• The 25 Best Children’s Books of 2020 by The New York Times

    24 Books 24 Book Votes 466 Views
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    You Matter

    Christian Robinson

    Hardcover (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 2, 2020)
    A New York Times bestseller! They All Saw a Cat meets The Important Book in this sensitive and impactful picture book about seeing the world from different points of view by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honoree Christian Robinson.In this full, bright, and beautiful picture book, many different perspectives around the world are deftly and empathetically explored—from a pair of bird-watchers to the pigeons they’re feeding. Young readers will be drawn into the luminous illustrations inviting them to engage with the world in a new way and see how everyone is connected, and that everyone matters.
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    Becoming Muhammad Ali

    James Patterson, Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile

    Hardcover (jimmy patterson, Oct. 5, 2020)
    From two heavy-hitters in children's literature comes a biographical novel of cultural icon Muhammad Ali.Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age seventeen in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Readers will learn about Cassius' family and neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky, and how, after a thief stole his bike, Cassius began training as an amateur boxer at age twelve. Before long, he won his first Golden Gloves bout and began his transformation into the unrivaled Muhammad Ali.Fully authorized by and written in cooperation with the Muhammad Ali estate, and vividly brought to life by Dawud Anyabwile's dynamic artwork, Becoming Muhammad Ali captures the budding charisma and youthful personality of one of the greatest sports heroes of all time.
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    The Silver Arrow

    Lev Grossman

    Hardcover (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Sept. 1, 2020)
    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians comes a must-read, wholly original middle-grade debut perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl.Dear Uncle Herbert,You've never met me, but I'm your niece Kate, and since it is my birthday tomorrow and you are super-rich could you please send me a present?Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow.Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all.This thrilling fantasy adventure will not only entertain young readers but inspire them to see the beautiful, exciting, and precious world around them with new eyes.
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    They Went Left

    Monica Hesse

    Hardcover (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April 7, 2020)
    The New York Times bestselling, critically acclaimed, tour de force historical mystery from Monica Hesse, the award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat.Germany, 1945. The soldiers who liberated the Gross-Rosen concentration camp said the war was over, but nothing feels over to eighteen-year-old Zofia Lederman. Her body has barely begun to heal; her mind feels broken. And her life is completely shattered: Three years ago, she and her younger brother, Abek, were the only members of their family to be sent to the right, away from the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone else--her parents, her grandmother, radiant Aunt Maja--they went left.Zofia's last words to her brother were a promise: Abek to Zofia, A to Z. When I find you again, we will fill our alphabet. Now her journey to fulfill that vow takes her through Poland and Germany, and into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece together a future from a painful past: Miriam, desperately searching for the twin she was separated from after they survived medical experimentation. Breine, a former heiress, who now longs only for a simple wedding with her new fiancé. And Josef, who guards his past behind a wall of secrets, and is beautiful and strange and magnetic all at once.But the deeper Zofia digs, the more impossible her search seems. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing? In the rubble of a broken continent, Zofia must delve into a mystery whose answers could break her--or help her rebuild her world.
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    If You Come to Earth

    Sophie Blackall

    Hardcover (Chronicle Books, Sept. 15, 2020)
    From two-time Caldecott Winner author-illustrator Sophie Blackall!If You Came to Earth is a glorious guide to our home planet, and a call for us to take care of both Earth and each other.This stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Sophie Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children.• An engaging storybook about a single curious and imaginative child• Simultaneously funny and touching• Carries a clear message about the need to care for the earth and each otherIf you come to Earth, there are a few things you need to know. . .We live in all kinds of places.In all kinds of homes.In all kinds of families.Each of us is different. But all of us are amazing.And, together, we share one beautiful planet.This masterful and moving picture book is a visually comprehensive guide to the earth, imbued with warmth and humor. • Ideal for children ages 3 to 5 years old• Resonates year-round as a go-to gift for birthdays, holidays, and more• A great pick for teachers looking for a crowd-pleasing picture book about the world for little students• Perfect for parents, grandparents, and caregivers• Add it to the shelf with books like The Travel Book by Lonely Planet Kids, Atlas of Adventures by Rachel Williams, and If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche.
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    Ways to Make Sunshine

    Renée Watson, Nina Mata

    Hardcover (Bloomsbury Children's Books, April 28, 2020)
    From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson comes the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness, and sunshine.Ryan Hart has a lot on her mind--school, self-image, and especially family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means some changes, like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. As her brother says when he raps about her, she's got the talent that matters most: it's a talent that can't be seen, she's nice, not mean!Ryan is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. But even if her life isn't everything she would wish for, when her big brother is infuriating, her parents don't quite understand, and the unexpected happens, she always finds a way forward, with grace and wit. And plenty of sunshine. Acclaimed author Renée Watson writes her own version of Ramona Quimby, one starring a Black girl and her family, in this start to a charming new series.
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    We Dream of Space

    Erin Entrada Kelly

    Hardcover (Greenwillow Books, May 5, 2020)
    Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. A great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead. Great for summer reading or anytime! A Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!"Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties.Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn’t understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA’s first female shuttle commander, but feels like she’s disappearing. The Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a project—they are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways. Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers. We Dream of Space is illustrated throughout by the author.
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    Before the Ever After

    Jacqueline Woodson

    Hardcover (Nancy Paulsen Books, Sept. 1, 2020)
    National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson's stirring novel explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed.For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ's mom explains it's because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that--but it doesn't make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?
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    When You Look Up

    Decur, Chloe Garcia Roberts

    Hardcover (Enchanted Lion Books, June 2, 2020)
    Visually stunning, tactile, and mesmerizing, this graphic novel is a debut at the summit from a self-taught Argentinian visionary. Lorenzo isn’t happy about moving. But in his new room, he finds an old desk with what seems likes hundreds of drawers. Each even has its own smell! Deep inside the desk, he finds a book and begins to read. When he looks up, he sees all kinds of curious things. Has the book come to life? Or is it something else? This is a graphic novel about observation, imagination, and the many incredible lenses through which everyday experience might be perceived if you read. Guillermo Decurgez, “Decur,” was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1981. He is a self-taught cartoonist and illustrator, and the author of Merci!, Pipí cucú, Semillas 1, and Mi cajón favorito. His work has been published in the newspapers La Nación and La Posta Hoy, and in the magazines Orsai, Fierro, free lyrics, Ineditadas, and Ñ. He has also illustrated “Cents del globe 3,” the board game “The Switcher,” the “Mrs. Holle” stories, “El poroto mágico,” “The almost perfect crime,” and “Ivan, the Fool.” His paintings have been exhibited in France, Spain, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, La Rioja, Buenos Aires, and Rosario. Decur’s English-language graphic novel debut, When You Look Up, will published in 2020 from Enchanted Lion Books.
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    Outside In

    Deborah Underwood, Cindy Derby

    Hardcover (HMH Books for Young Readers, April 14, 2020)
    ★★★★★ FIVE STARRED REVIEWS! ★★★★★From the New York Times best-selling author behind The Quiet Book comes a mindful contemplation on the many ways nature affects our everyday lives, even when we’re stuck inside. Perfect for fans of Joyce Sidman and Julie Fogliano, Outside In reminds emerging readers of the ways nature creates and touches our lives in homes, apartments, and cars, and is the perfect homeschooling tool to reflect on the world’s connectedness. Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. This thought-provoking picture book poetically underscores our powerful and enduring connection with nature, not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors. Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made and the many ways Outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a much greater universe. Emotive illustrations evoke the beauty, simplicity, and wonder that await us all . . . outside.
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    Everything Sad Is Untrue:

    Daniel Nayeri

    Hardcover (Levine Querido, Aug. 25, 2020)
    At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls "Daniel") stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much.But Khosrou's stories, stretching back years, and decades, and centuries, are beautiful, and terrifying, from the moment his family fled Iran in the middle of the night with the secret police moments behind them, back to the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy.and further back to the fields near the river Aras, where rain-soaked flowers bled red like the yolk of sunset burst over everything, and further back still to the Jasmine-scented city of Isfahan.We bounce between a school bus of kids armed with paper clip missiles and spitballs to the heroines and heroes of Khosrou's family's past, who ate pastries that made people weep and cry "Akh, Tamar!" and touched carpets woven with precious gems.Like Scheherazade in a hostile classroom, Daniel weaves a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth. And it is (a true story).It is Daniel's.
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    The Strange Birds of Flannery O'Connor

    Amy Alznauer, Ping Zhu

    Hardcover (Enchanted Lion Books, June 16, 2020)
    <p><strong><em>&ldquo;I intend to stand firm and let the peacocks multiply, for I am sure that, in the end, the last word will be theirs.&rdquo; &mdash;Flannery O&rsquo;Connor</em></strong></p> <p>When she was young, the writer Flannery O&rsquo;Connor was captivated by the chickens in her yard. She&rsquo;d watch their wings flap, their beaks peck, and their eyes glint. At age six, her life was forever changed when she and a chicken she had been training to walk forwards and backwards were featured in the Path&eacute; News, and she realized that people want to see what is odd and strange in life. But while she loved birds of all varieties and kept several species around the house, it was the peacocks that came to dominate her life. Written by Amy Alznauer with devotional attention to all things odd and illustrated in radiant paint by Ping Zhu, <em>The Strange Birds of Flannery O&rsquo;Connor </em>explores the beginnings of one author&rsquo;s lifelong obsession.</p> <p><strong>Amy Alznauer </strong>lives in Chicago with her husband, two children, a dog, a parakeet, sometimes chicks, and a part-time fish, but, as of today, no elephants or peacocks.</p> <p><strong>Ping Zhu </strong>is a freelance illustrator who has worked with clients big and small, won some awards based on the work she did for aforementioned clients, attracted new clients with shiny awards, and is hoping to maintain her livelihood in Brooklyn by repeating that cycle.</p>
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    I Talk Like a River

    Jordan Scott, Sydney Smith

    Hardcover (Neal Porter Books, Sept. 1, 2020)
    What if words got stuck in the back of your mouth whenever you tried to speak? What if they never came out the way you wanted them to? Sometimes it takes a change of perspective to get the words flowing.I wake up each morning with the sounds of words all around me. And I can't say them all . . . When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. Compassionate parents everywhere will instantly recognize a father's ability to reconnect a child with the world around him. Poet Jordan Scott writes movingly in this powerful and ultimately uplifting book, based on his own experience, and masterfully illustrated by Greenaway Medalist Sydney Smith. A book for any child who feels lost, lonely, or unable to fit in.A Junior Library Guild Selection
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    The Little Mermaid

    Jerry Pinkney

    Hardcover (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Nov. 3, 2020)
    In this captivating reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's classic, Caldecott medalist and bestselling artist Jerry Pinkney conjures a poignant friendship story and an epic tale of redemption -- the definitive new version for our time. Melody, the littlest sea princess, is not content just to sing in the choir of mermaids like her sisters. She is an explorer who wonders about what lies above the water's surface . . . especially the young girl she has spied from a distance. To meet her requires a terrible sacrifice: she trades her beautiful voice for a potion that gives her legs, so that she may live on land instead. It seems like a dream come true at first. But when trouble stirs beneath the ocean, Melody faces another impossible choice -- stay with her friend, or reclaim her true identity and save her family.Legendary artist Jerry Pinkney's singular reinvention of this tale about love and sacrifice empowers young, twenty-first century girls with the strong message that "you should never give up your voice . . . for anyone."
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    Mañanaland

    Pam Muñoz Ryan

    Hardcover (Scholastic Press, March 3, 2020)
    Newbery Honoree Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves an entrancing tale of courage and self-discovery."Uniquely magical...Timely and timeless." -- New York Times* "This tightly packed, powerful fantasy contains resonant truths." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Another unforgettable work from a master storyteller." -- Booklist, starred review* "Richly tiered... wrenchingly real...compelling." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"A gem of a story with timely messages." -- School Library Journal"Rich and relevant." -- The Horn Book"A luminous embodiment of hope." -- Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground"Mañanaland is that rare gift of a book." -- Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of DisappearedMaximiliano Córdoba loves stories, especially the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow.If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated fútbol team and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papá won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret--involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety--he decides to seek answers on his own.With a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and Buelo's legend as his only guides, he sets out on a perilous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.This timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity.
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    When Stars Are Scattered

    Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, Iman Geddy

    Paperback (Dial Books, April 14, 2020)
    Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.
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    Chance: Escape from the Holocaust

    Uri Shulevitz

    Hardcover (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Oct. 13, 2020)
    From a beloved voice in children’s literature comes this landmark memoir of hope amid harrowing times and an engaging and unusual Holocaust story.With backlist sales of over 2.3 million copies, Uri Shulevitz, one of FSG BYR’s most acclaimed picture-book creators, details the eight-year odyssey of how he and his Jewish family escaped the terrors of the Nazis by fleeing Warsaw for the Soviet Union in Chance.It was during those years, with threats at every turn, that the young Uri experienced his awakening as an artist, an experience that played a key role during this difficult time. By turns dreamlike and nightmarish, this heavily illustrated account of determination, courage, family loyalty, and the luck of coincidence is a true publishing event.
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    Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It

    Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney

    Hardcover (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Sept. 29, 2020)
    From a bestselling and award-winning husband and wife team comes an innovative, beautifully illustrated novel that delivers a front-row seat to the groundbreaking moments in history that led to African Americans earning the right to vote."Right here, I'm sharing the honest-to-goodness." -- Loretta"I'm gon' reach back, and tell how it all went. I'm gon' speak on it. My way." -- Roly"I got more nerve than a bad tooth. But there's nothing bad about being bold." -- Aggie B.Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate stories -- beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 -- come together to create one unforgettable journey. Through an evocative mix of fictional first-person narratives, spoken-word poems, folk myths, gospel rhythms and blues influences, Loretta Little Looks Back weaves an immersive tapestry that illuminates the dignity of sharecroppers in the rural South. Inspired by storytelling's oral tradition, stirring vignettes are presented in a series of theatrical monologues that paint a gripping, multidimensional portrait of America's struggle for civil rights as seen through the eyes of the children who lived it. The novel's unique format invites us to walk in their shoes. Each encounters an unexpected mystical gift, passed down from one family member to the next, that ignites their experience what it means to reach for freedom.
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    The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth

    Wade Hudson, Cheryl Willis Hudson

    Hardcover (Crown Books for Young Readers, Aug. 11, 2020)
    Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators invite you into their homes to witness the conversations they have with their children about race in America today in this powerful call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change.As long as racist ideas persist, families will continue to have the difficult and necessary conversations with their young ones on the subject. In this inspiring collection, literary all-stars such as Renée Watson (Piecing Me Together), Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), Meg Medina (Merci Suárez Changes Gears), Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale), and many more engage young people in frank conversations about race, identity, and self-esteem. Featuring text and images filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is a stirring anthology and must-have resource published in partnership with Just Us Books, a Black-owned children's publishing company that's been in operation for over thirty years. Just Us Books continues its mission grounded in the same belief that helped launch the company: Good books make a difference. So, let's talk.Featured contributors: Selina Alko, Tracey Baptiste, Derrick Barnes, Natacha Bustos, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Raul Colón, Adam Gidwitz, Nikki Grimes, Rudy Gutierrez, April Harrison, Wade Hudson, Gordon C. James, Minh Lê, E. B. Lewis, Grace Lin, Torrey Maldonado, Meg Medina, Christopher Myers, Daniel Nayeri, Zeke Peña, Peter H. Reynolds, Erin K. Robinson, Traci Sorell, Shadra Strickland, Don Tate, MaryBeth Timothy, Duncan Tonatiuh, Renée Watson, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Sharon Dennis Wyeth"The go-to book for talking to kids about race and privilege. Thoughtful. Thought-provoking. A must-read for every family." --Ellen Oh, editor of Flying Lessons & Other Stories and cofounder of We Need Diverse Books"The ingredients are all here. May this magnificent collection inspire us to move from dialogue to deep action." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
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    Dragon Hoops

    Gene Luen Yang

    Hardcover (First Second, March 17, 2020)
    In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.Gene understands stories―comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’s lives, but his own life as well.
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    There Must Be More Than That!

    Shinsuke Yoshitake

    Hardcover (Chronicle Books, Oct. 6, 2020)
    From the creator of The Boring Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's BookShinsuke Yoshitake is back with a witty, thought-provoking picture book for our times.There Must Be More Than That! is all about perspective, and wading past the bad to embrace the possibility of good.• A thoughtful and laugh-out-loud exploration into an uncertain ever after• Empowers readers to choose their own future• A powerful antidote to anxiety for kids unsure about current events and what comes nextWhat does the future hold? This question can be daunting—or delightfully promising!Readers of all ages will seek solace in this smart and spirited exploration of the good that might be right around the corner.• Perfect for fans of Shinsuke Yoshitake• Resonates year-round as a go-to gift for birthdays, holidays, and more• Ideal for children ages 5 to 8 years old• A great pick for parents and grandparents, as well as librarians and teachers• Add it to the shelf with books like Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty; What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada; and Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison.
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    The Wanderer

    Peter Van den Ende

    Hardcover (Levine Querido, Oct. 6, 2020)
    "Wonderfully strange and strangely wonderful, Peter Van den Ende's Wanderer is an epic dream captured in superbly meticulous detail."—Shaun TanAs with Shaun Tan's The Arrival, it gives us collective goosebumps to introduce the singular talent and imagination of Peter Van den Ende to North America. Without a word, and with Escher-like precision, Van den Ende presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves uninterrupted, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does. We hope that readers young and old will find the strength and inspiration that we did in this quietly powerful story about growing, learning, and life's ups and downs.
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    Class Act

    Jerry Craft

    Paperback (Quill Tree Books, Oct. 6, 2020)
    New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. This time, it’s Jordan’s friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school. Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn’t afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted? To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together. As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?New Kid, the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, is now joined by Jerry Craft's powerful Class Act.
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    Our Little Kitchen

    Jillian Tamaki

    Hardcover (Abrams Books for Young Readers, Sept. 22, 2020)
    A lively celebration of food and community from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki Tie on your apron! Roll up your sleeves! Pans are out, oven is hot, the kitchen’s all ready! Where do we start? In this lively, rousing picture book from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki, a crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community. With a garden full of produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen, and a friendly meal shared at the table, Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and looking out for one another. Bonus materials include recipes and an author’s note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book.