BORN SCARED, by Kevin Brooks, Candlewick Press

Elliot has lived his first thirteen years confined to his home, incapacitated by fear. Now he's out of pills, snow is falling, and his only safe person is missing. A terrifying thriller from Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks. From the moment of his birth, Elliot's life has been governed by fear of almost everything, even of … Continue reading BORN SCARED, by Kevin Brooks, Candlewick Press

THE DOLLAR KIDS, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Ryan Andrews, Candlewick Press

When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another? Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about … Continue reading THE DOLLAR KIDS, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Ryan Andrews, Candlewick Press

24 HOURS IN NOWHERE, by Dusti Bowling, Sterling Publishing

Welcome to Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the United States. For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere’s biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of … Continue reading 24 HOURS IN NOWHERE, by Dusti Bowling, Sterling Publishing

JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS, by Melissa Sarino, Alfred A. Knopf

Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know to climb the trees of Brooklyn. But now Cora is … Continue reading JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS, by Melissa Sarino, Alfred A. Knopf

SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE, by Jo Watson Hackl, Random House

A Mississippi ghost town and an art mystery combine in this gorgeously written debut just right for fans of Three Times Lucky and A Snicker of Magic! How far would you go to find something that might not even exist? All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by … Continue reading SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE, by Jo Watson Hackl, Random House

EVERY SHINY THING, by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison, Amulet Books/Abrams RE-READ

In this beautifully constructed middle-grade novel, told half in prose and half in verse, Lauren prides herself on being a good sister, and Sierra is used to taking care of her mom. When Lauren’s parents send her brother to a therapeutic boarding school for teens on the autism spectrum and Sierra moves to a foster … Continue reading EVERY SHINY THING, by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison, Amulet Books/Abrams RE-READ

THE MERMAID, by Christina Henry, Berkley

From the author of Lost Boy comes a historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea for love and later finds herself in P.T. Barnum's American Museum as the real Fiji mermaid. However, leaving the museum may be harder than leaving the sea ever was. Once there was a mermaid who longed to know of … Continue reading THE MERMAID, by Christina Henry, Berkley

RAIN REIGN, by Ann M. Martin, Feiwel & Friends

DESCRIPTION: Rose Howard has Asperger’s syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose’s father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And … Continue reading RAIN REIGN, by Ann M. Martin, Feiwel & Friends

OPHELIA, by Charlotte Gingras, Illustrations by Daniel Sylvestre, Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press

The kids at school call her rag girl because she hides under layers of oversized clothing, but she calls herself Ophelia. She hardly speaks to anyone — until one day a visiting author comes to give a talk in the school library. The writer speaks about what it means to create art, and at the … Continue reading OPHELIA, by Charlotte Gingras, Illustrations by Daniel Sylvestre, Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press

TRAPPED IN A VIDEO GAME, #2, Dustin Brady, Andrews McNeil Publishing

Jesse Rigsby is on a mission to save his friend Mark, but first he’s got to shake the Bigfoot chasing him through the school library. And then there’s the velociraptor in the bathroom. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the ginormous flame-throwing bat in the cafeteria. Jesse’s trapped in the invisible world of Go Wild – … Continue reading TRAPPED IN A VIDEO GAME, #2, Dustin Brady, Andrews McNeil Publishing