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| What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon by Henry ClarkStarring: Modesty, Cal, and Drew, three kids who find a binder of surprisingly boring magic spells and wind up tangled in a quest to stop an environmental disaster in a parallel world that runs on dragon magic.
What’s inside: silly slapstick, witty wordplay, a portal in a refrigerator, a villain with a 3D printer, and a green librarian named Preface.
Why you might like it: Imaginative fantasy and clever humor will keep you turning the pages of this unusual read. |
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Focus on: Cooking and Baking
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| Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret DillowayWhat it’s about: Twelve-year-old Cady is surprised to find that her next foster home will be with Shell, the aunt she never knew she had. Baking at Aunt Shell’s pie shop and meeting her small-town neighbors makes Cady feel like she’s home for the first time...which also makes her worry that it’s too good to last.
Why you might like it: Cady’s fight for a place to belong is honest and moving, and her recipes might tempt you to bake your own pies. |
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| The Doughnut Fix by Jessie JanowitzWhat it’s about: Feeling lost after his family moves from New York City to teeny-tiny Petersville, talented baker Tristan decides to hunt down the recipe for the town’s legendary, “life-changing” chocolate cream doughnuts and open his own doughnut stand.
Featuring: recipes and a business plan, in case Tristan inspires you to make and sell some delicious creations of your own.
Series alert: This quirky and relatable story is the 1st in a series, followed by The Doughnut King. |
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| Pie in the Sky by Remy LaiWhat it’s about: After the loss of his father, 12-year-old Jingwen immigrates to Australia with his family. Though his brother has no trouble fitting in, Jingwen feels like an alien. The only thing that makes him feel better is baking the cakes he dreamed up with his dad -- an activity he has to hide from his strict mother.
Read it for: an easy-to-read blend of words and crisp cartoon art (think Raina Telgemeier or Gene Luen Yang). |
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| Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRoccaWhat it’s about: Determined to prove herself to her highly accomplished family, aspiring chef Mimi enters a kids’ baking contest. With help from Vik, a mysterious boy she meets in the forest, Mimi begins experimenting with unusual ingredients, leading to unexpected and outrageous results.
You might also like: Anna Meriano’s A Dash of Trouble, another fantasy featuring a big family, a small town, some out-of-control magic, and plenty of mouth-watering baked goods. |
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| Nixie Ness, Cooking Star by Claudia Mills; illustrated by Grace ZongWhat it’s about: Can you be best friends with more than one person? Third-grader Nixie didn’t think so, but now that she’s bonding with the kids in after-school cooking camp while her BFF Grace hangs out with classmate Elyse, she isn’t so sure.
For fans of: Karen English’s Carver Chronicles or Annie Barrows’ Ivy + Bean books.
Series alert: For more about Nixie and her friends, pick up Vera Vance: Comics Star, the next book in the After-School Superstars series. |
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The Thing About Leftovers
by C. C Payne
What it's about: Fizzy struggles to find her place in her blended family after her parents' divorce, hoping her entry in the Southern Living Cook-Off will show them she is more than just a leftover kid."
Why you might like it: Fizzy's story will be relatable to many kids from blended families and is told with the perfect balance of humor and heart.
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Sassy : The Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party
by Sharon M. Draper
What happens: Sassy Simone Sanford plans a fabulous dinner party for her fourth grade class, but it turns into a recipe for disaster when her dog eats the food, her friends make a mess, and the new girl in school is missing.
Why you might like it: This fast-paced fun story is told in a very casual conversational style.
Series alert: This book is fourth in the Sassy Stories series. You can start with Little Sister is Not My Name.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!
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