IL Book Awards

2026 Monarch Award (Grades K-3)

Mr. S: A First Day of School Book by Monica Arnaldo

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Description:

A kindergarten class arrives for their first day of school but can’t find their teacher—only a delicious-looking sandwich and the words “Mr. S” scribbled on the chalkboard. Chaos ensues as the kids argue whether the sandwich must be their teacher.

Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

Catalog book link    Korean edition

Description:

When a boy is FINALLY allowed to get a cat, he has no doubts about which one to bring home from the shelter. But Max the cat isn’t quite what the family expected. He shuns the toy mouse, couldn’t care less about the hand-knitted sweater, and spends most of his time facing the wall. One by one, the family gives up on Max, but the boy loves his negative cat so much, he’ll do anything to keep him. Even the thing he dreads most: practicing his reading. Which, as it turns out, makes everything positive!

Yoshi: Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox; illustrated by Richard Jones

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Description:

In this picture book that is both heartwarming and exciting, join Yoshi, a sea turtle, on her remarkable journey as she swims farther than any animal in recorded history–23,000 miles!–to return to the beach where she first hatched, to lay her own eggs.

Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Deborah Hocking

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Description:

Sydney is a skunk and Taylor is a hedgehog, but no matter how odd the pairing may seem, their friendship comes naturally. They live happily in their cozy burrow . . . until the day Taylor gets his Big Idea to go see the Whole Wide World. From mountains taller than a hundred hedgehogs, valleys wider than a thousand skunks, to the dangers that lie in the human world, Sydney and Taylor wanted to see it all. With a map and a dream, they bravely set off, soon discovering that the world is much bigger than they realized.

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

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Description:

Since the day he hatched, Owl has dreamed of becoming a real knight — but he’ll have to be creative when facing the fearsome dragon. 

Beneath  by Cori Doerrfeld

Catalog book link           Korean Edition

Description:

On a hike with Grandpa, Finn learns a bit about nature–human and otherwise. This sweet and tender picture book celebrates our similarities, differences, and that there’s always more under the surface of what we can see.

Thunder and Cluck: Friends Do Not Eat Friends by Jill Esbaum; illustrated by Miles Thompson

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Description: 

Big, scary, and hungry Thunder the dinosaur wants to chase and chomp Cluck, a small but brave dinosaur, but Cluck has decided that they will be friends.

We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

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Description:

When three mysterious visitors from ‘Europe’ crash-land in Mr. Li’s field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their ‘car’. No, there’s nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they ‘make business’, ‘play sportsball’ and ‘wear hat’. As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high.

The Red Jacket by Bob Holt

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Description:

Bob loves his red jacket. The red jacket makes him feel swanky cool. But will Bob lose his cool when he loses the red jacket? Find out in this tale from author-illustrator Bob Holt starring a seagull who learns a lesson or two about style, confidence, and real friendship.

Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein; illustrated by Abhi Alwar

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Description:

Henry is desperate for a little peace and quiet from his extremely chatty roommate Marvin, and after Henry finally loses his cool, these hamsters must find ways to compromise and live together.

The Flower Garden by Renée Kurilla

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Description:

After planting a seed packet in the backyard, things don’t go as expected for best friends Anna and Tess. They fall asleep in the sun and wake up to blooms as tall as buildings! Did the seeds really grow that fast? All is explained when Anna and Tess meet May, a little garden gnome whose magic is responsible for the transformation. The girls are May’s size now, and they follow her through the flower garden and into May’s underground gnome home–discovering new things about their world and themselves along the way.

Butt or Face? A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game for Kids by Kari Lavelle

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Description:

Can you tell the difference between a butt and a face? This fun, fact-filled book will have you guessing what exactly you’re looking at while you learn all about amazing animals and insects from around the world. Discover fascinating facts about Cuyaba dwarf frogs, turtle ants, and more while you try to figure out the answer to the crucial question: Is it a butt or a face?

Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack

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Description:

Awed by the endless possibilities, a young girl begins asking meaningful questions about creating art. She is answered by a diverse group of artists: from the earliest cave painters to Michelangelo, Frida Kahlo, Takashi Murakami, and many more. This picture book about making art doubles as an introduction to the multifaceted and global history of art.

Bathe the Cat by Alice McGinty; illustrated by David Roberts

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Description:

Dad has posted a list of chores for the family to do before grandma comes, including bathing the cat; but the cat does not want a bath, so she mixes up the instructions, and soon the family is mowing the floor, vacuuming the lawn, mopping the baby–and the house is in chaos.

Who’s Afraid of the Light? by Anna McGregor

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Description:

Come on a trip to the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. There are many fascinating creatures that call it home. There’s nothing to be afraid of…is there?

Just SNOW Already! by Howard McWilliam

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Description:

Nothing is as fun as snow. At least that’s what one little boy thinks. But while he stares up at the sky, he misses all the excitement down on the street. There goes a fire engine and a monster truck! And are those monkeys!? Just SNOW Already! captures children’s love of snow and their frustration with waiting. Bursting with hilarious details, it offers a humorous observation about living in the moment and noticing what’s around you.

Home is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly by Katherine Pryor; illustrated by Ellie Peterson

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Description:

Every year, monarch butterflies undertake a jaw-dropping transcontinental journey from the eastern United States and southern Canada to Mexico. This story invites children to experience that incredible migration from the butterflies’ point of view: searching for food, huddling together through storms, and flying tirelessly south. The info-packed pages after the story contain facts about the monarchs’ migration path, life cycle, and anatomy, along with ideas for how kids can help the monarchs, who face numerous threats to their survival.

The World’s Best Class Plant by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick; illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao

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Description:

A class that is terribly disappointed in their lack of a class pet discovers that having a class plant is the best thing ever.

Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator by Emma Bland Smith; illustrated by Jennifer Potter

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Description:

Claude is the story of the California Academy of Sciences’ beloved albino alligator, from his birth in Louisiana to his present day life in his swamp at the Academy.

Homegrown by DeAnn Wiley

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Description:

A young Black girl, with the help of her Mama and Granny, learns that home isn’t just a place but rather a reflection of people who support and love one another.

2026 Bluestem Award (Grades 3-5)

Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko; illustrated by Wallace West

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Description:
Chance, a real dog, has been in the Dogtown shelter since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, they find danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

The Area 51 Files by Julie Buxbaum; illustrated by Lavanya Naidu

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Description:
When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she never imagines she’ll end up in Area 51, a top-secret military base with a bajillion rules. Sky feels like she’s landed in a whole new world, even though she hasn’t left the planet. Because guess what? Area 51 is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. But something even stranger is happening in Area 51: aliens are going missing. Where could they be? How come everyone thinks Sky and her uncle are involved in their disappearance? And why are there eyeballs in the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle School? Sky must team up with her pizza-obsessed pet hedgehog, Spike, her otherworldly next-door neighbor, Elvis, and his fluffy pup, Pickles, to solve the case.

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

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Description:
Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees–until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help. With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake. Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship, or have the Manatees swum their last lap–for good?

Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Maryann Cocca-Leffler; illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger

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Description:
In the 1970s an important disability rights law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was waiting to be signed. Judy Heumann and other disability rights activists fought for YES! They held a sit-in until Section 504 was signed into law. Section 504–established thanks in large part to the ongoing work of Judy and her community–laid the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen by Erin Frankel; illustrated by Paola Escobar

Catalog book link           Spanish Version

Description:
A biography about chef José Andrés, who, through his World Central Kitchen organization, is fulfilling a vision to feed people in need all over the world.

Rumaysa by Radiya Hafiza

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Description:
For as long as she can remember Rumaysa has been locked away in her tall, tall tower, forced to use her magic to spin straw into gold for the evil Witch and unable to leave. Until one day, after dropping a hijab out of her small tower-window, Rumaysa realizes how she might be able to escape. Join Rumaysa as she adventures through enchanted forests and into dragon’s lairs, discovers her own incredible magical powers, and teams up with Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara!

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt

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Description:
Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be “normal” she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different–and why that is ok. Told in verse.

Butt or Face? A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game for Kids by Kari Lavelle

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Description:
Can you tell the difference between a butt and a face? This fun, fact-filled book will have you guessing what exactly you’re looking at while you learn all about amazing animals and insects from around the world. Discover fascinating facts about Cuyaba dwarf frogs, turtle ants, and more while you try to figure out the answer to the crucial question: Is it a butt or a face?

The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean’s Darkest Depths by Lindsey Leigh

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Description:
Plunge beneath the waves to find an alien world of bizarre creatures who explain for themselves how they’ve adapted to life in the deep dark sea. Did you know that there are animals that are completely transparent? That some tube worms live for 1,000 years? That the Pigbutt Worm is also known as the “Flying Buttocks”? Or that there is a type of sea cucumber that is nicknamed “the headless chicken monster?” These are just some of the scientific facts, presented comics-style, that kids will pore over again and again.

Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Catalog book link             Spanish Version

Description:
Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighborhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she’s tired of feeling squished by her six siblings! They’re noisy and chaotic and the younger kids love her a little too much. All Avery wants is her own room — her own space to be alone and make art. So she’s furious when Theo, her grumpy older brother, gets his own room instead, and her wild baby brother, Max, moves into the room she already shares with her clinging sister Pearl! Avery hatches a plan to finally get her own room, all while trying to get Max to sleep at night, navigating changes in her friendships, and working on an art entry for the fair. And when Avery finds out that her family might move across the country, things get even more complicated.

Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty

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Description:
Felix Rannells and Benji Porter were never supposed to be field-trip partners. Felix is a rule follower. Benji is a rule bender. They’re not friends. And they don’t have anything to talk about. Until…They find a wallet. A wallet that belongs to tech billionaire Laura Friendly. They’re totally going to return it–but not before Benji “borrows” twenty dollars to buy hot dogs. Because twenty dollars is like a penny to a billionaire, right? But a penny has value. A penny doubled every day for thirty days is $5,368,709.12! So that’s exactly how much money Laura Friendly challenges Felix and Benji to spend. They have thirty days. They can’t tell anyone. And there are lots of other rules. Succeed, they each get ten million dollars to spend however they want. Challenge accepted! 

New in Town (Curlfriends #1) by Sharee Miller

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Description:
Eager to make a good first impression at her new middle school, thirteen-year-old Charlie does her best to fit in until she meets a group of diverse Black girls who show her the importance of authenticity.

Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek

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Description:
Twelve-year-old Marvel is afraid of absolutely everything — amusement park rides, food poisoning, earthquakes, and that big island of plastic floating through the ocean. She also obsesses about smaller worries like making friends, getting called on by the teacher, and walking home alone. Her parents and the school therapist call her worries an anxiety disorder, but Marvel calls them armor. If something can happen, it will. She needs to be prepared. But when Marvel stumbles on a group of older kids teasing a baby goat that has mysteriously shown up on the soccer field, she momentarily forgets to be afraid and rescues the frightened animal. Only Butter isn’t any old goat. She’s a fainting goat. When Butter feels panic, she freezes up and falls over. Marvel knows exactly how Butter feels and precisely what Butter needs — her. Soon, the two are inseparable, and Butter thrives under Marvel’s support. But Butter also helps Marvel. Everything is better with Butter by her side, and Marvel starts to imagine a life in which she doesn’t have to be so afraid . . . until she’s told she might have to give up Butter forever. Will Marvel find a way to fight for her friend? Or will she revert back to the anxious, lonely person she used to be?

Batcat (Batcat #1) by Meggie Ramm

Catalog book link         Spanish Version

Description:
Batcat loves being all alone in their home on Spooky Island. Up in their tree house, they pass the time playing video games and watching TV. But when Batcat suddenly finds themself haunted by an annoying, ice cream-stealing ghost, they visit the local Island Witch for a spell to remove their ghastly guest permanently! With their Ghost-B-Gone spell in hand, Batcat travels across Spooky Island to gather ingredients–to the Cavernous Caves where the bats tell them they’re too round to be a bat, and to the Whispering Cemetery where the cats will help only if they commit to being a true cat. But Batcat is neither and that’s what makes them special, right? 

The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat

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Description:
Young Plum is shocked to discover that she’s been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians, magical creatures who are sworn to protect the natural world. The Guardian masters teach Plum and her friends how to communicate with animals and how to use meditation to strengthen their minds and bodies. The kids also learn to fight, so they can protect the defenseless if needed. To her dismay, Plum struggles at school. While her classmates begin to transform into amazing creatures, Plum can’t even seem to magic up a single feather! If she can’t embrace her inner animal form soon, she’ll have to leave school–and lose the first group of real friends she’s ever known.

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

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Description:
When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.

Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life by Emma Steinkellner

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Description:
Seventh-grader Nell lives an ordinary life in the magical town of Gumbling, but yearns to land her dream apprenticeship and become an artist.

Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money (Unsolved Case Files #1) by Tom Sullivan

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Description:
A minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the United States uses reproductions of FBI files and investigation photographs to chronicle the events surrounding an unidentified extortionist’s 1971 hijacking and disappearance.

Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

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Description:
Danny Day, age eleven, lives every day twice, which allows him to skip class, play video games for hours, and try to bring down bullies at his new middle school.

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits #1) by Lisa Yee; illustrated by Dan Santat

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Description:
Olive Cobin Zang has… issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!). Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that’s now a “reforming arts school!” But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems–and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime… and Olive has arrived just in time. Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.

2026 Rebecca Caudill Award (Grades 4-8)

Eb and Flow by Kelly J. Baptist

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Description:
Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De’Kari’s ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior–to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

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Description:
Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the story in which he’s the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting.

Final Season by Tim Green

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Description:
With two all-star college football players for brothers and a former Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman for a father, it is only natural for sixth-grade quarterback Benjamin Redd to follow in their footsteps. However, after his dad receives a heartbreaking ALS diagnosis–connected to all those hard hits and tackles he took on the field–Ben’s mom becomes more determined than ever to get Ben to quit football. Ben isn’t playing just for himself though. This might be his dad’s last chance to coach. And his teammates need a quarterback that can lead them to the championships. But as Ben watches the heavy toll ALS takes on his dad’s body, he begins to question if this should be his final season after all.

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien

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Description:
Everyone knows Fall Hollow is haunted. It has been ever since Abigail Snook went into the woods many years ago, never to be seen again. Since then, it’s tradition for the sixth graders at Beckett Elementary to play the Bellwoods Game on Halloween night. Three kids are chosen to go into the woods. Whoever rings the bell there wins the game and saves the town for another year, but if Abigail’s ghost captures the players first, the spirit is let loose to wreak havoc on Fall Hollow–or so the story goes. Now that it’s Bailee’s year to play, she can finally find out what really happens. And legend has it the game’s winner gets a wish. Maybe, just maybe, if Bailee wins, she can go back to the way things used to be before her grandma got sick and everyone at school started hating her. But when the night begins, everything the kids thought they knew about the game–and each other–is challenged. One thing’s for sure: something sinister is at play… waiting for them all in the woods.

Ghost Book by Remy Lai

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Description:
July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now, as it’s Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth–for William to live, July must die.

A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner

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Description:
Will feels out of place as the only round kid in a school full of thin classmates, hiding behind baggy clothes and avoiding the cafeteria. His crush on Jules pushes him to change his eating habits and exercise, but slow progress leads to frustration and self-loathing. With the help of skateboarder Markus, Will begins to see his body as an ever-evolving work in progress rather than something to be fixed.

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln; illustrated by Claire Powell

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Description:
On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name, and a definition. A definition it is assumed they will grow up to match. Meet Shenanigan Swift: Little sister. Risk-taker. Mischief-maker. Shenanigan is getting ready for the big Swift Family Reunion and plotting her next great scheme: hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure. She’s excited to finally meet her arriving relatives – until one of them gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs. So what if everyone thinks she’ll never be more than a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can become whatever she wants, even a detective. And she’s determined to follow the twisty clues and catch the killer.

Hands by Torrey Maldonado

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Description:
Twelve-year-old Trevor has an adult problem to deal with: how to protect himself, his sisters, and his mother from his abusive stepfather (currently in prison) and he thinks the way to do that is to take up boxing–although he would really rather draw.

Medusa: The Myth of Monsters by Katherine Marsh

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Description:
Ava Baldwin has always tried to keep her anger in check, just like her mom taught her. But when know-it-all classmate Owen King tries to speak over her yet again, Ava explodes… and Owen freezes, becoming totally unresponsive. Although Owen recovers, Ava’s parents whisk her off to her mother’s alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, a mysterious international boarding school in Venice. There, Ava and her brother, Jax, discover that the Olympian gods founded the Accademia to teach the descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions and their powers and become functioning, well-adjusted members of society. But not everything at the Accademia is as it seems. After her friend Fia is almost expelled for challenging a teacher, Ava realizes the school is hiding a dangerous secret. To uncover the truth, Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology–and themselves–forever… or end their lives.

Mexikid by Pedro Martín

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Description:
Pedro/Peter Martín is a Mexikid, or a kid born in the U.S. to parents from Mexico, a kid who doesn’t quite belong to either place. So he’s not sure what to expect when his dad announces that the whole family (all 11 of them!) will be piling into their Winnebago to drive 2,000 miles down to Mexico with a mission: bring their mysterious, Mexican-Revolution-era abuelito home to live with them. But their grandfather has a mission of his own, and he won’t leave Mexico until it’s complete. This deeply personal and hilarious graphic memoir captures an unforgettable journey filled with cousins, comics, heartbreak, and newly discovered family history. It’s the story of one Mexikid in search of his grito… all on the road trip of a lifetime.

Don’t Want to be Your Monster by Deke Moulton

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Description:
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?

D&D Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag; illustrated by Xanthe Bouma

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Description:
Middle school is a dungeon… At least, that’s how Jess sees it. Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius. But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game–and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure–and their friendship–finally come to an end?

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

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Description:
Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad’s anger, but she’s scared. When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough? As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?

World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky

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Description:
1987. Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she’ll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that’s off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she’ll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange? In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS–and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself.

Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin

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Description:
A true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust-one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape.

What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

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Description:
Last year Rachel Riley was one of the most popular girls at East Middle School. This year she has become a social outcast. Anna Hunt is new at the school, and as a die-hard podcast enthusiast she knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. Putting her fact-seeking skills to the test, Anna creates her own podcast to find out what happened to Rachel Riley. With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. The story is more complex than Anna could have anticipated.

Warrior Girl by Carmen Tafolla

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Description:
Celina and her family are bilingual and follow both Mexican and American traditions. Celina revels in her Mexican heritage, but once she starts school it feels like the world wants her to erase that part of her identity. Fortunately, she’s got an army of family and three fabulous new friends behind her to fight the ignorance. But it’s her Gramma who’s her biggest inspiration, encouraging Celina to build a shield of joy around herself. Because when you’re celebrating, when you find a reason to sing or dance or paint or play or laugh or write, they haven’t taken everything away from you. Of course, it’s not possible to stay in celebration mode when things get dire–like when her dad’s deported and a pandemic hits–but if there is anything Celina’s sure of, it’s that she’ll always live up to her last name: Guerrera–woman warrior–and that she will use her voice and writing talents to show the world it’s a more beautiful place because people like her are in it.

Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

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Description:
After their two-week family tour of Los Angeles, ten-year-old Feng Li Lin and her older brother and sister learn they will remain in California while their parents return to Taiwan, forcing them to navigate a new school, a new language, bullies, racism, and the pressures of running a household.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson

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Description:
On the run after her mother disappears, eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown steps through a mysterious hidden doorway and enters the realm of Greenwild, where she must uncover the truth about who she really is to save this land of magic and amazing natural wonders from being destroyed.

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee; illustrated by Dan Santat

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Description:
Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that’s now a “reforming arts school”! But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems–and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time. Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.