Young Readers Fiction

Max isn't always sweet and bubbly. That wouldn't be an issue except for the fact that she's programmed to be. "Max" isn't even her real name. She's a Libby—one of the most popular A.I.Cademy Girl social robots, which top the sales charts for girls ages eight to twelve. They look almost human and there’s a companion to fit every personality. Wendys are smart. Robins are sporty. Noras are artistic. And Libbys? As the box they come in says: Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby(TM) makes the perfect friend.

Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to eat any yet! What happens when she can't resist a nibble?

This powerful and hopeful book—inspired by the historic election of Vice President Kamala Harris—celebrates brown and Black girls. Based on a viral poem by Blaxican poet and activist Leslé Honoré, this moving journey through the past, present, and future of brown and Black girls is a celebration of community, creativity, and joy—and offers a reminder of the history that inspires hope, and the hope that inspires activism.

Summer is over and that can only mean one thing for eight-year-old Mallory McDonald (like the restaurant, but no relation) - she has to go back to school. But not just any school, a new school with all new kids in it. To make matters worse, her mom is going, too! She’s the new music teacher, and Mallory can’t think of anything that could possibly be worse - until her first day. She has to sit with Pamela, who always says the right thing and steals her ideas. Joey is so busy with his old friends that he has no time for her, and she’s picked to be an eggplant in the Fall Festival.

Pinkalicious is absolutely positive that a flower fairy will visit her garden. After all, flower fairies love pink, and so does Pinkalicious! When Pinkalicious transforms her garden into a pink wonderland, will it entice the flower fairy to visit?

Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom. But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down. The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he's using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it's time to break all the rules.

The Electronic Mind Reader, the 12th Rick Brant novel, was published in 1957 and is another JANIG-based adventure with government spook Steve Ames as one of the main characters. The story involves foreign espionage against a secret government missile project based in Washington. Steve Ames comes for help from the Spindrift Foundation after several project scientists are struck down by a mysterious neural malady that seems to cause severe aphasia and inability to communicate.

It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don’t get to own. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free—if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn’t easy—the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.

Patty Appleton is making history. As one of the Senate’s first female Congressional Pages, she’s not only paving the way for other politically minded girls, she has a front-row seat to debates dividing the nation, especially around women’s rights and roles. The battle between the old ways and the new polarizes the women in Patty’s life, and she finds herself torn between traditional expectations—to be anobedient daughter aspiring to become a perfect wife—and questions new friends like fiercely feminist Simone encourage her to ask. But the questions don’t stop at women’s rights.

Within the dazzling halls of London’s Crystal Palace, the event of the season has arrived: The Great Exhibition. An opportunity for the greatest minds of the century to come together under one roof in an unprecedented display of art and invention. And for two unlikely partners in crime, it’s about to become the score of a lifetime. Charming con man Kane Durante works alone—or on occasion with his best friend, Fletcher. But when his boss gives him the impossible task of stealing a priceless artifact from the Great Exhibition, he knows it’s a job he can’t pull off alone.

Sixth book in the Arthur series - Arthur's Cars, Trucks and Monster Machines.

It’s almost the big day. You’re counting the hours . . .and minutes . . .and seconds . . . But what if it all doesn’t go the way you’d planned? Time goes slowly when you’re dreaming, hoping, and most of all waiting for your next big challenge. But one thing is certain: You’re growing stronger and wiser each day. So . . . take a deep breath and gather your courage. The world is ready and waiting for you! Here is a spirited story that will shake out the jitters and boost the confidence needed to face whatever it is you’re waiting for.

When the president of the United States tasks Skipper the SEAL with assembling a team of heroes, Skipper isn’t sure where to start. But as he meets other animals who give of their time and talents every day—from the Courageous Cat who stands up for others, to the Dutiful Duck who never leaves a student behind, to the Funny Fox who creates joy wherever he goes—Skipper realizes that heroes don’t have to be big and strong. There are heroes all around us!

Thirteen-year-old Growls (aka Shaun) is an aspiring (awful) rapper who hopes to enter this year’s Raptology competition with his best friend, Shanks (aka Zachariah). After all, what better way to land his crush (Tanisha) and get the respect he finally deserves than winning the contest and going viral? But when a livestream practice goes epically wrong, the two friends do go viral—and not in the way they’d hoped.

Seventeen-year-old Helena “Nell” Cusack came to New York this summer looking for a story—a real story. She dreams of one day writing hard-hitting articles for the New York Chronicle, but so far she's only managed to land a job as a lowly society reporter. That is, until Alice Austen strolls into her life, an audacious street photographer who encourages Nell to shake up polite society…and maybe also take a chance on love.

Fifteen-year-old Fancy Augustine is a Haitian American girl with simple desires. She’d like to trade in her floppy, oversize boobs for cute, perky ones. She’d love a boyfriend. And she’s desperate for an invite to the biggest event of the school year: Imani Park’s birthday party. When Fancy learns her BFF, Tilly, has received a coveted invite and has a secret boyfriend, she is (understandably) devastated and wholeheartedly determined to do whatever it takes to get her own happily ever after.

Kids’ movement inspiration wrapped up in a charming story of friendship and determination. One of 12 Dance-It-Out! Creative Movement Stories by an award-winning dance teacher, turned award-winning author, and her ballerina daughter.

The story involves foreign espionage against a secret government missile project that is based in Washington. Steve Ames comes for help from the Spindrift Foundation after several scientists are struck down by a mysterious neural malady that seems to cause severe aphasia and inability to communicate. Steve suspects foul play and decides that isolating the remaining members of the research group on Spindrift Island for security purposes might save them from further attacks, but as the whole Brant family discovers the enemy does not give up that easily.

Inside the tony suburb of Scarsdale is New York’s worst-kept secret: The mob runs everything, and the Nicastro family is at the center. Seventeen-year-old Tasha Nicastro lives a life of glitz and glamour, but she has no idea her family harbors a dark truth. Tasha might look like your classic high school mean girl, but behind the designer clothes is a sharpshooter who knows how to bring anyone to their knees. The only person who has ever gotten under her skin is her former best friend, Leo Danesi, the youngest son of the Nicastro family’s rivals.

When Poppy Song joined Mrs. Z's third-grade class at Curiosity Academy, she knew just how to connect with her classmates: baked goods. Her beloved grandmother Po Po used to own her own bakery, and Poppy has inherited Po Po's gift for making pineapple buns, egg tarts, and other sweets, which she gladly shares with the other kids in Mrs. Z's class. After her classmates hear about a fancy treat called Dragon's Beard candy, they can't wait for Poppy to make some and bring it in.