Children’s Fiction

The gate, the girl, and the dragon

Lin, Grace, author, illustrator.

Jin is a Stone Lion — one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time. What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world. But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him. Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate… or risk losing everything. ....

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Return to sender

Brosgol, Vera, author, illustrator.

Ten-year-old Oliver discovers that the wish-granting mailbox in his new apartment may make his dreams come true, but they come with a cost.....

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The Incorruptibles

Magaziner, Lauren, author.

Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she’s whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn’t earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?....

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Zarina divided

Faruqi, Reem, author.

Zarina loves her life in Poona, India. She spends her days happily hanging out with her best friends, Geeta and Jahana, and playing with her three brothers. However, Zarina and her family are given unsettling news: Muslims and Hindus are to separate by religion. Hindus are expected to stay in India, while Muslims are expected to move to a new land, Pakistan. Zarina is heartbroken at having to move away from all she knows and loves, and after the frightening journey to Pakistan, she feels unsure that the unfamiliar country will ever feel like home. When an accident happens that leaves Zarina grappling with extreme guilt, she decides it’s best to attend boarding school far away, much to the protest of her mom. Will a fresh start at a new school give Zarina the chance to thrive in Pakistan, or will the divisions within herself and her family continue to widen? ....

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Return to sender

Brosgol, Vera, author, illustrator.

Ten-year-old Oliver discovers that the wish-granting mailbox in his new apartment may make his dreams come true, but they come with a cost.....

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Opal Watson, private eye

Thurman, Brittany, author.

Twelve-year-old African American Opal Watson is a young detective who loves solving mysteries, from lost pets to missing objects. After returning to Chicago from New Orleans, she's nervous about starting school and dealing with her Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. Opal is paired with a new student, Ivy, for a history project, but she's more focused on her friends, cousin Frank and best friend Madison. When Madison hears strange noises in their apartment building, the Crescent, and renovations disrupt the neighbors, Opal begins to investigate. The building is also threatened by developers who want to tear it down. As Opal delves deeper into the mystery, she faces her toughest case yet, wondering if she can solve it and uncover hidden truths along the way.....

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The great mouse escape! : a word of mouse tail

Patterson, James, 1947- author.

Talking mouse Isaiah is free from the experiments that left him with blue fur and a big voice, and living a picture-perfect life with his human friend, Hailey. But the evil scientists—and their evil talking cats—are hot on Isaiah’s trail. When they mouse-nap his friend Mikayla, it's up to Isaiah and Hailey to rescue her. Their search takes them on a cross-country adventure, where they face foes and make unexpected friends. If they can find Mikayla, they might even find a way to free Isaiah's siblings and create a happy ending for all the lab mice. ....

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Leah vs. art

McCullough, Joy, author.

How organized, driven Leah was born into her family, she’ll never know. They’re as different as can be. For example, while she’s trying to finish unpacking boxes from their move and get to bed at a decent time, her parents are listening to indie rock records and eating ice cream sundaes. Sometimes it feels like she’s the only responsible one in the house! So when her parents sign her up for art club—to “loosen her up” and “get her creative juices flowing”—Leah decides to ditch in favor of Quiz Bowl, which meets at the same time. But as she secretly attends Quiz Bowl and lies to her parents, her competitive spirit begins to take over, threatening her scheme and her friendships.....

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Dad rock dragon quest

Reardon, Joan, author.

Aspiring rockstar Zadie Drake’s world flipped upside-down the moment her mom started dating Lloyd Clutterbuck — a boring risk analyst with an aversion to all things fun. Since Lloyd moved in, he’s made it his mission to drain every drop of joy from Zadie’s life — putting strict limits on her guitar sessions, nitpicking her every move, and filling the house with his utter dullness. Naturally, when Zadie’s daredevil park ranger dad invites Zadie and her older sister to spend the summer at his cabin, Zadie can hardly contain her excitement. But Zadie’s joy is short-lived when her mom announces that Lloyd will be tagging along. Soon after arriving at the cabin, Zadie begins to suspect that there’s more to her dad’s job than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when family secrets make an explosive entrance in the form of a fire-wielding poacher who kidnaps her dad’s best friend — an enormous, ice-breathing dragon. The revelations launch Zadie and her family into a cross-country rescue mission of epic proportions. As tensions spike, tempers flare, and the family’s differences become glaringly obvious, Zadie realizes her family’s most daunting challenge might not be rescuing the dragon but working together.....

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Beasties

Lerangis, Peter, author.

On a field trip to Central Park, Riley and his classmates accidentally encounter a supernatural artifact that looks a lot like, well, honestly, a piece of poop. But one of them gets too close, there's a blinding flash, and suddenly the five friends are turned into various critters. Riley's sister's a hawk, the school bully's a raccoon, and Riley? He's transformed into everyone's least favorite animal, a New York City rat. Their once-dull morning quickly turns into a fight for survival. The kids have stayed alive long enough find a way to turn themselves back to normal. But as it turns out, they're not the only humans-turned-into-animals on the loose in Central Park. As it turns out, Riley and his friends have accidentally thrust themselves into the center of a dangerous Manhattan-wide plot, and now they must use all their animal abilities to stop the bad guys, find the cure, and get back home without, you know, getting eaten on the way. It's a wild adventure of a lifetime -- because if they fail, these beasties will stay beasts forever.....

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The unforgettable Leta "Lightning" Laurel

Toalson, R. L. (Rachel L.), author.

Eighth-grader Leta "Lightning" Laurel is a big sister, a problem solver, and the star of her track team. Her dad's been out of the picture for more than a year, and food's gotten scarce at home. When Leta learns her mom's financial struggles are even worse than she'd thought, she hatches a plan to bring her dad home: she'll win district champion in the 400-meter dash, the newspaper will write about her, her mom will send the clipping to her dad, and her dad will remember he has daughters who need him. Because she'll be unforgettable. It should be easy; no one can beat her in the 400. But a new runner shows up, threatening Leta's top spot and her budding feminist beliefs about sisterhood. She works harder and harder in practice, trying to ensure the new girl won't ruin her perfect plan...until an injury sidelines her. How will she ever prove to her dad and the world that she's unforgettable? How will she prove it to herself?....

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The queen bees of Tybee County

Chu, Kyle Casey, author.

After making the buzzer-beating shot at the Georgia basketball state championships, Derrick Chan becomes the star of Bayard Middle School, and Derrick’s single dad could not be prouder. But there are parts of Derrick that no one knows about, like the toenail polish he wears under his basketball sneakers, his secret lip-sync performances in the bathroom mirror, and the feelings he’s developing for his best friend and teammate, JJ. As the school year comes to a close, Derrick’s dad takes an out-of-town job and ships Derrick off to spend the summer with his estranged, eccentric grandmother, Claudia. Soon, Claudia introduces Derrick to the world of small-town southern beauty pageants, and Derrick suddenly feels he’s found where he belongs. But when the opportunity arises to compete in the town pageant, Derrick is forced to decide just how much of himself he’s ready to show the world. Can he learn to love and accept the most unique parts of himself? And what will happen if others—like his father and JJ—can’t do the same? ....

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Leah vs. art

McCullough, Joy, author.

How organized, driven Leah was born into her family, she’ll never know. They’re as different as can be. For example, while she’s trying to finish unpacking boxes from their move and get to bed at a decent time, her parents are listening to indie rock records and eating ice cream sundaes. Sometimes it feels like she’s the only responsible one in the house! So when her parents sign her up for art club—to “loosen her up” and “get her creative juices flowing”—Leah decides to ditch in favor of Quiz Bowl, which meets at the same time. But as she secretly attends Quiz Bowl and lies to her parents, her competitive spirit begins to take over, threatening her scheme and her friendships.....

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Spirit service

Nanua, Sarena, author.

All Raveena wants is to bring back her school’s beloved arts program. It’s been six months since her music-loving grandmother passed, and four since Hollows’ Peak Middle School cut its entire arts budget. Now Raveena has no way to practice music, and worse, no way to honor Grandmama’s memory. But Raveena’s world turns on its head when she and her friends stumble upon an otherworldly discovery: an old-fashioned telephone with the ability to contact ghosts! With her newfound possession, Raveena devises the perfect plan to raise funds for the arts program: Spirit Service, an agency that guides deceased townspeople to the afterlife by reconnecting them with their living loved ones. The best part? There are tons of spirits in need of assistance—and people willing to pay big bucks to communicate with them. But not all spirits are interested in peacefully moving on… To keep their neighborhood safe, Raveena and her friends must dive into the history of their town and the mysterious phone, and in the process, uncover secrets that are much closer to home.....

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The great mouse escape! : a word of mouse tail

Patterson, James, 1947- author.

Talking mouse Isaiah is free from the experiments that left him with blue fur and a big voice, and living a picture-perfect life with his human friend, Hailey. But the evil scientists—and their evil talking cats—are hot on Isaiah’s trail. When they mouse-nap his friend Mikayla, it's up to Isaiah and Hailey to rescue her. Their search takes them on a cross-country adventure, where they face foes and make unexpected friends. If they can find Mikayla, they might even find a way to free Isaiah's siblings and create a happy ending for all the lab mice. ....

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The extraordinary orbit of Alex Ramirez

Paulino, Jasminne, author.

Neurodiverse seventh grader Alex's favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos of rocket launches with his Papi and spending hours on the NASA website reading about astronauts and planets. He even dreams of going to space one day himself, and knows he'll have to study hard in order to get there. But Alex is in his grade's SC (self-contained) classroom, which means doing the same dull worksheets every day and reading books his sister read back in the third grade. Worst of all, being in SC means nobody thinks he's ready to join Ms. Rosef's mainstream science class—the class Alex knows will be the first step on his path to NASA. When his teacher says "not yet" for the millionth time, Alex decides it's time to make a change. Now he's ready to try everything he can to get the people in his life—his teachers, his parents, and the kids at school—to understand that he, Alex Ramirez, is capable of the extraordinary.....

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Opal Watson, private eye

Thurman, Brittany, author.

Twelve-year-old African American Opal Watson is a young detective who loves solving mysteries, from lost pets to missing objects. After returning to Chicago from New Orleans, she's nervous about starting school and dealing with her Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. Opal is paired with a new student, Ivy, for a history project, but she's more focused on her friends, cousin Frank and best friend Madison. When Madison hears strange noises in their apartment building, the Crescent, and renovations disrupt the neighbors, Opal begins to investigate. The building is also threatened by developers who want to tear it down. As Opal delves deeper into the mystery, she faces her toughest case yet, wondering if she can solve it and uncover hidden truths along the way.....

View in Catalog

Dad rock dragon quest

Reardon, Joan, author.

Aspiring rockstar Zadie Drake’s world flipped upside-down the moment her mom started dating Lloyd Clutterbuck — a boring risk analyst with an aversion to all things fun. Since Lloyd moved in, he’s made it his mission to drain every drop of joy from Zadie’s life — putting strict limits on her guitar sessions, nitpicking her every move, and filling the house with his utter dullness. Naturally, when Zadie’s daredevil park ranger dad invites Zadie and her older sister to spend the summer at his cabin, Zadie can hardly contain her excitement. But Zadie’s joy is short-lived when her mom announces that Lloyd will be tagging along. Soon after arriving at the cabin, Zadie begins to suspect that there’s more to her dad’s job than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when family secrets make an explosive entrance in the form of a fire-wielding poacher who kidnaps her dad’s best friend — an enormous, ice-breathing dragon. The revelations launch Zadie and her family into a cross-country rescue mission of epic proportions. As tensions spike, tempers flare, and the family’s differences become glaringly obvious, Zadie realizes her family’s most daunting challenge might not be rescuing the dragon but working together.....

View in Catalog

The Incorruptibles

Magaziner, Lauren, author.

Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she’s whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn’t earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?....

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Chef's secret

Yang, Kelly, author.

Jason Yao has a secret ... actually, lots of secrets! For one thing, it's hard being a professional chef, helping to run a motel, and being a regular kid! And now that Mia Tang is officially his girlfriend, Jason's life has reached a whole new level of exciting -- and terrifying! After all, Mia is amazing, and Jason is... just Jason. But he's determined to be the best boyfriend ever, and he knows exactly what he needs to do: 1. Plan the perfect first date. Thanks to his dad's new scheme to bring fancier guests to the motel, Jason is working harder than ever -- and earning even bigger tips, which means he can treat Mia to the dinner of her dreams! 2. Be less cringe, especially around other guys. And try to make some guy friends his own age! Maybe then he can finally move on from those bullies who tormented him in fourth grade. 3. Don't let Mia know the real him. Mia can never find out the darkest secrets that Jason is keeping -- no one can! Jason knows he's got his work cut out for him, but hey, if he can date a girl like Mia Tang, anything's possible, right?....

View in Catalog

The extraordinary orbit of Alex Ramirez

Paulino, Jasminne, author.

Neurodiverse seventh grader Alex's favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos of rocket launches with his Papi and spending hours on the NASA website reading about astronauts and planets. He even dreams of going to space one day himself, and knows he'll have to study hard in order to get there. But Alex is in his grade's SC (self-contained) classroom, which means doing the same dull worksheets every day and reading books his sister read back in the third grade. Worst of all, being in SC means nobody thinks he's ready to join Ms. Rosef's mainstream science class—the class Alex knows will be the first step on his path to NASA. When his teacher says "not yet" for the millionth time, Alex decides it's time to make a change. Now he's ready to try everything he can to get the people in his life—his teachers, his parents, and the kids at school—to understand that he, Alex Ramirez, is capable of the extraordinary.....

View in Catalog

The gate, the girl, and the dragon

Lin, Grace, author, illustrator.

Jin is a Stone Lion — one of the guardians of the Old City Gate who is charged to watch over humans and protect the Sacred Sphere. But to Jin, those boring duties feel like a waste of time. What isn’t a waste of time? Perfecting his zuqiu kick, scoring a Golden Goal, and becoming the most legendary player of all the spirit world. But when Jin’s perfect kick accidentally knocks the Sacred Sphere out through the gate, he has no choice but to run after it, tumbling out of the realm he calls home and into the human world as the gate closes behind him. Stuck outside the gate, Jin must find help from unlikely allies, including a girl who can hear a mysterious voice and a worm who claims he is a dragon. Together, they must find the sphere and return it to the world beyond the gate… or risk losing everything. ....

View in Catalog

Chef's secret

Yang, Kelly, author.

Jason Yao has a secret ... actually, lots of secrets! For one thing, it's hard being a professional chef, helping to run a motel, and being a regular kid! And now that Mia Tang is officially his girlfriend, Jason's life has reached a whole new level of exciting -- and terrifying! After all, Mia is amazing, and Jason is... just Jason. But he's determined to be the best boyfriend ever, and he knows exactly what he needs to do: 1. Plan the perfect first date. Thanks to his dad's new scheme to bring fancier guests to the motel, Jason is working harder than ever -- and earning even bigger tips, which means he can treat Mia to the dinner of her dreams! 2. Be less cringe, especially around other guys. And try to make some guy friends his own age! Maybe then he can finally move on from those bullies who tormented him in fourth grade. 3. Don't let Mia know the real him. Mia can never find out the darkest secrets that Jason is keeping -- no one can! Jason knows he's got his work cut out for him, but hey, if he can date a girl like Mia Tang, anything's possible, right?....

View in Catalog

The unforgettable Leta "Lightning" Laurel

Toalson, R. L. (Rachel L.), author.

Eighth-grader Leta "Lightning" Laurel is a big sister, a problem solver, and the star of her track team. Her dad's been out of the picture for more than a year, and food's gotten scarce at home. When Leta learns her mom's financial struggles are even worse than she'd thought, she hatches a plan to bring her dad home: she'll win district champion in the 400-meter dash, the newspaper will write about her, her mom will send the clipping to her dad, and her dad will remember he has daughters who need him. Because she'll be unforgettable. It should be easy; no one can beat her in the 400. But a new runner shows up, threatening Leta's top spot and her budding feminist beliefs about sisterhood. She works harder and harder in practice, trying to ensure the new girl won't ruin her perfect plan...until an injury sidelines her. How will she ever prove to her dad and the world that she's unforgettable? How will she prove it to herself?....

View in Catalog

Beasties

Lerangis, Peter, author.

On a field trip to Central Park, Riley and his classmates accidentally encounter a supernatural artifact that looks a lot like, well, honestly, a piece of poop. But one of them gets too close, there's a blinding flash, and suddenly the five friends are turned into various critters. Riley's sister's a hawk, the school bully's a raccoon, and Riley? He's transformed into everyone's least favorite animal, a New York City rat. Their once-dull morning quickly turns into a fight for survival. The kids have stayed alive long enough find a way to turn themselves back to normal. But as it turns out, they're not the only humans-turned-into-animals on the loose in Central Park. As it turns out, Riley and his friends have accidentally thrust themselves into the center of a dangerous Manhattan-wide plot, and now they must use all their animal abilities to stop the bad guys, find the cure, and get back home without, you know, getting eaten on the way. It's a wild adventure of a lifetime -- because if they fail, these beasties will stay beasts forever.....

View in Catalog

Zarina divided

Faruqi, Reem, author.

Zarina loves her life in Poona, India. She spends her days happily hanging out with her best friends, Geeta and Jahana, and playing with her three brothers. However, Zarina and her family are given unsettling news: Muslims and Hindus are to separate by religion. Hindus are expected to stay in India, while Muslims are expected to move to a new land, Pakistan. Zarina is heartbroken at having to move away from all she knows and loves, and after the frightening journey to Pakistan, she feels unsure that the unfamiliar country will ever feel like home. When an accident happens that leaves Zarina grappling with extreme guilt, she decides it’s best to attend boarding school far away, much to the protest of her mom. Will a fresh start at a new school give Zarina the chance to thrive in Pakistan, or will the divisions within herself and her family continue to widen? ....

View in Catalog

The queen bees of Tybee County

Chu, Kyle Casey, author.

After making the buzzer-beating shot at the Georgia basketball state championships, Derrick Chan becomes the star of Bayard Middle School, and Derrick’s single dad could not be prouder. But there are parts of Derrick that no one knows about, like the toenail polish he wears under his basketball sneakers, his secret lip-sync performances in the bathroom mirror, and the feelings he’s developing for his best friend and teammate, JJ. As the school year comes to a close, Derrick’s dad takes an out-of-town job and ships Derrick off to spend the summer with his estranged, eccentric grandmother, Claudia. Soon, Claudia introduces Derrick to the world of small-town southern beauty pageants, and Derrick suddenly feels he’s found where he belongs. But when the opportunity arises to compete in the town pageant, Derrick is forced to decide just how much of himself he’s ready to show the world. Can he learn to love and accept the most unique parts of himself? And what will happen if others—like his father and JJ—can’t do the same? ....

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The hat of great importance

Ness, Patrick, 1971- author.

On what should be a normal school day at their normal school--recently rebuilt at great expense by the town's supervillain after her son destroyed it with a giant robot pelican suit--things begin to spin out of control for monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia and Meil the hawk the moment they board the school bus. For no good reason, Zeke is deeply unsettled by Daniel's new pink hat. The tower sprouting on the town's tallest hill surely contains a Death Ray of Death. And Meil's predator instincts have kicked in: what if he accidently eats his friends or their new classmate, Peggy the flounder, in her portable aquarium? At school, Zeke suspects the new guidance counselor--who hails from the same pelican crime family as their nemesis--of turning Daniel and Alicia against him. Or was it something Zeke said? With lively graphic illustrations, breakneck action, and a big heart, book two blends droll satire with belly laughs to prove that when life turns up the heat ray, you get to choose who to be. Even unlikely reptilian heroes need the courage to say they're sorry.....

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Spirit service

Nanua, Sarena, author.

All Raveena wants is to bring back her school’s beloved arts program. It’s been six months since her music-loving grandmother passed, and four since Hollows’ Peak Middle School cut its entire arts budget. Now Raveena has no way to practice music, and worse, no way to honor Grandmama’s memory. But Raveena’s world turns on its head when she and her friends stumble upon an otherworldly discovery: an old-fashioned telephone with the ability to contact ghosts! With her newfound possession, Raveena devises the perfect plan to raise funds for the arts program: Spirit Service, an agency that guides deceased townspeople to the afterlife by reconnecting them with their living loved ones. The best part? There are tons of spirits in need of assistance—and people willing to pay big bucks to communicate with them. But not all spirits are interested in peacefully moving on… To keep their neighborhood safe, Raveena and her friends must dive into the history of their town and the mysterious phone, and in the process, uncover secrets that are much closer to home.....

View in Catalog

The hat of great importance

Ness, Patrick, 1971- author.

On what should be a normal school day at their normal school--recently rebuilt at great expense by the town's supervillain after her son destroyed it with a giant robot pelican suit--things begin to spin out of control for monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia and Meil the hawk the moment they board the school bus. For no good reason, Zeke is deeply unsettled by Daniel's new pink hat. The tower sprouting on the town's tallest hill surely contains a Death Ray of Death. And Meil's predator instincts have kicked in: what if he accidently eats his friends or their new classmate, Peggy the flounder, in her portable aquarium? At school, Zeke suspects the new guidance counselor--who hails from the same pelican crime family as their nemesis--of turning Daniel and Alicia against him. Or was it something Zeke said? With lively graphic illustrations, breakneck action, and a big heart, book two blends droll satire with belly laughs to prove that when life turns up the heat ray, you get to choose who to be. Even unlikely reptilian heroes need the courage to say they're sorry.....

View in Catalog