Spotlight: Tangled In Time: The Portal by Kathryn Lasky

For fans of the Royal Diaries series and Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky delivers the first enchanting adventure in a compelling new middle grade series about a newly orphaned girl who finds herself time-travelling between the present day and the court of the two most memorable English princesses in history.

Life used to be great for Rose: full of friends, a loving mom, and a growing fashion blog.

But when her mother dies in a car crash, Rose is sent away to live with a strange grandmother she hardly knows and forced to attend a new school where mean girls ridicule her at every turn.

The only place Rose finds refuge is in her grandmother’s greenhouse. But one night she sees a strange light glowing from within it. She goes to investigate...and finds herself transported back five hundred years to Hatfield Palace, where she becomes servant and confidant of the banished princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII.

Rose soon discovers something else amazing—a locket with two mysterious images inside it, both clues to her own past. Could the greenhouse portal offer answers to the mysteries of her family...and their secrets?

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About the Author

Kathryn Lasky is a New York Times bestselling author of many acclaimed children’s and young adult books. Her picture book Sugaring Time was awarded a Newbery Honor. She has twice won the National Jewish Book Award, for her novel The Night Journey and her picture book Marven of the Great North Woods. Her book Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor was the most popular book in Scholastic’s bestselling Royal Diaries series. The Guardians of Ga’Hoole was made into the Warner Bros. movie Legend of the Guardians. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband. Visit her online at www.kathrynlasky.com.

Spotlight: Puddle by Richard Jackson and illustrated by Chris Raschka

A surprising, universal, and gorgeously illustrated story about self-acceptance, love, friendship, and the joy of embracing different perspectives, this beautiful picture book by acclaimed author Richard Jackson and two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka presents a puddle with a distinct point of view.

Puddle sits despondently in the playground, observing the world around her as she is dimpled by rain, splashed by shoes, piddled on by a poodle, bounced by a basketball, and stirred up by an inquisitive seagull. But when the sun makes a sudden appearance, Puddle meets an admiring new friend who lifts her spirits and makes her feel loved.

Richard Jackson’s playful text shines with rhythm, repetition, and surprising turns of phrase, and Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka’s luminous paintings achieve the impossible—oh, sweet Puddle!

A memorable story of friendship, love, and changing your point of view.

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About the Author & Ilustrator

Richard Jackson is an editor and author. He says: “Akaraka is a word in the Igbo language; a meaningful word to the Igbo-speaking people of southwestern Nigeria. It refers to marks on a person’s hand that spell out that person’s fate or destiny. At the time she  used it, in 1997, my granddaughter, Kelsey Albert, then three years old, couldn’t have realized this. She liked the sound, as do I for this story, in which my role is played by her father. I am now a writer, not a raker. I’ve published seven books for young people, among them This Beautiful Day, illustrated by Suzy Lee, and In Plain Sight, which was illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and awarded a Coretta Scott King Honor for illustration.”

Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals: for The Hello, Goodbye Window, by Norton Juster, and for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation five times. He lives in New York City with his family.

Spotlight: The Rambling by Jimmy Cajoleas

From the author of Goldeline, a Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth pick, comes a mesmerizing middle grade fantasy about family and the power of storytelling. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and The Thickety.

Buddy Pennington is headed to river country, hoping his luck might change. He’ll be better off with his daddy, a wandering soul and a local legend for his skills at Parsnit, a mysterious card game of magic, chance, and storytelling. But no sooner are Buddy and his pop reunited than some of Pop’s old enemies arrive to take him away. Boss Authority, the magical crime lord who has held the rivers in his grasp for years, is ready to collect on an old debt Buddy’s father owes.

Now Buddy must set out on a dangerous rescue mission, learning to play Parsnit with the best of them as he goes. Because the stars are aligning for one last epic duel—one that will require a sticky-fingered ally, a lucky twist of fate, and the hand of a lifetime. And in this game, you’re only as strong as the story you tell.

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About the Author

Jimmy Cajoleas grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned his MFA from the University of Mississippi and now lives in Brooklyn. Goldeline is his first novel, followed by The Rambling. Visit him online at www.jimmycajoleas.com.

Spotlight: Pancakes in Pajamas by Frank Asch

A pajama-wearing Baby Bear eats a delicious stack of pancakes in this sweet picture book from celebrated and award-winning author and illustrator Frank Asch.

What better way for Baby Bear, Momma Bear, and Poppa Bear to spend the day together than wearing their pajamas and eating pancakes? But it’s not just pancakes for breakfast! Once they finish eating, reading, playing board games, and napping, the three pajama-wearing bears decide to go to the park, ride bikes, and have a pancake dinner! The silliness continues when the Bears host a pancake and pajama party for the whole town.

Frank Asch’s newest Baby Bear adventure is sure to delight his legions of devoted fans.

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About the Author

Frank Asch, a graduate of Cooper Union, has written more than eighty children’s books, among them the bestselling classics featuring Moonbear and Baby Bear; Russian National Book Award recipient Here Comes the Cat; and Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Golden Award winner Like a Windy Day. Mr. Asch lives in Hawaii.

Spotlight: The Last Grand Adventure by Rebecca Behrens

Twelve-year-old Bea finds herself on a unique road trip with her grandmother, as they search for her grandmother’s long-lost sister—the legendary Amelia Earhart—in this charming novel from the author of When Audrey Met Alice and Summer of Lost and Found.

It’s 1967 and twelve-year-old Bea is in need of some adventure. Her mother is off in San Francisco, while her father has just gotten remarried in Los Angeles. Bea has gained a younger stepsister, and she’s not thrilled about her blended family. So when her ailing grandmother, Pidge, moves to an Orange County senior-living community and asks if Bea would spend the summer helping her get settled, Bea is happy for any excuse to get away.

But it turns out, her grandmother isn’t interested in settling in. What she really wants is to hop a train back to Atchison, Kansas—where she thinks she’ll be reunited with her long-missing sister: Amelia Earhart. And she wants Bea to be her sidekick on this secret trip.

At first, Bea thinks her grandmother’s plan is a little crazy. But Pidge has thirty years of letters written in “Meelie’s” unmistakable voice, all promising to reunite. This might be the adventure Bea needs…

With letters in hand, Bea and Pidge set off on their quest to find Amelia. But getting halfway across the country proves to be more of an adventure than either of them bargained for. And their search for Amelia leads to some surprising truths about their family—and each other.

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About the Author

Rebecca Behrens lives and writes in New York City, where she also works as a textbook editor. She is the author of When Audrey Met Alice, which BookPage called “a terrific work of blended realistic and historical fiction,” Summer of Lost and Found, which Kirkus Reviews said “this blend of history with mystery and fantasy with realism is a good find indeed,” and The Last Grand Adventure. Some of Rebecca’s favorite things are: the beach, history, running, doughnuts, and laughing.

Spotlight: Sleep Tight, Sleepy Bears by Margaret Wise Brown and Illustrated by Julie Clay

This beautifully illustrated magical story from best-selling author Margaret Wise Brown—creator of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny—will enchant children and parents alike. It's a perfect bedtime story for your little one.

Follow the story of the sleepy bears in Sleep Tight, Sleepy Bears in this beautifully illustrated magical story from best-selling author Margaret Wise Brown—creator of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. It's a perfect bedtime story for your little one.

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