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The Squirrel Squire
Erik DeLeo
Synopsis:

A small but brave squirrel. An annual tournament. And threats from a dark challenger. 

Squire Puff faces many pressures, but searching for a missing knight isn’t supposed to be one of them. When things take a turn for the worse, can he face his fears and help avert disaster? If Puff can’t find the champion, he’s the only one left who can fight.

If you like talking animals, epic sword fights and exciting adventures, then you’ll love The Squirrel Squire. This chapter book is perfect for fans of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Redwall by Brian Jacques and The Green Ember by S.D. Smith, along with other fantasy series including The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Animals
The Revenge of Magic
James Riley
Synopsis: “This imaginative and exciting story feels like the start of something big. The brilliant premise unfolds into a thrilling first book that has me impatient for the next one.” —Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fablehaven and Dragonwatch

When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!

Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.

Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.

But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
Publication Date: 03/05/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Watch Hollow
Matthew Griffin, Gregory Funaro
Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us into a world where magic exists, monsters roam in the shadows, and wooden animals come to life.

Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock’s gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.

When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that’s too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.

It doesn’t take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. And before they can entirely understand the strange world they’ve stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr—a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear.

Publication Date: 02/12/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Pizza of Peril
John Dougherty, Sam Ricks
Synopsis: There is something cheesy going on in the kingdom of Great Kerfuffle!

The rascally BADgers have escaped from jail again and they made an amazing discovery--a pizza mine! They love eating it, of course, and selling it to make money to fund their villainous plots. But there's a big problem: the Loose Pebbles library is tipping over without all that pizza to hold it up. And if it tips any farther, the entire island of Great Kerfuffle will flip over into the ocean!

So it's up to Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face to save the day. But even with a shopping cart disguised as a horse, secret agent sunglasses, and an elephant who walks by at just the right moment, a surprise that's bigger and badder than ever throws them for a loop.

Will the island of Great Kerfuffle be no more? We can't tell you, because that would spoil the story!
Publication Date: 02/12/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Series
Best Family Ever
Tyler Russell, Karen Kingsbury
Synopsis: Much-loved storyteller Karen Kingsbury’s Baxter Family books have captured the hearts of millions who have come to think of the Baxter family as their own. Now Karen Kingsbury and her son Tyler Russell tell the childhood stories of the beloved Baxter children—Brooke, Kari, Ashley, Erin, and Luke—to inspire and entertain younger readers.

Brooke is the perfect older sister. For that reason, Kari and Ashley work hard to make their parents just as proud of them as they are of Brooke. Each girl has her own talents. Brooke is an excellent student. Kari is a great soccer player. Ashley, a talented artist. And they are always there for each other. But when the news comes that Dr. Baxter is moving the family from Ann Arbor to Bloomington, Indiana, and the Baxters need to leave the only home and friends they’ve ever known, no one is happy. Saying goodbye is hard but the family still has what’s most important—their faith and their love for each other.

The first book in the Baxter Family Children series, #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell tell the story of what it was like to grow up in the Baxter family, the best family ever.
Publication Date: 02/05/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Meena Meets Her Match
Rayner Alencar, Karla Manternach
Synopsis: Graduates of the Ramona Quimby series will adore Meena Zee as she navigates the triumphs and challenges of family, friendship, and personal secrets in this charming middle grade debut.

Meena’s life is full of color. She wears vibrant clothes, eats every shade of the rainbow, and plucks eye-catching trash from the neighborhood recycling bins.

But when Meena’s best friend, Sofía, stops playing with her at recess and she experiences an unexpected and scary incident at breakfast, nothing can fight off the gray.

That’s when Meena comes up with a plan to create the BEST and most COLORFUL Valentine’s Day Box in the class. With the help of her cousin, Eli, and her stuffed zebra, Raymond, Meena discovers that the best way to break through the blah is to let her true colors shine.
Publication Date: 01/29/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Genesis Begins Again
Alicia D. Williams
Synopsis: This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What’s not so regular is that this time they all don’t have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It’s not that Genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight—Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she’d married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren’t all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she’s made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won’t the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?
Publication Date: 01/15/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Woes of a Ginger Named Red
Synopsis: Ginger’s entire life changes in an instant when she realizes her mom has a secret to share with the family. Where will this change take Ginger, who has already faced scary challenges like seizures, house fires, and bullying? Although she is a strong little girl, who seems to deal with the hand life dealt her, everyone has limits--Will Ginger hit hers?
Publication Date: 01/14/19
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
I Spy The Illuminati Eye
Sheila Keenan
Synopsis: Enlighten yourself with this fun guide to the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing secret society.

This irreverent, illustrated guide takes a look with an all-seeing, skeptical eye at the history and mystery of the cultural phenomenon that's got middle-school kids flashing finger triangles and scrutinizing dollar bills for signs of the Illuminati. It's the first pop culture companion to the shadowy group behind everything from the French Revolution to Jay-Z's fabulous rise. How did an eighteenth-century philosophical society infiltrate governments, banks, the media, the military, Hollywood, and hip-hop? . . . Or did they?

Kids everywhere want to know who's in, who's not, and what all those signs, symbols, and secret rituals are really about.

Is it all really real? Find out in this fun guide to all things illuminati.
Publication Date: 12/04/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Educational
A Dreadful Fairy Book
Quentin Q. Quacksworth, Jon Etter
Synopsis: Readers, beware: what you hold in your hands is a dreadful fairy book.
I wish I were narrating almost any other fairy story, but alas, this is my lot. Whatever expectations you have of delightful and whimsical fairies are sure to be disappointed. There are certainly fairies, but most are not proper fairies. Some who are supposed to be nasty are disappointingly nice, while some who should be kind and helpful are disconcertingly surly, dishonest, and generally unpleasant company.
Our heroine is, perhaps, the worst offender―a sprite more interested in books than carefree games, who insists on being called Shade. She is on a quest, albeit with rather questionable companions, to find a place to call home. A place of companionship, comfort, and, most importantly, positively filled with books.
Publication Date: 11/06/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?
Synopsis: This laugh-out-loud sequel to Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer has EVEN MORE MAGIC CHICKENS!

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown is finally settling into her new home and her new role as keeper of some highly unusual chickens--chickens with secret superpowers!

But the arrival of two new magical chickens for her flock and some unusual eggs to be incubated and hatched (what will their superpowers be?), plus an impending inspection from the Unusual Poultry Committee (who even knew this existed?) has Sophie feeling pretty stressed out. Her older cousin, Lupe, is coming to stay with her family, which is great--but will Lupe like chickens too? And on top of it all, Sophie's first day at her new school is rapidly approaching!

In this wildly funny and quirky novel told in letters and lists and quizzes, Sophie learns that even an exceptional poultry farmer can use some help.
Publication Date: 11/06/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Humor
Mission Alert: Lab 101
Kanako and Yuzuru, Benjamin Hulme-Cross
Synopsis:

Tom and Zilla are on a field trip to a robotics lab—and on a secret mission to uncover its true purpose. But soon the situation gets out of control. If they want to survive, they'll have to face off against an army of robots. Can secret agents find out the lab's sinister purpose and save themselves?

Publication Date: 11/01/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Series
Lessons from Underground (Master Diplexito and Mr. Scant)
Synopsis:

Young Oliver Diplexito and his family's trusted valet, Mr. Scant, live a comfortable life, thwarting robberies and getting home in time for tea. But when arch anarchist Aurelian Binns returns, Oliver and his mentor soon feel the heat. After Aurelian steals a priceless diamond from the Tower of London, it's up to Diplexito and Scant to defend king and country. And when an old ally of Mr. Scant's emerges—only to side with Binns—the betrayal sends the heroes spinning. So begins a chase that will take Oliver and Mr. Scant all around the globe. As danger draws nearer and secrets emerge, Oliver starts to wonder—who's truly in the wrong?

Publication Date: 11/01/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Dragons in a Bag
Geneva B, Zetta Elliott
Synopsis:

★ An Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year selection
The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author!

When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Publication Date: 10/23/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China
Synopsis:

You can't dig a hole to China!

Squirt doesn't believe Bubba can dig a hole to China. But when the hole swallows them, the kids find themselves in Xi'an, China, surrounded by Terracotta Warriors.

It gets worse when the ghost of the first emperor of China appears. He tells them they can't go home until they find his missing pi. The kids don't know where to begin until they meet a girl and her grandmother who promise to help find the pendant.

Soon they realize they are being followed. And they are no closer to finding the missing pi. Will Bubba and Squirt ever make it back home?

Publication Date: 09/04/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Third Mushroom
Jennifer L. Holm
Synopsis: "Believe in the unexpected" with this hilarious, heartwarming, and much-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Fourteenth Goldfish!

Ellie's grandpa Melvin is a world-renowned scientist . . . in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. His feet stink, and he eats everything in the refrigerator--and Ellie is so happy to have him around. Grandpa may not exactly fit in at middle school, but he certainly keeps things interesting. When he and Ellie team up for the county science fair, no one realizes just how groundbreaking their experiment will be. The formula for eternal youth may be within their reach! And when Ellie's cat, Jonas Salk, gets sick, the stakes become even higher. But is the key to eternal life really the key to happiness? Sometimes even the most careful experiments yield unexpected--and wonderful--results.
Publication Date: 09/04/18
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Science

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