Starboard

The UK's #1 bestselling children's author, David Walliams, is back with a thrilling historical adventure with life-or-death stakes&#8212;chock-full of Walliams&#8217;s unmistakable humor and perfect for fans of Stuart Gibbs and Gordon Korman.1940. BRITAIN IS AT WAR WITH NAZI GERMANY.Eleven-year-old Eric practically lives at the London Zoo. And there&#8217;s one animal in particular he loves to spend time with: Gertrude the gorilla.But with German bombs raining over London, Eric realizes Gertrude is in terrible danger, and together with his Uncle Sid, a keeper at the zoo, the three go on the run. But while hiding out at the seaside, they uncover a top-secret Nazi plot&#8230;

Code Name Bananas

From New York Times bestselling, three-time Pura Belpré Award–winning author-illustrator Raúl the Third, Tacos Today follows the young luchadores on the hunt for their favorite lunch in an action-packed, graphic-novel-style El Toro & Friends paper-over-board reader from the Eisner-nominated World of ¡Vamos!
 
It’s lunchtime for young El Toro and his friends—and each one is looking forward to a different kind of taco, their favorite!
 
The luchadores take a break from their training and head into town to eat. When they count their lunch money and discover they don’t have enough for tacos, they will have to work together on a creative, fun solution to earn plenty of dinero for a delicious all-you-can-eat spectacular!
 
Flavored with Spanish phrases and topped with plenty of humor, this early reader graphic novel is essential for those who want an action-packed story and lots of laughs.

Tacos Today

This lyrical middle grade historical novel set during the Great Depression from award-winning author L. M. Elliott is a moving tale of the spirit of American persistence, found family, and the magical partnership between girl and horse.
 
Bea wakes to Daddy’s note in a hayloft, where he abandoned her with her little sister after the stock market crash took everything: Daddy’s job at the bank, their home, Mama’s health and life.
 
How is Bea supposed to convince the imposing Mrs. Scott to take in two stray children? Mrs. Scott’s money and Virginia farm are drying up in a drought and the Great Depression, too. She might have to sell her beautiful horses, starting with a dangerous chestnut that has caused tragedy in the past and injures her stableman shortly after Bea arrives.
 
But wrestling with her own hurts and fears, Bea understands the chestnut’s skittish distrust. She sees hope in the powerful jumper—if he can compete at horse shows, they might save the farm, and maybe Bea can even win a place in Mrs. Scott’s heart.

Bea and the New Deal Horse

Fans of The Bad Guys and Catwad will love THE CRYPTID CLUB, a hilarious new four-book graphic novel series about an unlikely team of kid sleuths out to solve the mysteries behind the sudden spate of monster sightings around their school.
 
The Cryptid Club has found its next case! When they discover strange writing on the bathroom stalls and that something is stealing paper and pens, they know it’s going to take some super sleuthing to crack this caper.
 
But when a monster starts popping up in every toilet around the school, the principal orders all the bathrooms immediately closed. Now Lily, Henry, Oliver, and their superhero-wannabe friend, Ernie, must solve the mystery before the whole school can't hold it in any longer!
 
Everything is not as it seems in this hilarious new graphic novel series debut by Emmy Award–winning writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Michael Brumm and bestselling illustrator Jeff Mack.

The Cryptid Club #2: A Nessie Situation

The first in a new graphic novel series from indie comic stars Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge is a coming-of-age story about the transformative power of friendship. And an immortal demon with the power to take over the world. But mostly the friendship thing.

 

Welcome to Bolingbroke. It's a small town just like any other . . . or so eighth graders Val and Lanie think. They’re the best of best friends—they love the same comics, they watch the same shows, and they’re always there for each other. Which is important when you’re queer, like Lanie, or on the spectrum, like Val, and just don’t seem to fit in anywhere.
 

When a school project about their hometown’s supernatural history leads to a for-real ghost sighting, Val and Lanie realize Bolingbroke might not be as boring as they’d always thought. But after a run-in with the resident middle school queen bee (who also happens to be Lanie’s former friend), they decide to take things to the next level . . . and accidentally summon the Ojja-Wojja, a demonic presence connected to a slew of mysterious tragedies throughout Bolingbroke’s sordid history.
 

Now all heck has broken loose. With the whole town acting weird and nowhere left to turn, it’s going to be up to Val, Lanie, and their small group of friends to return things to normal—if “normal” is even something they want to return to.

The Ojja-Wojja

Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky, author of the bestselling Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, delivers the second book in her new middle grade adventure series about a colony of beavers on a courageous quest to save the swan that protects their world.
 
Return to the brilliant, adventure-filled world of Glendunny. Dunwattle and Locksley are going on their greatest journey yet in their search for their beloved mother figure, Elsinore the swan, who has been kidnapped by dark forces. Little do they know, they have a much larger expedition in store when they discover other persecuted animals and baby otters being held against their will for nefarious purposes.
 

Will they be able to save Elsinore, the innocent animals, and themselves? Join Dunwattle and Locksley as they embark on this winding adventure, explore unknown lands beyond their pond, and endeavor to save their world and all the creatures in it.

The Secret of Glendunny #2: The Searchers

Maria Latif is used to not having a space of her own. But what happens when she feels the sudden urge to put down roots in the most unexpected of places? Karuna Riazi crafts a tender coming-of-age story about friendship, family, and new beginnings. A Bit of Earth is a reimagining of the classic The Secret Garden, perfect for fans of Other Words for Home and The Bridge Home. 
 
Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember—first because of her parents’ constant travel, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world.
 

When Maria arrives on Long Island, things are not quite what she was expecting. Mr. Clayborne has left on an extended business trip, Mrs. Clayborne seems emotionally fraught, and inexplicable things keep happening in the Claybornes’ sprawling house. And then Maria finds a locked gate to an off-limits garden. Since she’s never been good at following rules, Maria decides to investigate and discovers something she never thought she’d find: a place where she feels at home.
 

With a prickly main character, a sullen boy, two friendly allies, and a locked garden, A Bit of Earth has everything a reader could want from a retelling of The Secret Garden. Karuna Riazi’s evocative prose is interspersed with poetic verses, illuminating each character’s search for a place they can truly call home. This tender yet incisive reimagining of a classic work will captivate fans of the original—and widen the appeal for a modern audience.

A Bit of Earth

A Malaysian spin on Little Red Riding Hood from the critically acclaimed author of The Girl and the Ghost, Hanna Alkaf.
 
Courage is the strongest magic there is.
 

On Hamra's thirteenth birthday, she receives nothing but endless nagging and yet another errand to run in the Langkawi jungle that looms behind her home.
 

No one has remembered her special day.
 

And so, stifled and angry, Hamra ignores something she shouldn’t: the rules of the jungle.
 

Always ask permission before you enter. Hamra walks boldly in.
 

Never take what isn’t yours. Hamra finds the most perfect jambu and picks it.
 

Of course, rules exist for a reason, and soon an enormous weretiger is stalking her dreams, demanding payment for her crimes—and Hamra embarks on a quest deep into the jungle to set things right.
 

For fans of Ikegna and A Tale Dark and Grimm comes a story of a brave heroine, a beguiling villain, fantastical worlds, magical adventures, and a journey that will remind you that hope, friendship, and love endures all.

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

A group of 12-year-old friends concerned about climate change proposes a new way to save the earth: amending the U.S. Constitution. Their project propels these activists on an amazing journey across America&#8212;nd all the way to Norway&#8212;with plenty of outside-the-box hijinks and civil disobedience, as they work to save the planet and their futures on it.&#160;For sixth grader Sam Warren and his friends Catalina, Alistair,&#160;Jaesang, and Zoe, the effects of climate change are too pressing to ignore. Adults don&#8217;t seem to be up to the challenge of taking action to make real change, but kids know it&#8217;s their futures on the line. If their parents, teachers, and government officials won&#8217;t step up well, then, they will!&#160;And these young people&#160;will stop at nothing to save the planet and their futures on it.&#160;With a little help from a retired kids' rights lawyer and a grandma who knows how to march, they are ready to think big: Constitutional amendment big. But can a bunch of 12-year-olds really draft an amendment that protects the planet, get it to pass in Congress, and change enough hearts and minds across the country to get it ratified before the clock runs out?&#160;Steve Frank crafts another funny and fast-paced story of heightened-reality wish-fulfillment, loaded with the witty patter of smart kids, in this book that reads like Aaron Sorkin for middle grade and plumbs the complexities of the Constitution and the critical turning point of global climate change.&#160;

The Shelf Stuff Library