Kids' Books
November 2020
Recent Releases
Premeditated Myrtle
by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Introducing: Myrtle, a 12-year-old girl who’s more interested in crime and toxicology than she is in following Victorian rules for Young Ladies of Quality.

What happens: When nobody in her small English village believes that Myrtle’s neighbor was poisoned, Myrtle decides to find the murderer herself, proving both her intelligence and her skill as a sleuth.

Series alert: Packed with wit, twists, and eccentric characters, this book kicks off the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series.
Twins
by Varian Johnson; illustrated by Shannon Wright

Starring: Brainy, nervous Maureen and confident go-getter Francine, identical twin sisters who used to be best friends.

What happens: Starting middle school highlights the ways in which the sisters are growing apart, although they still agree about one thing: each wants to beat the other in the race for class president.

Also available in eBook on CloudLibrary
Meet the Family
One-Third Nerd
by Gennifer Choldenko; illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans

What it's about: Either the dog or the family has to go! So says the landlord of the apartment where Liam and his family live with Cupcake, their German Shepherd who keeps peeing on the carpet. Can Liam and his younger sisters -- scientist Dakota and hug expert Izzy -- find a way to keep both their dog and their home?

You might also like: Dana Alison Levy's Family Fletcher series, for further slice-of-life stories about a quirky, loving family.
The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue
by Karina Yan Glaser

What it's about: During one hectic week, the five Vanderbeeker kids team up to save their mom's baking business and investigate the abandoned pets that keep appearing at their already-crowded home.

Series alert: Although this is the 3rd book about the determined, energetic Vanderbeekers, the story stands on its own. 

Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
Also available in eBook on CloudLibrary
The Problim Children
by Natalie Lloyd

What it's about: All seven of the Problim siblings have a "grace," an unusual ability unique to the day of the week when they were born. Altogether, they're a charmingly odd bunch, and they've just moved into their grandfather's old mansion -- right next door to mean, scheming Desdemona O’pinion.

Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla
Caterpillar Summer
by Gillian McDunn

Welcome to: Gingerbread Island, North Carolina, where protective older sister Cat and her brother Chicken are visiting the grandparents they’ve only just met.

What happens: Since their dad died, Cat has taken care of Chicken while their mom works. But with their grandparents around to help, Cat's responsibilities shift, making her reconsider how she fits into her family.

Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
Gone Crazy in Alabama
by Rita Williams-Garcia

What it's about: Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern travel from their Brooklyn home to rural Alabama so they can spend the summer of 1969 with their grandmother, Big Ma. While there, the girls discover the complicated history of their African American family and get tangled in a long-standing feud between Big Ma and her half-sister.
 
Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla
Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!