Through its hopeful story about a rescue dog who found his place, "The Life of Gus" humanizes the plights of stray animals. Based on a true story, Sandee Roquemore-Maxwell’s heartwarming "The Life of Gus" is about a dog who was... Read More

"The Mysterious Phone Call" is a winsome middle grade mystery that lauds friendships and storied institutions. In Brian O’Dell and Beth Lauderdale’s clever middle grade novel "The Mysterious Phone Call", tight-knit friends work to... Read More

Victoria Williamson’s "The Boy with the Butterfly Mind" is a story about acceptance and empathy. In Scotland, eleven-year-old Elin lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, Paul. She thinks that if she can just be perfect,... Read More

A spunky heroine, a not quite human boy, and a little sprinkle of magic make Stephanie Burgis’s middle grade fantasy, "The Princess Who Flew with Dragons", charming. Sofia knows that she’ll never equal her older sister, Katrin. She... Read More

Steeped in folklore and the supernatural, "Under the Cottonwood Tree" is a wonderful story about a group of children who try to save themselves and their village by convincing a once-helpful curandera to renounce her wicked ways. A... Read More

"Travels with Sushi in the Land of the Mind" is an intense and dramatic story in which curious children go on a magical adventure and confront powerful moral questions. Eduard Shyfrian’s religious allegory for young readers, "Travels... Read More

The Vanderbeekers are back! The energetic cast, several new friends, and wacky new adventures will keep young minds guessing. In "The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue", it is spring break in Harlem and excitement abounds. The kids are out of... Read More

When hundreds of hamsters go missing, only a penguin, a ninja spider, a pigeon, two kids, and an elderly woman can interpret the clues left behind in a sleepy mountain town and crack the case. Alex T. Smith’s "Mr. Penguin and the... Read More