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Books for Kids and Tweens February 2026 |
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|  Feeling lonely and angry after his brother (and best friend) leaves for college, trans and autistic eighth-grader Jasper begins a backyard fossil dig, spurred on by the voice of a saber-toothed tiger in his head. Told through high-impact poetry, Saber-Tooth explores how Jasper finds new friendships and excavates explosive emotions. Reviewers say: "The author explores the complexity of anger—honoring its validity without dismissing accountability for one’s actions—in a way that’s artful and immersive."(Kirkus) |
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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. |
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Dream by Barbara O'Connor Dream follows a small town girl with big aspirations who discovers that anything is possible with your best friends and an adorable pup by your side. The sky is the limit. Idalee Lovett is content with her life in small-town Colby, North Carolina, living in her family's huge house with rooms for rent. But she has big dreams, just like her mama. While Mama is on tour for the summer with her cover band, Lovey Lovett and the Junkyard Dogs, Idalee decides to hone her craft as a songwriter--since her truest wish is to hear her country songs on the radio one day. When the local radio station announces a songwriting contest with the winning song being recorded by an up-and-coming singer, Idalee is determined to win. It would definitely be possible if only she could buy the shiny blue guitar in Asheville's music shop. Idalee doesn't have much money, but she knows exactly how to get it--the long-lost treasure her late granddaddy hid somewhere in their house. With the help of her friends Odell, Howard, Charlie, and an adorable little dog named Wishbone, Idalee is going to search in every nook and cranny until she finds it. But little does she know, the biggest treasure of all is only discovered when you believe in yourself with your whole heart. Series alert: this story is the standalone companion to the novel Wish. |
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History Comics: Ellis Island: Immigration and the American Dream by Felipe Galindo FeggoMany Americans know someone who can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island. In addition to being part of the world-famous Statue of Liberty National Monument, this modest-sized piece of land once housed the main immigration processing center for the U.S., documenting upwards of 12 million people between 1892 and 1954! Over the generations, Ellis Island has taken on an almost mythic status as a beacon of hope to those seeking freedom and refuge from persecution. But how did it all get started? |
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Ten-year-old Gio Barker is down in the dumps. His mom has uprooted him to a new school and a new town, all so she can start her own business. Gio used to see friends after school, but now he's stuck hanging around his mom's new doggy day care. Then one day he mistakes a dog biscuit for a human cookie, and suddenly he can talk to the dogs! The day care dogs become the friends Gio desperately needs. They tell him some of the great secrets of dog life, and he takes them for wild romps in the park. But when the dogs realize that Gio is struggling, they take it upon themselves to teach him everything they know. Sure, they're lessons from dog school, but some of these skills are useful in any context. Take Fetch, for instance. It's a game of give and take - perfect skills to practice if Gio wants to make the soccer team or find a human friend! Why you might like it: have you ever wanted to understand what your dog is saying? Then, this book is for you! And follow-up with the sequel, Leave It! |
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Who Was Katherine Johnson? by Shelia P. MosesFrom a very young age, Katherine Johnson counted everything--the number of dirty dishes she'd washed, the steps she walked to church, and even the number of leaves on the trees. By 1928, she was so intelligent and skilled at math that she was able to skip several grades and start high school at age ten. And while Katherine had to deal with racism, segregation, and prejudice throughout her life, she did not let this hold her back from becoming a mathematician. In 1953, she started working as a 'human computer' at America's space agency, now known as NASA. Katherine calculated complex equations by hand, and these calculations helped astronauts travel safely into space. She was a part of many important missions, including the Apollo 11 mission that put the first person on the moon. |
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Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes In 1889, a young Black family hears about a land rush, so Will and his father set out from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others on a difficult journey to where land is free. What's inside: Short, quickly paced chapters depict Will’s fight for survival and his noble, ever-present desire to provide a better future for his family.
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Curlfriends : New in Town by Sharee Miller What happens: Charlie is used to starting over at new schools, thanks to her military family's constant moving, so she has a plan for starting middle school. When absolutely nothing goes according to her plan, Charlie learns that being her true self is the best way to make lasting friendships when she meets the Curlfriends, a group of Black girls who couldn't be more different from each other. For fans of: New Kid, the Baby-Sitters Club, and other middle grade graphic novels about friendship and staying true to yourself.
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J vs. K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft The friendly trash talk between two Newbery Award-winning authors gets a funny, fictional twist in this story about cartoonist J and poet K, two rival fifth-graders each determined to win their school’s storytelling contest. This graphic novel hybrid offers plenty of jokes alongside useful advice for young artists and authors.
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Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson  Sharp-minded 12-year-old Brooklynite Kaylani is stuck spending the summer with wealthy family friends in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It’s okay at first, but after a local teenager is found dead, Kaylani’s instincts push her to investigate. The dangerous results will keep you turning pages in this gripping thriller. Read it for: powerful emotional undercurrents and a suspenseful plot
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Eb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistWhat it's about: Suspended after a fight at school, 7th-graders Ebony "Eb" Wilson and De’Kari "Flow" Flood have time to observe their now-viral conflict making waves in their neighborhood -- and making each of them consider if this is really how they want things to be.How it's told: through free-flowing poetry from both characters, allowing readers to see the tough situations behind each kid and their actions. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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