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"A Fairy Finds Her Song" by Bea Jackson

A Fairy Finds Her Song

Bea Jackson

Description

A fairy searches for her special skill in this enchanting Level 1 Ready-to-Read in the Fairies Welcome series from New York Times bestselling illustrator Bea Jackson.

Every fairy has a talent except Lily…or so she thinks. Her human friend, Willow, knows how special Lily truly is. Can she help Lily see that, too, and find her gift?

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"Ride, Roll, Run" by Valerie Bolling

Ride, Roll, Run

Valerie Bolling

Description

Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! is a joyful, rhyming picture book that is an ode to community and outdoor play. 

This energetic picture book celebrates community and friendship, following children as they play their way through their vibrant neighborhood.

Award-winning author and educator Valerie Bolling's rhyming text makes for an exciting read-aloud and is paired with stunning illustrations by Sabrena Khadija.

Pedal, pump. 
Speed bump! 
Ride, roll, run. 
Friends and fun! 
 

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"Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Graphic Novel" by Robert Venditti and Kwame Mbalia

Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Graphic Novel

Robert Venditti

Description

The best-selling and awarding-winning novel about a Black boy who helps folk heroes and gods through storytelling is now a dynamic graphic novel!

"This graphic adaptation of the children's novel that began the 'Tristan Strong' trilogy will have plenty of appeal for readers who are interested in African and African American characters and folklore. The illustrations pop with energy and color."--School Library Journal

The talented team of Robert Venditti and Olivia Stephens brings to glorious full color the novel that best-selling author Jason Reynolds called "A brilliant action adventure rooted in African American lore."

Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from the tragedy.

But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it--is that a doll?--and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature's hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world.

Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left Black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price.

Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves? Find out by diving into this stunning graphic novel adaptation of the original book.


Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Complete your graphic novel collection with these fan favorites: 
 

  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti
  • The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, adapted by Orpheus Collar
  • The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti
  • Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, adapted by Michael Moreci, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
  • Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, adapted by Joe Caramanga, illustrated by Anu Chouhan
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"Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes" by Tanita S. Davis

Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes

Tanita S. Davis

Description

With her mom's new boyfriend, her best friend's new crush, and her dad's interest in her gym teacher, Berry vows to never catch a crush--and to show everyone how much better things would be without theirs--in this stand-alone contemporary middle grade from Tanita S. Davis, author of The Science of Friendship and Partly Cloudy.

Every year, Berry's mom, Ivy, visits for a three-week "August Invasion." And every summer Berry hopes will be the one when Ivy will stay--forever.

Which is why Ivy's surprise return visit is amazing--until Berry realizes her mom didn't come for her. Ivy's back to pack the last of her things, and she's brought her new "friend," Mr. Cole to help. When Berry discovers that Mr. Cole is taking a job in England, she's convinced that Ivy wants to move all the way across the ocean with him, to where an August Invasion can't reach. Even at school, messy feelings are ruining everything. Berry's best friend, Lia, rearranges her schedule to have classes with her crush, leaving Berry alone all day. Even Berry's normally boring dad is making excuses to talk to her gym teacher.

All these crushes are crushing the life out of Berry. Weren't things better before these extra people came along Why do things have to change

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"King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

King and the Dragonflies

Kacen Callender

Description

A 2021 Coretta Scott King Honor Book!

Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature!

Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry!

In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.

FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!

Booklist

School Library Journal

Publishers Weekly

The Horn Book

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"

But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.

The Thing About Jellyfish meets The Stars Beneath Our Feet in this story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one's identity, from the author of Hurricane Child.

 

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"High Score" by Destiny Howell

High Score

Destiny Howell

Description

"Months after his last 'job' sparked unintended consequences, mastermind DJ ... [and] seventh grader ... is lying low at his new school, retired from a life of cons, heists, and schemes. That is, until his best friend and former partner-in-crime Conor transfers to be with him, and promptly runs afoul of the lottery kingpin who controls the school's underground economy of Starcade-brand arcade tickets. Now, DJ has two weeks to acquire 100,000 tickets, or both he and Conor will be 'rocket boosted'--socially disappeared. To achieve the impossible, DJ goes straight to the source, planning to lift the tickets from the Starcade itself by any means necessary. But even after he recruits actor Audrey Valentine and intimidating but soft-spoken Monty LaCroix to round out his new crew, it'll take every trick in the book to pull off a caper of this caliber"--Publishers Weekly (04/25/2022)

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"The Night Market" by Seina Wedlick

The Night Market

Seina Wedlick

Description

Journey with a young girl as she explores the mesmerizing wonders of a Nigerian night market, where each stall is an adventure waiting to be discovered! Filled with vibrant illustrations, this captivating picture book invites young readers into a world of magic, mystery, and the joy of finding treasures in unexpected places.

The Night Market is here again, and all one girl needs is a bag of gold coins to enter. The market is alive with the sound of hawkers and traders. “A taste of tangy sweetness!” hollers a man behind a towering fountain of lemonade. “I’ll trade you a joke for a coin,” a little boy calls. “Home grown spices!” shouts a granny at a counter. What should the girl buy? But, wait! Do you hear that? It's the sound of an old African drum. Have a turn, then learn to make cards disappear when you shout Abracadabra! When the sun starts to rise and the night market winds down, the girl has one gold coin left—just enough to buy a return ticket to the night market.

With stunning illustrations by Nigerian-American artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, here is an enchanting read aloud about curiosity and the wonders that lie hidden in plain sight.

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Image for "Afia and the Land of Wonders"

Afia in the Land of Wonders

Mia Araujo

Description

In her stunning literary debut, Mia Araujo presents a gorgeous reimagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, spinning a new story that is accompanied by arresting, ethereal illustrations about twin sisters and how one must venture outside the safety of their home, into the wilderness, in order to find herself and true happiness.

Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family's expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure.

When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijábù, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned.

Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijábù is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen's hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijábù, who wish to pull her deeper into their web.

Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own--or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijábù.

Debut author-illustrator Mia Araujo weaves an extraordinarily luminous and beautiful story, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, about what it takes to find your true self, even if it means facing your deepest fears.

"Nothing short of an amazing adventure into a fantastic world, Mia Araujo has crafted a beautiful narrative, made all the more incredible by stunning visuals that overflow with heart and soul." -- David F. Walker, Eisner-award winning author of Bitter Root and The Second Chance of Darius Logan

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"Where's Rodney?" by Carmen Bogan

Where's Rodney?

Carmen Bogan

Description

A Black boy's transformative day out in nature, recommended by Social Justice Books and We Are Kid Lit Collective

Rodney is that kid who just can't sit still. He's inside, but he wants to be outside. Outside is where Rodney always wants to be. Between school and home, there is a park. He knows all about that park. It's that triangle-shaped place with the yellow grass and two benches where grown-ups sit around all day. Besides, his momma said to stay away from that park. When Rodney finally gets a chance to go to a real park, with plenty of room to run and climb and shout, and to just be himself, he will never be the same.

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"Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe" by Shauna J. Grant

Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe

Shauna J. Grant

Description

Rising star Shauna J. Grant makes her Graphix Chapters debut with this humorous and wholesome series.

Get drawn into reading with Graphix Chapters!

Graphix Chapters are ideal books for beginning and newly independent readers aged 6-8. With approachable page counts, easy-to-follow paneling, and artwork that supports text comprehension, these engaging stories with unforgettable characters help children become lifelong readers.

Meet Mimi. She's charming! She's cheerful! She's cute!

But that's not all! She's also a loyal friend and fun playmate, who has the best adventures with Penelope, her magical toy dog. But when Mimi notices people treating her like she's too cute, can she show them that she's much more than meets the eye? Or will she be stuck in this cute-astrophe?

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"Just Like Me" by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Just Like Me

Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Description

An ode to the girl with scrapes on her knees and flowers in her hair, and every girl in between, this exquisite treasury will appeal to readers of Dear Girl and I Am Enough and have kids poring over it to find a poem that's just for them.

I am a canvas
Being painted on
By the words of my family
Friends
And community

From Vanessa Brantley-Newton, the author of Grandma's Purse, comes a collection of poetry filled with engaging mini-stories about girls of all kinds: girls who feel happy, sad, scared, powerful; girls who love their bodies and girls who don't; country girls, city girls; girls who love their mother and girls who wish they had a father. With bright portraits in Vanessa's signature style of vibrant colors and unique patterns and fabrics, this book invites readers to find themselves and each other within its pages.

"A dynamic, uplifting, and welcoming world of girls."--Kirkus 

"Thoughtful, inclusive, and celebratory"--Publishers Weekly

"Bursting with positivity, this would be a great book to use in primary school classrooms when discussing issues of friendship, diversity, and self-esteem."--Booklist
 

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"Daydreamer" by Rob Cameron

Daydreamer

Rob Cameron

Description

An eleven-year-old boy copes with the challenges of his city life by weaving his reality into a magical realm of dragons, foxes, and trolls—until he must use the power of his creativity to save both of his worlds from destructive forces. This stunning debut is a profound exploration of imagination, community, and how the stories we tell both comfort us and challenge us to grow.

Charles’ life is split between two worlds: one real and one fantasy. In the real world, he is a lonely, bullied kid who can’t keep up with school when the letters refuse to stay still on the page, and is constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He lives with his mom in an apartment building, where Glory, the grumpy old superintendent, fills his head with stories about the Dream Folk.

In his fantasy world, the Sanctuary, Charles adventures with faeries and sprites and his two imaginary best friends. There, Charles's bullies become ogres, and Glory opens his arms wide to transform into a dragon. But when trolls move into Charles’ apartment building and bring with them a terrible secret, the stories he has been told and the ones he brings to life grow more complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in ways he never dreamed, in this unique story of the spaces and narratives we create for ourselves, and the ways in which fantasy and reality collide and blur.

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"The Magic Violin" by Christine A. Platt

The Magic Violin

Christine A. Platt

Description

Ana & Andrew are learning to play the violin! They are excited to join the youth orchestra. At first it is fun. But when they start to lose interest, Ana & Andrew learn from an important African American about the importance of practicing. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Calico Kid is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

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"Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim" by Kobina Commeh

Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim

Kobina Commeh

Description

A 2026 Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book

"An informative and celebratory, multigenerational story of swimming." - Kirkus Reviews

Kwesi doesn't know how to swim... and discovers his grandmother doesn't either! Can they conquer their fear of water together with the help of the West African legend Mami Wata?

"How about we make a deal?" Nana rubbed Kwesi's head. "I will learn to swim, if you do."
"Deal!"

Kwesi likes spending time at the lake with his friends, except there's one tiny problem... he can't swim. But guess what? Neither can Nana Ruby! When she comes over for dinner one night, she tells Kwesi about when she moved from Ghana to the US and the history of segregation that kept her out of pools and caused a fear of water among many Black people.

"So I will never learn how to swim?" Kwesi asks. But Nana Ruby tells him they will call on the strength of Mami Wata, the sea creature of West African legend, to conquer their fears together. This touching intergenerational story teaches the importance of naming, acknowledging and facing fears.

  • End notes include more information on West African cultures, including the Akan people, day names, and adinkra symbols.
  • Teaches kids about the history of segregation of public pools and beaches in an accessible way
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"Sincerely Sicily" by Tamika Burgess

Sincerely Sicily

Tamika Burgess

Description

From debut author Tamika Burgess comes the captivating and empowering story of Sicily Jordan--a Black Panamanian fashionista who rocks her braids with pride--who learns to use her voice and take pride in who she is while confronting prejudice in the most unexpected of places.

Sicily Jordan's worst nightmare has come true! She's been enrolled in a new school, with zero of her friends and stuck wearing a fashion catastrophe of a uniform. But however bad Sicily thought sixth grade was going to be, it only gets worse when she does her class presentation.

While all her classmates breezed through theirs, Sicily is bombarded with questions on how she can be both Black and Panamanian. She wants people to understand, but it doesn't feel like anyone is ready to listen--first at school and then at home. Because when her abuela starts talking mess about her braids, Sicily's the only one whose heart is being crumpled for a second time.

Staying quiet may no longer be an option, but that doesn't mean Sicily has the words to show the world just what it means to be a proud Black Panamanian either. Even though she hasn't written in her journal since her abuelo passed, it's time to pick up her pen again--but will it be enough to prove to herself and everyone else exactly who she is

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