Published by Dial Books Summary:  Deja’s excited about Christmas, but not all of her friends share her belief in Santa.  But all their reasons why the jolly old elf can’t possibly exist are countered by her mom, who offers one […]

Published by Chronicle Books Summary:  Audrey is struggling a bit with second grade, since her former best friend Diego has found himself some new friends.  Audrey feels like she’s kind of average, and wishes she could be the best at […]

Published by Scholastic Summary:  Those of us who grew up reading Scholastic’s books like If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 or If Your Name Was Changed At Ellis Island will recognize the question-and-answer format of this book that […]

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers Summary:  When Life and Death decide to play a game of Lotería, they choose Clara as the human whose life will hang in the balance.  The two discuss fate versus free will as […]

Published by Margaret Ferguson Books Summary:  We first meet William, Edmund, and Anna at the funeral of their grandmother, a cold woman no one really misses, except for the fact that she was their last living relative.  The three orphans […]

Published by Levine Querido Summary:  With Halley’s Comet hurtling towards Earth, Petra and her family are among a small group chosen to travel to the planet Sagan, a journey that will take over 300 years.  They’re put into a deep […]

  Are you doing a mock Caldecott in your classroom or library this year? It’s something I’ve done for the last few years. In my previous job, I would book talk about 20 books and leave them in the classroom […]

Published by Albert Whitman and Company Summary:  When the food supply dwindles at Molly’s house, her mother tells her they’re going to the food pantry on Saturday.  “Everybody needs help sometimes,” says Mom, lifting her chin a little higher.  Waiting […]

Published by Orchard Books Summary:  Violet fondly remembers the table where her family used to gather to cook and eat meals.  Lately, though, her mom, dad, and brother are busy–usually with screens–and the table often stands empty.  One day, Violet […]

Published by Balzer + Bray Summary:  Everybody in the red brick building is asleep until…a baby wakes up with a loud “WaaaAAH!”  That wakes up Rahan who gets out of bed to check on his parrot.  The parrot makes a […]