Holiday Closures

The library will be closed in observance of Christmas (12/24 and 12/25) and the New Year holiday (12/31 and 1/1). Happy Holidays!

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Leon the Extraordinary

Jamar Nicholas

Leon is an ordinary kid who becomes extraordinary when he fights a supervillain to save his school!

"Leon is a superhero, whose powers are kindness and common sense. It's a really good book about a really good kid!" -- Jerry Craft, author and illustrator of New Kid

"A heartfelt and hilarious hero's journey. LEON is super!" -- Lincoln Peirce, author and illustrator of Big Nate

 

In the city where Leon lives, superheroes -- and supervillains -- are commonplace. So how does an ordinary kid like Leon, who has no superpowers himself, become the superhero he wants to be? When all his classmates suddenly become obsessed with a new phone app that turns them into zombies, Leon gets his chance to prove that using his brain and following his heart can save the day.

Equal parts New Kid and The Incredibles, the first graphic novel in this action-packed, heartfelt, and joyously funny series by Jamar Nicholas reminds readers that when it comes to being a hero, you just need to believe in yourself.

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Claudia and the Bad Joke: a Graphic Novel (the Baby-Sitters Club #15)

Ann M. Martin

A Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by newcomer Arley Nopra!

 

Claudia isn't worried when she hears her newest baby-sitting charge, Betsy Sobak, is a big practical joker. After all, how much harm can one little girl do?

Plenty. Claudia breaks her leg as a result of one of Betsy's jokes. Now Claudia is feeling like baby-sitting might be too dangerous and she's talking about quitting the club. Kristy thinks Betsy needs to be taught a lesson, and that the baby-sitters are just the ones to do it.

Watch out, Betsy Sobak. The joke war is on!

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Mayor Good Boy Turns Bad

Dave Scheidt

Goodbye politics! Goodbye stardom! Mayor Good Boy is turning over a new leaf and this time...he's going BAD! Maybe even...bad to the bone.

Mayor Good Boy might not be as GOOD as the town of Greenwood thought. In fact, it turns out that Abby and Aaron's favorite very good boy might actually have been...A BAD BOY this whole time?!

Everyone's favorite dog mayor is back in this hilarious graphic novel series featuring all-new hijinx and all-new fun!

"Mayor Good Boy will make you sit, stay, and roll over with laughter!" -- John Patrick Green, creator of the New York Times bestselling InvestiGators series

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Super Pancake

Megan Wagner Lloyd

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... pancake? Here is a delightfully clever and endearingly funny graphic novel about a pancake named Peggy, who accidentally develops superhero abilities and must defend her home of Breakfast Town.

Life in Breakfast Town is pretty uneventful for Peggy Pancake. Her parents are always on her case, she's stuck in her perfect brother's shadow, and she just can't seem to avoid the Bacon Bullies at school. That is until one day, after an accidental mixup, Peggy finds herself with superhero abilities... Now, Peggy can flip! She can fight! She can FLY!
With the help of her new friend, Luc Croissant, Peggy must master her newfound skills. But danger is lurking in the Maple Mountains where Dr. Evil Breakfast Sandwich and his evil Henchtoasts are plotting something sinister. Can Peggy harness her powers and save all that is dear? Find out in: SUPER PANCAKE!

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Simon Sort of Says

Erin Bow

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD - SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR

"Funny, poignant and--most important--hopeful." --New York Times

Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school.

Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone--the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who's determined to give the scientists what they're looking for, he'll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.

Simon Sort of Says, the Newbery Honor-winning novel by Erin Bow, is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.

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A First Time for Everything

Dan Santat

*Winner of the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature*

A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life.

Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn't stop him from being bullied and feeling like he's invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents send him on a class trip to Europe.

At first, he's right. He's stuck with the same girls from his middle school who love to make fun of him, and he doesn't know why his teacher insisted he come on this trip. But as he travels through France, Germany, Switzerland, and England, a series of first experiences begin to change him—first Fanta, first fondue, first time stealing a bike from German punk rockers... and first love.

Funny, heartwarming, and poignant, A First Time for Everything is a feel-good coming-of-age memoir based on New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat's awkward middle school years. It celebrates a time that is universally challenging for many of us, but also life-changing as well.

Praise for After the Fall

“The author gives wings to both his protagonist and his message about the importance of getting back up after a fall and the realization that recovering from a trauma takes time.” —Booklist, starred review

Santat’s precise illustrations and sensitive text combine for more emotional depth than the typical nursery rhyme remix. A terrific redemptive read-aloud for storytime and classroom sharing.” —School Library Journal, starred review

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Buzzing (a Graphic Novel)

Samuel Sattin

A 2024 ALA Notable Children's Book and New York Public Library Best Book of 2023!

★ "Heartwarming [and] authentic" --Shelf Awareness, starred review

"A sweet story that fans of Raina Telgemeier will enjoy." ―School Library Journal

A moving middle grade graphic novel about friendship, belonging, and learning to love yourself despite the voices in your head.

Isaac Itkin can't get away from his thoughts.

As a lonely twelve-year-old kid with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), everything from studying to looking in the mirror becomes a battle between him and a swarm of unhelpful thoughts.

The strict therapy his mother insists on doesn't seem to be working, but when a group of friends invites him to join their after-school role-playing game, the thoughts feel a little less loud, and the world feels a little brighter.

But Isaac's therapist says that exposure to games can have negative effects on kids with OCD, and when his grades slip, his helicopter mother won't let him play anymore. Now Isaac needs to find a way to prove to himself, to his mother, and to the world that the way to quiet the noise in his head may have been inside him all along.

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The Worlds We Leave Behind

A.F. Harrold

A Booklist Editor's Choice Title for 2023

From acclaimed author and illustrator pair A.F. Harrold and Levi Pinfold comes another powerful and poignant story about friendship, betrayal, and redemption.

Hex doesn’t know why he does the things he does—why he sometimes stands up in class to look out the window or ask an unrelated question or do a little dance. He also doesn’t know why he threw the rock that day in the woods. He didn’t mean for the girl to fall and break her arm. But he’s blamed anyway.

Enraged at how unfair life is, Hex runs into the woods and finds himself in a strange clearing—a clearing that can’t possibly exist—where a strange old woman offers him a deal: she’ll rid the world of those who wronged him. All he has to do is accept and they’ll be forgotten, forever. But what Hex doesn’t know is that someone else has been offered the same deal.

When Hex’s best friend Tommo wakes up the next day, something feels wrong. Half-whispered memories tug at his brain, making him think that something—or someone—is missing from his life. Can Tommo put the world back the way it was? Or can he find a way to make a new world that could be better for them all?

This unforgettable story, complete with lush black-and-white illustrations throughout, explores how we can find the strength to face down monsters: in the darkness, in our friends, and in our selves.

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We Both Read: Trucks

Sindy Mckay

Winner of two Teacher Choice Awards and a Mom's Choice Award, the We Both Read series now has over 100 titles and 6 million copies in print! This unique series features a shared-reading format designed to invite parents and children to take turns reading aloud. With 6 different reading levels, these innovative books for reading together offer an easy way for parents to support beginning and struggling readers.

Trucks: Trucks are amazing, and there are so many different types of trucks: monster trucks, big rigs, tow trucks, food trucks, tankers, and lots, lots more! Get ready to climb aboard and take this book about trucks for a drive down the road!

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We Both Read: Penguins

Sindy Mckay

Winner of two Teacher Choice Awards and a Mom's Choice Award, the We Both Read series now has over 100 titles and 7 million copies in print! This unique series features a shared-reading format designed to invite parents and children to take turns reading aloud. With 6 different reading levels, these innovative books for reading together offer an easy way for parents to support beginning and struggling readers.

Penguins: In this book, you'll meet lots of different kinds of penguins. Some live where is it always freezing, but others prefer warm sandy beaches! Most penguins are black and white, but you'll discover one type of penguin that is blue. And while some penguins hatch their eggs in a nest, you'll learn how other penguins, instead of using a nest, keep their eggs warm on the top of their feet. Have fun learning all about penguins, amazing birds that fly through the water instead of the air!

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Pinkalicious: Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!

Victoria Kann

 

 

Cute, colorful, and very lively kittens star in this Level One Pinkalicious I Can Read.

 

 

Pinkalicious and Peter get a big surprise when their foster cat has kittens! Caring for six rambunctious kittens is a huge challenge. Will Pinkalicious and Peter be able to convince Mommy and Daddy to let them keep them

Pinkalicious: Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! is a Level One I Can Read which means it's perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.

Readers can watch Pinkalicious and Peter on the funtastic PBS Kids TV series Pinkalicious & Peterrific!

 

 

 

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We Both Read: Dragons Do Not Go to School! - ¡Los Dragones No Van a la Escuela! (Bilingual in English and Spanish)

D J Panec

Winner of two Teacher Choice Awards and a Mom's Choice Award, the We Both Read series now has over 120 titles and 7 million copies in print! The books in this innovative series are designed to invite parents and children to take turns reading aloud, and with the bilingual editions they can choose to read in English or Spanish. Parents read the left-hand pages, and children read the right-hand pages, which are shorter and easier to read. With many different reading levels, these innovative books for reading together offer an easy way for parents to support beginning and struggling readers.

Dragons Do NOT Go to School! / ¡Los dragones NO van a la escuela!: In this bilingual English/Spanish read-aloud book, Rex is supposed to start school in two days, but he doesn't think dragons should go to school. He would much rather run through the hills pretending to fly. With gentle encouragement from his mother, he goes to the first day of school. At school, not only does he find that he enjoys learning, but he also finds a new friend.

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How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

Carole Boston Weatherford

From a multi-award-winning pair comes a deeply affecting portrait of determination against discrimination: the story of young spelling champion MacNolia Cox.

MacNolia Cox was no ordinary kid.
Her idea of fun was reading the dictionary.

In 1936, eighth grader MacNolia Cox became the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee. And with that win, she was asked to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, where she and a girl from New Jersey were the first African Americans invited since its founding. She left her home state a celebrity—right up there with Ohio’s own Joe Louis and Jesse Owens—with a military band and a crowd of thousands to see her off at the station. But celebration turned to chill when the train crossed the state line into Maryland, where segregation was the law of the land. Prejudice and discrimination ruled—on the train, in the hotel, and, sadly, at the spelling bee itself. With a brief epilogue recounting MacNolia’s further history, How Do You Spell Unfair? is the story of her groundbreaking achievement magnificently told by award-winning creators and frequent picture-book collaborators Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison.

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Good Different

Meg Eden Kuyatt

"The next Wonder. Good Different should be required reading." -- Good Morning America

 

An extraordinary novel-in-verse for fans of Starfish and A Kind of Spark about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.

 

Selah knows her rules for being normal.

She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it.

Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.

Selah's friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble.

But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn't mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it's too late?

This is a moving and unputdownable story about learning to celebrate the things that make us different. Good Different is the perfect next read for fans of Counting by 7s or Jasmine Warga.

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Maribel's Year

Michelle Sterling

 

 

Celebrate the special connection between father and daughter in this gorgeously evocative picture book, recounting the year a little girl and her mother spend in America while waiting for her father to join them from the Philippines. From acclaimed author Michelle Sterling and illustrator Sarah Gonzales, a poignant story perfect for fans of Joanna Ho, Linda Sue Park, and Matt De La Peña.

 

 

New country, new school, new friends.

A lot can happen in a single year. But one thing's for certain: Maribel won't forget her Papa, even when he's 8,000 miles away in the Philippines.

After all, Papa is all around. He is the memory of feeding koi fish in their pond every morning. He is the constellation map as Maribel dreams of showing him her new world. He is the packages and letters sent back and forth.

He is everywhere except the place he's wanted the most. But the bond between Maribel and Papa transcends oceans. So as the snow melts and turns to rain, as flowers blossom and welcome sun-kissed days, and as the leaves start to change and snow begins to fall once more, can Maribel wait just a little bit longer

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In the Night Garden

Carin Berger

A gentle, collage-illustrated bedtime read about the often mysterious and always beautiful experiences to be found in nighttime spaces.

In the night garden fireflies look like fallen stars.
Moonflowers unfurl and release their intoxicating perfume.

In the night garden you can lie
on the cool grass and look up to the
millions and trillions of stars…

In the night garden, nothing is as it seems and everything is made new. Blinking stars and pale moonlight might reveal a lone cat tiptoeing across a roof, luminous flowers unfurling in the cool air, a mama fox escorting her sleepy cubs home. Listen closely and you might hear the wind blowing through the trees, the murmur of a slow stream, or the gentle song of crickets and bullfrogs, lulling you to sleep.

Carin Berger is the award-winning author of The Little Yellow Leaf, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. With soothing words and spectacularly detailed, hand-cut collage artwork, she has fashioned a bedtime book like no other. Curious readers will be rewarded when they look for the mysterious cat that appears on every page!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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In Every Life

Marla Frazee

This Caldecott Honor picture book is a simple and profound meditation on the many wonders of life from three-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee.

In every life, there is love and loss, hope and joy, wonder and mystery. With glowing art and spare, powerful text, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Marla Frazee celebrates the moments, feelings, and experiences, both big and small, that make up a life.

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If I Was a Horse

Sophie Blackall

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER!​



A gift for any child with an unbridled imagination, this bestseller from award-winning creator Sophie Blackall captures the astonishing spectacle of life as a horse. And with a cover adorned with glitter, this romp really sparkles!




If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your brother even notice?



Gallop along with two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall through this riotous day in the life of a child who imagines their life as a horse. What ensues are uproarious, resonant episodes that feature a giant horse in familiar settings offering both a visual feast, a grand dose of joy, and a celebration of the real power of imagination to help us navigate the world.

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Henry, Like Always

Jenn Bailey

A Schneider Family Book Award Winner
A Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book
A NPR 2023 Books We Love Pick
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2023
A 2023 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book

A beginning chapter book series based on the award-winning picture book, A Friend for Henry!

Henry likes Classroom Ten. He likes how it is always the same. But this week, Henry's class will have a parade, and a parade means having Share Time on the wrong day. A parade means playing instruments that are too loud. A parade means this week is not like always.

Join Henry as he navigates the ups and downs of marker missiles, stomach volcanoes, and days that feel a little too orange. From the creators of the Schneider Family Honor-winning picture book A Friend for Henry, this warmly funny book starring a child on the autism spectrum is a reassuring read for school-bound kids of all stripes.

 

GREAT FOR BEGINNING READERS: With short chapters and simple text, this book is perfect for newly independent readers who are just moving into longer books.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Familiar school scenarios--from new schedules to making new friends--are portrayed with humor and understanding in this series that will appeal to and reassure any child starting or continuing in school.

DIVERSE STORIES: Representing neurodivergent kids is a vital aspect of expanding diverse representation across books for all ages. Henry, Like Always provides a mirror and a window for kids on the autism spectrum and their friends to see themselves in the stories they read.

AN AWARD-WINNING TEAM: Jenn Bailey and Mika Song were awarded a Schneider Family Honor Award for their picture book A Friend for Henry. See how the story continues in this classic-feeling early reader series based on the same character!

Perfect for:

  • Newly independent readers
  • An excellent resource for parents of kids on the spectrum
  • Librarians, teachers, and booksellers looking for a children's book that offers a window into the experience of autism
  • A reassuring read for kids with varying levels of social anxiety
  • Gift-givers looking for a sweet and relatable book about friendship
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Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?

Helen Yoon

The creator of Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), Off-Limits, and I’m a Unicorn brings her original whimsy to the tale of a child’s special friend who goes missing after a bath—or does he?

Help! This little girl has lost her best friend. He’s a dinosaur (not the extinct kind). He’s enormous (bigger than a panda!). He was last seen before she gave him a bath and washed off all the mud (maybe that wasn’t a good idea?). She’s tried to lure him with snacks and put up Lost Dinosaur posters, but nothing has helped. If only it weren’t such a clear day—if only it were raining, or snowing, or the leaves were falling, or . . . something. Would it help if she drew a picture? With delicate visual sleights of hand and an underlying sweetness, author-illustrator Helen Yoon invites us to see through a child’s eyes.

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Big

Vashti Harrison

Winner of the Caldecott Medal! A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and a New York Times bestseller! This deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance, from an award-winning creator.



The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning creator Vashti Harrison traces a child's journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal. With spare text and exquisite illustrations, this emotional exploration of being big in a world that prizes small is a tender portrayal of how you can stand out and feel invisible at the same time.

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Fox Has a Problem

Corey R. Tabor

A Geisel Award winner! In his next I Can Read adventure, Fox--the hilarious trickster character featured in previous Geisel Award winners Fox at Night and Fox the Tiger--learns to solve a problem in an unexpected way.

Fox has a problem: His kite is stuck in a tree! But every clever plan creates even more problems for him--and for all his friends. Can they work together to fix things before it's too late?

Carefully crafted using basic language, word repetition, sight words, and whimsical illustrations, Fox Has a Problem is ideal for sharing with your emergent reader. The active, engaging My First I Can Read stories have appealing plots and lovable characters, encouraging children to continue their reading journey. Other Fox books include Fox at Night, Fox versus Winter, Fox the Tiger, Fox Is Late, Fox and the Jumping Contest, and Fox and the Bike Ride.

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Evergreen

Matthew Cordell

A picture book by Caldecott medal winner Matt Cordell about a timid squirrel who makes a brave journey to help a relative who is ill.

Evergreen the squirrel is afraid of many things: thunder, hawks, and the dark paths of Buckthorn Forest. But when her mother tasks Evergreen with delivering soup to her sick Granny Oak, the little squirrel must face her fears and make the journey.

Along the way, Evergreen is met by other forest dwellers – some want to help her, but some want her mother’s delicious soup! It’s up to Evergreen to stay the course, and those who help her will surprise and delight young readers.

Using an art style reminiscent of the work of William Steig and Arnold Lobel, Matthew Cordell creates a classic tale of bravery and love.

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Elena Rides

Juana Medina

Beginning readers—and beginning riders—will be drawn to this bright, buoyant story of a determined elephant and her loyal sidekick, from the award-winning creator of Juana & Lucas.

Elena wants to ride her bike. She steadies, she readies. She wobbles, she bobbles . . . KA-BANG! Learning to ride a bike is hard. But Elena can do it. She just has to try, try again. With this reassuring story of childlike persistence, Juana Medina, creator of the acclaimed Juana & Lucas series, introduces Elena, a plucky elephant, and the little red bird who is Elena’s faithful cheerleader. Simple, energetic text and bold, brilliant artwork convey a relatable tale of the ups and downs of learning something new (not without protest or tears) and the final thrill of mastery that will have children rooting for Elena and ready for her next adventure.

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