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STEM Tuesday– Plants– In the Classroom

 

Most plants obtain their energy by converting sunlight into food, which makes them a target for hungry animals. But not all plants are defenseless. Some plants fight back, and a few even become a threat to those trying to eat them. These books explore many interesting plants and the strategies and adaptations they use to survive. They make a great starting point for nature explorations, classroom discussions, and activities!

 

Killer Carnivorous Plants (Creepy, Kooky Science)Killer Carnivorous Plants

by Nathan Aaseng 

Plants gather energy from the sun and turn it into leaves, flowers, fruit. Animals, who can’t produce their own food, eat the plants. But what happens when you turn the food chain upside down? When the plants are the hunters and animals the hunted? In this book you’ll meet sticky traps, trigger traps, and pits of death. There’s also a handy survival manual for carnivorous plants.

 

Classroom Activity – Build a Carnivorous Plant Model

How do carnivorous plants trap animals and insects? Divide students into small groups. Assign each group a type of carnivorous plant trap mechanism, such as snap traps, pitfall traps, and sticky traps. Each group should research their assigned trap and the plants that have it. Using classroom craft supplies such as paper, cardboard, string, and glue, each group should design a working model of their plant trap. When all models are completed, each group of students can share what they learned about the trap and demonstrate their model for the class.

 

When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying PlantsWhen Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants

by Rebecca Hirsch

Beware the killer plants – the leaves that sting, the jaws that trap. This book, not for the faint-of-heart, is the perfect read for kids who want to know about the bird-catching plant, vampire vines, and corpse flowers.

 

 

A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister SeedsA Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds

by Rebecca Hirsch

For older readers, Hirsch has an engaging, conversational, almost conspiratorial, text invites the reader on an exploration of the “science, history, and true crime coverage” of fourteen poisonous plants, seeds, and fungus found around the world. Gorgeous taxonomic illustrations, photos, and “Deadly Details” sidebars help highlight some innocent and more sinister encounters with these plants.

 

Classroom Activity – Design Your Own Deadly Plant

Nature has created many deadly plants. Now, it’s your turn! Students should use their imagination to create a poisonous or carnivorous plant. Write a description of the deadly plant and include the following details:

  • Where does the plant grow?
  • How does it trap or poison prey?
  • What adaptations does the plant have?
  • What animals or humans should avoid the plant?

Students can draw a picture, create a model, or build a representation of their deadly plant creation and present it to the class.

Classroom Activity – Poisonous Plants Safety

What poisonous plants live in your community? Have students select a local poisonous plant to research, individually or in small groups. With the information they learn, students should prepare a public safety announcement to warn people about the dangers of the plant. They can make a safety poster, film a commercial, or make a PowerPoint presentation warning about the local poisonous plant. The warning should include information about where it is commonly found, how to identify the plant, symptoms that occur when one comes into contact with the poisonous plant, and first aid tips.

 

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds: How Plants Made Our World (Andy Warner's Oddball Histories, 2)Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds: How Plants Made Our World 

by Andy Warner

From trees to rice, tea to spice, plants are central to our day-to-day lives. In graphic novel-style, this book explains how plants, from corn to potatoes, shaped human history. First, a grounding in plant essentials: photosynthesis, food web, and a fun graphic table of contents. Chapters focus on wood and wheat, tea and tulips, potatoes, peppers, cotton, corn, and rice.

Classroom Activity – What If Plants Disappeared?

Plants have had an integral role in Earth’s history. Animals and humans have relied on plants for food, shelter, and more. But what if plants disappeared from Earth? What impact would it have on ecosystems, animals, and humans? Conduct a group discussion or have students write a brief essay on the significance of plants to ecosystems and human life. Have them think about what life would be like without plants.

 

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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, on Instagram @moonwriter25 or on X @carlawrites.

Author Spotlight: Katie Kirby

Today, let’s give a hearty Mixed-Up Files welcome to Katie Kirby, the author/illustrator of The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks. The novel, first published in the U.K. in 2021 and praised by Kirkus as “a funny and reassuring reminder that no matter how great Plan A seems, sometimes Plan B turns out to be better,” is now available from Random House in the U.S.

Lottie Brooks: A Summary:

Lottie Brooks is 11 ¾ and her life is already officially over. Not only is she about to start secondary school without any friends or glamorous swooshy hair, but she’s just discovered she’s too flat-chested to even wear A BRA! She might as well give up now and go into hibernation with her hamsters, Sir Barnaby Squeakington and Fuzzball the Third.

Lottie navigates the perils of growing up in this fantastically funny new illustrated series for pre-teens filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and, of course, KitKat bars.

Q&A with Katie Kirby

MR: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Katie. Huge congrats on the U.S. publication of Lottie Brooks!

KK: Thank you so much! I’m very happy to be here and very excited to be bringing Lottie to America. I think she’s going to love it!

Welcome to America, Lottie!

MR: Although Lottie Brooks is new to American readers, the series is wildly popular in the U.K. (The eighth book in the series came out in the U.K. yesterday.) You even have Lottie merch, including T-shirts, totes, and sweatshirts, and mugs. What is it like to experience this kind of success following a debut? It must be pretty heady, right?

KK: To be honest with you, it’s completely mind blowing! With the first Lottie book, I just wrote something I would have enjoyed reading when I was Lottie’s age – I had no idea it would resonate with so many readers. But I’m obviously very chuffed it has, and even more chuffed that I get to say my job is being an author!

Lottie Brooks: The Inspiration

MR: What inspired you to write Lottie Brooks? I have a feeling, but I don’t want to be presumptuous. 🙂 

KK: I was a big reader when I was younger and I particularly loved books that reflected how I was thinking and feeling – Judy Blume was my number one fave! She put into words all the things I couldn’t say out loud, and that really helped me through those tricky tween and teen years. With Lottie, I’ve tried to do the same thing.

MR: And you’ve succeeded. I too am a HUGE Judy Blume fan (check out my love letter to Judy here), and I definitely picked up on the influence Judy’s writing had on your book, particularly her 1970 classic, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Both Margaret and Lottie are obsessed with bras and breast growth! 

As a follow-up, did you always envision Lottie Brooks as a series?

KK: My first book deal was for two books, so a series was always on the cards, but of course I had no idea how it would be received. Now I’m writing Book 9 and have no plans to stop!

Dear Diary…

MR: Lottie Brooks is written in diary form. What informed this stylistic decision? Did you keep diaries as a child?

KK: Funnily enough, I actually started writing the book in chapters but felt it wasn’t working quite as well. I feel like diaries lend themselves well to humor, and when I switched to that format it clicked. I also love that in a diary the protagonist can just mainly dump their innermost thoughts and feelings.

And yes, I kept diaries on and off when I was younger. They are very cringeworthy to read now, but I’m also very glad I have them – so many memories!

Portrait of an Artist

MR: In addition to writing the novel, you created the illustrations. What was the process like for you? Did you do both at the same time or add the illustrations later? Also, how does being an artist influence your writing—and vice-versa?

KK: I love doing the illustrations. I feel they add real comedy value and are often the punchline to a scene/entry. I really don’t think my books would be the same without them.

In terms of the process, I used to do the illustrations at the same time as the text, but as deadlines have got shorter, I now tend to do most of the text first and mark out places where I’ll add illustrations later on.

I love that you refer to me as an ‘artist’ but I’m not sure stick people really count – ha ha! Thanks though 😊

By Popular Consensus

MR: An overarching theme in the book is popularity. In fact, the drive to be popular causes Lottie to turn her back on her new friend at school, Jess. Why do you think tweens behave in a way that doesn’t align with their values, just to fit in? Also, is this a theme you explore in your other Lottie books?

KK: I think tweens often do feel really pressured to be popular and that being popular is the key to being happy–but that’s not the way it really works, and Lottie learns this the hard way. Her friend Jess is unapologetically herself and doesn’t care what people think of her. Don’t we all wish we could be more like Jess!

Friendships, high school hierarchies, and mean girls are common themes across the series. I won’t give too much away, but Lottie goes on a real learning journey.

The Perils of Puberty

MR: Puberty is handled in a sympathetic yet hilarious way. Lottie’s family even throws her a “pubic-hair tea party” to celebrate Lottie’s first hair. Was your experience as a prepubescent similar to Lottie’s? Also, what advice would you give to 12-year-old Katie?

KK: LOL – the pubic hair tea party, I certainly didn’t get one of those!! I remember my mum giving me factual books on puberty, but we didn’t really talk about it much. I wish we had, as I think that would have made it feel much less awkward and embarrassing.

I would say to myself at 12 – don’t be ashamed as your body changes, it’s all perfectly normal and happens to everyone, and don’t worry, you won’t be flat-chested forever!

Publishing Across the Pond

MR: As above, this book was first published in the U.K. in 2021 and has been adapted for an American audience (i.e., Lottie says “Mom” instead of “Mum,” and “chips” instead of “crisps,” etc.) Were you involved in this part of the publishing process? If so, what was it like?

KK: I got to approve all of the changes, but to be honest, I largely left it in the very capable hands of my editor! I was very happy for her to make any changes that would make the book work better for U.S. readers.

Blogger-Turned-Children’s Author

MR: Prior to writing the Lottie Brooks series, you were a blogger. (Katie’s popular parenting blog, Hurrah for Gin, was adapted into a best-selling book.) What prompted your decision to write for children?

KK: That’s a blast from the past! I had always loved writing, hence the blog, and my UK publishers came across it and felt like the style would work well for children, too. I guess on reflection it was kind of silly and immature. Anyway, they asked me to give it a try, and hence Lottie was born!

Plotter or Pantser?

MR: What is your writing process like? Do you have a specific routine or word-count goals? Any writing rituals? Also, are you a plotter or a pantser?

KK: I’m a PANTSER in capital letters, but I really wish I could say I was a plotter, as surely that would make my life less stressful?! Sometimes I have no idea where a book is going to go when I start writing it. I also get bored quickly so write scenes from the middle or end and then have to fit them all back together like a complicated jigsaw. It’s a real headache!

MR: Finally, what’s next on your writing agenda, Katie? Would you mind sharing a bit about your latest project?

KK: I can’t share too much as obviously I’m writing quite far down the line in Lottie’s adventures, but I will say there is PLENTY of drama and embarrassing moments in store for poor Lottie!

Lightning Round!

MR: Oh! One last thing. No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Corn-based crisps (or chips as you’d say!). I don’t think you have Monster Munch, so I’ll go with Cheetos.

MG authors that inspire you? Judy Blume – My OG writing hero!

Coffee or tea? Coffee – I hate tea, which is not very British of me!

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Nay – I’d be dead in 30 seconds.

Superpower? The ability to pause time. Think about the clever comebacks!

Favorite place on earth? This is cheesy – but home.

You’re stranded on a desert island, with only three items in your possession. What are they? Suncream, water, and an inflatable flamingo.

MR: Thank you for chatting with me, Katie—and congratulations on the publication of The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I know MUF readers will too.

Bio

Katie Kirby is a writer and illustrator who lives by the sea in Hove, England, with her husband, two sons, and dog Sasha. She has a degree in Advertising and Marketing and after spending several years working in London media agencies, she started a blog called Hurrah for Gin, which was adapted to a best-selling humorous parenting book. Katie likes gin (obviously), rabbits, over-thinking things, the smell of launderettes, and Monster Munch. The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks is her first novel. Learn more about Katie on her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Author Melissa Roske smiling and signing a book at a bookstore event. She is seated at a wooden table in front of bookshelves, wearing a sleeveless purple dress.

Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest (just the funny ones), and received certification as a life coach from NYU. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on  TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

New Releases for July 2025

So many BOOKS, so little time. That’s an appropriate mantra for New Releases this month. Below you’ll find a large and varied collection of novels to look for this July.

Blood in the Water  by Tiffany D. Jackson. July 1. 272 pp. New Releases July 2025

Brooklyn girl Kaylani McKinnon feels like a fish out of water. She’s spending the summer with family friends in their huge house on Martha’s Vineyard, and the vibe is definitely snooty. Still, there are beautiful beaches, lots of ice cream, and a town full of fascinating Black history. Plus a few kids her age who seem friendly.

Until the shocking death of a popular teenage boy rocks the community to its core. Was it a drowning? A shark attack? Or the unthinkable — murder?

Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery. But her investigation leads her to uncover shocking secrets that could change her own life as she knows it … if she survives.

The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks  by Katie Kirby. July 1. 432 pp.

New Releases July 2025 A Warning to Future Readers:

Hi, I’m Lottie Brooks! I’m 11 (and 3/4) years old and this is my diary. Before you read, though, you should be warned. This book is going to include mortifying moments like bra shopping with your mom and your seven-year-old brother, showing up to class with cereal in your hair, watching your dad sing horrible karaoke, standing awkwardly at your first school dance, and so many more humiliating occurrences.

Turn away now if you’d rather not read about such excruciating experiences. It would be entirely understandable and highly recommended!

Free Piano (Not Haunted)  by Whitney Gardner. July 1. 256 pp. New Releases July 2025

The piano is free, but fame has a price.

On the sleepy streets of Cascade Cove, lonely Margot knows that when she stumbles across a discarded synthesizer with a “not haunted” sign, she’s discovered the key to realizing her dreams. Determined to become a real songwriter and earn her absent father’s admiration, Margot dives headfirst into trying to gain followers and fans online. But her musical journey takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the (not haunted) piano is very much haunted.

Enter Vision, teen pop sensation of 1979 whose untimely demise left her spirit intertwined with the keys of her synthesizer. Though Margot and Vision couldn’t be more different, the girls form an unlikely bond fueled by their shared passion for music. But as Margot’s obsession with fame and recognition grows, she comes dangerously close to losing what she loves about music and herself.

Graciela in the Abyss  by Meg Medina. July 1. 256 pp.

New Releases July 2025In the deepest recesses of the ocean, Graciela—once an ordinary girl—now makes sea glass and assists her friend, Amina, in welcoming newly awakened sea ghosts from their death sleep. Though Graciela’s spirit is young, she has lived at the bottom of the ocean for more than a hundred years.

Meanwhile, in the mortal world on land, twelve-year-old Jorge Leon works in his family’s forge. He’s heard of the supernatural spirits living beneath the ocean’s waves—tales that do nothing to quell his fear of the water. But when Jorge discovers a hand-wrought harpoon with the power to spear a sea ghost, he knows he must destroy it any way he can.

When the harpoon is accidentally reunited with its vengeful creator, unlikely allies Graciela and Jorge have no choice but to work together to keep evil spirits from wreaking havoc on both the living and the dead.

Mooncussers  by Eli Brown. July 1. 288 pp. New Releases July 2025

Despite Clover’s victory over the destructive Seamstress, war continues to rage between the fledgling Unified States and Napoléon Bonaparte.

Clover and Nessa, a former snake-oil salesgirl, join the Women’s Service League expecting to dole out soup and socks to invalids and orphans. Instead, under the direction of the wealthy and mysterious Miss Yamada, they’re tasked with rooting out the last of the pestilential Vermin—vicious creatures animated by magic— who terrorize the countryside. But when a new kind of monster, a sharp-toothed harehound with bloodshot eyes, attacks the group, they discover a much greater threat — the grotesque Underking and his army of twisted creatures. With the help of several strange allies, Clover and Nessa must defeat the Underking before he conquers the whole land.

Peachaloo in Bloom  by Chris Raschka. July 1. 304 pp.

New Releases July 2025Two very major things have just happened to Peachaloo Piccolozampa. First, she discovered a plot to ruin her favorite swimming hole and replace it with a golf course. Second, a wasp sting has given her the superpower to understand the truth behind what people say.

Peachaloo knows a golf course is the wrong destiny for the grounds of the Ajax Mansion, a former monastery whose jump-roping denizens proclaimed it freely open to all. But the mansion’s new owner has other ideas and buried the evidence of the Brothers and Sisters’ true wishes. Now it’s up to Peachaloo to use her superpower to prove this villain a liar, star in the annual pageant, and somehow get her town back the way it’s supposed to be.

Snoop  by Gordon Korman. July 1. 208 pp. New Releases July 2025

If Carter hadn’t been checking his phone, he might have seen his brother coming down the ski slopes in his direction. And if Carter had seen his brother in time and avoided the crash, he might not have two broken legs right now.

Oops. Now Carter’s stuck at home for weeks, with both his legs in casts. Bored, he starts checking out the live feeds from police cams around his town. Before he knows it, he’s obsessed — watching his classmates when they don’t know he’s looking and discovering some other VERY STRANGE things going on that no one else notices.

But what happens when Carter is found out … and the people he’s watching know where he lives?

The Dog Who Made It Better  by Katherin Nolte. July 8. 240 pp.

New Releases July 2025Dr. Blob has the best life a dog could ask for. He eats and he sleeps and he plays. He loves his family and they love him back. Life is pretty perfect.

Then the Very Bad Thing happens. Suddenly life doesn’t seem so perfect and Dr. Blob is more afraid than he ever remembers being. How can he help his family get past the tragedy when what’s hurting them can’t be bitten or growled at? To make matters worse, there’s a new pet in the house and a growing threat outside the house in the form of an animal-hating neighbor with a sinister plan. Will Dr. Blob be able to protect all he loves and save his family from grief?

An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic  by Sarah J. Mendonca. July 8. 368 pp. New Releases July 2025

Rosa Coelho spent her whole life hunting monstros, wandering the city streets with her best friend Tiago, and dreaming of a better life for herself and her grandmother. And in a society that favors the rich and educated, even the most basic books that Rosa’s family needs to trap monstrous come with a hefty price.

So when the powerful Ministério dos Monstros threatens her family’s struggling Encantadora shop, Rosa only has two weeks to scrape together the money for their debts. It seems like an impossible task…until Rosa tricks her way onto an infamous thief crew as their magical safecracker.

Thrust into the world of high class luxury and betrayal, Rosa enters into a scheme with the highest possible stakes: stealing from the Ministry itself. She must learn to trust her magical abilities and her crew—for if the heist goes wrong, everything she loves is forfeit.

The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class: Olive Little Gets Crafty  by Linda Urban. July 8. 128 pp.

New Releases July 2025Olive Little loves making things, but she’s still working out how to make friends. After she spies some other kids checking out crafting books from the school library, Olive gets a brilliant idea — she’ll start a crafting club!

With a super-extraordinarily crafty invitation, everyone will surely want to join Olive’s new club. And she knows just the invitation to make. All she needs is a perfect poem, some colorful confetti, a dozen eggshells, and some crafty know-how. Easy peasy!

Until Olive discovers a local skunk has made its home in her family’s backyard henhouse! Can she craft a solution to the stinky situation in time to save her club?

The Thread of Destiny  by Aimee Lim. July 8. 288 pp. New Releases July 2025

Evie Mei Huang has literally been to hell and back alongside her friend Kevin. And while the trip to Dìyù, the Chinese underworld, was a grueling journey filled with endless horrors, nothing compares to the fact that she was unable to bring her mother back. It’s now her responsibility to assume the role her mother once held: head of the Weavers Guild, But spinning people’s fates is easier said than done, and Evie finds herself buried in Guild duties while trying to maintain a strained relationship with her best friend.

What could make a twelve-year-old’s life even more complicated? Escaped monsters from the underworld that broke through when she returned to Earth. A mysterious yellow fog that seems to be turning their city upside down, hinting at an approaching massive force they aren’t prepared to fight. Not to mention the looming threat of the man who sent her mom to the underworld in the first place (who’s also her aunt’s fiancé). Can’t a girl catch a break?

Way Off Base (The Area 51 Files)  by Julie Buxbaum. July 8. 256 pp.

New Releases July 2025For the first time since Sky arrived at Area 51, things seem to be under control. No bunker hideouts, no incoming space toilets, and no kidnappings of beloved relatives. In fact, everyone is in a celebratory mood because a special government visitor is coming to Area 51!

But on the morning of the visit, a UFO goes missing from the science lab. And then a mysterious whistleblower goes to the media saying they have evidence of a UFO landing! Did someone steal the UFO in order to reveal it to the whole wide world? Sky and her friends have less than a week to solve the mystery of the missing UFO, or all of Area 51’s secrets will be at risk. Guess things aren’t so calm after all!

Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom  by Jessixa Bagley. July 15. 232 pp. New Releases July 2025

In her town full of witches, Jazzy’s always been a little bit different. She’s not excited about magic. She forgets the steps to spells. And even though her parents run the town’s broom shop, she doesn’t want to fly.

Then, one day, she discovers what she was born to do — cycling! Now she just has to find a way to get a bicycle and, of course, learn how to ride it. But will her new passion come between her and her best friend? And possibly get her in big trouble?

Another  by Paul Tremblay. July 22. 256 pp.

New Releases July 2025When Casey Wilson’s parents tell him that his friend is coming for a sleepover, he has no idea who that might be. Ever since the Zoom Incident, everyone treats him like a pariah, and his tics are worse than ever.

Then Morel appears and he’s not like any friend Casey has ever met. His skin is like clay, and he doesn’t speak. But Casey’s parents are charmed by the strange kid. Plus, it’s nice to have someone to talk to besides his sister, Ally, who’s away at college.

But his normally loving parents grow distant from Casey as they gush and fawn over Morel. Casey knows something is wrong  but with no end in sight to the sleepover, he’s exhausted. And in the dark, out of the corner of his eye, Morel doesn’t look like a kid at all.

The Library of Curiosities  by Jenny Lundquist. July 22. 256 pp. New Releases July 2025

After being expelled from boarding school—again—Rowan isn’t sure what to expect upon arriving at Fitzgerald Manor. The estate is opulent. Lush. Grand. Mind-boggling. And at the heart of it all is her grandfather, Cillian Fitzgerald, and his pride and joy — the Library of Curiosities.

The Library of Curiosities is the best of the best, because it contains a vast trove of magical objects that lucky patrons can borrow to fix their everyday problems. Stuck on that language arts assignment? Try writing it on the enchanted typewriter and see if that doesn’t get the words flowing. Hoping to land the lead in the school musical? Check out a wishing sock. It doesn’t take long for Rowan to realize that in this wondrous place, her own heart-wrenching problems might actually be solved for the first time in her life.

The trouble is … library curiosities have started going missing, and suspicion is falling squarely on Rowan’s shoulders. And, Cillian’s dangerous archenemy, the vengeful Silverjack, has Rowan in his sights, too. Plus, there’s the ongoing matter of the Everhart curiosity (which hasn’t been seen in years) but if found could help Rowan unsnarl her family’s strange, tangled history.

To clear her name, to avoid capture, and to locate the Everhart, Rowan will have to fight forces that threaten everything she now holds dear.

The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter  by Barbara Carroll Roberts. July 22. 240 pp.

New Releases July 2025If Bunny Baxter were an insect, she’d have so many ways to slip through seventh grade unnoticed. But she’s tall instead of tiny, has flaming red Medusa hair instead of camouflage, and she suffers from social anxiety, which makes it hard to be part of a swarm. Worst of all, she has to switch to a new middle school away from her best friend who she could always hide behind when her anxiety got the best of her.

The first day at E.D. Britt Middle School does not go well. Bunny trips on the steps, falls into the cutest boy in the school, and causes a kid domino pile-up. At lunch, she unintentionally causes an uproar in the cafeteria, which lands her and another girl in the principal’s office. Bunny decides there is only one option — to get expelled so she can transfer back to the school her best friend attends.

Bunny soon discovers that it’s easy to get in trouble, but not so easy to live with a reputation as a troublemaker. And even more confusing, when it looks like her plan to get expelled might work, she’s no longer sure what to do.

The Scott Fenwick Diaries: A Novel  by Kristin Nilsen. July 22. 272 pp. New Releases July 2025

Is Millie ready to graduate from posters on the wall to a living, breathing boy who sits next to her in Social Studies? By herself, absolutely not. But with a little help from her friends—maybe! Feeling comically unprepared for this next phase of middle school, Millie calls on an adorkable cast of characters for instructions and support: Shauna, her wise bestie who uses her Magic 8 Ball for advice; her two cranky grandmas who call cute boys “foxes”; Pringles, her beloved bulldog; and her bunny-loving neighbor, Tibbs, who dedicates herself to getting Millie an invite to the bar mitzvah of her dreams.

But when a secret game of Truth or Dare at the bar mitzvah leads to her ultimate fantasy—Millie and Scott swaying together on the dance floor—the moment is ruined in humiliating fashion. Millie doubts she’ll ever be ready for real-world middle school love after all.

The Blossoming Summer  by Anna Rose Johnson. July 29. 288 pp.

New Releases July 2025Life in England is all Rosemary knows, but as WWII changes the world, no one’s life is left unscathed. Suddenly, she’s sent away to escape the devastation of London. Her grandmother’s house on Lake Superior is safe, but unfamiliar, especially as she discovers her parents have kept a tremendous secret.

Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe—a group of Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region—and no one is supposed to know.

Far from home but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her family, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with her grandmother and a local boy whose love of gardening helps her see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she’s not as far from home as she thought.

The Haunting of Bellington Cottage  by Laura Parnum. July 29. 272 pp. New Releases July 2025

The last time Iris’s and Violet’s families went on a trip together, the girls turned their rental home into an epic haunted house. Now Iris has brought all her spookiest supplies to the cottage they’re calling home for the next week, ready to re-create the magic they shared. But in the years since, Vee (don’t call her Violet) has become closed off and short-tempered and wants nothing to do with anyone, especially not her mom’s new boyfriend.

Vee’s bad mood casts a cloud over the cottage. Strange things start happening that make it seem like the house itself is angry, too. Doors slamming. Tidy rooms turning into complete messes in seconds. The sound of pacing footsteps long after everyone’s gone to sleep. Iris and Vee soon discover that the cottage has a secret history and that there’s no need to stage a haunted house after all . . . because they’re already in one.

Here are even more new titles for the month of July.

New Releases July 2025