These titles were recently added to the collection of Yakima Valley Libraries
On a wing and a tear
Smith, Cynthia Leitich, author.
Melanie “Mel” Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations, but the friends have become like siblings since the Robertses moved in with the Halfmoons. And they soon welcome a distinguished guest: Great-grandfather Bat, whose wing is injured, has taken refuge in their old oak tree. A rematch of the legendary Great Ball Game is coming up, with Bat as the star player. Grampa Charlie Halfmoon offers to drive Bat from Chicago down to the traditional playing field outside Macon, Georgia, and Mel and Ray are determined to help out. Together, they all set off on a road trip—facing adventure, danger, and a hair-raising mystery—on the way to the historic game.....
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Volcanoes are hot!
Cham, Jorge, author, illustrator.
After writing his first book, eleven-year-old Oliver is kind of a celebrity around school—no big deal. But when he gets caught in a cafeteria catastrophe, he quickly goes from being the “funny science kid” to one of the “Epic Barf Kids”, the result of too much explosive cherry pie in the lunchroom. Oliver is desperate to restore his reputation—and winning the science fair sounds like the perfect way for everyone to forget about the whole barf thing. There’s just one obstacle standing in his way: Ana Lía Quintero, who wins the science fair every year. Luckily, Oliver has the help of his geoscientist aunt, even though she’s a little, um, quirky (scratch that: really quirky). If Oliver has any chance of defeating his archnemesis, he’ll have to learn all about volcanic burping and bacteria farts, how Earth’s layers are basically like boba tea, and how school cliques and the solar system have a lot in common. With laugh-out-loud humor and cartoon-style illustrations from bestselling writer and the creator of PHD Comics Jorge Cham, Oliver’s Great Big Universe is a STEAM-themed, diary-style series following one kid who’s taking on the whole universe—if he can survive middle school first.....
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The diamond explorer
Yang, Kao Kalia, 1980- author.
Malcolm is the youngest child of Hmong refugees, and he was born over a decade after his youngest sibling, giving him a unique perspective on his complicated immigrant family. In the first part of the story, we meet Malcolm as an elementary school kid through the eyes of the adults in his life—his parents and siblings, but also the white teachers at his Minnesota schools. As middle school begins, we encounter Malcolm in his own words, and suddenly we see that this "quiet, slow Hmong boy" is anything but. Malcolm is a gifted collector of his family's stories and tireless seeker of his own place within an evolving Hmong American culture, and his journey toward becoming a shaman like his grandparents before him is inspiring and revelatory.....
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The probability of everything
Everett, Sarah, author.
Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. It's how she understands the world and her place in it. Kemi knows her odds of being born were 1 in 5.5 trillion and that the odds of her having the best family ever were even lower. Yet somehow, Kemi lucked out. But everything Kemi thought she knew changes when she sees an asteroid hover in the sky, casting a purple haze over her world. Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of colliding with earth in four days, and with that collision, Kemi’s life as she knows it will end. But over the course of the four days, even facts don’t feel true to Kemi anymore. The new town she moved to that was supposed to be “better for her family” isn’t very welcoming. And Amplus-68 is taking over her life, but others are still going to school and eating at their favorite diner like nothing has changed. Is Kemi the only one who feels like the world is ending? With the days numbered, Kemi decides to put together a time capsule that will capture her family’s truth: how creative her mother is, how inquisitive her little sister can be, and how much Kemi's whole world revolves around her father. But no time capsule can change the truth behind all of it, that Kemi must face the most inevitable and hardest part of life: saying goodbye.....
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Splinter & Ash
Nijkamp, Marieke, author.
Ash--or Princess Adelisa--is the youngest child of the queen, recently returned to the city of Kestrel's Haven after spending six years on the other side of the country. Ash was hoping for a joyous reunion, but the reality is far from it. Her mother is holding the kingdom together by a thread; her brother has only taunts and jibes for her; and court is full of nobles who openly mock and dismiss Ash, who uses a cane and needs braces to strengthen her joints. Splinter is the youngest child of one of Haven's most prominent families. She's fierce, determined, and adventurous, and she has her sights set on becoming a knight just like her older brother. Even if everyone says she can't because she's not a boy. So what? She's not a girl, either. A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each other's orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history. The princess and her new squire will face bullies, snobs, gossips, and their own disapproving families. But when they uncover a shadowy group of nobles plotting to overthrow the queen, they will show everyone how legends are born. Together.....
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Westfallen
Brashares, Ann, author.
Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school Frances got emo, Lukas went to private school, and Henry just felt left behind. When they come together again for the funeral of a pet gerbil, the three ex-friends make a mind-blowing discovery: a radio, buried in Henry’s backyard, that allows them to talk to another group of kids in the same town...in the same backyard...eighty years in the past. The kids in 1944 want to know about the future: Are there laser guns? Flying cars? Jetpacks, at least? Most of all, they want to know about the outcome of the world war their dad and brothers are fighting in. Though Henry is cautious—he’s seen movies about what happens when you disrupt the fabric of time—soon the present-day kids are sending their new friends on a mission to rescue a doomed candy store. What harm could that do? But one change leads to another, and when the six friends alter history in the biggest way possible, it’s up to them to change it back.....
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Stranded
Smith, Nikki Shannon, 1971- author.
Nature-loving Ava yearns to leave the noise of New York City behind for a real adventure in the great outdoors―that’s why she’s thrilled when her parents allow her to move in with her Auntie Raven in the Adirondack Mountains! It’s a dream come true . . . until Auntie Raven is called away and Ava's stay is cut short. But when wires get crossed, Ava finds herself alone in her aunt's secluded cabin. Winter comes early in the mountains, and one night, a single storm will change everything. With a destroyed cabin, no cell reception, and no neighbors for miles, Ava begins to realize this adventure is more than she ever could have imagined. Surrounded by mountains blanketed with snow and ice, Ava is completely on her own. It’s the ultimate test . . . and her newly-developed survival skills may not be enough for her to last through the winter. Ava might not be able to fight the cold and the storms that come her way, but can she work with nature long enough to survive it?....
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Kareem between
Safadi, Shifa Saltagi, author.
From failed football tryouts to helping the new Syrian refugee student, seventh-grader Kareem attempts to navigate the social complexities of seventh grade, which are further complicated when his mother is unable to return home from Syria due to an executive order.....
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That curious thing
Raschka, Christopher, author, illustrator.
When a twelve-year-old girl named Cleo and her cat, Muffin, become the newest members of PURR (Peace Urgently Requires Reasonableness), a secret society of cats fighting for peace, they aren't exactly sure what they're getting themselves into. Then, PURR discovers that KLAW (Cats Loving Awful Warfare), an evil secret society of cats, is planning to send dogs to space for ransom. PURR tasks Cleo to infiltrate KLAW as a secret spy so together they can stop them. It will take the intelligence, confidence, and tenacity of a feline to save the world from KLAW's evil plans. Does Cleo have what it takes?....
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Still Sal : a Miller family story
Henkes, Kevin, author.
Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal’s name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster. Poor Sal! Luckily for Sal, she has understanding parents, a terrific new teacher, and empathetic friends who remind her that it takes time to adjust to change. And sure enough, after a few days, Sal feels like herself again.....
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Mouse & his dog
Applegate, Katherine, author.
Mouse lives in Dogtown, a shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, where the kibble is plentiful, and the rafters hide a secret community of mice. His unlikely best friend is Buster, a big-hearted real dog who attracts trouble like a burr to fur. Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse embarks on a bold quest with three of Dogtown’s “unadoptables”: Buster, Stewie--a huge, lovable dog whose ex-owner said he was mean, and Smokey--a robot dog hardwired with a smoke alarm he can’t control. But Mouse is just a mouse, and the world is big and complicated. How’s a little guy supposed to find homes for the dogs he loves?....
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Gracie under the waves
Park, Linda Sue, author.
Gracie loves snorkeling! She loves it so much, she convinces her parents to let her plan a family vacation to Roatán, Honduras, where they can all snorkel together. She even makes a new friend there. Now, if only her irritating little brother would leave her alone, everything would be perfect. Then Gracie hurts her leg, and all her carefully made plans start to come apart. Worse still, she learns the reef itself is in serious danger. Gracie wants to help the reef . . . but she's just a kid. What can she do to make a difference? Fortunately, her new friend has a few ideas!....
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