When the Ground Is Hard

Adele Joubert loves being one of the popular girls at Keziah Christian Academy. She knows the upcoming semester at school is going to be great with her best friend Delia at her side. Then Delia dumps her for a new girl with more money, and Adele is forced to share a room with Lottie, the school pariah, who doesn’t pray and defies teachers’ orders.
But as they share a copy of Jane Eyre, Lottie’s gruff exterior and honesty grow on Adele, and Lottie learns to be a little sweeter. Together, they take on bullies and protect each other from the vindictive and prejudiced teachers. Then a boy goes missing on campus and Adele and Lottie must rely on each other to solve the mystery and maybe learn the true meaning of friendship.

My Corner of the Ring

In this Lean-In style inspirational memoir, twelve-year-old Jesselyn Silva offers a ringside seat to girl power and what it takes to win in the ring and in life: punch by punch. Girl Boxer shows kids what it means to be true to yourself and stick with your dreams even when facing adversity and ridicule. Supported by her single dad, Jesselyn (JessZilla in the ring) first donned her boxing gloves at five years of age, making her one of very few female boxers in the country. Girl Boxer charts Jesselyn’s oft times exhilarating and heartbreaking journey to success in a male dominated sport where she struggles to find partners to spar with and combats the viewpoint that no one wants to see a girl fight. Despite an inhospitable environment, Jesselyn still has her sights set on the Olympics. With the help of her very dad, Pedro, who has instilled in her a strong work ethic, she just might make it.It is an exciting and motivational read that will provide kids with the roadmap and encouragement to accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves. Jesselyn’s positive can-do attitude and determination make this a must read.

Glossary. Black-and-white photographs and illustrations.

Mi papi tiene una moto (My Papi Has a Motorcycle)

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she’s always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.

Author’s note. Full-color digital illustrations created with a mix of hand-painted watercolor texture.

A Small Zombie Problem: Zombie Problems, Book 1

August DuPont has spent his whole life inside a dilapidated house with his aunt Hydrangea. His lonely existence ends abruptly with the arrival of an invitation to meet an aunt—and cousins—he didn’t even know existed. When Aunt Orchid suggests that August attend school with his cousins, it’s a dream come true. But August has scarcely begun to celebrate his reversal of fortune when he is confronted by a small problem on his way home. So begins an adventure filled with a wild child, a zombie, a fabled white alligator, and an unimaginable family secret.

Hide and Seek

A midsummer moon shines on Shiverhawk Hall, where portraits of children come alive on the wall. As night falls, the playful painted residents wake up for another Gorey-esque rhyming caper. When the DeVille twins are nowhere to be seen, the other children escape their frames in search of two girls in white dresses — and, possibly, a midnight game in the garden. Out in the night air, through the maze, and into the woods they go, looking for their mysterious friends. Will they be able to find the twins before the sun rises? Charming and eerie without ever being too scary, Katie May Green’s second tale is perfect for Halloween story times and bedtime read-alouds after a long day of play.

Full-color illustrations were done in graphite and charcoal and colored digitally.

Bringing Back the American Alligator

The American alligator, which escaped extinction 65 million years ago, was nearly wiped out in the marshes and swamps of Louisiana and Florida in the last century. Today, they are thriving. This exciting book tells the story of how government protection, habitat preservation, and a campaign to reduce the demand for alligator products helped bring back these fierce-looking predators.

The Secret Cat

An imaginative book for anyone who’s ever wanted a pet

Lucy wants a pet more than anything, even though her mom always says no. But one night, Lucy hears a scratching sound from behind her wallpaper, and a ghostly cat named Silvring appears. Silvring takes Lucy on an adventure and introduces her to a world filled with secret pets just like hers. Not all the secret pets are as friendly as Silvring, though.

Filled with magical realism, this beautiful book will resonate with animal lovers of all ages.

Noodleheads Fortress of Doom

The Noodlehead brothers are back from the library with a joke book, a fantasy novel, and a dream: to build their very own Fortress of Doom.  If they can stop bickering for long enough.  And if they can defend it from their wily friend Meatball.  Jump right in with this fourth title in an easy-to-read graphic novel series about more than two hollow pastas trying to have fun.  Noodleheads has its roots in world folklore, making it a classic tale of fools.

Authors Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton, award-winning storytellers, join Tedd Arnold, author of the Fly Guy series, to create a masterpiece of hilarity.  The series has gotten several honors, including the American Folklore Society's Aesop Prize and a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor.

Two Brothers, Four Hands: The Artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti

Everyone who knew them agreed. Alberto was the genius of the family. His younger brother Diego was his opposite—he didn’t care much for books or schoolwork, and he had no idea what he would be when he grew up. But despite their differences, the two brothers shared an intense bond.
Alberto Giacometti became one of the iconic artists of the twentieth century, whose tall, spindly sculptures grace the collections of museums around the world. Diego was always at his side, helping and encouraging, and in his spare time creating remarkable pieces of furniture, works of sculpture in their own right.
The poignant story of brothers and sculptors Alberto and Diego Giacometti is skillfully brought to life in the hands of multiple Sibert Honor authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, and the spectacular artwork of Hadley Hooper.
This lavishly illustrated 64-page book includes extensive backmatter, complete with a timeline, source notes, photographs, and an essay on how to look at a Giacometti sculpture.

Note on Giacometti’s Walking Man. Time line. Notes on text. Bibliography. Black-and-white photographs and full-color reproductions. Full-color illustrations created with paint and ink and finished in Photoshop.

Finding the Speed of Light: The 1676 Discovery that Dazzled the World

More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Danish astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn’t even believe that light traveled? Like many paradigm-shattering discoveries, Romer’s was accidental. Night after night he was timing the disappearance and reappearance of Jupiter’s moon Io behind the huge, distant planet. Eventually he realized that the discrepancies in his measurements could have only one explanation: Light had a speed, and it took longer
to reach Earth when Earth was farther from Jupiter. All he needed then to calculate light’s speed was some fancy geometry.

The Terrible Two's Last Laugh (Audiobook)

Niles and Miles are determined to pull off an epic prank before their graduation. Principal Barkin, pranking protégé, is on board, but his father, newly appointed Acting Superintendent Barkin, is decidedly NOT.

Solving for M

When Mika starts fifth grade at the middle school, her neat life gets messy. Separated from old friends and starting new classes, Mika is far from her comfort zone. And math class is the most confusing of all, especially when her teacher Mr. Vann assigns math journals. Art in math? Who’s ever heard of such a thing?
But when challenges arise at home, Mika realizes there are no easy answers. Maybe, with some help from friends, family, and one unique teacher, a math journal can help her work out problems, and not just the math ones.
Debut author Jennifer Swender delivers poignant prose and illustrator Jennifer Naalchigar brings Mika’s journal to life in this perfect equation of honesty plus hope that adds up to a heartwarming coming-of-age story.

Author’s note. Black-and-white illustrations.