New Titles

Disgusting Animals

Perish, Patrick,

Our gross animal world -- Freaky faces -- Stinkers -- Disgusting defenses. "Engaging images accompany information about disgusting animals. The combination of high-interest subject matter and light text is intended for students in grades 2 through 7"--.

Date Published:

Seekers of the fox : A Thieves of Shadow Novel

Sands, Kevin

Rule number one: Never mess with magic. Even so, a life-or-death situation calls for Callan and his criminal friends to make a deal with the Eye-the sinister, sentient artifact they stole from a sorcerer. It's Lachlan's life in exchange for a future task, and the gang has no choice but to agree. But even as Lachlan is resurrected, it's not without cost. Through the Eye, Callan can see a tiny purple stain inside Lachlan's soul, which will eventually consume him. The cure-and their part of the deal-lies with the Dragon's Teeth, a pair of swords with extraordinary powers, and the search for them leads the thieves on a quest that will unravel the mystery of the Eye. Old friends, new betrayals, and an even more daring break-in than the last culminate in a confrontation that will take all the gang's skill and power to resist-or they'll die trying.

Date Published:2022

The Umbrella House

Nelson, Colleen

In this intimate and inspiring novel about the power ofart and the value of community, award-winning author and former New Yorker Colleen Nelson brings life and liveliness to an eccentric cast of New York Cityneighbors . Middle-schooler and Manhattanite Ruby Markowski wants totell the truth fearlessly and powerfully, just like her idols at Veracity News.She and her best friend Scout already make YouTube videos together about EastVillage life, so when Veracity News announces a Young Voices video competition,Ruby knows it's the perfect opportunity to make a name for herself, if only shecan find a story worth telling. When a real-estate mogul threatens to buy her historicEast Village apartment building, Umbrella House, Ruby sets out to create avideo about the people who live in her building, depicting their love for art,community, and family. With time--and her options for saving Umbrella House -- runningout, Ruby finds herself caught up in the mystery of the Midnight Muralist, afamous East Village artist whose murals once made buildingsfamous and valuable. Could finding this enigmatic artist be the key to savingher historic East Village apartment building?

Date Published:2024

Apartment 713 : a Novel

Sylvester, Kevin

Middle Grade Canada Fiction Fantasy Childrens Time Travel Mystery . "A quirky new middle grade story from the beloved Kevin Sylvester, featuring a building with as many secrets as it has doors, two unlikely friends on a mission, and an exciting time travel twist! Jake Simmons hates his new home. The Regency, as grand as it sounds, is nothing more than floor after floor of peeling wallpaper and faded glory. Jake misses his old life: he misses living in a house where the wind didn't make the windows whistle, he misses when his mother was employed and in a loving relationship, but most of all, he misses his friends. And so, it is loneliness and a trail of misplaced kittens that leads Jake to the apartment of an elderly lady, then to the bowels of the building, and then to a part-time job helping Larry the custodian. Time may not have been kind to the Regency, but with each passing day, the Regency reveals more of its mysteries to Jake and the occupants grow on him too. Jake finally begins to feel at home. Unfortunately, it is a short-lived feeling. The city's plans to demolish the building come as a monumental shock--though it is nowhere near as shocking as being summoned to the out-of-bounds apartment 713 and literally opening the door to the past! This fantastical happenstance serves as a second chance, both for Jake and the Regency, to rewrite their future. Alongside Beth, his new friend and guide, Jake begins looking for any clue that might help him save the Regency and go back to his own time. It isn't until he truly opens his eyes to the wonders of the building and its occupants that Jake is made to realize: the Regency is not just a home, but a haven. And something in its storied past will give him the key to saving his own future."--.

Date Published:2022

The Big Sting

Delaney, Rachelle,

"A visit to Leo's grandfather's farm turns upside down when his grandmother's bee hives are stolen. A light-hearted and funny middle-grade novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Linda Mulally Hunt"--

Date Published:2023

Autumn Bird & The Runaway

Florence, Melanie

Fiction Red Maple Nominee. Two kids from different worlds form an unexpected friendship. Cody's home life is a messy, too-often terrifying story of neglect and abuse. Cody himself is a smart kid, a survivor with a wicked sense of humour that helps him see past his circumstances and begin to try to get himself out. Autumn is, quite literally, on the other side of the tracks from him. Her home life is loving and secure, and she is "in" with the popular girls at school, even if she has a secret life as a glasses-wearing, self-professed comic book nerd at home. And even if the pressure to fit in at school requires hours of time spent making herself look "perfect". Returning home from a movie one evening, Autumn comes across Cody, face down in the laneway behind her house. All Cody knows is that he can't take another beating from his father like the one he just narrowly escaped. He can't go home, but he doesn't have anywhere else to go either. Autumn won't turn her back on him, even if they never really were friends at school. She agrees to let him hide out in her dad's art studio at night. Over the next couple of days of Autumn sneaking Cody food and bandages, his story comes out. And so does hers. Told in alternating narratives, Autumn Bird & the Runaway is infused with themes of identity, belonging and compassion; it's a story that reminds us that we are all more than our circumstances, and we are all more connected than we think.

Date Published:2022

Simon sort of says

Bow, Erin,

Forest of Reading Nominee 2024. "Ask Simon O'Keeffe why his family moved to tiny Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, and he'll tell you they were driven out of Omaha by alpacas. In Simon's version of the story, a blessing of the animals went sideways, his dad got fired from his church job, and the whole family moved to the National Quiet Zone, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astronomers can scan the sky for signs of alien life. But there's another story too--a story about a locked classroom, an active shooter, and a media cycle that refuses to let Simon go, even years later. To everyone who knows what happened, Simon is either a miracle or a sob story. But Simon just wants to be Simon: a twelve-year-old in high tops and a Minecraft hoodie. Moving to the last town in America where no one can Google you is a chance for Simon to start fresh. To rewrite the narrative. And with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, he's determined to say something new."--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2023

The fort

Korman, Gordon,

Five middle schoolers find a fully stocked bomb shelter constructed decades ago in the local woods by an eccentric tycoon, and now they try to keep the hideout secret from interfering grown-ups--and, more particularly, from scary teen psychopath, Jaeger Devlin.

Date Published:2022

Gnome is Where Your Heart Is

Lyall, Casey,

Eleven-year-old Lemon Peabody is certain that aliens visited her grandfather thirty years ago, but she is running out of time to prove it before Grandpa Walt's memory fades.

Date Published:2023

Jude Saves the World

Riley, Ronnie,

Twelve-year-old Jude Winters is dealing with ADHD while trying to figure out how to tell their old-fashioned grandparents about their nonbinary status--but now they have another problem: Stevie, a previously popular girl at school has been ostracized because she has a crush on another girl, and Jude wants to help her cope as well.

Date Published:2023

The Case of the Rigged Race

Hutchinson, Michael, 1971-,

"The Mighty Muskrats are back with a chilly new mystery! Windy Lake First Nation is hosting the annual Trappers Festival, and the four Mighty Muskrats are excited about the dogsled races and the chance to visit with family and friends from far and wide. But during the Teen Dogsled Race, the lead dog is the victim of a frightening accident that may be more than it seems." --

Date Published:2022

Mindy makes some space

Fairbairn, Nathan,

Best friends Gabby, Priya, and Mindy's dog business, PAWS, is booming, but Mindy between her mom starting to date and a new classmate wanting to join PAWS, Mindy is having a hard time sharing her feeling with her friends.

Date Published:2022

Squire

Alfageeh, Sara

Red maple Nominee Graphic nominee 2024 . From two incredible rising talents comes the fantasy graphic novel Molly Knox Ostertag calls "instantly compelling." Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined. In this breathtaking and timely story, Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Date Published:2022

The Druid's Call

Johnston, E. K.,

At head of title: An original prequel to Dungeons & dragons: honor among thieves. "Tucked among the ancient pines of the Ardeep Forest hides the Emerald Enclave, an order of warriors tasked with preserving the natural world. They fight to maintain balance between the forces of the wild and civilization, and in doing so, protect the sanctity of each. Among their order, Doric begins to find power in her differences. But not all her fellow initiates are so capable of new growth, and as her training continues, Doric is forced to confront the very beliefs that brought her into the Enclave's fold"--

Date Published:2023