Calling the Moon is a collection of 16 realistic fiction stories that celebrate menstruation and spotlight different communities’ traditions around it. The characters are all different, but they are bound together by the experience of their first period. Some are prepared, and some are surprised. Some are disappointed, and some are excited. Nonetheless, each of their experiences enlightens the reader.
Piki, "the mischievous and independent" service dog, goes on her second adventure in the new picture book Piki Goes Flying. Piki's first adventure took her to college. In Piki's second book, she is learning all about airports, airplanes, and how to be a well-behaved service dog when taking your first flight. Piki takes the flight with her favorite human, her owner Joan, and along the way they meet concerned travelers and see many new strange things.
Orchid Child tells the magical story of Teague (the orchid child), his aunt Kate, and their imperfect family. Teague is a child who has special abilities passed down in his family. His mother was a drug addict, and his aunt Kate later became his legal guardian. Kate is a neuroscientist who lost her job after a scandal and goes back to her family's home. Teague, who hears voices and experiences hallucinations, stays with his aunt, who struggles with her research on schizophrenia in their local community.
Ethan has had a tough few years since his dad passed away, but he feels closest to him when working at the old movie theater in town. His dad was a film professor, whose films were often shown at this old cinema. Due to a crumbling and unsound building, the theater is en route to be closed down and demolished. It's up to the employees including Ethan, Sweet Lou, Anjo, Griffin, and Lucas (aka the Lost Boys) to save the place they love and call a sanctuary.
In Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy by Edwina Dorch, we meet Jasmine, a 10-year-old, bright, spunky Black-American child and her 11-year-old brother, Frankie. We are led to surmise that they are growing up in the American South, perhaps sometime in the 40’s or 50’s. Her mother works as a housekeeper for a Caucasian family and Jasmine sees the stark contrast between her family and the family of her mother’s employer.
Dawn has a secret. If only she could remember what her secret is. Instead, her mind goes dark and she wakes up, bruised and bloody in strange places, barely able to speak. The doctors call them fugues. Her dad calls them dangerous. Her mom and stepdad call them problematic. All Dawn knows is that she is feeling less and less comfortable in her skin.
Grace is out picking flowers when she wanders into the woods and loses sight of her mother. Lost and confused, Grace seeks out the help of some forest friends, but doesn’t listen to their instructions and continues deeper into the woods before they can help her find her way out. Can Grace learn patience and obedience before she gets too far from home to return?
Saving Halloween is a story about two girls, one named Anne and the other named Halloween. Anne is a girl who seeks acceptance from her parents by being excellent in her studies, learning different languages, and playing musical instruments, but she lacks parental love. Anne meets Halloween who is being home-schooled and enjoys parental love and presence.
A little boy named Fredrich hates time. It’s always “time to go to bed” or “time to leave.” One night, he is up very late at his grandfather’s house. At midnight, he notices that all the clocks have stopped working. He gets up to try to find his grandfather, who fixes clocks, and notices a light on in his grandfather's workshop. Armed with his carriage clock, he heads out to the workshop to prove how stupid clocks are.
Fred hates visiting his grandfather's house. Sure, he loves his grandfather, but there is nothing to do at his grandfather's place. His grandfather is a retired clock-maker, and his house is full of old clocks. Fred can't fall asleep and is staying awake, counting down the time on the clock when all the clocks stop ticking! Fred decides to go find his grandfather and ask him what is going on with the clocks, but instead, he meets a man named Maestro Orpheus. He quickly finds out that time has stopped, and it is up to Fred to fix it!
