, uglier, and possibly meaner than Ugly Fish arrives on the scene…
Queen of the Scene
Queen Latifah
A self-confident young African-American girl explains why she is “queen of the scene” at the playground.
My Mother’s Sari
Sandhya Rao
A little girl is fascinated by her mother’s sari and finds many uses for it.
Moose Tracks!
Karma Wilson
A homeowner remembers visits from all of his animal friends who left their fur, feathers, and nutshells behind after they came to visit but he can’t remember who’s responsible for the dirty moose tracks in his kitchen, bathroom, and den.
Juvenile Fiction
Uncharted Waters
Leslie Bulion
Jonah’s lies and his secret fear of the sea threaten to ruin his month at the shore with his favorite uncle, but a grumpy marina storekeeper and an attractive young college student help turn the summer into an adventure he will never forget.
Eclipse
Andrea Cheng
In Cincinnati, Ohio, during the summer of 1952, eight-year-old Peti gives up his room to his Hungarian relatives, including a twelve-year-old cousin who bullies him, and worries about his grandfather, who is trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
Vive la Paris
Esmé Raji Codell
Fifth-grader Paris learns some important lessons about bullies of all kinds as she tries to figure out how to stop a classmate from beating up her brother and learns about the Holocaust from her piano teacher, Mrs. Rosen.
Bringing Ezra Back
Cynthia C. DeFelice
In the mid-1800s, twelve-year-old Nathan travels from his farm on the Ohio frontier to Western Pennsylvania where he plans to rescue a friend held captive by the owners of a freak show.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate DiCamillo
Edward Tulane, a vain, cold-hearted china rabbit, learns to appreciate the importance of friendship and love, after he is separated from his adoring owner, 10-year-old Abilene Tulane.
Nonfiction
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Isabella Hatkoff
In this warm and memorable story, glorious photos chart the unlikely bond that develops between a hippo orphaned by the 2004 tsunami and a 130-year-old tortoise.
To Dance: A Memoir
Siena Cherson Siegel
In an innovative use of the graphic novel format, the Siegels fluidly balance autobiographical events in Siena's life with onstage action.*
Jazz
Walter Dean Myers
In this father-son team’s aural and visual paean to jazz, the text’s savvy syncopation sweeps readers up in its rhythms, while the paintings conjure the lurid reflections of after-dark jazz clubs.
The Cat in Numberland
Ivar Ekeland
Ekeland offers young readers a clever explanation of the concept of infinity and explores other mathematical concepts, including addition, subtraction, division, and fractions.
Casey at the Bat
Ernest L. Thayer
Joe Morse’s vision of the classic Thayer poem supposes a gritty urban setting complete with graffiti, tattoos, and an audience watching the ballplayers from tenement windows. A bold departure from the traditional nostalgic edition of the poem.