Book Mail: Hauntings, time travel, transformations, chess, and more!

All descriptions from the publishers.

The Taste of a Circle: A Story About Shapes by Rebecca J. Allen, Alice Larsson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781631638794 Publisher: North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press Publication date: 08/01/2024 Series: Math All Around, Ages 5-7)

While his grandmother makes burritos for dinner, Adrian works on homework for a lesson on shapes. At first, he does not have a fun time with it. Then his grandmother asks him a simple question: What does a circle taste like? Her question leads to a series of delicious discoveries as Adrian tastes all sorts of different shapes.

In Math All Around, narrative-driven stories introduce foundational math concepts to young readers in creative ways. Each title combines an interesting story with an important math concept from the Common Core curriculum, while simple language helps build readers’ confidence in reading. This title corresponds to CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1, 2, and 3, and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.4.

Trucks Versus Dinosaurs: A Story About Measurements by Rebecca J. Allen, Alice Larsson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781631638831 Publisher: North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press Publication date: 08/01/2024 Series: Math All Around, Ages 5-7)

Ava loves building sandpiles with her toy trucks. Levin enjoys climbing the sandpiles with his toy dinosaurs. Both friends are convinced their toys are the best. But when they start directly comparing Ava’s trucks and Levin’s dinosaurs, they find that “the best” depends on which measurement they take.

In Math All Around, narrative-driven stories introduce foundational math concepts to young readers in creative ways. Each title combines an interesting story with an important math concept from the Common Core curriculum, while simple language helps build readers’ confidence in reading. This title corresponds to CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3.

Five Dollars for Fun: A Story About Money by Rebecca J. Allen, Alice Larsson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781631638718 Publisher: North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press Publication date: 08/01/2024 Series: Math All Around, Ages 5-7)

When Nova helps her grandfather weed the garden, she earns five dollars for the work. What exciting things can she buy with five dollars? Using everything she knows about dollars, quarters, dimes, and nickels, Nova explores her options at the store and finds that
getting what she really wants might mean saving the money rather than spending it.

In Math All Around, narrative-driven stories introduce foundational math concepts to young readers in creative ways. Each title combines an interesting story with an important math concept from the Common Core curriculum, while simple language helps build readers’ confidence in reading. This title corresponds to CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.8.

My Cat Can’t Tell Time (But I Can) by Rebecca J. Allen, Alice Larsson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781631638756 Publisher: North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press Publication date: 08/01/2024 Series: Math All Around, Ages 5-7)

Mila’s cat, Muffin, can’t tell time. Muffin wakes her up early every morning! Tired of having her sleep interrupted, Mila attempts to teach Muffin how to tell time. She tells her about the hour hand, the minute hand, and hour and half-hour units. Will Mila’s teaching work? Will she ever get a full night of sleep?

In Math All Around, narrative-driven stories introduce foundational math concepts to young readers in creative ways. Each title combines an interesting story with an important math concept from the Common Core curriculum, while simple language helps build readers’ confidence in reading. This title corresponds to CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.B.3.

It Happened to Anna by Tehlor Kay Mejia (ISBN-13: 9780593647035 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/06/2024, Ages 8-12)

This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who’s being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life. From the bestselling author of the Paola Santiago series!

“Absolutely haunting!”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine

Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost—a ghost that doesn’t want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.

Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.

Which is why she’s not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn’t bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself—and she’ll do anything to make sure it stays that way.

Fearless Firsts: Athletes Who Changed the Game by James Buckley Jr., Steffi Walthall (Illustrator), Ellen Labrecque (ISBN-13: 9781728275062 Publisher: Sourcebooks Publication date: 08/06/2024 Series: Fearless Firsts, Ages 8-14)

Celebrate over 50 athletes who broke barriers, took risks, and changed the rules!

While these athletes came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take “You can’t” for an answer. With a don’t-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better sports world.

In this book, you’ll read about very famous athletes, like Jackie Robinson and Simone Biles. You’ll also discover the first female drag-racing champion and the first Latino American baseball superstar. You’ll meet the first Olympian with an amputated leg, the first blind Ironman racer, the first transgender college champion, and the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists. Beyond individual athletes, you’ll learn how Title IX impacted sports, why the Paralympics matters, and the history behind the Haudenosaunee lacrosse team.

By the time you’re done reading, whether you’re an athlete or not, you’ll be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in anything you set your mind to!

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story by David Dorado Romo (ISBN-13: 9780593567760 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/20/2024 Series: Race to the Truth, Ages 10-12)

Until now, you’ve only heard one side of the story, about migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Here’s the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective.

The Mexican American story is usually carefully presented as a story of immigrants: migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Their culture and practices shaped the Southwestern part of this country, in spite of relentless attempts by white colonizers and settlers to erase them.

From missions and the Alamo to muralists, revolutionaries, and teen activists, this is the true story of the Mexican American experience.

The Race to the Truth series tells the true history of America from the perspective of different communities. These books correct common falsehoods and celebrate underrepresented heroes and achievements. They encourage readers to ask questions and to approach new information thoughtfully. Check out the other books in the series: Colonization and the Wampanoag Story, Slavery and the African American Story, and Exclusion and the Chinese American Story.

Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan (ISBN-13: 9780593624814 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 08/27/2024, Ages 10-12)

An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history

Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she’s running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.

Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane (ISBN-13: 9780593567012 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/27/2024, Ages 10-13)

After years of discomfort as the only Chinese student at her private middle school, Emily transfers to Chinatown’s I.S. 23 for 8th Grade and ends up feeling more disconnected than ever. In this coming-of-age novel-in-verse, will Emily be able to find her way or will she lose herself completely?

After a year of distance-learning, Emily Sofer finds her world turned upside down: she has to leave the only school she’s ever known to attend a public school in Chinatown. For the first time, Emily isn’t the only Chinese student around…but looking like everyone else doesn’t mean that understanding them will be easy—especially with an intimidating group of cool girls Emily calls The Five.

When Emily discovers that her adoptive parents have been keeping a secret, she feels even more uncertain about who she is. A chance discovery of Emily Dickinson’s poetry helps her finally feel seen. . . but can the words of a writer from 200 years ago help her open up again, and find common ground with the Five?

The Champions by Kara Thomas (ISBN-13: 9780593379974 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/27/2024 Series: The Cheerleaders Series, Ages 14-17)

From the author of The Cheerleaders comes another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town’s deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine.

It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls’ killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school’s championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes—something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past.

Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team’s latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team.

It’s becoming clear Sunnybrook’s golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?

As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she’s the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left—people who were around eleven years ago—and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

Doña Quixote: Flight of the Witch by Rey Terciero, Monica M. Magaña (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781250795496 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Publication date: 09/03/2024 Series: Doña Quixote #2, Ages 8-12)

In this duology finale of the action-packed and hilarious contemporary graphic novel retelling of Don Quixote, modern-day knight and young Texan Lucia must save her town from a coven of shapeshifting witches, all while balancing friends, family, and middle school.

Lucia has become what she’s always hoped to be—a local hero. But between chores and homework, arguments with her parents and best friend, Sandro, and helping her neighbors with her special abilities, she’s busier than ever before.

When the townspeople’s treasured possessions go missing and owls start flocking around Laredo, Lucia’s gut knows that something is wrong . . . if only she had the time to get to the bottom of it. But monsters wait on no one, and there’s an evil coven of witches lurking in the shadows, preparing to wreak havoc—whether Lucia’s ready or not. Perfect for fans of Mighty Jack, Zita the Spacegirl, and Amulet.

The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs (ISBN-13: 9780063287389 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 09/03/2024, Ages 13-17)

In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) pulls the reader into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged.

When small-town athlete Avery’s morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook’s Falls have long forgotten.

The black water has been waiting. Watching. Hungry for the souls it needs to survive. 

Avery can smell the water, see it flooding everywhere; she thinks she’s losing her mind. And as the black water haunts Avery—taking a new form each time—people in town begin to go missing.

Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanien’kéha:ka (Mohawk) relatives, she has never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.

When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanien’kéha:ka and save the town but lose her friend forever…or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.

An unmissable horror novel for readers who devoured Trang Thanh Tran’s She Is a Haunting or Claire Legrand’s Sawkill Girls! 

Pablo and Splash by Sheena Dempsey (ISBN-13: 9781547616176 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Publication date: 09/03/2024, Ages 7-10)

Join time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash on an unexpected adventure to the time of the dinosaurs in this hilarious full-color graphic novel, perfect for fans of Dog Man and Investigators.

Antarctic penguins Pablo and Splash are polar opposites and besties for life. Pablo is a home-bird and a careful planner. Splash is easily bored and hungry for adventure. Sick to her flippers of the harsh,

How to Stop Freaking Out: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Cool When Life Feels Chaotic by Carla Naumburg, Letizia Rizzo (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781523518241 Publisher: Workman Publishing Company Publication date: 09/10/2024, Ages 10-14)

From the bestselling author of How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids comes the ultimate guide for middle grade readers about managing stress and anxiety when life gets chaotic.​ 

Within these pages, readers will learn what a freak out is (and isn’t), discover why people flip out when they’re stressed, practice keeping cool in the most chaotic moments, and choose one of many strategies for calming down when things are totally overwhelming. 

Along the way, there are: 
• Quizzes! What’s your freak out style? 
• Truth Bombs! You don’t have to be perfect. 
• Freak Out Facts! There are more nerve cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER: You can—and will—have big, intense, unpleasant feelings. The trick is knowing how to manage them. 

Uniquely designed to meet readers ages 8 and up, this book is filled with techniques, tools and most importantly, understanding, to guide readers through all the twists and turns on the roller coaster called LIFE.

Greta by J. S. Lemon (ISBN-13: 9780374392178 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication date: 09/10/2024, Ages 10-14)

Fish in a Tree meets Fighting Words in J. S. Lemon’s middle grade debut, a fiercely original story about friendship, healing, and the beauty of transformation.

“What new classics should look like. A strange and beautiful tale . . . This story will spark important discussions.” —Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera

Greta Goodwin’s life is changing. On top of moving to a new neighborhood far away from her best friend, Lotti, she’s also starting middle school. Greta isn’t totally ready for boys, bras, and the chaotic cafeteria. She still feels like a little kid compared to those female classmates who have suddenly matured over the summer. Girls who are now the talk of the school—unlike Greta, who would rather fly under the radar, especially after a bad haircut that makes her look less “effortlessly beautiful” and more “triangle with legs.”

But at her first-ever middle-school party, a boy does pay attention to Greta. Initially it feels good. And then it feels awful. In the aftermath, Greta can’t make sense of what’s happened, let alone talk about it, even to Lotti. Impossibly, Greta’s body starts to change in a vastly different way from everyone else’s. What follows leads Greta to believe the world might finally see her as she truly is: ethereal, powerful, and free.

Sensitively told, stunningly written, and surprisingly funny, Greta will transform readers just as Greta herself is transformed.

Great Minds of Science (Black Lives #1): A Nonfiction Graphic Novel by Tonya Bolden, David Wilkerson (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781419752698 Publisher: Abrams Fanfare Publication date: 09/10/2024 Series: Black Lives, Ages 8-12)

Dive in to an exciting nonfiction graphic novel series about some of the greatest Black lives in history!

This fun and accessible graphic novel for middle grade readers brings to light the lives of great but lesser-known Black scientists. Great Minds of Science is a kid-friendly introduction to some of the greatest scientists in history—doctors, engineers, mathematicians, and biologists.

Each of them faced challenges as they rose to the top of their professions, but they didn’t back down. They kept experimenting and questioning and learning, and they made significant contributions in each of their scientific fields.

Black Lives is the new graphic novel series from award-winning author Tonya Bolden and illustrator David Wilkerson that celebrates the lives of Black innovators and legends and helps bring these histories to life.

Celebrate the lives and contributions of Black scientists throughout history with the inspiring Great Minds of Science.

May the Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao (ISBN-13: 9780593615867 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 09/17/2024, Ages 8-12)

The game is on in this fun-filled middle grade debut about chess, girl power, and performance anxiety in sports, perfect for fans of Kelly Yang and Celia C. Pérez!

The clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championship—and with it, a ticket to nationals. What’s even more exciting is that May got an award for being the top female player and a splashy feature in the biggest chess magazine in the country.

May should be thrilled. But some of her teammates, including her supposed-to-be-friend Ralph, aren’t too pleased with the attention she’s getting—and they’re even questioning her skills. Backed into a corner, but not one to back down, May makes a move as bold as any of her chess tactics: She bets Ralph she can win the school’s internal tournament and be chosen as team captain for nationals.

The crown is May’s for the taking . . . except she’s starting to crumble under the weight of everyone’s expectations. Anxious feelings begin to affect her performance and, what’s worse, eat away at her love for the game. Now May is left to wonder: Can you still play for fun when you’re playing to win?

Spells to Forget Us by Aislinn Brophy (ISBN-13: 9780593354551 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 09/17/2024, Ages 12-17)

A witch and a non-magical girl get stuck in an endless cycle of meet-cutes and breakups in this heart-stopping romantic young adult fantasy.

“A seamless, mind-bending exploration of love and identity that manages to completely re-invent the time-loop story….You’ll never read a book quite like this again.” —Mark Oshiro, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Into the Light

Luna is a powerful witch. Known for her skills and feared for her temper, she’s set to preserve her family’s legacy by becoming the head of Boston’s Witch Council—a job she does not want.

Aoife is a non-magical girl. Raised under the lens of her influencer family, she’s grown up in the public eye. Now she yearns for privacy—but knows her parents won’t oblige.

Just when they are at their lowest, Aoife and Luna find each other and start dating. As decreed by magic law, Luna casts a spell that will erase Aoife’s memories of their history together if they ever break up. But when Aoife and Luna end things, it’s both of them who forget . . . that is, until they meet again, fall for each other, and recover all the memories of their last attempt at dating.

So begins the story of two star-crossed lovers who keep finding their way into each other’s orbits, even as the universe pulls them apart. When they set out to break the cycle, will they be strangers forever or together at last?

“A whirlwind of whimsical romance and examinations of autonomy and familial duty.” —Jas Hammonds, award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments

Oliver’s Great Big Universe: Volcanoes Are Hot! (Oliver’s Great Big Universe #2) by Jorge Cham (ISBN-13: 9781419764103 Publisher: Amulet Books Publication date: 09/17/2024 Series: Oliver’s Great Big Universe, Ages 8-12)

“Mind-expanding and hilarious! I got smarter reading this!”
—Jeff Kinney, author of the international bestselling series Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Earth sciences meet Diary of a Wimpy Kid in Oliver’s Great Big Universe: Volcanoes Are Hot!, second in an original illustrated middle-grade fiction series that blends science with narrative from bestselling author-artist Jorge Cham, the Emmy Award–nominated creator of PBS’s Elinor Wonders Why

After writing his first book, eleven-year-old Oliver is kind of a celebrity around school—no big deal. But when he gets caught in a cafeteria catastrophe, he quickly goes from being the “funny science kid” to one of the “Epic Barf Kids”, the result of too much explosive cherry pie in the lunchroom. Oliver is desperate to restore his reputation—and winning the science fair sounds like the perfect way for everyone to forget about the whole barf thing. There’s just one obstacle standing in his way: Ana Lía Quintero, who wins the science fair every year.

Luckily, Oliver has the help of his geoscientist aunt, even though she’s a little, um, quirky (scratch that: really quirky). If Oliver has any chance of defeating his archnemesis, he’ll have to learn all about volcanic burping and bacteria farts, how Earth’s layers are basically like boba tea, and how school cliques and the solar system have a lot in common.

With laugh-out-loud humor and cartoon-style illustrations from bestselling writer and the creator of PHD Comics Jorge Cham, Oliver’s Great Big Universe is a STEAM-themed, diary-style series following one kid who’s taking on the whole universe—if he can survive middle school first.

This Dark Paradise by Erin Luken (ISBN-13: 9781547613960 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Publication date: 10/01/2024, Ages 14-17)

In this YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of Hotel Magnifique and These Violent Delights, a girl visits the enchanted island of her dreams only to discover that its magic is horribly cursed.

An enchanted island.

In the tenements where Lucia lives, everyone dreams of making it to the enchanted island of Estaralla, where mystical fountains reveal your deepest desires, fantastical feasts appear from nowhere, and dark caverns allow you to whisper with the dead.

A dangerous heist.

But Lucia Arduini isn’t going to Estaralla to experience miracles. She’s going to steal the most valuable object in the world: the source of the island’s magic.

Lucia has five days to steal the source or a dangerous gang will go after her brother.

A deadly secret.

But Estaralla is not what it seems.

Torn between a boy who once broke her heart and a girl with a dark secret, Lucia soon discovers that something sinister is happening behind the enchantments . . . and she might not survive the island’s magic long enough to steal it.

This dark YA fantasy with a bisexual love triangle is perfect for fans of Caraval and Belladonna.

Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron (ISBN-13: 9781662520518 Publisher: Amazon Publishing Publication date: 10/01/2024)

A missing student. A singular investigation. A new romance. Every bit of it is a mystery in a delightful novel of cosmic twists by the author of How to Win a Breakup.

East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza.

But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly. His messages are coming not only from Aleeza’s own dorm room but from the past—only weeks before he disappeared. Sharing space, if not time, Aleeza and Jay are living the impossible, and they start working together to prevent his inevitable disappearance. Causing a temporal paradox that could blow up the universe is a risk they’re going to have to take.

Aleeza digs through Jay’s suspicious friends, enemies, and exes, determined to find out what happened to him. Or what will happen to him. But it’s becoming more than a mystery. Aleeza is catching feelings for her charming new roommate. Wherever, and whenever, he may be.

All the Jingle Ladies by Beth Garrod (ISBN-13: 9781728249001 Publisher: Sourcebooks Publication date: 10/04/2024, Ages 13-18)

From the author of Blame It on the Mistletoe comes another cozy holiday romcom, perfect for fans of Dash & Lily and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Molly hates Christmas. Ever since her parents released a cheesy Christmas song ten years ago—complete with a video of Molly dressed as the cutest little elf—December has gone from Ho! Ho! Ho! to Hu-Hu-Humiliating! This year takes a turn for the worse when the song of Molly’s nightmares is included on the soundtrack for the hottest new holiday film. This mortifying tune is everywhere—again!

As Molly tries to hide her true elf, a Christmas connection with a cute guy at the movie’s premiere may make this holiday season one to remember. All she has to do is keep him from finding out the truth about the ghost of elf-mas past. But Molly isn’t the only one hiding her real identity. Will her Christmas romance have a Hollywood ending…or will it be one big mistletoe mess?

Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos by Alex Evanovich (ISBN-13: 9781665960045 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers Publication date: 10/08/2024 Series: Evil Villains International League #1, Ages 10+)

For graduates of Percy Jackson comes the adventure-filled story of an average boy offered a life of villainy that’s about good vs. evil, mischief vs. mayhem, and making your mark on the world, by acclaimed author Alex Evanovich.

If you’ve ever lost a sock in the dryer, it might have been the work of the Evil Villains International League, EVIL. And if your feet smell so bad, they keep you from making friends, good news! You might be invited to join.

After growing up in the care of his nagging grandmother and coasting through school with a mediocre GPA, Keeper Chance gets invited to try out for a spot in his local chapter of EVIL. Keeper’s not sure his unremarkable life makes him villain material, but things get more remarkable, and fast, when Keeper and another new recruit, Toby, face the chapter’s first test—and disasters begin to snowball.

As cookies and members of EVIL go missing, a mysterious girl named Y who doesn’t miss anything joins Keeper and Toby’s efforts. Despite the urgency of his mission, Keeper still can’t shake the question of why he was chosen for the league when he’s nothing special.

As Keeper races against the clock to save his new friends, nothing is easy, and nothing is ever as it seems. Can he uncover his true nature in time to ensure the survival of villainy—or does his true destiny follow a different path?

Sophie: Jurassic Bark: A graphic novel , Vol.1 by Brian Anderson (ISBN-13: 9781958325148 Publisher: Marble Press Publication date: 10/15/2024 Series: Sophie #1, Ages 8-12)

Sophie: Frankenstein’s Hound: A graphic novel , Vol.2 by Brian Anderson (ISBN-13: 9781958325254 Publisher: Marble Press Publication date: 10/15/2024 Series: Sophie #2, Ages 8-12)

“Sophie is the perfect mix of heart, humor, and hilarity!” – Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate

From the creator the much-loved webcomic, “Dog Eat Doug,” Sophie is a hilarious new graphic novel series, a sendup of family life from the perspective of one snarky dog who wants nothing more than to have everything—without ever having to share.

Life is good when you’re a dog and you have humans all to yourself. But what about when a new baby enters the picture . . . along with a couple of cats intent on taking over the world?

Full of mini adventures, pop culture spoofs, sharp jokes, adorable illustrations, and a sneaky dose of heart, Jurassic Bark and Frankenstein’s Hound are the perfect introduction to these characters and their world. Just right for the pet-obsessed among us no matter the age, while simultaneously appealing to the kids who love to giggle at Big Nate, Dog Man, Garfield, and Snoopy.

All the Truth I Can Stand by Mason Stokes (ISBN-13: 9781662680885 Publisher: Astra Publishing House Publication date: 11/05/2024, Ages 14-17)

A gay teenager in 1990s Wyoming must contend with the violent loss of a loved one in this historical YA novel that draws from the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.

Juniper, Wyoming, high school student Ash is still reeling from his mother’s death and ostracization by his friends when his father signs him up to join the crew for a college production of Oklahoma! Ash is slowly drawn out of his shell by student reporter Jenna and the star of the show, Shane, with whom a romance slowly blooms. Shane is talented, sensitive, and magnetic, but also deeply troubled. When Shane is found brutally beaten and unconscious, Jenna and Ash are shattered. And after Shane dies, they watch his death become a rallying point for gay rights advocates, and they wonder what the full story is and if they truly knew Shane at all.

All The Truth I Can Stand is a heartbreaking exploration of grief and legacy, and details the good and the bad that can come to pass when an imperfect person is made into a symbol.

Dead Below Deck by Jan Gangsei (ISBN-13: 9780063310445 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 11/19/2024, Ages 13-17)

When an heiress disappears from her superyacht and security footage shows her getting pushed, the main suspect has to prove her innocence in this thrilling mystery at sea told in reverse chronological order, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Genuine Fraud.

It was supposed to be the best-ever girls’ trip: five days, four friends, one luxury yacht, no parents. But on the final night, as the yacht cruised the deep and dark waters between Florida and Grand Cayman, eighteen-year-old heiress Giselle vanished. She’s nowhere to be found the next morning even after a frantic search, until security footage surfaces . . . showing Maggie pushing her overboard.

But Maggie has no memory of what happened. All she knows is that she woke up with a throbbing headache, thousands of dollars in cash in her safe, a passport that isn’t hers, and Giselle’s diary. And while Maggie had her own reasons to want Giselle dead, so did everyone else on board: jealous Viv, calculating Emi, even some members of the staff.

What really went down on the top deck that night? Maggie will have to work her way backward to uncover the secrets that everyone—even Giselle—kept below deck or she’s dead in the water.

Jan Gangsei crafts a compulsively readable tale of privilege, family, and identity wrapped in a wholly original mystery that will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the final twist.

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