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Hello, readers!Do you have a question about books for children? Interested in a personalized suggestion? Please feel welcome to email me at amassey@dconc.gov, or visit your librarian at any Durham County Library location. See you at the library! Allie Massey, Children's Librarian Southwest Regional Library
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| Crenshaw by Katherine ApplegateFiction. Crenshaw is back, and he won't go away. The giant talking cat used to be Jackson's imaginary friend, back when Jackson was in first grade and his family lived in their minivan. Now, Jackson is almost in fifth grade, and though his family has a place to live, it's hard to find enough money for rent or food. Already worried about losing his home, Jackson is baffled and annoyed by Crenshaw, who does cartwheels, demands purple jelly beans, and refuses to disappear, even though Jackson no longer believes in imaginary friends. Why has Crenshaw returned? You'll have to read this authentic, gripping, and offbeat book from Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate to find out. |
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| The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell BoyceFiction. After his skin suddenly turns from normal brown to broccoli green, 12-year-old Rory is quarantined in a London hospital. Even worse, he's forced to share a room with the only other green patient: Tommy-Lee, a mean kickboxer who gives Rory a hard time at school. The two enemies become friends, however, after they start to suspect that their new hue can only mean one thing: they're superheroes! To test their powers, they sneak out of the hospital and go on a series of nighttime escapades, including freeing zoo animals, breaking into Buckingham Palace, and other outlandish hijinks that are sure to please fans of Dave Barry and Tom Angleberger. |
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| George by Alex GinoFiction. Ten-year-old George just knows that she's meant to play the role of Charlotte in her school's stage production of Charlotte's Web. Not only is Charlotte her favorite character, but playing her will help to show everyone -- her mom, her teacher, her best friend Kelly -- the truth that George has been hiding: she's really a girl, not a boy like they all think. Warm, honest, and hopeful, George is a great choice for anyone who enjoys realistic yet easy-to-read books about being yourself. Older readers looking for similar stories of transition and courage may also want to check out Ami Polonski's Gracefully Grayson. |
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| The Marvels by Brian SelznickFiction. In 1766, young Billy Marvel survives a shipwreck and gets a job at a fancy London theater. In 1990, Joseph Jervis runs away from school to look for his uncle in London. Billy's story is presented entirely through lifelike, carefully shaded pencil illustrations, while Joseph's is told only through words. The way in which these two characters connect might surprise you, even if you're already familiar with Brian Selznick's multi-layered, award-winning storytelling. Based in part on a true story, The Marvels is a bittersweet tale of lost love and found family that's sure to stay with you long after the final page. |
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| Space Dumplins by Craig ThompsonGraphic Science Fiction. A flood of space-whale diarrhea might sound funny, but in Violet's sector of the solar system, it's highly toxic and extremely dangerous. When the disaster hits and Violet's dad goes missing, the determined girl and her friends -- Elliot the chicken and Zacchaeus the Lumpkin -- decide to go and find him…and maybe save the galaxy, too. Even more attention-grabbing than their urgent interstellar quest is the book's artwork, which is wildly energetic and super-detailed. If this unusual, imaginative story makes you hungry for further space adventures, you may also want to try Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl series, or Cathy Camper's Lowriders in Space. |
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| A Question of Magic by E.D. BakerFantasy. "Welcome! You are the new Baba Yaga and the mistress of this house." This message, inside an enchanted book, is Serafina's first clue that she's inherited the powers of legendary witch Baba Yaga, as well as Baba Yaga's cat companion and chicken-legged cottage filled with talking skulls. Now, cursed to answer any question truthfully, Serafina searches for a way to escape her witchy destiny and return home to her best friend and true love, Alek. For another funny, folk tale-infused fantasy, pick up Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola.
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| The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble by Frank CammusoGraphic Fantasy. Percival J. Whamsford III (you can call him Whammy) isn't just a talking cat – he's a Magical Animal Companion, and he's arrived to help impatient young witch Salem Hyde. But it won't be easy. Salem's clumsy spells keep getting her into trouble at school -- she didn't mean to turn that boring teacher into a boar -- and her spelling could use some work too, before the school spelling bee. Drawn in big-eyed, classic cartoon style, Salem and Whammy's goofy, pun-filled antics will bring a smile to your face. And this is just their first outing -- The Misadventures of Salem Hyde series continues in Big Birthday Bash.
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| Falling In by Frances O'Roark DowellFantasy. When she is sent to the principal's office one day for daydreaming in class, oddball sixth-grader Isabelle Bean opens a supply-closet door...and falls into a completely different world! More curious than frightened, she begins exploring and meets a group of children who are fleeing from a supposedly murderous witch. Isabelle, intrigued, marches off in the exact direction that the children warned her to avoid, hoping that she will meet the witch. Suspenseful, often funny, and (like Isabelle) surprising, Falling In is a book that even those who don't typically like fantasy might enjoy. |
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| Operation Bunny by Sally Gardner; illustrated by David RobertsFantasy Mystery. Why is the witch Harpella turning people into candy-colored bunnies? That's just one of the thorny questions faced by 9-year-old Emily Vole. Forced to act as a servant to her awful adoptive parents, Emily is happiest when she's with her eccentric neighbor Miss String, learning about the hidden world magic. Magic, however, comes with challenges, and soon Emily, along with talking, human-sized cat Fidget and fairy detective Buster, is tasked with taking down Harpella and protecting a frisky set of magical keys. Operation Bunny kicks off the whimsical Wings & Co. series, which will satisfy fans of Holly Webb's Rose books or Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm mysteries. |
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| Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller; illustrated by Karl KwasnyFantasy. The nightmares begin after Charlie's dad marries red-haired herbalist Charlotte and the family moves into her creepy purple mansion. Charlie can hardly nap without having terrifying dreams of a red-haired witch who threatens him and his brother, Jack. After the witch turns out to be real and she kidnaps Jack, Charlie must chase them into the frightening Netherworld and face the Nightmares that live there, from gruesome monsters to killer clowns. The 1st in a trilogy, Nightmares! is both scary and silly -- just right for readers who love fantasy with a hint of horror. |
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Looking for more great books? |
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For personalized reading recommendations from Durham County librarians, you may want to try My Next 5! Simply complete an online form to tell us a little about what genres, books, and authors you like (or dislike). A DCL librarian will review your submission and reply within three days with a list of the next five books you should read.
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NextReads is a service of Durham County Library and NoveList, a comprehensive database of fiction and nonfiction titles for all ages, including recommendations, articles, and lists for your fiction and nonfiction needs. Durham County Library cardholders can access NoveList from any computer.
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