Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree By Vikki VanSickle Illustrated by Miki Sato 40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735268586 | Tundra Books A little girl shares the steps for the perfect tree trimming – a holiday picture book for fans of Pick a Pine Tree and The Little Christmas Tree. In this charming Christmas tale, readers will follow along with the main character as she shares all the things that go into decorating a tree: Lights Ornaments Popcorn Hot chocolate Taffy the cat Memories And, most importantly, family! With stunning three-dimensional art by Miki Sato and a delightful story by wordsmith Vikki VanSickle, including a twist ending, this book will quickly become a Christmas tree decorating tradition of its own.
Pine Island Visitors By Polly Horvath 288 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881859 | Puffin Canada By Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath, comes a sequel to her popular middle-grade novel Pine Island Home about orphaned sisters who find a way to make a new family. Fiona, Marlin, Natasha and Charlie McCready have been adopted by their unlikely guardian, Al, and finally settled into their new home on Pine Island in British Columbia. Fiona is struggling under the weight of trying to keep everything together, not to mention worrying about expenses, while Marlin tries to adjust to her new high school and faces rejections for her cookbook, Thirty Meals a Twelve-Year-Old Could Make and Did!. Natasha is still keeping to herself, but a new interest in the violin reveals hidden talents, while Charlie is dreaming of what kind of dog she would like. It’s been an adjustment, but they are loving being with each other and having Al next door. Then they receive a letter from Mrs. Weatherspoon, who took care of them after their parents died, and she is coming to visit for three months – an inordinate amount of time for a houseguest. Accommodating a fifth person in the tiny house is hard enough, but to their horror, Mrs. Weatherspoon arrives with a companion: her childhood friend, Jo. Jo has opinions about everything – what they should eat, how they should behave – and she doesn’t hesitate to express them. And sweet Mrs. Weatherspoon seems to have fallen under her spell. When she and Jo announce that they are going to extend their stay even longer, Fiona and Marlin are beside themselves. Fiona hates rocking the boat, but she is going to have to find the courage to stand up to these grown-up bullies so she and her sisters can have the life they wish to lead.
Pine Island Visitors is also available today in Audiobook!
The Portal Keeper: The Misewa Saga #4 By David A. Robertson 256 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774880258 | Tundra Books Eli and Morgan experience life-changing revelations in this new adventure in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series. While exploring World’s End, an area in Aski they’ve just discovered, Morgan and Emily delight in their developing relationship, while Eli struggles to understand his new-found power: the ability to locate a portal. A shocking turn of events leads them to a new village, Ministik, where the animal beings who live there are going missing. Horrified to discover who is responsible, the children vow to help and turn to friends, old and new. But it’s getting harder and harder to keep the two worlds separate, especially when details of a traditional legend change everything. Forever.
New in Paperback:
Seekers of the Fox: Thieves of Shadow #2 By Kevin Sands 416 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback ISBN 9780735270466 | Puffin Canada Rule number one: Never mess with magic. Even so, a life-or-death situation calls for Callan and his criminal friends to make a deal with the Eye – the sinister, sentient artifact they stole from a sorcerer. It’s Lachlan’s life in exchange for a future task, and the gang has no choice but to agree. But even as Lachlan is resurrected, it’s not without cost. Through the Eye, Callan can see a tiny purple stain inside Lachlan’s soul, which will eventually consume him. The cure – and their part of the deal – lies with the Dragon’s Teeth, a pair of swords with extraordinary powers, and the search for them leads the thieves on a quest that will unravel the mystery of the Eye. Old friends, new betrayals, and an even more daring break-in than the last culminate in a confrontation that will take all the gang’s skill and power to resist – or they’ll die trying.
We can’t wait to see you reading these titles! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
It’s officially spooky season! Get into the Halloween spirit with our lists of bewitching tales for all ages. This week, check out our list of stories to share with the young ghouls in your life!
Early Graphic Novels
A Super Scary Narwhalloween: A Narwhal and Jelly Book #8 By Ben Clanton 76 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735266742 | Tundra Books In the hilarious eighth book of this blockbuster graphic novel series, Narwhal and Jelly celebrate the spookiest time of the year – Halloween – with a super twist! Dive into three new stories that are sure to fright and delight! Narwhal loves Halloween – it’s a great excuse to dress up in a spooky and silly costume, like a ghost, a mermaid, a banana or maybe even Marlow the Mustachioed Moose. It’s a skeleTON of fun! Jelly isn’t dressing up, though – he’s a little scared of this time of year, and would prefer to hunker down in a hidey-hole until Halloween is over. But when a scary sea monster makes an appearance and swallows Narwhal (gulp!), can Jelly, with the help of some super friends, pluck up the courage to save his best bud?
Super Family: Simon and Chester #3 By Cale Atkinson 96 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Paperback ISBN 9781774880005 | Tundra Books Welcome to the world of Simon and Chester, ghost and boy duo extraordinaire. Chester lives with his Grandma, his cat Mr. Pickles and Simon the ghost. Lately Chester has been feeling like he’s missing out when he sees other families out doing fun family things. So when Chester gets the opportunity to join his friend Amie and her family on a trip to the water park, he is IN. Meanwhile, Simon is off to his yearly ghost conference, excited to finally have something to show off about (haunting his VERY OWN HOUSE, for example) to the cool ghosts. Maybe they’ll even accept him into their group! Will things go as planned? Well, let’s put it this way: both Simon and Chester are about to learn a thing or two about the old saying “The grass is always greener . . .”
Chapter Books
Crimson Twill: Witch in the Country By Kallie George Illustrated by Brigitta Sif 80 Pages | Ages 7-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781536214642 | Candlewick Crimson Twill’s new friends from New Wart City, Mauve and Wesley, are coming for a visit! But as soon as they arrive at Crimson’s house in Cackle County, things start to go wrong. At the rotten apple orchard, Crimson’s ripening spell goes horribly awry (what will they do with all that rotten applesauce?). Then, at the broom-straw field, Wesley cuts too much straw and starts to float away. And when the friends try to collect frogs’ breath for their spells (it makes everything wonderfully green and warty), Mauve gets a stinky faceful of it! What on earth is going on? The whole countryside feels like something big is about to happen, and Crimson wonders if it has something to do with Granny Twill and that giant cauldron of stew she made. Can Crimson get to the bottom of this bad-luck mystery? And, more importantly, will her city friends ever want to visit her again?
Evie and the Truth About Witches By John Martz 64 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735271005 | Tundra Books Evie wants to be scared, and the usual scary stories just aren’t doing it for her anymore. When she stumbles across a different sort of book, The Truth about Witches, she hopes she’s found something thrilling . . . but she’s forbidden by a kindly shopkeeper from reading the last page out loud! Naturally, her curiosity gets the better of her, and upon reading the last page out loud – a real summoning spell – Evie is spirited off to a strange land of magic, weird creatures, feasts, and actual witches! They’re not as scary as they seem, until Evie asks to join their ranks . . . and only once she does is her quest for true scariness satisfied . . .
Spooky Sleuths #4: Fire in the Sky By Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin 112 Pages | Ages 7-9 | Paperback ISBN 9780593488966 | Random House BFYR There are mysterious explosions near the old abandoned houses in town. Is it science . . . or is it something strange and ghostly? Find out in the latest installment to the spooky chapter book series Spooky Sleuths. Asim’s friend Max is in danger! Asim is sure some sort of supernatural being – a witch, maybe? – is after Max. Rokshar, the levelheaded one of the group, thinks the woman is a scientist using kids for her experiments! Either way, Max is in trouble, and it’s up to Asim and Rokshar to keep him safe. But when they get close to finding answers, Asim and his friends are attacked by fireballs. Is science behind the flying fire? Or is it a witch from Guyanese folklore? Find out . . . if you dare!
The Skull By Jon Klassen 112 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9781536223378 | Candlewick Jon Klassen’s signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit – with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note – The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.
Middle Grade
Don’t Want to Be Your Monster By Deke Moulton 304 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774880494 | Tundra Books Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family. Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?
Double O Stephen and the Ghostly Realm By Angela Ahn 320 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780735268296 | Tundra Books Stephen loves pirates. What he doesn’t love is his name: Stephen Oh-O’Driscoll. He believes when his Korean mother and Irish father gave him this name, that it was just one cruel setup for being teased. Giving things the proper name is important, which is why Stephen thinks that it’s time to update the definition of “pirate.” They’ve got a bad rep, and maybe they deserve some of it, but Stephen still likes a few pirate traditions, like bandannas and eyepatches – he’s just not that into stealing things from people. He has the perfect new word: piventurate. A sailor who passionately seeks adventure. That’s what he wants to be. When he gets suspended from school for doing proper piventurate-in-training things (using sticks to practice sword fighting), his mother doesn’t let him sit around doing nothing, instead she takes him to a museum. At the museum everything changes. Stephen finds himself in a strange new place, face-to-face with a real pirate. A pirate ghost. Captain Sapperton needs Stephen’s help to cross to the other side, and his former ghost crew are intent on making sure Stephen follows through, whatever it takes. Stephen is about to discover the true meaning of piventurate, and much to his surprise, his adventure will not only take him farther into the ghostly realm, but also closer to home, where long-held family secrets reveal surprising ties to the spirit world.
Escape to Witch City By E. Latimer 312 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback ISBN 9781101919330 | Tundra Books Emmaline Black has a secret. She can hear the rhythm of heartbeats. Not just her own, but others’ too. It’s a rhythm she’s learned to control, and that can only mean one thing . . . Emma’s a witch. In a world where a sentence of witchcraft comes with dire consequences and all children who have reached the age of thirteen are tested to ensure they have no witch blood, Emma must attempt to stamp out her power before her own test comes. But the more she researches, the more she begins to suspect that her radically anti-witch aunt and mother are hiding something – the truth about their sister, her Aunt Lenore, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago. The day of the test comes, and Emma’s results not only pair her up with strange new friends, but set her on a course to challenge everything she’s ever been taught about magic, and reveal long-buried family secrets. It seems witches may not have been so easy to banish after all. Secret cities, untapped powers, missing family members – Emma is about to discover a whole new world.
Ghostlight By Kenneth Oppel 400 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback ISBN 9780735272354 | Puffin Canada The story of the tragic death of sixteen-year-old Rebecca Strand and her lighthouse keeper father is just an elaborate tale Gabe tells tourists for his summer job on the Toronto Island. Or so he thought. When his ghost tours awaken Rebecca’s spirit, Gabe is drawn into a world far darker than any ghost story he’s ever heard. Rebecca reveals that she and her father were connected to The Order, a secret society devoted to protecting the world from “the wakeful and wicked dead” – malevolent spirits like Viker, the ghost responsible for their deaths. But now the Order has disappeared and Viker is growing even stronger, and he’ll stop at nothing to wreak chaos and destruction on the living. Gabe and his friends – both living and dead – must find a way to stop Viker before they all become lost souls.
Seven Dead Pirates By Linda Bailey 304 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback ISBN 9781770498167 | Tundra Books Lewis Dearborn is a lonely, anxious, “terminally shy” boy of eleven when his great-grandfather passes away and leaves Lewis’s family with his decaying seaside mansion. Lewis is initially delighted with his new bedroom, a secluded tower in a remote part of the house. Then he discovers that it’s already occupied – by the ghosts of seven dead pirates. Worse, the ghosts expect him to help them re-take their ship, now restored and on display in a local museum, so they can make their way to Libertalia, a legendary pirate utopia. The only problem is that this motley crew hasn’t left the house in almost two hundred years and is terrified of going outside. As Lewis warily sets out to assist his new roommates – a raucous, unruly bunch who exhibit a strange delight in thrift-store fashions and a thirst for storybooks – he begins to open himself to the possibilities of friendship, passion and joie de vivre and finds the courage to speak up.
The Dollhouse: A Ghost Story By Charis Cotter 360 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback ISBN 9780735269088 | Tundra Books Alice’s world is falling apart. Her parents are getting a divorce, and they’ve cancelled their yearly cottage trip – the one thing that gets Alice through the school year. Instead, Alice and her mom are heading to some small town where Alice’s mom will be a live-in nurse to a rich elderly lady. The house is huge, imposing, and spooky, and everything inside is meticulously kept and perfect – not a fun place to spend the summer. Things start to get weird when Alice finds a dollhouse in the attic that’s an exact replica of the house she’s living in. Then she wakes up to find a girl asleep next to her in her bed – a girl who looks a lot like one of the dolls from the dollhouse . . . . When the dollhouse starts to change when Alice isn’t looking, she knows she has to solve the mystery. Who are the girls in the dollhouse? What happened to them? And what is their connection to the mean and mysterious woman who owns the house?
The Grave Thief By Dee Hahn 344 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735269439 | Puffin Canada Twelve-year-old Spade is a grave thief. With his father and brother, he digs up the recently deceased to steal jewels, the main form of trade in Wyndhail. Digging graves works for Spade – alone in the graveyard at night, no one notices his limp or calls him names. He’s headed for a lifetime of theft when his father comes up with the audacious plan to rob a grave in the Wyndhail castle cemetery. Spade and his brother get caught in a royal trap, and Spade must find the master of the Woegon: a deadly creature that is stalking the castle by night. Along the way, he meets Ember, the queen’s niece, and together they race to solve the mystery of the legendary Deepstones and their connection to the Woegon, the queen, a missing king and the mysterious pebble Spade finds in the Wyndhail cemetery. This is a fantastic story of friendship, bravery, grief and acceptance.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!
Catfish Rolling By Clara Kumagai 432 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774882764 | Penguin Teen Canada There’s a catfish under Japan, and when it rolls, the land rises and falls. At least, that’s what Sora was told after she lost her mother to an earthquake so powerful that it cracked time itself. Sora and her father are some of the few who still live near the most powerful of these “zones” – the places where time has been irrevocably sped up, or slowed down. When high school ends, and her best friend leaves for university, Sora finds herself stuck and increasingly alone. She begins secretly conducting her own research, tracking down a time expert in Tokyo. She also feels increasingly conflicted in her quasi-romantic feelings for her best friend – and for the time expert’s assistant, a striking and confident girl named Maya, another hafu (half-Japanese, half-non) girl with whom Sora forms an instant bond. But when Sora’s father disappears, she has no choice but to return home and venture deep into the abandoned time zones to find him, and perhaps the catfish itself . . .
Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive By Melanie Watt 88 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735269613 | Tundra Books In his third NUTTY ADVENTURE, Scaredy is getting ready for Christmas ahead of time . . . WAY ahead of time (June). When December finally rolls around, Scaredy has everything in place: perfect red-and-green decorations, a perfect get-together planned (no parties!), perfectly personalized gifts for each of his friends, all the required permits for gingerbread-house construction (perfectly filled out) and, of course, a perfectly secured premises with a perfect spot for Santa. Yup, nothing can possibly go wrong . . . until friends Rash and Tim break the decorations! But Scaredy is filled with the spirit of the holiday and happy to help his friends finish their Christmas shopping. (Unless they’re shopping for Gary the germ?!) Prepare to get festive this Christmas with Scaredy and friends!
The Only Way to Make Bread By Cristina Quintero Illustrated by Sarah Gonzales 40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735271760 | Tundra Books A delicious exploration of all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart. What’s the only way to make bread? You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour. You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two. You’ll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that. Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes it will be sticky, sometimes it will be shaggy. What’s the only way to make bread? Your way! This tasty celebration of all kinds of bread will tempt bread lovers big and small. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!
We can’t wait to see you reading these titles! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
October is LGBT+ History Month, a month when we remember the history of gay rights and related civil rights movements. Here are a bunch of non-fiction books for all ages to help celebrate this month and its importance!
Young Readers
ABC Pride By Dr. Elly Barnes MBE and Louie Stowell Illustrated by Amy Phelps 32 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9780744063172 | DK Children A is for Acceptance! B is for Belonging! C is for Celebrate! ABC Pride introduces young readers to the alphabet through the colorful world of Pride. Children can discover letters and words in a fun and engaging way, while also learning more about the LGBTQIA+ community and how to be inclusive. Every letter of the alphabet is paired with bold illustrations to support language learning, and a handy list of discussion points at the end gives adults the appropriate tools to spark further conversations and discussion around the topic. ABC Pride offers a simple yet powerful way to explain gender, identity, and ability to young children, while introducing and supporting diverse family units. An ideal book for little learners to explore together with a caregiver, as well as in a classroom environment.
Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement By Stella Caldwell Foreword by Layton Williams 128 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover ISBN 9780593382943 | Penguin Workshop The LGBTQ+ community is so much more than rainbow flags and the month of June. In this beautifully designed dynamic book, young readers will learn about groundbreaking events, including historic pushes for equality and the legalization of same-sex marriages across the world. They will dive into the phenomenal history of queer icons from ancient times to the present and read about Harvey Milk, Marsha P. Johnson, Audre Lorde, and more. Including several personal current essays from inspiring young, LGBTQ+ people, this book encourages readers to take pride in their identity and the identities of those around them. Don’t just learn about LGBTQ+ history – take pride in it! The lively four-color interior, including photographs and bold illustrations, enhances the text and makes this a beautiful and dynamic addition to any collection.
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag By Rob Sanders Illustrated by Steven Salerno 48 Pages | Ages 5-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9780399555312 | Random House BFYR In this deeply moving and inspiring true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag: from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders’s stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno’s evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable – and undertold – story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.
She Persisted: Rachel Levine By Lisa Bunker and Chelsea Clinton Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint 96 Pages | Ages 1-4 | Paperback ISBN 9780593529041 | Philomel Books As the first openly transgender government official to hold an office that requires Senate confirmation, the first openly transgender four-star officer in uniform service, and the first female four-star admiral in the commissioned corps, Rachel Levine faced many obstacles throughout her life. But she persisted through them all and showed kids of all genders that they can succeed in their dreams too. In this chapter book biography by critically acclaimed author Lisa Bunker, readers learn about the amazing life of Rachel Levine – and how she persisted. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Rachel Levine’s footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum. And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Sonia Sotomayor, Margaret Chase Smith, Patsy Mink, and more!
‘Twas the Night Before Pride By Joanna McClintick Illustrated by Juana Medina 32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9781536213430 | Candlewick This joyful picture-book homage to a day of community and inclusion – and to the joys of anticipation – is also a comprehensive history. With bright, buoyant illustrations and lyrical, age-appropriate rhyme modeled on “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” it tackles difficult content such as the Stonewall Riots and the AIDS marches. On the night before Pride, families everywhere are preparing to partake. As one family packs snacks and makes signs, an older sibling shares the importance of the march with the newest member of the family. Reflecting on the day, the siblings agree that the best thing about Pride is getting to be yourself. Debut author Joanna McClintick and Pura Belpré Award-winning author-illustrator Juana Medina create a new classic that pays homage to the beauty of families of all compositions – and of all-inclusive love.
Young Adult
A Queer History of the United States for Young People By Michael Bronski Adapted by Richie Chevat 336 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780807056127 | Beacon Press It is crucial for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth to know their history. But this history is not easy to find since it’s rarely taught in schools or commemorated in other ways. A Queer History of the United States for Young People corrects this and demonstrates that LGBTQ people have long been vital to shaping our understanding of what America is today. Through engrossing narratives, letters, drawings, poems, and more, the book encourages young readers, of all identities, to feel pride at the accomplishments of the LGBTQ people who came before them and to use history as a guide to the future. Here we meet: Indigenous tribes who embraced same-sex relationships and a multiplicity of gender identities. Emily Dickinson, brilliant nineteenth-century poet who wrote about her desire for women. Gladys Bentley, Harlem blues singer who challenged restrictive cross-dressing laws in the 1920s. Bayard Rustin, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s close friend, civil rights organizer, and an openly gay man. Sylvia Rivera, cofounder of STAR, the first transgender activist group in the US in 1970. Kiyoshi Kuromiya, civil rights and antiwar activist who fought for people living with AIDS. Jamie Nabozny, activist who took his LGBTQ school bullying case to the Supreme Court. Aidan DeStefano, teen who brought a federal court case for trans-inclusive bathroom policies. And many more!
Continuum By Chella Man Illustrated by Chella Man and Ashley Lukashevsky 64 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780593223482 | Penguin Workshop Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. This is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. What constructs in your life must you unlearn to support inclusivity and respect for all? This is a question that artist, actor, and activist Chella Man wrestles with in this powerful and honest essay. Complete with gorgeous, personal illustrations throughout, Continuum follows Chella’s experiences as a Deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color, and shows us that identity lies on a beautiful, messy, and ever-evolving road of exploration.
Queer Power! By Dom&Ink 160 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780593521359 | Penguin Workshop In a follow-up to Free to Be Me, DOM&INK returns with a collection of essays that highlight modern-day LGBTQIA+ pioneers who have changed the world – from well-known public figures and allies to up-and-comers you’ll wish you’d heard of earlier. Covering topics including coming out, gender, mental health, and activism, this book is packed full of empowering quotes, inspiring life lessons, and helpful advice that will encourage you to embrace your story and find your power.
Skate for Your Life By Leo Baker Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky 64 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780593223475 | Penguin Workshop Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists.”Your authenticity is your superpower.” That’s the motto that professional skateboarder Leo Baker lives by and champions. But like any hero’s journey, learning about their power didn’t come easy. In this installment of the Pocket Change Collective, Baker takes the reader on a complicated, powerful journey through the world of skate and competitive sport as a non-binary athlete.
Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights By Ann Bausum 128 Pages | Ages 7+ | Paperback ISBN 9780147511478 | Speak A vivid retelling of a decades-long struggle for gay rights in America’s recent history, when being gay meant living a closeted life or existing on the fringes of society. Laws throughout the country criminalized homosexual behavior, the medical community viewed being gay as a sign of mental illness, and coming out could lead to being fired, shunned, and disowned. Until the Stonewall riots of 1969 occurred . . . and everything began to change. This narrative, illustrated with archival photographs, demonstrates how far the battle has come in the past four decades and yet how universal the struggles remain as young people of any era grow into their sexualities. With new content from the author!
It’s officially spooky season! Get into the Halloween spirit with our lists of bewitching tales for all ages starting with picture books for the young ghouls in your life!
Alice’s Wonderland Bakery: A Hare-Raising Halloween By Catherine Hapka 24 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Paperback ISBN 9781368084574 | Disney Press Fergie is excited to go to the Halloween celebration at Hearts Palace, but the timid rabbit admits to hisfriends that he sometimes gets a little overwhelmed during spooky parties. Alice and her friends help Fergie realize it takes bravery to admit you’re scared. Preschoolers are invited into the whimsical world of Wonderland through the eyes of 8-year-old Alice, the great-granddaughter of Alice from the original animated film. After inheriting her an enchanted bakery, Alice learns to cook and finds herself making magical memories while preparing and enjoying meals with her diverse community of friends in wacky, wonderful Wonderland.
Bob’s Hungry Ghost By Geneviève Côté 32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Ebook ISBN 9781770497146 | Tundra Books Bob wants a dog for his birthday, but instead he gets a ghost . . . and its name is Fluffy. Unfortunately, Fluffy doesn’t fetch, sit or go for walks. But he does eat everything, and soon all of Bob’s things and even Bob himself end up in Fluffy’s belly. Will Bob find a way to tame his unruly and very hungry ghost? Will Fluffy realize that eating Bob wasn’t a very nice thing to do? All ends well in this sweet and silly look at appreciating what you have. And everyone will want a ghost for their birthday after reading this book.
Boo! Bluey’s Halloween: A Magnet Book 10 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Board Book ISBN 9780593659540 | Penguin Young Readers Licenses Boo! It’s time to have a frightfully fun time with Bluey in this magnet book! Based on the wildly successful animated series Bluey, as seen on Disney+ Join Bluey, Bingo, and all of their friends on a fun-filled nighttime adventure! This magnet book is perfect for Bluey fans!
Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow By Ryan T. Higgins 48 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781368059589 | Disney Hyperion Celebrate all things scary with #1 New York Times best-selling author Ryan T. Higgins’s beloved Mother Bruce. Bruce is a bear who does not like holidays, and he really doesn’t like Halloween. His family of mice and geese decides the only way to get Bruce excited about Halloween is to tell a scary story. But their campfire tale takes a turn when a ghostly visitor appears. Will Bruce get in the Halloween spirit? Or will the Halloween spirit get Bruce?
First Night of Howlergarten By Benson Shum 32 Pages | Ages 4-6 | Hardcover ISBN 9780593521274 | Penguin Workshop First-day-of-school jitters take on a whole new meaning at howlergarten, where future werewolves prepare for their big transformation! Most kids go to kindergarten, but there is a special place for those who turn into werewolves. Instead of attending school during the day, these supernatural students go to howlergarten at night! There they practice tracking scents, listening to whispers on the wind, and more. But when one student named Sophie doesn’t seem to possess the basic skills, she worries she won’t become a werewolf at all. What will happen if she remains human when the full moon appears? Will she still be accepted as part of the pack, or will she be cast aside as an ordinary outsider?
How to Make Friends with a Ghost By Rebecca Green 40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Paperback ISBN 9781774880401 | Tundra Books What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you. A whimsical story about ghost care, Rebecca Green’s debut picture book is a perfect combination of offbeat humor, quirky and sweet illustrations, and the timeless theme of friendship.
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein By Linda Bailey Illustrated by Júlia Sardà 56 Pages | Ages 5-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9781770495593 | Tundra Books How does a story begin? Sometimes it begins with a dream, and a dreamer. Mary is one such dreamer, a little girl who learns to read by tracing the letters on the tombstone of her famous feminist mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and whose only escape from her strict father and overbearing stepmother is through the stories she reads and imagines. Unhappy at home, she seeks independence, and at the age of sixteen runs away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, another dreamer. Two years later, they travel to Switzerland where they meet a famous poet, Lord Byron. On a stormy summer evening, with five young people gathered around a fire, Byron suggests a contest to see who can create the best ghost story. Mary has a waking dream about a monster come to life. A year and a half later, Mary Shelley’s terrifying tale, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus, is published – a novel that goes on to become the most enduring monster story ever and one of the most popular legends of all time.
Monsters 101 By Cale Atkinson 32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735267084 | Tundra Books Readers who loved Unicorns 101 will love this laugh-out-loud picture book that finally sets the record straight about monsters! They’re so much more than just that scary thing under your bed. Join Professors Vampire, Blob and Werewolf, and their trusty lab assistant – a zombie named Tina – as they reveal eerie and frankly ridiculous monsters facts never uttered outside a crypt! Full of eye-popping illustrations and a story with nonstop sidesplitting laughs, plus a removable Professor of Monstrology diploma at the end of the book, Monsters 101 will have children – and adults – eager to enroll, time and time again!
Sir Simon: Super Scarer By Cale Atkinson 48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Paperback ISBN 9781774880395 | Tundra Books Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He’s a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady – they’re the easiest to haunt! But things don’t go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Chester spots Simon immediately and peppers him with questions. Simon is exasperated. . . until he realizes he can trick Chester into doing his ghost chores. After a long night of haunting, it seems that maybe Chester isn’t cut out to be a ghost, so Simon decides to help with Chester’s human chores. Turns out Simon isn’t cut out for human chores either. But maybe they’re both cut out to be friends . . .
The Crayons Trick or Treat By Drew Daywalt Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers 32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover ISBN 9780593621028 | Philomel Books The hilarious crayons from the #1 New York Times bestselling The Day The Crayons Quit are ready to celebrate Halloween! The Crayons want to go trick-or-treating, but they’re not sure what to say! In this humorous, small hardcover Halloween story, Purple Crayon teaches the rest of the crayon box the magic words to say when they ring their neighbors’ doorbells. (Hint: It’s NOT “Boo!”)
The Light Inside By Dan Misdea 40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9780593521625 | Penguin Workshop How far would you go to find your very best toy if it went missing? Join a timid jack-o’-lantern on an adventure through an eerie forest in this sweet and quirky wordless picture book! Nighttime can be scary, especially when you don’t know what might be lurking in the dark. So this little jack-o’-lantern always keeps its favorite toy close by for comfort. But when a huge gust of wind separates them one day, the jack-o’-lantern must gather up bravery and set off on a journey – just as nighttime draws closer – to get its friend back. Dan Misdea’s eye-catching artwork and charming story will remind readers that they can overcome most fears by trusting in themselves and finding the courage that lives inside their heart.
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt By Riel Nason Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler 48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9780735264472 | Tundra Books Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can’t whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot. He doesn’t know why he’s a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn’t really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can’t keep up. But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he’s a quilt . . . and he realizes that it’s OK to be different.
Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire By Flavia Z. Drago 40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover ISBN 9781536233322 | Candlewick Vlad is a vampire with the misfortune of having rosy cheeks that – gasp! – make him look abysmally alive. But being the fabulous vampire that he is (and hoping to avoid rejection), he hides his rosy complexion behind elaborate vampire outfits in traditional black. That is, until he finds out that his best friend has a pink secret of her own . . . . With signature flair, Flavia Z. Drago offers a story about being yourself and finding your community, strikingly illustrated in a distinctive, detailed art style influenced by her Mexican heritage.
