 Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
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Books for Kids and Tweens February 2026 |
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| Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. FlakeIt'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.) |
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Red Star Rebels
by Amie Kaufman
It's 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements. You can buy a one-way ticket to a new life--if you're rich. Enter Hunter Graves, the handsome, ambitious grandson of the man who settled Mars. With spectacularly bad timing, Hunter arrives at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he's left behind. Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are. It turns out the evacuation is just a cover for the mercenaries who come next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours. Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other. The clock is ticking.
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| The Moon Without Stars by Chanel MillerQuiet, creative Luna and her best friend Scott have gotten good at making zines to help their middle school classmates who are struggling. And it's those zines that grab the attention of the popular girls, forcing Luna to decide between social status and staying true to herself. Read-alike: Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy. (Ages 10-13.)
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| Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game by Kadir NelsonHit 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.)
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| The Lions' Run by Sara PennypackerIn 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.)
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| Gumshoe by Brenna ThummlerAnxious Willa dreams of becoming a mailwoman, which makes it extra unfair when she's mistaken for mail-stealing outlaw Two Gum Tilly and forced to go on the run. Luckily, Willa is taken in by the Gumshoe Gang, fellow runaways determined to stop Tilly's crimes. Colorful, high-energy artwork will keep you glued to this Western-themed graphic novel. (Ages 8-13.)
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| The Partition Project by Saadia FaruqiAt 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.)
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This Book Won't Burn
by Samira Ahmed
While still coping with her parents' sudden divorce and having to start at a new school midway through her senior year, Noor and two new friends take a stand against book bans at their small-town Illinois high school.
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| Gut Reaction by Kirby Larson and Quinn WyattBaking 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.)
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The Glass Girl
by Kathleen Glasgow
When fifteen-year-old Bella's latest blackout lands her in the hospital, she enters rehab to confront her addiction to alcohol.
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| The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnonAfter 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.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) www.mrspl.org
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