Readers K-2

365: How to Count a Year

Author: Miranda Paul & Julien Chung

Description: A year can feel like a really, really long time. One trip around the sun. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. 365 days. 31,535,000 seconds. It seems like forever, so let’s break it down! A year is made up of 365 “Good mornings.” It’s fifty-two Friday night movie nights, twelve calendar backgrounds, and one special birthday wish. Time passes in so many fun and exciting ways—come explore them!

Readers 3-5

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

Author: Jon Klassen

Description: In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

Readers 6-8

A First Time for Everything

Author: Dan Santat

Description: Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn't stop him from being bullied and feeling like he's invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents send him on a class trip to Europe. At first, he's right. He's stuck with the same girls from his middle school who love to make fun of him, and he doesn't know why his teacher insisted he come on this trip. But as he travels through France, Germany, Switzerland, and England, a series of first experiences begin to change him--first Fanta, first fondue, first time stealing a bike from German punk rockers... and first love. Funny, heartwarming, and poignant, A First Time for Everything is a feel-good coming-of-age memoir based on New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat's awkward middle school years. It celebrates a time that is universally challenging for many of us, but also life-changing as well.