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The Next Chapter: Books for Kids and Tweens December 2025 |
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The Cartoonists Clubby Raina TelgemeierMakayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures! Dynamic author/illustrator duo: reviewers have great things to say about the team of Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, "like the unity of words and art that makes comics run—the parts become a seamless whole that offers readers more than a single experience. A real showpiece of what happens when two masters find a way to combine their mastery."- (Booklist) |
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| Chris Makes a Friend by Alex Gino Sent to stay with their grandparents while their mom recovers from surgery, bookish 12-year-old Chris and her athletic younger sister Becca are both having a tough time. But then Chris meets Mia, and their friendship helps her understand more about herself and her complicated family. Also available as an audiobook HERE.
Themes explored: friendships, family, a deep affinity for reading, loneliness, mental health, disability, and gender identity. |
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Pizza Faceby Rex OgleLate bloomer Rex navigates a low-income family, bullies, sports, and middle school, all while learning to have confidence with a body that refuses to stop changing. Series alert: this is the sequel to Four Eyes. Both graphic novels are inspired by the life of the author. |
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Breathtaking suspense, unforgettable characters, and a pinch of magic combine in the dual stories of two young people--one in 731 China, and one in 1931 Chinatown--on perilous journeys to save their families. In ancient Chang'An, Han Yu sells steamed buns in a bustling market full of whispers about his ability to summon tigers.In New York's Depression-era Chinatown, Luli gazes out from the roof of her parents' restaurant, dreaming of dim sum and Chinese art.Familiar rhythms rule the contained-but-contented lives of Han Yu and Luli. But when plague strikes Chang'An and financial crisis threatens Luli's family, Han Yu and Luli must each venture out into the larger world--and into danger-filled adventure--to save what they love most. Filled with wondrous caves and conniving thieves, desert storms and magical lakes, Karina Yan Glaser's epic and rewarding novel is a testament to the bravery required to face the unknown and the power of art to connect us through the ages. |
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| Winging It by Megan Wagner Lloyd; illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter
Twelve-year-old Luna doesn't want to move across the country with her dad, especially not to move in with the strict grandma she hardly knows. But after discovering old nature journals from the mom she never knew, Luna finds unexpected connections to her new home. Cartoony art and honest emotions make this graphic novel a strong choice for realistic fiction fans.
Also available as an audiobook HERE. |
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Impossible Creatures by Katherine RundellAfter rescuing a wounded baby griffin, Christopher meets Mal, a girl from the magical Archipelago, and is drawn into an island-hopping, world-saving quest filled with mythical creatures. Read it for: an intense plot, brave characters, and a fascinating bestiary |
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly BarnhillEvery year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby for the witch in the forest to keep her from terrorizing their town. But Xan is kind. She nourishes the babies with starlight and delivers them to welcoming families. Until she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, filling her with extraordinary magic that will emerge with dangerous consequences. Award winner: Newbery Medal, 2017; ALA Notable Children's Books, 2017; School Library Journal Best Books 2016 |
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Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation--perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry. But to Maya, it sounds like something from one of Papa's stories or her favorite comics. When Papa goes missing, Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth. Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark--where an army led by the Lord of Shadows, the man from Maya's nightmares, awaits. Maya herself is a godling, half orisha and half human, and her neighborhood is a safe haven. But now that the veil is failing, the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it's up to Maya to stop him. She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer's over. Reviewers say: "fast-paced and adventurous, offering a fresh blend of culture, community, and folklore" (Booklist) |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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