The Gallaudet Eleven: The Story of NASA’s Deaf Bioastronauts by Kerry O’Malley Cerra, illustrated by Kristina Gehrmann (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, grades 1-4). As …

The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy by Angela Cervantes (Henry Holt and Co., 240 pages, grades 4-7). Diez has a dad who loved soccer and almost went pro. He had a mother who loved mysteries …

The Yellow Postcard: A Story About Food and Community by Savannah Allen (Viking Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Taylor is excited when her older sister ‘Tea wakes her up with th…

Maud and the Very Eventful Week (Maud the Vampire, book 1) by Lisa Anchin (Candlewick, 64 pages, grades K-3). Each day of Maud’s week is eventful, from buying a runaway teapot at the Night Ma…

Mac & Cheese: The Origin Story by Michael L. Benner, illustrated by Alison Hawkins (Orchard Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Mac is a friendly noodle who gets along with other forms of pasta but lon…

Giggling Ghosts by Fiz Osborne, illustrated by Tim Budgen (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A group of happy ghosts wake up at (our) bedtime and get ready for a nigh…

A Very Good Parade by Eleanor Davis (Harry N. Abrams, 48 pages, ages 4-8). When Gabby decides it’s time for a parade, she is unstoppable. Miguel has his dad’s big horn, but he doesn&#82…

Story Rug by Sophie Blackall, illustrated by Phoebe Wahl (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, grades K-3). Other classrooms may be noisy, but room 203 is silent as the kids indulge the…

A Not So Perfect Start by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Thea’s starting school with some big feelings: excitement (to meet …

I hope most educators who read this still have a week or two of summer vacation, but here in Springfield, Massachusetts, today is the first day of school. To get everyone back in the swing of thing…

The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Green by Corey Ann Haydu (Quill Tree Books, 336 pages, grades 4-7). Denny is dealing with a lot as her twelfth birthday approaches: her mom has relapsed with th…

Speed Reader by Matthew Cody, illustrated by Zack Giallongo (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 160 pages, grades 3-7). Despite his late superhero grandfather Felix Fast, Zander Fast isn’t exactly kn…

Pia in the Forest by David Bruggink (Holiday House, 112 pages, grades 1-4). We meet Pia early one morning as she’s drawing a pinecone creature. She’s so excited about her idea that she …

The Haunted Playground by R. J. Palacio, illustrated by Brett Helquist (Random House Books for Young Readers, 50 pages, grades K-3). Even ghosts need a break from being scary, so on Halloween night…

The Second Life of Snap by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books, 176 pages, grades 4-7). 12-year-old Zuzu lives in an impoverished camp in the shadow of Lockwood Corporation that controls life in …

Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun by Tadgh Bentley (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Did you know the first roller coaster was invented by accident? Bear just wanted a quick …

Offside by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, illustrated by Mari Costa (Graphix, 208 pages, grades 4-8). This year’s middle school soccer team is open to girls for the first time, and just about every…

When You’re Brave Enough by Rebeca Bendheim (Viking Books for Young Readers, 304 pages, grades 5-8). Back in Austin, Lacey mostly hung out with her best friend Grace whose two moms are also c…

Unlikely Friends (Diary of a Dinoghost, book 1) by Monica Arnaldo (Scholastic, published August 4, 96 pages, grades 1-3). Cobble is a dinoghost–a brontosaurus who has been a ghost “sinc…

Celebrate We Gullah Geechee by Yvette R. Murray, illustrated by Tonya Engel (Free Spirit Publishing, 44 pages, grades 1-4). Five children introduce readers to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage C…

The Band of Bigs (League of Littles, book 2) by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Sara Faber (Greenwillow Books, 128 pages, grades 3-7). When an older brother babysitter gets locked out of the house by h…

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga (Balzer + Bray, 240 pages, grades 3-7). Finnegan is an abandoned dog, lost in the woods after a shameful incident with his previous owner th…

You Are the Land by Steph Littlebird (Nancy Paulsen Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). From the time she’s born, a Native girl is surrounded by love, both from her family members and the natural wor…

We Are Joy by Chrystal D. Giles, illustrated by Kitt Thomas (Random House Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Each spread shows an extended family celebrating joy in some way: “We a…

Turtle with a Toolbox by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Dudolf (HarperCollins, 32 pages, ages 3-6). Turtle’s toolbox (which is kind of weirdly built into his shell) contains everything he needs t…

Perfect Enough by Meg Eden Kuyatt (Scholastic Press, 352 pages, grades 4-7). In this follow up to Good Different, we meet Seleh as she’s preparing for some big changes in her life. Not only h…

The 2026 Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards were announced on June 15, and I was thrilled that Nicholas Day won the nonfiction award for A World Without Summer, and Julie Leung and Angie Kang won the pi…

Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class #11) by Kyle Lukoff (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 128 pages, grades 2-4). Sebastian loves going to the school…

Strays by Gia Gordon (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 272 pages, grades 4-7). When Campbell sees a puppy dumped from a van, she knows only to well what is likely to happen: her dad is the head of animal…

Explore the Far Side of the Moon by Jenny Jacoby with consultant Dr. Sheila Kanani, illustrated by Lea Woo (Thames and Hudson, 64 pages, grades 2-6). Readers are invited on a mission to the far sid…

Otter Space (Pip & Pals #1) by Jen de Oliveira (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 80 pages, ages 6-9). Pip is a young otter who’s still learning to swim and tends to get tangled in the seawe…

The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James by Mike Dawson (Union Square Kids, 256 pages, grades 3-7). 12-year-old Geordie is dealing with a lot of anxiety, especially when he has to interact with kids at…

Honeybird Blue by Taunya English, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa (HarperCollins, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Honeybird and Pop get up before the sun to head into the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in…

America’s Founding Myths…And What Really Happened! by Christy Mihaly, illustrated by Marta Sevilla (Barefoot Books, 40 pages, grades 2 and up). Each two-page spread covers a different e…

The Brainstormerz: Money Talks by Kwame Alexander and Cassidy Dyce, illustrated by Rashad Doucet (Little, Brown Ink, 248 pages, grades 3-6). Electric (Lex) is excited about his upcoming tenth birth…

Reaching Across the Sky: A Celebration of Bridges by Christy Hale (Christy Ottaviano Books, 48 pages, grades 2-6). The author’s note introduces readers to bridges, not only as structures that…

Where Ella Went by Laurie Morrison (Harry N. Abrams, 304 pages, grades 5-8). The eighth-grade girls’ soccer team is eager to play their biggest rivals and avenge last year’s heartbreaki…

Sixteen Games of Hide and Seek by Stephen Barr, illustrated by Steve Teare (Neal Porter Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Ro and his dad are playing hide and seek, and it’s NERVE-WRACKING, SORT OF …

Bing’s Cherries by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Julia Kuo (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, grades K-3). As the narrator and her dad enjoy Bing cherries from the tree in their bac…

The Secret World of Seahorses by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Lou Baker-Smith (Candlewick, 32 pages, grades K-4). This straightforward introduction to seahorses includes information on eating, mat…

The True Ugly Duckling: How Hans Christian Andersen Became a Swan by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Calvin Nicholls (Levine Querido, 32 pages, grades K-3). Hans Christian Andersen’s life is pr…

Walk the Walk by R. J. Owens, illustrated by Reggie Brown (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Dex and Papa are walking to his piano lesson, a walk that seems to Dexter to take …

The Octopus by Guojing (Two Lions, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A little girl and her mother are walking on the beach when they find a tiny octopus caught in some plastic rings. The girl carefully frees th…

Brady Mason’s Perfect Fit by Nicole Melleby (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 336 pages, grades 4-7). Being a foster kid all her life has given Brady a tough exterior, but inside she st…

Lionel Messi’s World Cup Triumph (History’s Greatest Games, book 1) by Chris Barish, illustrated by Nate Sweitzer (Harry N. Abrams, 136 pages, grades 4-8). This graphic nonfiction accou…

Thank You, School by Louise Borden, illustrated by Paige Keiser (Holiday House, 32 pages, ages 4-9). As they go through their day, kids thank all the adults in their lives who help make school a po…

Mixed Feelings by Shadi Amini, illustrated by Shadia Amin (Graphix, 240 pages, grades 3-7). Based on the author’s life, this story follows sixth-grader Sara through her first year of middle s…

Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diane Sudyka (Beach Lane Books, 48 pages, ages 4-9). What can one oak be? A home for all kinds of animals in all seasons…

Blues Boy: The B.B. King Story by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Carl Joe Williams (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Young Riley King’s life in Mississippi during the Great Depres…

The Six Queens of Henry VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin, illustrated by Jaimee Andrews (Sourcebooks Explore, 48 pages, grades 3-8). “A Word from the Author” kicks things off by giving a br…