Mia’s Secret

Mia is little and feeling utterly powerless. She has promised to keep a secret, but now this secret feels wrong. And now that she has played the secret game, she is frightened — frightened that “he” will be angry if she tells, frightened that no one will understand. Only her stuffed bear, Tikki, has seen everything and knows how much this secret hurts. He comes again and again. Mia tries to stop him, but now he’s angry with her. If only she hadn’t made the promise. Then, Mia has an idea. Tikki has promised nothing. Maybe Tikki can speak to her mother and stop the hurt at last.

Ballywhinney Girl

Young Maeve feels a strong connection to the mysterious, mummified body of a young girl that her grandfather uncovers while cutting turf in an Irish bog. Includes facts about bogs and the mummies that have been found in them.

Isabella of Castile

In a twist on the classic fairy tale, a princess in 15th-century Spain refused to wait to be rescued by a prince and instead chose one for herself. Even then, she would not marry him until they’d reached an agreement that was revolutionary for her time—their marriage was an equal partnership captured in the motto “To stand as high, as high to stand, Isabella and Ferdinand.” This book tells Isabella of Castile’s story with sections on the clothes she wore, the foods she ate, and why she is remembered today. Without her, both Spain and the United States would not exist in their current forms.

Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman

This book presents information about the life of the fourteenth-century Persian noblewoman who was captured and sold into slavery as a child, but whose intelligence, beauty, and compassion led her to become princess, and eventually sole ruler of Kirman after the death of her husband.

The Boy Who Wanted To Cook

Ten-year-old Pierre dreams of being a chef at his parents’ restaurant, La Bonne Vache, in the south of France and is told he is too young, but when an important guest comes Pierre sees a chance to prove himself. Includes notes about dining in France and a glossary.

The Story of Little Red Riding Hood

From the Caldecott Honor illustrator of Casey at the Bat comes a rich and exquisitely crafted edition of one of the best-known tales by the Brothers Grimm. Christopher Bing captures the light and darkness, as well as the deep emotional core, of the story of an innocent girl and the wolf who would devour her in this most magnificent and definitive version of the tale.