Pirates by John Matthews (ages 8-12)
Histories, biographies and assorted buccaneer trivia make up this delectable
book about the wildly popular pirates. Captain
Abdul’s Little Treasure by Colin
McNaughton (ages 5-8)
When Captain Abdul’s disgruntled wife leaves a treasure chest
on board the ship, the crew is shocked to find Abdul’s little
son hidden inside. Babysitting quickly replaces the crew’s more
typical activities.
Peter
and the Starcatchersby
David Barry and Ridley Pearson (paperback, ages 9-14)
How did Peter Pan learn to fly? Why does he live in NeverLand? These questions
and more are answered in this fanciful prequel to the story of Peter Pan. (Then
read the exciting sequel “Peter and the Shadow Thieves.”)
Pirates
of the Caribbean: the Visual Guideby
Richard Platt (ages 9-14)
This insider’s guide to the movie takes readers on a tour of
the swashbuckling world of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Prehistoric
Creatures
Jurassic Poopby Jacob Berkowitz (ages 8-12)
Preserved excrement, whether dried, frozen or turned to rock, can provide
all kinds of information to scientists. The “e-e-eew factor” is
only part of the appeal of this lively introduction to fossilized
feces.
Dino Warsby Jinny Johnson (ages 10-14)
If a powerful T. Rex battled an armored Triceratops, who would win?
Discover the deadliest dinosaurs, bloodiest battles and super survival
strategies of the prehistoric world.
Mammoths
on the Moveby Lisa Wheeler
(ages 5-8)
“They’re massive. They’re hairy. They’re truly legendary!” Amazing
scratchboard and watercolor illustrations bring these prehistoric mammals to
life.
Encyclopedia
Prehistorica Sharks and Other Sea Monstersby
Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart (all ages)
While dinosaurs patrolled the lands, massive sharks, giant sea scorpions and
colossal squid cruised the oceans. Experience this amazing time via 35 pop-ups
and fascinating information filled captions.
Alphabet Explosion by John
Nickle (Picture Book)
Mastering one’s ABCs does not have to be routine. Brilliant collage
illustrations invite the reader to find all the objects that begin with
the appropriate letter.
Behold
the Bold Umbrellaphant by Jack Prelutsky
(all ages)
Behold a fantastically silly book filled with Tearful Zipperpotamuses,
Ballpoint Penguins, Clocktopuses and of course Umbrellaphants.
F
is for Fiesta by Susan Middleton Elya (Picture Book)
Spanish alphabet words are seamlessly woven into a charming birthday story of
a Latino boy.
Punished by
David Lubar (ages 8-12)
Logan knows he shouldn’t have been playing tag in the library and he’s
sorry that he crashed into Professor Wordsworth. But what did the strange old
man mean when he said that Logan should be “pun”ished?
Interesting
People
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by
Sid Fleischman (ages 10-15)
“Who was the man who could walk through brick walls?” This amazing
biography of Houdini is presented by a fellow magician who unmasks the man, but
leaves some magic to ponder.
Jackie’s
Bat by Marybeth
Lorbiecki (Picture Book)
This fictionalized story of Jackie Robinson’s rookie year is seen
through the eyes of a young batboy who overcomes his own prejudice to
become friends with the legend.
Through
Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Rodriguez (ages
7-10)
Explore the life of Georgia O’Keeffe, from her country childhood through
art school in Chicago and New York to her eventual discovery of the wide-open
Southwest. Cut-paper collages, reminiscent of O’Keeffe’s artwork,
enrich the text.
Team
Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (ages 10-adult)
“Team Moon” captures the walk on the moon and the work of all the
people behind the scenes in the Apollo 11 program-- from the space suit designers
to the TV satellite dish operators.
John,
Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith (Picture Book)
For those constitutionally opposed to history lessons, Smith profiles
the Founding Fathers as the nonconformist kids they might have been.
Yellow
Star by Jennifer Roy (ages 10-14)
This novel-in-verse, credibly and convincingly narrated by a child named
Syvia, describes how she grew up in the Polish Lodz Ghetto.
Love
to be Scared
The Three Witches retold
by Joyce Carol Thomas (ages 7-10)
“Three witches had already eaten a boy and girl’s mother and father,
so their grandmother took them to live with her far off in the woods.” Not
for the faint-hearted, this tale will be welcomed by connoisseurs (of all ages)
of the scary story.
Bats at the Beachby Brian Lies (Picture Book)
On a night when the moon can grow no fatter, bats pack their moon-tan lotion
and baskets of treats and fly off for some fun on the beach.
Mommy? by Maurice Sendak (all ages)
Monsters abound (and pop out) as a fearless little boy searches for his Mommy
in this nearly wordless pop-up book.
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (ages 8-12)
Frankenstein goes to the village looking for lunch and is upset when the frighten
villagers pelt him with rotten food, until he realizes he’s got an entire
sandwich at his feet.
Bunnicula
Meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe (ages 8-11)
An overly-alarmed Chester the cat predicts a gruesome fate for the pets in the
Monroe household when a writer of juvenile horror fiction and his bird companion
stay overnight.
Wolves by
Emily Gravett (Picture Book)
When a young rabbit checks out a library book about wolves, he learns
much more about their behavior than he wanted to know.
Giant
Snakes by Seymour Simon (ages 5-8)
This easy reader introduces all kinds of large snakes and their habitats,
how and what they eat, and how they move.
We
Love Animals
An Egg is Quiet by Dianna
Hutts Aston (ages 6-10)
This simple gem presents eggs in a variety of forms and colors. Birds
and reptiles, big and little—the scientific concepts are clearly
explained and creatively presented.
Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan (all ages)
Fourteen short, non-rhyming poems introduce some wonderful dogs, with
the personality of each one captured in just a few revealing lines.
Super Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Ages 5-8)
The busy, buzzy beastie introduced in “Hi!
Fly Guy” (2005)
accompanies his best bud Buzz to school, and enters fly heaven - the
lunchroom.
Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne
Fine (ages 7-10)
“Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity’s sake, I’m
a cat. It’s practically my job…” Here
are the hilariously horrendous antics of Tuffy and his family, as told by the
killer cat himself.
I
Lost My Tooth In Africa by Penda Diakite (Picture
Book)
Amian is visiting her father’s family in Africa when she loses
a tooth. She places it under a gourd for the African Tooth Fairy to
leave her a chicken.
Henry
and Mudge and the Big Sleepover by Cynthia Rylant
(ages 5-8)
Henry and Mudge go to a sleepover and a fine time is had by all, especially
Mudge who gets all the popcorn he wants.
Good
Boy Fergus by David Shannon (Picture Book)
The author of “No, David!” has gotten a dog and he had
behavioral problems too.
Mysterious
The
Case of the Missing Marquess by
Nancy Springer (Ages 10-14)
Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, stars in her
own mystery when her mother disappears. Her brothers want to send her
to a boarding school, but she runs away and ends up in London. She decides
to become a “Perditorian,” or
finder of lost things or people.
The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett
(Ages 11 and up)
Petra, Calder and Tommy are drawn into another art mystery focusing
on Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, the Robie
House. The sixth graders attempt to save this landmark from demolition
encountering hidden puzzles, coded messages and eerie sightings.
Half
Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer (Ages 10-14)
The hilarious exploits of brainiac Fletcher Moon, a young graduate
of an online detective course. His first case: Eber-brat April Devereux, “head
of an entire tribe of Barbies,” hires him to find out who swiped
the lock of a pop star’s hair that she bought on eBay.
Dead
Guys Talk: A Wild Willie Mystery by Barbara Joosse
(Ages 8-10)
In the dead middle of summer, the Scarface Detectives investigate their
creepiest case yet when a mysterious client sends them to Oak Hill
Cemetery, where Loonie Loraine is buried.
Fantastical
Endymion
Spring by Matthew Skelton (Ages 12 and up)
In the library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce
his finger and draw blood. It’s the beginning of a journey across
time that started centuries earlier, and the revelation of a timeless
secret.
The Snow Spider (The Magician
Trilogy; v.1 ) by Jenny Nimmo (Ages 8-12)
Grandmother insists that in every generation of their family there
is born a magician. So on Gwyn’s ninth birthday she gives him
five strange gifts to test his magic.
Fairest by
Gail Carson Levine (Ages 10-14)
Aza is too large and her hair too black to be considered beautiful, but she has
a stunning voice and a lovely manner. She would give anything to be truly beautiful.
Sea
of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Ages 11-15)
Percy’s school year has been strangely uneventful until Laestrygonians,
man-eating giants from the Odyssey, attack him on the dodge ball
court. (Sequel to “The
Lightning Thief.”)
All
That Jazz
Jazzby Walter Dean Myers;
illustrated by Christopher Myers (ages 8-12)
The father-and-son team creates a scintillating paean to jazz.
Dizzy by Jonah Winter (ages 6-10)
The life of Dizzy Gillespie ‘a real cool cat’ who became
the Prince of Jazz.
This
Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt (Picture Book)
“This jazz man, he plays 1, he plays rhythm with his thumb, with a Snap!
Snap! SnazzySnap! Give the man a hand, this jazz man scats with the band.” An
introduction to jazz music and nine well-known jazz musicians.