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While the topic of drag performance has been covered in young adult books, fewer novels have discussed kids who perform drag and in a way that is accessible to a younger audience. A solid purchase for most public and school libraries.
A heartwarming story that encompasses serious issues such as bullying, chronic illness, and peer pressure while navigating the awkward years of middle school. Fans of Gordon Korman’s Restart and Jacqueline Davies’s Nothing but Trouble should enjoy the symmetry of circumstances in this title.
PREMIUM
Small Mercies
This novel has a gentle, timeless feel, complex secondary characters, and quirky humor. A heartfelt, human, and wise addition to middle grade shelves.
A great #OwnVoices story for children to learn more about connection and empathy.
This gently funny title is a must-purchase for public libraries, and a great recommendation for readers of all ages.
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The Dragon Egg Princess
Fans of “Harry Potter” and other magical tales that are rooted in the real world will find this series starter entertaining indeed.
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Worse Than Weird
A good bet for fans of Emma Donoghue’s “The Lotterys” books or Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s “Book Scavenger” series.
PREMIUM
Things Seen from Above
Readers will think about this novel after they’ve closed the book. It’s full of heart and is sure to encourage looking at the world through a new lens.
Fans of fantasy and adventure will snap this up and eagerly await the sequel. A first purchase.
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The Wish and the Peacock
Despite a lack of focus, this may be a useful mirror for contemporary rural kids, but its characters provide more of the appeal than the busy plot.
A recommended purchase, this novel will be welcomed into the hearts of many readers.
PREMIUM
Wannabe Farms
This wannabe Seuss mostly misses the mark; but since humor is personal, it may find its audience.
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Fly Back, Agnes
Issues of peer acceptance, popularity, and the repercussions of divorce are delicately explored in this sweet and tender tale. Will resonate with middle grade and early high school students, especially those at a crossroads in their lives.
An enlightening and important novel about a young person’s experience with asexuality. A required purchase for middle grade collections.
PREMIUM
The Queen Bee and Me
Fully realized characters and high-stakes yet realistic middle school dilemmas with real-world applications make this a royal addition to shelves for upper elementary and middle school readers.
Purchase where the “Emily Windsnap” series has been popular and for collections that need more hi-lo choices for tweens.
Oliver’s characters leap off the page and readers of all ages will find themselves eagerly rooting them on and clamoring for more as their story ends. Hand this to fans of adventure, magical creatures, and epic quests.
PREMIUM
A Wish in the Dark
The original storyline and well-developed characters make this a standout novel. Highly recommended.
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96 Miles
Rough and rugged, this story will have readers eagerly awaiting what’s next for John and Stew. A great addition to any middle or high school collection where survival books circulate well.
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The Treasure Hunt
This heartwarming series will be enjoyed by a more advanced young audience. Recommended purchase where other playful odd couple books circulate.
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Sky’s Surprise
Serviceable where there is a strong need for upbeat, transitional chapter book series; otherwise, skip it.
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The Candy Caper
Hand to young readers who adore silliness, and those who deal with compulsive tendencies.
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Vera Vance: Comics Star
This is a welcome addition to the “After-School Superstars” series and a lesson in family love and self-expression.
PREMIUM
My Life as a Potato
This title doesn’t rock the boat; it’s light, predictable, easy to read, vaguely funny, and reminiscent of Lincoln Peirce’s “Big Nate” comics and Chris Grabenstein’s and James Patterson’s “I Funny” series.
PREMIUM
Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit
A great purchase for middle grade collections, especially those whose readers are looking for their next boisterous supersleuth.
Parents and librarians will be filled with nostalgia. Recommended for young fiction collections seeking silly school stories.
PREMIUM
The Midnight Hour
A fast-paced, amusing and endearing tale with a satisfying conclusion. Fun for fans of kooky magical adventure series like Jessica Townsend’s “Nevermoor.”
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Mañanaland
A gem of a story with timely messages whose main audience is educators and contemplative children. Nevertheless, a required purchase.
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Wink
This title is delightfully good and different. Readers will be interested to know that Harrell draws from his personal experience. There are witty comic panels and other art interspersed throughout the text. Highly recommended.
Readers will further enjoy the fast pace of this book filled with short chapters and cliff-hangers. Strongly recommended for school libraries.
PREMIUM
Taylor Before and After
Readers will root for Taylor as they read her honest musings. Mild swearing and the sophisticated structure of this fascinating coming-of-age story make this better suited for a thoughtful upper middle grade reader.
PREMIUM
A Galaxy of Sea Stars
A solid choice for libraries where titles exploring xenophobia and immigrant experiences circulate well.
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Chirp
A novel that succeeds most as a carefully plotted, engaging mystery and middle grade–appropriate introduction to a serious and pervasive issue.
An edge-of-your-seat, apocalyptic alien plants versus heroic hybrid teens adventure. Recommended for all young science fiction collections.
PREMIUM
Black Brother, Black Brother
Give to readers who love Jason Reynolds’s “Track” series or Jewell Parker Rhodes’s other offerings for young readers.
PREMIUM
Mermaid School
This first installment of the “Mermaid School” series is a fun addition to any collection for young patrons who love mermaid tales and books about friendship.
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Blue Daisy
Suitable for libraries where there is an interest in morality tales and dog stories.
This series offers many aspects perfect for the chapter book crowd: large text; wide margins; short chapters; gentle humor; and a diverse cast of characters with generous black-and-white illustrations by Heinrichs. Best of all, budding writers may be encouraged to take their own pen to paper. Consistent with the rest of the series, purchase where the first two installments are popular.
A solid primer to introduce the seasons, but not an essential purchase.
PREMIUM
Cave Dada
This simple yarn will amuse, and gives ample opportunity for conversation between reader and listener.
PREMIUM
When My Brother Gets Home
A sweet-natured tale for young children that celebrates the special bond between siblings.
Combining two iconic elements of Mexican culture, food trucks and lucha libre, this tale will make readers of all ages hungry for tacos, burritos, and elote (Mexican street corn)
PREMIUM
Frozen Beauty
On par with popular adult suspense novels, Hillyer’s well-written work is a taut mystery with enough twists to keep the reader on edge until the end. A recommended purchase for YA mystery collections.
PREMIUM
Don’t Call the Wolf
In a genre full of retellings, this book sets itself apart with its homage to traditional storytelling. Perfect for fans of S. Jae-Jones’s “Wintersong” duology.
PREMIUM
Bonds of Brass
A Rhoda Belleza-style space opera meets a devastating queer romance à la Adam Silvera. Recommended.
PREMIUM
The Weather’s Bet
Elementary school classrooms seeking another approach to Earth Day will appreciate the mysterious beauty within the pages of this book.
Based on a true friendship between a horse and a goat, this picture book has much to offer for young readers about life’s challenges and how we handle them. Levis (Ida, Always) excels at crafting emotional, but never saccharine, tales of friendship. Strongly recommend for purchase.
Even in the jokey, tongue-in-cheek fashion in which the book is presented, the criminalization and imprisonment of animals and children for their natural behaviors is a strange conceit that makes the book difficult to recommend.
Toddlers and preschoolers who love trains will delight in the tale while adults familiar with the original book will appreciate the opportunity to introduce it to a new generation.
PREMIUM
The Stars Just Up the Street
A story that inspires all ages to speak up and take action to positively affect the world around them.
PREMIUM
The Nest That Wren Built
This is an excellent informational picture book to read to kindergarten or first grade classes as a delightful, accessible introduction to the nest-building behavior of birds.
PREMIUM
The Legend of King Arthur-a-tops
With a rowdy cast of characters, this offering offers light humor and encouragement for those who feel imperfect or insecure. A suggested additional or supplemental purchase for younger readers.
PREMIUM
The Keeper of Wild Words
Peter H. Reynold’s The Word Collector is a more creative celebration of words that will likely be appreciated by a young audience.
PREMIUM
The Bear Must Go On
This playful and endearing story offers young readers a heartfelt message about collaboration and overcoming fear, making it an excellent choice for most collections.
PREMIUM
Dot Unplugged
Zuckerberg sends an undisguised message to technology-mesmerized families: Put down the electronics occasionally, and take time to connect with others.
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The Year After You
A good choice for readers who enjoyed Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss and Gayle Forman’s If I Stay.
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Witches of Ash and Ruin
A suspenseful supernatural story. Recommended for libraries serving teens, especially where occult and horror books are popular.
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What I Like About Me
A fun, upbeat, and tender coming-of-age story written in an engaging and lively diary format.
PREMIUM
The Best Laid Plans
This heartwarming, funny novel will resonate with anyone struggling under the weight of societal pressures.
PREMIUM
When You Were Everything
Teens need to learn empathy and recognize the effects of thoughtless words or actions on their peers, making this novel all the more important. Those who enjoy Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun, Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’, or Brandy Colbert’s Little & Lion should enjoy this novel.
PREMIUM
Girl Crushed
A solid addition to collections where romance and light realistic fiction are popular. Recommend to readers of Rainbow Rowell and Becky Albertalli.
PREMIUM
Unscripted
The humor of improvisation does not detract from the powerful messages of consent and gender equality, but rather adds some lighthearted moments to a serious plot. Recommended for libraries serving teens.
PREMIUM
Grandma’s Gardens
Filtered through golden memories, these recollections will probably appeal more to adults than children. The book may prove a popular gift for grandmothers, especially those with gardens.
PREMIUM
Everyone’s Awake
Recommended for youngsters (and their grownups) who come from or enjoy observing a family with more quirks than every cast member of a Wes Anderson movie combined.
PREMIUM
Hello Now
The story is relatively tame for a romance, and the message about doing what is right, not easy, is an important one. A solid addition to any fiction collection.
PREMIUM
Girls Save the World in This One
For those who love zombies and action-packed books, as well as reluctant readers.
PREMIUM
Golden Arm
Short chapters and easy-to-follow writing make this book a strong choice for any school with a collection of sports fiction.
PREMIUM
Look
A solid addition to high school and teen collections and libraries looking to enhance their LGBTQ holdings.
PREMIUM
All the Pretty Things
This is more than a thriller, filled with mystery and intrigue. It also speaks to the complexity and internalized struggle of guilt, loss, and loving someone you can’t trust.
PREMIUM
Ducks!
Caregivers may recognize their own wandering toddler in this funny, yet reassuring title. An excellent read-aloud choice for home and in larger groups.
Having beloved and familiar characters introduce basic mathematical concepts makes this a highly engaging title for young readers. This may also serve as a gentle support for preschool or kindergarten students struggling with early math concepts.
A suggested first purchase for all libraries, this visual feast evokes a breathtaking climb to the heights, where the absence of text reflects the serenity of the mountain and those who quietly rejoice in the hike.
PREMIUM
Thank You, Garden
This delightful story is a perfect way to usher in the spring gardening season and inspire readers to get going on their own planting.
PREMIUM
Plenty of Hugs
Alizadeh’s loving illustrations of an interracial, two-mom family will fill a gap in most collections and circulate well in collections serving bikeable urban neighborhoods.
PREMIUM
Over the Moon
A reassuring tale that families come in all shapes and sizes and perhaps a read-aloud for the first day of school or camp for anxious children and parents.
The title essentially tells you everything you need to know about this book. Purchase as needed.
PREMIUM
My Mama
Translated from Dutch, this title would be an easy contender for a storytime read-aloud on mother-son relationships.
PREMIUM
Mr. Pig’s Big Wall
This works well as a simple tale or could be expanded for loftier discussion. Recommened for large picture book collections.
PREMIUM
Miriam at the River
This engaging retelling of the early life of Miriam and Moses will be of particular interest to those familiar with the biblical story, while other readers will appreciate the courage of the young heroine.
PREMIUM
Library Babies
Recommended for caregivers to use in discussing the steps of a library visit with their little one.
PREMIUM
Malo and the Merry-Go-Round
A worthwhile tale which could be better showcased with alternative illustrations.
PREMIUM
Bat and Sloth Hang Around
This visually appealing new beginning reader series is filled with animal facts contained in slight stories. Purchase as needed.
Part of a social issues series, the message is heavy-handed and likely more pertinent to parents than children.
PREMIUM
Can I Play Too?
A wonderful choice for anyone seeking books on social-emotional development or for use with helping kids on the spectrum better understand social cues.
This lovely picture book can spark interest in scientific exploration, create awareness of our connection to the cosmos, and encourage dreamers to embark on their own journeys of imagination.
PREMIUM
Elsie
From the text to illustrations, this book has a completely throwback feel as a small bunny wins her siblings’ respect. Large illustrations, ready action, and energetic dialogue make it a good one for story time.
PREMIUM
As Big as the Sky
Although this title highlights a lesser-known region and culture, it lacks an insider’s perspective and relies on inspirational tropes.
This is a compelling and emotionally resonant addition to Earth Day curricula, especially as an inspiration for reusing items as long as possible.
PREMIUM
An Ordinary Day
Emotionally affecting and beautifully told, this book deserves a place on most library shelves.
PREMIUM
A Kid of Their Own
The lesson that there is room and love for everyone in the family is one that parents and caregivers will be happy to share. Recommended for purchase.
PREMIUM
Elmore and Pinky
Hobbie (“Toot & Puddle” series) has rendered a worthy sequel to Elmore. Those searching for a quiet and tender read on making friends will appreciate this sweet offering.
This wise, creative book will be returned to with anticipation and shared frequently.
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