Looking for a good winter survival story to curl up with? "May B" by Caroline Starr Rose might just be the perfect choice for you! Written in verse, this tale of courage and resourcefulness in the face of loneliness and desertion on the prairie can be read in one sitting. May B's family is low on money, so she is pulled from school to be hired help for a couple fifteen miles across the prairie. Isolated from her family and town, May watches as the neighbor's new wife grows unhappy with her life and then leaves. When her husband doesn't return after a frantic search for his missing wife, May is left completely alone on the prairie. Her father isn't going to pick her up for a few more months, and so May B has to use her wits and skills to survive. Appropriate for readers in grades three to six. Click the link above to reserve a copy today. Andrea W., Youth Services
Immigration is a hot topic around the world today, and it can be confusing for kids to understand. What better way for a student to learn about immigration than from someone who lived through it as a child? Thanhha Lai has gifted all of us with her beautiful novel in verse "Inside Out & Back Again," loosely based on her own experiences growing up. Life in Alabama in the 1970s is not easy for a Vietnamese family. Ha barely escaped Saigon with her mother and brothers, surviving the harrowing boat ride to freedom only to find a host of different challenges in America: the complexities and idiosyncrasies of the English language, the taunts of her classmates, and the longing for her missing father and her bygone home. Each poem tells of the struggles they faced, the thoughts and emotions of a little girl, and the history of a people. With a mixture of heart-wrenching and chuckle-inducing entries, "Inside Out & Back Again" authentically expresses the inner workings of Ha as she comes to terms with her new home. A Newbery Honor book and a National Book Award Winner, "Inside Out & Back Again" is a wonderful example of diverse historical fiction. Many children hear about the Vietnam War in history class, but few think about the experiences of children who were caught in the conflict. It is particularly valuable in the way it elucidates the struggles faced by children who have immigrated. Recommended for grades four to seven. --Madeline B., Mid County
Is map-reading a lost art? Not if author Joanna McInerney and illustrator Paul Boston can help it. They've created an entertaining and informative new series, "find your way." Each title is full of maps with things to find and information on how to read the maps. Your young reader will have so much fun finding the silly things on each page that they won't know they're learning! Click on the titles below to reserve a copy today. Appropriate for readers in first to third grade. --Andrea W., Headquarters
After the lovely "Maria Had a Little Llama/Maria tenia una llamita", Angela Dominguez is back with another fun and fantastic bilingual picture book, "How Do You Say?/Como se dice?". It tells the tale of a blossoming friendship between two young giraffes, one speaking English and the other Spanish. Each page spread shows both giraffes doing the same thing, but speaking in their respective languages, "Food!/Comida!" or "Hello?/Hola?". As their similar lives bring the two together, they discover that they have a lot in common, right down to the nap they take when they're all worn out from playing. With bold illustrations and simple text, this story is appropriate for readers age three on up. Click on the link above request a copy today. --Andrea W., Headquarters
"Under the light of the moon we go! We'll take yer silver, we'll take yer gold,We'll take what we want to line our hold! Some say we're cursed, some say we're dead! We're in search of a key as you sleep in bed! Heave ho! Heave ho! Under the light of the moon we go!"
In "The Jolley-Rogers and the Ghostly Galleon" by Jonny Duddle, nothing ever happens in Dull-on-Sea until one night when a crew of ghostly pirates comes ashore and steals treasure from the local museum. No one is quite sure if they really saw pirates. Mervyn Wobley says he saw them brandishing their cutlasses but his wife doesn't believe him. Matilda loves everything about pirates from her Pirate Pops cereal to her best friend and pirate, Jim Lad. She knows if pirates are involved in the heists, Jim will know what to do. The people in town have bought up all the safes and boarded up their homes by the time Jim and his Grandpa Rogers sail into the harbor with their crew. After Matilda describes what's been happening in the town since the last full moon, Grandpa Rogers is sure it's the work of Captain Twirlybeard and his crew of the Black Rat ship. He's positive they're hunting for the Key of Souls that unlocks a huge treasure ship at the bottom of the sea. Once opened, the crew would no longer be ghosts and would be free to wreak havoc around the coastlines once again. Can Matilda and Jim find the key and get the town's treasures back before Ol' Twirly? It's a challenge they're ready for and with the help of Grandpa Rogers and his crew, they'll be able to rid the town of the ghostly pirates forever. --Trea P., Bridgeton Trails
In "Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson, Astrid's mom has taken her and her best friend, Nicole, on "an evening of cultural enlightenment" before. Poetry readings, the opera, and the modern art gallery have been some of the more exciting evenings in the past, but this one is different. She takes them to see Portland's hometown roller derby racers, The Rose City Rollers. Astrid's life is forever changed. The players have crazy names, weird hair, and tattoos. One player, a jammer named Rainbow Bite, looks like a superhero and actually winks at Astrid! She cannot wait to begin junior roller derby camp. There's just one problem--her best friend, Nicole, is into ballet and boys and plans on going to dance camp over the summer instead of joining Astrid. The summer before junior high is not going the way Astrid had planned. Instead of spending every moment with her BFF, she's learning to skate and trying to figure out if she fits into the roller derby community while hopefully making new friends in the process. School Library Journal lists this graphic novel full of self discovery and strong female characters as appropriate for grades four to eight. --Heather N., Eureka Hills
