On Shelves Now: WHO WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER? by Jim Gigliotti, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi & Nancy Harrison

112 p.
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Ages: 8 to 12

Born in 1860s Missouri, nobody expected George Washington Carver to succeed. Slaves were not allowed to be educated. After the Civil War, Carver enrolled in classes and proved to be a star student. He became the first black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and later its first black professor. He went on to the Tuskegee Institute, where he specialized in botany (the study of plants) and developed techniques to grow crops better. His work with vegetables, especially peanuts, made him famous and changed agriculture forever. He went on to develop nearly 100 household products and over 100 recipes using peanuts.

On Shelves Now: WHO WAS SOJOURNER TRUTH by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated Jim Eldridge

112 p.
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap
Ages: 8 to 12

Almost 100 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, Sojourner Truth was mistreated by a streetcar conductor. She took him to court—and won! Before she was Sojourner Truth, she was known simply as Belle. Born a slave in New York sometime around 1797, she was later sold and separated from her family. Even after she escaped from slavery, she knew her work was not yet done. She changed her name and traveled, inspiring everyone she met and sharing her story until her death in 1883 at age eighty-six. In this easy-to-read biography, Yona Zeldis McDonough continues to share that remarkable story.

On Shelves Now: WHO WAS MICHAEL JACKSON? by Megan Stine

112 p.
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Ages: 8 to 12

Born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was definitely not a regular kid. A superstar with The Jackson 5 before he was eight years old, he became the King of Pop as a solo artist. Michael was a creative—yet deeply troubled—genius who always remained devoted to his art right up until his death is 2009 before a much anticipated tour. He had a pitch-perfect voice and footwork that his idol Fred Astaire admired. Who will ever forget the Moonwalk? Kids today who only know Jackson through video performances are nevertheless fascinated by him. Megan Stine provides a sensitive, fair-minded depiction of this unique music legend.

On Shelves Now: YOUNG-HEE AND THE PULLOCHO by Mark James Russell

256 p.
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Ages: 9 to 12

So annoying…In Young-hee's life everything feels wrong. It seemed like only yesterday that her world was just as it should be. But now her dad is gone, her mom is overextended, and Young-hee is forced to move back to Seoul—and not a nice part of Seoul, either. To make matters worse, the girls at her new school are nasty, and her little brother Bum is an insufferable, attention-hogging pain.

Then Young-hee stumbles into a magical world, where the fairy stories of her childhood are real and all the frustrations of her everyday life fade away—until Bum is kidnapped, and the only way Young-hee can save him is by finding the magical pullocho plant. Soon, she is plunged into an epic quest, encountering dragons and fairies and facing decisions that affect not only Bum, but the fate of an entire world.

In Young-hee and the Pullocho, debut novelist Mark James Russell puts a Korean spin on an evergreen fantasy trope, interweaving Korean folktales with the story of a young girl who, without realizing it, is in search of herself. Readers of all ages will want to join Young-hee as she journeys from the dingiest part of Seoul to enchanted lands that prove more beautiful—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

On Shelves Now: HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR:by Carolyn Otto

32 p.
Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books
 Ages: 6 to 9

Children have never had so many reasons to learn how Chinese people everywhere ring in the new and ring out the old. As China takes its new place on the global stage, understanding Chinese culture and values becomes ever more essential to our next generation.

For two joyous weeks red is all around. The color represents luck and happiness. Children receive money wrapped in red paper, and friends and loved ones exchange poems written on red paper. The Chinese New Year is also an opportunity to remember ancestors, and to wish peace and happiness to friends and family. The holiday ends with the Festival of Lanterns, as many large communities stage the famous Dragon Dance. Fireworks, parades, lanterns, presents, and feasts: these are some of the joys experienced by all who observe Chinese New Year.

Celebrate Chinese New Year is the latest, timely addition to National Geographic’s popular Holidays Around the World series. With 25 colorful images and a simple, educational text, the book is a lively invitation to revel in this child-friendly, national and international holiday. Carolyn Otto brings the historical and cultural aspects of the Chinese New Year into focus, and young readers experience the full flavor of an event celebrated by over a billion people in China, and countless others worldwide.

 

On Shelves Now: LI JUN AND THE IRON ROAD by Anne Tait with Paulette Bourgeois

216p.
Publisher: Dundurn
Ages: 12 to 15

Set in the 1880s in southern China and the rugged mountains of British Columbia, Li Jun and the Iron Road follows a feisty homeless teenager nicknamed Little Tiger, who works in a Hong Kong fireworks factory and yearns to sail across the ocean to Gold Mountain to find her father and fulfill her dying mother’s wish. Little Tiger disguises herself as a boy, saves the life of James, the son of the railway tycoon, and is hired onto the explosives crew building the Canadian railway. Defying all the rules, she falls in love with James. Now she must decide: should she reveal her true identity? And if she does, can they make a life together?

On Shelves Now: THE UNFORGOTTEN COAT by Frank Cottrell Boyce

112 p.
Publisher: Candlewick
Ages: 8 to 12

When two Mongolian brothers inexplicably appear one morning in Julie's sixth grade class, no one, least of all Julie, knows what to do with them. But when Chingis, the older of the two brothers, proclaims Julie as their "Good Guide" - a nomadic tradition of welcoming strangers to a new land - Julie must somehow navigate them through soccer, school uniforms, and British slang, all while trying to win Shocky's attention and perhaps also an invitation to her friend Mimi's house. At times funny, this moving and simply told novella tugs at the heart-a unique story of immigration both fierce in its telling and magical in its characters.

On Shelves Now: MUSEUM MYSTERIES: The Case of the Missing Museum Archives by Steve Brezenoff, illustrated by Lisa K. Weber

128 p.
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Ages: 9 to 12

When the plans for the prototype of a failed flying machine go missing from the Air and Space Museum's archives, Amal's father, the assistant archivist, is blamed. No one suspects a crime has been committed - except Amal and her friends. With her father's job on the line, it's up to them to track down the missing plans and get to the bottom of the museum mystery.

On Shelves Now: MUSEUM MYSTERIES: The Case of the Haunted History Museum by Steve Brezenoff, illustrated by Lisa K. Weber

128 p.
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Ages: 9 to 12

Capitol City's Natural History Museum is haunted - or at least that's what someone wants people to think. But Wilson Kipper, son of the museum's head paleontologist, knows better. When the mysterious occurrences go from spooky to dangerous, the museum is forced to close its doors. Can Wilson and his friends get to the bottom of things, or will the Natural History Museum be closed for good?

On Shelves Now: OH, SNAP! (The News Crew, Book 4) by Walter Dean Myers

128 p.
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Ages: 10 to 14

Zander and his friends are in trouble--again. The freedom of expression they've enjoyed by publishing their own school newspaper has spread all the way to England, where kids from a school "across the pond" are now contributors to their own school's most talked-about publication. When photos start to go alongside the articles written by kids, things get suspicious. Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, Bobbi--and a bunch of students from Harlem's DaVinci Academy and London's Phoenix School--come to learn that words and pictures in a newspaper don't always tell the whole story.

With his signature on-point pacing and super-smart characters, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's acclaimed series delivers another awesome book about a group of middle-school misfits who are becoming the coolest kids in the city.

On Shelves Now: A STAR IS BORN (The News Crew, Book 3) by Walter Dean Myers

176 p.
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Ages: 10 to 14

An alternative school newspaper published by Zander and his crew is alive and well. And now there's plenty to report on when LaShonda steps into the spotlight with her costume designs for an upcoming play. LaShonda's designs get rave reviews, but she soon learns that show business is filled with challenges and choices. LaShonda is forced to consider what's more important--fame, or loyalty to her autistic brother. Whether she gets a standing ovation or the curtain pulled down on her is up to LaShonda. And she can't help but wonder if her friends have got her back and will be there for her whether she's center stage or waiting in the wings.

With signature humor and thought-provoking questions, Walter Dean Myers's acclaimed series once again delivers a whip-quick story that will keep readers at the edge of their seats, and have them applauding after the drama ends on the book's last page.

On Shelves Now: CHECKMATE (The News Crew, Book 2) by Walter Dean Myers

144 p.
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Ages: 10 to 14

Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age sixteen. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pressure the young players. Sidney loves and wants to play chess, but dislikes the constant spotlight. He thinks that if he appears to be involved in drugs, he'll be excused from playing on the school's team. In this book, Zander and his crew are back, using their school newspaper to express their frustrations and triumphs.

On Shelves Now: CHERRY BLOSSOM BASEBALL by Jennifer Maruno

184 p.
Publisher: Dundurn
 Ages: 9 to 12

After her family is forced to move by Canada’s racist wartime policies, Michiko is the only Japanese kid at school. One nice thing is that she’s a hit at the local baseball tryouts. There’s just one problem: everyone thinks she’s a boy. What is she to do when they find her out — do as she’s told and quit, or pitch like never before?

Is pretending to be someone else the only way Michiko can fit in?

Michiko Minigawa’s life is nothing but a bad game of baseball. The Canadian government swung the bat once, knocking her family away from a Vancouver home base to an old farmhouse in the Kootenay Mountains. But when they move into town, the government swings the bat again, announcing that all Japanese must now move east of the Rockies or else go to Japan.

Now in Ontario, Michiko once again has to adjust to a whole new kind of life. She is the only Japanese student in her school, and making friends is harder than it was before. When Michiko surprises an older student with her baseball skills and he encourages her to try out for the local team, she gives it a shot. But everyone thinks this new baseball star is a boy. Michiko has to make a decision: quit playing ball (and being harassed), or pitch like she’s never pitched before.

  

On Shelves Now: THE BELLS OF CHRISTMAS by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Lambert Davis

64 p.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages: 5 to 8

Twelve-year-old Jason Bell waits impatiently for Christmas 1890. Set against the carefully researched background life of a middle-class black family in Ohio a century ago, “Hamilton’s story moves along at an elegant pace, giving readers time to savor the holiday preparations.”

On Shelves Now: SKATEBOARD PARTY: THE CARVER CHRONICLES by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman

128 p.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages: 6 to 9

Richard can't wait to show off his flat-ground Ollies at a friend's birthday party at the skate park, but a note home from his teacher threatens to ruin his plans. He really meant to finish his assignment on howler monkeys, but he just got . . . distracted. If only he could focus on his schoolwork, he wouldn't get into this kind of trouble! Can Richard manage to put off getting the note signed (and facing the consequences) until after the party, or will the deception make things even worse?

Nikki and Deja fans and their male peers are sure to recognize themselves and their classmates in this humorous school story

On Shelves Now: THE ONLY CHILD by Guojing

112 p.
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Ages: 5 to 9

Like Shaun Tan’s The Arrival and Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman, this gorgeous and imaginative 100-page graphic picture book is utterly transporting and original.

A little girl—lost and alone—follows a mysterious stag deep into the woods, and, like Alice down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a strange and wondrous world. But…home and family are very far away. How will she get back there?

In this magnificently illustrated—and wordless—masterpiece, debut artist Guojing brilliantly captures the rich and deeply-felt emotional life of a child, filled with loneliness and longing as well as love and joy.

On Shelves Now: DON'T FEED THE GECKOS!: The Carver Chronicles, Book Three by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman

144 p.
Publisher: Clarion Books
Ages: 6 to 9

Carlos isn’t sure how he feels about the news that his cousin Bernardo will be joining his class at Carver Elementary. But when Bernardo comes to live with him temporarily, taking over Carlos’s top bunk, his spot on the school soccer team, and even his Papi’s attention, Carlos knows he isn’t happy. Worse, Bernardo starts messing with Carlos’s pet geckos! Carlos tries to see past his cousin’s annoying ways, but Bernardo sure doesn’t make it easy. Will Carlos—and his geckos—survive Bernardo's visit? Can he keep the peace for his family’s sake?
Emerging and newly independent readers are sure to recognize themselves in this humorous school and family story.

  

On Shelves Now: DOG DAYS: THE CARVER CHRONICLES by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman

128 p.
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages: 6 to 9

It's tough being the new kid at Carver Elementary. Gavin had lots of friends at his old school, but the kids here don't even know that he's pretty good at skateboarding, or how awesome he is at soccer. And when his classmate Richard comes over and the boys end up in trouble, not only does Gavin risk losing his one new friend, he has to take care of his great aunt Myrtle's horrible little dog as punishment.

To make matters worse, Gavin seems to have attracted the attention of the school bully. Will he be able to avoid getting pounded at the skate park? And how is he ever going to prove he's cool with a yappy little Pomeranian wearing a pink bow at his side?