Upper Elementary: Summer 2022

(Picture Book) Filled with irresistible wordplay and silly illustrations, this is the story of a boy who learns not to be stressed if he's not at his...tippy-top peak performance.

(Picture Book) A whimsical and elegantly illustrated picture book about community, art, nature, the importance of giving back--and the wonder that fell from the sky.

(Picture Book) A tale of friendship. Norman is a porcupine. Mildred is a tree. They are best friends. Just the two of them. And only the two of them. Until a sapling sprouts nearby, along with a good dose of jealousy. Will their friendship survive?

(Informational Picture Book) 2021 Bank Street Cook Prize Contender; In this STEM book, a physicist takes readers into the cutting-edge world of nanoscience where they will learn about the tiny building blocks that make up the world around us.

(Fantasy) New Series! A lonely doll helps a child adjust to a blended family in the first of a charming series about library toys and the children who borrow them.

(Realistic Fiction) In a trio of stories, award-winning author and storyteller Atinuke debuts an endearing character with plenty to prove. Tola lives in an apartment in the busy city of Lagos, Nigeria, with her sister who is very clever; her brother who is very fast, and Grandmommy who is very bossy. Tola may be small, but she’s strong enough to carry a basket brimming with groceries home from the market, and she’s clever enough to count out Grandmommy’s change. Too Small Tola evokes the urban bustle and rich blending of cultures in Lagos through the eyes of a little girl with an outsize will—and an even bigger heart.

(Animal Fantasy) Ralphie and Louie Ratso and the rest of the Big City Scouts are leaving the city to go camping for the first time. Their special guide, Grandpa Ratso, teaches everyone that Big City Scouts are always able to solve problems without asking for help. But the Scouts soon find that figuring out how to pitch a tent, make a fire, and find their way through the woods is tough to do by themselves. In fact, not asking for help isn't working at all! Someone unexpected comes along to set them all straight.

(Realistic Fiction) New Series! All Dominguita wants to do is read. Especially the books that Abuela and she read together, classics her abuela brought with her all the way from Cuba. One of her favorites, Don Quixote, tells of a brave knight errant who tries to do good deeds. Dominguita decides that she, too, will become a knight and do good deeds around her community. When a bully tells Dominguita that girls can’t be knights, Dom is determined to prove him wrong. Can Dominguita learn how to be the hero of her own story?

(Realistic Fiction) New series! An illustrated novel about summer, friendship, overcoming fears, and celebrating the small but mighty. Marisol, who has a big imagination, has a magnolia tree in her backyard that she has named Peppina.. .but she's way too scared to climb it. Will Marisol find the courage to climb Peppina? Maybe.

(Science Fiction) In the first book of this series, meet Finn, the first kid born in space. He spends his days looking for a new planet to call home with his three best friends and his robot, Foggy.

(Realistic Fiction) It's summer break, and Farah is eager to attend an enrichment camp at her new school. But Farah's parents won't be able to pay for the camp this year. Taking matters into her own hands, Farah takes various odd jobs and starts her own tutoring business. When Farah discovers that someone is sabotaging her business by taking down her fliers, she's shocked. Can Farah find the culprit, continue her business success, and earn enough money in time to go to the camp of her dreams?

(Animal Fantasy) No one wants a skunk. Skunk should never, ever be allowed to move in. But Skunk is Badger’s new roommate, and there is nothing Badger can do about it. When Skunk plows into Badger’s life, everything Badger knows is upended. Tails are flipped. The wrong animal is sprayed. And why-oh-why are there so many chickens? Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake has created an instant classic with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.

(Fantasy) Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as “screechers.” The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature. A timely and timeless tale about our fragile earth, true friendship, and one girl’s fierce determination to make a difference.

(Mystery & Adventure) A group of friends tackles the puzzle of their lives. In Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tight knit crew of best friends (whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim). when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood--but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate puzzle.

(Realistic Fiction) Eleven year-old Aurora's best friend has never spoken a word to her. In fact, Frenchie Livernois doesn't talk. Aurora is bouncy, loud, and impulsive. Making friends has never come easily. When Frenchie, who is autistic, silently chose Aurora as his person back in third grade, she chose him back. At school, Aurora looks out for Frenchie, who has been her classmate until this year. One morning, Frenchie doesn't make it to his classroom. Aurora feels she's to blame. The entire town begins to search, and everyone wonders: how is it possible that nobody has seen Frenchie?

(Graphic Novel Memoir) Yehudi Mercado draws inspiration from his childhood struggle with his weight while finding friendship with his imaginary mascot, named Chunky, as he navigates growing up in a working class Mexican-Jewish family.

(Animal Fantasy) Fred, a scrappy and lovable dog, gets cast as a stand-in for the lead role in Dog Squad, a show about crime-fighting dogs, and he soon finds out the action doesn't always stop on screen and what it means to be a true hero.

(Animal Fantasy & Adventure) When they are separated at sea, mouse siblings Clarice and Charles Sebastian, who were taught to be careful, must now need to be bold if they are to survive--and keep their promise to find one another again.

(Mystery) April didn't mean to start the fire. She wasn’t the one who broke the vase. April didn’t ask to go live in a big, creepy mansion with a bunch of orphans who just don't understand that April isn’t like them. After all, April’s mother is coming back for her someday very soon. All April has to do is find the clues her mother left inside the massive mansion. But Winterborne House is hiding more than one secret, so April and her friends are going to have to work together to unravel the riddle of a missing heir, a creepy legend, and a mysterious key before the only home they’ve ever known is lost to them forever in this series starter.

(Historical Fiction) Sybil Ludington believes in the legend of fireflies - they appear when you need them most. But it's not until her family is thrust into the dangers of the Revolutionary War, and into George Washington's spy ring, that Sybil experiences firefly magic for herself - guiding her through the darkness, empowering her to figure out who she's supposed to be and how strong she really is - as she delivers her imperative message. This is the captivating tale of a young girl's journey - as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a spy, and eventually a war hero.

(Historical Fiction & Adventure) When Elsie, an orphan on the streets of Victorian London, hears about the mysterious Ice Monster--a woolly mammoth found at the North Pole--she's determined to discover more.... Luckily, a chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, sparking the adventure of a lifetime--from London to the heart of the Arctic!

(Realistic Fiction) Bea and her mom have always been a two-person team. But now her mom is marrying Wendell, and their team is growing by three boys, two dogs, and a cat. Finding her place in her new blended family may be tough, but when Bea finds out her school might not get the all-girls soccer team they'd been promised, she learns that the bigger the team, the stronger the fight--and that for the girls to get what they deserve, they're going to need a squad behind them.

(Historical Fiction) A heartwarming story about three siblings, evacuated from London to live in the countryside during World War II, looking for a permanent home--and a new meaning for family.

(Realistic Fiction) When his father moves them halfway across Colorado, eleven-year-old Hugo O'Donnell is surprised that his remarkable talent for garbology makes him popular for the first time in his life.

(Realistic Fiction) In Chennai, india, after spending his whole life in jail with his mother, who is serving time for a crime she did not commit, young Kabir is suddenly released and has to figure out how to survive on his own in the outside world.

(Realistic Fiction) Fifth grader Jillian will do just about anything to blend in, including staying quiet even when she has the right answer. After she loses a classroom competition because she won't speak up, she sets her mind on winning her school's biggest competition. But breaking out of her shell is easier said than done, and Jillian has only a month to keep her promise to her grandmother and prove to herself that she can speak up and show everyone her true self.

American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor
(Realistic Fiction) In her debut middle grade novel--inspired by her family's history--Christine Day tells the story of a girl who uncovers her family's secrets--and finds her own Native American identity. All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers. Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic.

(Fantasy & Adventure) New series! Eleven-year-old Barclay Thorne yearns for the quiet life of a mushroom farmer, but after unwittingly bonding with a beast in the forbidden Woods, he must seek Lore Keepers to break the bond and return home.

(Realistic Fiction) New series! Meet Ben, a literal-minded kid with a big heart and an even bigger sweet-tooth, who cracks open a fortune cookie and discovers that TODAY might be his last day on Earth! As Ben marches himself in and out of trouble, takes useful risks, and helps both his parents to see the bigger picture, readers discover how something that seems scary can instead be empowering--leading to friendships that might never have been made, neighbors that might never have been known, and apple pies that might otherwise never have been baked.

(Realistic Fiction) Two kids face off in an epic battle to see who can sell the most slime, while navigating sticky situations with friends and family.

(Realistic Fiction) Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower keep everybody safe, but when his superhero parents start fighting a lot he feels the responsibility to save them.

(Science Fiction) Jake Foster, a shapeshifting alien of goo disguised as a 12 year-old human, and his spunky friend Agnes investigate the mysterious takeover of their neighbors by "imblobsters" and uncover the reason Jake is losing control of his ability to keep his human shape.

(Historical Fiction & Verse) In August 1965, 12 year-old Eden's older cousin from Mississippi comes to visit her in Los Angeles, and while the Watts Riots erupt around them, they continue their investigation of the disappearance of Winter's father 10 years ago.

(Historical Fiction & Verse) Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left. His family doesn’t know how to help him. His friends have given up on him. When Etan is asked to deliver a grocery order to the outskirts of town, he realizes he’s at the home of Malia Agbayani, also known as the Creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face, and the bullying became too much. As the two become friends, Etan he believes he might have a cure for Malia’s condition. Even if it works, will these two outcasts find where they fit in?

(Fantasy) New series! (Fantasy) New series! Five children who are the offspring of supernatural criminals and who have special abilities of their own leave their isolated tropical home and head to the city of Estero, where they hope to find their parents and the treasure they hid 15 years ago.

(Realistic Fiction) Self-conscious of her stutter, Charlotte says nothing as her best friend is bullied, but as the school year goes on she realizes some things are worth speaking up for.

2022 Newbery Medal Winner & Pura Belpré Award Winner
(Science Fiction) There lived a girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet. Peta's family is among the few hundred scientists and their children chosen to journey to a new planet and carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to find that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over, bent on erasing the sins and memories of humanity's past. Petra alone now carries the stories of the past and any hope for our future.