Every month expert booksellers and librarians share their top picks for young readers. Check out what our experts are reading in January!
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Two Tales of Twenty-Six
Written by Stephanie Simpson McLellan
Illustrated by Mike Deas
Red Deer Press, 2024
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
Determined characters with gumption “turn impossible into possible” in two cleverly connected stories that meet in the middle. A wee mouse who longs to explore the outside world overcomes the challenges of living in a house with 26 cats in “Walter and the World.” When readers physically turn the book upside-down and back-to-front, another adventure awaits on the flip side. In “Liam and the Letters,” a young boy masters the 26 letters of the alphabet while learning to read a tale about a mouse outwitting a bevy of felines.
Walter and Liam both face obstacles and find success through perseverance and practice. Their paths cross in unexpected ways and several breadcrumbs are sprinkled throughout Mike Deas’ detailed illustrations.
With an intriguing design, superb storytelling, and charming characters to root for, Two Tales of Twenty-Six is a fabulous book beginning readers will flip over.
Recommended by Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library.
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Unsinkable Cayenne
Written by Jessica Vitalis
Greenwillow Books, 2024
IL: Ages 9-13 RL: Grades 4-5
Having spent her entire young life living with her parents in a beat up van, Cayenne is elated when her parents decide to rent a house in Montana where she will have an actual bedroom with walls (sort of), and a front yard (filled with chickens), and she will attend school where she hopes to make friends and fit in. But the politics of middle-school life, fitting in with the popular girls, navigating a first crush and witnessing the mounting tension between her parents as they struggle to make ends meet is a lot for Cayenne to juggle. A school project on the Titanic also gives her the opportunity to think about class differences and where she and her family fit in the social hierarchy of their new home.
This verse novel features a likeable protagonist who learns valuable life lessons about friendship, family and the importance of being true to oneself.
Recommended by Lisa Doucet, Manager, Woozles Children’s Bookstore.
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