This Book Is Full of Holes by Nora Nickum illustrated by Robert Meganck For readers who love encountering a question they’ve never considered before, don’t miss This Book Is Full of Holes, a STEAM book that will have you looking at the world around you in a whole new light. When you think of holes, what comes to mind? Maybe the irritating hole in your sock. Or the hole on the shelf where you plucked out this book. But did you know there are holes that suddenly devour entire gas stations? Big holes in the ocean that are visible from space? Small holes in balls that prevent a backyard home ..read more

Buddy and Bea: Pet-a-Palooza by Jan Carr illustrated by Kris Mukai “Another winning adventure with this charming elementary school class.”—Kirkus Reviews Buddy and Bea (and their whole class) are back for more mayhem in this pet-a-palooza of a chapter book! After an author visits their classroom, Buddy and his friends are inspired to write about their pets—in fact, animals are suddenly all anyone can talk about! Joey’s adorable puppy even stops by Ms. Maple’s classroom (and makes a major mess). But something seems off about the things Bea is saying about her cat. Are her stories true? Buddy h ..read more

Somebody Needs to Do Something About That Monster by Doug Cenko Illustrated by Doug Cenko A silly and ironic twist on “The Little Dutch Boy,” featuring a charmingly unaware monster who just wants to be kind and make a difference. Merv is a nice monster. He is settled and content on his little spot right outside of the village, snacking on plants and blissfully minding his own business. Until…the villagers start complaining about “that monster.” Merv decides enough is enough and leaves to go take care of that nuisance himself! He asks for help from the ooze-conjuring witches, the hungry troll ..read more

Extra Innings by Fred Bowen “Strike one is the best pitch in baseball.” Mike loves pitching, and he loves knowing his team counts on him to deliver wins. But Mike’s father starts to worry that Mike is getting too carried away with baseball and not spending time working at after school jobs and developing a sense of responsibility. Can Mike and his father reach a compromise in order to let Mike play the game he loves and help his team win the league championship? Can you imagine pitching a perfect game, but still walking off the mound as the losing team? That very thing happened to Harvey Hadd ..read more

King & Kayla and the Case of the Downstairs Ghost by Dori Hillestad Butler illustrated by Nancy Meyers Jillian thinks there’s a ghost in her basement. King and Kayla know that ghosts aren’t real, but what is making that dark shape and that scary noise? Delightfully humorous writing alongside charming illustrations accompany you while you solve another case with King & Kayla. At a sleepover, King’s most favorite thing, Jilian is afraid of spending too much time in the basement. There seems to be a GHOST chasing her and Thor around and ruining what could be a fun night!  But Kayla ..read more

ADVENTURES OF TRIM Explore the World to Learn New Things “We have lots of creepy, scary-looking creatures in the nature collection…that’s because we’re exploring the world to learn new things.” – Penny, ship’s dog, HMS Investigator It was true then and it’s true now: Books can change young lives. Take British explorer Matthew Flinders (1774-1814). As a boy, Flinders was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and study medicine. Then he read Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. He later wrote, “I burned to have adventures of my own.” The determined Flinders joined the British Navy at age fift ..read more

Where Have You Been, Little Cat? by Richard Jones When a little cat returns home from a day of adventures, her owner wonders where she’s been and what she’s seen. In Where Have You Been, Little Cat, we follow little cat as she wanders through the neighborhood to meet her friends. She dances with friends, befriends a dog, and makes her way back home to her owner. All the while her owner wonders how little cat is feeling throughout the day. Perfect for pet and cat lovers! “A frolicsome feline fantasy.” Kirkus Reviews Find Where Have You Been, Little Cat? this August at your local library, indie ..read more

Summer is here and that means plenty of time to read in the hot sun, on sandy beaches, with the ocean’s whitecaps tickling your toes! However you spend this season, we hope that it’s filled with wondrous stories. Whether you have a budding marine biologist or voracious reader always eager for their next book, you need look no further than these recommendations. Pearl can’t wait to dive into her new book, but the other sea creatures keep interrupting and nothing she does will keep them away—not hanging signs, not hiding under the seaweed, nor swimming away to a shipwreck. So Pearl plucks up he ..read more

Ten Dragon Eggs by Lynda Graham-Barber illustrated by Jeffrey Ebeler How do you make learning how to count more fun? Add dragons, of course!  In Ten Dragon Eggs, all of the dragons in Snapdragon Cove are snoozing the night away. Except for one: Mama Dragon. But why? Because she’s tending to ten precious, colorful eggs! And, she needs our help to hatch them all! Shim-shim-shimmy shout! Baby draglings, please come out! Count down from ten with Mama Dragon as each of her hatchlings make their way into the world. Find Ten Dragon Eggs this July at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barne ..read more

Experience the epic highs and lows of life in a second grade classroom in this hilarious new chapter book series!  In Buddy and Bea: Not Really Buddies, Buddy is absolutely prepared for second grade. His best friend is in the same class and he knows where he has to go, so he’s all set for a great year. But then, he meets Bea, who is his opposite in every possible way. Can they get along? In Buddy and Bea: Tiny Tornadoes, it’s the second week of school and Buddy is wondering: Is the other second grade class better than the one he’s in? Can his class compete with them? Or as his tea ..read more