September 2026 list by K. Pearson |
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Arthur Blackwood's Scary Stories for Kids Who Like Scary Stories
by A. M. Luzzader
I am Arthur Blackwood and I invite you to read this dark series of horror stories for kids. But wait Don't accept my invitation yet. Are you easily frightened? This collection of scary stories is not for wimpy kids or the faint-hearted. You've been warned However, if you crave classic stories of night beasts and demons, and if you seek tales of haunted history and Halloween terror, then step right this way. These books are for you.
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California or Dust
by Mindy Nichols Wendell
We came all the way from California to make something of ourselves. Today's the day we start. California, 1939. It's hard being the new kid in school. . . but it's harder for eleven-year-old Lark, after she and her family fled Oklahoma's Dust Bowl for a not-so-sunny welcome in California. Kids whisper Go back to Oklahoma Lark would give anything to go back to where she came from, but she can't: the dust storms destroyed everything. The farm labor camp she, her parents, and her siblings live in is her life now, and even Lark has to get a job. Can California really be the land of milk and honey she was promised? More than that. . . can it ever be home?
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Creepy Kid
by Caleb Roehrig
Poe has spent his whole life wishing he could meet a ghost, but when he moves into a real-life haunted house, he discovers that communing with the other side might be a little more than he bargained for. Twelve-year-old Edgar Alden, also known as Poe, has always been an outcast. Obsessed with the macabre, he's never remotely hit it off with other kids. Only Grandma ever really understood his love for the supernatural, but when she dies and his parents move into a dilapidated house on the other side of town, things for Poe quickly go from bad to worse. You see, Poe has a roommate. A dead one.
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The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel
by Nicki Greenberg
This book is a classic whodunnit mystery set aboard a grand ocean liner in the 1920s. With first-class glitz and glamour and a deliciously plotted intrigue featuring an uppity stage star, a missing diamond, a leopard and a loveable cast of child sleuths, The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel is an exciting romp on the high seas perfect for fans of Murder Most Unladylike and The Good Thieves.
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Dog Meets Dog: Super Sibling Mega Battle!
by Dan Yaccarino
Betsy and Bones say konnichiwa to Tokyo. Soon after they arrive, Betsy draws the attention of the company behind Fab Crab, one of the most popular snacks in Japan. They offer her the incredible honor of being their spokesperson, which she happily accepts Unfortunately, the demands of her new position mean she doesn't have time to do the sightseeing she'd planned with Bones--in fact, she doesn't have time for Bones at all. Bones is disappointed and wants Betsy to quit. Can he convince her to hang up her Fab Crab crown?
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Felix Powell, Boy Squirrel
by Erin Entrada Kelly
Felix Powell loves to climb trees. He loves to run and jump and hide. But he's never shoved acorns into his cheeks. He's never gnawed at twigs to build a nest. And he's certainly never worried about being eaten by hawks. Until now. When his magic blanket turns Felix from an eight-year-old aspiring zoologist into a skittering squirrel, Felix discovers that there's more to squirrelhood than meets the eye. Will Felix triumph, avoiding predators and helping his new squirrel friend? Will he learn to jump and leap and climb? And will he turn back into a boy in time for dinner with his grandmother?
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How to Train Your Dragon School: Fight of the Flamestrike
by Cressida Cowell
Follow Hiccup and his fellow Warriors-in-Training in their hilarious, hair-raising adventures. Disastrous Lesson Number Two: Boarding-An-Enemy-Ship-At-Sea Hiccup and his fellow Vikings are SUPPOSED to be learning about enemy ships at sea. But when they come across a mysterious vessel, with a ripped sail and nobody driving it, Hiccup's heart sinks. There is something deeply spooky about this ship. They really, really shouldn't get onboard. But... like on so many occasions in Hiccup's life, they are going to do it anyway.
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The Magic Library of Waterfall Way
by Julie Abe
The Alterran Empire hasn't seen an Unremarkable in centuries . . . until Lyra Hunt. All Lyra wants is a guild to call home--preferably one with a library full of storybooks--but because she is cursed with horrible luck, nearly everyone has rejected her. Then Lyra stumbles upon the secretive Guild of Scholars in the cozy village of Waterfall Way. With their tight-knit community and magical Library, this might finally be the perfect place for her. However, to be accepted, she must recover the Scholars' crystal, the source of their magic that was lost in a terrible fire. With the help of a mischievous furry friend, Lyra must brave the Library's cursed halls.
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The Manor Mysteries: The Disappearance and the Diary
by Eileen Biltmore
Peggy Eldritch can't wait to turn twelve and receive the heirloom Margaret locket. The necklace originally belonged to her great-grandmother Margaret Linden. Every girl named Margaret in the family has been gifted it on her twelfth birthday--and Peggy's turn has finally arrived. When Juliette, Peggy's cousin from France, visits Linden Manor for the birthday ball and another family heirloom goes mysteriously missing, Peggy finds herself on a quest to clear the name of her lady's maid and friend, who gets accused of the theft. Her search for answers leads her to a hidden diary with clues to a much larger family mystery that dates back generations. Can Peggy find the lost heirloom? And what will she discover about her Margaret necklace along the way?
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Minecraft Ironsword Academy: Last Exit to the End! #6
by Caleb Zane Huett
Morgan and the team use the school's medieval fair as cover to sneak into the computer room in a last-ditch effort to save their digital friend Eek. Will they be able to sneak by fierce Ender Dragon--and Principal Ferris--to get Eek off their server before it crashes?
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The Monster and the Clown
by Mats Strandberg
When a circus comes to town, shapeshifter Frank must protect his secret monster friends from the sinister clown Kryger, who threatens to expose them and force them into his show.
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No Place on Earth
by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Since moving to Yellowstone National Park for his mom's job, Gustavo Santos Costa has had a lot on his mind. For instance: bison stampedes. Did you know that bison can run three times faster than the average person? Also: Why do people always stand so close to boiling hot springs? Finally: the bad dreams. Why have they only gotten worse since the move? And that's all before Gus somehow meets his classmate Kordell inside his dreams. While Gus avoids sleeping (and nightmares) at all costs, Kordell finds that dreams seem to be a welcome escape from his real life . . . until one day, they're no longer enough. Gus may be the only person who can help Kordell.
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Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2
by Jeff Kinney
In this second tome of Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, you'll encounter monstrous insects, the Grim Reaper as a boy, and a lost pinkie that's searching for its owner. But reader beware--while these stories are sidesplittingly funny, they'll still give you a delightful fright See the Wimpy Kid World in a whole new way.
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Snare Your Crush in Three Easy Steps
by Emma Carlson Berne
YOU and your best friend Elise are baking cupcakes for the upcoming school dance when she drops some earth-shattering news: Elise has a crush on James (the very same James that you happen to have a crush on) and is planning to ask him out at the dance ... tonight Your friendship--and your crush--is on the line. What do you do? Help your BFF ask out your one true love? Or do you snare your crush for yourself? A multiple-ending story of friendship and middle school romance, Snare Your Crush is an emotional rollercoaster ride that will keep readers turning the pages again and again.
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The Third Period Comeback
by E. K. Johnston
Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey--and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she's still a kid, the curse's magic doesn't stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family--four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does--and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began. As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn't going to be enough. She's going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs--even if it means raising the dead.
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Time-Traveling Chickens: Bawk to the Future
by Kaz Windness
Nugget and Tenders are super-big, super-smart, talking chickens. When evil scientists trap them in a time machine, they land in the age of the dinosaurs. Not ones to be easily discouraged, these adventurous avians see their chance to change the course of chicken-kind. Can they change the past and get back to their future--or is the duo doomed to be a dinosaur's dinner?
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The Weirdies Get Weirder
by Michael Buckley
The Weirdie triplets are miserable, and their horrible parents are to blame. Barnacle, Melancholy, and Garlic have been burdened with the arduous chore of finding their bank-robbing grandfather's lost fortune hidden somewhere in the Weirdie mansion. Deadeye Manor was built around a whole entire bank, and their parents want every last penny. But the triplets long to be reunited with Miss Emily, the lovely adoptive mother they were ripped away from. Undeterred, she'll stop at nothing to get her three mischievous children back, even if it means sneaking into Deadeye manor itself, where hooligans and criminals are now taking up residence. Will the Weirdies and Miss Emily find their way back to each other, or are they doomed to never see one another again?
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Wish on a Willow
by Maria Oka
If Eloise saves the willow tree, can its magic save her dad? Nothing about this summer is what eleven-year-old Eloise expected. Stuck at Gee-pa's farm, she discovers Mama Willow--an enormous weeping willow whose branches shimmer in the sunlight and whisper with secrets. And when Eloise finds her daddy's childhood journal tucked away in Gee-pa's attic, she uncovers something even more unexpected: The tree supposedly holds magic. She isn't sure she believes the journal's stories . . . until she begins to see the magic for herself. The truth is, Eloise needs a little magic.
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