Children & YA Staff Picks

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Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) By Tamora Pierce Cover Image
$10.39
ISBN: 9781665937412
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - September 26th, 2023

Reading this book as a kid changed my life. Alanna kicks off an entire universe of strong, funny, brave, and complex female protagonists, along with a supporting cast that feel like old friends at this point. In her first adventure, Alanna dresses herself up as her twin brother and embarks on her journey to become a knight. Tamora Pierce writes the kind of books that you come back to over and over again. If you’ve never ventured into Tortall, enjoy your journey. If you have, maybe it’s time to return.

- Katherine


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Radio Silence By Alice Oseman Cover Image
$12.79
ISBN: 9780062335722
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: HarperTeen - December 26th, 2023

As someone who experienced a tumultuous adolescence filled with anxiety about her next step, about what the future would hold, about what she would do in college and beyond, I can say with full confidence that this book irrevocably changed the course of my life. I've read Radio Silence a total of four times, once for every moment I felt inexplicably lost in this world, and every reread has moved me even more than the last. This is the kind of book that you want to wrap around your shoulders like a safety blanket.

- Cindy


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Nat Enough: A Graphic Novel (Nat Enough #1) By Maria Scrivan, Maria Scrivan (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Maria Scrivan, Maria Scrivan (Illustrator)
$10.39
ISBN: 9781338538199
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Graphix - April 7th, 2020

These days, with social media, it is easier to compare ourselves to others and feel “Nat Enough” now than ever before. This adorably relatable middle grade graphic novel seeks to remind us that being our silly selves, even if it leads to feeling embarrassed, is always the best option! And maybe it will even get the cute boy in class to notice us….

- Emma

 


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Stella By McCall Hoyle Cover Image
$7.19
ISBN: 9781639930555
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Shadow Mountain - September 6th, 2022

Stella is a bomb-sniffing beagle who has gone through an accident where she lost her human partner. Written from Stella's perspective, follow her journey as she recovers from her ordeal and finds her new calling as a seizure alert dog for 11-year old Cloe.

- Halle


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Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy By Faith Erin Hicks Cover Image
$14.39
ISBN: 9781250838728
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: First Second - October 3rd, 2023

My heart absolutely swooned with every panel of this amazingly sweet graphic novel for teens-though I believe it's worth a read no matter your age. You'll love these characters (well, most of them...) and be rooting for them throughout.

- Jen


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A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) By Judy I. Lin Cover Image
$15.19
ISBN: 9781250767080
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Feiwel & Friends - March 29th, 2022

Magic mixes with East Asian culture meets Iron Chef in a web of palace intrigue. Tea master in-training Ning competes to be the imperial master of tea and save her sister's life.

- Mia


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The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature's Rhythms By Fiona Cook, Jessica Roux (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Fiona Cook, Jessica Roux (Illustrator)
$15.99
ISBN: 9781524874803
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Andrews McMeel Publishing - October 24th, 2023

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Dim Sum Palace By X. Fang Cover Image
By X. Fang
$15.19
ISBN: 9781774881989
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Tundra Books - September 12th, 2023

Following Liddy's dreamlike state through Fang's brilliant storytelling is just as (dare I say maybe even more?) delicious as having actual dim sum.

- Kai


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Grandma's Roof Garden By Tang Wei, Kelly Zhang (Translated by) Cover Image
By Tang Wei, Kelly Zhang (Translated by)
$15.19
ISBN: 9781646147014
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Levine Querido - January 16th, 2024

I have been waiting for a book that rivals my favorite garden book from my childhood, and HERE IT IS. The audible gasp of delight when I discovered this book! I then handed it to everyone I could. I love Grandma, I love her garden, I lover her cat, and the rich, deep colors and line style make the veggies feel almost within grasp.

- Stacey


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The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable By Oliver Jeffers Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780593115015
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Philomel Books - September 17th, 2019

A refreshingly depressing children's book, inspired by the legend of the man who sells his soul to the devil. Adult readers can pair with Goethe's Faust I&II (also a staff pick this month), Mann's Doctor Faustus, and Bulgakov's Master & Margarita.

- James


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What Makes Us Human By Victor D. O. Santos, Anna Forlati (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Victor D. O. Santos, Anna Forlati (Illustrator)
$15.19
ISBN: 9780802856258
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company - March 5th, 2024

Can you guess?

- Robin


Sweep (PJ Library edition): The Story of a Girl and Her Monster By Jonathan Auxier Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9781419737022
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Amulet Paperbacks - January 7th, 2020

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Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement By Carole Boston Weatherford, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator) Cover Image
$15.19
ISBN: 9780763665319
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Candlewick - August 4th, 2015

Fannie Lou Hamer, was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Refusing to be intimidated by violence, Hamer worked ceaselessly for civil rights and cofounded the National Women’s Political Caucus. This beautiful testament to her story features stunning collage by local artist Ekua Holmes and potent verse from Carole Boston Weatherford.

- Rachael


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Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea By Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard (Illustrator)
$4.79
ISBN: 9780152009014
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Clarion Books - March 30th, 1994

How I wish I could sit with Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, drinking tea and sharing English muffins (with cream cheese, of course!). I've loved these books since I was four years old.

- Sophie


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Pepper and Me By Beatrice Alemagna Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781662640506
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Hippo Park - January 16th, 2024

This unique story of a girl and her scab is the epitome of the weirdly beautiful, and slightly gross book, that all kids gravitate to! Through beautiful illustrations, we learn that we can befriend any bruise, scrap, or insecurity… and maybe we will even miss them when they are gone.

- Emma


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