Check out some exciting easy and fiction titles that have come out this month.
ELEMENTARY PICTURE BOOKS
Caterpillar Dreams by Clive McFarland. 9780062386366. 2017. Gr K-2.
Henri the caterpillar wants to fly but can’t figure out how. When a cocoon starts to form around him, Henri is confused, but soon he realizes that his dreams of flying are right around the corner.
Egg by Kevin Henkes. 9780062408730. 2017. Gr PK-2
While three of four eggs hatch their chicks, one egg remains stubbornly intact. When the shell finally cracks, the baby crocodile that emerges comes as quite a shock. But the animals remain friends as the three chicks hop aboard the crocodile and float away.
A Greyhound, a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins & Christ Appelhans. 9780553498066. 2017. Gr PK-2.
This books is a tongue twister featuring a little round greyhound and a little round groundhog who work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another.
I Do Not Like Al’s Hat by Erin McGIll. 9780062455765. 2017. Gr PK-2.
Herb, a magician’s rabbit, looks for a new job after just one too many times getting his ears yanked on when pulled out of Abracadabra Al’s hat. But what job would be better?
No More Bows by Samantha Cotterill. 9780062408709. 2017. Gr K-2.
Milly loves Hugo, her dog, and likes nothing more than putting colorful bows on his head. Hugo loves Milly, but he hates bows—frilly or sparkly or jeweled. Finally, after the latest ridiculous bow, Hugo runs away, but life without Milly is lonely. Hugo decides he just needs the right kind of bow…and his best friend at his side.
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson. 9780062393395. 2017. Gr PK-2.
In this interactive book, kids can tap, clap, and wave in order to help the seeds grow, all the while learning about the life cycle of a flower.
Rabbit Magic by Meg McLaren. 9780544784697. 2017. Gr K-2.
Famous magician Monsieur Lapin is looking for a new assistant, and when he finds Houdini the rabbit, the partnership is perfect. Even when things get out of hand, Houdini knows the show must go on.
The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy & Eugene Yelchin. 9780545722889. 2017. Gr K-2.
The villagers of La Paz are tired of all the noise in their village, so they elect a new mayor, Don Pepe, to help quiet things down. Soon he outlaws loud singing, whistling, and other happy noises. But can he control the rooster who greets the dawn?
The Snow Knows by Jennifer McGrath & Josee Bisaillon. 9781771084413. 2017. Gr PK-2.
Author and illustrator introduce readers to how the animals enjoy winter.
Spring Hare by Eugene Yelchine. 9781627793926. 2017. Gr PK-2.
When a little girl and a bunny bounce high up into the sky, they set off on an imaginative adventure through the clouds and outer space.
The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies. 9781250111869. 2017. Gr PK-3.
Noi’s dad has sailed out to fish one last time before winter. When a storm comes and his father doesn’t return, Noi becomes worried and sets out to search for him. But who will rescue Noi when the storm overcomes his tiny boat?
Watersong by Tim McCanna & Richard Smythe. 9781481468817. 2017. Gr PK-2.
This wonderful book is a great lesson in onomatopoeia. As a fox wanders through its wetlands, it is aware of the many sounds that water makes.
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell. 9781250076366. 2017. Gr PK-1.
This nearly wordless picture book tells of a young girl who risks her own safety to reunite a wolf cub, lost in a blizzard, with its pack. After delivering the small cub to its mother, the girl collapses in the snow. And the wolves, once seeming so fierce and terrifying, surround her body, howling into the blowing snow to lead her family to her, repaying the girl’s kindness.
XO, Ox : A Love Story by Adam Rex & Scott Campbell. 9781626722880. 2017. Gr PK-2.
This picture book documents a one-sided romance with a surprising twist, as a clumsy ox in love writes to a graceful but haughty gazelle, who misconstrues his notes in hilarious ways.
ELEMENTARY CHAPTER BOOKS
The Adventures of Henry Whiskers (Book 1) by Cici Priebe. 9781481465755. 2017. Gr 2-5.
Generations of Henry’s family have lived in Windsor Castle’s Queen Mary’s Dollhouse. With the dollhouse under repairs, Henry’s little sister goes missing, and he must find his courage and search for her in Rat Alley.
Agnes and Clarabelle by Adele Griffin & Courtney Sheinmel. 9781619631373. 2017. Gr K-2.
Throughout the seasons, best friends Agnes the pig and Clarabelle the chicken help each other.
A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouwman. 9780399545191. 2017. Gr 4-6.
The three stories in this book are set in the second world, a mysterious place that is mostly all water. Pip can talk to fish, and the Raft King needs him to find a portal to return to the first world. Siblings Venus and Swimmer are bound in slavery at the beginning of the second world. And Thanh and Sang, two Vietnamese children, have to choose between remaining lost at sea or going through the portal.
The Crooked Sixpense (Uncommoners, Book 1) by Jennifer Bell. 9780553498448. 2017. Gr 4-6.
While Ivy and Seb’s grandmother is at the hospital, someone ransacks their house. The siblings escape to a secret underground city where regular things have magical powers. There they discover a secret about their family’s connection to a treasure—and they must find it before it is too late!
An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo. 9781250105158. 2017. Gr 3-5.
After their home is bombed in World War II, Barney and his mother are on their way to the country when an enemy plane attacks their train. The conductor takes cover in a tunnel, and in the dark a stranger tells a story about two soldiers from World War I—and the worldwide consequences of their decisions that day.
Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh. 9781101934609. 2017. Gr 4-7.
From basketball dreams and family fiascos to first crushes and new neighborhoods, this anthology, written by award-winning children’s authors, celebrates the uniqueness and diversity in all of us.
The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley. 9780545783873. 2017. Gr 4-6.
As three young strangers struggle to solve the puzzle of a mysterious attack, they meet an artist whose missing paintings could save their community.
The Homework Strike by Greg Pincus. 9780439913010. 2017. Gr 4-6.
Now in seventh grade Gregory K. is frustrated by all the homework that leaves him no time for writing, which is what he loves to do, so he decides to go on a homework strike. With his history teacher’s encouragement, he learns a valuable lesson in civics and standing up for what you believe in.
Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King. 9780545870740. 2017. Gr 4-6.
Obe’s family’s farm has been bought out by developers. While picking up litter in one of the few wild patches left, Obe finds a strange creature—kind of half dog, half boar—that eats plastic. Befriending the animal—whose name is Marvin Gardens—Obe must keep him a secret from not only the developers, but his own friends.
Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars by Martine Murray. 9780399550416. 2017. Gr 3-6.
Ten-year-old Molly is embarrassed by her weird mother, who collects herbs and brews strange potions. Only Pim, the oddest boy in Molly’s class, might understand how she’s feeling. And as the two set out on an unexpected adventure, they realize that sometimes standing out is the right choice.
The Sweetest Sound by Sherri Winston. 9780316302951. 2017. Gr 4-6.
Shy Cadence promises God to share her beautiful voice with the world by the time she turns eleven—or at least in church. Her birthday is near, and she still hasn’t sung for anyone, just on a recording. She wonders if she can take a promise back, even a promise to God. When the recording gets out and her whole church hears it, she has to decide whether to lie and say it is someone else, or break out of her shell and into the spotlight.
The Wizard’s Dog by Eric Kahn Gale. 9780553537376. 2017. Gr 4-6.
When his master and best friend, Merlin, is kidnapped, there is nothing Nosewise the dog will not do to get Merlin back, even if it means facing the strange Fae people and their magic-eating worms, or tangling with the mysterious Sword in the Stone.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION
The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish. 9780062433381. 2017. Gr 4-7.
Before, Ethan was always ready to take on a challenge. Before his best friend died. Before his family moved from Boston to a small town. Then he makes a new friend and sees the chance of a new start—except his friend has a secret that might end not only their friendship, but also their lives.
Gorilla Dawn by Gill Lewis & Susan Meyer. 9781481486576. 2017. Gr 4-7.
Two children, captured by rebels in the Congo, discover that an infant gorilla is also a prisoner. When they find out that the soldiers plan to sell the baby into captivity, they scheme to release it into the wild. But they are taking a terrible chance; if they are caught, the consequences will be terrible.
Hideout by Watt Key. 9780374304829. 2017. Gr 5-8.
While out exploring the bayou around his home, Sam finds a lone boy named Davey mysteriously repairing a rundown shack deep in the woods. As the two get to know each other, danger increases for both boys when long-hidden truths come to light.
Horizon (Book 1) by Scott Westerfeld. 9780545916776. 2017. Gr 4-7.
Eight young survivors of an Arctic plane crash are shocked to open the door not to a cold, icy landscape but to a strange jungle. With little food and water, the kids must work together to make their way in a dangerous environment full of threats like they’ve never seen before.
Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Jackson. 9780544785106. 2017. Gr 5-8.
African-American Rose Lee Carter dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955. But when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.
The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius. 9781101931752. 2017. Gr 5-8.
Sally Jones is a loyal friend, a top-notch engineer, and an excellent chess player. She is also a gorilla. She never speaks, but she understands everything humans say. Together with her human friend, Chief, Sally works aboard a cargo ship, but her safe life is upended when a deal goes wrong and Chief is falsely convicted of murder. Now Sally Jones is on a mission to clear her friend’s name and stop powerful forces who would do anything to keep their secrets hidden.
Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart. 9781338053845. 2017. Gr 5-8.
The Reformatory sits on a decaying island fortress, inhabited only by the fifteen boys sentenced to live there and the adults hired to supervise them. It’s also Jonathan ‘s home for the next ten weeks. When a lightning strike kills every adult at the reformatory, the boys are left to fend for themselves. They are enjoying their freedom until another storm strikes, leaving the boys in danger of dying themselves, and forcing Jonathan to face his past in order to save himself and the others.
Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan. 9780399186219. 2017. Gr 5-8.
When Julia gets cast as a munchkin in a local production of “The Wizard of Oz,” she has even more reason to hate her short stature. But as she gets to know the show’s enthusiastic director and eccentric cast, Julia’s summer might become worthwhile after all.
The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla. 9780062445766. 2017. Gr 4-7.
After Charlie’s father is injured in Afghanistan and sent to Virginia for medical care, Charlie travels there from California with his siblings and a strange new family friend. On the way, he decides that if he can spot all of the birds that he and his father have hoped to find someday, that all of their problems will be solved.
Train I Ride by Paul Mosier. 9780062455734. 2017. Gr 4-7.
Rydr’s grandma can’t care for her any longer, so she is traveling by train from California to Chicago, where she will be living with a relative she has never met. In her backpack, she carries memories and a box with a secret. As Rydr meets others on the train and hears their stories, she learns to deal with the issues of her past.
The Warden’s Daughter by Jerry Spinelli. 9780375931994. 2-17. Gr 5-8.
Cammie is an unusual kid with an unusual homelife. She hangs with a black shoplifter named BooBoo, her housekeeper is a sullen arsonist named Eloda, and she lives above the entrance of Hancock Prison, where her dad is the warden. She copes with the grief of her mother’s death as she watches her best friend idolize a famed child killer, tries to turn Eloda into a mother figure, and spirals deeper into depression.
HIGH SCHOOL FICTION
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. 9780062422644. 2017. Gr 9-12.
When she was nine, Mary was convicted of murdering a white baby that was in the care of her mother. Mary has never told her story of that day. But now, living in a group home, she has a boyfriend and is pregnant—and the state is plans to take away her child. Will telling her story make a difference?
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. 9781101885932. 2017. Gr 10-Adult.
Vasilisa’s favorite fairy tale is the one about Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon who snatches away unwary souls. When her new stepmother forbids worshiping the household spirits, Vasilisa begins noticing the crops are failing and evil-looking creatures are creeping in from the forest. Seeing the danger, she is forced to draw on a gift she has kept secret in order to protect her family from these new threats.
Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez. 9780399551468. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Growing up with a brash and unloving mother, Dani learned not to care. However, when her mother dies, she finds that not caring isn’t enough to stop the pain. Moving to New Mexico with an aunt she never knew about, Dani starts healing with “The Stranger” by Albert Camus, through meeting Paulo, a boy who understands her loss, and through connecting with her aunt over stories of her mother’s past.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber. 9781250095251. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Scarlett wants nothing more than for her and her sister to escape her island home and her cruel, domineering father. Her only chance is to be invited to Caraval, a once-a-year game, and win the prize—a wish! But when an invitation arrives, the game turns out to be very different than she expected. Her sister is kidnapped, and the prize will go to whomever finds her before the end of the game. Magic, love, and heartbreak—but is any of it real?
Carve the Mark (Book 1) by Veronica Roth. 9780062348630. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Cyra is the sister of the Shotet people’s brutal tyrant, who manipulates her for her gift of pain and power. Akos, the son of a farmer, is gifted with an endlessly generous spirit and limitless loyalty. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s violent world, they will either help each other survive or destroy each other.
City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie Anderson. 9780399547584. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Having escaped with her daughter to Kenya, Tina’s mother finds a job as a maid for the rich and powerful Greyhill family. When her mother is murdered, Tina discovers that the Greyhills are not the respected leaders they portray themselves to be. For four years she lives on the street, becoming a master thief working for a local gang, until she gets her chance for vengeance.
The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles. 9781619637535. 2017. Gr 9-12.
Zoe is reeling from the death of her father and the disappearance of their neighbors. Attacked in the woods one snowy, freezing night, she and her brother are saved by an unknown bounty hunter. X, as they call him, has been sent to collect the soul of Zoe’s assailant and is forbidden to reveal who he is, but he and Zoe are drawn to each other—with perilous consequences for all.
Exo by Fonda Lee. 9780545933438. 2017. Gr 7-12.
Earth has been colonized by an alien race after a brutal war. Donovan, whose father is now the Prime Liaison to the rulers, enjoys his standing and his exocel (an alien skeleton fused to his body). Captured by the revolutionary group Sapience, Donovan knows that his father will refuse to negotiate with the kidnappers. But if he is killed, earth might end up in another war. And after falling for one of the Sapience terrorists and learning more about them, he realizes that in a war, no one is entirely good or evil.
Fire Color One by Jenny Valentine. 9780399546921. 2107. Gr 9-12.
After Iris gets caught setting fires—again!—she is sent from America to London to stay with the father she has never met, and who is dying. Bonding over their love of art, she begins to realize that he is not the scoundrel her mother claimed. And her mother has an ulterior motive for sending her to London—she wants to get her hands on his priceless art collection.
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. 9781616956929. 2017. Gr 10-12.
OCD-afflicted Griffin grieves for his first love, Theo, who died in a drowning accident, but the only one who seems to understand what he is going through is Jackson, Theo’s new boyfriend.
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti. 9781492636083. 2017. Gr 9-12.
When popular Lizzie Lovett goes missing, seventeen-year-old Hawthorne, a lonely misfit, finds herself becoming obsessed with solving the mystery.
Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos. 9781681190358. 2017. Gr 9-12.
When Jackie’s father, Jared, is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, he puts himself up for sale on eBay, hoping to leave his wife and daughter with financial security. His self-auction catches the interest of a reality show producer who offers the family money if they agree to live out Jared’s last days on TV. But Jackie would rather expose the TV executive for the unscrupulous scoundrel he really is.
Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist. 9780316305358. 2017. Gr 8-12.
Sixteen-year-old blind teen Will Porter undergoes an experimental surgery that enables him to see for the first time, all while navigating a new school, new friends, and new love.
Loving vs. Virginia : A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case by Patricia Hruby Powell. 9781452125909. 2017. Gr 7-12.
This novel in free verse uses alternating voices to explore the personal and emotional story of Mildred and Richard Loving (he is white, she is black) who only wish to raise a family in Virginia, the state where they were both born. After they marry, they are jailed and forced by the state law to take their battle all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall. 9780544736511. 2017. Gr 10-12.
Seventeen-year-old Norah is plagued by fears that make it impossible to leave her house. But when Luke arrives on her doorstep, Norah sees her chance at a new friend—or maybe something more.
You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando. 9781250084118. 2017. Gr 10-12.
Reagan has been training all her life to become like her parents, operatives in the most top-secret agency in the world. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the boy next door.
