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The Next Chapter: Books for Kids and Tweens April 2024
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| One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-RansomeMany points of view: meet smart 11-year-old Lettie, her hard-working mom Sylvia, and orphaned teenage teacher Philomena. How it's told: through smooth, free-flowing poetry, this story gives you a deep dive into the lives of three Black homesteaders as they journey from Mississippi to Nebraska in 1879. Reviewers say: "Cline-Ransome once again demonstrates her incredible literary skills as characters’ personalities are revealed by their actions." (Kirkus) |
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What it is: a brilliant survival story set in alternating timelines that connects the present day to 1930s Soviet Ukraine. Award winner: Golden Kite Award 2024: Middle Grade Fiction
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Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada KellyWhat it's about: In tiny Fawn Creek, Louisiana, the arrival of mysterious, well-traveled new girl Orchid shakes up the boring routine and exclusive friend groups in the seventh grade.
How it's told: from several different kids' points of view, allowing you to gather clues about Orchid (who might be lying) and to understand not only who each character seems to be, but who they really are.
Who it's for: anyone who's dreamed of a change, or a chance to defy expectations.
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The Puttermans Are In The House by Jacquetta Nammar FeldmanThe setup: when their house is damaged in a flood, twins Sammy and Matty Putterman move in with their cousin Becky and her family The fallout: with all nine Puttermans under one roof, tensions run high. As their grief, anger, and uncertainty grow, the cousins will soon find they need each other now more than ever before Reviewers say: "A busy blend of baseball, natural disasters, and coming-of-age." (Kirkus)
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Tree. Table. Book. by Lois LowryWhat happens: Eleven-year-old Sophia endeavors to prevent her increasingly forgetful eighty-eight-year-old neighbor and best friend Sophie from entering assisted living, and in the process, uncovers unexpected stories of war, loss, and hope. Try this next: The Space Between Lost and Found by Sandy Stark-McGinnis, the story of 12 year-old Cassie Rodrigues who is determined to give her mom--who has early onset Alzheimer's--one last adventure.
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Walkin' The Dog by Chris LynchWhat's inside: After years of homeschooling, laid-back Louis hopes he can stay under the radar when he starts regular high school in the fall, but when a favor for a neighbor and his stinky canine companion unexpectedly turns into a bustling dog-walking business, Louis finds himself meeting an unprecedented number of new friends—both human and canine. Who it's for: anyone who enjoys animal stories, anyone who has felt that they have struggled with a problem alone
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April Is National Poetry Month |
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Eb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistWhat it's about: Suspended after a fight at school, 7th-graders Ebony "Eb" Wilson and De’Kari "Flow" Flood have time to observe their now-viral conflict making waves in their neighborhood -- and making each of them consider if this is really how they want things to be.
How it's told: through free-flowing poetry from both characters, allowing readers to see the tough situations behind each kid and their actions.
For fans of: Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson
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The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane; illustrated by Jackie MorrisWhat's inside: The Lost Spells evokes the wonder of everyday nature, conjuring up red foxes, birch trees, jackdaws, and more in poems and illustrations that flow between the pages and into readers' minds. Author/Illustrator Duo: Robert Macfarlane's spell-poems and Jackie Morris's watercolor illustrations are musical and magical: these are summoning spells, words of recollection, charms of protection. Why you might like it: to read The Lost Spells is to see anew the natural world within our grasp and to be reminded of what happens when we allow it to slip away.
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Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen The setup: Stella Endicott is thrilled when her class is assigned to write a poem. Stella crafts a poem about Mercy Watson, the pig who lives next door -- a poem complete with a metaphor and full of curiosity and courage. The fallout: But Horace Broom, Stella's irritating classmate, insists that Stella's poem is full of lies and that pigs do not live in houses. Can anything turn this opposite-of-a-poem day around? About the creators: DiCamillo offers readers sophisticated, hilarious fare, while Van Dusen's pleasing comic-style artwork captures everyone's eccentricities. (Booklist)
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Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki GrimesWhat's inside: an anthology of poems inspired by the less-recognized women writers of the Harlem Renaissance, in a volume complemented by evocative illustrations from respected African American women artists. Reviewers say: " A striking collection of voices, who examine and celebrate the experience of Black women from the past and present. An excellent introduction to Black women writers who were ignored by history." (SLJ) Award: Notable Books For A Global Society: 2022
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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