This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who’s being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life. From the bestselling author of the Paola Santiago series!”Absolutely haunting!”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of MineA BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEARSadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost—a ghost that doesn’t want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.Which is why she’s not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn’t bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself—and she’ll do anything to make sure it stays that way.

House of Roots and Ruin meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this gorgeous dark fantasy debut steeped in Norse mythology that follows a teen who accidentally awakens an imprisoned draugr and must follow him into a deadly magical forest to rescue her grandmother.Never go beyond the stave church.Within Tiveden Forest, bloodthirsty monsters known as draugr lurk behind every tree, and secrets run through the soil like twisted roots. When her grandmother vanishes into the forest, Astrid won’t let Crohn’s disease get in the way of finding her. But in searching for her lost loved one, Astrid soon uncovers an even greater mystery:A conflict that’s haunted her village and family for generations.An ancient blood oath her ancestor made to protect them.A deadly draugr imprisoned for centuries…who Astrid accidentally awakens.Newly revived, Soren first mistakes Astrid for her ancestor, his ex-lover turned enemy. Astrid can’t tell if he would rather kill her or kiss her. But Soren knows the forest better than anyone, and Astrid quickly realizes that she’ll need his help to rescue her grandmother.The deeper they venture into Tiveden, the closer Astrid gets to the cold, alluring Soren and the truth behind her grandmother’s disappearance. To save her home, a dark ritual must be performed before Midwinter—and only Astrid can fulfill her ancestor’s blood oath…or break it.That is, if Soren—or the forest—doesn’t break Astrid first.

Readers follow along step-by-step as Benjamin plants and cares for his garden and imagines the harvest to come.Benjamin loves springtime. The grass grows bright green, the birds sing sweet songs and, best of all, Benjamin and his mother start their garden. In just the right order, they plant mahtâmin (corn), pîmiciwacis (beans), and osawipak (squash) for Three Sisters Soup. They plant strawberries to serve with bannock, then zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers. Benjamin and his mom lovingly tend to the garden and watch it grow into a plentiful harvest with enough to share. Throughout the whole summer, Benjamin dreams about the fall, when they’ll have all the ingredients for a feast – and everyone will be invited!In this heartwarming story, award-winning author Melanie Florence evocatively portrays the pleasures and rewards of growing and sharing food. The steps of the gardening process – digging holes, planting seeds, watering – are carefully described, and the yearly cycle of growing, harvesting, eating and then starting again the next year is emphasized. Special attention is paid to the tradition of planting corn, beans and squash together so that each plant by its nature helps the others grow. Benjamin and his mother use Cree words throughout the story, and a pronunciation guide is included at the back of the book for further inquiry. Vivid illustrations by Hawlii Pichette make this a perfect follow-up to the author and illustrator duo’s previous book, Benjamin’s Thunderstorm.

2023 Best Books for Kids & Teens starred selection, The Canadian Children’s Book CentreSantiago finds a way to connect to his classmates―through dinosaurios!Santiago is new to the United States, and he doesn’t speak English. On his first day of school, how will he connect with his peers? Santiago learns that even when you don’t speak the same language, some interests―like dinosaurs―are universal.

On the eastern plains of Taiwan, a young girl and her mother pick wild greens before a rainstorm drenches them and their garden. When she goes to pull at the roots of a spiky, stalky weed, she learns that the plant is not what it seems. A lyrical story that shows young readers how to appreciate the bounty of nature and the beauty of identity.Chinese and Pinyin translations are included in pages and backmatter features additional information on the indigenous Amis people of Taiwan. An Own Voices, Own Stories award winner and Junior Library Guild Selection

When Manny Wolf sees an ad in the paper announcing “Wolf Wanted” he responds right away, only to realize the company is looking for a real wolf. Luckily for Manny, so many wolves respond to the ad that he is hired to answer all the letters. As Manny reads between the lines of the wolves’ letters, with their glowing descriptions of themselves, he realizes that all the applicants are famous fictional wolves! Finding no suitable candidates, Manny finally rewrites the ad, clarifying that a real wolf is needed so that a documentary can be made to show people what real wolves are like and how different they are from their big, bad fictional counterparts. Mixing fantasy and reality with zany illustrations, this hilarious story highlights the very serious risk of the extinction of wolves worldwide.

“Based on his own experiences as a first-generation Ghanaian American growing up in New York City, chef and author Adjepong’s debut picture book beautifully captures Kofi’s complicated feelings of in-betweenness, seeing himself as not quite American enough and not quite Ghanaian enough, even as he tries to connect to his family’s history. A recipe for jollof rice, the dish Kofi proudly shares with his class, is included at the end.” —BCCB, starred reviewInspired by acclaimed chef Eric Adjepong’s own childhood, Sankofa is the powerful story of a young boy’s culinary journey 400 years into the past to reconnect with his African roots and find his own place in America. This thoughtful picture book also includes a recipe for jollof rice.”Adjepong has crafted a delectable story that blends food history and Ghanaian culture. A celebration of food and culture that reminds youngsters to look back as they move forward.” —Kirkus ReviewsWhat if home was a place you’ve never been? For Kofi, a first-generation Ghanaian American boy, home is a country called Ghana. But it’s a place he’s never been. When tasked to bring a dish that best represents his family’s culture to school for a potluck lunch, Kofi is torn. With the help of his Nanabarima (grandfather), Kofi learns the hardship and resilience his family has endured—and how food has always been an integral part their story and culture. Sankofa is a reminder that food can transport you to a place called home—even if you’ve never been.

Max finds his Spanish-speaking voice with the help of his abuela’s pet, Lorito, a talkative parrot, in this sweet and heartwarming picture book.Max isn’t confident with his Spanish, especially rolling his Rs, and his cousins always tease him about it. But he loves spending weekends baking with his Spanish-speaking abuela, while Lorito the parrot helps translate.But when Lorito disappears for a day, Max and Abuela must figure out how to communicate. Max’s Spanish doesn’t have to be perfect, and Abuela can attempt a little English. Trying is what counts!

It’s Eid al-Adha, and Sami wants to celebrate. But this year is different after his grandfather’s passing. A touching picture book about kindness towards others.Sami worries that the Eid al-Adha carnival won’t be as fun without Dede (his grandfather), who died recently. Sami’s grandmother sends him one of Dede’s ties, and Sami vows to never take it off.After going to the mosque for Eid prayer, Sami’s family stop at the shelter where Baba and Anne volunteer. Can an unexpected encounter and a special gift help Sami change his mind about celebrating?The gift of giving and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes shines through in this engaging, poignant holiday story.