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| The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnultyStarring: twelve-year-old Lucy, who has genius-level math skills (a side effect of surviving a lightning strike) and obsessive-compulsive habits (a side effect of living with a "supercomputer brain")
What happens: Lucy's grandma won't let her apply to college unless she abandons her predictable homeschooling and completes one year of public middle school. Yikes.
Who it's for: proud math geeks, as well as anyone looking for a unique character facing typical problems. |
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Raffie on the Run by Jacqueline ResnickA pizza-loving rat who enjoys imagining his life as a superhero teams up with a sequence of new animal friends on an adventure across New York City when his little brother is caught by a group of kids and taken away to a different borough.
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Sneak Thief by Faith HarkeyThanks to her sneak-thieving skills, Hush Cantrell can fend for herself. Which is a good thing, since her mom's the last person to look out for her.Hush's life isn't all roses, but when her new friend Desiree enters the picture, things start looking up. That is, until Hush's luck runs out and she's finally caught. Now Hush has to turn over a new leaf: her only alternative to the dreaded "juvvie" is a job at Miz Tromp's Nursery. There Hush gets more than she bargained for--she learns for the first time how to make good things grow. But soon Hush realizes something strange is happening to her: she can actually see people's pain--and take it away. Pretty soon Hush and Desiree are on a mission to rid their town of pain. What could possibly be the downside to that? |
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The Misfits Club by Kieran CrowleyNothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Newpark, where Brian, Hannah and twins Chris and Sam live. And when they start their summer vacation, they know it's the end of an era. The Misfits Club--a club they started when they were eight years old--is disbanding, and they still haven't managed to solve any real mysteries. But when they persuade new club member Amelia to go investigate a spooky old house, they unexpectedly discover some stolen goods. Could this be their chance for one last adventure? One thing is for sure, though: Newpark is decidedly more interesting now.
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| Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead; illustrated by Nicholas GannonStarring: ten-year-old American Livy, who's visiting her Gran in Australia for the first time in years; and Bob, the small, green creature in a chicken suit who's been waiting for Livy's return.
What happens: Despite Livy's confusion about what Bob is and how she forgot him, the two friends soon resume their search for clues about Bob's true home.
About the authors: Superstar authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass join forces for the first time in this quirky, heartfelt fantasy. |
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| The Bad Guys by Aaron BlabeyWhat it's about: Sure, he seems shady, but Mr. Wolf isn't a big, bad monster. To prove it, he and his reluctant pals Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Piranha, are founding a Good Guys Club to do heroic deeds. If only the other animals weren't too scared to appreciate their help…
Why you might like it: Part graphic novel, part early chapter book, this series opener is bursting with energy and laugh-yourself-silly slapstick. |
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| Hazy Bloom and the Tomorrow Power by Jennifer Hamburg; illustrated by Jenn HarneyWhat happens: It begins with a prickly feeling and an image of flying green peas. It takes Hazel "Hazy" Bloom a while to figure out that it's a vision of the near future, that it's the first of many, and that it's difficult to decode without causing more disasters than she prevents.
Series alert: This goofy, fast-paced read is the 1st in a series, followed by Hazy Bloom and the Pet Project. |
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| Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker; illustrated by Marla FrazeeWhat it's about: Science-loving fourth grader Waylon doesn't want to be an "Other," but he doesn't want to be a "Shark-Puncher," either. Unfortunately, those are the only two choices given by Arlo, the popular kid who's dividing Waylon's class into rival teams. Can Waylon use his humor, heart, and know-how to bring people together?
For fans of: Kevin Henkes, Beverly Clearly, and the Clementine series -- fans will be excited to spot Clementine in Waylon's class. |
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| Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban; illustrated by Katie KathIntroducing: Max, whose parents just got divorced, prompting him to worry that spending weekends at his dad's new apartment will feel weird.
What happens: Instead of weird, weekends are busy! They shop for furniture, Max helps Dad with his ukulele act, and Dad helps Max turn pizza boxes into a porcupine habitat.
Series alert: After reading this illustrated series-starter, you'll look forward to spending more weekends with this funny, caring duo.
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Recess Warriors : hero is a four-letter word by Marcus EmersonScrap, his partner Yoshi, and Clinton, a cowboy, must band together to stop zombies who have been infected by an epidemic from turning recess into chaos and taking over the school.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!
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Contra Costa County Library
777 Arnold Drive, Suite 210 | Martinez, California 94553 | 800-984-4636
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ccclib.org
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