Juvenile
Alyssa and the spell garden
Sheppard, Alexandra, author
2024
When 11-year-old Alyssa is forced to spend the summer holiday with her mum's family, who she's never met before, her latent magical powers explode into life. Her great aunt runs a secret magic school in her spell garden where local kids can hone their power. The garden grows magical spell ingredients that have protected their family and the wider neighbourhood for decades ever since they arrived from Jamaica with their mother Effie in the 1960s. But something is going wrong and the magic is running out! Can Alyssa use her new, unpredictable magic to set things right?
Any way you look
Siddiqui, Maleeha, author
2024
Twelve-year-old Ainy is looking forward to working at her mother's clothing store for the summer--and someday soon wearing a hijab--but when certain boys harass her, and the boy she has a crush on does not step in, she turns to her older sister for help.
Hope in the valley
Perkins, Mitali, author
2024
Twelve-year-old Indian-American Pandita Paul deals with change, grief, friendship, and growing up in a community facing a housing crisis
The labyrinth of lost and found
Lees, Jordan, author
2024
Eleven-year-old Benjamiah Creek's rational beliefs are challenged when he receives a magical doll that leads him into the perilous world of the Wreathenwold, where he joins forces with Elizabella to uncover a mysterious conspiracy and find her missing brother.
Lightning Bug light show
Green, Poppy, author
2024
Sophie Mouse helps a self-conscious firefly discover the beauty of his bright glow just in time for him to perform with his Lightening Bug troupe.
Mermouse mystery
Reeve, Philip, author.
2024
The daring Adventuremice are used to brave, bold rescues. But one day Pedro - the youngest, newest Adventuremouse - discovers a very different sort of mouse who needs help. A mermouse! The Adventuremice need lots of courage as they venture underwater to help the mermouse get home. On their mission they discover a grand hidden city and make surprising new friends..."-- Provided by publisher
Not if you break up with me first
Miller, G. F., 1977-, author
2024
Best friends Eve and Andrew go to their first eight grade dance together, and suddenly everybody assumes they are dating, so they each try and arrange a break-up--except they are both beginning to feel a different kind of attraction.
The one and only family
Applegate, Katherine, author
2024
Ivan has been happily living in a wildlife sanctuary, with his friend Ruby next door in the elephant enclosure, frequent visits from his canine friend Bob, and his mate Kinyani by his side. And in the happiest turn of all, Ivan and Kinyani have welcomed a set of twins to their family!
Otter chaos
Reeve, Philip, author
2024
"Pedro is a tiny mouse, looking for a BIG adventure. So, he sets off in search of excitement--and very soon becomes swept up in the escapades of the Adventuremice! A brave, determined team, the Adventuremice keep the Mouse Islands safe from danger. Will Pedro be able to prove that he has a kind enough heart, and a strong enough nerve, to join the crew?"-- Provided by publisher
We're not the champions
West, Tracey, 1965- author
2022
Duke's cousin Coco, an elegant French bulldog from Paris, is coming to Barksdale Academy as an exchange student, and Duke is worried about what she will think about his often uncouth friends, the Underdogs; Coco joins Team Awesome for the K-2 exam where the Barksdale teams compete against a rival school, but it turns out that Coco has problems with the athletic events, and it is up to the Underdogs to rescue their school's reputation.
Weird rules to follow
Spencer, Kim, author
2022
In this novel for middle readers told in vignettes, Mia and her best friend Lara have very different experiences growing up in a northern fishing community in the 1980s.
A whisper of curses
Elle, J., author
2024
Told in alternating voices, when the portal that transports Kyana and Ashley to Magick Camp collapses, they suspect spectral forces are at work.
A wild ride
Ramsahoye, Shellene, author
2021
Tall and lanky 13-year-old Justin Attwood never seems to be able to meet his fiercely accomplished dad's expectations "to do more, be more," the way his high-achieving siblings have. Justin likes sports but doesn't want to be a star athlete. While he has a keen interest in animals, he has no desire to add a buck to the family's "hunting wall of fame." And, unlike his dad, Justin isn't viewing his upcoming stay at a Canadian adventure camp as preparation for the family's annual hunting trip. Still, he's looking forward to the two-week training course in rock climbing and rappelling, orienteering, and other skills. Before the trip is over, he will experience a profound change in his knowledge of himself and what he is capable of-and find his own voice in the process
