Wheaton Public Library logo
Books for Kids and Tweens
February 2026

Recent Releases
Hattie Mae Begins Again
by Sharon G. Flake

It's 1938, and Hattie Mae Jenkins has left rural North Carolina for busy Philadelphia. There, she grapples with homesickness and mean girls as she tries to find her place at an elite girls' school. This vivid historical story in verse stands on its own, but fans of Once in a Blue Moon will enjoy revisiting familiar characters. (Ages 8-12.)
Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game
by Kadir Nelson

Hit the court with award-winning author/illustrator Kadir Nelson in Basket Ball, a history of the game from its humble beginnings to the high-profile sport of today. Combining vivid full-color paintings with fascinating facts and a focus on Black excellence, this overview is a must-read for sports fans. For fans of: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, also by Kadir Nelson. (Ages 9-13.)
 
The Lions' Run
by Sara Pennypacker

In Nazi-occupied France, soft-hearted orphan Lucas discovers that small acts of courage, like helping his new friend Alice protect her beloved horse, can lead to bigger ones, like helping the Resistance. With realistic characters and growing suspense, this hopeful historical story will grab all kinds of readers. (Ages 8-13.)
 
Retro Reads
Check out these awesome books from the not-so-distant past!
 
The Partition Project
by Saadia Faruqi

At first, Texas 12-year-old Maha Raheem is annoyed by her Pakistani grandmother, Dadi. But when Dadi begins to share stories from the violent 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, Maha finds a subject for her school documentary project, as well as a new understanding of her history and heritage. Read-alikes: Reem Faruqi's Zarina Divided; Katherine Marsh's The Lost Year. (Ages 8-12.)
 
Gut Reaction
by Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt

Baking makes Tess feel closer to her late dad, and she's eager to compete in this year's big baking competition. But there are plenty of complications in her way, including stomach pains that turn out to be Crohn's disease. Realistic fiction fans won't want to miss this funny yet sensitive look at life with chronic illness. Read-alike: The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow. (Ages 8-12.)
 
The Night Librarian
by Christopher Lincoln

Curiosity and boredom prompt twins Page and Turner to visit the New York Public Library, where an encounter with the night librarian reveals that magical energy is escaping from the books -- along with some dangerous fictional characters. Cartoony illustrations add to the offbeat energy in this graphic novel adventure. Read-alike: Kekla Magoon's The Secret Library, Polly Shulman's The Grimm Legacy. (Ages 8-12.) 
 
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science
by Kate McKinnon

After getting expelled from etiquette school again, orphaned sisters Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch are invited to study with mad scientist Millicent Quibb -- and their first lessons involve enormous, puppy-eating worms. Fast-paced, clever, and unapologetically weird, this series-starter by actor Kate McKinnon is a must-read for fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Next in the series: Secrets of the Purple Pearl.
 
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Wheaton Public Library
225 N. Cross Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187
630-668-1374

https://www.wheatonlibrary.org/