BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
VIVIAN LANTZ’S SECOND CHANCES
HarperCollins
Vivian Lantz is cursed.
Every year, terrible things happen on her first day of school—and her first day of eighth grade makes the rest of them look like child’s play. Her family’s house floods in a sudden rainstorm. She ruins her perfect outfit before she even walks through the school doors. She almost kills her teacher’s fish. And if all of that weren’t upsetting enough, she gets her first period in the middle of the school cafeteria. Vivian can’t wait to put it all behind her.
But instead of waking up to a brand-new day, Vivian gets stuck reliving her catastrophic one. Curse: 9,000–Vivian: 0. Then she sees her misfortune for what it really is—a golden opportunity to fix her mistakes. But when her second chance turns into a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, Vivian might have to let go of the perfect day of her dreams . . . and make a few surprising choices along the way.
Out Now!
♦ A 2024 Spirit of Texas Reading List Book
“A warm, engaging coming-of-age tale with a sprinkle of magic.” - Kirkus
“Ormsbee combines cringe-worthy moments with sweetly wrought relationships, creating supportive, caring day(s)-in-the-life circumstances around growing up.” - Publishers Weekly
★ “Readers looking to broaden their LGBTQIA+ middle-grade romance collections with a witty, offbeat voice should loop back around to this title.” - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW
“A compulsively readable and laugh-out-loud story about identity, family, and how even a 'perfect' day can be messy. I rooted for Vivian on every Monday, and truly fell in love with this book along the way!” - Katryn Bury, author of the Drew Leclair mysteries
Illustration: Paula Zorite | Design: Corina Lupp
Illustration: Peijin Yang | Design: Chris Kwon
CANDIDLY CLINE
HarperCollins
Cline Alden has music in her bones.
Born in Paris, Kentucky and raised on her Gram’s favorite country music, Cline dreams of making it big with her own songs—even if her mother has always told her that music won’t pay the bills.
So when Cline finds out about a Young Singer-Songwriters workshop just a few towns over, she is determined to take her first real step toward her musical dreams. It might just require a little . . . fibbing to her mama.
Cline never imagined the butterflies she’d feel surrounded by so many other talented kids—especially Sylvie, whose effortless style and killer rock and roll playlist give Cline a different kind of butterflies that she’s only ever heard about in love songs.
And as she learns to make music of her own, Cline begins to realize how many sides of herself she’s been holding back. There’s a new song taking shape in her heart—if only she can find her voice and sing it.
♦ A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
♦ An Amazon Best Book of the Month - November 2021
♦ An Oregon Spirit Book Award - Honor Book 2021
♦ A Rise 2023 Booklist Selection
♦ A 2023 ALA Rainbow Book List Book
★ "Confident, candid, and immensely endearing. Destined for the spotlight." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
★ "Warm and hopeful." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
★ "Lyrical and full of country twang. A sweet tale of coming into one’s own and an affirming queer love story, too." - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Thrums with the joy of weaving your heart’s whispers into a song for all to hear. Empowering, affirming, and sweet as all get-out.”
— Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll, Please
“Like a perfect country song, CANDIDLY CLINE sings a sweet and empowering tune of hope, friendship, and the beauty that comes from chasing seemingly impossible dreams. Cline Alden is my hero.”
— Ashley Herring Blake, Stonewall Honor author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
"Cline Louise Alden is a character you can't help but cheer for in this endearing story about finding your voice and pursuing your dream. A tender exploration of the power of different kinds of love and making your own music."
— Nicole Melleby, author of In the Role of Brie Hutchens
Illustration: Violet Tobacco | Design: Tyler Nevins
MIDNIGHT ON STRANGE STREET
Disney-Hyperion
AVERY MILLER is looking for a fresh start, away from all the bomb sirens and talk of war in Los Angeles. She expects to find a haven in Callaway, Texas, where the cool new substance “glow” was first discovered. What she doesn’t count on is making friends with glowboard skaters Dani, Bastian, and Lola, aka the Sardines. . . .
DANI HIRSCH, captain of the Sardines, knows for a fact they’re the best glowboarding team in Texas—if only they could prove it. Nothing will distract Dani from leading the team to victory at this summer’s big race. Not even food explosions in the school cafeteria, or a mysterious midnight message, or secretive government workers in Callaway. . . .
BASTIAN GIL is sick of the bullies who tease him for being a Sardine, for being different. Sure, he and his twin sister, Lola, can share thoughts. That’s just twin telepathy, though—nothing too weird, right? But when Bastian finds he can do even stranger things, he starts to wonder if maybe he really is different from the other kids at school. . . .
LOLA GIL wants life to go back to normal, to a time before big glowboard races and government investigations. But the more the Sardines discover about themselves—like how they can share thoughts and move objects with their minds—the more Lola begins to fear there was never anything normal about her. . . .
When the Sardines receive an ominous, otherworldly message, they must decide if they’ll use their newfound powers to stop an impending disaster—one that could have more to do with the war, their bullies, and glowboarding than they can possibly imagine.
Available in hardcover and ebook.
Foreign Editions: France
“Compelling.” - Kirkus
“Great fun.” - Publishers Weekly
“Recommend it to sports lovers and fantasy readers alike." - Booklist
"Inventive and intriguing, Midnight on Strange Street is both a deliciously spooky mystery and an endearing story about friendship and bravery. An action-packed adventure from start to finish." - Ashley Herring Blake, author of Stonewall Honor Book Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
Illustration: The Brothers Hilt | Design: Amelia Mack
THE HOUSE IN POPLAR WOOD
Chronicle Books
For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, they’ve only ever been able to leave the house together once a year, on Halloween. The rest of the year, Lee and his mother serve Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement.
But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she’ll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something’s gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie’s might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood.
Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is the story about a boy’s desire to be free, a girl’s desire to make a difference, and a family’s desire to be together again.
Available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
Foreign Editions: Italy | Russia | Taiwan
♦ A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
♦ An Amazon Best Book of 2018
♦ A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018
♦ A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018
“A terrific spooky mystery.” - The Wall Street Journal
“Atmospheric and gripping. Ormsbee does a masterly job . . . while never losing the page-whipping pace of her well-crafted plot.” - The New York Times
★ "Magical elements, evocative, intelligent writing, and ever-ratcheting suspense." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
★ “With expert pacing and detailed worldbuilding, the story unfurls into a smart, thrilling mystery, equal parts dark and gentle, that explores questions about freedom, power, and choosing one’s master.” - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
★ "Quirky, spooky, and thoroughly enjoyable, this will appeal fans of Trenton Lee Stewart and Colin Meloy, as well as readers generally looking for an absorbing fantastical mystery." - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Illustration: Erwin Madrid | Design: Kathryn Ormsbee
THE CURRENT & THE CURE
Gumption Press
War has come to Albion Isle, and Lottie Fiske, a daughter of two worlds, might be the only one who can stop it.
After arriving in the strange and treacherous land of Dim, Lottie, Oliver, and Eliot must uncover answers to the mysteries that surround both their present and their past. And what of their friends above, on the other side of a perilous world gorge? The journey ahead promises new challenges, dangers, and revelations. But before Lottie can face any of those . . . can she forgive herself for past wrongs?
Available in paperback and ebook.
Illustration: Erwin Madrid | Design: Amelia Mack
THE DOORWAY & THE DEEP
Chronicle Books
Travel back to the enchanting and treacherous land of Limn, where Lottie Fiske has escaped the murderous Southerly King for the time being—but other perils are hard on her heels. War is coming to the beautiful world of magic that Lottie has come to love. Events are pushing her to the North, where many answers—about her parents and her abilities—await. But the road north is full of dangers, and the answers to her questions may be more dangerous still.
Likened to the works of E. Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and C. S. Lewis, K. E. Ormsbee's vividly imagined world will appeal to readers who have been down the rabbit hole or through the wardrobe, and to anyone who has ever been braver than they thought they were.
Available in hardcover and ebook.
"Ormsbee creates a robust magical world populated by a legion of characters, political intrigue, and a spunky heroine . . . Readers of the first volume will settle right into this and then leave it eager for a third." - Kirkus
Illustration: Erwin Madrid | Design: Amelia Mack
THE WATER & THE WILD
Chronicle Books
A green apple tree grows in the heart of Thirsby Square. Its leaves are a sad emerald and its apples a cheery peridot, and at its roots—starts the story of Lottie Fiske.
For as long as Lottie can remember, the only people who seem to care about her have been her best friend, Eliot, and the mysterious letter-writer who sends her birthday gifts. But now strange things and people are arriving on the island Lottie calls home, and Eliot’s getting sicker, with a disease the doctors have given up trying to cure. Lottie is helpless, useless, powerless.
And then a door opens in the apple tree.
Follow Lottie down through the apple roots to another world—a world of magic both treacherous and beautiful—in pursuit of the impossible: a cure for the incurable, a use for the useless, and protection against the pain of loss.
Available in hardcover, paperback, and audiobook.
♦ Kids’ Indie Next Pick, Spring 2015
♦ 2017 Magnolia Award Nominee
"An eventful quest through a well-built fantasy world." - School Library Journal
"An exciting journey full of obstacles and fun action." - VOYA