ABOUT THE CHILDREN PLAYLIST
Browse our playlists below to listen to our team’s top picks for the year so far. We will be curating more playlists for you so that you can listen to your favorite authors with ease and on any device of your choosing. Stay tuned for more playlists coming your way!
BROWSE THE CHILDREN PLAYLIST
Buy The Bunnicula Collection
The Bunnicula Collection: Books 1-3
Each story in the popular and critically acclaimed series has been read by the talented actor, Victor Garber. Now fans who can’t get enough of the vampire bunny, Bunnicula, will have something new to add to their collection.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Plant Poachers
Learn all about forest life, the amazing Venus flytrap, and the importance of conservation in the exciting eighth adventure with The Secret Explorers.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In this instalment, Leah the biology expert and Gustavo the history buff are whisked away on a mission to a forest in North Carolina, USA. There, they meet a botanist working to protect the amazing Venus flytrap – an endangered species of plant – from being stolen by poachers and sold for money. It’ll take every bit of brainpower, bravery, and expertise that Leah and Gustavo have to stop the poachers and rescue the plants.
Packed with fun facts about plants, forest, wildlife, and the importance of conservation, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young listeners.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales
Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children.
Learn about humpback whales and fascinating deep-sea creatures in this action-packed adventure story.
Dive into the world of The Secret Explorers and learn about ocean life in this action-packed first instalment in a brand-new fiction series.
Meet The Secret Explorers! This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In The Lost Whales, marine life expert Connor needs to use his underwater expertise to help save a pod of humpback whales that have lost their way. Along with space expert Roshni, he sets out in a submarine to search for a way to steer the whales back on track, but encounters unexpected problems along the way, including lost baby whales and a fleet of boats. Will The Secret Explorers manage to succeed in their mission?
Packed with fun facts about humpback whales, marine life, and how climate change is affecting the oceans, this thrilling adventure is perfect for emerging readers. The action-packed narrative keeps kids engaged and makes learning about the natural world fun.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Comet Collision
Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children.
Get a closer look at Jupiter and its moons in this action-packed adventure story.
Blast-off into space in this second adventure with The Secret Explorers, a brand-new fiction series.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In The Secret Explorers and the Comet Collision, space expert Roshni leads a mission that’s out of this world – literally! With rainforest expert Ollie, she is set the task of fixing the space probe orbiting Jupiter before a comet hits the planet. With the clock ticking, it’s a race against time for the Secret Explorers as they dodge asteroids, complete daring spacewalks, and use all their skills to complete their mission.
Packed with fun facts about real-life missions to Jupiter, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers. The action-packed narrative keeps kids engaged and makes learning about space even more fun!
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers
Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children.
Join The Secret Explorers as they go up against thieves in ancient Egypt in the third instalment of this action-packed, fact-filled book series.
The Secret Explorers come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers, Gustavo (history expert) and Kiki (engineering expert) are set the mission of stopping the Cairo Museum from closing down. They travel back in time to ancient Egypt and are soon drawn into a tense, thrilling adventure that involves breaking into pyramids, learning ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and stopping thieves hoping to rob all the treasure from the Pharaoh’s tomb.
Packed with fun facts about the real-life Pharaoh Khufu and his treasures, ancient Egyptian religion, and how mummies were made, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Jurassic Rescue
Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children.
Travel back in time and discover facts you never knew about dinosaurs and prehistoric life in this fourth instalment of The Secret Explorers.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In The Secret Explorers and the Jurassic Rescue, dinosaur expert Tamiko and geology expert Cheng travel back to the age of the dinosaurs in an effort to rescue a dinosaur egg from destruction. However, to save the egg, the Secret Explorers first have to use all their courage and skills to outsmart a fierce Allosaurus, rescue a baby Stegosaurus, and find a way to attract an Archaeopteryx. Tamiko and Cheng soon find that, to succeed, they need to come up with some unusual solutions…
Packed with fun facts about dinosaurs, fossils, and why modern birds are dinosaurs, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Rainforest Rangers
Swing into this fifth adventure with The Secret Explorers as they explore the rainforests of Borneo.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In the fifth book in the series, rainforest expert Ollie and biology expert Leah are on the mission to rescue a lost baby orangutan in the steamy Bornean rainforest. Follow along with the Secret Explorers as they visit an amazing wildlife reserve and make lots of new friends, both human and animal! However, not everyone in the rainforest is as friendly, and the kids soon stumble across a terrible plot to burn an area of the rainforest to expand the palm oil plantation, which will destroy the orangutan habitat and leave these lovable animals without a home. Using their quick wits, with the help of smelly durian fruit and snapping crocodiles – can Ollie and Leah outsmart the adults and save the orangutan’s home?
Packed with fun facts about rainforest animals and plants, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers and listeners.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers
Learn all about volcanoes in this explosive sixth adventure with The Secret Explorers.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In this instalment, volcanoes expert Cheng and biology expert Leah experience the thrill and danger of a volcanic eruption up close. Cheng is beyond excited to finally be witnessing the real life volcano, Mount Yasur, in action, but the Secret Explorers soon realise that some of their new friends are missing! It’s up to them to rescue their friend and his dog and get them off the volcano before it erupts again, in an even bigger explosion than before. From surfing down a volcano, to daring helicopter rescues, Cheng and Leah need to use all their skills and knowledge to succeed in their mission…
Packed with fun facts about volcanic eruptions, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers.
Buy The Secret Explorers and the Missing Scientist
Learn all about polar expeditions and the Arctic in the incredible seventh adventure with The Secret Explorers.
This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet – and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission…
In this instalment, Kiki the engineering expert, and Connor the marine biologist are sent on a mission to the Arctic. There they discover a research vessel studying the effects of climate change that has become trapped in the sea ice. Not only that, but one of the ship’s scientists who went to find help at a nearby research station hasn’t returned. It’s up to the Secret Explorers to find the scientist, free the ship, and save the day!
Packed with fun facts about the Arctic, polar bears, sea ice, and the melting ice caps, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young listeners.
Buy Stowaway
The beloved author of Posted and Ms. Bixby’s Last Day returns with the first book in a coming-of-age sci-fi duology about Leo, a kid trying to navigate the galaxy in order to save his family—and, possibly, the planet Earth.
When scientists discover a rare and mysterious mineral buried in the Earth’s crust, they have no idea that it just happens to be the most valuable substance in the entire universe. It’s not long before aliens show up to our little corner of the galaxy offering a promise of protection, some fabulous new technology, and entry into their intergalactic coalition—all in exchange for this precious resource. A material so precious that other alien forces are willing to start a war over it. A war that soon makes its way to Earth.
Leo knows this all too well. His mother was killed in one such attack, and soon after, his father, a Coalition scientist, decides it would be best for them to leave Earth behind. It’s on this expedition that their ship is attacked, Leo’s father is kidnapped, and Leo and his brother are stranded in the middle of space. The only chance they have is for Leo to stow away on a strange ship of mercenary space pirates bound for who knows where and beg the captain to help him find his father.
But the road is dangerous, and pirates, of course, only look out for themselves. Leo must decide who to trust as he tries to stay alive and save his family, even as he comes to understand that there aren’t many people—human or alien—that he can count on in this brave new universe.
Buy A Wolf Called Wander
A New York Times bestseller
“Don’t miss this dazzling tour de force.”—Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal winning author of The One and Only Ivan
This gripping novel about survival and family is based on the real story of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. This irresistible tale by award-winning author Rosanne Parry is for fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan.
Swift, a young wolf cub, lives with his pack in the mountains learning to hunt, competing with his brothers and sisters for hierarchy, and watching over a new litter of cubs. Then a rival pack attacks, and Swift and his family scatter.
Alone and scared, Swift must flee and find a new home. His journey takes him a remarkable one thousand miles across the Pacific Northwest. The trip is full of peril, and Swift encounters forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before he finds his new home.
Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a wolf named OR-7 (or Journey), this irresistible tale of survival invites readers to experience and imagine what it would be like to be one of the most misunderstood animals on earth. This gripping and appealing novel about family, courage, loyalty, and the natural world is for fans of Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller and Katherine Applegate’s Endling.
Includes information about the real wolf who inspired the novel.
Buy Long Road to the Circus
In the tradition of award-winning, illustrated novels Pax and The One and Only Ivan, Long Road to the Circus is a girl-empowering, funny, and fast-paced historical adventure by award-winning writer and librarian Betsy Bird.
Twelve-year-old Suzy Bowles is tired of summers filled with chores on her family farm in Burr Oak, Michigan, and desperate to see the world. When her wayward uncle moves back home to the farm, only to skip his chores every morning for mysterious reasons, Suzy decides to find out what he’s up to once and for all. And that’s when she meets legendary former circus queen Madame Marantette and her ostriches. Before long, Suzy finds herself caught-up in the fast-paced, hilarious world of ostrich riding, a rollicking adventure that just might be her ticket out of Burr Oak.
Buy How to Train Your Dad
From the legendary author of Hatchet, a laugh-out-loud middle-grade romp about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down.
Twelve-year-old Carl is fed up with his father’s single-minded pursuit of an off-the-grid existence. His dad may be brilliant, but dumpster-diving for food, scouring through trash for salvageable junk, and wearing clothes fully sourced from garage sales is getting old. Increasingly worried about what schoolmates and a certain girl at his new school might think of his circumstances—and encouraged by his off-kilter best friend—Carl adopts the principles set forth in a randomly discovered puppy-training pamphlet to “retrain” his dad’s mindset . . . a crackpot experiment that produces some very unintentional results.
This is a fierce and funny novel about family and untangling some of the ties that bind from middle-grade master Gary Paulsen.
Buy The Last Kids on Earth
A Netflix Original series!
The first book in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series, with over 7 million copies in print!
“Terrifyingly fun! Delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs.”–Jeff Kinney, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and the fiercest girl Jack knows, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it?
Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect series for any kid who’s ever dreamed of starring in their own comic book or video game.
Buy Gustav Gloom and the People Taker
Enter an exciting new world of shadows from Hugo Award nominee Adam-Troy Castro. Meet Gustav Gloom.
Fernie What finds herself lost in the Gloom mansion after her cat appears to have been chased there by its own shadow. Fernie discovers a library full of every book that was never written, a gallery of statues that are just plain awkward, and finds herself at dinner watching her own shadow take part in the feast!
Along the way Fernie is chased by the People Taker who is determined to take her to the Shadow Country. It’s up to Fernie and Gustav to stop the People Taker before he takes Fernie’s family.
Buy The Last Kids on Earth: Thrilling Tales from the Tree House
The first ever graphic novel in the New York Times bestselling The Last Kids on Earth series–now adapted for audio!
A Netflix Original series
Includes SIX brand new Last Kids short stories by Max Brallier!
The kids and their monster buddies are hanging out in the tree house, when Jack launches into an epic, totally-heroic, super rad story of one of his many post-apocalyptic adventures. Of course, after he’s finished, everyone’s eager to one-up his tale with a story of their own. Soon, Quint, Dirk, June and Skaelka, and even Globlet regale the group with sometimes outrageous, often hilarious details of their action-packed escapades during the monster-zombie apocalypse. Their stories are capped off by a special double-length feature which will finally reveal the mysterious whereabouts of two villainous villains to prep listeners for the 7th book in the series coming Fall 2021!
Buy Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm
The first Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novel — now adapted as a multicast audio drama!
Phoebe and Marigold decide to investigate a powerful storm that is wreaking havoc with the electricity in their town. The adults think it’s just winter weather, but Phoebe and Marigold soon discover that all is not what it seems to be, and that the storm may have a magical cause. To solve the case, they team up with Max, who is desperate for the electricity to return so he can play video games, and frenemy Dakota, who is aided by her goblin minions. Together, they must get to the bottom of the mystery and save the town from the magic storm.
Buy Other Words for Home
Newbery Honor Book!
A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed.
Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.
At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before.
But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home and, most importantly, finding yourself.
Buy The Halloween Moon
From New York Times bestselling adult author Joseph Fink comes a wickedly fun middle grade novel about a Halloween-obsessed girl named Esther Gold, who goes out trick-or-treating for one last year, only to find her town under the thrall of a mysterious presence.
Esther Gold loves Halloween more than anything in the world. So she is determined to go trick-or-treating again this year despite the fact that her parents think she is officially too old. Esther has it all planned out, from her costume to her candy-collecting strategy. But when the night rolls around, something feels . . . off.
No one is answering their door. The moon is an unnatural shade of orange. Strange children wander the streets, wearing creepy costumes that might not be costumes at all. And it seems like the only people besides Esther who are awake to see it all are her best friend, her school bully, and her grown-up next-door neighbor.
Together, this unlikely crew must find a way to lift the curse that has been placed upon their small town before it’s too late. Because someone is out to make sure Halloween never comes to an end. And even Esther doesn’t want to be trapped in this night forever.
Buy Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world–but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.
“A Harry Potter-esque adventure.” — Time Magazine
Buy Shuri: A Black Panther Novel #1
An original, upper-middle-grade series starring the break-out character from the Black Panther comics and films: T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri! Crafted by New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone. Shuri is a skilled martial artist, a genius, and a master of science and technology. But, she’s also a teenager. And a princess. This middle-grade series follows Shuri as she sets out on a quest to save her homeland of Wakanda. For centuries, the Chieftain of Wakana (the Black Panther) has gained his powers through the juices of the Heart Shaped Herb. Indeed, even Shuri herself has gained powers from this mythical herb, which grows only in Wakanda. Much like Vibranium, the Heart Shaped Herb is essential to the survival and prosperity of Wakanda. But something is wrong. The plants are no longer growing. No matter what the people of Wakanda do, they can’t create new herbs. And their supply is running short. It’s up to Shuri to travel from Wakanda in order to discover what is killing the Herb, and how she can save it, in this all-new, original series.
Buy The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo
Quintessentially funny Judy Blume!
Second grader Freddy Dissel has that left-out kind of feeling. Life seems lonely when you’re the middle kid in the family. Freddy feels like “the peanut butter part of a sandwich,” squeezed between an older brother and little sister. But now for the first time it’s Freddy’s chance to show everyone, including himself, just how special he is!
Buy The Cooking Club Detectives
Meet Erin, her puppy Sausage and friends as they swap recipes and pots for clues and culprits and try to solve the mystery of why their cookery club is closing and save it for everyone. The fourth middle-grade book from Waterstones-shortlisted author Ewa Jozefkowicz about family, friendship and self-discovery, touching on themes of food poverty and online bullying. Skipton House Community Centre may look ramshackle, but it is soon at the heart of Erin’s life – especially the cooking club. When the building is suddenly threatened with closure, Erin and her new friends, Tanya, Frixos, and Sam, form The Cooking Club Detectives. Can they, and their four-legged assistant, Sausage, uncover who the mystery culprit is and save Skipton? A beautifully observed 9+ story about the power of food and the importance of community.
Buy A Place to Hang the Moon
For fans of The War That Saved My Life and other World War II fiction, A Place to Hang the Moon is the tale of three orphaned siblings who are evacuated from London to live in the countryside with the secret hope of finding a permanent family.
It is 1940 and William, twelve, Edmund, eleven, and Anna, nine, aren’t terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?
It’s a preposterous plan, but off they go—keeping their predicament a secret, and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends up lasting forever. Moving from one billet to another, the children suffer the cruel trickery of foster brothers, the cold realities of outdoor toilets, and the hollowness of empty stomachs. They find comfort in the village lending library, whose kind librarian, Nora Müller, seems an excellent choice of billet, except that her German husband’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and some of the villagers consider her unsuitable.
Buy Where Snow Angels Go
What happens to a snow angel after you leave it behind? A little girl discovers that answer when she meets an unusual protector in this gorgeous modern fairy tale.
Buy The Grimm Conclusion
From Newbery Honor-winning, New York Times bestselling author Adam Gidwitz
Cover may vary
Did you know that Cinderella’s stepsisters got their eyes pecked out by birds? Really. And that
Rumpelstiltskin ripped himself in half? And that in “The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage,” a mouse, a bird, and a sausage all talk to each other? (Okay, I guess that one’s not that grim.)
Those are the real fairy tales. But they have nothing on the fairy tales in this book.
For more twisted tales look for A Tale Dark and Grimm and In a Glass Grimmly.
Buy Wind Riders #1: Rescue on Turtle Beach
Hop aboard Wind Rider, a magical sailboat, with Max and Sofia, two kids trying to save the environment one problem at a time. Their first mission? Rescuing baby sea turtles in the beautiful waters of Hawaii.
Max and Sofia are ordinary kids whose lives are changed when they discover an abandoned sailboat. They’re given the chance to make a real impact when the boat magically brings them them to a different corner of the world to help other kids save their environment!
Wind Riders: Rescue on Turtle Beach is the first book in a chapter book series about Max and Sofia’s adventures tackling real world problems. Each story visits a new location and introduces a human-made problem endangering animals and the environment.
With nature’s highest stakes and environmental activism baked into each book, as well as fun scientific facts included at the end, Wind Riders promises to be the chapter book series for newly independent readers who love nature documentaries and are hungry to learn about the world around them.
There is an emphasis on collaborative problem-solving, compassion for the Earth and all its inhabitants, and friendship. Wind Riders is the perfect STEM chapter book series for fans of Magic Tree House, The Magic School Bus, and Zoey and Sassafras.
Buy Wind Riders #2: Search for the Scarlet Macaws
Hop aboard Wind Rider, a magical sailboat, with Max and Sofia, two kids trying to save the environment one problem at a time. Their second mission? Protecting majestic scarlet macaw chicks in the most biodiverse place on Earth, the Amazon rain forest.
Max and Sofia are ordinary kids whose lives are changed when they discover an abandoned sailboat. They’re given the chance to make a real impact when the boat magically transports them to a different corner of the world to help other kids save their environment.
Wind Riders: Search for the Scarlet Macaws is the second book in a chapter book series about Max and Sofia’s adventures tackling real world problems. Each story visits a new location and introduces a human-made problem endangering animals and the environment.
With nature’s highest stakes and environmental activism baked into each book, as well as fun scientific facts included at the end, Wind Riders promises to be the chapter book series for newly independent readers who love nature documentaries and are hungry to learn about the world around them.
There is an emphasis on collaborative problem-solving, compassion for the Earth and all its inhabitants, and friendship. Wind Riders is the perfect STEM chapter book series for fans of Magic Tree House, The Magic School Bus, and Zoey and Sassafras.
Buy Echo
Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this virtuosic, genre-defying tour de force from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan. Lost and alone in the forbidden Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. How their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck. Richly imagined and structurally innovative, ECHO pushes the boundaries of form and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories.
Buy Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed!
From New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux and acclaimed artist Tim Probert comes an all-new original Dungeons & Dragons middle grade series!
Welcome to Dungeon Academy, where monsters and creatures train for the dark world that awaits just beyond the dungeon walls! But Zellidora “Zelli” Stormclash is a bit—different. She’s the one thing monsters and creatures of the Forgotten Realms fear the most: Zelli is a human!
Knowing she’ll never be accepted, Zelli’s parents disguise her as a minotaur in hopes she’ll blend with the academy’s monstrous surroundings. Zelli does her work, keeps to herself, and becomes “invisible” to everyone.
While in History of Horrible Humans class, Zelli learns of the great human adventurer, Allidora Steelstrike, who oddly resembles her. Could Zelli also be a Steelstrike? Seeking answers to her true lineage, Zelli embarks on a dangerous adventure.
But she won’t be alone. A vegan owlbear, a cowardly kobold, and a shapeshifting mimic will join Zelli on her quest for truth in a world that holds no place for them. And who knows? Perhaps these monstrous misfits may discover some truths of their own . . .
Get ready for humor, heart, magic, and adventure as middle graders and beyond learn to embrace who they are, accept others’ differences, and discover that making mistakes is OK—as long as you learn from them.
Buy Unicorn Academy #1: Sophia and Rainbow
What if your best friend was a unicorn? Chapter book readers are flocking to this magical series, where everyone is paired with their very own unicorn!
Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and learn to talk to them! Sophia is sure she and her unicorn, Rainbow will be great partners, but their first test isn’t a part of their lessons. Sparkle Lake gives unicorns their magic, and when it starts turning a funny color, everything goes wrong! Can Sophia and Rainbow brave the dangerous woods to save the unicorns’ magic?
Fans of Rainbow Magic, Purrmaids, and Princess Ponies will love this chapter book series about the magic of bonding with your own unicorn. Be sure to read all the books in this magical series!Don’t miss any books in the magical new spin-off series, Unicorn Academy Nature Magic!
Buy Rise of the Earth Dragon
DRAGON MASTERS has it all! Dragons, a Dragon Stone, a king, a wizard, and magic! In the first book in this fully-illustrated series, 8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland’s soldier and taken to the castle. He is to be trained as a Dragon Master. At the castle, he is joined by three other young Dragon Masters-in-training: Ana, Rori, and Bo. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons–and they must also uncover their dragons’ special powers. Does Drake have what it takes to be a Dragon Master? What is his dragon’s special power?
Buy The One and Only Bob
Return to the unforgettable world of the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling novel The One and Only Ivan (soon to be a major motion picture!) in this incredible sequel, starring Ivan’s friend Bob!
Don’t miss the audiobook, read by Danny DeVito!
Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.
Bob, Ivan, and Ruby have touched the hearts of millions of readers, and their story isn’t over yet. Catch up with these beloved friends before the star-studded film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan hits theaters in August 2020!
One and Only Bob is an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, embraced by new and old fans of Katherine Applegate’s beloved One and Only Ivan!
Buy The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home. A modern classic in the making reminiscent of the Penderwicks series, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is about the connections we make and the unexpected turns life can take.
Buy Ikenga
Nnedi Okorafor’s acclaimed first novel for middle grade children introduces a boy who can access super powers with the help of the magical Ikenga.
Nnamdi’s father was a good chief of police, perhaps the best Kalaria had ever had. He was determined to root out the criminals that had invaded the town. But then he was murdered, and most people believed the Chief of Chiefs, most powerful of the criminals, was responsible. Nnamdi has vowed to avenge his father, but he wonders what a twelve-year-old boy can do. Until a mysterious nighttime meeting, the gift of a magical object that enables super powers, and a charge to use those powers for good changes his life forever. How can he fulfill his mission? How will he learn to control his newfound powers?
Award-winning Nnedi Okorafor, acclaimed for her Akata novels, introduces a new and engaging hero in her first novel for middle grade readers set against a richly textured background of contemporary Nigeria.
Buy Fortunately, the Milk
An absolute delight of a madcap story for the young (and young-at-heart) by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, with equal parts pirates and piranhas, adventure and aliens, oddity and love.
“I bought the milk,” said my father. “I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: t h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road.”
“Hullo,” I said to myself. “That’s not something you see every day. And then something odd happened.”
Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman.