Reach by Celesta Rimington, - OPTIONAL

Reach by Celesta Rimington, 190 pages. Nancy Paulsen (Penguin), 2026. $18.

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

12yo Denver is not happy with his summer.  His mom recently remarried and his new 8yo stepbrother is always in his face or causing trouble wherever they go.  And they are taking over the summer management of a resort, so Denver has no chance of hanging with any friends. Along the shores of the beautiful lake, however, Denver can hear the voices of the trees.  One tree in particular seems eager to talk and even offers to turn young Harlan into a tree so that he can feel what it’s like. Now the tree, Spiro, can’t change Harlan back. Denver is going to have to learn a lot of things very quickly if he has any hope of restoring Harlan.

The summary may feel a little weird, but Rimington writes a lovely book that delves into our need for connection versus our propensity to retreat when we are deeply hurt. She injects humor, wonder, and a bit of danger. I would encourage elementary teachers to read it out loud to their classes.  

The characters cue white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Alice with a Why by Anna James, illustrated by Matthew Land - ADVISABLE

Alice with a Why by Anna James, illustrated by Matthew Land. 240 pages. Penguin, 2026. $19

Content: G (adventure only)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

As a child, Alyce loved the stories her grandmother told about her adventures, but a bit older now and she believes the stories much less. The Great War (WWI) has ended and Alyce is living with her grandmother.  One day at the pond she finds an invitation in the picture book she was ripping up for paper boats.  The mysterious invite whisks Alyce away and she finds herself in that same whacky world that her grandmother told her about. The land needs an Alice’s help, Alyce with a Y is all they have.  Can Alyce navigate the strange world and settle the dispute between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon and restore regularity to Wonderland’s days?

Students will enjoy this most if they have read (or maybe watched) Alice in Wonderland and also have some knowledge of nursery rhymes. It is hard for me to judge whether they’d enjoy it without that background knowledge.  I do think it would be fun for an elementary teacher to read aloud (it is only about 2.5 hours long) and discuss the characters and symbolism with the class as they go. Lots of illustrations dot the pages. 

Alyce is white.  I listened to the book narrated by Kristen Atherton courtesy by libro.fm

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson - ADVISABLE

The Snowman Code by Simon Stephenson, 238 pages. Simon and Schuster, DECEMBER 2025. $18.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Blessing is sad - her mother is depressed because even though it is March there is no sign of spring and Blessing is afraid that she will be placed in foster care again.  Also, the Driplet Triplets have been making her life miserable.  Blessing decides to write a letter to school saying they are moving to Australia, so now Blessing can skip school every day.  Wandering the park one day, she sees a snowman frolicking and she stumbles upon  Albert and the Snowman Code - part of which involves helping children in trouble. Maybe Blessing can help Albert, too.  Albert has been looking for his lost love - every year snowmen are reborn in new places, so they haven’t found each other for 600 years. Rumor is that Clementine is right here in NYC.

I found Albert absolutely adorable. He has some mixed up ideas about the world, but it is from a snowman’s point of view.  I would love to read this to a 2, 3, 4th grade class. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Growing Home by Beth Ferry, Terry Fan and Eric Fan - ADVISABLE

Growing Home by Beth Ferry, Terry Fan and Eric Fan, 272 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2025. $18

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Toasty the goldfish may be Jillian’s only pet, but Ivy is also the beloved houseplant. Toasty has pride of place in a beautiful octagonal fish tank, an antique found by Jillian’s parents, who are antique dealers whose storefront is barely holding on. Then arrives Arthur, a spider with a broken leg, and then Ollie, another houseplant! None of these new housemates realize how special they are - or how special the water from Toasty’s magical fishtank makes them - until they need to band together to save the Tuppers from a mysterious man with nefarious purposes. 

Listening to the plants and animals interact is a hoot. If I taught 2nd or 3rd grade I’d read this aloud to my class for fun. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois - ADVISABLE

Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois, 304 pages. Holiday House, 2022. $19.  

Language: G (0 Swears); Mature Content: PG (Divorce, tornado, bullying, vandalism) Violence: PG (bullying) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

13yo Quinn is having a crisis of self. She believes she is untalented and unwanted by her parents. Her parents expected a boy, so they gave her the boy name they picked. She believes her birth was the cause of her parent’s marital rift. Quinn is separating from her two best friends - Jack and Jade. The loss of Jack is more painful as she’s been friends with him her whole life. Jade is a newer friend who makes Quinn doubt herself even more. When a tornado strikes the town, Quinn’s home is damaged. As Quinn starts writing poetry, her friends become distant. With changes at home, her parents separating, her brother off to college, and her hamster lost, can Quinn find the way to herself? 

DuBois' novel in verse would work well in a classroom, as the teacher in the novel is teaching different types of poetry to the kids, so a teacher could also teach poetry right along with the story. This novel touches on issues important to middle grade students: friendship, changing family dynamics, school, talents, loss of home. I like that throughout the story, there is a sense of hope. 

Reviewer: Catherine Crosby, ELA Teacher 

How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World by Steven Johnson - ESSENTIAL

How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World by Steven Johnson, 152 pages. NON-FICTION. Viking (Penguin), 2018. $20
978-0-425-28778-1

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

This book is a young reader adaptation from a New York Times bestseller and covers the discoveries and innovations surrounding glass, cold, sound, cleanliness, time, and light. Each chapter covers one of these topics and includes a comprehensive history with the logistical details embedded in the timeline. The chapters also contain a number of photographs and illustrations. There are a lot of attention grabbing anecdotes in each section.  

My entire family loved this book. We jumped around the book, each taking a turn picking a topic, and learned a lot in the process. One of the anecdotes that we have retold to other people we read in the chapter on light and it tell the story of how whale oil was used to make cheaper candles. To get the oil, or spermaceti, they had to send a small person, often a child, inside the body of the whale to scoop out gallon after gallon of the substance. Gross. This would be a fun informational text to read aloud in a science, history, or English classroom.        

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss - ESSENTIAL

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss, 307 pages. FICTION. Margaret Ferguson Books (Holiday House), 2018. $17

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS — ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A young girl shows up on the doorstep of “The Mostly Silent Monastery” with a shirt that reads “bicycle”. Bicycle quickly becomes a part of the monastery and is raised primarily by Sister Wanda who is very concerned about Bicycle making friends. Sister Wanda plans to send Bicycle to a camp for making friends, but Bicycle has other ideas. Bicycle leaves camp to go ride her bike across the country to meet her favorite famous cyclist in person in California. Along the way she crosses paths with all sort of quirky and charming characters, including a Civil War ghost and a Kentucky Derby horse, and most of these characters become her friend and cheerleader.

This might be my favorite book of the year. A true adventure story that left me antsy to see who the next character full of oddness and wisdom we would meet would be. The writing is excellent and the humor is on point. I think this would be a great first literary read for a student who is transitioning out of chapter books. It would also make an excellent classroom read aloud novel, ideal for grades anywhere from third to eight.     

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher

The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan Paquette - ESSENTIAL

Paquette, Ammi-Joan The Train of Lost Things, 191 pages. Philomel Books, 2018. $17. 9781524739393.

Language: G (0 'F'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Marty's most prized possession is the jean jacket--covered in special buttons and pins--his dad gave him at his last birthday. When the jacket goes missing after a trip with his mom, Marty knows he must find the Train of Lost Things (a magic train his dad has told him about) and get his jacket back. His plan is made more urgent because Marty's dad is now very sick and Marty hopes finding the jacket could help. When he does manage to board the train, Marty discovers that finding the train was really just the first step to finding his jacket and perhaps finding some peace in the difficult situation life has thrown his way.

This is a wonderful book filled with magic, whimsy, and heart. I love stories that have magic occurring amidst the everyday ho-hum of life, and the magic train in this novel is delightful. I found the characters endearing and the plot had a beautiful resolution that I somewhat expected but still loved. I feel like this would be a great book for teachers or parents to read aloud to kids, but young readers can also very much appreciate it on their own.

Reviewer: TC

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick –ESSENTIAL

Sonnenblick, Jordan The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade 208 pgs. Scholastic, 2017.  $17. Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: PG (bullying, psychically abusive mom’s boyfriend).  

Maverick doesn’t have much. His mother is an alcoholic with a string abusive boyfriends who can barely keep herself together, let alone a household. Maverick is used to going hungry, wearing the same clothes everyday, and fending for himself. School doesn’t help either- adults don’t seem to understand, the other students make fun of him for being short, and his attempts to make friends lead to situations that make everything worse. But Maverick doesn’t give up and decides he is going to take a stand and defend those like him, he will be the secret sheriff of sixth grade.

This is such a great book for quite a few reasons. First of all –it was just the right length –realistic fiction that is three or four hundred pages for elementary is a huge deterrent –and it seems like most of them are. It would make a great read-a-loud for a 5-6^th grade teacher. Maverick is an incredibly believable character and the readers will find themselves rooting for him and hopefully discover some empathy. This was a book that I could not put down and it did not talk down to the reader either. The situation is fully fleshed out and the author has a done a great job creating the world. This is one of the best fiction books (non-graphic novel anyway) I have read this year. Its very realistic yet isn't cold or distant, it has a warm heart. 

EL –ESSENTIAL.  Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author

The Elephant Thief by Jane Kerr - OPTIONAL

Kerr, Jane The Elephant Thief, 320 pages.  Chicken House (Scholastic), APRIL 2018.  $17.  Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some danger).

Boy, a young pickpocket on the streets of Edinburgh, is under the thumb of an evil master.  Then one day he gets involved in an auction of wild animals – a private zoo that needs to be sold off.  A man talk him into bidding on the elephant for him – and Danny wins!  But now he only has ten days to get that elephant from Edinburgh to Manchester England, or more than Boy will be in trouble.  Even if he wins the race, can Danny ever really be free?

Here is your next choice for a read aloud, whether for a classroom read or for bedtime.  I felt like each chapter ended in a great tension or cliffhanger that works so well in a group setting.  Unfortunately most kids don’t seek out historical fiction to read on their own, so that won’t fly off the library shelves on its own.  It’s too bad, because Boy’s story is full of action and heart.

EL – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Once Was a Time by Leila Sales - ESSENTIAL

Sales, Leila Once Was a Time, 324 pages.  Chronicle Books, 2016.  $17.  Content: G.

England, 1940:  Lottie’s dad has been working for the British government, postulating the existence of breaks in the space-time continuum, hoping to weaponize the theory into a way to go back in time and rid the world of Hitler.   When Lottie, her dad , and her best friend Kitty are kidnapped by German spies, a strange shimmer appears in Lottie’s cell, and she takes a dive through it, finding herself in America in 2013.  A nice boy helps her find the local library, where she finds the Internet and learns that everyone she loved is gone.  Taken in as a foster child by a kind couple, Lottie tries to build a life for herself and forget the girl she used to be.  Three years later, she chances upon a note written to her by someone who could only be her, supposedly, long-dead friend Kitty.  IS there anyway Lottie can get herself to Italy and follow the clues to find out what REALLY happened all those years ago.

I was immediately charmed by this little book – yes, little – 324 pages went way too quickly.  I knew that something was going to happen when she finally opened a copy of “The Little Princess” after three years and I was not disappointed.  I would happily read this book aloud at bedtime or to a class. 

EL, MS – ESSENTIAL.  

Cindy, Library Teacher

Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick –ESSENTIAL

Philbrick, Rodman  Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina Bluesky Press (Scholastic),  2014. $16.99  Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG Violence: PG

Bad timing or bad luck is at play when Zane is sent down to New Orleans to visit a great-grandmother that he never knew he had –just in time for Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to his  misbehaving dog, Zane is separated from his safe way out of town and ends up experiencing the storm and its aftermath to its fullest. Things get at once easier and more complicated when he meets an elderly man and a girl his age in a canoe as they try to find a way out of the flooded, hungry, and violent city.

This is big time page turner, with the plenty of chilling, interesting and fast paced events, while providing intelligent racial and social commentary. Survival books are quite popular right now and it’s a refreshing change from fantasy. The characters and setting are well crafted and I will be looking at other books by this author, I was that impressed. The cover has appeal and the story is just the right length to read aloud to 4-6 graders, though many will check it out on their own given the opportunity.  

EL, MS  -ESSENTIAL  Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

Arendelle Adventures: Read and Play Storybook by Disney-ADVISABLE

Arendelle Adventures: Read and Play Storybook. Disney Hyperion, 2015. $12.99. PICTURE BOOK.

Join Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff as they travel around Arendelle, endure hot days of summer, throw snowballs, and even babysit the Troll Tots. The pictures are fun and reminiscent of the Frozen characters. The stories are easy to read and engaging. The two together complement each other and make a great read for Frozen fans. This read aloud will delight and entertain young children and their parents. PreK, EL (K-3). ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.

Inside Out Read Along Storybook by Disney

Inside Out Read Along Storybook. Disney Hyperion, 2015. $6.99. PICTURE BOOK.

Meet Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger. They all inhabit and control the emotions of Riley. What will happen when Riley’s family moves and Sadness starts taking over everything? Will the emotions save Riley? Will they learn to get along.

A fun read aloud with different sound effects that bring the story to life. The illustrations are reminiscent of the movie and complement the text well. Chimes to turn the page are spot-on. Young children who enjoy the movie Inside Out or who enjoy books about emotions will enjoy reading along with this storybook. PreK, EL (K-3). ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica M, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High. 

What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by August Hall - ADVISABLE

Lyon, George Ella.  What Forest Knows, illustrated by August Hall.  Atheneum (Simon & Schuster), 2014.  $17.99.  PICTURE BOOK.

Breathtakingly beautiful illustrations of the plants and animals of the forest.  The text reads like free verse poetry and the forest itself is personified.  The Forest tells about the different seasons of the forest and what happens when; the buds and birds of the spring and the leaves and bugs of the fall.   Finally, footprints in the winter snow and the truth, “Forest knows everything belongs.”  The story ends with the illustration of a young boy playing with his dog in the forest. 

EL-ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS. 

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray-ADVISABLE

Gray, Rita. ill. by Kenard Pak, Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. $16.99. PICTURE BOOK.

You’ve heard woodpeckers peck, morning doves coo, and lots of other birds make noises, but have you ever heard a sound from the nesting bird? Why is it that they don’t make noise. Read to find out.

This cute rhyming text picture book is great for introducing young children to bird sounds in a song-like format. With short, additional questions at the back to answer any questions kids might have, this is a good addition to any preschool or kindergarten curriculum. PreK, EL (K-3). ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High. 

The New Champion by Jody Feldman - ESSENTIAL

Feldman, Jody The New Champion (The Gollywhopper Games #2), 384 p. Content: G.  

Cameron is not the winner in his family – that tile is reserved for his older bother, Spencer.  But Cameron has a ticket to enter the second season of the Gollywhomper Games and Spencer can only hope for a chance as a walk on.  When it comes to athletics, Spencer will always win.  But the Games require a large amount of puzzle smarts too.  Out of 100,000,000 contestants, does Cameron have a chance to even make it out of the first round?  

I have not read the first title in this series and now I totally want to – and I can’t wait for #3.  

EL – ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher.

FYI - I bought the first book from iTunes and LOVED it too!  They are both so much fun and the puzzles are just right for young puzzle solvers.  I will probably read them both again this week!

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes - - ESSENTIAL

Henkes, Kevin The Year of Billy Miller, 229 pgs. 2013 Greenwillow Books $16.99. Language: G; Violence: G; Mature Content: G.  

Billy Miller is a 2nd grader, he hopes he’s smart enough for 2nd grade, grown up enough and that his teacher will like him.  His little sister Sal can embarrass him, and the girl who sits next to him at school is mean. But Billy can figure it out.  With two supportive parents and a caring teacher, 2nd grade really is the year of Billy Miller.  

This Newbery Honor book is a must have for the elementary library.  Henkes (Liilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen) writes so well for the young reader.  This novel-sized,  age appropriate offering is a perfect springboard for the early reader to try a chapter book and a perfect bedtime read.  

EL (K-3) ESSENTIAL Lisa Librarian