Melissa McAvoy

Rosenstock, Barb. Sea Without a Shore: Life in the Sargasso. Katherine Roy, Illus. Norton, 08/2024. 32pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-3240-1607-6. GRADES 1–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.          The Sargasso Sea is the stuff of legends: a shoreless ecosystem, built from currents, teeming with unique life. Lyrical, active, scientifically accurate language [continue reading]

Larsen, Andrew. Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away. Oriol Vidal, Illus. Sourcebooks, 09/2024. 40pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-7282-8351-7. GRADES Kindergarten–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.         As a child, Puerto Rican Nelson Molina collected, repaired, and gifted thrown away treasures. In [continue reading]

Hendrix, John. Mythmakers, The: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. John Hendrix, Illus. Abrams, 09/2024. 224pp. Graphic. Trade $24.99. 978-1-4197-4634-5. GRADES 6–10. OUTSTANDING.            Hendrix’s graphic biography focuses on exactly how Tolkien and Lewis’s deep friendship inspired their radical creative leaps. Combining playful illustration, strong [continue reading]

Crow-Miller, Britt. World of Rot: Learn All About the Wriggly, Slimy, Super-Cool Decomposers We Couldn’t Live Without. Bruno Valasse, Illus. Storey, 09/2024. 80pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6358-6669-8. GRADES 2–6. OUTSTANDING.           The wonderful and essential world of rot is all around you, on you, and in you. Slow [continue reading]

Alkaf, Hanna. Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s, The. Simon & Schuster / Salaam, 09/2024. 352pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-5344-9458-9. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.     For more than one hundred years, prestigious St. Bernadette’s has taught and shaped the girls of Kuala Lumpur, equipping them with education [continue reading]

Manley, Curtis. Climbing the Volcano: A Journey in Haiku. Jennifer K. Mann, Illus. Neal Porter, 01/2024. [48]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-82345-166-1. GRADES Kindergarten–3. OUTSTANDING.         A school-age child asks “How do you climb a mountain?” as a dark-haired, tan-skinned family sets out from a campsite to reach [continue reading]

Hevron, Amy. City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions. Amy Hevron, Illus. Neal Porter, 06/2024. [40]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-82345-318-4. GRADES Kindergarten–3. OUTSTANDING.          The Central American rainforest and the complex, bustling society of leafcutter ants are recreated in digitally collaged, hand-painted vibrant green, rusty red, [continue reading]

Hardinge, Frances. Island of Whispers. Emily Gravett, Illus. Amulet, 08/2024. 120pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-41977-433-1. GRADES 4–8. OUTSTANDING.          On Milo’s island the spirits of the dead must be quickly transported by his father, the Ferryman, lest they endlessly wander, leaving death and blight in their wake. When [continue reading]