There is snow on the ground, and honestly, it’s starting to feel a lot like the holidays at the bookstore. This weekend of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving is a great way to kick off the season. Independent bookstores are doing what they can to stand out amid the big box retailers and online sales blitzes.
Most indies know we can’t compete against the huge markdowns of Black Friday, so we’re getting creative about how to drive business to our stores. I think one of the smart things we do, is remind people that personal service is often better than a steep discount. Don’t get me wrong, there are bargains aplenty at most bookstores, they’re just not the screaming sales folks have become accustomed to at larger stores. Many stores are having specials sales Friday, although we don’t really try to compete with what’s happening at the mall.
Saturday is our day. American Express’s promotion: Small Business Saturday is a huge day for us. Having the branding and marketing power of Amex behind the day helps make Saturday a great way to start the season. Their push on social media is hard to miss and that helps to just remind folks, even if they don’t have an American Express card, that shopping locally at a small business is a great idea.
And, Williard Williams of the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, NH, has created a brilliant plan to counteract Cyber Monday. His idea is quite simple: Cider Monday, inviting customers to come in to a real store, talk to a real person, and have some cider and a cookie. Again, the push is to remind folks that you actually do get more real value for your dollar at an independent store.
I hope all of our readers have a happy and safe weekend!
 

Lovers of children’s book art, now is your chance to make someone’s holiday truly unique with one-of-a-kind art. The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is having on-line auction that starts Tuesday at noon. The auction runs until December 2nd.
There are more than 70 pieces of art available for bidding. Some of the artists who have donated art include: Chris Raschka, Judy Schachner and Eric Carle, to name just a few. If you didn’t get to Book Expo this year, or were outbid, this is your chance to get some truly original art. I’ve always been delighted by the art I get at these auctions. There is something lovely about having Skippyjon Jones in my living room; he makes me happy every day.
The really lovely thing about this auction is that it benefits ABFFE’s Kids’ Right to Read Project, which supports freedom of reading. There really isn’t a better way to support your need for original children’s art and your desire to end reading censorship. This link gets you to ABFFE’s page where you can sign up for the auction at noon tomorrow.
Though I’m an avid fan of the ABFFE-sponsored auction at Book Expo, this online auction is all the more fun without having to camp out next to the one piece you’re willing to fight for. It allows you to bid from the comfort of your home, in your jammies if you’re so inclined, secure in the knowledge that you’re about to make someone’s holiday truly special.

Yesterday was the kind of day that could have gone over to the dark side. The computers utterly locked up, the phone was ringing off the hook, and there was so much to be done that my getting in at 8:30 made an imperceptible dent in the to-do list.
Then something happened. These kids started streaming in. All of them under five, all with their moms and all just cute as buttons. They were chatty, inquisitive and clearly loved the store. They played with toys and put them back, mostly in the right areas. They didn’t just look at books; they exclaimed over them. One little boy was thrilled that he finally the superhero sticker book that had just been relocated two days ago, he gave out a resounding, “Yes!” when his mom asked if that was the book.
But what brought me back to the important things was the one little girl who was contentedly walking around with her mom and apropos of nothing said, “I happy.”Anything could have made her happy, but I’m going to assume it was the bookstore that caused her spontaneous joyous statement.
So, the next time I’m drowning in work, I’m going to remember what this little moppet said: I happy and hope it helps gives me some much needed retail perspective.

Every so often we are fortunate to have a blog post written by our friend Kenny Brechner of DDG Books in Farmington, ME. Today’s post finds Kenny and the goddess, Athena, chatting about the very timely topic of stocking stuffers. This post is as funny as it is informative.
At DDG, our quest to provide the best Stocking Stuffers of all time is a serious affair. Measuring the fun and pleasure afforded by games and trinkets is no laughing matter. This year, for our annual Stuffing Stuffer of the Year Awards, due to the intensity of the competition among the occupants of our fun laden displays, we felt the need to bring in an outside expert to do the judging.
Many of you may know Athena as the Goddess of Wisdom, yet she is also the Goddess of reason, intellect, strategy, handicrafts, and as it turns out, bookstore holiday sidelines
Kenny: Thank you so much for taking the time to judge this year’s sidelines.
Athena: It’s my pleasure.
Kenny: I had no idea that you were the Goddess of toys and games, but it does stand to reason.
Athena: Very humorous. But yes, Kenny, a great toy or game is rooted in strategy, intellect and craft. That very froth of pleasure you mortals call fun is but its yield.
Kenny: Were there any terrific games from ancient days that have been lost?
Athena: Oh yes. My protege Odysseus, for example, created a game of strategy to while away time at sea. He delighted much in challenging me at it.
Kenny: Really! Did he ever best you?
Athena: Only once. He handled it well, and I too showed restraint. Beyond turning one of his oarsmen into a seabird I let the result stand.
Kenny: You are a model for us all to be sure. All right then we have four categories this year, Most Shockingly Good Value, Most Fun, Best Game of Chance, and Most Successful Re-Imagined Classic. Where would you like to start?
Athena: Well for Most Fun I have selected the Phlat Ball Jr. As a deity I am drawn to metamorphosis and transformation and this amazing object is a disk which, when thrown, transforms to a ball. Truly it is a marvel. I also gave serious consideration to the Flying Sock Monkeys. They are fun to shoot through the air and make a satisfying wailing noise when they land.
Kenny: Very true. And after all few things have more pronounced literary connotations that flying monkeys. And what have you selected for Most Shockingly Good Value?
Athena: That was easy. The Mini Wooden Catch Ball is only $1.99, made of wood, and endlessly entertaining to play with. Here, try one out.
Kenny: This is fun! Hmmn. I did it!
Athena: Well captured. Now see how many you can do in a row. All right then, moving on to Best Re-Imagined Classic, this was a particularly tough one as you have some terrific items, such as Magnetic Sculpture, and Tangle Jr. Still, I have to declare The Robot X-7 as the winner. This adaptation of a Jacob’s Ladder into robot form is just brilliant.
Kenny: Totally agree! Have you tried to make it stand on one leg?
Athena: Interesting. I see what you mean. And finally we come to my favorite area, games of strategy. You have some outstanding ones, I really love 20 Express, for example, but one game you have truly embodies an ancient principle of elegance. The most deeply strategic games have the simplest rules, consider Go, for example, which was created by my Chinese colleagues the Baxian. Kyro 5 is such a game. It takes but a moment to learn but is highly strategic and most enjoyable to play. Would you like to try a round with me?
Kenny: I’d love to.
Athena: I notice that your staff just ran out of the store in terror.
Kenny: I take that as a compliment.
Athena: Ha! Let us see!

There’s been a new trend this week: men are shopping more at the bookstore. They’re not coming in for holiday books, it’s too soon for that, they’re doing something better: they’re showing off the store to their friends.
I always take it as a compliment when a customer brings a friend to the store. When people take that kind of ownership in my store it makes me feel proud that we’ve done something right. Usually, women are the ones who take their visiting friends and family to the store and give them a guided tour. But the last few days I’ve seen at least two men bringing friends with them to show off the bookstore.
It’s always fun to see someone else’s tour of the store. What they focus on tells me a lot about what parts of the store they enjoy. In both cases the men giving the tour were older, probably in their 70s, and they were proud. One man spent much of the visit in the Vermont section, or the “regional” section as he referred to it with his friend. They spent much time talking about the wonderful books of Howard Frank Mosher and Archer Mayor. Then they walked down the adult aisle talking about history books. With a casual wave of his hand the man said, “That section is where Judy gets books for the grandkids.”
When someone cares enough about your store to want to share with either a visiting friend or friend who’s new to the area, good things happen. The tacit implication is we’ve passed muster. We are a store worth sharing, not a store you drive by with a friend and say, “Don’t go there, their selection is horrible.” I always listen to what my friends say about their local bookstore. Hearing other people talk your store in positive terms just makes me proud.
Both of the tour guides triumphantly told their friends one thing that was absolutely adorable: “This is where I got your birthday book.” And I swear they each stood up a little taller when they said that.

It’s starting to be that time of the year again, when the once-a-year shoppers start to come back to the bookstore. I’m not sure, exactly, who these folks are, but I’m sure glad they shop with us for their holiday books. Every year I marvel at how early people get their shopping done. Not just some of it, but all of it. I haven’t even worn a winter coat yet and there are people who’ve just finished all their shopping. And they finished it at the bookstore.
I used to wonder where people got their books the rest of the year, and then yesterday I had an epiphany: I don’t care. These are folks who probably go to the library and that’s totally fine. What I care about is the children in their lives who only get gifts at holiday time. My job is blow them away with my book selection so they know they can come in the store and in however much time they have to shop, they will leave with the perfect books.
There is an inherent challenge with these annual shoppers. The risk of repeating a book for someone looms large. And there’s nothing worse than getting the same book two years in a row. It sends the message to the giftee that you’re not really paying attention to them. But I can’t remember what I read last week, I certainly can’t remember what book I gavemy  niece last Hanukkah, so I don’t expect customers to. This is especially challenging with the three to five-year olds who like anti-princess books, as was the case yesterday. This is why we have a book club.
We don’t use our frequent buyers club to harvest emails or sell our list. We use it to help customers not repeat books. This lovely grandmother with fraternal twin grandkids came in and got very comfortable in the picture section. We selected books about strong girl characters for her to look at and then she pared down from 20 books to 10. Then she just kept going, asking us what books we loved. Her stack grew large and we double checked a few books in her customer file to make sure they weren’t duplicates. They weren’t.
The lovely grandma left the store with a tote bag overflowing with stunning and appropriate kid-friendly picture books. I’ve already started thinking about next year for her when the twins start reading.

There are some fabulous books we have a hard time selling because their covers are either dated or just don’t appeal to customers.
One of my favorite books as a child was a delightful novel about a shy and fearful little girl, Betsy, who has to leave her loving but extremely overprotective aunts (one of them takes ill and must recover sans child) to stay with the dreaded, unknown Putney relatives on a Vermont farm. The plain-spoken, hard-working, wholesome aunt, uncle, and fun cousins Betsy meets help her blossom into an adventurous and playful kid. Understood Betsy has the timeless charm of a slightly younger Anne of Green Gables. Kids still love this book! And we would love a cover that would help us sell it to them by the boatload.

We’ve sold 141 copies of Understood Betsy over the years – in five different editions from various publishers -and could have sold so many more if a paperback with a great cover existed. Henry Holt did a lovely hardcover version (image at left), and we sold 45 of that $18.95 edition before it went OP. Imagine how many we could have sold in paperback with that cover. One of the versions of Understood Betsy that’s been around longest is a perfectly serviceable paperback from Hardscrabble Books (cover image above right). Honestly, though, the only reason we’ve been able to sell 73 copies of this one is that we’re handselling it not to kids but to their parents, who are more willing to overlook a less-than-stellar cover. The Hardscrabble cover isn’t terrible; it’s just a little fussy. Kids don’t get a true sense of the story from that cover, and turn away from the book.
Another classic I’d love to see with new cover art is E. Nesbit’s The Enchanted Castle. This was also a childhood favorite of mine. I read it several times, continuing to relive the adventures of children who discover a tunnel in a hedge and find a mysterious castle — with a sleeping princess their own age! — on the other side. There were images that delighted (velvet-lined drawers or trays full of sparkling jewelry) and encounters that haunted wonderfully (marble statues come to life by moonlight). All in all, it was a satisfying magical romp in the vein of the Edward Eager books (Eager was inspired by Nesbit), and I would love to hand it to children.
The problem is, this is the cover I’ve had to work with since opening the bookstore in 1996:

Show me an eight-, nine-, or ten-year-old excited by remote orange castles. (Don’t hate, Puffin; you do a bang-up amazing job with so many covers! This one just isn’t my cup of tea.) I just can’t sell this cover, except to the rare grownup who comes in specifically for the story and will accept any edition available.

At the NEIBA trade show, I did see a cover from Wordsworth Classics that at least looked younger and brighter:

I do like this cover, but wish it had some people on it, or some action hinted at. Because this book is now in the public domain, there are several versions out there from various publishers, but all of the covers show only a bare castle.There’s no STORY in those covers, and most of the images don’t invite one to explore within. Where are the children? Where is the sense of adventure and fun, sparkle and twilight and moonlight spookiness? The story is so full of intriguing magical events  and items that a great cover shouldn’t be hard to design.

Those are two of my top re-design wishes. Booksellers, teachers, and librarians, what books do you love but find to be a hard “handsell” to children because of their covers?

Are you running Mock Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, Sibert, or Coretta Scott King award discussions? This round-up of the year’s starred reviews for juvenile literature from Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, The Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal should help ensure that you aren’t overlooking something outstanding.

So far this year, 807 books have received 1307 stars. The publications starring each title are noted at the end of the citations.
Please remember: starred reviews are counted only when they have been officially published by the review magazines. Often authors and publicists send me emails about books they know will be starred in upcoming issues; please only send me corrections if the review date has passed and the magazine or web review has already appeared to the public. Publishers, please alert me to any oversights at ebluemle at publishersweekly.com, including the review sources and dates for the starred reviews. Thanks! Please do NOT send stars that have not yet been officially published yet, or VOYA stars. (I will post a separate list of VOYA “perfect ten” scores for 2013 in December.) I am having a little trouble with the SLJ search functionality, so please check your SLJ stars especially carefully.
This is an insanely detail-laden process, and as careful as I try to be, there may be oversights here and there. If you want the cleanest version of this list, check back a week or two after each update, when I’ll have been alerted to anything that needs fixing.
Finally, if you are purchasing books inspired by this list, please strongly consider using an independent bookstore. You can find online indies through www.indiebound.org. An independent bookseller (me) compiled this list on behalf of everyone — booksellers, librarians, teachers, parents (and grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins) who lives, loves, and works hard in the service of books and children. Thank you!
SIX STARS
Boxers & Saints. Gene Luen Yang; color by Lark Pien. First Second/Roaring Brook, Boxers $18.99, Saints $15.99, $34.99 for the boxed set. BCCB, Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Locomotive. Brian Floca. Atheneum/Jackson, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
FIVE STARS
All the Truth That’s in Me. Julie Berry. Viking, $17.99. BCCB, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Bluffton: My Summers with Buster. Matt Phelan. Candlewick, $22.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Dark, The. Lemony Snicket, illus. by Jon Klassen. Little, Brown, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, PW, SLJ
Doll Bones. Holly Black. S&S/McElderry, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Dream Thieves, The. Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic Press, $18.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Fangirl. Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin’s Griffin, $18.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Far Far Away. Tom McNeal. Knopf, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, PW, SLJ
Midwinterblood. Marcus Sedgwick. Roaring Brook, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Peter Brown. Little, Brown, $18. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Mr. Wuffles! David Wiesner. Clarion, $17.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein. Jennifer Berne, illus. by Vladimir Radunsky. Chronicle, $17.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
P.S. Be Eleven. Rita Williams-Garcia. Amistad, $16.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Penny and Her Marble. Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, $12.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
September Girls. Bennett Madison. HarperTeen, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Thing About Luck, The. Cynthia Kadohata, illus. by Julia Kuo. Atheneum, $16.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Train. Elisha Cooper. Scholastic/Orchard, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
FOUR STARS
Battle Bunny. Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illus. by Matthew Myers. Simon & Schuster, $14.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. Michelle Markel, illus. by Melissa Sweet. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Brush of the Gods. Lenore Look, illus. by Meilo So. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The. Holly Black. Little, Brown, $19. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Corner of White, A (Colors of Madeleine, Book 1). Jaclyn Moriarty. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. BCCB, HB, Kirkus, SLJ
Counting by 7s. Holly Goldberg Sloan. Dial, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, SLJ
Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickels, America’s First Black Paratroopers. Tanya Lee Stone. Candlewick, $24.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Dark Triumph. Robin LaFevers. Houghton Mifflin, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Deep in the Sahara. Kelly Cunnane, illus. by Hoda Hadadi. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty. Tonya Bolden. Abrams, $24.95. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, Book 1). Gail Carriger. Little, Brown, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle. Chris Raschka. Random/Schwartz and Wade, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Kate DiCamillo, illus. by K.G. Campbell. Candlewick, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Great American Dust Bowl, The. Don Brown. HMH, $18.99. BCCB, Booklist, HB, Kirkus
Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? Eve Bunting, illus. by Sergio Ruzzier. Clarion, $16.99. HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
How to Train a Train. Jason Carter Eaton, illus. by John Rocco. Candlewick, $16.99 Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
If You Want to See a Whale. Julie Fogliano, illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Jinx. Sage Blackwood. HarperCollins/Harper, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Journey. Aaron Becker. Candlewick, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard. Annette LeBlanc Cate. Candlewick, $15.99. HB, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Lucy Variations, The. Sara Zarr. Little, Brown, $18. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Matchbox Diary, The. Paul Fleischman, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Navigating Early. Clare Vanderpool. Delacorte, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
One Came Home. Amy Timberlake. Knopf, $16.99. BCCB, HB, Kirkus, SLJ
Sophie’s Squash. Pat Zietlow Miller, illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Splash of Red, A: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin. Jen Bryant. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Knopf, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Take Me Out to the Yakyu. Aaron Meshon. S&S/Atheneum, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Tapir Scientist, The: Saving South America’s Largest Mammal. Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop. Houghton Mifflin, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Tortoise & the Hare, The. Jerry Pinkney. Little, Brown, $18. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, The. Kathi Appelt, illus. by Jennifer Bricking. Atheneum, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Waking Dark, The. Robin Wasserman. Knopf, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, PW, SLJ
When Charley Met Grampa. Amy Hest, illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick, $15.99 Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot. Lauren Stringer. Harcourt, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Meg Medina. Candlewick, $16.99. BCCB, HB, Kirkus, SLJ
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! Jonah Winter, illus. by Terry Widener. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Xander’s Panda Party. Linda Sue Park, illus. by Matt Phelan. Clarion, $16.99. BCCB, HB, PW, SLJ
Year of the Jungle. Suzanne Collins, illus. by James Proimos. Scholastic, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus, PW
THREE STARS
5th Wave, The. Rick Yancey. Putnam, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Abominables, The. Eva Ibbotson, illus. by Fiona Robinson. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Animal Book, The: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest–And Most Surprising–Animals on Earth. Steve Jenkins. HMH, $21.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Battling Boy. Paul Pope. First Second, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Beatrice Spells Some Lulus and Learns to Write a Letter. Cari Best, illus. by Giselle Potter. FSG/Ferguson, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. Russell Freedman. Holiday House, $24.95. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Beginning of Everything, The. Robyn Schneider. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Benjamin Bear in “Bright Ideas!” Philippe Coudray, trans. from French by Leigh Stein. Candlewick/Toon, $12.95. Booklist, HB, SLJ
Big Snow. Jonathan Bean. FSG, $16.99. BCCB, Kirkus, PW
Bluebird. Bob Staake. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Bowling Alley Bandit (Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut 01). Laurie Keller. Holt, $13.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible… on Schindler’s List. Leon Leyson, with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson. Atheneum, $16.99. HB, Kirkus, PW
Boy Who Loved Math, The: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos. Deborah Heiligman, illus. by Pham LeUyen. Roaring Brook, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Bugs in My Hair! David Shannon. Scholastic/Blue Sky, $17.99. BCCB, Kirkus, PW
Bully. Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ 
Building Our House. Jonathan Bean. FSG, $17.99. HB, Kirkus, SLJ
Center of Everything, The. Linda Urban. Harcourt, $15.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus
Champion (Legend Novels). Marie Lu. Putnam, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Darius & Twig. Walter Dean Myers. Amistad, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Day the Crayons Quit, The. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel, $17.99. BCCB, PW, SLJ
Dee Dee and Me. Amy Schwartz. Holiday House, $16.95. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. Tony Cliff. First Second, $15.95. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Eat Like a Bear. April Pulley Sayre, illus. by Steve Jenkins. Holt, $16.99. BCCB, Kirkus, PW
Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field). Elizabeth Rusch. Houghton Mifflin, $18.99. HB, Kirkus, SLJ
Exclamation Mark. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Explorer: The Lost Islands. Edited by Kazu Kibuishi. Abrams/Amulet, $19.95. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Flora and the Flamingo. Molly Idle. Chronicle, $16.99. HB, PW, SLJ
Freakboy. Kristin Elizabeth Clark. FSG, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
From Norvelt to Nowhere. Jack Gantos. FSG, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist, PW
Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving. Katherine Paterson, illus. by Pamela Dalton. Chronicle/Handprint, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Golden Day, The. Ursula Dubosarsky. Candlewick, $15.99. BCCB, Booklist, PW
Hello, My Name Is Ruby. Philip C. Stead. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Hold Fast. Blue Balliett. Scholastic, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Hostage Three. Nick Lake. Bloomsbury, $17.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
How to Catch a Bogle. Catherine Jinks, illus. by Sarah Watts. Harcourt, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
If You Find Me. Emily Murdoch. St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Cat Winters. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. Booklist, PW, SLJ
Inside Outside. Lizi Boyd. Chronicle, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Ketchup Clouds. Annabel Pitcher. Little, Brown, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Listening for Lucca. Suzanne LaFleur. Random/Lamb, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Little Red Writing. Joan Holub, illus. by Melissa Sweet. Chronicle, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Little Santa. Jon Agee. Dial, $17.99. Booklist, HB, PW
Living with Jackie Chan. Jo Knowles. Candlewick, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Long Way Away, A. Frank Viva. Little, Brown, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Lucky Ducklings. Eva Moore, illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99. BCCB, PW, SLJ
Maggot Moon. Sally Gardner, illus. by Julian Crouch. Candlewick, $16.99. Booklist, HB, PW
March: Book One. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illus. by Nate Powell. Top Shelf, $14.95. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Mighty Lalouche, The. Matthew Olshan, illus. by Sophie Blackall. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
Mouse with the Question Mark Tail, The. Richard Peck, illus. by Kelly Murphy. Dial, $16.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
My Brother’s Book. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins/di Capua, $18.95. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
My Happy Life. Rose Lagercrantz. trans. from Swedish by Julia Marshall, illus. by Eva Eriksson. Gecko (Lerner, dist.), $16.95. Booklist, PW, SLJ
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. Prudence Shen, illus. by Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, $16.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
OCD Love Story. Corey Ann Haydu. Simon Pulse, $17.99. BCCB, HB, PW
Once Upon a Northern Night. Jean E. Pendziwol, illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Groundwood, $17.95. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
One Gorilla. Anthony Browne. Candlewick, $16.99. BCCB, HB, PW
Parrots Over Puerto Rico. Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, illus. by Susan L. Roth. Lee & Low, $19.95. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Picture a Tree. Barbara Reid. Albert Whitman, $16.99. Booklist, HB, Kirkus
Picture Me Gone. Meg Rosoff. Putnam, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Planes Fly! George Ella Lyon, illus. by Mick Wiggins. Atheneum, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Poems to Learn by Heart. Caroline Kennedy, illus. by Jon J Muth. Disney-Hyperion, $19.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
Pug and Other Animal Poems. Valerie Worth, illus. by Steve Jenkins. FSG/Ferguson, $16.99. BCCB, PW, SLJ
Quintana of Charyn. Melina Marchetta. Candlewick, $18.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Rooftoppers. Katherine Rundell, illus by Terry Fan. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Rose Under Fire. Elizabeth Wein. Hyperion, $17.99. HB, Kirkus, PW
Silver Button, The. Bob Graham. Candlewick, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Steam Train, Dream Train. Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle, $16.99. Booklist, PW, SLJ
Summer Prince, The. Alaya Dawn Johnson. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Sure Signs of Crazy. Karen Harrington. Little, Brown, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, SLJ
Tea Party Rules. Ame Dyckman, illus. by K.G. Campbell. Viking, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Teeth. Hannah Moskowitz. Simon Pulse, $17.99 hardcover; $9.99 paperback. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus
That Is NOT a Good Idea! Mo Willems. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. HB, PW, SLJ
Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice. Catherine Lewis, illus. by Joost Swarte. Atheneum, $16.99. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Uses for Boys. Erica Lorraine Scheidt. St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Wait! Wait! Hatsue Nakawaki, trans. from Japanese by Yuki Kaneko, illus. by Komako Sakai. Enchanted Lion (Consortium, dist.), $14.95. Kirkus, PW, SLJ
Water in the Park: A Book About Water & the Times of the Day. Emily Jenkins, illus. by Stephanie Graegin. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist, Kirkus
What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings. Joyce Sidman, illus. by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Winger. Andrew Smith, illus. by Sam Bosma. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus, PW
Year of Billy Miller, The. Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, $16.99. HB, Kirkus, SLJ
TWO STARS
Adventures of a South Pole Pig, The: A Novel of Snow and Courage. Chris Kurtz, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. Harcourt, $16.99. HB, SLJ
Al Capone Does My Homework. Gennifer Choldenko. Dial, $17.99. Booklist, PW
All Our Pretty Songs. Sarah McCarry. St. Martin’s Griffin, $19.99 hc, $9.99 pb. Booklist, Kirkus
Bear’s Song, The. Benjamin Chaud. Chronicle, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Ben Loves Bear. David McPhail. Abrams Appleseed, $8.95. Kirkus, PW
Best Thing About Kindergarten, The. Jennifer Lloyd, illus. by Qin Leng. Simply Read, $16.95. Kirkus, PW
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. April Genevieve Tucholke. Dial, $17.99. Booklist, SLJ
Big Wet Balloon, The. Liniers. Candlewick/Toon, $12.95. HB, Kirkus
Bird King, The: An Artist’s Notebook. Shaun Tan. Scholastic/Levine, $19.99. Booklist, PW
Bitter Kingdom, The. Rae Carson. Greenwillow, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Black Helicopters. Blythe Woolston. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus, PW
Boy Who Swam With Piranhas, The. David Almond, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Candlewick, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Breakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays. Ed. by Rebecca Stern and Brad Wolfe. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Chasing Shadows. Swati Avasthi, illus. by Craig Phillips. Knopf, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Christmas Cat, The. Maryann Macdonald, illus. by Amy Bates. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Christmas Wish, The. Lori Evert, photos by Per Breiehagen. Random House, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Coda. Emma Trevayne. Running Press Teens, $9.95. PW, SLJ
Come Back, Moon. David Kherdian; illus. by Nonny Hogrogian. S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99. PW, SLJ
Count the Monkeys. Mac Barnett, illus. by Kevin Cornell. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. BCCB, PW
Crankee Doodle. Tom Angleberger, illus. by Cece Bell. Clarion, $16.99. HB, Kirkus
Curtsies & Conspiracies. Gail Carriger. Little, Brown, $17.99. Booklist, PW
Daisy Gets Lost. Chris Raschka. Random/Schwartz & Wade, 17.99. PW, SLJ
Dare You To. Katie McGarry. Harlequin Teen, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton. Meghan McCarthy. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People. Susan Goldman Rubin. Abrams, $21.95. Booklist, SLJ
Digger, Dozer, Dumper. Hope Vestergaard, illus. by David Slonim. Candlewick, $15.99. PW, SLJ
Dogs of War. Sheila Keenan; illus. by Nathan Fox. Scholastic/Graphix, $22.99. PW, SLJ
Duke. Kirby Larson. Scholastic, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Dusk. Uri Shulevitz. FSG/Ferguson, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Earth Girl. Janet Edwards. Pyr, $17.95. Booklist, Kirkus
Elvis and the Underdogs. Jenny Lee, illus. by Kelly Light. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99. Booklist, SLJ
Enduring Ark, The. Gita Wolf, illus. by Joydeb Chitrakar. Tara Books, $21.95. Kirkus, PW
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Chris Grabenstein. Random House, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. Andrea Cheng. Lee & Low, $17.95. Kirkus, SLJ
Fairy Tale Comics: Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists. Ed. by Chris Duffy, illus. by various artists. First Second, $19.99. Booklist, PW
Fallout. Todd Strasser. Candlewick, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Fat Angie. E.E. Charlton-Trujillo. Candlewick, $16.99. PW, SLJ
Firecracker. David Iserson. Razorbill, $17.99. BCCB, Kirkus
First Drawing, The. Mordecai Gerstein. Little, Brown, $17. PW, SLJ
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Matthew Quick. Little, Brown, $18. PW, SLJ
Fraidyzoo. Thyra Heder. Abrams, $16.95. Kirkus, PW
Friday Never Leaving. Vikki Wakefield. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Frog Song. Brenda Z. Guiberson, illus. by Gennady Spirin. Holt, $17.99. PW, SLJ
Foul Trouble. John Feinstein. Knopf, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Ghost Hawk. Susan Cooper. S&S/McElderry, $16.99. Booklist, PW
Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, The. Catherynne M. Valente, illus. by Ana Juan. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
God Got a Dog. Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Marla Frazee. S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Golden Boy. Tara Sullivan. Putnam, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein. Mary Shelley, illus. by Gris Grimly. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $24.99. BCCB, PW
Hank Finds an Egg. Rebecca Dudley. Peter Pauper, $16.99. Booklist, PW
Happy Birthday, Bunny! Elizabeth Garton Scanlon, illus. by Stephanie Graegin. S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Henri’s Scissors. Jeanette Winter. S&S/Beach Lane, $15.99. Booklist, PW
Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution. Don Brown. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Booklist, SLJ
Henry’s Map. David Elliot. Philomel, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Here I Am. Patti Kim, illus. by Sonia Sanchez. Capstone/Picture Window, $14.95. Kirkus, PW
Herman and Rosie. Gus Gordon. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99. Booklist, PW
Hero on a Bicycle. Shirley Hughes. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus, PW
Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace. Nan Marino. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Hilda and the Bird Parade. Hilda Pearson. Nobrow/Flying Eye (Consortium, dist.), $24. Booklist, PW
Hokey Pokey. Jerry Spinelli. Knopf, $15.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Homeland. Cory Doctorow. Tor Teen, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus
How to Be a Cat. Nikki McClure. Kirkus, SLJ
How to Hide a Lion. Helen Stephens. Holt, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
How to Bicycle to the Moon to Plant Sunflowers: A Simple but Brilliant Plan in 24 Easy Steps. Mordicai Gerstein. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
How To. Julie Morstad. Simply Read, $16.95. Kirkus, SLJ
I Am Blop! Hervé Tullet. Phaidon, $19.95. Kirkus, PW
I See the Promised Land. Arthur Flowers, illus. by Manu Chitrakar. House of Anansi/Groundwood, $18.95. BCCB, SLJ
I Wish I Had… Giovanna Zoboli, illus. by Simona Mulazzani. Eerdmans, $16. Booklist, PW
Jane, the Fox & Me. Fanny Britt. tr. from French by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou; illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Groundwood, $19.95. BCCB, SLJ
Just One Day. Gayle Forman. Dutton, $17.99. PW, SLJ
Juvie. Steve Watkins. Candlewick, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
King for a Day. Rukhsana Khan, illus. by Christiane Kr Mer. Lee & Low, $17.95. Kirkus, SLJ
Kingdom of Little Wounds. Susann Cokal. Candlewick, $22.99. Kirkus, PW
Lara’s Gift. Annemarie O’Brien. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Ling & Ting Share a Birthday. Grace Lin. Little, Brown, $15. Kirkus, PW
Little Book of Sloth, A. Lucy Cooke. S&S/McElderry, $16.99. BCCB, PW
Little Naomi, Little Chick. Avirama Golan, illus. by Raaya Karas. Eerdmans, $17. Kirkus, SLJ
Little Red Lies. Julie Johnston. Tundra, $19.95 Booklist, Kirkus
Lord of Opium, The. Nancy Farmer. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99. Booklist, PW
Mad Potter, The: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. Jan Greenberg, illus. by Sandra Jordan. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99. Booklist, SLJ
Mary Wrightly, So Politely. Shirin Yim Bridges, illus. by Maria Monescillo. Harcourt, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Me Too! Valeri Gorbachev. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus, SLJ
Meanest Birthday Girl, The. Josh Schneider. Clarion, $14.99. Kirkus, PW
Midnight Dress, The. Karen Foxlee. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Mind Games. Kiersten White. HarperTeen, $17.99. BCCB, PW
Moo! David Larochelle, illus. by Mike Wohnoutka. Walker, $16.99. BCCB, SLJ
More Than This. Patrick Ness. Candlewick, $19.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Mouse Bird Snake Wolf. David Almond, illus. by Dave McKean. Candlewick, $17.99. Booklist, PW
My Father’s Arms Are a Boat. Stein Erik Lunde, trans. from Norwegian by Kari Dickson, illus. by Øyvind Torseter. Enchanted Lion, $15.95. HB, Kirkus
Nelly May Has Her Say. Cynthia DeFelice, illus. by Henry Cole. FSG/Ferguson, $16.99. Booklist, SLJ
Nelson Mandela. Kadir Nelson. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Night Before Christmas, The. Clement C. Moore, illus. by Holly Hobbie. Little, Brown, $18. Kirkus, PW
Night Light. Nicholas Blechman. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99. Booklist, PW
Night Sky Wheel Ride. Sheree Fitch, illus. by Yayo. Tradewind (Orca, dist.), $16.95. Kirkus, PW
Niño Wrestles the World. Yuyi Morales. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99. HB, PW
Nobody’s Secret. Michaela Maccoll. Chronicle, $16.99. PW, SLJ
OCD, the Dude, and Me. Lauren Roedy Vaughn. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Odd Duck. Cecil Castellucci, illus. by Sara Varon. First Second, $15.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Ol’ Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story. Patricia C. McKissack, illus. by Eric Velasquez. Holiday House, $16.95 Kirkus, PW
Open This Little Book. Jesse Klausmeier, illus. by Suzy Lee. Chronicle, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Openly Straight. Bill Konigsberg. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. BCCB, Booklist
Out of Nowhere. Maria Padian. Knopf, $16.99. BCCB, SLJ
Out of the Easy. Ruth Sepetys. Philomel, $17.99. PW, SLJ
P.K. Pinkerton & the Petrified Man. Caroline Lawrence. Putnam, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale. Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams, $16.95. Kirkus, PW
Paperboy. Vince Vawter. Delacorte, $16.99. Booklist, PW
Peanut. Ayun Halliday, illus. by Paul Hoppe. Random/Schwartz and Wade, $17.99. PW, SLJ
Peck, Peck, Peck. Lucy Cousins. Candlewick, $15.99. Booklist, SLJ
Pete Won’t Eat. Emily Arnold McCully. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus, SLJ
Pieces. Chris Lynch. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Polar Bear Morning. Lauren Thompson, illus. by Stephen Savage. Scholastic, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Pomelo’s Opposites. Ramona Badescu, trans. from French by Claudia Zoe Bedrick, illus. by Benjamin Chaud. Enchanted Lion, $15.95. Kirkus, SLJ
Price of Freedom, The: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin, illus. by Eric Velasquez. Walker, $16.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Program, The. Suzanne Young. Simon Pulse, $16.99. BCCB, Booklist
Reality Boy. A.S. King. Little, Brown, $18. Kirkus, PW
Reluctant Assassin, The. Eoin Colfer. Hyperion, $17.99. BCCB, PW
Rithmatist, The. Brandon Sanderson, illus. by Ben McSweeney. Tor Teen, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Romeo Blue. Phoebe Stone. Scholastic, $16.99. Booklist, HB
Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare; adapted and illus. by Gareth Hinds. Candlewick, $21.99 hc, $12.99 pb. HB, Kirkus
Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War. Helen Frost. FSG/Foster, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Scarlet. Marissa Meyer. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99. Booklist, PW
School Spirits (Hex Hall). Rachel Hawkins. Hyperion, $17.99. Kirkus, PW
Sex & Violence. Carrie Mesrobian. Carolrhoda Lab, $17.95. Kirkus, PW
Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life. Jim Arnosky. Sterling, $14.95. PW, SLJ
Sin-Eater’s Confession. Ilsa J. Bick. Carolrhoda Lab, $17.95. Kirkus, PW
Snowflakes Fall. Patricia Maclachlan, illus. by Steven Kellogg. Random, $17.99. Booklist, SLJ
Somebody Up There Hates You. Hollis Seamon. Algonquin, $16.95. Kirkus, PW
Spelling Trouble (Misadventures of Salem Hyde 1). Frank Cammuso. Abrams/Amulet, $14.95 hc., $6.95 pb. Kirkus, PW
Spirit and Dust. Rosemary Clement-Moore. Delacorte, $17.99. BCCB, SLJ
Starglass. Phoebe North. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. BCCB, PW
Tangle of Knots, A. Lisa Graff. Philomel, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
That’s a Possibility! A Book About What Might Happen. Bruce Goldstone. Holt, $16.99. PW, SLJ
Things That Float and Things That Don’t. David A. Adler, illus. by Anna Raff. Holiday House, $16.95. Booklist, PW
This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration. Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by James Ransome. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99. PW, SLJ
This Song Will Save Your Life. Leila Sales. FSG, $17.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Tiger in My Soup. Kashmira Sheth, illus. by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Peachtree, $15.95. Kirkus, PW
Time-Out for Sophie. Rosemary Wells. Viking, $15.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Tiny King, The. Taro Miura. Candlewick, $14.99. Booklist, HB
Toilet: How It Works (My Readers 3). David Macaulay with Sheila Keenan. David Macaulay Studio, $3.99. Kirkus, SLJ
Toys in Space. Mini Grey. Knopf, $16.99. PW, SLJ
Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals. Donna Jo Napoli, illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic, $24.95. Kirkus, PW
Tree Lady, The: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever. H. Joseph Hopkins, illus. by Jill McElmurry. S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99. Booklist, SLJ
Two Boys Kissing. David Levithan. Knopf, $16.99. BCCB, PW
Unhooking the Moon. Gregory Hughes. Quercus, $16.95. Booklist, Kirkus
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. Bob Shea. Disney-Hyperion, $15.99. Booklist, Kirkus
War Brothers. Sharon E. McKay, illus. by Daniel Lafrance. Annick (Firefly, dist.), $18.95. PW, SLJ
War Within These Walls, The. Aline Sax, illus. by Caryl Strzelecki. Eerdmans, $17. Kirkus, PW
Watcher in the Shadows, The. Chris Moriarty, illus. by Mark E. Geyer. Harcourt, $16.99. Booklist, Kirkus
Watermelon Seed, The. Greg Pizzoli. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. PW, SLJ
What I Came to Tell You. Tommy Hays. Egmont USA, $15.99. BCCB, PW
When Lions Roar. Robie H. Harris, illus. by Chris Raschka. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99. Booklist, PW
When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders. J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, et al. Chronicle, $16.99. Booklist, PW
Whole Stupid Way We Are, The. N. Griffin. Atheneum, $16.99. HB, PW
With a Mighty Hand: The Story in the Torah. Amy Ehrlich, illus. by Daniel Nevins. Candlewick, $29.99. Booklist, Kirkus
World is Waiting for You, The. Barbara Kerley. National Geographic, $17.95. Kirkus, PW
Yellowcake. Margo Lanagan. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus, PW
Zebra Forest. Adina Rishe Gewirtz. Candlewick, $15.99. PW, SLJ
ONE STAR
“The President Has Been Shot!”: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. James L. Swanson. Scholastic Press, $18.99. PW
10 Plants That Shook the World. Gillian Richardson, illus. by Kim Rosen. Annick (Firefly, dist.), $24.95. PW
100 Animals on Parade. Masayuki Sebe. Kids Can, $16.95. PW
123 Versus ABC. Mike Boldt. Kirkus
13-Story Treehouse, The. Andy Griffiths, illus. by Terry Denton. Feiwel and Friends, $13.99. PW
17 and Gone. Nova Ren Suma. Dutton, $17.99. BCCB
20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street. Mark Lee, illus. by Kurt Cyrus. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
39 Deaths of Adam Strand, The. Gregory Galloway. Dutton, $17.99 Booklist
Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad. Monica Edinger, illus. by Robert Byrd. Candlewick, $17.99. SLJ
After Iris. Natasha Farrant. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus
Ah Ha! Jeff Mack. Chronicle, $16.99. PW
Akissi: Cat Invasion. Marguerite Abouet, illus. by Mathieu Sapin. Nobrow Press, $14.95. Kirkus
All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens. Gloria Whelan. S&S/Wiseman, $15.99. PW
All Our Yesterdays. Cristin Terrill. Disney, $17.99. Kirkus
Almost an Animal Alphabet. Kate Viggers. powerHouse/POW! (Random, dist.), $19.95. PW
Alone in the Forest. Gita Wolf and Andrea Anastasio, illus. by Bhajju Shyam. Tara Books, $16.95. Kirkus
Alphablock. Christopher Franceschelli; illus. by Peskimo. Abrams/Appleseed, $16.95. SLJ
Also Known As. Robin Benway. Walker, $16.99. Booklist
America’s National Parks: A Pop-Up Book. Don Compton, illus. by Dave Ember; paper engineering by Bruce Foster. W.W. West (Farcountry Press, dist.), $34.95. PW
An Eye for Art: Focusing on Great Artists and Their Work. National Gallery of Art. Chicago Review Press, $19.95. Kirkus
Angel Island. Russell Freedman. Clarion, $17.99. SLJ
Animal Opposites. Petr Horacek. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Animals Upside Down: A Pull, Pop, Lift & Learn Book! Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Houghton, $24.99. PW
Anna Was Here. Jane Kurtz. Greenwillow, $16.99. Kirkus
Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories. Catharine O’Neill. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
Antigoddess. Kendare Blake. Tor Teen, $17.99. PW
Apprentices, The. Maile Meloy, illus. by Ian Schoenherr. Putnam, $16.99. PW
Assassination and its Aftermath: How a Photograph Reassured a Shocked Nation. Don Nardo. Capstone, $8.95 pb. Booklist
Baby Bear Counts One. Ashley Wolff. S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99. Kirkus
Backward Glass. David Lomax. Flux, $9.99. Kirkus
Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and Other Female Villains. Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illus. by Rebecca Guay. Charlesbridge, $18.95. Booklist
Bag of Marbles, A: The Graphic Novel. Joseph Joffo, adapted by Kris, trans. from French by Edward Gauvin, illus. by Vincent Bailly. Lerner/Graphic Universe, $9.95. PW
Ball. Mary Sullivan. Houghton Mifflin, $12.99. PW
Ballad. Blexbolex. Trans. from the French by Claudia Z. Bedrick. Enchanted Lion (Consortium, dist.), $22.95. PW
Bang. Leo Timmers. Gecko Press USA (Lerner, dist.), $17.95. PW
Becoming Babe Ruth. Matt Tavares. Candlewick, $16.99. Booklist
Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late. Laura Overdeck, illus. by Jim Paillot. Feiwel and Friends, $14.99. PW
Bedtime Monsters. Josh Schneider. Clarion, $16.99. PW
Being Henry David. Cal Armistead. Albert Whitman, $16.99. Kirkus
Below. Meg McKinley. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Ben Rides On. Matt Davies. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Kirkus
Better Nate Than Ever. Tim Federle. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. PW
Better to Wish. Ann M. Martin. Scholastic, $16.99. PW
Betty Bunny Didn’t Do It. Michael B. Kaplan, illus. by Stéphane Jorisch. Dial, $16.99. PW
Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More: A History with 21 Activities. Mary Kay Carson. Chicago Review, $18.95. Booklist
Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation, The. Delphine Perret. Sterling, $12.95. Kirkus
Big Bear’s Big Boat. Eve Bunting, illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Clarion, $12.99. Kirkus
Big Little Mother. Kevin Kling; illus. by Chris Monroe. Borealis Books, $17.95. Kirkus
Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever. Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Binny for Short. Hilary McKay, illus. by Micah Player. S&S/McElderry, $16.99. PW
Black and Bittern Was Night. Robert Heidbreder, illus. by John Martz. Kids Can, $16.95. PW
Blackout. Robison Wells. HarperTeen, $17.99. PW
Blessing Cup, The. Patricia Polacco. S&S/Wiseman, $17.99. Kirkus
Blythewood. Carol Goodman. Viking, $17.99. PW
Bo at Ballard Creek. Kirkpatrick Hill, illus. by LeUyen Pham. Holt, $15.99. HB
Bobo the Sailor Man! Eileen Rosenthal, illus. by Marc Rosenthal. S&S/Atheneum, $15.99 PW
Bogart and Vinnie: A Completely Made-Up Story of True Friendship. Audrey Vernick, illus. by Henry Cole. Walker, $16.99. PW
Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History’s Mysteries. Elizabeth MacLeod. Annick, $24.95 hc, $14.95 pb. Kirkus
Book of Lost Things, The (Mister Max 1). Cynthia Voigt. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus
Boris on the Move. Andrew Joyner. Branches, $4.99. Kirkus
Box of Gargoyles, A. Anne Nesbet. HarperCollins, $16.99. Kirkus
Boy Nobody. Allen Zadoff. Little, Brown, $18. PW
Boy on the Bridge, The. Natalie Standiford. Scholastic, $17.99. PW
Boy on the Porch, The. Sharon Creech. HarperCollins, $16.99. Kirkus
Brief Thief. Michaël Escoffier. Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo. Enchanted Lion (Consortium, dist.), $16.95. PW
Brown v. Board of Education. David Aretha. Morgan Reynolds, $28.95. Booklist
Bruised. Sarah Skilton. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. PW
Bunnies on Ice. Joanna Wright. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99. SLJ
Burning Sky, The. Sherry Thomas. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. PW
Butterfly Colors and Counting. Jerry Pallotta, illus. by Shennen Bersani. Charlesbridge, $5.95. Kirkus
Bye-Bye Baby Brother! Sheena Dempsey. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
Caged Graves, The. Dianne K. Salerni. Clarion, $16.99. SLJ
Call of the Klondike: A True Gold Rush Adventure. David Meissner and Kim Richardson. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek, $16.95. Kirkus
Camel in the Sun, The. Griffin Ondaatje; illus. by Linda Woldsgruber. Groundwood (PGW, dist.), $17.95. PW
Captain Cat. Inga Moore. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Carnivores. Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Dan Santat. Chronicle, $16.99. PW
Cart that Carried Martin, The. Eve Bunting; illus. by Don Tate. Charlesbridge, $16.95. Booklist
Case of the Team Spirit, The. John Allison. Oni (Diamond, dist.), $19.99 paper. PW
Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, The: A Scientific Mystery. Sandra Markle. Millbrook, $29.27. SLJ
Catch Rider. Jennifer H. Lyne. Clarion, $16.99. Kirkus
Cats of Tanglewood Forest, The. Charles de Lint, illus. by Charles Vess. Little, Brown, $17.99. PW
Cheese Belongs to You! Alexis Deacon; illus. by Viviane Schwarz. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Cheetah Can’t Lose. Bob Shea. HarperTeen, $17.99. Kirkus
Cherry Money Baby. John M. Cusick. Candlewick, $16.99. PW
Chickens Build a Wall, The. Jean-François Dumont. Eerdmans, $16. PW
Chop Chop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family. Sally Sampson, photos by Carl Tremblay. Simon & Schuster, $19.99. SLJ
Chu’s Day. Neil Gaiman, illus. by Adam Rex. Harper, $17.99. PW
Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella. Jan Brett. Putnam, $17.99. PW
City of a Thousand Dolls. Miriam Forster. HarperTeen, $17.99. PW
Civil War Witness: Matthew Brady’s Photos Reveal the Horrors of War. Don Nardo. Capstone, $8.95 pb. Booklist
Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat. Doreen Cronin, illus. by Betsy Lewin. S&S/Atheneum, $16.99. PW
Coaltown Jesus. Ron Koertge. Candlewick, $16.99. HB
Come Back, Ben. Ann Hassett and John Hassett. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus
Constable and Toop. Gareth P. Jones. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. Booklist
Corr Syl the Warrior. Garry Rogers. Createspace, $14.95 pb. Kirkus
Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong, The. L. Tam Holland. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. Kirkus
Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope. Lisa Moser, illus. by Sebastiaan Van Doninck. Random House, $17.99. Kirkus
Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg. Lori Mortensen, illus. by Michael Allen Austin. Clarion, $16.99. Kirkus
Crash and Burn. Michael Hassan. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $18.99. Booklist
Criminal. Terra Elan McVoy. Simon Pulse, $16.99. PW
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass). Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury, $17.99. Kirkus
Cut the Lights. Karen Krossing. Orca pb., $9.95. Booklist
Cydonian Pyramid, The (Klaatu Diskos 02). Pete Hautman. Candlewick, $16.99. Kirkus
Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy. Elizabeth Kiem. Soho, $17.99. Booklist
Dash of Magic, A. Kathryn Littlewood. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99. Kirkus
Dear Life, You Suck. Scott Blagden. Harcourt, $17.99. SLJ
Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia. Jenny Torres Sanchez. Running Press, $9.95. Kirkus
Deer Watch, The. Pat Lowery Collins, illus. by David Slonim. Candlewick, $15.99. Booklist
Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic. Mark Tatulli. Andrews McMeel, $13.99. Kirkus
Diggers Are Coming, The! Susan Steggall. Frances Lincoln, $17.99. Kirkus
Diggers Go. Steve Light. Chronicle, $9.99. PW
Dinosaur Kisses. David Ezra Stein. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Dirty Gert. Tedd Arnold. Holiday House, $16.95. Kirkus
Dolphins of Shark Bay, The (Scientists in the Field). Pamela S. Turner. Houghton, $18.99. Kirkus
Don’t Say a Word, Mami / No Digas Nada, Mami. Joe Hayes, illus. by Esau Andrade Valencia. Cinco Puntos, $17.95 hc, $8.95 pb. Kirkus
Don’t Spill the Milk! Stephen Davies. illus. by Christopher Corr. Andersen Press USA (Lerner, dist.), $16.95. Kirkus
Dorko the Magnificent. Andrea Beaty, illus. by Nathan Hale. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. SLJ
Dozens of Cousins. Shutta Crum, illus. by David Catrow. Clarion, $16.99. PW
Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. Evan Roskos. Houghton Mifflin, $16.99. Kirkus
Dr. Radway’s Sarsaparilla Resolvent. Beth Kephart, illus. by William Sulit. Temple University, $15.95. Kirkus
Dream Friends. You Byun. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99. PW
East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Jackie Morris. Frances Lincoln, $14.99. Kirkus
Eat Up, Little Donkey. Rindert Kromhout, illus. by Annemarie Haeringen. Gecko Press, $14.95. Kirkus
Elite Infantry (Shadow Squadron). Carl Bowen, illus. by Wilson Tortosa. Capstone, $8.95. Kirkus
Empty Fridge. Gaëtan Dorémus. Wilkins Farago (IPG/Trafalgar Sq., dist.), $19.99. PW
Enchanter Heir, The (Heir Chronicles 4). Cinda Williams Chima. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99. Kirkus
End Games, The. Michael T. Martin. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. Booklist
Engines of the Broken World. Jason Vanhee. Henry Holt, $16.99. Kirkus
Enrique’s Journey: The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite with His Mother: Adapted for Young People. Sonia Nazario. Delacorte, $16.99. Kirkus
Entangled. Amy Rose Capetta. Houghton, $17.99. PW
Escape from Eden. Elisa Nader. Merit Press, $17.95. Kirkus
Escape Theory. Margaux Froley. Soho Teen, $17.99. PW
Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table. Jacqueline Briggs Martin; illus. by Eric-Shabazz Larkin. Readers to Eaters, $17.95. Booklist
Fearless. Cornelia Funke. Little, Brown, $19.99. Kirkus
Fifteenth Summer. Michelle Dalton. Simon Pulse, hc $17.99, pb $9.99. Kirkus
Final Descent, The. Rick Yancey. Simon & Schuster, $18.99. Booklist
Fireborn (Dragonborn). Toby Forward. Bloomsbury, $16.99.
Fire Horse Girl, The. Kay Honeyman. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. Booklist
First Big Book of the Ocean. Catherine D. Hughes. National Geographic, $14.95. Kirkus
Firstborn. Lorie Ann Grover. Blink, $15.99. Kirkus
Flight 1-2-3. Maria van Lieshout. Chronicle, $14.99. PW
Flight of the Honey Bee. Raymond Huber; illus. by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick, $16.99. Booklist
Flo & Wendell. William Wegman. Dial, $16.99. PW
Fog Island. Tomi Ungerer. Phaidon, $16.95. PW
Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems. Marilyn Singer, illus. by Josée Masse. Dial, $16.99. PW
Follow Your Money: Who Gets It, Who Spends It, Where Does It Go? Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka. Annick, $14.95. Kirkus
Formerly Shark Girl. Kelly Bingham. Candlewick, $16.99. Kirkus
Fourth Down and Inches: Concussions and Football’s Make-Or-Break Moment. Carla Killough McClafferty. Carolrhoda, $20.95. PW
Fox Forever. Mary E. Pearson. Holt, $17.99. PW
Fox Forgets. Suzanne Bloom. Boyds Mills, $16.95. Kirkus
Foxy! Jessica Souhami. Frances Lincoln, $17.99. Kirkus
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Up as an Undocumented Immigrant. Lisa McCormich. Rosen. $31.95. Booklist
Frequently Asked Questions About Skin Cancer. John M. Shea. Rosen. $31.95. Booklist
Frequently Asked Questions About Slander and Libel in the Digital Age. Molly Jones. Rosen. $31.95. Booklist
Frequently Asked Questions About Texting, Sexting, and Flaming. Rebecca T. Klein. Rosen. $31.95. Booklist
Friends. Mies van Hout. Lemniscaat USA, $17.95. PW
Frog Trouble… And Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs. Sandra Boynton. Workman, $16.95. PW
From Mud Huts to Skyscrapers. Christine Paxmann, trans. from German by Cynthia Hall, illus. by Anne Ibelings. Prestel, $19.95. SLJ
Funny Little Bird, A. Jennifer Yerkes. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $15.99. Kirkus
Furious. Jill Wolfson. Holt, $17.99. Booklist
Game On! (Squish #5). Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Random, $6.99. Kirkus
Game. Barry Lyga. Little, Brown, $17.99. Booklist
Gandhi: The March to the Sea. Alice B. McGinty, illus. by Thomas Gonzalez. Amazon, $17.95. SLJ
Garden of My Imaan, The. Farhana Zia. Peachtree, $15.95. PW
Gated. Amy Christine Parker. Random House, $17.99. Kirkus
Get Into Art! Animals: Enjoy Great Art—Then Create Your Own! Susie Brooks. Kingfisher, $12.99. Booklist
Giant Dance Party. Betsy Bird, illus. by Brandon Dorman. Greenwillow, $17.99. Kirkus
Gingersnap. Patricia Reilly Giff. Random House/Lamb, $15.99. Kirkus
Girl Called Problem, A. Katie Quirk. Eerdmans, $8 paperback Kirkus
Girl of the Wish Garden, The: A Thumbelina Story. Uma Krishnaswami, illus. by Nasrin Khosravi. Groundwood, $17.95. Kirkus
Glass, A. Etienne Delessert. Creative Editions, $18.99. PW
Global Baby Girls. Global Fund for Children. Charlesbridge, $6.95 board book. Kirkus
Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design. Chip Kidd. Workman, $17.95. Booklist
God’s Love for You Bible Storybook. Richard and Renée Stearns; illus. by Martina Peluso. Thomas Nelson, $19.99. PW
Golden. Jessi Kirby. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Booklist
Golden Girl (American Fairy 2). Sarah Zettel. Random House, $20.99. Kirkus
Gone Fishing. Tamera Will Wissinger, illus. by Matthew Cordell. HMH, $15.99. SLJ
Good Night, Sleep Tight. Mem Fox, illus. by Judy Horacek. Orchard, $16.99. Kirkus
Good Night! Benoit Marchon, illus. by Soledad Bravi. HMH, $7.99. PW
Good Trade, A. Alma Fullerton, illus. by Karen Patkau. Pajama Press (dist. by Orca), $19.95. Kirkus
Gorgeous. Paul Rudnick. Scholastic, $18.99. PW
Great Lollipop Caper, The. Dan Krall. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. PW
Great Trouble, The: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel. Deborah Hopkinson. Knopf, $16.99. PW
Greatest Dinosaur Ever, The. Brenda Z. Guiberson, illus. by Gennady Spirin. Holt, $17.99. SLJ
Grimm Conclusion, The. Adam Gidwitz. Dutton, $16.99. PW
Grumpy Goat. Brett Helquist. HarperCollins, $17.99. SLJ
Hansel and Gretel. The Brothers Grimm, illus. by Sybille Schenker. Minedition, $29.99. Kirkus
Happy Cat (I Like to Read series). Steve Henry. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. David A. Adler. Holiday House, $18.95. Booklist
Hattie Ever After. Kirby Larson. Delacorte, $16.99. Kirkus
Heartbreak Messenger, The. Alexander Vance. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. SLJ
Hello in There! A Big Sister’s Book of Waiting. Jo Witek, illus. by Christine Roussey. Abrams Appleseed, $16.95. PW
Hello, Mr. Hulot. David Merveille. North-South, $17.95. Kirkus
Henry’s Hand. Ross MacDonald. Abrams, $16.95. Kirkus
Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle, The. Christopher Healy. HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99. PW
Hidden Enemy, A (Survivors 02). Erin Hunter. HarperCollins, $16.99. Kirkus
Highway Rat, The. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Scholastic/Levine, $16.99. SLJ
Hippomobile! Jeff Tapia. Clarion, $16.99. Kirkus
Home. Ifeoma Onyefulu. Frances Lincoln, $17.99. Booklist
Hooked. Liz Fichera. Harlequin Teen, $9.99 pb. Kirkus
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball. John Coy, illus. by Joe Morse. Carolrhoda, $16.95. HB
How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story. Tim Tingle. Roadrunner Press, $18.95. Kirkus
How Not to Be a Dick: An Everyday Etiquette Guide. Meghan Doherty. Zest, $16.99. Booklist
How the Meteorite Got to the Museum. Jessie Hartland. Blue Apple, $17.99. Kirkus
I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! Linda Davick. S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99. PW
I Represent Sean Rosen. Jeff Baron. Greenwillow, $16.99. SLJ
I See… Patrick George. IPG (Trafalgar Sq., dist.), $12.99. PW
If I Ever Get Out of Here. Eric Gansworth. Scholastic/Levine, $17.99. Booklist
If You Could Be Mine. Sara Farizan. Algonquin, $16.99. Booklist
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II. Martin W. Sandler. Walker, $22.99. SLJ
Impulse (Jumper, Book 3). Steven Gould. Tor, $25.99. SLJ
In-Between, The. Barbara Stewart. St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.99 pb. Kirkus
Infinite Moment of Us, The. Lauren Myracle. Abrams, $17.95. Kirkus
Inhuman. Kat Falls. Scholastic, $17.99. Kirkus
Into That Forest. Louis Nowra. Amazon/Skyscape, $16.99. PW
Invasion. Walter Dean Myers. Scholastic, $17.99. HB
Invisibility. Andrea Cremer and David Levithan. Philomel, $18.99. PW
Invisible Boy, The. Trudy Ludwig, illus. by Patrice Barton. Knopf, $16.99. SLJ
Itsy Bitsy Spider (Urgency Emergency!). Dosh Archer. Albert Whitman, $12.99. Kirkus
Janie Face to Face. Caroline B. Cooney. Delacorte, $17.99. PW
Joe and Sparky Go to School. Jamie Michalak, illus. by Frank Remkiewicz. Candlewick, $15.99. HB
Just So Stories, vol. 1. Rudyard Kipling, illus. by Ian Wallace. Groundwood, $19.95. Kirkus
Kenta and the Big Wave. Ruth Ohi. Annick, $19.95 hc, $9.95 pb. Kirkus
Kindhearted Crocodile, The. Lucia Panzieri. trans. from Italian by Grace Maccarone, illus. by AntonGionata Ferrari. Holiday House, $16.95. SLJ
Kindness for Weakness. Shawn Goodman. Delacorte, $16.99. SLJ
King of Little Things, The. Bil Lepp, illus. by David T. Wenzel. Peachtree, $16.95. Kirkus
Kinslayer. Jay Kristoff. Dunne/St. Martin’s, $25.99. BCCB
Knit Your Bit: A World War I Story. Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Steven Guarnaccia. Putnam, $16.99. Booklist
Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me. Daniel Beaty, illus. by Bryan Collier. Little, Brown, $18. PW
Language Inside, The. Holly Thompson. Delacorte, $17.99. SLJ
Leap of Faith. Jamie Blair. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Kirkus
Left Behind (Jasper John Dooley). Caroline Adderson, illus. by Ben Clanton. Kids Can, $15.95. Kirkus
Legends, Icons, & Rebels: Music That Changed the World. Robbie Robertson, Jim Guerinot, et al. Tundra, $29. Booklist
Leo Geo and the Cosmic Crisis. Jon Chad. Roaring Brook, $16.99. Kirkus
Letter for Bear, A. David Lucas. Nobrow, $14.95. Kirkus
Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals’ Lives. Lola M. Schaefer; illus. by Christopher Silas Neal. Chronicle, $17.99. PW
Lightning Dreamer, The. Margarita Engle. Harcourt, $16.99. Booklist
Lily and Taylor. Elise Moser. Groundwood, $16.95. Kirkus
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers. Steve Sheinkin. Scholastic Press, $16.99. PW
Linked. Imogen Howson. Simon & Schuster, $16.99. Booklist
Little Acorn Grows Up. Edward Gibbs. Little, Brown, $8.99. PW
Little Bit of Oomph, A! Barney Saltzberg. Workman, $13.95. PW
Little Mermaid, The. Robert Sabuda. Little Simon, $29.99. PW
Little Mouse. Alison Murray. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. Booklist
Little You. Richard Van Camp, illus. by Julie Flett. Orca, $9.95. PW
Living, The. Matt de la Pena. Delacorte, $20.99. Kirkus
Long, Long Journey, The: The Godwit’s Amazing Migration. Sandra Markle, illus. by Mia Posada. Millbrook, $26.60. SLJ
Long, Long Line, The. Tomoko Ohmura. Owlkids, $16.95. Kirkus
Longest Night, The: A Passover Story. Laurel Snyder, illus. by Catia Chien. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. PW
Look! Ted Lewin. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus
Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids. Deborah Ellis. Groundwood, $14.95. Booklist
Lost in Petra. Melissa Mahle and Kathryn Dennis. SpyGirls Press, $8.99. PW
Loud Awake and Lost. Adele Griffin. Knopf, $16.99. Booklist
Loula is Leaving for Africa. Anne Villeneuve. Kids Can, $16.95. Kirkus
Love in the Time of Global Warming. Francesca Lia Block. Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99. PW
Lulu and the Dog from the Sea (Lulu, Book 2). Hilary McKay, illus. by Priscilla Lamont. Albert Whitman, $13.99. SLJ
Madman’s Daughter, The. Megan Shepherd. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. SLJ
Magic Marks the Spot. Caroline Carlson, illus. by Dave Phillips. Harper, $16.99. PW
Man with the Violin, The. Kathy Stinson, illus. by Dusan Petricic. Annick, $19.95. Kirkus
Marc Brown’s Playtime Rhymes: A Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together. Marc Brown. Little, Brown, $18. PW
Martin & Mahalia. Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Brian Pinkney. Little, Brown, $17.99. SLJ
Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1963 March on Washington. David Aretha. Morgan Reynolds, $28.95. Booklist
Masha and the Bear: A Story from Russia (Animal Stories 4). Lari Don, illus. by Melanie Williamson. Barefoot, $7.99 pb. Kirkus
Master George’s People: George Washington, His Slaves, and His Revolutionary Transformation. Marfe Ferguson Delano. National Geographic, $18.95. Booklist
Maude: The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton. Lauren Child, illus. by Trisha Krauss. Candlewick, $16.99. PW
Meet Me at the River. Nina de Gramont. Atheneum, $17.99. Kirkus
Message of the Birds, The. Kate Westerlund; illus. by Feridun Oral. Minedition, $16.99. Kirkus
Missing Mommy: A Book About Bereavement. Rebecca Cobb. Holt, $16.99. Kirkus
Mister Orange. Truus Matti, trans. by Laura Watkinson, illus. by Jenni Desmond. Enchanted Lion, $16.95. Booklist
Mister Whistler. Margaret Mahy, illus. by Gavin Bishop. Gecko, $18.95. PW
Mitchell Goes Bowling. Hallie Durand, illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
Mo’s Mustache. Ben Clanton. Tundra, $17.95. Kirkus
Mojo. Tim Tharp. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus
Moment Comes, A. Jennifer Bradbury. Atheneum, $16.99. Kirkus
Mommy! Mommy! Taro Gomi. Chronicle, $6.99. PW
Monster on the Hill. Rob Harrell. Top Shelf, $19.95. Kirkus
Moon and More, The. Sarah Dessen. Viking, $19.99. PW
Moonday. Adam Rex. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. Kirkus
Moose That Says Moo, A. Jennifer Hamburg, illus. by Sue Truesdell. FSG, $16.99. Kirkus
Mountain Dog. Margarita Engle, illus. by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov. Holt, $16.99. Kirkus
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. Tracy Kidder, adapted by Michael French. Delacorte, $16.99. Kirkus
Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice. Daniel Pinkwater, illus. by Adam Stower. Candlewick, $14.99. PW
Murilla Gorilla: Jungle Detective. Jennifer Lloyd, illus. by Jacqui Lee. Simply Read, $9.95. PW
Musk Ox Counts. Erin Cabatingan, illus. by Matthew Myers. Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.99 PW
My Basmati Bat Mitzvah. Paula J. Freedman. Abrams/Amulet, $16.95. Kirkus
My Beautiful Hippie. Janet Nichols Lynch. Holiday House, $16.95. Kirkus
My First Day. Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. HMH. SLJ
My Grandpa. Marta Altes. Abrams, $15.95. Kirkus
My Name is Blessing. Eric Walters, illus. by Eugenie Fernandes. Tundra, $17.95. Kirkus
My Neighbor is a Dog. Isabel Minhus Martins, illus. by Madalena Matoso. Owlkids, $16.95. Kirkus
Mysterious Traveler. Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham, illus. by PJ Lynch. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
Mystery of Darwin’s Frog, The. Marty Crump, illus. by Steve Jenkins. Boyds Mills, $16.95. SLJ
Mystery of Meerkat Hill: A Precious Ramotswe Mystery for Young Readers. Alexander McCall Smith; illus. by Iain McIntosh. Anchor, $6.99. Booklist
Nantucket Blue. Leila Howland. Hyperion, $16.99. PW
Natural World, The: The World in Infographics. Jon Richards and Ed Simkins. Owlkids, $16.95. PW
Never Ever. Jo Empson. Child’s Play, $16.99. Kirkus
No Bath, No Cake! Polly’s Pirate Party. Matthias Weinert, trans. from German by David Henry Wilson. North-South, $16.95. PW
No Fits, Nilson! Zachariah OHora. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus
No Monkeys, No Chocolate. Melissa Stewart and Allen Young, illus. by Nicole Wong. Charlesbridge, $16.95. Kirkus
Noisy Book, The. Soledad Bravi. Gecko (Lerner, dist), $15.95. PW
Northwest Passage. Stan Rogers, illus. by Matt James. Groundwood, $24.95. Kirkus
Not a Chance. Michelle Mulder. Orca, $9.95 pb. Kirkus
Nowhere Box, The. Sam Zuppardi. Candlewick, $15.99. Kirkus
Nowhere to Run. Claire J. Griffin. Namelos, $18.95. Kirkus
Obsidian Mirror. Catherine Fisher. Dial, $17.99. BCCB
Odette’s Secrets. Maryan Macdonald. Bloomsbury, $16.99. Kirkus
Off We Go! (Bear and Mole). Will Hillenbrand. Holiday House, $16.95. Kirkus
Oh So Tiny Bunny. David Kirk. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. Kirkus
Ol’ Mama Squirrel. David Ezra Stein. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99. PW
Once Upon a Memory. Nina Laden. Little, Brown, $17. Kirkus
Oliver and His Alligator. Paul Schmid. Disney, $15.99. Kirkus
Opposites. Xavier Deneux. Chronicle/Handprint, $14.99. PW
Originals, The. Cat Patrick. Little, Brown, $17.99. PW
Orleans. Sherri L. Smith. Putnam, $17.99. Booklist
Otis Christmas, An. Loren Long. Philomel, $17.99. Booklist
Otter, The Spotted Frog, & the Great Flood: A Creek Indian Story. Gerald Hausman; illus. by Ramon Shiloh. Wisdom Tales, $17.95. PW
Outcast Oracle, The. Laury A. Egan. Humanist Press, $10.99 pb. Kirkus
Outfoxed. Mike Twohy. Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, $15.99. SLJ
Outside, The. Laura Bickle. HMH, $16.99. Kirkus
Palace of Spies. Sarah Zettel. HMH, $16.99. Kirkus
Papa’s Mechanical Fish. Candace Fleming, illus. by Boris Kulikov. FSG/Ferguson, $16.99. SLJ
Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America. Helen Foster James and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh, illus. by Wilson Ong. Sleeping Bear, $16.99. Booklist
Paper Valentine. Brenna Yovanoff. Razorbill, $17.99. PW
Parched. Melanie Crowder. HMH, $15.99. BCCB
Path of Names, The. Ari Goelman. Scholastic, $16.99. Booklist
Paul Meets Bernadette. Rosy Lamb. Candlewick, $14. PW
Paul Thurlby’s Wildlife. Paul Thurlby. Templar, $24.25. Kirkus
Peace. Wendy Anderson Halperin. Atheneum, $17.99. SLJ
Peanut and Fifi Have a Ball. Randall de Sève, illus. by Paul Schmid. Dial, $15.99. SLJ
Peekaboo! Taro Gomi. Chronicle, $6.99 board book. Kirkus
Penguin Problems. Lauren Myracle, illus. by Jed Henry. Dutton, $12.99. PW
Perfect Ruin. Lauren DeStefano. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. Booklist
Perfectly Percy. Paul Schmid. HarperCollins, $17.99. SLJ
Permanent Record. Leslie Stella. Amazon, $17.99. PW
Pet Named Sneaker, A. Joan Heilbroner, illus. by Pascal Lemaitre. Random, $8.99. PW
Petey and Pru and the Hullabaloo. Ammi-Joan Paquette, illus. by Joy Ang. Clarion, $16.99. Kirkus
Pi in the Sky. Wendy Mass. Little, Brown, $17. PW
Pinwheel. Salina Yoon. LB Kids, $12.99. PW
Pirate’s Guide to Recess. James Preller, illus. by Greg Ruth. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. PW
Pirates on the Farm. Denette Fretz, illus. by Gene Barretta. Zonderkidz, $12.99. PW
Pivot Point. Kasie West. HarperTeen, $17.99. PW
Planet Ark: Preserving Earth’s Biodiversity. Adrienne Mason, illus. by Margot Thompson. Kids Can, $18.95. PW
Poseidon: Earth Shaker (Olympians, Book 5). George O’Connor. First Second, $16.99. SLJ
Princess of Cortova, The. Diane Stanley. Harper, $16.99. Booklist
Princess Posey and the Christmas Magic. Stephanie Greene, illus. by Stephanie Roth Sisson. Putnam, $13.99. Kirkus
Princess Tales: Once Upon a Time in Rhyme with Seek-and-Find Pictures. Grace Maccarone, illus. by Gail de Marcken. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. PW
Prodigy. Marie Lu. Putnam, $17.99. PW
Promise Me Something. Sara Kocek. Albert Whitman, $16.99. Kirkus
Quarantine: The Saints. Thomas Lex. Egmont, $17.99. Booklist
Radium Baby. St. John Karp. Remora House, $9.99 pb. Kirkus
Rain! Linda Ashman, illus. by Christian Robinson. HMH, $16.99. Kirkus
Rainbow Shoes. Tiffany Stone, illus. by Stefan Czernecki. Tradewind, $14.95. Kirkus
Rapture Practice. Aaron Hartzler. Little, Brown, $17.99. Kirkus
Red Hat. Lita Judge. Atheneum, $16.99. Kirkus
Red River Stallion. Troon Harrison. Bloomsbury, $16.99. Kirkus
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. Lucy Knisley. First Second, $17.99. PW
Requiem (Delirium 3). Lauren Oliver. HarperCollins, $18.99. Kirkus
Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl. Carolita Blythe. Delacorte, $16.99. Kirkus
Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. Selene Castroville, illus. by Drazen Kozjan. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek, $16.95. Booklist
Rifka Takes a Bow. Betty Rosenberg Perlov, illus. by Cosei Kawa. Kar-Ben, $7.95 pb. Kirkus
Rise of a Legend (Guardians of Ga’Hoole). Kathryn Lasky. Scholastic, $16.99. Kirkus
Road Trip. Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen. Random/Lamb, $12.99. PW
Robot, Go Bot! Dana Meachen Rau, illus. by Wook Jin Jung. Random House, $3.99. Kirkus
Roomies. Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando. Little, Brown, $18. PW
Rosie’s Magic Horse. Russell Hoban, illus. by Quentin Blake. Candlewick, $15.99. PW
Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices. David M. Schwartz, photos by Dwight Kuhn. Creston, $16.99. Kirkus
Round is a Tortilla. Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illus. by John Parra. Chronicle, $16.99. SLJ
Royal Ranger, The (Ranger’s Apprentice 12). John Flanagan. Philomel, $18.99. Kirkus
Ruining, The. Anna Collomore. Razorbill, $17.99. Kirkus
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. Liesl Shurtliff. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus
Santa Claus and the Three Bears. Maria Modugno, illus. by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer. HarperCollins, $17.99. Kirkus
Sasquatch in the Paint. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 Kirkus
Saturday Boy, The. David Fleming. Viking, $16.99. BCCB
Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Really Looked Like? Catherine Thimmesh. HMH, $17.99. HB
Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies. Mélanie Watt. Kids Can, $17.95. PW
Season of the Witch. Mariah Fredericks. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99. PW
Secret Pizza Party. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial, $16.99. SLJ
Secret Pool. Kimberley Ridley, illus. by Rebekah Raye. Tilbury House, $16.95. Kirkus
See Me Dig. Paul Meisel. Holiday House, $14.95. Kirkus
See What a Seal Can Do. Chris Butterworth, illus. by Kate Nelms. Candlewick, $14.99. SLJ
Seeing Red. Kathryn Erskine. Scholastic, $16.99. Booklist
Serafina’s Promise. Ann E. Burg. Scholastic, $16.99. Kirkus
Shadowlark. Meagan Spooner. Carolrhoda/Lab, $17.95. Booklist
Sidekicked. John David Anderson. HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99. PW
Sideshow of Merit. Nicole Pietsch. Namelos, $22.95. Booklist
Silver Moon, The: Lullabies and Cradle Songs. Jack Prelutsky, illus. by Jui Ishida. Greenwillow, $17.99. PW
Sing. Joe Raposo, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99. SLJ
Sketchy. Olivia Samms. Amazon, $16.99. PW
Skull in the Rock, The: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins. Lee R. Berger and Marc Aronson. National Geographic, $18.95. Kirkus
Sleepwalkers, The. Viviane Schwarz. Candlewick, $9.99. Booklist
Sneaky Art: Crafty Surprises to Hide in Plain Sight. Marthe Jocelyn. Candlewick, $12.99. Booklist
Snow Queen, The. Hans Christian Andersen, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. HarperCollins, $17.99. Kirkus
Soldier Dog. Sam Angus. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. SLJ
Some Quiet Place. Kelsey Sutton. Flux, $9.99 pb. Kirkus
Something Big. Sylvie Neeman, trans. from French by Claudia Zoe Bedrick, illus. by Ingrid Godon. Enchanted Lion (Consortium, dist.), $16.95. PW
Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio. Robert Skead, illus. by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda, $16.95. Kirkus
Son of Fortune. Victoria McKernan. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus
Song of the Quarkbeast. Jasper Fforde. Harcourt, $16.99. PW
Sophie Scott Goes South. Alison Lester. Houghton, $17.99. Booklist
Sorrow’s Knot. Erin Bow. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, $17.99. Kirkus
Sound of Your Voice, Only Really Far Away, The. Frances O’Roark Dowell. Atheneum, $16.99. Kirkus
Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond. David A. Aguilar, et al. National Geographic, $24.95. Kirkus
Spike: Ugliest Dog in the Universe. Debra Frasier. S&S/Beach Lane, $16.99. Kirkus
Splintered. A.G. Howard. Abrams/Amulet, $17.95. BCCB
Spooky Box, The. Mark Gonyea. Holt, $14.99. PW
Spooky Friends. Jane Feder, illus. by Julie Downing. Scholastic, $16.99 hc, $3.99 pb. Kirkus
Star Wars: Jedi Academy. Jeffrey Brown. Scholastic, $12.99. Booklist
Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems. Jack Prelutsky, illus. by Carin Berger. Greenwillow, $17.99. PW
Starring Jules (as Herself). Beth Ain, illus. by Anne Keenan Higgins. Scholastic, $14.99. PW
Starry-Eyed: 16 Stories That Steal the Spotlight. Ed. by Ted Michael and Josh Pultz. Running Press, $9.95. Booklist
Steadfast Tin Soldier, The. Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Jen Corace. Abrams, $17.95. PW
Steelheart. Brandon Sanderson. Delacorte, $18.99. Booklist
Stellarella! It’s Saturday! Deborah W. Dykes, illus. by Christina Mattison Ebert-Klaven. Maine Authors Publishing, $15.95. PW
Still Star-Crossed. Melinda Taub. Delacorte, $16.99. Kirkus
Story of Fish & Snail, The. Deborah Freedman. Viking, $16.99. Kirkus
Strega Nona Does It Again. Tomie dePaola. Penguin/Paulsen, $17.99. PW
Stronger Than Steel: Spider Silk DNA and the Quest for Better Bulletproof Vests, Sutures, and Parachute Rope. Bridget Heos, photos by Andy Comins. HMH, $18.99 PW
Stung. Bethany Wiggins. Walker, $17.99. Kirkus
Sugar. Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little, Brown, $16.99. Kirkus
Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell. Gary Urey, illus. by Ethan Long. Albert Whitman, $14.99. Kirkus
Superhero Joe and the Creature Next Door. Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99. Kirkus
Superman Family Adventures, v. 1. Art Baltazar and Franco. DC Comics, $12.99. Booklist
Sylo. D.J. MacHale. Razorbill, $17.99. Kirkus
Table Sets Itself, The. Ben Clanton. Walker, $16.99. Kirkus
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book. Stephen Savage. Dial, $16.99. PW
Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, The. John Boyne, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Knopf, $16.99. PW
Testing, The. Joelle Charbonneau. Houghton Mifflin, $17.99. PW
Texting the Underworld. Ellen Booraem. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus
There, There. Sam McBratney, illus. by Ivan Bates. Candlewick/Templar, $15.99. PW
These Broken Stars. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Disney/Hyperion, $17.99. Booklist
Thin Space. Jody Casella. Simon Pulse/Beyond Words, $16.99 hc, $9.99 pb. Kirkus
This Is Our House. Hyewon Yum. FSG, $16.99. Kirkus
This Journal Belongs to Ratchet. Nancy J. Cavanaugh. Sourcebooks, $12.99. Kirkus
Thor: The Viking God of Thunder (Myths and Legends). Graeme Davis. Miguel Coimbra. Osprey, $17.95 pb. Kirkus
Thumpy Feet. Betsy Lewin. Holiday House, $16.95. Kirkus
Thunderstorm. Arthur Geisert. Enchanted Lion, $17.95. Kirkus
Tides. Betsy Cornwell. Clarion, $16.99. PW
Time Fetch, The. Amy Herrick. Algonquin, $16.95. SLJ
Tiny Mouse, The. Janis Ian, illus. by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert. Lemniscaat USA, $19.95. Kirkus
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt. Doreen Rappaport; illus. by C.F. Payne. Disney Press, $17.99. Kirkus
Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right. Caroline Arnold, illus. by Annie Patterson. Charlesbridge, $7.95 pb. Kirkus
Torn. David Massey. Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99. Booklist
Tragedy Paper, The. Elizabeth LaBan. Knopf, $17.99. Booklist
Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe. Matthew Reinhart, illus. by Emiliano Santalucia. Little, Brown, $37. PW
Treasure on Superstition Mountain. Elise Broach, illus. by Antonio Javier Caparo. Holt/Ottaviano, $15.99. PW
Trick of the Light, A. Lois Metzger. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. PW
Trinkets. Kirsten Smith. Little, Brown, $17.99. PW
Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse, A. Frank Viva. Toon, $12.95. SLJ
Truth of Me, The. Patricia MacLachlan. HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99. PW
Twelve Days of Christmas, The. Susan Jeffers. HarperCollins, $17.99. Kirkus
Twelve-Fingered Boy, The. John Hornor Jacobs. Carolrhoda/Lab, $17.95. Booklist
Twenty-Six Pirates: An Alphabet Book. David Horowitz. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99. Kirkus
Twinmaker. Sean Williams. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99. Booklist
Twistrose Key, The. Tone Almhjell, illus. by Ian Schoenherr. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus
Typewriter Girl, The. Alison Atlee. S&S/Gallery, $15. PW
Unnatural Creatures. Ed. by Neil Gaiman with Maria Dahvana Headley. Harper, $17.99. PW
Unthinkable. Nancy Werlin. Dial, $17.99. Booklist
Up Close. Gay Wegerif. Abrams Appleseed, $12.95. PW
Vacation for Pooch, A. Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Holt, $16.99. Kirkus
Very Fairy Princess Sparkles in the Snow, The. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illus. by Christine Davenier. Little, Brown, $18. Kirkus
Very Inappropriate Word, The. Jim Tobin, illus. by Dave Coverly. Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99. PW
VIII. H.M. Castor. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. BCCB
Vine Basket, The. Josanne La Valley. Clarion, $16.99. SLJ
Vortex. S.J. Kincaid. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99. Kirkus
Waluk. Emilio Ruiz. Trans. and adapted from the Spanish by Don Oliverio, illus. by Ana Miralles. Lerner/Graphic Universe, $7.95 pb. PW
Want to Be in a Band? Suzzy Roche, illus. by Giselle Potter. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99. PW
War Dogs: Churchill and Rufus. Kathryn Selbert. Charlesbridge, $17.95. Kirkus
Water Castle, The. Megan Frazer Blakemore. Walker and Co,. $16.99. Kirkus
We Go Together! A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse. Calef Brown. Houghton Mifflin, $9.99. PW
We Love Each Other. Yusuke Yonezu. minedition (IPG, dist.), $9.95. PW
Wee Rhymes: Baby’s First Poetry Book. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Jane Dyer. S&S/Wiseman, $19.99. PW
Weight of Water, The. Sarah Crossan. Bloomsbury, $16.99. PW
Weird Sea Creatures. Erich Hoyt. Firefly, $19.95 hc., $9,95 pb. SLJ
Welcome to Mamoko. Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski. Big Picture Press, $17.99. Kirkus
Wells Bequest, The: A Companion to the Grimm Legacy. Polly Shulman. Penguin/Paulsen, $16.99. Kirkus
Whale Shines: An Artistic Tale. Fiona Robinson. Abrams, $17.95. PW
What a Party! Ana Maria Machado, illus. by Helene Moreau, trans. by Elisa Arnado. Groundwood, $18.95. Kirkus
What Floats in a Moat? Lynne Berry, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. PW
What Makes a Baby. Cory Silverberg, illus. by Fiona Smyth. Triangle Square, $16.95. Kirkus
Whatnot, The. Stefan Bachmann. Greenwillow, $16.99. PW
When I Was Eight. Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard. Annick, $21.95 hc, $9.95 pb. Kirkus
When No One Is Watching. Eileen Spinelli, illus. by David A. Johnson. Eerdmans, $16. SLJ
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop. Laban Carrick Hill, illus. by Theodore Taylor. Roaring Brook, $17.99. Kirkus
When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears (Goblin Wars 3). Kersten Hamilton. Clarion, $16.99. Kirkus
When We Wake. Karen Healey. Little, Brown, $17.99. Kirkus
Where Do We Go When We Disappear? Isabel Minhos Martins, illus. by Madalena Matoso. Tate Publishing, $14.95. Kirkus
Where My Wellies Take Me. Michael Morpurgo and Clare Morpurgo, illus. by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Templar, $29.99. Kirkus
Which is Round? Which is Bigger? Mineko Mamada. Kids Can, $16.95. Booklist
Whiskers, Tails, & Wings: Animal Folk Tales from Mexico. Judy Goldman, illus. by Fabricio VandenBroeck. Charlesbridge, $16.95. Kirkus
Whistle in the Dark. Susan Hill Long. Holiday House, $16.95. PW
White Fur Flying. Patricia MacLachlan. S&S/McElderry, $15.99. Kirkus
Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell. Tanya Lee Stone, illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Holt/Ottaviano, $16.99. Booklist
Who’s Hiding? Sebastien Braun. Candlewick, $6.99 board book. Kirkus
Why Do We Fight? Conflict, War, and Peace. Niki Walker. Owlkids, $16.95 PW
Wicked Cruel. Rich Wallace. Knopf, $16.99. Kirkus
Wig in the Window, The. Kristen Kittscher. HarperCollins/Harper, $16.99. SLJ
Wild Berries. Julie Flett. Simply Read, $16.95. Kirkus
Will & Whit. Laura Lee Gulledge. Abrams/Amulet, $12.95. Kirkus
Will in Scarlet. Matthew Cody. Knopf, $16.99. BCCB
Windblown. Édouard Manceau, trans. from French by Sarah Quinn. Owlkids, $16.95. PW
Winter Is for Snow. Robert Neubecker. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. PW
Wise Young Fool. Sean Beaudoin. Little, Brown, $18. Booklist
Words with Wings. Nikki Grimes. Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $15.95. Booklist, Kirkus
Wrap-Up List. Steven Arntson. HMH, $15.99. Kirkus
Year of the Baby, The. Andrea Cheng, illus. by Patrice Barton. HMH, $15.99. SLJ
Yes, Let’s. Galen Goodwin Longstreth, illus. by Maris Wicks. Tanglewood, $15.95. PW
Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies. Nell Beram and Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky. Abrams/Amulet, $24.95. BCCB
You Are My Baby: Safari. Lorena Siminovich. Chronicle, $8.99 board book. Kirkus
You Are Stardust. Elin Kelsey, illus. by Kim Soyeon. Owlkids, $18.95. Kirkus
You Know What I Love? Lorena Siminovich. Dial, $16.99. Kirkus
You Were the First. Patricia MacLachlan; illus. by Stephanie Graegin. Little, Brown, $17. Booklist
You’re Wearing That to School? Lynn Plourde, illus. by Sue Cornelison. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99. Kirkus
Zero Fade. Chris L. Terry. Curbside Splendor, $12. Kirkus

I’ve noticed a great trend this fall: book-themed baby showers. Gone seem to be the days of onesies and silver rattles. Instead expectant parents are asking for books and getting lots of them. There seems to be something about books for baby showers that makes people happy.
The gift givers feel like getting a baby-to-be books is a great idea. Books always fit and the sharing of childhood favorites makes everyone feel good. I love this new tradition. Helping build a new little person’s library is a lofty undertaking and one I hope has lasting effects. I love how customers approach this task. Some take it very seriously and really scour the shelves looking for those books that the family will love and the child will enjoy for years to come. Others just look for Goodnight Moon or Pat the Bunny. I’m not disparaging these classics, but I feel like everyone has them already. Some just stand in the picture book section scratching their heads because they don’t have kids in their lives and they’re overwhelmed. This is where booksellers come to the rescue. Part of our job is to make the picture book section seems smaller and easier to manage.
I ask guided questions of each gift giver that acts like a logarithm. Did you want something the baby can enjoy right away? Then we head to the board book section and look for books with bold colors. Are you looking to build a library for future use? Then I tend to lean toward the Caldecott case if they don’t have titles in mind. Do you want something that no one will get them, but they’ll love? Then I prowl around for a classic Bob Graham title or something funny like Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? I often will go for fairy tale collections or something like My Very First Mother Goose. 
When the entire family gets involved, it’s a great baby shower gift. There’s nothing as heartening as seeing teenagers come alive when they start talking about the picture books they loved as kids. This kind of present is just so much more meaningful. My niece still loves the collection I gave my brother when she was born three years ago. There are so many modern classics that I love to give: Good Night, Gorilla; Ten Little Fingers, Ten Little Toes; Each Peach Pear Plum; and honestly, just about anything by Sandra Boynton.
So, readers, what are some of your favorite baby shower books?

I spent the weekend visiting my brother’s family in Chicago. As I’m wont to do, I spent some time at a local independent bookstore. I love doing this when I travel. There is something really fun for me in seeing other stores. I walk into a store and marvel at other ways stores are set up, how they merchandise sidelines, and the depth of inventory.

I was lucky to spend my time at a store I’ve always wanted to go: Women and Children First. My sister-in-law, Sara, and niece and my four-month old nephew and I showed up at 10:45, not knowing that they opened at 11am. We grabbed a coffee and then we were the first people in the store. And then something wonderful happened that every bookstore owner loves to see: within five minutes of opening the store was brimming, literally completely full of customers.
As if the inviting, full store weren’t enough, I met a wonderful bookseller, Selina, who is the reason indies are still thriving. Sara is working on a YA novel with a dystopian theme. I wanted to show her some books that buck the current dystopian trend. She immediately grabbed one of her favorite books, The Order of Odd-Fish, and started to book talk it. She spoke eloquently and with passion. I wholeheartedly bought the book just based on her joy about being able to talk about it, knowing it was the exact right book for my sister-in-law.
Selina clearly loves books and was a delight to talk to. She, and other staffers like her (everyone at Women and Children First was great), are what make indies different from shopping online or chain stores. As I was leaving we were talking about the big events the store has. They were gearing up for Diane Ravitch this week. They were expecting 500 at the event. The last thing I heard was that Diane had to cancel because she ill. I watched as the very well-oiled machine was about to kick into high gear to do what needs to get done when a huge event gets cancelled less than a week before its scheduled date.
I left the store happy to have been there and to have talked to Selina, and also secretly happy that I was on vacation and could just revel in being able to go to lunch where we all read our new books.