Posts Tagged #mgkidlit

EDITOR SPOTLIGHT: Meet Kristin Gilson, Editorial Director at Aladdin

Photo of ediorial Director Kristin Gilson

We are thrilled to welcome Kristin Gilson to the Editor/Agent Spotlight on The Mixed-up Files of Middle Grade Authors today.

Photo of ediorial Director Kristin Gilson Kristin Gilson is the Editorial Director of Aladdin, an imprint dedicated to quality commercial fiction and non-fiction for ages 12 and under.

Gilson began her long career in children’s publishing at Knopf and spent many years at HarperCollins and Penguin Random House before joining Aladdin. She is primarily looking for fiction and is drawn to stories with honesty and heart; books that make her laugh, cry, think, and feel; and quirky characters who are looking to find, figure out, or create their place in the world. She loves smart protagonists, sibling or found family stories, snarky humor, and books that speak to the growing young LGBTQ and GNC community.

A lifelong lover of books and reading, Kristin still has her very first library card!

Welcome to the blog, Kristin. We’re excited to learn about your editorial journey. Can you share any highlights or insights learned along the way from your early days at Knopf to your role at Aladdin?  

“Never underestimate the power of the paperback.”

Before I came to Aladdin all of my editorial positions had been focused primarily on paperbacks, though they encompassed the full range of paperback publishing—straight reprint conversions, traditional acquisitions, original titles developed in-house and with packagers, and licensed/tie-in publishing.

Publishing Opportunities

Publishing a title in paperback can create opportunities to reach different and often much broader audience and build a long tail that can sustain a title or author for years to come. Even in the case of a straight reprint conversion from hardcover, a strategic paperback publication—one that may involve a new cover or added bonus materials—can change the trajectory of a book and land it on a bestseller list!

Are there any updates you would add to your Wish List?

Given the impact that various recent events have had on young readers, I would add shorter/easier reads that still have relatable content for middle-graders and emphasize my desire for humorous and lighthearted stories. We are also publishing very little non-fiction at this time.

Building on Success

Congratulations on the release of your latest projects, including two NYT Bestsellers: Megan E. Freeman’s Away, the companion book to Alone; and Edgar Award winner James Ponti’s City Spies: London Calling.

How did you initially discover these authors?

I wish I had a triumphant story about how I saw a spark in a slush manuscript or hand-picked them after a presentation at a writer’s conference. But the truth is that I inherited them both from my predecessor at Aladdin. And boy am I glad I did.

What made you want to acquire their manuscripts?

From a business perspective, it was the fact that their previous books had done well and I wanted to build on that success. From a creative perspective, it’s because the authors had created such wonderful characters and scenarios and I wanted to see what they could create next and share that with readers. The fact that both authors are absolutely wonderful to work with was a plus as well.

Revisions

Typically, are there many revisions from acquisitions to final draft?

Sometimes, sometimes not—there are so many different things that factor into it. An author who prefers a more collaborative approach might submit something in a rougher or looser form so they can use my feedback to guide them as they work on the next version; others might prefer to get input from peers and sensitivity readers and do a lot of revising and polishing before I even see it; and still others will reach out to me to discuss things during the writing process so that when the manuscript comes to me we’ve already resolved things that might have needed revising. The important thing to know is that it doesn’t really matter how many revisions it takes as long as the author, the editor, and most importantly the readers, are excited about how it turned out.

Companion Books

Speaking of Freeman’s Away, what are the challenges and joys in editing a companion book? Can you share what this process was like?

Book cover of Away plus New York Times Bestseller The biggest joy is being able to return to characters and a world that you are already familiar with and get to know them a bit better or a bit differently. Those same things can also be challenges, because you can’t change their characteristics to fit the new story, the new story has to fit with what has already been established.

In the case of Away—which runs parallel to Alone—fitting the timeline was a pretty major challenge. This led to a fair amount of discussion and margin comments to make sure things were unfolding in a way that made sense, and that characters were developing accordingly. Fortunately, the use of different narrative forms allowed the story to take some leaps in time that would not have been easy to accomplish in a straight prose novel.

 

“Freeman delivers an engaging tale in which young crusaders strive to overcome both parental passivity

and corrupt authorities to discover and expose a dastardly scheme. . . . Scary and satisfying.”

Kirkus Reviews

Series Proposals or Stand-Alones?

Michael Vey book cover

Did Ponti’s City Spies series and Richard Paul Evans’ Michael Vey series begin as stand-alone novels or were they series proposals?

They were both series proposals, though the extent of both series has gone beyond what was initially acquired. (As an editor, my favorite kinds of series are those that allow you to build on them if the initial titles are successful, but at the same time are not reliant on additional books to complete a story or character arc. We don’t like to leave readers hanging.)

About that first library card…

We love that you still have your very first library card. What books or genres caught card-carrying young Kristin’s attention?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic fiction, stories with strong girl protagonists, and books that pack an emotional punch. I also loved (and still love) books about big families and secret clubs. To that point, some of my most cherished books from childhood are

  • The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright,
  • The Secret Language, by Ursula Nordstrom,
  • Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars,
  • Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth
  • William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth, by E. L. Konigsberg,
  • Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume, and
  • The Cat Ate my Gymsuit, by Paula Danziger.

(Young Kristin would be absolutely floored by the fact that not-young Kristin has had the good fortune of meeting some of these favorite authors!)

Kristin Gilson's actual, very first library card from 1971

Submissions

How and when can authors submit to you?

Their agents can submit to me via email at any time.

Are there any upcoming titles/current projects you are excited about?

I’m really looking forward to the publication of Hurricane Heist, the second book in James Ponti’s new series The Sherlock Society, this fall.

book cover of Hurricane Heist with four teens and their biclcles and inclement weather in the distance

BONUS Editor Lightning Round:

  1. Query/Pitch pet peeve: _I wrote this story for my grandchildren.”
  2. Please don’t send me: _picture books______
  3. Title on your TBR pile: _The Bletchley Riddle_by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin 
  4. PB you could probably recite by heart: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. (It’s a classic for a reason.)
  5. Favorite line from a mg or YA novel: From Gayle Forman’s novel, I Was Here: ”Some messes can wait.”

WNDMG Wednesday: A Celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month

In commemoration of Jewish American Heritage Month–and recognizing the importance of diversity in middle-grade literature–please enjoy this carefully curated collection of 26 middle-grade books that feature Jewish themes and characters, including contemporary and historical fiction, fantasy and magic realism, graphic novels, and anthologies.

Plus…

A GIVEAWAY!

Don’t miss a chance to win not one but TWO books on this oh-so fabulous list: Coming of Age: 13 B’nai Mitzvah Stories, edited by Henry Herz and Jonathan Rosen, and Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske. Scroll down for details!

MG BOOKS WITH JEWISH THEMES & CHARACTERS

Contemporary Fiction

Not So Shy

Noa Nimrodi

Shai, 12, hates everything about moving to America from Israel. Determined to get back home, she starts weighing her options, including living with her grandparents or winning a drawing competition that offers a plane ticket to anywhere in the world as the grand prize. Meanwhile, Shai is forced to navigate seventh grade in an unfamiliar language. She also faces antisemitism but gains support from unexpected sources.

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman

Mari Lowe

Twelve-year-old Shaindy, an Orthodox Jewish girl who struggles academically and has few friends at school, is jealous of Gayil, a popular classmate who lives next door. Shaindy and Gayil have little to do with each other, until one evening when Shaindy looks out her window and sees Gayil holding up a sign that reads: “Want to know a secret?” It turns out that Gayil has a key fob that allows after-hours access to their school. Before long, the girls are scheming harmless pranks. But under Gayil’s leadership, the mischief turns malicious, with the pranks targeted at specific girls. Shaindy is desperate to stop Gayil from terrorizing their classmates, but if she does, could she be the next target?

Honey and Me

Meira Drazin

Honey and Milla, who live in close-knit Jewish community, have been best friends for as long as Milla can remember. The girls do everything together, including delivering meals to their elderly neighbor, shopping at a local thrift store, celebrating the holidays, and going to their first Bat Mitzvahs while studying for their own. But when Honey enrolls in Milla’s school for sixth grade, it’s not as great as Milla expected. Not only does Milla feel overshadowed by her charismatic friend, she’s also worried that their friendship won’t be able to survive the ups and downs the year has in store for them. Will Milla find the courage to step out of Honey’s shadow and into her own spotlight—or will jealousy and fear get the better of her?

Repairing the World

Linda Epstein

Twelve-year-old Daisy’s life is shattered when her best friend, Ruby, is killed in a tragic accident. Now Daisy finds herself having to face the major challenges in her life, like starting middle school and becoming a big sister, without Ruby by her side. Despite her sadness—and thanks to new friends, new insights, and supportive family members—Daisy is able to see what life after Ruby can look like, and that friendship is eternal.

Ellen Outside the Lines

A.J. Sass

Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz is neurodivergent and feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out. She attends temple with her parents every Friday and Saturday, and relies on her best friend, Laurel, to help her navigate social situations at school. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic, and liking girls, is no big deal, but lately Laurel has started making new friends and cancelling weekend plans with Ellen. A school trip to Barcelona seems like the perfect opportunity for Ellen to reconnect with Laurel, but it doesn’t—especially when a nonbinary classmate makes Ellen question her own, very binary way of seeing the world.

The Magical Imperfect

Chris Baron

Etan stopped speaking when his mother went away, and his father and grandfather don’t know how to help him. Neither do his friends, who have given up on him. And then Etan meets Malia Agbayani, known as “The Creature,” due to her acute eczema. Malia stopped going to school when the bullying became too much. As the pair become friends, Etan believes he might have a cure for Malia’s condition—if only he can convince his family, and hers, to believe it, too.

Sorry for Your Loss

Joanne Levy

Twelve-year-old Evie Walman’s family runs a Jewish funeral home, and she knows she’ll be a funeral director when she grows up. She loves dusting caskets, polishing pews, and offering her condolences to mourners. Evie doesn’t deal with the grieving families directly, until one day when her parents ask her to help with Oren, a boy who was in a car accident that killed both his parents. Although Oren refuses to speak and Evie, who is dealing her own private grief, Evie is determined to find a way to help her new friend deal with his loss.

Going Rogue (at Hebrew School)

Casey Breton

Ten-year-old Avery Green loves science, football, and Star Wars, which he’s seen 400 times. What he’s not so crazy about? Hebrew school. He’s asked his parents a million times why he has to go, but they haven’t managed to convince him. (“It’s tradition” just doesn’t cut it.) And then one day, Rabbi Bob shows up. Piecing together some unusual clues, Avery begins to suspect that this new rabbi might be a Jedi master.

Kat Greene Comes Clean

Melissa Roske

Eleven-year-old Kat Greene attends fifth grade at the Village Humanity school, a hippie-dippy progressive school in New York’s Greenwich Village. At the moment, Kat has three major problems: dealing with her boy-crazy best friend, Halle; partnering with the overzealous Sam in the class production of Harriet the Spy; and coping with her mother’s preoccupation with cleanliness, a symptom of her worsening OCD. With nowhere to turn–and hesitant to tell her dad, who’s busy with his new family uptown–Kat reaches out to Olympia Rabinowitz, the free-spirited psychologist at her school. Later, after many  soul-searching sessions with Olympia, Kat realizes that asking for help is the best way to clean up life’s messes.

Fantasy and Magic Realsm

Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop

Joshua S. Levy

Finn and Ezra are trapped in a bar mitzvah time loop, reliving their celebrations in the same New Jersey hotel, over and over (and over) again. Ezra comes from a big family, with four siblings who seem to get all the attention, and Finn is an only child who’s tired of his parents’ constant focus, particularly on his bar mitzvah weekend. Teaming up, the boys try to break the loop, but nothing works. As their frustrations mount, real-life problems start to seep through the cracks. With all the time in the world, can Finn and Ezra figure out how to finally move forward?

The Color of Sound

Emily Barth Isler

Rosie Solomon, 12, is a musical prodigy whose synesthesia allows her to see music in colors. Her mom has always pushed her to become a concert violinist, but this summer Rosie wants a “normal” life and is sent to stay with her grandparents. While there, Rosie meets another girl her age–a girl who seems awfully familiar. Rosie quickly pieces it together and realizes that somehow, this girl is her mother, when she was twelve. Thanks to this glitch in time–plus her grandparents’ love, an improv group, and a new instrument–Rosie comes to understand her mother, herself, and her love of music.

Rebecca Reznik Reboots The Universe

Samara Shanker

Rebecca Reznik, 13, is knee deep in family drama. Her dad lost his job, her parents are fighting all the time, and her annoying brother, Jake, is acting out more than usual. Then, when a goblin turns her bedroom upside down—literally—Becca realizes that the bad juju in her house is more sinister, and more complicated, than she had first imagined. With her best friends, Naomi and Eitan, by her side—and armed with the lessons she learned from her last tussle with mythological creatures from Jewish lore in the 2022 sequel, Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World—Becca will do whatever it takes to defend her family and save the Hanukkah.

Shira and Esther’s Double Dream Debut

Anna E. Jordan

Shira and Esther are shocked when they first meet: It’s like looking in a mirror! Despite the girls’ identical appearance, they couldn’t be more different. Shira dreams of singing and dancing onstage, but her father, a stern and pious rabbi, wants Shira to focus on her religious studies. Esther, on the other hand, dreams of studying Torah, but her glamorous, stage-performer mom, frowns on Esther’s studious ways. Then, thanks to Benny, a 14-year-old bellhop at Scheinfeld’s Resort and Cottages, the girls plan a Parent Trap-style switcheroo, to help the Shira and Esther make their dreams come true. Or sort of true…

Don’t Want to Be Your Monster

Deke Moulton

Adam and Victor are your average tweens… who happen to be vampires. Although Adam, 10, knows he has a higher purpose in life than drinking blood, his 14-year-old brother, Victor, enthusiastically accepts his vampirism. This is all well and good until bodies start appearing all over town, and the brothers realize that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for their family. Can Adam and Victor work together to stop the killer before it’s too late—or will their differences get in the way?

The Witch of Woodland

Laurel Snyder

Life used to be simple for Zipporah “Zippy” Chava McConnell, a 13-year-old witch—that is, before her best friend, Bea, started acting funny and everyone at school thought she was weird. And to make matters worse, Zippy’s mom is making her prepare for a bat mitzvah, even though Zippy’s family barely goes to synagogue. But then one day Zippy finds a strange red book at the library and conjures a girl—a beautiful girl named Miriam, with no memory, and wings like an angel. Now it’s up to Zippy to help Miriam figure out what she is, and where she came from. And if can do that, maybe everything else in her life will make sense, too.

Black Bird, Blue Road

Sofiya Pasternack

Pesah has lived with leprosy for years, and he and his twin sister, Ziva, have spent most of that time working on a cure. Then Pesah has a vision: The Angel of Death will come for him on Rosh Hashanah, just one month away. So Ziva takes her brother and runs away to find doctors who can cure him. But when the twins meet and accidentally free a half-demon boy, he suggests paying his debt by leading them to the fabled city of Luz, where no one ever dies. It’s the one place Pesah will be safe. But can the twins run faster than The Angel of Death can fly?

The Button Box

Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams; Harshad Marathe (illustrator)

In the aftermath of a bullying incident at school, where Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her cousin Nadeem, are called hateful names, the cousins’ Granny Buena shares with them a glittering crystal button box, packed with buttons that generations of Ava’s Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny’s mysterious cat, Sheba, the cousins discover that a button from the button box will take them back in time. Suddenly, they are in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem’s ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can the cousins help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?

Historical Fiction

Code Name Kingfisher

Liz Kessler

When Liv finds a box hidden in her grandmother’s attic, saved from her childhood in Nazi-occupied Holland, circa 1943, she unearths a trove of family secrets—including the extraordinary story of her great-aunt Hannie, a Jewish undercover agent in the Dutch resistance. It’s a tale of bravery, betrayal, and daring defiance, and Liv wants to know more—starting with why her grandmother has kept Hannie a secret for so many years. (For more on Code Name KingFisher, check out Melissa Roske’s interview with Liz Kessler here.)

A Sky Full of Song

Susan Lynn Meyer

Eleven-year-old Shoshana and her family, Jewish immigrants who have fled persecution in the Russian Empire, start a new life on the North Dakota prairie. Shoshana is thrilled to forge a new American identity and hides her Jewish identity in the face of prejudice—unlike her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village and insists they preserve their heritage. For the first time, Shoshana is at odds with her sister. But by listening to the music that lives in her heart, she finds new meaning in the Jewish expression, All beginnings are difficult.

The Summer We Found the Baby 

Amy Hest

In Belle Beach, Long Island, during World War Two, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. Meanwhile, Julie’s friend Bruno Ben-Eli, 12, is heading to the train station to catch a train to New York City, to carry out an important errand for his brother who is a soldier stationed overseas. When Bruno spies Julie leaving the library with a baby in her arms, he assumes she’s a kidnapper. But the truth is more complicated than what Bruno, Julie, or Martha know.

Anthologies

On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories

Edited by Chris Baron, Joshua S. Levy, and Naomi Milliner, with stories by Chris Baron, Ruth Behar, Adam Gidwitz, Veera Hiranandani, Amy Ignatow, Sarah Kapit, Joshua S. Levy, Mari Lowe, Naomi Milliner, Soifya Pasternack, R. M. Romero, A. J. Sass Laura Shovan, and Laurel Snyder

Passover, a Jewish holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years, features the seder; a meal filled with rituals, special foods, and songs, where celebrants gather together to retell the story of the Exodus, when the Jewish people achieved freedom from Egypt. Yet the seder is about more than the ancient past. Its themes of freedom, joy, and tradition are timeless and universal. In this collection of short stories, 14 award-winning authors each reimagine a different step of the seder through historical and contemporary fiction, verse and prose, fiction and nonfiction.

Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories

Edited by Jonathan Rosen & Henry Herz, with stories by Sarah Aronsohn, Nora Raleigh Baskin, Barbara Bottner, Stacia Deutsch, Debbie Reed Fischer, Debra Green, Henry Herz, Alan Katz, Nancy Krulik, Stacie Ramey, Jonathan Rosen, Melissa Roske, Laura Shovan, and a poem by Jane Yolen

Join thirteen diverse characters as they experience anxiety, doubt, and self-discovery while preparing for their B’nai Mitzvah, the ceremony in which they become adults in their faith. whether celebrating with a lavish party or in a rabbi’s study, the Jewish rite of passage remains the same. Filled with humor, hope, and history, there’s something in this anthology for every reader.

Graphic Novels and Adaptations

Two Tribes

Emily Bowen Cohen

Mia is still adjusting to life with her mom and stepfather, whose Jewish identity plays a strong role in their home. She’s also struggling to adjust at her Jewish day school, where she feels like she doesn’t fit in. Meanwhile, Mia yearns for a deeper connection with her Muscogee father, who lives with his new family in Oklahoma. Her mom doesn’t want to talk about him, but Mia can’t help but feel like she’s missing a part of herself without him. Because of this, Mia uses her Bat Mitzvah money to take a bus to Oklahoma—without telling her mom—to visit her dad and find the connection to her Muscogee side, which she knows is just as important as her Jewish side.

The Unfinished Corner

Dani Colman (author); Whitney Cogar (colorist); Rachel Tuna Petrovicz (illustrator); Jim Campbell (letterer)

In Jewish mythology, God created the universe and left one corner unfinished. It’s unclear why, but the Unfinished Corner is dangerous, and filled with monsters. Twelve-year-old Miriam doesn’t know about the Unfinished Corner—she’s too busy preparing for her Bat Mitzvah and wrestling with whether she even wants to be Jewish–until an angel appears, whisking Miriam, her two best friends, and her worst frenemy off to this monstrous land, with one mission: finish the Unfinished Corner.

Lauren Tarshis; Alvaro Sarraseca (illustrator)

When the Nazis invaded Max Rosen’s home country of Poland, all the Jewish people–including Max, his sister, Zena, and their papa–were forced to live in a ghetto. But two months ago, the Nazis took Pap away and now Max and Zena are on their own, with barely enough food to survive. Out of desperation, the siblings escape from Nazi soldiers into the nearby forest, where they are taken to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. Soon, grenades are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

Anne Frank; adapted by Ari Folman; illustrated by David Polonsky

Authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, Anne Frank’s Diary captures the remarkable spirit of Anne Frank, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world has seen yet remained heartbreakingly human, and remarkably optimistic, throughout her ordeal. Includes extensive quotations directly from the definitive edition.

GIVEAWAY!

 

For a chance to win Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories, edited by Jonathan Rosen & Henry Herz, PLUS a copy of Melissa Roske’s Kat Greene Comes Clean, comment on the blog–and, if you’re on X, on the Mixed-Up Files X account for an extra chance to win! (Giveaway ends May 28, 2024, at midnight. U.S. only, please.)

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. 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 Middle-Grade Releases for November!

By  on November 1, 2023

Autumn is upon us. Leaves are colorful. Temperatures are dropping. Daylight is shorter. Turkeys are hiding. And exciting new books are waiting to be read. Grab a cup of warm cider and curl up with a November release.

Champions of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow) by Kevin Sands. November 7, 464 pp.

Champions of the FOx - Thieves of SHadowCommanded by the magical artifact known as the Dragon’s Eye, junior con artist Callan and his friends eagerly reach the end of the epic quest that will free him from the Eye’s sinister hold. But their final task is the most challenging: sneaking into the emperor’s private island prison to rescue a man from a jail cell that has been locked tight for a hundred years. This near-impossible task strains the gang’s unique abilities to deceive everyone including the guards, the city elite, the warden, and even the evil crime boss who warns them to stay away.

As the friends plan out their last, most difficult con job, Callan questions what they’re helping the Eye to achieve. Aided by magical hints and dreams, Callan uncovers the Eye’s true desires and to his horror realizes he may be the one being conned . . . and his mistake could cost the world’s entire existence.

Duel by Jessixa Bagley. November 7, 320 pp.

duelSixth-grader Lucy is brand new to middle school. GiGi is the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade. They’ve only got one thing in common: fencing. Oh, and they’re sisters. They’ve never gotten along super well, but ever since their dad died, it seems like they’re always at each other’s throats.

When GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a duel with high stakes. If GiGi wins, Lucy promises to stay out of GiGi’s way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop teasing Lucy for good. But after their scene in the cafeteria, both girls are on thin ice with the principal and their mom. Lucy stopped practicing fencing after their fencer dad died and will have to get back to fighting form. And GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team. As the clock ticks down to the girls’ fencing bout, the anticipation grows. But will winning the duel mean fracturing their family even further?

Forsooth by Jimmy Matejek Morris. November 7, 360 pp.

Forsooth

Thirteen-year-old Calvin knows he’s destined to be a star. . . if he can just stop making embarrassing mistakes onstage like getting stuck on a single line―”Forsooth!”―during the school play. The summer after seventh grade, he’s hoping for a fresh start. All he has to do is prove himself as an actor and fix the awkwardness with his friends that started after the play.

But nothing’s going according to plan. His parents don’t understand his love of performing. His best friend is moving on without him. And he might have a crush that could change everything. Surrounded by drama on all sides, Calvin will have to go off script if he’s going to be a real friend and be true to himself.

Futureland: The Nightmare Hour by H.D. Hunter. November 7, 384 pp.

Futureland - the nightmare hourThe most spectacular theme park in the world is headed to the Big Apple. After Atlanta, Cam Walker and his family are ready to turn over a new leaf with Futureland. This is where dreams literally come true, and the Walkers are going to show the people of New York City that their park is back and better than ever.

But trouble isn’t done with the Walkers. Glitches keep happening with the park attractions. There’s a creepy carnival in town that gives Cam goosebumps. Plus, he just can’t shake the feeling that his family is being watched. And it may be his imagination, but are the people around him acting . . . stranger than usual? Can Cam get to the bottom of what’s going on before Futureland becomes a playground of terrors?

Sail Me Away Home (Show Me a Sign Trilogy, Book 3) by Ann Clare LeZotte. November 7, 304 pp.

Sail Me Away Home

As a young teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Mary Lambert—a deaf teenager—feels restless and adrift. So when a league of missionaries invites her to travel abroad, she knows it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Paris is home to a pioneering deaf school where she can meet its visionary instructors Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc―and bring their methods back to America! But the endeavor comes at a cost: The missionaries’ plan to “save” deaf children is questionable. What’s more, the missionaries’ work threatens the Wampanoag and other Native peoples’ freedom and safety. Mary struggles with pursuing her own goals at the price of betraying her friends and her own values.

So begins a feverish and fraught adventure that will enrich your understanding of the deaf experience as it celebrates Deaf history, culture, and community.

Read an interview with the author, Ann Clare LeZotte, here.

Morning Sun In Wuhan by Ying Compestine. November 8, 208 pp.

Morning Sun In Wuhan

Weaving in the tastes and sounds of Wuhan, the comforting and distinctive cuisine of the historic city comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who—through her love of cooking—makes a difference in her community.

Grieving the death of her mother and being an outcast at school, thirteen-year-old Mei finds solace in cooking and computer games. When her friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei seeks out her father—a doctor—for help and discovers an overcrowded hospital. As the virus spreads, Mei finds herself alone in a locked-down city trying to find a way to help.

Readers can follow Mei’s tantalizing recipes and cook them at home. For more cooking fun, check here.

Billy and the Giant Adventure by Jamie Oliver. November 14, 352 pp.

Billy and the Giant Adventure

Billy and his friends know that Waterfall Woods is out of bounds. Rumors say strange things happen there and no one in their village has ventured past its walls for decades. But when they discover a secret way in, Billy and his best friends, Anna, Jimmy, and Andy, can’t resist the temptation to explore. They quickly discover that the woods are brimming with magic and inhabited by all sorts of unusual creatures, including a whole community of sprites who need the children’s help! With magical battles, a long-lost mythical city, fantastical flying machines, epic feasts, and one GIANT rescue—not to mention some mouth-watering recipes at the back—get ready for an adventure you’ll never forget!

The Cool Code 2.0: The Switch Glitch by Deidre Langeland. November 14, 224 pp.

The Cool Code

When the coding club finds that their app has a malicious user, Morgan, Zoey, and Daniel code an update to deal with a mischievous AI llama that’s guiding a not-so-popular kid named Marcus to cause chaos in the school.

Annoying little siblings, chaotic pranks, and more problems abound as they race to repair the glitchy app—and their own friendships—before the damage is irreversible.

Interested in learning more about coding? Look here and here and here.

 

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe. November 14, 172 pp.

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman

In their Orthodox Jewish girls’ school, Gayil is the cool kid while twelve-year-old Shaindy feels shy and awkward. When Gayil suddenly befriends Shaindy and encourages her to join in on some increasingly serious pranks, the mischief becomes malice. Shaindy sees that the pranks are only targeting certain girls. But what could they have in common? With the fear of Gayil’s anger and her own reluctance growing, Shaindy comes to the terrifying conclusion that if she can’t figure out how to stop the pranks, she could be the next target. Shaindy must discover why Gayilis is behaving badly before someone really gets hurt.

Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz. November 14, 272 pp.

rupturedClaire’s mom and dad don’t talk to each other much anymore. And they definitely don’t laugh or dance the way they used to. Their tense stand-offs leave thirteen-year-old Claire, an only child, caught in the middle. So when the family takes their annual summer vacation, Claire sticks her nose in a book and hopes for the best. Maybe the sunshine and ocean breeze will fix what’s wrong.

But while the family is away, Claire’s mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm right after she reveals a huge secret to Claire. Though she survives the aneurysm, she seems an entirely different person. Claire has no idea if her mom meant what she said, or if she even remembers saying it. With the weight of her mom’s confession on her shoulders, Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery. Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents stay together? And if the answer to either question is yes, how will Claire learn to live with what she knows?

Too Many Interesting Things Are Happening to Ethan Fairmont by Nick Brooks. November 14, 224 pp.

Ethan Fairmont

Ethan’s beloved neighborhood is full of new faces. Lifelong residents lost their homes, and new businesses replaced old favorites. At school, Ethan finds a rival in new kid Fatima, an inventor who is just as science savvy as he is. Then there’s the mysterious real estate agent with way too many questions. Not to mention extraterrestrial-obsessed Jodie and his “Aliens Are Here” club.

It’s all too much for Ethan and he begins to miss Cheese, his adorable six-eyed alien pal. Fortunately for Ethan and his friends Kareem and Juan Carlos, distraction comes in the form of a top-secret project. Cheese left a communication device under Ethan’s bed before exiting the planet. There’s just one problem: they can’t figure out how it works! As Ferrous City continues to change and eyes are everywhere, will the trio be able to keep their secret and reach Cheese, or is something evil brewing right next door?

Ink Girls by Marieke Nijcamp. November 21,  288 pp.

ink girlsEleven-year-old Cinzia is a printer’s apprentice. She adores her mentor, Mestra Aronne, for taking her in and she loves life in the raggedy workshop that smells of paper and printing, where secrets and stories are always circulating. So when Mestra Aronne is sent to prison for publishing accusations against the ruling family, Cinzia will do anything to prove that Mestra Aronne told the truth.

Elena, also eleven, is forced to stay in her rooms and garden. Her mother says it’s for her own protection but her uncle claims it’s to protect the city because Elena is not the charming, powerful noble her family wants her to be. She’s far too gullible and struggles to understand people.

When the two girls meet face-to-face, they follow a trail of clues through their golden city, learning more about their home and each other than they ever could have imagined. If one person can change the course of history, just imagine what a whole flock of them could do.

Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers: A Graphic Novel by Dav Pilkey. November 28, 224 pp.

cat kid comicThe Cat Kid Comic Club is in crisis! After learning that one of their comics will be published, the baby frogs are filled with anxiety and doubt. How will they get their creative groove back? Will Naomi or Melvin emerge as a leader? Will Flippy convince them to finally straighten up and fly right?

For more hilarity and heart, dive into the newest graphic novel in the Cat Kid Comic Club series.

 

Six of the above selections are part of a series. Here are some prequel titles in those series that may interest you so grab another cup of cider, an apple muffin, and enjoy!

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