Here’s a roundup of some delightful titles that deserve a close look.
by Lara Neel, Trade Marketing Manager
ABCs at the Haunted House
ISBN: 978-1-63440-876-9
Age Level: 4 to 8
Come along to the haunted house. Let’s see how many letters of the alphabet we spot along the way. Beware of the cobwebs!
AdoraBULL
ISBN: 978-1-84886-412-2
Age Level: 4 to 9
Alfred is a bull, and bulls are reliable and dependable. When his best friend Tom wants to bring home a new, adorable pet, Alfred realizes he may need to up his game if he wants to stay number one in Tom’s heart. But can bulls be adorable too?
Froggy Day
ISBN: 978-1-84886-411-5
Age Level: 4 to 9
When the weather forecaster says it’s going to be “very froggy,” she means it! There are frogs on the streets, on the bus, in the supermarket, and even in school! Everything has gone hopping wild!
Hello
ISBN: 978-1-93954-758-3
Age Level: 4 to 8
Some stories don’t need words to make their meaning clear—and some friendships can transcend barriers.
A wordless picture book shows that the power of friendship and communicating can span across the galaxies.
Monkey & Robot: Friends and Neighbors
ISBN: 978-1-93954-759-0
Age Level: 6 to 10
Using plays on words and humorous misunderstandings, Monkey & Robot tells stories that will delight the most reluctant reader. Catalanotto has created an unforgettable pair with the all-too-literal Monkey and the all-too-careful Robot.
Trevor Lee and the Big Uh-Oh!
ISBN: 978-1-94715-906-8
Age Level: 8 to 10
If there’s one thing everyone knows, it’s that Trevor Lee and school don’t mix. Like pickles and peanut butter. When his new teacher announces all the third graders must read in front of everyone at Parents Night, Trevor Lee and his best friend Pinky take action before his secret of not being able to read gets out. After several over-the-top attempts at getting out of Parents Night, Trevor Lee enlists the help of his Mamaw. “Some days are just bad. You gotta hold your head high and keep moving,” she always says. Can Trevor Lee remember her advice as he stands in front of a crowd on the biggest night of third grade?
Cinders
ISBN: 978-1-45941-385-6
Age Level: 14 to 18
After seventeen-year-old Ash’s mother dies, Ash is left with her mother’s boyfriend and his children. They bully her by posting embarrassing pictures and making her do their homework. Ash’s only solace is the app she developed to help people being cyber-bullied.
Calling herself @Cinders, Ash chats online with a girl named @Charming. Discovering @Charming is Char, a singer who goes to Ash’s school, Ash comes to admire Char’s courage in self-identifying as a lesbian. Char helps Ash help others, instead of being bitter. Ash finally feels like someone sees that she is special and supports her.
A modern Cinderella, Cinders tells the story of overcoming adversity and bullying with kindness and compassion.
Charming
ISBN: 978-1-45941-389-4
Age Level: 14 to 18
Seventeen-year-old Char loves music, but never considered a singing career until her singing went viral online. Now instead of participating in the Gay Lesbian Alliance, Char devotes herself to seeking fame. When she is viciously bullied online she finds an app that supports victims of cyber-bullying.
Naming herself @Charming, Char gets to know the app’s creator, @Cinders. @Cinders inspires Char to reconsider her obsession with online fame. When @Cinders turns out to be Ash, a girl at Char’s school, Char must show Ash how much she means to her.
Charming is a modern retelling of Cinderella, where Prince Charming is a girl who learns the nature of fame and love.
True to You
ISBN: 978-1-45941-269-9
Age Level: 14 to 18
After a fight at school leaves him expelled, Jorge Gomez starts training to become a pro wrestler and finds that he has the talent to make it a promising career. At his first wrestling show, he meets Thom, who is from a politically active upper middle-class family—and opposites attract. Before he knows it, Jorge has his first boyfriend. But he soon finds himself up against the ropes when he adopts a flamboyantly gay “bad guy” wrestling persona, and Thom accuses him of promoting homophobia. Jorge has to find a way to be true to himself as a successful gay athlete to save his career and his relationship.
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