Happy hopping, Jessica Vitalis

TAKE A PAGE – Books For Kids Struggling With Their Self-Image

New November Titles

New October Titles

Books For Back To School

Resources for Kids Ages 8-12

Resources for Kids Ages 6-8

The final book in a young middle grade mystery-adventure series about Horace, an anxious Boston Terrier, and Bunwinkle, an exuberant potbellied pig, who team up to solve crimes in their barnyard and neighborhood.In this third mystery, the pet-tective duo must solve a series of crimes at the local Renaissance Faire. Perfect for fans of Mercy Watson, The Trouble with Chickens, and A Boy Called Bat.Life is never quiet at the Homestead. First, it was disappearing animals, then a power-hungry dairy queen. Now it&#8217;s a Renaissance Faire, a noisy, stinky spectacle&#160;that drives Horace to distraction. Bunwinkle, on the other hand, can&#8217;t get enough of the festivities&#8212;she loves the thrilling jousts, the court intrigue&#8230;and especially the pickles on a stick.But when Eleanor and Clary&#8217;s ice cream buckets are stolen, and several of the food stalls are vandalized, it&#8217;s clear that there&#8217;s something fishy going on at the faire. And suddenly the pet-tectives find themselves with a new case on their hands.One thing&#8217;s for certain: There&#8217;s no shortage of suspects. From Wendell, the nosy vegetable vendor, to Dean, the alpaca farmer who&#8217;s been getting a bit too close to Eleanor, to Uta Hawken, a Shakespeare-spouting red-tailed hawk, the culprit could be anyone.&#160;Can the pet-tectives solve this royally tough case before the faire is ruined&#8230;or worse?&#160;

Horace & Bunwinkle: The Case of the Fishy Faire

In the second book of this inclusive near-future adventure trilogy, the kids from box #242 take a deep dive into a secret underwater world in hopes of finding their missing best friend and saving another from a life-altering bionic augmentation.Told through the alternating perspectives of Leo (they/them) and Jayla (she/her), the boxmates from the B.E.S.T. Academy are lost at sea and their best friend, Grayson Bix, is missing. Their hoverpod is busted, their stomachs are empty, and their hopes are crushed. When a mysterious vessel approaches, Ace, Leo, and Jayla are certain they'll be carted back to the Tower of Power, with their punishments for escaping awaiting. But a twist: The crew is rescued and introduced to a vibrant and thriving underwater world that is off the grid and out of Bixonics's eye...and one step closer to finding Grayson.From the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the stratosphere, hijinks, adventure, and emotional challenges ensue as the gritty kids meet a whole new cast of characters, weigh out the costs of life-changing bionic enhancements, and blow the top off of an earth-shattering secret that has global implications.In book two of this action-packed near-future adventure, Cory McCarthy crafts an incredible world with high-stakes storytelling, magnetic characters, and thematic undercurrents that spotlight the complexities of family and friendship, self-empowerment, and the magnitude of truth.

Under Pressure

Back From The Brink

From New York Times bestselling author Molly Knox Ostertag and critically acclaimed illustrator Xanthe Bouma comes an all-new Dungeons &#38; Dragons graphic novel series!Middle school is a dungeon&#8230; At least, that&#8217;s how Jess sees it.Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons &#38; Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius.But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game&#8212;and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure&#8212;and their friendship&#8212;finally come to an end?

Shelf Stuff Blog

Happy hopping, Jessica Vitalis