Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Brainstorm 131: Top 10s of 2017 Part 4

The awesome elementary librarian I work with, Ms. Sarah Foit, was gracious enough to share her favorite reads of 2017 for this final posting of Top 10s of 2017. For her top 10s lists, the books may have been published in any year, but are titles she read in 2017. The books are in no particular order, but considering how much she reads, just making this list is quite the feat. I’m happy that some of the books that just missed top 10s in my lists made it to Sarah’s, so you still get to hear about them. If you missed my Top 10s of 2017 click here for Part 1: Picture Books & Lower Grade Books plus Poetry, click here for Part 2: Young Adult & Adult Books plus Christian reads, and click here for Part 3: Middle Grade Books, the 2017 releases I missed, and the 2018 releases I'm looking forward to. Enjoy Sarah's top 10s, and have a Happy New Year!

Fiction Picture Books


Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

Maybe God Is Like That Too by Jennifer Grant, ill. by Matthew Schipper

How to Be a Hero by Florence Parry Heide, ill. by Chuck Groenink

Marigold Bakes a Cake by Mike Malborough

The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi


When I Was Small by Sara O’Leary, ill. by Julie Morstad

Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro, ill. by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith

A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan


Lower Grade Fiction


Charlie & Mouse (Charlie & Mouse, #1) by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Emily Hughes

Lunch Walks among Us (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, #1) by Jim Benton

Attack of the Zittens (The Bad Guys, #4) by Aaron Blabey

Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln? (Tales from Deckawoo Drive, #3) by Kate DiCamillo, ill. by Chris Van Dusen

Rabbits Bad Habits (Rabbit & Bear, #1) by Julian Gough, ill. by Jim Field


Runaway Radish by Jessie Haas, ill. by Margot Apple

My Happy Life (Dani, #1) by Rose Lagercrantz, ill. by Eva Eriksson, translated by Julia Marshall

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night (Henry and Mudge, #17) by Cynthia Rylant, ill. by Suçie Stevenson

The Sea Lion (The Lighthouse Family, #7) by Cynthia Rylant, ill. by Preston McDaniels

Quinny & Hopper (Quinny & Hopper, #1) by Adrien Brad Schanen, ill. by Greg Swearingen


Middle Grade Fiction


Real Friends by Shannon Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, ill. by Chris Riddell

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale


A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Ghost (Track, #1) by Jason Reynolds

Hook’s Revenge (Hook’s Revenge, #1) by Heidi Schulz, ill. by John Hendrix

Secrets & Sequences (Secret Coders, #3) by Gene Luen Yang, ill. by Mike Holmes


Nonfiction Books 
(includes lower grade, middle grade, young adult, and adult nonfiction)


Cook Korean!: a Comic Book with Recipes by Robin Ha

Go: a Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd

Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books by Michelle Markel, ill. by Nancy Carpenter

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

John Ronald’s Dragons: the Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Eliza Wheeler


Miracle Man: the Story of Jesus by John Hendrix

The Secret Life of the Red Fox by Laurence Pringle, ill. by Kate Garchinsky

101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up: the Must-Read Book List for Kids by Bianca Schulze

Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf by Stephen R. Swinburne, photos by Jim Brandenburg

Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Brainstorm 130: Top 10s of 2017 Part 3

Welcome back to the Top 10s of 2017!

This week we're looking at my favorite middle grade books I have read this year, as well as the top releases of 2017 (from any age interest level) I wish I had been able to read and some releases coming in 2018 I'm looking forward to. Unless specifically noted, the books may have been published any year but I read them sometime in 2017. In general, the lists are organized with my absolute favorites on top and kinda, sorta in descending order (though for many of these lists I'd be hard pressed to pick my favorite out of the top five). I read quite a lot of middle grade books, so making today's post was probably the hardest of the top 10s of 2017 (and also why I moved it to last, to give me more time to cram in some of the books I'd seen talked about a lot). There were many great books that kept getting reshuffled into and out of these lists because I just didn't have room for all of the good ones!

Next week will be a guest post from the Elementary librarian I work with, Ms Sarah Foit. She's going to share her top 10s of 2017. If you missed Part 1, my top 10s for picture books and lower grade books, here's the link. And if you missed Part 2, my top 10s for young adult & adult books plus top Christian reads of 2017, here's that link.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Lower Grade & Middle Grade Biographies/Autobiographies


John Ronald’s Dragons: the Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Eliza Wheeler

Real Friends by Shannon Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham
*I’ve seen this listed as both nonfiction & fiction. I feel there’s enough truth in here to classify it as biography.

Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos by Monica Brown, ill. by John Parra

Out of School and into Nature: the Anna Comstock Story by Suzanne Slade, ill. by Jessica Lanan

Big Machines: the Story of Virginia Lee Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker, ill. by John Rocco


Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky

Shark Lady: the True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating, ill. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Pocket Full of Colors: the Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, ill. by Brigette Barrager

Trudy’s Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm by Sue Macy, ill. by Matt Collins

Pelé: the King of Soccer by Eddy Simon, ill. by Vincent Brascaglia, translated by Joe Johnson


Middle Grade Nonfiction: Books on Animals


Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat’s Foster Mom by Suzi Eszterhas

How to Be an Elephant by Katherine Roy

Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown

The Great Penguin Rescue: Saving the African Penguins by Sandra Markle

Amazon Adventure: How Tiny Fish Are Saving the World’s Largest Rainforest by Sy Montgomery, photos by Keith Ellenbogen


Penguins vs Puffins by Julie Beer

Sergeant Reckless: the True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick, ill. by Iacopo Bruno

Once a Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf by Stephen R. Swinburne, photos by Jim Brandenburgh

The Elephant Keeper: Caring for Orphaned Elephants in Zambia by Margriet Ruurs, ill. by Pedro Covo

Owen & Mzee: the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabel Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff & Dr. Paula Kahumbu, photos by Peter Greste


Middle Grade Nonfiction: Books on Topics Other Than Animals 


Biometrics: Your Body and the Science of Security by Maria Birmingham, ill. by Ian Turner

What to Do When Good Isn’t Good Enough: the Real Deal on Perfectionism by Thomas S. Greenspon

Sandwiches!: More Than You’ve Ever Wanted to Know about Making and Eating America’s Favorite Food by Alison Deering, ill. by Bob Lentz

Engineered!: Engineering Design at Work by Shannon Hunt, ill. by James Gulliver Hancock

Mission to Pluto: the First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt by Mary Kay Carson, photos by Tom Uhlman


The Quest for Z: the True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon by Greg Pizzoli

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton, ill. by Victo Ngai

You’re Pulling My Leg: 400 Human-Body Sayings from Head to Toe by Pat Street & Eric Brace, ill. by Eric Brace

Lift-the-flap Periodic Table by Alice James, ill. by Shaw Nielsen

Food Like Mine by DK Publishing


Middle Grade Fiction : Fantasy & Scifi
(limited to those published in 2017)
*Titles with an asterisk beside them denote books that don’t feature magic or strange tech, but are not quite realistic or historic


Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, ill. by Charles Santoso

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won’t-Walk-the-Dog Cure by Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell, ill. by Ben Hatke

Ben Franklin’s in My Bathroom! by Candace Fleming, ill. by Mark Fearing

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix


The Matchstick Castle by Keir Graff*

Giant Trouble by Ursula Vernon

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain & Philip Stead, ill. by Erin E. Stead

Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren*

Payback by Gordon Korman


Middle Grade Fiction: Historical Fiction & Contemporary Fiction
(limited to those published in 2017)


Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Vanished! by James Ponti


Refugee by Alan Gratz

Panda-monium by Stuart Gibbs

Patina by Jason Reynolds

The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Beach Party Surf Monkey by Chris Grabenstein, ill. by Brooke Allen


Middle Grade Fiction: 2015 & 2016 Releases
(Limited to those published in 2015 & 2016 that I read in 2017, and limited to books not in same series as books that appear in 2017 lists.)


The Ministry of SUITs by Paul Gamble

Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson

The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White

Randoms by David Liss

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi


Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet

The Eye of Midnight by Andrew Brumbach

The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal

Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs

Slacker by Gordon Korman


Middle Grade Graphic Novels
(contains both fiction & nonfiction titles, but limited to only 1 per series)


Real Friends by Shannon Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham

Anne of Green Gables: a graphic novel based on the novel by L.M. Montgomery, adapted by Mariah Marsden, ill. by Brenna Thummler

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner

Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm by Dana Simpson

One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale


Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence

Swing It, Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm

The Battle for Amphibopolis by Doug TenNapel

Catstronauts: Mission Moon by Drew Brockington

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke


2017 Lower Grade & Middle Grade Reads That I Wish I Could’ve Read in 2017
Time ran out and ordered copies of these haven't arrived yet, or I just haven't had time to read them yet but I really want to. This first title in this list is the one the students ask for the most.


Spy School Secret Service (Spy School, #5) by Stuart Gibbs

Raid of No Return (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, #7) by Nathan Hale

The Monster’s Daughter (Ministry of SUITs, #2) by Paul Gamble

York: the Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

Mr Lemoncello’s Library Race (Mr Lemoncello’s Library, #3) by Chris Grabenstein


Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island (Scientists in the Field) by Loree Griffin Burns

Penguin Day by Nic Bishop

A Boy Called Bat Elana K. Arnold, ill. by Charles Santoso

Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim

The Great Art Caper (Pets on the Loose, #2) by Victoria Jamieson


2017 YA & Adult Reads That I Wish I Could’ve Read in 2017
Time ran out and ordered copies of these haven't arrived yet, or I just haven't had time to read them yet but I really want to. Oathbringer is the most requested title by students on this list...which is saying something about Sanderson's writing skills. Anyone who can get busy teenagers and adults clamoring to read a whopping 1200+ page book is a writing wizard.


The Speaker (Sea of Ink and Gold, #2) by Traci Chee

Venturess (Mechanica, #2) by Betsy Cornwell

Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

The Book Thieves by Anders Rydell


Renegades by Marissa Meyer

The Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz


18 Highly Anticipated Reads of 2018
(organized by interest level, starting with youngest)


A Busy Creature’s Day Eating by Mo Willems

I Got It! by David Wiesner

Peanut Butter and Jelly (A Narwhal & Jelly Book, #3) by Ben Clanton

The Wild Robot Escapes (Wild Robot, #2) by Peter Brown

The Rose Legacy by Jessica Day George


Monsters Beware (Chronicles of Claudette, #3) by Jorge Aguirre, ill. by Rafael Rosado

Whiskerella (Hamster Princess, #5) by Ursula Vernon

Waste of Space (Moon Base Alpha, #3) by Stuart Gibbs

Time Jumpers (Five Kingdoms, #5) by Brandon Mull

2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, #2) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2) by Neal Shusterman


Gone Rogue (Wires & Nerve, #2) by Marissa Meyer, ill. by Stephen Gilpin

The Forest Queen (Mechanica, #0) by Betsy Cornwell

Station Zero (Railhead, #3) by Philip Reeve

The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Arabella the Traitor of Mars (The Adventures of Arabella Ashby, #3) by David D. Levine

Lies of the Beholder (Legion, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Brainstorm 129: Top 10s of 2017 Part 2

Welcome back to the Top 10s of 2017!

This week we're looking at my favorite young adult and adult books I have read this year, as well as the top Christian reads (from any age interest level). Unless specifically noted, the books may have been published any year but I read them sometime in 2017. In general, the lists are organized with my absolute favorites on top and kinda, sorta in descending order (though for many of these lists I'd be hard pressed to pick my favorite out of the top five).

Next week will be top 10s for middle grade books and books I wish I'd been able to get to this year or  2018 releases I'm really looking forward to. If you missed Part 1, my top 10s for picture books and lower grade books, here's the link.

YA & Adult Fiction Graphic Novels & Comics


Ms Marvel, Vol 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, ill. by Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, & Nico Leon, et al

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 3: Squirrel, You’ve Got Me Now by Ryan North, ill. by Erica Henderson, et al

Piper by Jay Asher & Jessica Freeburg, ill. by Jeff Stokely

Rocket Raccoon & Groot, Vol 1: Tricks of the Trade by Skottie Young, ill. by Filipe Andrade, Aaron Conley, & Jay Fosgitt, et al

Ms Marvel, Vol 6: Civil War II by G. Willow Wilson, ill. by Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, et al


Wires and Nerve, Vol 1 by Marissa Meyer, ill. by Douglas Holgate

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 4: I Kissed a Squirrel and I Liked It by Ryan North, ill. by Erica Henderson, et al

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen, ill. by Rebecca Guay

Invader Zim, Vol 3 by by Jhonen Vásquez, et al, ill. by Warren Wucinich, et al

Scorpia: the graphic novel based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz, adapted by Antony Johnston, ill. by Emma Vieceli & Kate Brown


Young Adult Fiction 2016
(limited to those published in 2016)


Saving Red by Sonya Sones

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine

Genius: the Game by Leopoldo Gout

Double Down by Gwenda Bond


Interference by Kay Honeyman

Let the Wind Rise by Shannon Messenger

Ryan Quinn and the Rebel’s Escape by Ron McGee

Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West

Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson


Young Adult Fiction 2017
(limited to those published in 2017)
*indicates books I’m currently reading so reviews aren't quite ready yet, but will be soon


A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Black Light Express by Philip Reeve

Genius: the Con by Leopoldo Gout

Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale

Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson


Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

*Arabella and the Battle of Venus by David D. Levine

*Nyxia by Scott Reintgen


Adult Fiction 
(limited to only 1 per series)


A Fool and His Monet by Sandra Orchard

Quick Curtain by Alan Melville

Death at Thorburn Hall by Julianna Deering

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart


The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

The Death of Anton by Alan Melville


YA & Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels 
(includes graphic novel biographies and mythology)


Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen by Abby Denson

Food Anatomy: the Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman, with help from Rachel Wharton

Random Illustrated Facts by Mike Lowery

Tetris: the Games People Play by Box Brown

Agatha: the Real Life Agatha Christie by Anne Martinetti and Guillame Lebeau, ill. by Alexandre Franc, translated by Edward Gauvin


Alexander Hamilton: the Graphic History of an American Founding Father by Jonathan Hennessey, ill. by Justin Greenwood

Artemis: Wild Goddess of the Hunt by George O’Connor

The Hunting Accident: a True Story of Crime and Poetry by David L. Carlson, ill. by Landis Blair

Poppies of Iraq by Brigitte Findakly, ill. by Lewis Trondheim

The Comic Book Story of Video Games by Jonathan Hennessey, ill. by Jack McGowan


Young Adult & Adult Nonfiction 


The Collapse by Mary Elise Sarotte

The Photo Ark by Joel Sartore

The Rescue Artist by Edward Dolnick

The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth

Radium Girls by Kate Moore


Death on the River of Doubt by Samantha Seiple

Reading People by Anne Bogel

Great Moments in Chocolate History by Howard-Yana Shapiro

Babylon’s Ark by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence

We Have the Technology by Kara Platoni


Young Adult & Adult Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs


Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone

Caught in the Revolution by Helen Rappaport

The Gift of Pain by Paul W. Brand, with Philip Yancey

Chief of Station, Congo by Larry Devlin

The Lost City of Z by David Grann


Breakthrough! by Jim Murphy

Eyes of the World by Marc Aronson & Marina Budhos

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda with Liz Welch

Beyond the Body Farm by Dr. Bill M. Bass & Jon Jefferson

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon


Christian Books
(includes books for preschool through adult interest levels, interest level indicated in parentheses after title)


The Biggest Story: ABC by Kevin DeYoung, ill. by Don Clark (grades Pre-2nd)

Love Lives Here by Maria Goff (adult)

A Kid’s Guide to the Names of God by Tony Evans (grades 4-8)

The Cycle of Victorious Living by T. Scott Daniels with Earl & Hazel Lee (adult)

Miracle Man by John Hendrix (grades K-4)


Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst (adult)

Maybe God Is Like That Too by Jennifer Grant, ill. by Benjamin Schipper (grades Pre-3)

Who Counts?: 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons by Amy-Jill Levine & Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, ill. by Margaux Meganck (grades K-3)

It Will Be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst, ill. by Natalia Moore (grades K-3)

The Meal Jesus Gave Us by N.T. Wright (adult)

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Brainstorm 128: Top 10s of 2017 Part 1

Top 10s of 2017

It's hard to believe, but it is that time of year again! 2017 is wrapping up and 2018 will be here before we know it. The last three Fridays of school before Christmas break I will be sharing the top books I've read in the past year. I’ve been doing lots of reading, and I know many others don’t have a chance to read several hundred books in a year. So from the crazy reader to the mildly crazy reader or the downright mellow reader, my Christmas gift to you are some of my favorite reads of the year, ones you may find worth hunting down in the reading time you do have. Sorting through hundreds of books read in the past twelve months is a long, laborious and grueling process. So many hard choices! But if it helps others find good reads, it is worth it. Books may have been published in any year unless I needed to narrow down my choice. In that case, I stated the limiters I used by the heading. My favorite choices are listed first and then kinda sorta it trickles down in descending order, but many of them I'd have trouble choosing between so it is more like some absolute favorites at the top and a 6-8 place tie for runners up. Enjoy!

This Week: Top 2017 Fiction Picture Books, Books to Read for Artwork (2017), Top Lower Grade Fiction, Top Lower Grade Graphic Novels, Top Poetry/Novels in Verse, Top Lower Grade Nonfiction
Dec 15: YA & Adult Top 10s
Dec 22: Middle Grade Top 10s, & Books I’m Looking Forward to Reading
Dec 29: Guest Post: Ms Sarah Foit’s Top 10s of 2017

Clarification of terms: Lower Grade (LG) refers to Kindergarten-2nd Grade interest level books typically but I'm including Preschool in this division too, Middle Grade (MG) refers to 3rd-8th grade interest level books, and Young Adult (YA) refers to teenage interest level books. Some books will appeal to multiple divisions. For those books I picked the age division I felt it most appealed to.

Fiction Picture books 
(Limited to 2017 releases)


Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds, ill. by Matt Davies

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back up Again by Dan Santat

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins

Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro, ill. by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

Little Elliot, Fall Friends by Mike Curato



The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root, ill. by G. Brian Karas

Marigold Bakes a Cake by Mike Malbrough

Life by Cynthia Rylant, ill. by Brendan Wenzel

Bruce’s Big Move by Ryan T. Higgins


Books to Read for the Artwork 
(Limited to 2017 releases or 2017 first English release)


John Ronald’s Dragons: the Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Eliza Wheeler

How to Be an Elephant by Katherine Roy

The Secret Life of the Red Fox by Laurence Pringle, ill. by Kate Garchinsky

The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi

The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater, ill. by the Fan Brothers


Now by Antoinette Portis

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

La La La: a Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo, ill. by Jaime Kim

Big Machines: the Story of Virginia Lee Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker, ill. by John Rocco


Lower Grade Fiction
(limited to only 1 book per series)


Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Emily Hughes

Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet by Nick Bruel

The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid by Kara LaReau, ill. by Matt Myers

The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham

The Pest in the Nest by Julian Gough, ill. by Jim Field



The Princess and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schiltz, ill. by Brian Floca

Cowboy Pug by Laura James, ill. by Églantine Ceulemans

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

Squid & Octopus Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay, ill. by Priscilla Lamont


LG Graphic Novels
(limited to only 1 book per series)


Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle by J. Torres, ill. by Sean K. Dove

Egg by Kevin Henkes

Before After ill. by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Arégui

Digging for Dinos by Jessica Young, ill. by James Burks


Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey

I’m Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm

Shelter by Céline Claire, ill. by Qin Leng

My Pet Human by Yasmine Surovec

Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn


Poetry/Novels in Verse


Saving Red by Sonya Sonnes

The 12 Days of Christmas ill. by Greg Pizzoli

Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle, ill. by Rafael Lopéz

A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney, ill. by Steve Johnson & Lou Francher

Freedom over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan


The Dragon Hunters by James Russell, ill. by Link Choi

Tony by Ed Galing, ill. by Erin E. Stead

Where My Wellies Take Me by Michael Morpurgo, ill. by Clare Morpurgo

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Jerry Pinkney

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg, ill. by Matthew Cordell


Lower Grade Nonfiction 
(limited to those released in 2017)



The Secret Life of the Red Fox by Laurence Pringle, ill. by Kate Garchinsky

ABC Color: Apricot, Burgundy & Chartreuse: 26 Brand New Colors Are out on the Loose by Ingela Peterson Arrhenius

Double Take!: a New Look at Opposites by Susan Hood, ill by Jay Fleck

Gobi: a Little Dog with a Big Heart by Dion Leonard, ill. by Lisa Manuzak

Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart, ill. by Steve Jenkins


Different? Same! by Heather Tekavec, ill. by Pippa Curnick

Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler, ill. by Anna Raff

Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, ill. by Christopher Silas Neal

Living in…India by Chloe Perkins

Ducklings (Explore My World) by Marfe Ferguson Delano