by David Almond

It’s 1918 and war is everywhere.  John’s father is fighting and his mother works in a munitions factory. His teacher says that John is fighting too.  One day, in the woods outside town, John catches a glimpse of a better world, in which children can scatter the seeds of peace. 

by Barry Jonsberg

Rob Fitzgerald is determined to impress Destry Camberwick, the perfect new girl who he’s devastatingly in love with.  But that’s a difficult task for a painfully shy wallflower who’s prone to panic attacks and would rather hang out with his grandad all day. 

That is, until he starts getting mysterious text messages designed to encourage him to venture outside his comfort zone. 

by Heidi Lang

Claire used to love her dad’s fantastical stories, especially tales about her absent mom.  But now that she’s twelve, Claire thinks she’s old enough to know the truth.  When her dad sells the house and moves her and her brother into a converted van, she’s tired of the tall tales and refuses to pretend it’s all some grand adventure.  Claire is faced with a choice.  Will she play along with the stories her dad is spinning for her little brother, or will she force her family to face reality once and for all? 

by Laura Ruby

The thrilling conclusion to Laura Ruby’s epic adventure through the streets of an alternate New York City. 

by Julie Foglano & Jillian Tamak

What is a best friend, if not someone who laughs with you the whole entire day, expecially when you pretend to be a pickle?  This picture book is a sweetly earnest, visually stunning celebration of the magic of friendship. 

by Alex Willan

Best friends Jasper, a quick and feisty fox, and Ollie, a slow and deliberate sloth, decide to build forts in the yard.  While Jasper’s enormous fort goes up in minutes, it’s Ollie’s humble fort that has what the pair needs most…a place that they can share. 

by Ed Young

Once upon a sky, there were three powers-the Wind, the Rain, and the Sun-each claiming to be the mightier of the others.  One day, the powers came upon a shepherd girl fast asleep upon a hill, so they made a bet to see who could make her take her cap off.  Who will be the strongest of them all? 

by Lauren Castillo

Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company.  When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend.  Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who’s new to the neighborhood, Annika May.  With bravery and teamwork, there’s nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more improtant: each other. 

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Everything is different there.  It’s a mirror image, except things are wrong.  Evil.  their mother tried to fix it, but she and an ally got trapped there along with Ms. Morales, their friend Natalie’s mom. 

Now the four kids–brave Chess, smart Emma, kind Finnn, and savvy Natalie–are determined to rescue everyone. 

by Katherine Applegate

Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby.  As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.