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The Twisted Ones
by T. Kingfisher
Adult Crossover Thrillers Plus
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When Mouse's dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?
Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there's more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather's journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself. Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they're looking for you. And if she doesn't face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.
Author's note.
2019 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
LJ Best Books - 2019
Cruelty to animals, Strong language, Violence
Grandmothers. Secrets. Woods and forests. Effigies. North Carolina. Thrillers. Suspense. Horror. Occult and supernatural.
The Story That Cannot Be Told
by J. Kasper Kramer
Upper Elementary & Junior High Plus
Ileana has always collected stories. Some are about the past, before the leader of her country tore down her home to make room for his golden palace; back when families had enough food, and the hot water worked on more than just Saturday nights. Others are folktales, like the one she was named for, which her father used to tell her at bedtime. But some stories can get you in trouble, like the dangerous one criticizing Romania's Communist government that Uncle Andrei published—right before he went missing.
Fearing for her safety, Ileana's parents send her to live with the grandparents she's never met, far from the prying eyes and ears of the secret police and their spies, who could be any of the neighbors. But danger is never far away. Now, to save her family and the village she's come to love, Ileana will have to tell the most important story of her life.
Harsh realities of war, One instance of "damned"
Family life. Romania. Authorship. Dictatorship. Communism. Revolutions. Romanian history. Romanian Revolution (1989). Folktales. Storytelling. Grandparents. Friendship.
The Distance between Me and the Cherry Tree
by Paola Peretti
Intermediate Readers
There are a lot of things ten-year-old Mafalda cares a lot about. Like, counting the stars in the night sky, playing soccer, and climbing the cherry tree outside her school. Mafalda even goes so far as to keep a list of all these things, because soon she won't be able to do them anymore—because she's going blind.
Even with her bad eyesight, Mafalda can see that people are already treating her differently—and that's the last thing she wants. So, she hides the fact that her vision is deteriorating faster than anyone predicted, and she makes a plan: When the time is right, she'll go live in the cherry tree, just like her favorite book character. But as Mafalda loses her sight, surprising things come in to focus. With the help of her family and friends both old and new, Mafalda discovers the things that matter most.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honoree - 2020
Blind. Blindness. People with disabilities. Family life. Friendship. Grief. Coping. Stargardt disease.
by Brittney Morris
High-Interest High Plus
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer: not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the "downfall of the black man."
But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for "anti-white discrimination. Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically black in a world intimidated by blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?
Publishers Weekly Best Books - 2019
NYPL Best Books - 2019
PEOPLE Best Books of Fall 2019
Mild sexual themes, Racism, Strong language, Underage drinking, Racist slur, Domestic abuse
Video games. Fantasy games. Role playing. African Americans. Dating (social customs). High schools. Prejudice and racism.
Little Frida: A Story of Frida Kahlo
by Anthony Browne
Arts Elementary Plus
Following a bout with polio at the age of six, Frida Kahlo's life was marked by pain and loneliness. In real life she walked with a limp, but in her dreams she flew. One day, her imagination took her on a journey to a girl in white who could dance without pain and hold her secrets, an indelible figure who would find her way into Frida's art in years to come. Inspired by Frida Kahlo's diary, Anthony Browne captures the essence of the artist's early flights of fancy and depicts both Frida and her imaginary friend in vivid illustrations evoking Kahlo's iconic style. A note at the end offers a brief biography of the artist who has intrigued art lovers the world over.
Note on Frida Kahlo. Full-color illustrations done in watercolor and gouache.
Negative attitudes toward differing physical abilities
Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). Polio. Childhood. Dreams. Imagination. Children with disabilities. Friendship. Mexican artists. Women artists.
The Underhills: A Tooth Fairy Story
by Bob Graham
With their parents off on an urgent molar pickup, April and Esme are ready for a cozy overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's teapot house by the airport fence. There will be fairy cakes to mix, pancakes and syrup for breakfast, a chocolate on each of their pillows. But then a call comes in about a small girl in a red coat, arriving from Ghana with a baby tooth somewhere in her pocket. Could this be a job for April and Esme, tooth fairy sisters?
As always with Bob Graham, the beauty is in the details: Grandpa working out with a giant teabag-turned-punching-bag; fellow winged creatures hovering above the airport terminal (cupids to help people meet and angels to comfort the sad arrivals). Merging humor, poignancy, and a bit of heart-fluttering suspense, Bob Graham turns a familiar moment of childhood independence into a thing of magic.
Full-color illustrations done in ink and watercolor.
Family life. Tooth Fairy. Fairies. Sisters. Grandparents. Responsibility. Teamwork. Airports. Angels. Cupids.
And We Call It Love
by Amanda Vink
Hi-Lo Mature
Clare and Zari are best friends. They write music together, go everywhere together, and they know everything about the other. At least they did before Zari started dating Dion. The more Zari falls for Dion, the less she has time for anything else. At first, Clare chalks it up to a new and exciting relationship, and she tries to be happy for her friend despite her loneliness. When Zari starts to show up to school with half-hidden bruises, Clare knows there's something darker about this relationship that has to be stopped.
Mild language, Violence
Dating (social customs). Emotional abuse. Social status. Friendship. Schools.
Body 2.0: The Engineering Revolution in Medicine
by Sara Latta
Nonfiction High Plus
Scientists are on the verge of a revolution in biomedical engineering that will forever change the way we think about medicine, even life itself. Cutting-edge researchers are working to build body organs and tissue in the lab. They are developing ways to encourage the body to regenerate damaged or diseased bone and muscle tissue. Scientists are striving to re-route visual stimuli to the brain to help blind people see. They may soon discover methods to enlist the trillions of microbes living in our bodies to help us fight disease. Learn about four strands of bioengineering —tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, neuroengineering, microbial science, and genetic engineering and synthetic biology—meet scientists working in these fields.
Glossary. Source notes. Selected bibliography. Further information. Index. Full-color photographs and diagrams.
Biomedical engineering. Science. Regeneration (biology). Technology. Innovation. Scientific discovery. Medical science. Medicine.
Measles: How a Contagious Rash Changed History
by Mark K. Lewis
Series Nonfiction
History Grades 6-8
Measles is an infectious rash that killed millions of people every year before a vaccine was created in 1963. Read this book to learn more about the history of this infectious disease.
Infected!
When Julia Danced Bomba / Cuando Julia bailaba bomba
by Raquel M. Ortiz
Primary Spanish
"Julia, they're already warming up. Hurry!" Cheito says to his little sister as they rush to their bomba class. Cheito is a natural on the drums, but Julia isn't as enthusiastic about dancing.
Julia tries to imitate the best dancer in the class, but her turns are still too slow, her steps too big. She just can't do anything right! When the instructor announces the younger students will be participating in the bombazo and performing a solo, Julia is terrified. When it's her turn, she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and focuses on the beat of the drum. As she dances, Julia notices that the drums are actually talking to her. Feeling braver, she stops worrying and trying so hard. Instead, she loses herself in the rhythm of the bomba drums and enjoys herself!
Introducing children and adults to the Afro-Latino tradition of bomba music and dancing, author and educator Raquel M. Ortiz shares another story for children ages 5-9 about her rich Puerto Rican heritage. With lively illustrations by Flor de Vita that aptly express Julia's frustration, fear and joy, this book will help children understand that practicing whether dance steps, dribbling a ball or playing a musical instrument yields results!
Further information about bomba dance style. Glossary. Full-color illustrations.
Bomba (dance). Puerto Rico. Dancers. Music. Perfectionism. Bilingual Spanish language materials.
Do Fish Sleep?
by Jens Raschke
Intermediate Readers Plus
Sick since even before Jette can remember, her brother Emil now has died. The feelings that losing him evoke in her are huge and confusing. Most simply, it feels as though a dark raincloud has descended over her family. And then there's the ridiculous fact that nobody seems to know what happens after you die, and yet adults often talk as if they do. Told in the first-person voice of a wry, observant 10-year-old girl, Do Fish Sleep? by Jens Raschke is an honest, darkly funny look into loss, memory, and the search for answers. Originally performed as a one-girl play, Do Fish Sleep? was a breakout success at the box office, and received both the 2012 Mülheimer Children's Theater Prize and the 2014 MDR Children's Radio Play Prize. Do Fish Sleep? has been a best-seller in Germany since publication and has been translated into several languages.
Two-color illustrations.
Illness. Death and dying. Family life. Siblings. Brothers. Grief. Funerals.
Space Exploration―A History in 100 Objects
by Sten Odenwald
Science Grades 6-8
This is no ordinary space book.
Within the pages of this eclectic pop-history, scientist and educator Sten Odenwald at NASA examines 100 objects that forever altered what we know and how we think about the cosmos. From Sputnik to Skylab and Galileo's telescope to the Curiosity rover, some objects are iconic and some obscure—but all are utterly important.
The Nebra sky disk (1600 BCE) features the first realistic depiction of the Sun, Moon, and stars.
The Lunar Laser Ranging RetroReflector finallyshowed us how far we are from the Moon in 1969.
In 1986, it was the humble, rubber O-ring that doomed the space shuttle Challenger.
The Event Horizon Telescope gave us our first glimpse of a black hole in 2019.
These 100 objects, as Odenwald puts it, showcase the workhorse tools and game-changing technologies that have altered the course of space history . . . the tools and devices that, taken together, represent the major scientific discoveries—and celebrate the human ingenuity—of space technology, showing the ways physics and engineering have brought about our greatest leaps in understanding the way our universe works. . . . They make it clear that we have made giant strides in our quest to search ever more deeply into the farthest reaches of the universe—and behind each new discovery is an object that expands our appreciation of space as well as the boundless imagination and resourcefulness we carry within us.