MaryJo recommends...

Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi 

Alyssa recommends...

The Smashed Man of Dread End by J. W. Ocker

Noe Wiley is excited to move to a new house after a sleepwalking incident that ended in her accidentally hurting her friend. But soon she’s confronted with a group of hostile girls that live on her new street and a note that says only, “Don’t go into the basement of your house at night.” Curious, she does exactly what the girls told her not to do and ventures into her basement after dark to find a flat, grinning man oozing out of a crack in the wall. Now she’ll need the girls’ help if she wants to rid her house—and the world—of this monster, but can they figure out who he is and where he comes from in time to save their families and each other? This book was so wonderfully creepy and fast-paced that I read it in a single day. You may want to read this tale of friendship and monsters with the light on. And don’t go into the basement at night!

Allison recommends...

Just Like That! by Gary D. Schmidt

Stefanie recommends...

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

Travel through the four seasons with Little Witch Hazel, a little witch who is all about helping the inhabitants of her forest community. Her adventures include rescuing an orphaned egg, rafting with her friends, encountering a haunted tree stump, and tending to her many patients in the midst of a blizzard. Heartwarming and cozy, Little Witch Hazel is the perfect choice for fans of books like Frog and Toad and Mister Putter and Tabby.

Chris recommends...

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Alyssa recommends...

The Forest of Stars by Heather Kassner

Ann recommends...

Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

Stefanie recommends...

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Betita’s life is turned upside down when her Papi isn’t there to pick her up from school. She later learns that there has been an ICE raid, and that her father was deported to Mexico, separated from her and her pregnant mother. When Betita and her mother try to visit him at the border, they end up getting detained and sent to a family detention center outside of Los Angeles, California. During this horrifically trying time for her and her family, Betita turns toward her love of poetry (and the book is fittingly written in verse), and the knowledge that her Papi has told her over and over since she was a young child--that she is a crane, descended from the Aztecs of Aztlan, and the land that they inhabit in the Southwestern United States is in fact, their promised land. A heart-wrenching but necessary read.

Allison recommends...

There Must Be More Than That! by Shinsuke Yoshitake

MaryJo recommends...

Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

Mitch recommends...

Little Bird by Cynthia Voigt, illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins

Little Bird is a crow, the smallest in her flock. After an attack on her roost’s oak tree, she decides that she can recover her kin’s “luck,” a necklace that had been woven into the nest. So off she goes, and as with any quest, there are many dangers, adventures, and strange encounters, from sassy blue jays to peanut butter to a wise and witty goat. She returns home a kinder and wiser crow, ready for new adventures. Characters featured in Voigt’s earlier Davis Farm books—Angus and Sadie,Young Fredle, andToaff’s Way—also make brief appearances, but you don’t need to have read the earlier books to enjoy this one. A fine for choice for solo readers, or as a family read-along.

Alyssa recommends...

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

11-year old Ollie’s class field trip to a farm takes a grim turn when the bus breaks down on the way home. Her teacher tries calling for assistance but there’s no cell service out in the cornfields. He orders them to stay on the bus with the driver while he walks back to the farmhouse for help, which means that Ollie and her classmates are now stuck in the middle of nowhere. Already uneasy and with night falling quickly, Ollie’s digital watch begins to display a warning in flashing letters—RUN—prompting Ollie and two of her friends to flee the bus. They head into the woods as the sky grows dark and eerie, pursued by haunted scarecrows. In order to survive the night, Ollie and her friends must avoid large areas and stick to the small spaces instead. Small Spaces is the perfect autumnal read for those who like stories with extra thrills and chills.

Stefanie recommends...

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Melly is feeling a lot of different emotions as she and her best friend Olivia head to Camp Rockaway for two weeks of music camp. As an introvert, she is already being forced way out of her comfort zone by playing her drums in front of complete strangers (not to mention just being in a camp full of complete strangers), and on top of that, her parents just told her that they are getting a divorce right before she left home. When Melly and Olivia are assigned to different bands, Melly’s life is turned upside down, but maybe, in the best way possible. Full of heart and spirit, this book is all about believing in yourself and persevering, finding love where you least expected to, navigating friendship when your best friend seems to take you for granted, and processing really hard and scary emotions when your world feels like it’s falling apart. And there are a lot of music puns!

Demitra recommends...

Resistanceby Jennifer A. Nielsen 

Just wow.Resistance tells the story of Chaya Lindner, a Jewish teen that looks just aryan enough to get past authorities with forged papers as she moves through the ghettos of Poland to smuggle food and weapons in and perhaps smuggle people out. The tension in the story is palpable and you will find yourself reading at a breakneck pace to find out what happens next. Though the book is historical fiction, it incorporates real instances of the bravery, resilience and determination of the Jewish people as they fought to survive a force of people and beliefs that was set on seeing their utter destruction. If you are looking for your next WWII read, this is it.

Allison recommends...

A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée 

MaryJo recommends...

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 

Will witnesses his own brother Shawn’s death right in front of him. Gunned down by someone, and Will thinks he knows who. He also knows the rules of the neighborhood, one of them being, if someone kills someone you love, you have to get revenge. Will grabs Shawn’s gun, and takes the elevator down to follow the rules.  But, on each floor, William is visited by ghosts of his past, and they all share their stories of gun violence. Will begins to contemplate his decision, and the rules of the neighborhood. Should he follow the neighborhood rule and avenge his brother’s death, even if that means there is no future for him? The entire story that takes place all in a 67 second elevator ride, and is a powerful, thought provoking story to tell. Readers will not be able to put this novel in verse down once they start.

Ann recommends...

Nightbooks by J. A. White

Chris recommends...

Front Desk by Kelly Yang