Click

Olive wants to get in on the act . . . . . . Any act! Olive “clicks” with everyone in the fifth grade—until one day she doesn’t. When a school variety show leaves Olive stranded without an act to join, she begins to panic, wondering why all her friends have already formed their own groups . . . without her. With the performance drawing closer by the minute, will Olive be able to find her own place in the show before the curtain comes up? The New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Kayla Miller has woven together a heartfelt and insightful story about navigating friendships, leaning on family, and learning to take the stage in the most important role of all.

(Publisher Description)

This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.


Click
By Kayla Miller
ISBN: 9781328911124
HMH Kids, 2019
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)

Glitch

Izzy has an incredible secret — she can enter the world of her new video game! She meets Rae, a robot who says Izzy is destined to save Dungeon City from the Big Boss. How is this possible?! And how can she fight for this virtual world when she’s got a whole real life to keep up with: her family (though she could do without her mom’s annoying cat), and her best friend, Eric. Things get even weirder when Izzy loses a life while in the game, and she starts to worry about what might happen if she gets a Game Over for good. Meanwhile, Eric has been VERY UPSET with Izzy since she’s been keeping secrets and bailing on their plans. Can Izzy survive Dungeon City and save their friendship?

(Publisher Description)

This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.


Glitch
By Sarah Graley
ISBN: 9781338174519
Scholastic Graphix, 2019
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)

Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories

Have you heard the one about the skull who borrowed body parts to pass himself off as a human so he could trick the village beauty into marriage? No? Well, what about when the daughters of Frog and Snake had a playdate? Okay, fine. But surely you’ve heard the story of the crocodiles who voted on whether or not to eat a man that had saved one of their lives? No? Wow, have we got some stories for you!

(Publisher Description)


Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories
Edited by C. Spike Trotman, Kate Ashwin, Kel McDonald
Art By Various Creators
ISBN: 9781945820243
Iron Circus Comics, 2018
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

The Girl Who Married a Skull: and Other African Stories

Seen: Edmonia Lewis

“Sometimes the times were dark and the outlook was lonesome, but where there is a will, there is a way. I pitched in and dug at my work until now I am where I am.”

Meet Edmonia Lewis, the woman who changed America during the Civil War by becoming the first sculptor of African-American and Native American heritage to earn international acclaim.

Jasmine Walls & Bex Glendining present the true story of courage, determination and perseverance through one of America’s most violent eras to create true beauty that still reverberates today.

(Publisher Description)


Seen: Edmonia Lewis
By Jasmine Walls
Art By Bex Glendining Kieran Quigley DC Hopkins
ISBN: 9781684156344
Boom!, 2020
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

Seen: Edmonia Lewis

Grand Theft Horse

Gail Ruffu was a rookie trainer known for her unconventional methods and ability to handle dangerous horses. When she became part owner of an untamed thoroughbred named Urgent Envoy, everything changed. After Urgent Envoy showed real promise, her co-owners forced Gail to speed up training and race him too early, causing the horse to develop a hairline shin fracture. Refusing to drug the horse to keep it running, Gail lost Urgent Envoy to her partners, who pushed the horse even harder. One more race would kill him. When nobody heeded her warnings, Gail had to act.

So on Christmas Eve, she rescued her own horse. A modern-day outlaw, Gail evaded private investigators and refused to give the horse up. Blacklisted by the racing world, she learned the law at night to take on a powerful L.A. attorney determined to crush her in court. As she stood up for the humane treatment of racehorses, she also faced down the system that caused their demise.

(Publisher Description)


Grand Theft Horse
By G. Neri
Art By Corban Wilkin
ISBN: 9781620148556
Tu Books, 2018
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

Grand Theft Horse

Mouse Guard series

The forest is a dangerous place for any animal, especially one as small as a mouse. In the past, the mouse world endured a tyrannical Weasel Warlord until a noble band of mouse soldiers fought back. Ever since, the Mouse Guard has defended the paces and prosperity of its kingdom. For generations, this league of scouts, weather-watchers, trailblazers, and protectors has passed won its knowledge and skills.

Now three of the Guard’s finest have been dispatched. The mission seems simple: They are to find a missing mouse, a grain merchant who never arrived at his destination. But when they find him, they make a shocking discovery—one that involves a treacherous betrayal, a stolen secret, and a rising power that has only one goal: to bring down the Guard…

(Publisher Description)

This title has not (yet) been reviewed by our staff, but it is a title that we highly recommend for the majority of libraries building collections for this age range.


Mouse Guard
By David Peterson
ISBN: 9781932386578
Archaia, 2007
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Related Reviews

Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, vol. 1

Mouse Guard, vol. 3: The Black Axe

The Art of Mouse Guard: 2005-2015

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Series

Wolverine, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, Thanos: There’s one hero that’s beaten them all-and now she’s got her own ongoing series! (Not that she’s bragging.) That’s right, you asked for it, you got it, it’s SQUIRREL GIRL! (She’s also starting college this semester.) It’s the start of a brand-new set of adventures starring the nuttiest and most upbeat super hero in the world!

(Publisher Description)


Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Series
By Ryan North
Art By Erica Henderson
ISBN: 9780785197027
Marvel Comics, 2015
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 1: Squirrel Power

Three Thieves Series

As an acrobat in a traveling circus, 14-year-old orphan Dessa Redd flies through the air with ease. Still, she is weighed down by troubling memories. But when her ragtag circus troupe pulls into the city of Kingsbridge, Dessa feels a tickle of hope. Maybe here in the royal city she will finally find her twin brother–or the mysterious man who snatched him away when they were just children.

Meanwhile, Topper, the circus juggler, is obsessed with proving his reputation as the world’s greatest thief… by robbing the royal treasury! Topper recruits Dessa and the circus strongman, Fisk, for the job. Hungry and desperate, both agree, setting off a series of adventures that will take the three thieves from one end of the world to the other in search of Dessa’s long-lost brother.

(Publisher Description)


Three Thieves Series
By Scott Chantler
ISBN: 9781554534142
Kids Can Press, 2010
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Related Reviews

Three Thieves, vol. 2-3: The Sign of The Black Rock and The Captive Prince

Three Thieves: The King’s Dragon, Book Four

Three Thieves: Pirates of the Silver Coast, Book 5

Sincerely, Harriet

Harriet Flores struggles with boredom and an unrequited crush while learning to manage her chronic illness through a long, hot, 1990s summer in Chicago. She uses her imagination to cope, which sometimes gets her into trouble, as she makes up fantastical fibs and wonders if there are ghosts upstairs. One neighbor, Pearl, encourages Harriet to read and write, leading Harriet to have a breakthrough and discover the power of storytelling.

(Publisher Description)


Sincerely, Harriet
By Sarah W. Searle

ISBN: 9781541545298
Graphic Universe, 2019
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

Sincerely, Harriet

Tales of the Feathered Serpent Series

Sayam has always been different from other kids: he was born from an egg! His grandmother, a witch, teaches him the ancient magic she uses to help her people. So when a giant snake starts terrorizing a nearby city, Sayam steps into action. But the ruthless King Kinich Kak Ek sees Sayam as a threat to his throne. Prophecy declares that whoever succeeds at three impossible tests will be king. Monstrous snakes and impossible tests are a lot for a boy to handle, but Sayam is brave and has a loyal monkey, a wise grandmother, and magical knowledge on his side.

(Publisher Description)


Tales of the Feathered Serpent Series
By David Bowles
Art By Charlene Bowles
ISBN: 9781947627376
Cinco Puntos Press, 2020
NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13)


Our Review

Rise of the Halfling King: Tales of the Feathered Serpent