THE SHOW MUST GO ON

In the latest book from the popular series, Andy and Sandy enter a talent show at their school. Sandy encourages Andy to dance with her, but Andy is shy because he doesn't know how. Sandy is a good friend and helps Andy by teaching him. With lots of practice, Andy is feeling more confident than ever. How well will they do in their big debut? 

Andy & Sandy and the Big Talent Show, by beloved author-illustrator Tomie DePaola, ​is the perfect series for beginning readers all around. Andy and Sandy will delight the hearts of young children through the beautiful illustrations and story of true friendship. Tomie DePaola expertly captures the essence of friends overcoming fear together. 

This book, and the other titles in the Andy & Sandy series, are great early readers for children in kindergarten through second grade. 

RESCUES IN TIME

Ranger always knew he was destined to be a search-and-rescue dog. He’s had all the proper training, and with his powerful nose he’s never failed to find his mark. Sure the spirited golden retriever has a tendency to be distracted by squirrels, but really, what dog could possibly resist the allure of a bushy tail racing past? 

It’s during one of these exuberant squirrel chases that Ranger uncovers a mysterious metal box in his backyard and suddenly finds himself traveling back in time to Independence, Missouri, circa 1850. Though Ranger longs to be reunited with his own family in his own time, it’s soon clear to him that he’s been sent to watch over the Abbott family as they embark on the historic Oregon Trail and that he won’t return home until this mission is complete. 

Fans of Mary Pope Osborne’s The Magic Treehouse Series will enjoy this well-researched historical (with a hint of magic) tale. Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail by Kate Messner is the first of a series, followed by Danger in Ancient Rome (June 2015) and Long Road to Freedom (December 2015). The book includes an author’s note with historical background and references. 

For grades 2-4.

SCHOOL OF MAGIC

There is a new wizard boy on the block.

And his name is Callum Hunt. Raised by his magic-hating father, Call grows up thinking that all magicians are evil, and were responsible for his mother's death when he was merely a baby. So when he is called to take the mandatory exams that might lead to his acceptance to the Magisterium, he is carefully coached by his father to do everything in order to fail. But although he tries very hard to fail (to fail), Call is picked nonetheless and has to attend his first year - the Iron Year - at the Magisterium. Together with his new friends Tamara and Aaron, Callum is coached by Master Rufus in magic skills in preparation for the Iron Trial, which will signify the end of the school year. But there is more to the world of magic than Callum knows, and he slowly starts to wonder if his father was right in cautioning him against it. There is an enemy that has been hidden for years waiting to resurface - calling himself the Enemy of Death -who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The Iron Trial is the first book of a projected five-book series from popular children's and young adult literature writers Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Readers will find many similarities with the Harry Potter series, but whether this is a bad or a good thing is up to the reader to decide.


For grades 5 and up.

NEVER AFTER CONTINUED

After Raven Queen decided not to sign the Storybook of Legends, Ever After High has been turned upside down.  It's Rebels vs. Royals, with Raven leading the rebels and Apple White leading the Royals, but neither of them can seem to get the two groups talking and getting along again.  That is, until they all have a cause to unite behind when Madeline Hatter gets into trouble and might be expelled out of Ever After High - forever!  Can Raven and Apple bring the school back together?  Can they reconcile their own differences?  Will Raven's mom, the Evil Queen make an appearance in her mirror and wreck havoc?  Find out in Shannon Hale's second installment of Ever After High, The Unfairest of Them All for kids in grades 6-8.

THE NEXT LAST DRAGONSLAYER

In case you were fascinated-and a little horrified-by the creature that is "one tenth Labrador, six-tenths velociraptor and three-tenths kitchen food blender," from the Last Dragonslayer, you can find out more in the second book, The Song of the Quarkbeast. With the Great Zambini still missing, Jennifer Strange continues to be the acting manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management, and it is not the easiest of jobs. With the rise of Big Magic, Jennifer, Tiger Prawns, and the accompanying cast of strange but generally well-meaning magicians are the only ones who can prevent King Snodd and iMagic from using magic for personal gain, rather than the common good. The troubles start when a mysterious client recruits Kazam's talents to find a ring that does not want to be found, and only escalate when King Snodd appoints Blix from iMagic to Court Sorcerer, requiring Kazam to obey all of iMagic's wishes. Will Jennifer and Kazam be able to resist Blix and King Snodd against all odds? And most importantly, why is there a mysterious Quarkbeast roaming in the streets of Hereford?
 

The Song of the Quarkbeast  by Jasper FForde is as lough-out-loud witty as its prequel. In fact, it is possible that it might be even better. If you like a good deal of laughs with your fantasy and science fiction, you might have just met your favorite new series.

For readers in 4th-8th. 

LULU SAVES STRAY DOGS BY THE SEASHORE

Lulu's family has one rule about pets:  "The more the merrier!  As long as Lulu cleans up after them!"  This means that Lulu spends a lot of her time cleaning because her family already has a lot of pets:  2 guinea pigs, four rabbits, one parrot, one hamster, a lot of goldfish, and a dog named Sam.  With all these animals, it's no surprise that when they go on vacation to the seaside and find a stray dog, Lulu wants to tame him.  With the help of her best friend/cousin Mellie, Lulu tries her best to tame the Dog From the Sea and change everyone's mind that he's nothing but a nuisance and a trouble maker.

Hilary McKay's second installment of the Lulu series, Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is perfect for fourth graders who love animals.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLY DANGEROUS

From Mr. B at the Grandview Branch: 

Riley Mack and his mostly middle-school team aren’t really troublemakers. They just try to help innocent kids who are in trouble and unable to defend themselves against bullies or confused adults.  Like their Mission Impossible heroes, but with much more humor, Riley, Jake, Jamal (the brilliant fifth grader), Briana, and Mongo use their talents, disguises and electronic devices to make trouble for troublemakers.  

It’s summer break, and the stream below the private golf course where the team likes to cool off is filled with dead fish.  Riley usually shares his troubles with his soldier father in Afghanistan via Skype, but his father has been accused of procuring tainted food for the mess hall, and is in the brig.  Meanwhile, Briana has entered a talent contest and is being bullied by another act.  These seemingly unrelated events are in fact all part of a plot by real troublemakers - adult troublemakers, including the police. 

Co-author of I Funny, Chris Grabenstein on his own spins a mission-impossible like mystery-adventure in Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble.  While this book is part of a series, the series can be read in any order.  Start with this one and you’ll want to read the others.

Grades 4-8

AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Omakayas lives on an island in Lake Superior in 1850 as a member of the Ojibwe tribe.  Her life is filled with pesky little brothers, loud-mouth cousins, and a grandmother who wants to nurture the healer in Omakayas.  Her older sister teaches her the chimookomanag alphabet – a strange, written language that she knows will help her in her future.  A future that is quickly changing from the life she imagined it would be.  One day, a group of refugees arrive on Omakayas’ island.  This group had been pushed out of their homes by the chimookomanag, or white people, and many of their family members died or were separated along the way.  This is the day that Omakayas realizes her life and the lives of her family will change and that Lake Superior may not be the place she calls home for much longer.

Join Omakayas and her family as she struggles to lead a normal life under an unknown threat in The Game of Silence, the sequel to The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich.  Children in grades four and five who enjoy historical fiction and The Little House books will enjoy this alternate and often unhighlighted part of history. 

For readers in 5th -7th grades.  

GHOSTS ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK

If your mom or dad suddenly died, do you think you would be able to see their ghost? Jay thinks he's seen his Dad's ghost, and is now a dedicated paranormal scientist. Well, as much as one can be when they are still in middle school. But he and his friends team up to form a paranormal detective agency. Their first job: find a missing artifact that will allow them to control the spirit world. Will this help Jay be able to talk to his Dad?

THE SEARCH FOR THE DOMINION GLASS by Justin Heimberg is the first book in the "Ghosts of Rockville" series that may reveal more than anyone knows about paranormal activity. Plus, it includes a special decoder glass to reveal many secret mysteries! For grades 5 and up.

CEMETERIES + SKULLS = SAMMY KEYES

Sammy is back with another thrilling mystery. She and her friends decide to take a shortcut through the town cemetery after trick-or-treating on Halloween and they run into "a beast". Scared witless, they run home. But instead of candy, they find their sack filled with two skulls.

Hmm... what did Sammy get her friends into this time?

Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls by Wendelin van Draanen is perfect for readers 6th-8th. You don't have to read this just during Halloween time though.

ENOLA AND SHERLOCK?

A duchess has vanished in the Underground (London's subway trains) and Enola, rather Dr. Ragostin, has been hired to find the missing woman. The only glitch is that she disappeared at the Baker Street station where her brother, Sherlock, lives.

In this sixth book of the Enola Holmes Mystery, our fearless feminist heroine and her famous detective older brother are both hired to solve the same case! All the while, she receives a coded message from her mother who has been living with the gypsies. Who will solve the mystery and find the duchess? Will Enola be reunited with her mother?

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye by Nancy Springer holds many surprises for Enola fans. For readers in 6th-8th.

THE IMAGINARY PRAGUE

THE CABINET OF WONDERS by Marie Rutkoski begins a new series called The Kronos Chronicles. Set in Prague in an undetermined point in time, Petra lives with her father who has the amazing ability to move and shape metal just by thinking! Unfortunately, when her father's eyes are removed after he builds an astronomical clock of magical proportion for the local prince, Petra sets out to retrieve them. She experiences some great adventures along the way, and learns quite a bit about who she is and her own special powers. Hopefully the rest of the series will be as entertaining and enjoyable as this book. For 6th grade and up.