Southbury Public Library is closed until further notice.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this difficult time as we recover from extreme damage caused by the flooding on August 18th & 19th. Information on the library’s reopening will be provided when it is available.

The library’s book drop is closed. For now, hold all returns or return them to any other Connecticut library. Please do not leave returns in front of the library. All Southbury fines will be waived.

If you need assistance with anything related to your library card account, please call 203-262-0626 or email asksbylib@biblio.org.

List

Category
Audience
Tags

Celebrations Of Light

Nancy Luenn

Long ago, people found a way to light the darkness. They built fires to keep warm and cook their food. They lit torches to drive away danger. To help them see at night, they learned to make candles and lanterns. Light was so important in their lives that they came to use it in worship and in celebrations.
From a Brazilian New Year's celebration to the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, Celebrations of Light circles the year and the globe. The text and paintings highlight twelve festivals, showing the diverse ways in which people around the world use light as a major part of their celebrations. In each of these holidays, light plays a significant role, marking and brightening special days.

View Details >>

Light the Candle! Bang the Drum!

Ann Morris

Light the candles! Ring the bells! Dance and sing! Cultural and religious holidays are very important to children, marking festive occasions both at home and at school. This bright nonfiction picture book serves as the perfect introduction for the very young to celebrations around the world. Many of the holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween are familiar to American children. Others, such as St. Lucia's Day and Diwali, may be new to them. Each of the twenty-four holidays is illustrated with cut-paper pictures full to bursting with brilliant colors and bold shapes. Along with simple descriptions, they convey the mood, symbols, and incredible diversity of the festivities. Detailed notes at the end of the book tell more about each holiday.

View Details >>

The Longest Letsgoboy

Derick Wilder

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey meets Dog Heaven in this profoundly beautiful book about the special relationship between kids and dogs, the importance of language, and finding the meaning of life even in its final days.

Poignant, hopeful, and lovingly told, this dog's journey—told by the dog himself in his own unique words—proves that love abides beyond a lifetime, out of sight but never far away.

As a dog and his little girl go on their final walk together, he experiences the sights, smells, and wonders of this world one last time before peacefully passing on. But for such a good boy (oh yes, he is!) and his foreverfriend, that doesn't mean it's the end.

Offering a unique and noteworthy take on death, this book balances the somber topic with a dog's ever-optimistic viewpoint, all woven together with its unconventional yet fitting approach to language.

Family members, librarians, art-lovers, and educators alike will use this book as an accessible and comforting introduction to the ever-difficult topic of death, discussed and related in a new way with hopeful, uplifting, innovative language.

THE PERFECT BOOK TO TALK ABOUT LOSS: The perennial themes of grief, fear, and death are always relevant and classic discussion topics even in families not yet dealing with death. The perfect answer to kids' big questions about what happens when we die, this book will be a standard in every home library.

CREATIVE USE OF LANGUAGE: The words in this book are incredibly special, with phrases that conjure how the dog sees the world. The enjoyable challenge of matching up "letsgoboy" to a walk or "pufftails" to rabbits will make for meaningful discussions on a parent's lap or in a classroom reading circle.

TEACHES CHILDREN EMPATHY: Reading this story from the dog's perspective is the perfect way for young readers to understand that the way another character thinks and perceives the world is different from their own experience.

A BEAUTIFUL DOG STORY: Ideal for readers who love dogs, want dogs, or are going through a grieving process for their family dog, this book celebrates all that is most magical about these animals who are always by our side.

A COMFORTING MESSAGE: It's rare for a book about death to extend beyond the moment of dying. The continuation of the dog's story past this point makes it special and especially comforting.

Perfect for: parents and caregivers, dog lovers, educators 

View Details >>

Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM

Drew Brockington

Inspired by his beloved CatStronauts series, Drew Brockington is going back in time to when everyone's favorite Catstronaut, Waffles, was a kitten! Fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Elephant & Piggie will love this fun, cat-tastic early graphic novel series.

One very special Saturday, Dad-Cat decides to take Waffles and his sister Pancake to the big city to go to the science museum! While they're there, the kittens see extraordinary things, like dino-cats, hairballs in 4D, and even the planetarium. But as the kittens learn about constellations and Neil Pawstrong, they get separated from Dad-Cat. Oh no!

Will the kittens be able to find their (possibly invisible) Dad-Cat? Or will they get stuck living in the museum and eating star tots and tuna melts fur-ever?! This early graphic novel series is chock-full of educational facts about space—perfect for young readers.

View Details >>

Our Table

Peter H. Reynolds

Creative visionary of The Word Collector, Happy Dreamer, and The Dot, #1 New York Times bestseller Peter H. Reynolds creates a tender, lyrical story of multigenerational love, tradition, and family coming together with gratitude and thanks.

 

Celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds brings his signature touch of love and kindness to this special, timely picture book, as families now, more than ever, are rediscovering and reevaluating what means the most: time together with one another.

Violet longs for the time when her family was connected: before life, distractions, and technology pulled them all away from each other. They used to gather at the table, with food and love, to make memories, share their lives, and revel in time spent together. But now her family has been drifting apart, and with nobody to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller.

Can Violet remind her family of the warmth of time spent together, and gather around the table once more?

A mystical fable that feels at once timeless and utterly of the present moment, Our Table is renowned, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds at his best. Exquisite, expressive watercolor tells a tender story, growing from monochrome into luscious, joyful color as Violet's family is reunited around the beloved table. An ode to traditions that unite families, Our Table brings readers together with a universal message of gratitude.

 

View Details >>

We All Play

Julie Flett

From Julie Flett, the beloved author and illustrator of Birdsong, comes a joyous new book about playtime. A sweet gift for babies, toddlers, and kids up to age 7 to cozy up with this winter!

Animals and kids love to play! This wonderful book celebrates playtime and the connection between children and the natural world. Beautiful illustrations show:

  • birds who chase and chirp!
  • bears who wiggle and wobble!
  • whales who swim and squirt!
  • owls who peek and peep!
  • and a diverse group of kids who love to do the same, shouting:

We play too! / kimêtawânaw mîna

At the end of the book, animals and children gently fall asleep after a fun day of playing outside, making this book a great bedtime story. A beautiful ode to the animals and humans we share our world with, We All Play belongs on every bookshelf.

This book also includes:

  • A glossary of Cree words for wild animals in the book
  • A pronunciation guide and link to audio pronunciation recordings

Praise for Julie Flett's previous book, Birdsong:

An American Indian Youth Literature Honor Title

A 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Title

A Best Book of 2019 in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book.

"Cree-Métis author/illustrator Julie Flett's smooth and lyrical words and gorgeous... images truly capture the warmth and solidarity of the female protagonists in this tender intergenerational friendship story."--The Horn Book

"Emotionally stunning."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Simple and profound, this tender story is a reminder that finding a new friend can make a new place feel like home. Highly recommended for purchase."--School Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Flett's subtle, sensitive story delicately traces filaments of growth and loss through intergenerational friendship, art making, and changing moons and seasons."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

View Details >>

Birdsong

Julie Flett

A touching and thoughtful gift for the art lovers in your life.

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, HORN BOOK, QUILL & QUIRE, GLOBE AND MAIL

WINNER OF THE TD CANADIAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AWARD

FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARD

AN AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE HONOR TITLE

A BOSTON GLOBE--HORN BOOK HONOR BOOK

When Katherena and her mother move to a small town, Katherena feels lonely and out of place. But when she meets an elderly woman artist who lives next door, named Agnes--her world starts to change.

Katherena and Agnes share the same passions for arts and crafts, birds, and nature. But as the seasons change, can Katherna navigate the failing health of her new friend?

Award-winning author and artist Julie Flett's textured images of birds, flowers, art, and landscapes bring vibrancy and warmth to this powerful story, which highlights the fulfillment of intergenerational relationships, shared passions, and spending time outdoors with the ones we love.

Includes a glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree words that appear in the text.

"Cree-Métis author/illustrator Julie Flett's smooth and lyrical words and gorgeous... images truly capture the warmth and solidarity of the female protagonists in this tender intergenerational friendship story."--The Horn Book

"Cycling from spring to spring, [Julie Flett's] subtle, sensitive story delicately traces filaments of growth and loss through intergenerational friendship, art making, and changing moons and seasons." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

View Details >>

The People Shall Continue

Simon J. Ortiz

Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Republished for its fortieth anniversary, this powerful story by renowned Acoma Pueblo poet and storyteller Simon J. Ortiz traces the history of Native / Indigenous people of North America from the time of creation to the present.

Many, many years ago, all things came to be.
The stars, rocks, plants, rivers, animals.
Mountains, sun, moon, birds, all things.
And the People were born.

Told in the rhythms of traditional oral narrative, this powerful telling of the history of the Native/Indigenous peoples of North America recounts their story from Creation to the invasion and usurpation of Native lands. As more and more people arrived, The People saw that the new men did not respect the land. The People witnessed the destruction of their Nations and the enslavement of their people. The People fought hard, but eventually agreed to stop fighting and signed treaties.

Many things changed and became more difficult, but The People continued to farm and create crafts. They remembered and told their children, You are Shawnee. You are Lakota. You are Pima. You are Acoma... You are all these Nations of the People. The People held onto their beliefs and customs and found solidarity with other oppressed people. And despite struggles against greed, destruction of their lands, and oppression, The People persisted.

View Details >>

Sharice's Big Voice

Sharice Davids

On Here Wee Read's 2021 Ultimate List of Diverse Children's Books!

Rich, vivid illustrations by Ojibwe Woodland artist Pawis-Steckley are delivered in a graphic style that honors Indigenous people. The bold artwork adds impact to the compelling text. (Kirkus starred review)

The prose is reminiscent of an inspirational speech ("Everyone's path looks different"), with a message of service that includes fun biographical facts, such as her love of Bruce Lee. Pawis-Steckley (who is Ojibwe Woodland) contributes boldly lined and colored digital illustrations, inflected with Native symbols and bold colors. A hopeful and accessible picture book profile. (Publishers Weekly)

Affecting picture-book autobiography (The Horn Book Review)

This picture book autobiography tells the triumphant story of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas.

When Sharice Davids was young, she never thought she'd be in Congress. And she never thought she'd be one of the first Native American women in Congress. During her campaign, she heard from a lot of doubters. They said she couldn't win because of how she looked, who she loved, and where she came from. But here's the thing: Everyone's path looks different and everyone's path has obstacles. And this is the remarkable story of Sharice Davids' path to Congress.

Beautifully illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, an Ojibwe Woodland artist, this powerful autobiographical picture book teaches readers to use their big voice and that everyone deserves to be seen--and heard!

The back matter includes information about the Ho-Chunk written by former Ho-Chunk President Jon Greendeer, an artist note, and an inspiring letter to children from Sharice Davids.

View Details >>

We Are Still Here!

Traci Sorell

Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain: We are still here!

Too often, Native American history is treated as a finished chapter instead of relevant and ongoing. This companion book to the award-winning We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga offers readers everything they never learned in school about Native American people's past, present, and future. Precise, lyrical writing presents topics including: forced assimilation (such as boarding schools), land allotment and Native tribal reorganization, termination (the US government not recognizing tribes as nations), Native urban relocation (from reservations), self-determination (tribal self-empowerment), Native civil rights, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), religious freedom, economic development (including casino development), Native language revival efforts, cultural persistence, and nationhood.

View Details >>

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

Traci Sorell

 

2019 Sibert Honor Book
2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book
NPR's Guide To 2018’s Great Reads
2018 Book Launch Award (SCBWI)
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2018
School Library Journal Best Books of 2018

2018 JLG selection
2019 Reading the West Picture Book Award

The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.


The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.


"A gracious, warm, and loving celebration of community and gratitude"—Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

"The book underscores the importance of traditions and carrying on a Cherokee way of life"—Horn Book STARRED REVIEW

"This informative and authentic introduction to a thriving ancestral and ceremonial way of life is perfect for holiday and family sharing"—School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

"An elegant representation"—Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW

 

View Details >>

At the Mountain's Base

Traci Sorell

A family, separated by duty and distance, waits for a loved one to return home in this lyrical picture book celebrating the bonds of a Cherokee family and the bravery of history-making women pilots.

At the mountain's base sits a cabin under an old hickory tree. And in that cabin lives a family -- loving, weaving, cooking, and singing. The strength in their song sustains them through trials on the ground and in the sky, as they wait for their loved one, a pilot, to return from war.

With an author's note that pays homage to the true history of Native American U.S. service members like WWII pilot Ola Mildred "Millie" Rexroat, this is a story that reveals the roots that ground us, the dreams that help us soar, and the people and traditions that hold us up.

View Details >>

Thirteens

Kate Alice Marshall

Neil Gaiman's Coraline meets Stranger Things in a dark and twisted story about a sleepy town with a dark secret--and the three kids brave enough to uncover it.

Every thirteen years in the town of Eden Eld, three thirteen-year-olds disappear.

Eleanor has just moved to the quiet, prosperous Eden Eld. When she awakes to discover an ancient grandfather clock that she's never seen before outside her new room, she's sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her. But then she spots a large bird, staring at her as she boards the school bus. And a black dog with glowing red eyes follows her around town. All she wants is to be normal, and these are far from normal. And worse--no one else can see them.

Except for her new friends, Pip and Otto, who teach her a thing or two about surviving in Eden Eld. First: Don't let the "wrong things" know you can see them. Second: Don't speak of the wrong things to anyone else.

The only other clue they have about these supernatural disturbances is a book of fairytales unlike any they've read before. It tells tales of the mysterious Mr. January, who struck a cursed deal with the town's founders. Every thirteenth Halloween, he will take three of their children, who are never heard from again. It's up to our trio to break the curse--because Eden Eld's thirteen years are up. And Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are marked as his next sacrifice.

View Details >>

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman

It takes a graveyard to raise a child.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

View Details >>

Small Spaces

New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.

Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small."

And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.

View Details >>

The Jumbies

Tracey Baptiste

The jumbies are coming!

Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. She knows that jumbies aren’t real; they’re just creatures parents make up to frighten their children. But on All Hallows’ Eve, Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden woods. Those shining yellow eyes that follow her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

Corinne begins to notice odd occurrences after that night. First she spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market. Then this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for her father. Danger is in the air. Sure enough, bewitching Corinne’s father is the first step in Severine’s plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and ancient magic to stop Severine and to save her island home.

View Details >>

The Thirteenth Cat

Mary Downing Hahn

From master of middle grade horror Mary Downing Hahn, a new thriller about bravery, unexpected friendship, and sinister cats that will captivate readers with its chilling mix of mystery and magic.

Zoey loves spending the summer with her Aunt Alice, and her aunt's new house is the perfect place to cozy up with a good book. But she's unnerved by the overgrown forest next door, which is creepy even in the daytime and full of eerie sounds at night. Worse, there are rumors in town of a dark force in those woods. And Zoey can't deny that the wild black cats who live there seem to be watching her.

When she encounters a mean old woman who claims to be their owner, Zoey realizes there's more to the cats than meets the eye. But little does she know that the closer she comes to discovering their secret, the more danger she's in . . .

View Details >>

School of Phantoms

Kory Merritt

In this spine-tingling follow-up to No Place for Monsters, which Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney called "wildly imaginative and totally terrifying," a group of unlikely friends must band together to protect their town from the monsters that are threatening to destroy it.



The storm is coming. Who will survive?

It's been months since Levi and Kat defeated the Boojum and rescued their town's forgotten children. But now the strangeness has started again: hundreds of creepy snowmen pop up across town and a bizarre blizzard hits the day before spring break.



Being trapped in the school overnight by freak weather is bad enough. But an evil is lurking . . . one far worse than ice and wind. Worse than power outages. Even worse than being stuck with teachers and annoying classmates.



Something is roaming the darkened school halls. Something . . . hungry. Now it's up to a small group of student survivors--along with some supernatural helpers--to uncover the cold-hearted menace before it takes the entire school.

View Details >>

The Orphan of Awkward Falls

Keith Graves

When thirteen-year-old Josephine moves to Awkward Falls she can't help but snoop around the dilapidated mansion next door. Inevitably, she is captured by the house s strange inhabitants: an ancient automaton who serves as a butler, a cat patched together with a few odd parts, and most surprising of all, a boy named Thaddeus Hibble. Meanwhile, Fetid Stenchley the most feared patient in the Asylum for the Dangerously Insane is on the loose after making a dramatic escape, and there is only one thing on his mind...revenge. Unfortunately for Josephine and Thaddeus, he s headed their way. Can these unlikely friends stop Stenchley before it's too late? With a penchant for spooky details, surprising twists, and haunting illustrations, Keith Graves delivers a suspenseful and engaging first novel.

View Details >>

Cold Case

Julia Platt Leonard

A boy makes a terrible discovery and must clear his family’s name in this action-packed thriller.

When thirteen-year-old Oz Keiller stumbles upon a dead body, his life is thrown into a tailspin. His older brother is the prime suspect in the murder, and Oz soon learns that the crime may be tied to the death of his father years earlier—a father who was accused of selling nuclear secrets to rogue governments.
The fate—and livelihood—of his family is hanging by a thread, and it’s up to Oz to try and crack the case, with the help of his best friend, Rusty. It’s a quest that has more twists and turns than the dusty roads of New Mexico—and the answer may be closer to home than Oz ever could have imagined.
 

View Details >>

The Puppet's Payback and Other Chilling Tales

Mary Downing Hahn

The author of wildly popular ghost stories, Mary Downing Hahn has created a group of tales for fans of her "scary but not too scary" books. Even the stories without actual ghosts are spooky. Each tale turns something ordinary--a pigeon, a white dress, a stranger on the bus, a puppet--into a sinister link to to the supernatural. For the human characters, secrets from the past or careless behavior in the present can lead to serious trouble. All the stories have a young person as the central character, so all will resonate with young readers who enjoy the eerie, the creepy, and the otherworldly. In a concluding note, the author talks about how she came to write ghost stories.

View Details >>

The Dark Lady

Irene Adler (Fictitious character)

"While on summer vacation, little Irene Adler meets a young William Sherlock Holmes. The two share stories of pirates and have battles of wit while running wild on the sunny streets and rooftops. When Sherlock's friend, Lupin, joins in on the fun, they all become fast friends. But the good times end abruptly when a dead body floats ashore on the nearby beach. The young detective trio will have to put all three of their heads together to solve this mystery."

View Details >>

Kat Wolfe Investigates

Lauren St John

When twelve-year-old Kat Wolfe starts a pet-sitting agency, she soon finds herself unraveling a mystery, in this first book of a new middle-grade series from award-winning author Lauren St John.

After a break-in at their London home, Kat Wolfe and her veterinarian mum decide it’s time to move to the country. Dr. Wolfe’s new job on England’s Jurassic Coast comes with a condition: They have to adopt Tiny, a huge Savannah who resists Kat’s best attempts at cat whispering. Kat starts a pet-sitting agency to make pocket money, but then the owner of her first client, an Amazon parrot, vanishes from his gadget-filled mansion. Only one person shares Kat’s conviction that he’s the victim of foul play: Harper Lamb, an American girl laid up with two broken legs thanks to her racehorse. Kat and Harper team up, but what starts out as mystery-solving fun turns deadly for the duo. When all clues point to a nearby army base, can they count on their unruly animal friends to save the day—and their lives?

View Details >>

Coraline

Neil Gaiman

In Coraline's family's new flat there's a locked door. On the other side is a brick wall—until Coraline unlocks the door . . . and finds a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only different.

The food is better there. Books have pictures that writhe and crawl and shimmer. And there's another mother and father there who want Coraline to be their little girl. They want to change her and keep her with them. . . . Forever.

Coraline is an extraordinary fairy tale/nightmare from the uniquely skewed imagination of #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

View Details >>

Premeditated Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 1)

Elizabeth C. Bunce

A 2021 Edgar® Award Winner, Best Juvenile
A BookPage Best Book of 2020: Middle Grade
A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the Year

Introducing Myrtle Hardcastle, your favorite new amateur detective: a wickedly smart twelve-year-old with a keen interest in criminology and a nose for murder.

Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.

When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes he —not even her father, the town prosecutor.

With sparkling wit and a tight, twisty plot, Premeditated Myrtle, the first in a series from an award-winning author, introduces a brilliant young investigator ready to take on hard cases and maddening Victorian rules for Young Ladies of Quality in order to earn her place among the most daring and acclaimed amateur detectives of her time or any other.

View Details >>

No Place for Monsters

Kory Merritt

In this spellbinding, lavishly illustrated story that Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney calls "wildly imaginative and totally terrifying," two unlikely friends face down their worst fears in order to stop their small town--and themselves--from disappearing.


Levi and Kat are about to discover a very dark side to their neighborhood.

Nothing ever seems out of place in the safe, suburban town of Cowslip Grove.?Lawns are neatly mowed, sidewalks are tidy, and?the sounds of ice cream trucks?fill the air.?But now . . . kids have been going missing--except no one even realizes it, because no one remembers them. Not their friends. Not their teachers. Not even their families.

But Levi and Kat do remember, and suddenly only they can see why?everyone is?in terrible danger when the night air rolls in. Now it is up to Levi and Kat to fight it and save the missing kids before it swallows the town whole.

View Details >>

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as Told to His Brother)

David Levithan

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan takes young readers on twisting journey through truth, reality, and fantasy and belief.

Aidan disappeared for six days. Six agonizing days of searches and police and questions and constant vigils. Then, just as suddenly as he vanished, Aidan reappears. Where has he been? The story he tells is simply. . . impossible. But it's the story Aidan is sticking to.

His brother, Lucas, wants to believe him. But Lucas is aware of what other people, including their parents, are saying: that Aidan is making it all up to disguise the fact that he ran away.

When the kids in school hear Aidan's story, they taunt him. But still Aidan clings to his story. And as he becomes more of an outcast, Lucas becomes more and more concerned. Being on Aidan's side would mean believing in the impossible. But how can you believe in the impossible when everything and everybody is telling you not to?

View Details >>

Long Lost

Jacqueline West

Once there were two sisters who did everything together. But only one of them disappeared.

New York Times-bestselling author Jacqueline West's Long Lost is an atmospheric, eerie mystery brimming with suspense. Fans of Katherine Arden's Small Spaces and Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts series will lose themselves in this mesmerizing and century-spanning tale.

Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn't exist.

When Fiona's family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister's figure skating club--and far from Fiona's close-knit group of friends--nobody seems to notice Fiona's unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town's library, a rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. With a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book's strange history. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places--maybe even from the sister she thinks doesn't care about her anymore.

New York Times-bestselling and acclaimed author Jacqueline West weaves a heart-pounding, intense, and imaginative mystery that builds anticipation on every page, while centering on the strong and often tumultuous bond between sisters. Laced with suspense, Long Lost will fascinate readers of Trenton Lee Stewart's The Secret Keepers and fans of ghost stories.

View Details >>

The In-Between

Rebecca K. S. Ansari

A dark, twisty adventure about the forgotten among us and what it means to be seen, from the acclaimed author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly.

Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door and won't stop staring at him. So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction.

It's the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago, in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child-- because she's seen the insignia. It's the symbol of the jacket of the girl next door.

As they uncover more information-- and mounting evidence of the girl's seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy--Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown.

View Details >>

The Last Kids on Earth and the Midnight Blade

Max Brallier

Now a Netflix original series!

The fifth book in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series, with over 7 million copies in print!

Terrifyingly fun! Delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs.--Jeff Kinney, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The 5th book of the New York Times bestselling series!

Surviving their first winter after the Monster Apocalypse was no easy feat, yet Jack and his buddies waste no time springing to action against some of the nastiest, most evil monsters around. When Jack discovers his Louisville Slicer has new, otherworldly powers, he's thrown into epic training to find out what kind of destruction the blade can wield. But between fighting off zombies, fleeing from strange, glowy Vine-Thingies erupting from the ground, and squeezing in a video game session or two, there's barely time left to figure out what's wrong with their buddy, Dirk, who's been acting weird any time he's around the undead. When an unexpected villain appears, can Jack and his friends save themselves--and the rest of the world--from cosmic domination?

Note: most illustrations are printed in black-and-white, with the occasional gray-and-white image.

View Details >>

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Sheela Chari

Based on the Peabody Award–winning podcast, this tech-filled adventure series pits intrepid Mars Patel and his outcast friends against a brilliant, enigmatic billionaire as they race to figure out why kids are disappearing from their school.

Mars Patel’s friend Aurora has disappeared! His teachers are clueless. His mom is stressed out about her jobs. But Mars refuses to give up—after all, his own dad disappeared when Mars was a toddler, before he and Ma moved to Puget Sound from India. Luckily, Mars has a group of loyal friends eager to help—smart Toothpick, strong and stylish JP, and maybe-telepathic Caddie. The clues seem to point toward eccentric tech genius (and Mars’s hero) Oliver Pruitt, whose popular podcast now seems to be commenting on their quest! But when the friends investigate Pruitt’s mysterious, elite school, nothing is as it seems—and anyone could be deceiving them. Slick science, corporate conspiracies, and an endearingly nerdy protagonist make this first book in the series a fresh, exciting sci-fi adventure.

View Details >>

Embassy of the Dead

Will Mabbitt

Jake Green is dead. Or he might as well be when he mistakenly accepts a package from the Embassy of the Dead in this hilarious adventure of the afterlife, the first in a series.

When Jake Green opens a mysterious box containing a severed finger, he accidentally summons a grim reaper intent on dragging him to the Eternal Void (yes, it's as fatal as it sounds). Now Jake is running for his life. Luckily, he has a knack for talking to ghosts, which just might help him survive long enough to reach the Embassy of the Dead and plead his case. With the help of a prankster poltergeist and a dead undertaker, Jake dodges fearsome undead creatures, discovers his own ghostly abilities, and gets excused from the school field trip due to a terrible (and made-up) bout of diarrhea. But the Embassy has its own problems, and Jake must be very careful where he places his trust--in both the living and the dead. With a plot that zips and a colorful cast of characters, this delightful new series delivers laughs and shivers in equal measure.

View Details >>

Attack of the Jack (Goosebumps SlappyWorld #2)

R. L. Stine

A brand new Goosebumps arc narrated by the most iconic and evil character of the series, Slappy!

 

Devin and his sister Violet are visiting their Uncle Jack for the summer. He lives in an old house by the seashore. Jack was a sailor and he has collected strange and fascinating items from the sea. Exploring a back room, Devin and Violet discover a locked trunk. A pirate's chest. The trunk is wrapped in old, heavy chains and locked with a huge rusted lock. But they manage to get it open. They lift the lid slowly-and see that it's filled with antique jack-in-the-boxes. Huh? One box is hidden under the others, covered in dust. It plays an odd unpleasant song. Up pops a very ugly, mean-looking puppet, an old pirate with a dirty red bandana over his long greasy hair, scars on his cheeks, and a beard, and one eye missing. Thanks for letting Sailor Jack out! he rasps, bouncing on his spring. Devin and Violet now face new and troubling questions: Will Jack return them to their uncle? Just how much is a pirate's promise worth?

View Details >>

A Game of Fox & Squirrels

Jenn Reese

A 2021 Oregon Book Award Winner
An NPR Best Book of 2020
A Finalist for the 2021-22 Maine Student Book Award
A 2021 Mythopoeic Awards Finalist

Andre Norton Award finalist Jenn Reese explores the often thin line between magic and reality, light and darkness in her enchanting middle grade standalone.


"Brings to life, viscerally, what it is like to live in fear of abuse—even after the abuse itself is over. But there is magic here too, and the promise of a better future that comes with learning to let people who care about you into your world." —Alan Gratz, New York Times-bestselling author of Refugee

“A captivating and touching story... both whimsical and emotionally—sometimes frighteningly—compelling.” —Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy

"Magically creative and deeply honest, A Game of Fox & Squirrels merges games and grimness in a fantasy tale that tells the truth." —Elana K. Arnold, Printz Honor-winning author of Damsel and A Boy Called Bat

After an incident shatters their family, eleven-year old Samantha and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with an aunt they've never met. Sam wants nothing more than to go back to the way things were... before she spoke up about their father's anger.

When Aunt Vicky gives Sam a mysterious card game called "A Game of Fox & Squirrels," Sam falls in love with the animal characters, especially the charming trickster fox, Ashander. Then one day Ashander shows up in Sam’s room and offers her an adventure and a promise: find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires.

But the fox is hiding rules that Sam isn't prepared for, and her new home feels more tempting than she'd ever expected. As Sam is swept up in the dangerous quest, the line between magic and reality grows thin. If she makes the wrong move, she'll lose far more than just a game.

Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Connor, Lauren Wolk, and Ali Benjamin, A Game of Fox & Squirrels is a stunning, heartbreaking novel about a girl who finds the light in the darkness... and ultimately discovers the true meaning of home.

View Details >>

Watch Hollow

Gregory Funaro

New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us into a world where magic exists, monsters roam in the shadows, and wooden animals come to life.

Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock’s gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.

When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that’s too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.

It doesn’t take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. And before they can entirely understand the strange world they’ve stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr—a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear.

View Details >>

The Spider Ring

Andrew Harwell

A powerful ring. A dangerous web. When Maria inherits a strange, spider-shaped ring from her grandmother, she doesn't realize she's also inheriting a strange power -- the power to control spiders and have them do whatever she wants. This is a pretty cool thing when it comes to fetching objects from another room . . . or if Maria wants to use the spiders to get back at some mean kids in her class. But the power comes with a price. Maria has attracted the attention of the Black Widow -- who is trying to collect all the spider magic for herself. The Black Widow is not going to let anything stand in her way -- especially not Maria. The story of the ring is being woven like a web -- and Maria is going to have to do everything she can to not get trapped within it.

View Details >>

The Lifters

Dave Eggers

Discover an underground world full of tunnels and mystery in this middle-grade adventure from the bestselling, Pulitzer-nominated author of Heroes of the Frontier and Her Right Foot.

What if nothing was as it seemed? What if the ground beneath your feet was not made of solid earth and stone but had been hollowed into hundreds of tunnels and passageways? What if there were mysterious forces in these tunnels, mere inches below you as you sit in class or eat a banana?

What if it were up to just two kids to stop these forces? What would it feel like to know the fate of an entire town rested on your shoulders?

Twelve-year-old Gran Flowerpetal is about to find out.

When Gran's friend, the difficult-to-impress Catalina Catalan, presses a silver handle into a hillside and opens a doorway underground, he knows that she is extraordinary and brave, and that he will have no choice but to follow her, and help her save the town (and the known world). With luck on their side, and some discarded hockey sticks for good measure, they might just emerge as heroes.

In The Lifters, critically acclaimed author Dave Eggers establishes himself as a storyteller who can entertain and inspire readers of any age.

View Details >>

The Impossible Clue

Sarah Rubin

A compelling and funny new whodunit with a strong girl heroine--for fans of Book Scavenger, Greenglass House, and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

 

Math whiz Alice Jones has already cracked a mystery or two. She's smart and she's fearless, so who else would her classmates turn to? But when a famous local scientist vanishes from a locked room, Alice and her detective skills graduate to the big leagues.Dr. Learner had been working on a top-secret invisibility suit that everyone wants. Rumor has it he's disappeared under suspicious circumstances . . . literally. But is wacky science really behind his vanishing? Or is it something more sinister? Alice won't stop until she knows the truth . . .The Impossible Clue is a middle-grade story whose appeal is no mystery, with a protagonist whose charm needs no magnifying glass to detect.

View Details >>

Planet of the Lawn Gnomes (Goosebumps Most Wanted #1)

R.L. Stine

Catch the most wanted Goosebumps characters--undead or alive... The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and they're coming after you! There is no place to hide. Nothing is safe! Jay Gardner is a mischievous kid who can't stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, Jay gets in so much trouble, his family is forced to move. But there's something odd about Jay's new town. Why does everyone have lawn gnomes in front of their homes? And why is everyone afraid to go outside at night? Jay is about to learn that mischief can lead to terror.

View Details >>

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

Lucy Strange

1919. Mama is ill. Father has taken a job abroad. Nanny Jane is too busy to pay any attention to Henrietta and the things she sees--or thinks she sees--in the shadows of their new home, Hope House. All alone, with only stories for company, Henry discovers that Hope House is full of strange secrets: a forgotten attic, ghostly figures, mysterious firelight that flickers in the trees beyond the garden. One night she ventures into the darkness of Nightingale Wood. What she finds there will change her whole world...

View Details >>

Pumpkin Heads

Wendell Minor

Halloween is time to pick pumpkins and carve them into pumpkin heads--jack-o'-lanterns of every shape and size!

Award-winning author and artist Wendell Minor uses simple language and striking autumn settings to celebrate jack-o'-lanterns in this reissue of a Halloween classic. The perfect holiday read aloud, Pumpkin Heads takes readers and trick-or-treaters from the pumpkin patch for picking, all the way home for carving, and gets everyone in the Halloween spirit.

View Details >>

Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein

Samantha Berger

This year, Crankenstein's favorite day of all has gone rotten! Creepy-cool costumes, super-scary jack-o'-lanterns, and wicked loads of candy have been RUINED by costume disasters, pumpkin-carving nightmares, and a terribly untimely toothache! MEHHRRRR!!! Can Halloween be saved, or will today turn into the crankiest Halloween in history?Whether readers are being introduced to the character of Crankenstein for the first time or they're already fans of the hilarious first two titles by Samantha Berger and bestselling, Caldecott-winning artist Dan Santat, even the grumpiest kiddos will cheerfully gobble up a bucket full of delicious laughs in this follow-up to Crankenstein and A Crankenstein Valentine.

View Details >>

Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating

Jonathan Stutzman

The loveable dinosaur from Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug shows kids how to have the best Halloween ever!

Tiny and Pointy love Halloween and they are eager to share their tips and tricks so that readers can have a perfect treat-filled Halloween! A heartwarming story, Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating reminds each of us that the sweetest Halloween treat has nothing to do with eating candy after all.

EVERYONE LOVES TINY: The first book about Tiny, Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug, was an immediate bestseller from the moment it was published. It's been a regional indie bookstore bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and an Amazon Best Book of the Year.

AN ADORABLE DINOSAUR HERO KIDS CAN RELATE TO: Kids of many ages, from babies to toddlers to five-year-olds, love dinosaurs! And Tiny is a dinosaur kids will understand and respond to, because he's a tiny dinosaur in a big world—just like them.

A FUNNY AND REASSURING INTRODUCTION TO HALLOWEEN: Halloween can be a scary holiday for very young children. In this book, Tiny shows them what to expect and how to have a good time. Best of all, Tiny shows kids how to make the holiday one that's about giving as well as receiving.

SWEET MESSAGE, GREAT VALUES: Every Tiny book features Tiny solving common childhood challenges with love, a positive attitude, and help from his friends.

MORE TINY BOOKS TO LOVE: Tiny has two picture books, Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug and Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark and one other board book, Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine, for readers to enjoy, with more adventures on the way!

Perfect for: parents and grandparents, dinosaur enthusiasts, educators

View Details >>

The Wheels on the Bus at Halloween

Sarah Kieley

The favorite children's song The Wheels on the Bus gets a Halloween twist!

Let's ride the bus on Halloween! Who will we find inside? Grab a ticket and hop aboard for a trick-or-treat bus ride!

Families will love creating a new Halloween tradition as they sing along to this joyful, boisterous version of the classic song The Wheels on the Bus. With a gaggle of adorable Halloween passengers--including pumpkins, witches, cats, and candy--this bright and festive book is sure to have children eager to read it (and sing it!) again and again. Peek-through windows in the front cover give kids a glimpse of the characters they'll find inside.

And don't miss its companion book, The Wheels on the Bus at Christmas.

View Details >>

The Berenstain Bears' Big Halloween Party

Mike Berenstain

Celebrate the Halloween season with your favorite family of bears in this storybook! 

It’s trick-or-treat season in Bear Country, and the whole neighborhood is getting together for the big Halloween party at the Bear family’s treehouse! There will be a big Halloween parade, ghoulish games, a monstrous costume contest, and trick-or-treating for everyone. Brother, Sister and Honey can hardly wait for all the ghostly goodies and fun! 

The Berenstain Bears books have been loved by generations, and with well-known characters and beautiful illustrations, this storybook is perfect for young readers celebrating Halloween.

View Details >>

Pig the Monster

Aaron Blabey

Pig the Pug celebrates Halloween in this picture book from #1 New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Aaron Blabey.

 

Pig was a pug

and I'm sorry to say,

on Halloween night

he'd get carried away...

Pig, the world's greediest pug, is on the rampage for TREATS! TREATS! TREATS! But don't even think about being stingy with the goodies, because this candy-fueled glutton has some terrible tricks up his sleeve...

Rich with author-illustrator Aaron Blabey's signature rhyming text and unforgettable illustrations, Pig the Monster is a laugh-out-loud story that follows the eight previous books in the series (Pig the Pug, Pig the Winner, Pig the Elf, Pig the Star, Pig the Fibber, Pig the Stinker, Pig the Tourist, and Pig the Slob).

View Details >>

Thirteens

Kate Alice Marshall

Neil Gaiman's Coraline meets Stranger Things in a dark and twisted story about a sleepy town with a dark secret--and the three kids brave enough to uncover it.

Every thirteen years in the town of Eden Eld, three thirteen-year-olds disappear.

Eleanor has just moved to the quiet, prosperous Eden Eld. When she awakes to discover an ancient grandfather clock that she's never seen before outside her new room, she's sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her. But then she spots a large bird, staring at her as she boards the school bus. And a black dog with glowing red eyes follows her around town. All she wants is to be normal, and these are far from normal. And worse--no one else can see them.

Except for her new friends, Pip and Otto, who teach her a thing or two about surviving in Eden Eld. First: Don't let the "wrong things" know you can see them. Second: Don't speak of the wrong things to anyone else.

The only other clue they have about these supernatural disturbances is a book of fairytales unlike any they've read before. It tells tales of the mysterious Mr. January, who struck a cursed deal with the town's founders. Every thirteenth Halloween, he will take three of their children, who are never heard from again. It's up to our trio to break the curse--because Eden Eld's thirteen years are up. And Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are marked as his next sacrifice.

View Details >>

Halloween Is Coming!

Cal Everett

A fun, rhyming read-aloud Halloween picture book that starts a new holiday tradition. Perfect for kids 4-8 or any young child wanting to celebrate the spookiest season of the year!

Marching in the school parade
in frightening costumes that we've made;
Look around, the signs are clear,
Halloween is getting near!

Halloween is Coming is a lyrical celebration of the building excitement that children—and adults!—feel as the magical and mysterious night of Halloween approaches.

View Details >>

October Ogre

Ron Roy

In the tenth book of the Calendar Mysteries, an early chapter-book mystery series featuring the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives, there's a haunted house in Green Lawn! It's Halloween, and the Shangri-la Hotel has been transformed into a haunted house, complete with an ogre out front. Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy are ready for some scary fun, but then they notice that none of the kids who have gone in the hotel have come back out. What's happening to them? Ghosts and witches and ogres aren't real . . . right?

View Details >>

Ten Spooky Pumpkins

Gris Grimly

Join celebrated creator Gris Grimly in this spooky countdown, as one little girl ventures out into the night for an unforgettable Halloween adventure!

 

10 little pumpkins, sitting in a line,looking for a cat and they found nine.The wind said SWOOSH and the gate went CREAK.The owl cried WHOOOO, we all screamed EEK! Celebrated creator Gris Grimly, widely known for his gothic style illustrations, puts a spooky twist on a favorite preschool rhyme in this Halloween read-aloud. Join goblins, ghosts, witches, and more in this rhythmic countdown, traveling through the countryside and discovering more Halloween creatures along the way. Finally, the story culminates with them all joining together in a joyful celebration under the full harvest moon, dancing until it's time for bed. Paired with Gris Grimly's sweeping, stunning watercolor illustrations and a rhyming refrain reminiscent of classics like We're Going on a Bear Hunt, this is a read-aloud for the whole family to cherish.

View Details >>

You Got a Rock, Charlie Brown!

Charles M. Schulz

Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they go trick-or-treating in this Level 2 Ready-to-Read!

It’s Halloween and that means one thing…it’s time for Charlie Brown and his friends to go trick-or-treating! Pigpen gets a chocolate bar. Schroeder gets a quarter. While all of Charlie Brown’s friends are getting treats, he gets…a rock! Good grief—what a trick!

© 2015 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

View Details >>

Happy Halloween!

Lillian Jaine

Join the Count, Elmo, and all of the Sesame Street friends for spooktacular fun in this Sesame Street Halloween book!

It's Halloween night, and Count von Count is dozing off in front of his fireplace. Suddenly, he hears someone knocking at his castle door, but when he goes to open the door, nobody's there! Is something spooky going on? A monster, a pumpkin, a ghost, and a cat. Pirates, a robot, a witch in a hat! From the great minds at Sesame Workshop comes an all-new Halloween Sesame Scribbles adventure. Based loosely on a spooky Edgar Allen Poe classic, kids never know who will show up to trick or treat next in this festive Elmo Halloween book!

Great for anyone looking for picture books:

  • to read again and again this Halloween
  • that toddlers and children ages 4-7 will love!
  • to give as a Halloween gift for kids
  • about Sesame Street, Elmo, and friends
View Details >>

The Phantom Bandit

Geronimo Stilton

When you're with Geronimo Stilton, it's always a fabumouse adventure!

 

The staff of The Rodent's Gazette sent me on a vacation to Cacklefur Castle . But who could relax in such a spooky place? On my first night there I stumbled on a mystery. A phantom was threatening the special pumpkins that grow in the Von Cacklefurs' garden! Could I trick the ghost-thief into revealing its identity?

View Details >>

How to Catch a Monster

Adam Wallace

A USA Today Bestseller! From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series comes an all-new monster story and Halloween picture book for kids!

Get ready to laugh along in this fun children's monster book as a brave young ninja heads into the closet to meet the monster that's been so scary night after night! But what if our monster isn't scary at all? Maybe our hero is about to make a friend of the strangest sort...

Whether you're looking for Halloween kids books, spooky basket stuffers, festive gifts for children, a great bedtime story, or inspiration to build your very own STEAM traps and activities, parents, educators, and children alike will love sharing this silly read aloud! This inventive picture book about conquering fears and overcoming anxiety, which reminds us that things aren't always as scary as they seem!

There's a monster in my closet,
with claws, and teeth, and hair,
and tonight, I'm going to scare him!
He lives just right through there...

Also in the How to Catch Series:

  • How to Catch a Unicorn
  • How to Catch the Easter Bunny
  • How to Catch an Elf
  • How to Catch a Turkey
  • How to Catch a Leprechaun
  • How to Catch a Dinosaur
  • and more!
View Details >>

Katy Duck's Happy Halloween

Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Katy Duck goes trick-or-treating in this Halloween-themed Level 1 Ready-to-Read story for beginning readers.

“Tra-la-la. Quack! Quack!
I will be a magical
dancing unicorn!”

Katy galloped.
She twirled.
“No one will have a costume
like this,” she said.

And no one does have a costume like hers, but when Katy sees Alice Duck dressed up in a shimmery, glimmery outfit, Katy wishes she was shimmery and glimmery, too! Suddenly, trick-or-treating doesn’t sound so fun. But with a little help from Alice and Ralph, Katy realizes that her costume is still very special. And besides, she can be shimmery and glimmery next year!

With sweet text from bestselling author Alyssa Satin Capucilli and bright, friendly illustrations from Henry Cole, this Halloween-themed Level 1 Ready-to-Read story is sure to become a favorite for beginning readers.

View Details >>

The Underground Ghosts #10

Dori Hillestad Butler

Edgar Award Winner Dori Hillestad Butler gives us the tenth--and final!--title in her not-too-scary chapter book mystery series, The Haunted Library, in the form of a super special!

It's almost Halloween, and Kaz and Claire are off to Seattle to visit Claire's cousins. They explore the local library...and find a ghost living there! The ghost's family has been missing, so Kaz and Claire decide to investigate. When they discover ghostly activity in the city's subterranean passages, they put their detective skills to work. Kaz and Claire are on the case!

View Details >>

The Hallo-Wiener

Dav Pilkey

From Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Oscar, a little dog with a big bullying problem.

 

Oscar is a little dog with a big problem -- he gets more tricks than treats because other dogs tease him all the time. But one brave act on Halloween makes Oscar a Grade-A hero, proving that a little wiener can be a real winner!

View Details >>

Pumpkin Party!

Maudie Powell-Tuck

Pumpkins ready, pumpkins set. Bob for apples -- don't get wet! Follow along with Owl, Fox, Mouse, and other friends as they celebrate Halloween by dancing, bobbing for apples, and trick-or-treating in pumpkin costumes! This happy rhyme is a perfect Halloween treat.

View Details >>

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise

Kate DiCamillo

"Halloween was made for carefree Mercy Watson." – School Library Journal

Features an audio read-along! When the Watsons decide to zip their porcine wonder into a formfitting princess dress for Halloween – complete with tiara – they are certain that Mercy will be beautiful beyond compare. Mercy is equally certain she likes the sound of trick-or-treating and can picture piles of buttered toast already. As for the Lincoln Sisters next door, how could they know that their cat would lead them all on a Halloween "parade" of hysterical proportions? Kate DiCamillo’s beguiling pig is back in a tale full of treats, tricky turns, hijinks, and high humor.

View Details >>

Little Blue Truck's Halloween

Alice Schertle

Beep Beep It's Halloween Little Blue Truck is picking up his animal friends for a costume party. Lift the flaps in this large, sturdy board book to find out who's dressed up in each costume Will Blue wear a costume too? With the delightful rhymes and signature illustration style that made Little Blue Truck a household name, Blue's new adventure is full of festive costumes, fall colors, and plenty of Halloween fun

View Details >>

Click, Clack, Boo!

Doreen Cronin

Will the barnyard animals trick—or treat—Farmer Brown? Find out in this Halloween tale from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of Click, Clack, Moo.

Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. So he draws the shades, puts on his footy pajamas, and climbs into bed.

But do you think the barnyard animals have any respect for a man in footy pajamas? No, they do not. For them, the Halloween party has just begun. And we all know these critters far prefer tricks over treats.

There are big surprises in store for Farmer Brown!

View Details >>

Spooky Pookie

Sandra Boynton

Pookie gets dressed up for Halloween in this silly board book from beloved and bestselling author and illustrator Sandra Boynton.

It’s Halloween! What will little Pookie decide to be this year? Pookie tries on costumes one by one, but somehow can’t find just the right thing. The resolution to Pookie’s dilemma will delight toddlers and their caregivers alike. Told and illustrated with Sandra Boynton’s celebrated charm and pizzazz, Spooky Pookie has all the makings of a beloved Halloween classic. Boo!

View Details >>

Stick Dog Craves Candy

Tom Watson

Perfect for fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the previous Stick Dog books, Tom Watson’s hilarious series continues with Stick Dog Craves Candy—a fun Halloween adventure!

Stick Dog and the gang are on their usual hunt for food, but there is something unusual going on. Little humans are dressed up as creepy witches and spooky ghosts, all carrying big orange buckets!

Their search leads them to something unexpected and delicious and sweet—candy! Once they get a taste, they will stop at nothing to get more. The gang will have to avoid terrifying witches and even escape a creepy haunted house! Will Stick Dog's smarts, courage, and patience be enough to lead his buddies to the best treats ever?

Witches, and ghosts, and goblins...and Stick Dog and friends! Oh my!

Other favorites in the series include Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog, Stick Dog Chases a Pizza, and many more!

View Details >>

Halloween Kitty

Salina Yoon

A cute kitten with a very twitchy tail is looking for a friend to trick-or-treat with in this purr-fect Halloween novelty book from award-winning creator Salina Yoon.

Will Kitty find someone to play with on her favorite night of the year? Help Kitty wag her furry orange tail whenever she meets a new friend. With a sturdy pull-tab that wags Kitty’s tail, this interactive novelty book is perfect for Halloween.

View Details >>

Teeny Tiny Ghost

Rachel Matson

An adorable spooky twist on The Teeny Tiny Woman that's perfect for Halloween!

 

In the teeny tiny barnOf a teeny tiny houseLived a teeny tiny ghostAnd a teeny tiny mouse...This teeny tiny ghost is too little to be spooky. Will she find her voice... and a friend, too? Discover the perfect Halloween read-aloud, full of vibrant illustrations, bouncy rhymes, and an adorable friendship duo! Celebrate the seasons with Teeny Tiny!

View Details >>

The Ghosts Went Floating

Kim Norman

A Bank Street Best Book of 2021

Inspired by the children's song "The Ants Went Marching" and involving early math concepts, writer Kim Norman and illustrator Jay Fleck's The Ghosts Went Floating is a spooktacular adventure perfect for Halloween.

The ghosts went floating,
one by one,
BOO-rah! BOO-rah!
when Halloween had just begun.
BOO-rah! BOO-rah!
The ghosts went floating, one by one,
so why don’t YOU come join the fun?

Trick-or-treat with ghosts, skeletons, witches, zombies, and all sorts of cute and creepy creatures in this fun-filled Halloween counting adventure!

View Details >>

Boo! Baa, La La La!

Sandra Boynton

BOO! BAA, LA LA LA!

From the beloved and bestselling Sandra Boynton comes a terrific new Halloween board book. A long-lost cousin of her classic Moo, Baa, La La La!, this delightful little story begins:

On Halloween, the cow says BOO.
She likes that word. It’s something new.


The littlest book-lovers and their families will enjoy following the gentle cow as she ventures out into the moonlit night, trying to discover who it was that replied to her “BOO” with a “BAA.” The surprise ending is certain to delight everyone—young or old, feathered or furry. Told and illustrated with Sandra Boynton’s celebrated charm and pizzazz, Boo! Baa, La La La! is a wonderful, not-scary treat, with all the markings of a Halloween classic. BOO!

View Details >>

The Burning Girls

C. J. Tudor

An unconventional vicar must exorcise the dark past of a remote village haunted by death and disappearances in this explosive and unsettling thriller from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man.

A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, Protestant martyrs were betrayed—then burned. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”

The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider.

View Details >>

Survive the Night

Riley Sager

It's November 1991. Nirvana's in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it's guilt and grief over the shocking murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it's to help care for his sick father--or so he says.

The longer she sits in the passenger seat, the more Charlie notices there's something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn't want her to see inside the trunk. As they travel an empty, twisty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly anxious Charlie begins to think she's sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie's jittery mistrust merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

One thing is certain--Charlie has nowhere to run and no way to call for help. Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night.

View Details >>

The Final Girl Support Group

Grady Hendrix

In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives...but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix's latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films--movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream.

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she's been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized--someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

View Details >>

My Heart Is a Chainsaw

Stephen Graham Jones

Alma Katsu calls My Heart Is a Chainsaw 'a homage to slasher films that also manages to defy and transcend genre.' On the surface is a story of murder in small-town America. But beneath is its beating heart: a biting critique of American colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and gentrification, and a heartbreaking portrait of a broken young girl who uses horror movies to cope with the horror of her own life.

Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies...especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopaedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.

View Details >>

Call Me Max

Kyle Lukoff

★ American Library Association 2021 Rainbow Book List Selection
When Max starts school, the teacher hesitates to call out the name on the attendance sheet. Something doesn’t seem to fit. Max lets her know the name he wants to be called by―a boy’s name. This begins Max’s journey as he makes new friends and reveals his feelings about his identity to his parents. Written with warmth and sensitivity by trans writer Kyle Lukoff, this book is a sweet and age-appropriate introduction to what it means to be transgender.

View Details >>

A Wrinkle in Time: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

Madeleine L'Engle

The 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of Madeleine L'Engle's ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic, now a major motion picture.

Fifty years ago, Madeleine L'Engle introduced the world to A Wrinkle in Time and the wonderful and unforgettable characters Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe.

When the children learn that Mr. Murry has been captured by the Dark Thing, they time travel to Camazotz, where they must face the leader IT in the ultimate battle between good and evil—a journey that threatens their lives and our universe.

A Newbery Award winner, A Wrinkle in Time is an iconic novel that continues to inspire millions of fans around the world. This special edition has been redesigned and includes an introduction by Katherine Paterson, an afterword by Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis that includes photographs and memorabilia, the author's Newbery Medal acceptance speech, and other bonus materials.

A Wrinkle in Time is the winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal. It is the first book in The Time Quintet, which consists of A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.

A Wrinkle in Time is soon to be a movie from Disney, directed by Ava DuVernay, starring Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling.

This title has Common Core connections.

Praise for A Wrinkle in Time:

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books of all time. I've read it so often, I know it by heart. Meg Murry was my hero growing up. I wanted glasses and braces and my parents to stick me in an attic bedroom. And I so wanted to save Charles Wallace from IT.” —Meg Cabot

“A book that every young person should read, a book that provides a road map for seeking knowledge and compassion even at the worst of times, a book to make the world a better place.” —Cory Doctorow

“[L'Engle's] work is one of the things that made me a writer, a science fiction and fantasy fan, an avid reader. Hers were the first books I read that mixed math and magic, the quest and the quantum.” —Scott Westerfeld

A Wrinkle in Time taught me that you can tackle even the deepest and most slippery concepts of physics and philosophy in fiction for young readers. It's a great lesson for all writers, and a tough tesseract to follow.” —David Lubar

Books by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time Quintet
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
An Acceptable Time


A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope Larson

Intergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.

The Austin Family Chronicles
Meet the Austins (Volume 1)
The Moon by Night (Volume 2)
The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)
A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!
Troubling a Star (Volume 5)

The Polly O'Keefe books
The Arm of the Starfish
Dragons in the Waters
A House Like a Lotus

And Both Were Young

Camilla

The Joys of Love

View Details >>

Bad Kitty

Nick Bruel

From the creator of The New York Times bestseller Boing! comes the riotous story of a cat gone berserk -- four times over an in alphabetical order each time. Kitty is not happy hen she's told that her favorite foods are all gone and all that's left are Asparagus, Beets, Cauliflower, Dill...and 22 other equally unappealing vegetables. So she: Ate my homework, Bit grandma, Clawed the curtains, Damaged the dishes, and so on, through Z. Only when tastier things arrive (An Assortment of Anchovies, Buffalo Burritos, Chicken Cheesecake...) does she Apologize to Grandma.

View Details >>

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

This collectable hardcover edition will feature a beautiful cover and deluxe packaging, including peach-colored interior text and illustrations!

From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG comes the story of a young boy on a magical adventure. After James Henry Trotter's parents are tragically eaten by a rhinoceros, he goes to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Life there is no fun, until James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Inside, James meets a bunch of oversized friends--Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins!

View Details >>

The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Color Edition (Captain Underpants #1) (Color Edition)

Dav Pilkey

Fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins invent the wedgie-powered superhero Captain Underpants in the first book in this #1 New York Times bestselling series by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of Dog Man!

 

George and Harold are a couple of class clowns. The only thing they enjoy more than playing practical jokes is creating their own comic books. And together they've created the greatest superhero in the history of their elementary school: Captain Underpants! His true identity is SO secret, even HE doesn't know who he is!

View Details >>

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Alvin Schwartz

 

Are you brave enough for Scary Stories?

 

Some boys and girls were at a party one night. There was a graveyard down the street, and they were talking about how scary it was.

"Don't ever stand on a grave after dark," one of the boys said. "The person inside will grab you."

"A grave doesn't scare me," said one of the girls. "I'll do it right now. . . ."

 

Welcome to the macabre world of Scary Stories, where folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up the most alarming collection of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Here is a selection of extraordinarily chilling tales along with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist.

View Details >>

Bridge to Terabithia

Katherine Paterson

"An enduring classic that continues to be loved by new generations of readers. An excellent novel for middle graders to explore contemporary stories that speak to the world around us and the joy and lessons of growing up." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

This Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss.

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

In addition to being a Newbery Medal winner, Bridge to Terabithia was also named an ALA Notable Children's Book and has become a touchstone of children's literature, as have many of Katherine Paterson's other novels, includingThe Great Gilly Hopkins and Jacob Have I Loved.

View Details >>

Where's Waldo?

Looking for Waldo's twenty-fifth anniversary? Search no more. the time has come and we’ re celebrating our favorite wanderer in style!

For a quarter of a century, the bespectacled Waldo has held a place as a beloved cultural icon. Now, in honor of his anniversary, Candlewick is reissuing the classic Waldo adventure with special features worthy of a stalwart hero. This new Where's Waldo? edition boasts:

— a striking new jacketed cover

— an original poster on the underside of the jacket

— a spot-the-difference game between the jacket and self-cover designs

— a gatefold with a new visual checklist on every spread

— a never-before-seen section of artwork revealed on every spread

— new things to search for!

View Details >>

Skippyjon Jones

Judith Byron Schachner

Holy guacamole! Skippyjon Jones is 10 years old!

He's fearless, he's fun, he's a hero to all!

Enjoy a special edition of the book that launched a thousand Chimichangoes with a note from author Judy Schachner about how the character came into being. There's a photo of the real Skippyjon Jones, and even a reversible jacket with El Skippito in his mask-ito on the other side. So hold on to your mice and beans - this book is the fiesta you've been waiting for!

View Details >>

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

Barbara Park

"Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun." --Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man

Barbara Park's #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing--and reading--for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!

Meet the World's Funniest Kindergartner--Junie B. Jones! Remember when it was scary to go to school? In the first Junie B. Jones book, it's Junie B.'s first day and she doesn't know anything. She's so scared of the school bus and the meanies on it that when it's time to go home, she doesn't.

USA Today
"Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set."

Publishers Weekly
"Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.--and reading--are lots of fun."

Kirkus Reviews
"Junie's swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud."

Time
"Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty."

View Details >>

Harris and Me

Gary Paulsen

A young city boy is sent to spend the summer on his aunt and uncle's farm. Though he has lived many places over the years, he has never experienced anything like farm life . . . and he has never met "anyone" like Harris, his daredevil of a cousin. If the two of them can survive wrestling three-hundred-pound pigs and mouse-hunting with toothless old Louie's fire-spitting pet lynx--which, unlike his master, has "plenty" of teeth--they just might make it through the summer!

View Details >>

Draw Me a Star

Eric Carle

This is a story of an artist who, from his earliest years, draws. The artist draws a star! Then, the tree, house, flowers, clouds, rainbow, and night.

In drawing, he discovers not only his art, but his life. Holding on to his star, he creates a world of light and possibility.

With his brilliant collage, poignant and powerful in its simplicity, Eric Carle creates an unforgettable story that celebrates imagination and the artist in us all.

View Details >>

The Great Gilly Hopkins

Katherine Paterson

This timeless Newbery Honor Book from bestselling author Katherine Paterson about a wisecracking, ornary, completely unforgettable young heroine. Now a feature film starring Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, and Octavia Spencer!

Eleven-year-old Gilly has been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she's hated them all. She has a reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable, and that's the way she likes it. So when she's sent to live with the Trotters—by far the strangest family yet—she knows it's only a temporary problem.

Gilly decides to put her sharp mind to work and get out of there fast. She's determined to no longer be a foster kid. Before long she's devised an elaborate scheme to get her real mother to come rescue her. Unfortunately, the plan doesn't work out quite as she hoped it would...

View Details >>

It's So Amazing!

Robie H. Harris

"An outstanding book. . . . Meets the needs of those in-between or curious kids who are not ready, developmentally or emotionally, forIt's Perfectly Normal."Booklist (starred review)

How does a baby begin? What makes a baby male or female? How is a baby born? Children have plenty of questions about reproduction and babies—and about sex and sexuality, too.It's So Amazing! provides the answers—with fun, accurate, comic-book-style artwork and a clear, lively text that reflects the interests of children age seven and up in how things work, while giving them a healthy understanding of their bodies. Created by the author and illustrator of It's Perfectly Normal, this forthright and funny book has been newly updated for its fifteenth anniversary.

View Details >>

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

Marlon Bundo

100% of Last Week Tonight's proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project and AIDS United.

HBO's Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents a children's picture book about a Very Special boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny.

Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa, Mike Pence - the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever...

With its message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children's book explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Sweet, funny, and beautifully illustrated, this book is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.

View Details >>

Ring Shout

P. Djèlí Clark

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns with Ring Shout, a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan's reign of terror.
 

IN AMERICA, DEMONS WEAR WHITE HOODS.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

View Details >>

If It Bleeds

Stephen King

The novella is a form King has returned to over and over again in the course of his amazing career, and many have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption). Like Four Past Midnight, Different Seasons, and most recently Full Dark, No Stars, If It Bleeds is a uniquely satisfying collection of longer short fiction by an incomparably gifted writer.

View Details >>

The Hollow Places

T. Kingfisher

A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel from the author of the “innovative, unexpected, and absolutely chilling” (Mira Grant, Nebula Award–winning author) The Twisted Ones.

Pray they are hungry.

Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.

With her distinctive “delightfully fresh and subversive” (SF Bluestocking) prose and the strange, sinister wonder found in Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, The Hollow Places is another compelling and white-knuckled horror novel that you won’t be able to put down.

View Details >>

The Year of the Witching

Alexis Henderson

A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother's union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

View Details >>

A Taste of Sage

Yaffa S. Santos

From talented new writer, Yaffa S. Santos, comes this unforgettable, heartwarming, and hilarious rom-com about chefs, cooking, love, and self-discovery that is a cross between The Hating Game and Sweetbitter.

Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia--she can perceive a person's emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she decides to take a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Inwood, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.

When Lumi's eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don't get along in the kitchen--to say Lumi is irritated by Julien's smug attitude is an understatement, and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn't stand a chance against Julien's culinary prowess.

As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, each one tempting Lumi with its overwhelming aromas and gorgeous presentations, she can no longer resist and samples one of his creations. She isn't prepared for the feelings that follow as she's overcome with intense emotions. She begins to crave his cooking throughout the day, which throws a curveball in her plan to save up enough money and move on as soon as possible. Plus, there's also the matter of Esme, Julien's receptionist who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans, but her love life as well...

Clever, witty, and romantic, A Taste of Sage is sure to delight and entertain readers until the very last page.

View Details >>

Cantoras

Carolina De Robertis

In defiance of the brutal military government that took power in Uruguay in the 1970s, and under which homosexuality is a dangerous transgression, five women miraculously find one another—and, together, an isolated cape that they claim as their own.

Over the next thirty-five years, they travel back and forth from this secret sanctuary, sometimes together, sometimes in pairs, with lovers in tow or alone. Throughout it all, they will be tested repeatedly—by their families, lovers, society, and one another—as they fight to live authentic lives.

A groundbreaking, genre-defining work, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit.

View Details >>

Of Women and Salt

Gabriela Garcia

A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born

In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addiction. Daughter of Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE. Carmen, still wrestling with the trauma of displacement, must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette. Steadfast in her quest for understanding, Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt.

From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals—personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others—that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women. A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them, this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.

View Details >>

The Taste of Sugar

Marisel Vera

It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, los hambrientos, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriquenos, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii--another US territory--where they are confronted by the hollowness of America's promises of prosperity. Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera's The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.

View Details >>

Caramelo

Sandra Cisneros

The three Reyes families make their annual trip south from Chicago via Route 66 to the home of the Awful Grandmother and the Little Grandfather on Destiny Street in Mexico City. From the back seat of her father's station-wagon, Lala witnesses the crossover from Texas to Mexico, the change from truck stop donuts to street vendors with hot tortillas and the sting of roasting chillies in the throat and eyes. Awaiting Lala is also the family's stories and secrets, the lies and the truths behind the legends she grew up with, and, most curiously, the mystery of the Awful Grandmother's special treasure - her caramelo silk shawl, the colour of burnt milk candy - which was never finished.
Caramelo moves through three generations, taking in history and culture, tragedy and laughter. This unforgettable novel evokes the stories, legends and truths through which a family comes to understand itself.

View Details >>

Love Poems

Pablo Neruda

A beautiful new gift book of Pablo Neruda's greatest love poems for all occasions. "One of the greatest major poets of the twentieth century."--"The New York Times Book Review"Charged with sensuality and passion, Pablo Neruda's love poems caused a scandal when published anonymously in 1952. In later editions, these verses became the most celebrated of the Noble Prize winner's oeuvre, captivating readers with earthbound images that reveal in gentle lingering lines an erotic re-imagining of the world through the prism of a lover's body: "today our bodies came vast, they grew to the edge of the world / and rolled melting / into a single drop / of wax or meteor...." Written on the paradisal island of Capri, where Neruda "took refuge" in the arms of his lover Matilde Urrutia, "Love Poems" embraces the seascapes around them, saturating the images of endless shores and waves with a new, yearning eroticism. This wonderful book collects Neruda's most passionate verses.

View Details >>

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel García Márquez

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" comes a masterly evocation of an unrequited passion so strong that it binds three people's lives together for more than fifty years. In the story of Florentino Ariza, who waits more than half a century to declare his undying love to the beautiful Fermina Daza, whom he lost to Dr. Juvenal Urbino so many years before, Garcia Marquez has created a vividly absorbing fictional world, as lush and dazzling as a dream and as real and immediate as our own deepest longings.

View Details >>

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Daz

Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who--from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister--dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú--a curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere--and risk it all--in the name of love.

View Details >>