Melissa McAvoy

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]

Carson, Mary Kay. Urban Coyotes. Tom Uhlman, Illus. Scientists in the Field. Clarion, 08/2024. [80]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $21.99. 978-0-06327-147-0. GRADES 4–7. HIGH ADDITIONAL.          In the 1990s coyotes first started showing up in city neighborhoods, and animal control agencies were flooded with anxious complaints. Field scientists formed Chicago’s [continue reading]

Buchet, Nelly. Big Sister, Long Coat. Rachel Katstaller, Illus. NorthSouth, 03/2024. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.95. 978-0-73584-551-0. GRADES Preschool–3. OUTSTANDING. Intending the best day ever, a smiling, freckled, curly-haired teen sister and a rosy-cheeked, light-brown haired younger sister head out into an urban environment. The younger child [continue reading]

Brunelle, Lynn. Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall. Jason Chin, Illus. Neal Porter, 06/2024. [48]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-82345-228-6. GRADES Kindergarten–4. OUTSTANDING.          Readers follow an elderly blue whale as she takes her last meal, expires, and sinks to the sea floor. What happens [continue reading]

Stone, Tanya Lee. Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA. Gretchen Ellen Powers, Illus. Christy Ottaviano, 02/2024. [40]pp. Biography. Trade $21.99. 978-0-316-35124-9. GRADES 3–6. HIGH ADDITIONAL.          A true story, without a happy ending, reveals the life and personality of an [continue reading]