Staff Favorites of 2022

"Speed and self-confidence, that's Astrid's motto. Nicknamed "the little thunderbolt," she loves to spend her days racing down the hillside on her skis or sled, singing merrily as she goes, and drinking hot chocolate made from real chocolate bars with her grumpy best friend and godfather, Gunnvald. She just wishes there were other children to share in her hair-raising adventures. But her world is about to be turned upside down, first by the arrival...

"When Jasper Rabbit finds a purple crayon willing to do his schoolwork for him, he is elated--at first"--

Garlic must believe in herself to confront a bloodthirsty vampire who has moved into a nearby castle, in this humorous and heartwarming story that reminds readers that strangers are not always as scary as they seem.

Mallory is still adapting to life in her new town of Eastport when she is haunted by a reoccurring nightmare, leading her to investigate the legend of Sweet Molly.

"With humor and sympathy, Bob Shea looks at the chaos of life with a baby as amiably narrated by the new arrival. Repeating the mantra (and blithe explanation) "because I am a baby," the tiny narrator leads us through scenes of exhaustion, grumpiness, squishy diapers, spilled milk, cowering kittens, and chubby overfed pups (oopsie!). Playing against the simple, matter-of-fact text are freewheeling illustrations of mess and mayhem, in which the grown-ups'...

Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school: Wear the right clothes, say the right things, know your place. But when Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, the rules no longer seem to apply. Jennifer doesn't care about the laws of middle school, or the laws of the universe for that matter. She believes in aliens - and she thinks she can find them. Then Jennifer goes missing. The adults say she ran away, but Mallory isn't so sure. Using clues...

Junior may not be as big or strong as his famous cousin Kong, but when his beloved cat gets stuck in a tree, Junior conquers his fear of heights and saves the day.

Follows fifth grader Max as he searches for his best friend who disappeared, leaving behind a strange note.

Twelve-year-old June is kicking summer off with a bang. She shaves her head and sets two goals: she will beat her anxiety and be the lion she knows she can be, instead of the mouse everyone sees. And she and her single mama will own their power as fierce, independent females. With the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-reciting soccer star who believes in June even when she doesn't believe in herself, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a...

"Dust Bowl refugee Gloria Mae Willard finds herself uprooted and working on a California peach orchard, where she tries to join the secret, all-boys baseball team that she's desperate to play on"--