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This great read is a real page-turner and will especially appeal to readers who love family stories and readers who (like me) like their fantasy to be quite grounded in reality. An absolutely smashing read that everyone should pick up this summer!
PREMIUM
Wild About You
Witty and amusing prose will take readers on a romantic journey that realistically addresses anxiety.
PREMIUM
Pretty Furious
A slice-of-life thriller with a compelling concept but underwhelming execution.
PREMIUM
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Jackson continues to beguile and intrigue readers with this absorbing mystery. Recommended.
PREMIUM
Promchanted
Recommended. Grab this one for your Disney readers and for those who enjoy a great prom story.
A deeply satisfying standalone readers will race through and a rare Pacific Island–inspired fantasy that belongs in all YA collections.
PREMIUM
Bijan Always Wins
In this excellent addition to SEL shelves, children will find themselves learning from Bijan and enjoying his story at the same time.
PREMIUM
Gaga Mistake Day
This homage to the eccentricities and charm of special grandparents ticks a lot of boxes. Highly recommended
A manual for constructing a contented life, this book makes children look deeper and behave with deliberation. And when they do, Henkes says, they are lucky.
PREMIUM
Abuela’s Library
A story teaching the valuable lesson of making lemons out of lemonade. Recommended.
A beautiful story that should be sitting on the shelves of school counselors and child therapists everywhere.
PREMIUM
Dare to Be Daring
The creators have come up with an excellent book for caregivers and children who are struggling with their fears, for discussion or as a guide to pushing through.
An unusual addition to a baby’s first books and may be particularly useful in a public library setting to see who gravitates toward it; especially recommended for parents interested in immersing their slightly older child in a STEM-related field.
PREMIUM
Garbage Gulls
While this is not a necessary purchase, it buoys shelves dedicated to the imagination and shows another side of summer vacation that requires no money and no adults to be a success.
A humorous addition, though not an essential purchase, to picture book collections.
A reassuring book for the very young that allows for ambition, curiosity, and homecoming in equal measure, and the knowledge that someone watchful is nearby, if needed. Lovely.
PREMIUM
Afro Unicorn: A Magical Parade
A sweet and straightforward story, ideal for early reader collections.
PREMIUM
Grumpy Monkey: Too Many Bugs
An energetic early reader with humorous illustrations that young readers will return to again and again.
A cottagecore graphic novel for all ages that is sure to please during story time or while young readers choose to explore the Hundred Acre Wood on their own.
PREMIUM
Makeda Makes a Home for Subway
A solid purchase for early reader collections, especially those seeking books with children of color having majority representation.
PREMIUM
Tiny Tales: Firefly Night
A tiny tale that teaches a big lesson: often the journey has more value than the destination.
PREMIUM
I See a Rat
A great addition to library collections. Children will enjoy hearing this read aloud to them over and over again until they are able to read it for themselves.
PREMIUM
Pet-a-Palooza
This title is a welcome addition to early chapter book collections, and a surefire hit for animal lovers.
PREMIUM
Uni’s First Recital
A highly relatable and entertaining tale, and a recommended purchase for early reader collections.
A sweet new installment of the “Little Critter” series.
PREMIUM
Olive Blackwood Takes Action!
An important message about overcoming anxiety is muddled in a busy plot. Purchase for larger collections.
An important novel for every library to have. Readers will find they’re not alone in dealing with a loved one’s addiction, as an estimated one in eight children have a parent dealing with substance abuse.
It’s not a perfect summer at the beach, but Winnie’s feelings are perfectly real, and the resolution is satisfying and hopeful. Highly recommended.
PREMIUM
Halfway to Harbor
Fans of the series will love Harbor and her family, and will root for her on and off the court.
PREMIUM
The Spindle of Fate
A worthy addition to any library where readers are gobbling up fantasy, and more importantly, a poignant story about family grief and love.
PREMIUM
Vega’s Piece of the Sky
A multiple-viewpoint realistic novel with broad appeal recommended for most upper elementary, middle school, or public libraries.
Give this story to children everywhere. A powerful story of finding your voice and using it to advocate for yourself.
PREMIUM
Picture a Girl
Readers will root for Adelaide to catch a break and be able to return to the life of an 11-year-old instead of an overwhelmed person with adult responsibilities. Recommended for realistic fiction shelves.
PREMIUM
The Girl in Question
A vengeful adventure that ties up loose ends just tightly enough; a must-purchase for any collection containing the first volume.
PREMIUM
The Merciless King of Moore High
A fun but dense read; for fans of gruesome monsters and political drama.
PREMIUM
A Crane Among Wolves
An intense mystery and slow-burn romance that highlight a historical moment. Recommended for all YA collections.
PREMIUM
Everything We Never Said
A dark romantic thriller with a surprise plot twist, this is a welcome addition to collections for mature teens, due to sexually explicit scenes.
Ripped from the headlines, Ahmed’s latest novel frames the fight against book banning as a hopeful endeavor in active civic engagement that a wide audience would benefit from reading.
Whether teens enjoy mysteries, historical fiction, or both, this is one to get into their hands.
PREMIUM
Under This Red Rock
Haunting and enormously gripping, but the suicide content deserves consideration for sensitive readers.
PREMIUM
The Lamplighter
A gloomy horror novel, perfect for middle schoolers too old for “Goosebumps,” but not yet ready for more terrifying fare.
Five women of Asian descent discuss the joy of telling resonant stories, handling vocabulary in unfamiliar languages, and other topics.
A phenomenal work, weaving together elements of fantasy, self-discovery, and the quest for identity, making it a compelling read for teens grappling with their sense of self.
PREMIUM
The Stricken
The novel adds parallel worlds to the magic and love story of this romantasy. Readers will adore the strong female protagonist and her mission to save her world and those she loves.
PREMIUM
The Flower Sisters
Anderson creates an engrossing story of tragedy, change, and laying the past to rest, with a fascinating cast of characters. Good first buy for larger libraries.
PREMIUM
The Last Love Song
A sweet coming-of-age debut for fans of books about music, this novel is reminiscent of Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes and a solid choice for readers of Nina LaCour’s Everything Leads to You.
PREMIUM
Lie Until It’s True
For fans of Weaver’s first novel, especially those who enjoy a complex mystery à la Knives Out with a hint of the paranormal.
A modern, twisted dark fairy tale, perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and established fans of McCauley.
PREMIUM
Lights Along the River
This Canadian historical picture book may find a home in units on unearthing family stories or in writing creative nonfiction.
PREMIUM
Llama Llama Feelings
A good purchase for large picture book collections. It may not break new ground, but is likely to be a hit due to the enduring popularity of Llama Llama.
PREMIUM
Pearl’s Lost Pearls
For the very young with long attention spans, this may be a “first mystery.” But Pearl’s habit—to get into scrapes and be rescued by others
An excellent choice for a preschool story time collection.
A sweet gift book for a new parent who is a pie enthusiast, but libraries can skip it.
Captures both the magic and the mundanity of the first week of school. Must purchase.
PREMIUM
Sparrow Loves Birds
The glossary makes this a worthy addition to a collection, especially one that offers a birdwatching kit for little birders in its Library of Things.
PREMIUM
The Boy Who Found His Voice
Collections of all sizes can welcome this book, which fosters empathy for those with speech challenges.
PREMIUM
Stewart the Goodheart
While not the most realistic depiction of childhood overall, this book has a sweet message and an idiosyncratic storytelling style that will please listeners at story hour.
PREMIUM
When You Meet a Dragon
A heavy-handed but dynamically illustrated story about the power of community.
A first purchase. Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks and Nurit Karlin’s The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat, this story will have readers laughing while trying to keep up with the stoat and the goat.
PREMIUM
We Don’t Eat Our Neighbors
A funny tale about an alligator boy learning not to eat his neighbors; perfect for the picture book shelves or even the etiquette section.
PREMIUM
Little Shrew
Charming in so many ways, this will take some hand-selling to find its true audience.
A lovely picture book sure to inspire the youngest changemakers to create the world they want to live in, and a reminder that cultural and even religious adages or tenets are worth pondering and enacting. Recommended for all collections.
PREMIUM
Saturday Magic: A Hoodoo Story
Loving and ebullient, this affirming title offers a glimpse into aspects of the African diaspora not often centered in picture books and often misunderstood. A necessary purchase.
Recommended where similar books in the collection are falling apart from use.
PREMIUM
Shared Space
This humorous and inventive comic book will entertain young readers and provide them a ready road map for conflict resolution and positive social skills.
PREMIUM
Curlilocks & the Three Hares
A fun tale that will appeal to reluctant readers and fans of fractured fairy tales.
PREMIUM
Noah Frye Gets Crushed
A fun and affirming coming-out story with relatable characters. Recommended.
PREMIUM
The Secret of the Bloodred Key
An engaging, fast-paced book well suited for fans who enjoy fantasies similar to Philip Pullman’s "His Dark Materials."
PREMIUM
The Kid
The wide-ranging narrative requires a patient reader to engage with the story until the dusty roads converge, but hang on until the showdown at high noon for a smartly satisfying Western adventure.
PREMIUM
Lion of the Sky
A fantastic addition to any collection, a much-needed reminder that, “We don’t need your kind and my kind...only kindness.”
B’s struggle to find home and acceptance will have readers rooting for them and Gooseberry the dog. A must-purchase realistic fiction title for all middle grade collections.
Fans of Lemony Snicket and Western fairy tales will devour this darkly humorous read.
PREMIUM
Have You Seen This Girl
Hand to fans of Ellie Marney’s None Shall Sleep and Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s “The Naturals” series.
Fans of Jenni L. Walsh will not let this book sit on library shelves for long.
This book will be most enjoyed by those who read the first book, and is recommended for collections where the previous one circulates.
An ode to Puerto Rico, bedtime, and a child’s imagination that’s a must for Spanish-language picture book shelves.
Highly recommended for all libraries as this history is too often untold and deserves such a compelling presentation as this.
A short book with a lot of learning opportunities.
Well-spaced text and muted illustrations add to each of the children’s boisterous personalities. Young readers will want to learn more about the large cast of characters.
A beautiful tribute to a grandmother’s hands and all they do; an essential purchase for all collections.
PREMIUM
What Are You, Lou?
Lou discovers he is different and that the differences make him strong in this lovely book to purchase as needed.
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