The creepy middle grade debut from USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard in which a girl stays with her grandmother in Trinidad for the summer and discovers that she comes from a long line of powerful witches.Darika “Rika” Lovelace is in trouble. The kind of trouble that sends her to her grandmother’s estate in Trinidad for the whole summer. But something about the island feels…different. As soon as she steps off the plane, strange things start happening!Rika meets a group of kids called Minders, who seem to have elemental powers. Even worse, she can sense jumbies lurking in the shadows. Needless to say, she wants a ticket home. But when the Minders let slip that her long-lost mom is in danger, she knows she can’t leave.Thrust into a magical adventure involving bloodcurdling monsters, a supernatural silk cotton tree, and an endless maze, Rika must defeat the fearsome jumbie king to save her family and new friends. But unless she learns to believe in herself, she’ll never beat him or escape his twisted maze.

One night under the acacia trees, Kibo writes a story about home. His neighbor Naki reads his words, binds them into a book, and brings it to the city. There Camilo devours Kibo’s story, remembering his childhood in the savannah. The next day he shares the book and his memories with his friend Simon. Soon Simon starts writing new songs about distant lands. Where will Kibo’s book go next, and what will it spark for its next reader?Featuring a charming cast of animal characters, The Book that Kibo Wrote showcases the power of stories to connect readers across the globe.

“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.

In this transporting and suspenseful companion to the New York Times bestselling Once There Was, Marjan travels around the globe in search of a mythical bird in terrible danger, whose fate could determine the future of the world.Marjan Dastani is successfully leading a double life. Only a few people know that when she’s not in school, she travels the world taking care of mythical beasts, sent on missions by a shadowy organization known as The Fells.In an adventure that takes her across continents and connects her with the wildest of mythic beasts around the globe, Marjan must track down the fabled Bird of a Thousand Stories before someone with more nefarious plans finds it. But the more closely she connects with the world’s mythical creatures, the more danger she’s in of losing her friendships—and all that tethers her to the life she’s known.

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.

Winner of the 2018 International Latino Book Awards“In this beautiful gem about a girl who wants to learn to read, letters burst forth from imagery done in cut-paper collage and a rainbow of color, each page telling its own story with a quiet, understated voice.” — B.C. (New York Times)The war is over and little Ayobami can finally go to school. Everyone is extremely happy, and joy is all over the town. The children are excited to go to school and have a great time, but Ayobami is so impatient that she cannot wait for the other kids and decides to go to class alone.To keep her from getting lost, Ayobami’s father builds a paper boat and pushes it out into the river, telling her, “If you follow it downstream, you will arrive at the schoolhouse.” But when the ship sinks, Ayobami must find another way to school through the winding paths of the jungle.With only the help of a paper and a spent pencil, Ayobami sets off on an exciting journey with a fundamental objective: to learn to read and write. Will the wild animals from the jungle allow her to reach her destination safely?

Describes the Salish and Pend d Oreille story of how the bitterroot was given to them. Story as told by Johnny Arlee, illustrated by Antoine Sandoval.

A celebration of traditional ways of life and the power of sharing what we have.”Rez kid!“ The girl ignores the taunt as she hurries to the back of the school bus. She just wants to get home to the reservation, where she can feel safe. One by one, she tells her mom, nóhkom, moshum and aunty about what happened. And one by one they offer her advice on what to do. Each one has a different idea, but each idea is the same at heart: share something from the reservation with the other children. The girl listens, but decides to come up with her own idea. And, as with everything else about her life as a rez kid, her idea grows out of all she has been given by those who came before her.Andrea Landry has written a beautiful story that celebrates Indigenous ways of life and encourages readers to be proud of who they are. The traditions practiced on the girl’s reservation are showcased as she beads, harvests medicine, gardens and rides horseback with her elders. Isabella Fassler’s stunning art, with swirls of bold colors, evokes the majesty and splendor of nature. The message of showing kindness in response to aggression offers a powerful lesson for all readers. This book could augment social studies lessons on Indigenous cultures and character education conversations about courage, compassion and inclusiveness. An author’s note gives a brief history of reservations/reserves.

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.