Here is a fun series written for readers who’ve enjoyed Magic Tree House but are ready for a little more depth to their stories. Two kids in NJ find a magical creature (The Jersey Devil of myth and legend) while on a field trip to the Pine Barrens which leads to their induction into a […]
Compulsively readable adventure about the youngest of the Mad Wolf’s war band who must rescue her father and brothers from the lord’s castle where they’ve been taken for rough justice. Complex, true to Scottish history (and magic), and full of great characters, this book is impossible to put down. Betsy Bird calls this book, “a […]
A dark story with gentle characters that ends triumphantly, Matilda Wood’s The Boy, The Bird and the Coffin Maker grabbed me from the first page. It reads like a fairy tale — one with lots of death and disease and a desperate flight from domestic violence (mostly in the back story). The story itself is […]
Wonderful adaptation of the beloved 1958 classic fantasy, in graphic novel form, created by EDITH, a French illustrator. Because his brother has the measles, Tom had to live for the summer at a relative’s house. In his lonely sleepless nights, after the grandfather clock strikes 13 times, he opens the back door and finds a […]
Wonderful conclusion to the Penderwicks series! Jeanne Birdsall gives a last loving look at the Penderwicks, all of whom have grown up except Lydia, the child of Mr. Penderwick and his new wife, Ianthe. They all end up at Arundel, Jeffery’s estate, for Rosalind’s wedding. Lydia makes several new friends, does the choreography for the […]
Peter Brown has created a sequel to his bestselling The Wild Robot which is absolutely terrific and brings the Wild Robot’s story to a well-earned conclusion while entrusting its young readers with very big ideas. This is a story that envisions the future of our whole planet as seen by a robot whose life experience is […]
In this wonderful new graphic novel, Jen Wang has crafted an engaging fairy tale about a prince who loves to wear dresses and secretly becomes the daringly fabulous Lady Crystallia with the help of his private dressmaker and friend. How does the dressmaker break out of the Prince’s Secret to become the famous designer she’s […]
2015 Caldecott Honor winner Jillian Tamaki usually creates graphic novels for older readers but here she presents a striking work for a younger picture book audience, and does so with amazing grace. With swirling brush strokes and flowing vibrant imagery, this philosophical creation gets inside the head of a curious girl thinking about the natural […]
Are you a The Wind in the Willows fan? Here at long last is a worthy sequel seemingly written by Kenneth Graham himself after being gently enlightened about women and privilege. The River Bank is incredibly funny yet full of detailed delight in nature as well as an exciting kidnapping for ransom. It does not require […]
This delightful picture book introduces the reader to Teddy who has chosen the coolest toy ever to be his favorite: a doll named Bren-Da, Warrior Queen of Pacifica. This is no ordinary toy. Bren-Da has the best manners, fierce fighting skills, and can pull of a wide variety of super nifty looks. Illustrator Madeline Valentine […]
