With a new month comes new books! Check out August releases from Lerner Publishing Group!
New Nonfiction
★ The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu by Clement Xavier, illustrated by Lisa Lugrin
Winner of the North Star YA Award, Michael L. Printz Award, and more
In the early twentieth century, women in England demanded the right to vote—and faced violent retaliation. Edith Garrud, a pioneering self-defense instructor, trained them to fight back against abuse and arrest while pursuing long-overdue rights.
“This engaging and informative graphic biography, which includes historical back matter, about an overlooked yet influential suffragist and martial artist deserves a spot in every graphic-novel collection.” —starred, Booklist
“Engaging feminist history attractively presented.” — Kirkus Reviews
Beyond Sex Ed: Understanding Sexually Transmitted Infections by Tabitha Moriarty and Diane Yancey
Winner of YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
This detailed guide explains the transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for common STIs such as chlamydia, HIV and AIDS, and herpes. It also outlines risk reduction practices to avoid contracting or spreading STIs and provides strategies for people living with chronic infections.
“[T]his timely book about STIs offers some invaluable resources for teens . . .up-to-date and helpful.” — Booklist
“Offers direct, clear, useful, and possibly lifesaving information to teens.” — Kirkus Reviews
New Middle Grade Fiction
Last Summer in Outer Space by Joshua S. Levy
Jack’s eighth-grade year aboard the PSS 118 is coming to an end. And the students and faculty of the best public schoolship in the galaxy (if it does say so itself) are on the verge of completing their mission. If all goes well, they’ll soon foil the sinister alien plot that’s put all of humanity in danger.
But this is still middle school. So all does not go well.
“Levy artfully folds serious personal and parental issues into his less-than-serious round of chases, narrow squeaks, team building, and . . . space battles on the way to a happy resolution and a delayed but properly heartwarming eighth grade graduation ceremony.” —Kirkus Reviews
New Picture Books
El campo flotante (The Floating Field): Cómo un grupo de niños tailandeses construyó su propio campo de fútbol (How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field) by Scott Riley, illustrated by Kim Lien and Nguyen Quang
A Junior Library Guild Selection
After watching the World Cup on television, a group of Thai boys is inspired to form their own team. But on the island of Koh Panyee, in a village built on stilts, there is no open space. The boys can play only twice a month on a sandbar when the tide is low enough. Everything changes when the teens join together to build their very own floating soccer field.
My First Dino-Halloween by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott
Here comes a dino-sized Halloween celebration. Rhyming text and lively illustrations show dinosaurs carving jack-o’-lanterns, visiting a haunted house, making costumes, and more!
Three Jumps to Sorry: A Yom Kippur Story by Amy Novit, illustrated by Ana Zurita
Hannah was delightful―except when she wasn’t. The day before Yom Kippur, Hannah kicks a soccer ball in the living room and breaks her mother’s glass apple. Her wise mother, deciding to teach her a lesson in a fun way, writes the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on pieces of paper and puts them on the floor. She shows Hannah how to hop her way through the three steps of an apology: admitting you did something wrong, feeling bad about what you did, and then trying never to do it again. A lesson for Yom Kippur and every day.
“An enlightening, child-friendly exploration of what it really means to say ‘I’m sorry.'” ― Kirkus Reviews
Dream by Dream: The Story of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise by Geri Kolesar, illustrated by Sofia Moore
As a child, Isaac Mayer Wise loved to study. Words were like magic keys that could unlock new worlds. He had big ideas and big dreams. Becoming a rabbi, he thought some long-held traditions needed changing, but some of his ideas were unpopular with European Jews. He decided to go to America, where he had heard Jews were more open to new ideas – and they were.
“Proof that big dreams can lead to big changes and important progress.” ― Kirkus Reviews
A Book about Bupkes by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Roxana de Rond
This is a book about bupkes: nothing, zero, zilch. Sometimes, though, what looks like nothing turns out to be the most important thing of all.
“Thoughtful, tender, and charming. Definitely not bupkes.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“Slice-of-life drawings and upbeat characters…assure readers that the world moves forward on even the smallest acts of kindness.” ― Publishers Weekly
New in Paperback
Desde las copas de los árboles (From the Tops of the Trees) by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Rachel Wada
A powerful true story of a young girl who has never known life outside a refugee camp and a father determined to help her dream big, now translated into Spanish.
Puag Saum Cov Ntsis Ntoo (From the Tops of the Trees) by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Rachel Wada
A powerful true story of a young girl who has never known life outside a refugee camp and a father determined to help her dream big, now translated into Hmong.
Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation by Patricia Newman
Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
Can understanding how forest elephants communicate help scientists find ways to protect this vulnerable species? Patricia Newman takes readers behind the scenes to see how scientists are making new discoveries about elephant communication.
“An inviting introduction to biologists at work.” — Booklist
“Fascinating for earnest conservationists.” — Kirkus Reviews
Little Monsters of the Ocean: Metamorphosis under the Waves by Heather L. Montgomery
Winner of the Dogwood Readers Award
Everyone knows that butterflies and frogs go through metamorphosis. But a number of sea creatures do too! Experienced science writer Heather L. Montgomery explores wacky details in the life cycles of some of the world’s most bizarre and fascinating ocean animals in this fresh spin on a highly curricular topic.
“A lively presentation of an unusual subject, a hidden and little-known part of our natural world.” — Kirkus Reviews
★ Nature’s Ninja by Rebecca L. Johnson
Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year
Did you know that some animals have natural ninja-like talents? In this book, you’ll learn all about them, including geckos, sea urchins, bombardier beetles, and more.
“A wonderfully fresh look at the amazing animal world around us.” —Booklist
“[T]he text encourages emerging scientists by noting that this research is current and ongoing—and that the more scientists learn, the more there is to learn. Arigatou gozaimasu for entertaining enlightenment!” —starred, Kirkus Reviews
AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler
A Mighty Girl’s Books of the Year
After her brother’s death from a congenital heart defect, twelve-year-old Lucy is not prepared to be the new kid at school—especially in a grade full of survivors of a shooting that happened four years ago.
Lucy clings to her love of math, which provides the absolute answers she craves. But through budding friendships and an after-school mime class, Lucy discovers that while grief can take many shapes and sadness may feel infinite, love is just as powerful.
“Like Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Ghost Boys, Isler’s novel takes the timely and realistic topic of gun violence and turns it into an engaging story without sensationalizing it.” — Booklist
“This book is a gift to the culture.” — Amy Schumer
“Isler nose-dives into the perhaps taboo topic of school shootings, yet breathes healing, change, and math into the emotional catharsis.” — School Library Journal
Eddie Whatever by Lois Ruby
Winner of the Mark Twain Readers Award
Thirteen-year-old Eddie needs to do a community service project in preparation for his bar mitzvah. Against his better judgment, he ends up with a volunteering gig at Silver Brook Pavilion retirement home. There’s a dramatic courtship unfolding, long-hidden secret identities, a rumor of a vengeful ghost, and a thief on the loose.
“Short chapters and snappy first-person narration give this wide appeal. . .An enjoyable intergenerational story.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[A] winning and unexpected combination of mystery, intrigue, and social commentary, interlaced with wisecracks and school woes.” — School Library Journal
Eighth Grade vs. the Machines by Joshua S. Levy
A Cybils Nominee
After the entire population of Earth’s solar system is whisked away by alien technology, Jack and his classmates and teachers aboard the PSS 118 are the only humans left. It’s up to them to find and rescue the rest of humanity—if they can avoid the aliens hunting them down, steer clear of a robot civil war, and figure out who among them might be a traitor.
“[A] nonstop whirl of captures, escapes, betrayals, exchanges of blaster fire, racing hoverbikes, and fresh tussles.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A goofy, fast-paced interstellar adventure.” — School Library Journal
Fly Back, Agnes by Elizabeth Atkinson
Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year
Twelve-year-old Agnes hates everything about her life: her name, her parents’ divorce, her best friend’s abandonment, her changing body. So while staying with her dad over the summer, she decides to become someone else. She tells people she meets that her name is Chloe, she’s fourteen, her parents are married, and she’s a dancer and actor—just the life she wants.
“Issues of peer acceptance, popularity, and the repercussions of divorce are delicately explored in this sweet and tender tale. Will resonate with middle grade and early high school students, especially those at a crossroads in their lives.” — School Library Journal
★ Gold Mountain by Betty G. Yee
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
In 1860s China, Ling Fan’s life is upended when her brother dies of influenza and their father is imprisoned under false accusations. Hoping to earn the money that will secure her father’s release, Ling Fan disguises herself as a boy and takes her brother’s contract to work for the Central Pacific Railroad Company in America.
“An exceptionally told story that will satisfy readers of history, mystery, and adventure while providing food for thought.” — starred, Booklist
“An adventure-filled glimpse into history through the eyes of a determined daughter.” — Kirkus Reviews
New Nonfiction and Fiction Series
Graphic Mythology Nonfiction Series
Drawing from storytelling traditions across the world, and with compelling themes such as heroic feats, sibling rivalries, underdogs, and underworlds, these graphic novels have fables that inspire—and invite young readers to thrill along.
All-Star Smackdown (Lerner ™ Sports) Nonfiction Series
Read about the world’s greatest athletes and compare their careers in a fun and exciting head-to-head format. Explore their stats and greatest moments, and then choose a winner.
Animal Scavengers in Action Nonfiction Series
Scavengers come alive through amazing photographs and thrilling narrative text! Explore the ways they find food and raise their young to be the next generation of scavengers.
Black Excellence Project (Read Woke ™ Books) Nonfiction Series
Celebrate notable contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans—many of whom have been left out of history books. Bring to light the names and stories of Black achievers in careers ranging from science, politics, and business to sports, music, and entertainment.
Countries on the World Stage Nonfiction Series
Explore the world’s most influential countries and how they became economic, military, and political powers. With maps and a timeline, readers will expand their understanding of global powers.
Destination Mars (Alternator Books ®) Nonfiction Series
Readers learn what it would take to get humans to Mars—from how long the space flight would be (about seven months!) to what life would be like once we got there.
Early Bird Readers — Green (Early Bird Stories ™) Fiction Series
Emergent readers at guided reading levels G–J will delight in these books that blend charming, leveled text and illustrations. Silly characters will make children grin, and a reading quiz helps readers with text comprehension.
Early Bird Readers — Yellow (Early Bird Stories ™) Fiction Series
Discover silly, fun, and simple stories perfect for building reading skills. Capture the attention and imaginations of emergent readers with charming art and age-appropriate text for guided reading levels C-F. Suggested activities to test reading comprehension add to the fun!
Esports Zone (Lerner ™ Sports) Nonfiction Series
Discover some of the most thrilling aspects of esports (organized, multiplayer video game competitions), including the industry’s biggest stars, its greatest events, and the technology that makes it all possible.
Gateway Biographies Nonfiction Series
Discover the human side of newsworthy, historical, and pop culture figures, and learn about people leading key social movements or handling crises.
Let’s Look at Fall (Pull Ahead Readers — Fiction) Series
Learn all about fall in this fictional series about our most colorful season. Each story features carefully leveled text and full-color illustrations to support children learning to read.
Let’s Look at Fall (Pull Ahead Readers — Nonfiction) Series
Explore how the season of fall changes the animals, the plants, the people, and the world around us in this nonfiction series. Simple text and full-color photos support young children learning to read.
Lightning Bolt Books ® — Baby North American Animals Nonfiction Series
Primary grades readers meet a variety of young—and, of course, adorable!—animals that live in North America. They will learn about each animal’s birth and life cycle, what it eats, and many more fascinating facts.
Lightning Bolt Books ® — That’s Scary! Nonfiction Series
Treat young readers to this delightfully scary yet fun and kid-friendly series about ghosts, haunted places, mummies, and more. Each book takes a nonfiction approach to these spooky, high-interest topics.
Military Machines (UpDog Books ™) Nonfiction Series
US military technology is among the best in the world. Some of the strongest machines are on the front lines. Learn more about the high-tech military equipment that supports our troops.
Read about Dinosaurs (Read for a Better World ™) Nonfiction Series
Go back millions of years in time to meet the dinosaurs that used to walk the Earth. Detailed images, diagrams, and STEM snapshots help bring these animals to life for beginning readers.
Read about the Past (Read for a Better World ™) Nonfiction Series
Give young readers a peek at life in the past, comparing and contrasting how things were for previous generations with how they are now.
Read about Vehicles (Read for a Better World ™) Nonfiction Series
From emergency trucks to race cars, kids will love this close up look at all types of vehicles. With STEM connections and thoughtful questions, this series is a lively and engaging first look at things that go.
Searchlight Books ™ — Exploring Robotics Nonfiction Series
Explore the high-interest and evolving topic of robots. From how robots are designed and created to the future of space, military, and other kinds of robots, readers will learn up-to-date information about modern robotics.
Searchlight Books ™ — Hunting and Fishing Nonfiction Series
Explore the great outdoors and examine popular hunting and fishing practices in this fun series. Readers will learn about the gear, safety requirements, and STEM concepts behind these outdoor activities.
Searchlight Books ™ — World Traveler Nonfiction Series
Get ready to travel around the world! Discover the peoples, cultures, histories, and landscapes of different countries. Sidebars highlight each country’s must-see sights and biggest celebrations, while a back-matter feature points out key fast facts.
Sesame Street ® Character Guides Nonfiction Series
Elmo, Abby, Big Bird, and their Sesame Street friends join this positive introduction to character traits and social and emotional wellness. Hands-on activities help kids model each topic, while simple text and a colorful design keep things engaging and fun.
Sesame Street ® Directional Words Nonfiction Series
This series is a fun, interactive way to explore spatial language. Each book features the Sesame Street friends in a fun guessing-game format that invites readers to test their knowledge about the words that describe where things are.
Sports VIPs (Lerner ™ Sports) Nonfiction Series
Explore the lives of the world’s best and hottest sports superstars in this incredible series. Each title takes readers through the athlete’s childhood and early sport experiences through their rise to fame and current records.
Super Sports Teams (Lerner ™ Sports) Nonfiction Series
Learn about the history, greatest players, and most iconic moments of the world’s most popular sports teams. Chock-full of stats and shareable information, sports fans will love the action-packed, high-interest text and thrilling photos.
Wonderfully Weird (Alternator Books ®) Nonfiction Series
Celebrate all things weird! This series centers on unusual and eye-catching places, animals, sports, and more. Additional features offer fun facts and further examples, and encourage readers to explore the topic in-depth.
Read about more Lerner releases here.