Two writers’ beginnings

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Otherwise Known as Judy the Great: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume by Selina Alko (Christy Ottaviano Books, 48 pages, grades 2-6). This collection of poems traces Judy Blume’s life from her birth in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1938 to her earliest days as a writer, when she started creating books based on her own childhood and that of her two children. In between, readers will learn of some of the influences on Judy’s books: her fears growing up in a Jewish family during World War II and worries about her fathers after several of his siblings passed away; her questions about growing up and her changing body that she and her friends (the Pre-Teen Kittens) explored together; and her quest for freckles that drove her to mix up a crazy concoction to try to make them appear on her face. The author’s note tells more about Judy’s life and career, as well the influence Blume’s books had on her own adolescence.

Poems and evocative illustrations show how Judy’s early years influenced her writing. Fans will enjoy learning about scenes from her life that were later turned into books and be inspired how she took seemingly ordinary events from her childhood to tell stories that so many kids rcan elate to.

Small-Girl Zora and the Shower of Stories: A Tall Tale Based on the Life and Work of Zora Neale Hurston by Gieselle Anatol, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa (Viking Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Small-Girl Zora loves telling stories and is unfazed when people like her father tell her to be quiet and more ladylike. She travels around her small town, sharing her tales and trying to collect the tears of laughter they elicit to help her family during a drought. Even though reactions are mixed, there’s enough positive feedback for Zora to keep going, and as she heads for home, she can hear the influence of her stories as she feels the first drops of rain on her skin. Includes a two-page author’s note with additional information about Zora Neale Hurston and the stories she wrote that are woven into this tall tale.

This enchanting tale, told in a style that evokes Hurston’s works, is an engaging introduction to the writer and her stories that can be enjoyed by both younger readers and older ones who are more familiar her writing. Her hometown of Eatonville, Florida is lovingly portrayed in the gorgeous illustrations, as are some of the characters from her stories.

Two early awards contenders for 2027

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The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Calkins Creek, 32 pages, grades 2-8). In the foreword, Alice Faye Duncan explains that the text of this book is an erasure poem, a form of found poetry, in which she took a 1,765-word speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to a Philadelphia junior high school in 1967 and distilled it to 277 words. This brief text captures the essence of the speech, in which Dr. King encouraged his audience to build a blueprint for their lives: believing in themselves, choosing a life’s purpose, working for peace and justice, and practicing nonviolence. Words in the poem are capitalized and printed in large, colorful fonts for emphasis, while the illustrations show the hope and hard word needed to build such a blueprint. Includes additional history about this speech with a link to a YouTube video of it, a list of the historical figures mentioned in the speech with the dates of their lives and a sentence about their achievements, victories from the American Civil Rights Movement, directions for writing your own erasure poem, and a bibliography.

There’s so much more to this book than meets the eye, and readers will learn about this inspiring speech that Dr. King made to kids (something he seldom did), as well as receiving instruction and encouragement for creating their own erasure poetry. Although the announcement of 2027 awards is almost a year away, I hope this will be considered, especially for Coretta Scott King recognition.

Troubled Waters: A River’s Journey Toward Justice by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 40 pages, grades 2-5). The Alabama River tells its story, briefly recounting the millions of years it has flowed from Montgomery to Mobile, witnessing the arrival of the Choctaw, who gave it its name that means “Thicket Clearers,” and later, the Europeans, who brought with them ships carrying enslaved Africans. It witnessed the Trail of Tears, the rise of the Black Belt and its cotton plantations, and battles of the Civil War. A bridge was built over it, and eventually, that bridge became the site of two marches in 1965 that brought the violence against civil rights protesters to the nation’s attention. Those marches led to an even bigger one, from Selma to Montgomery, and to the passage of the Voting Rights Act less than five months later. Includes a timeline of the Alabama River from circa 10,000 BCE to August, 1965 and a note from the illustrator.

This powerful book focuses on the Alabama civil rights marches in 1965 that led to the Voting Rights Act in August of that year, told in the unique perspective of the Alabama River. The text is poetic, with lines from spirituals woven in, and the illustrations are gorgeous, always keeping the river at the center of the story. Definitely another awards contender.

How to survive middle school

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Serendipity by Gabbie Benda (Holiday House, 224 pages, grades 4-7). Serendipity leads a charmed life, excelling in her classes, at basketball, onstage, and in student council, where she’s president. After winning free tickets to the carnival, she and her friend Basil encounter a fortune-telling rabbit robot, which Serendipity accidentally destroys. Certain that her luck has changed, she starts seeing signs that she’s cursed, getting a B instead of all A’s, missing baskets, and forgetting her lines in the play. Serendipity returns to the repaired robot, who prints out a fortune telling her “The future is in your hands.” She finally gets the message, realizing that she can make her own luck by sharing the spotlight and handing off some of her responsibilities to others. By the end, Serendipity is ready to try some new activities, but with the realization that it’s more important to enjoy herself than to try to please everyone.

This fast-paced story will appeal to fans of other middle school graphic novels, with its appealing artwork and a reassuring message about setting boundaries and appreciating friends.

The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller (Philomel Books, 256 pages, grades 5-8). Luna starts seventh grade with a single friend, Scott, who has been by her side all her life and understands her completely. When they start creating zines for other kids dealing with middle school issues like eczema, periods, and difficult parents, Luna’s writing grabs the attention of the popular group. At first she’s able to balance her social life between Scott and her new friends, but soon the new friends take over–and Luna finds herself compromising her values in the process, taking part in the mean girls’ bullying and shoplifting. Things come to a head when Luna’s mom discovers the shoplifting, and Luna is expelled from the popular crowd. A quirky but kind school counselor helps Luna to see that it’s okay to make mistakes and encourages her to try to forgive herself and see what she can do to fix things. The final pages contains a sweet surprise, not resolving everything but offering hope of a better eighth grade year.

The author of Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All clearly has a Judy Blume-like memory for her early adolescence, and Luna’s story will have you cringing (perhaps with recognition) at all her terrible choices. While there are no doubt fifth graders who would enjoy this book, it is truly the perfect middle school story. The author’s doodles on many of the pages feel very middle schoolish as well. I loved the ending, particularly this teacher’s wise advice: “The life you make will be part effort, part chance; the combination is what makes it stunning.”

A couple of hatchlings have the best day ever

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How to Hatch: A Gosling’s Guide to Breaking Free by Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Galia Bernstein (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Written as a how-to manual for a gosling about to hatch out of its egg, the main part of the text gives six steps from Breathe! to Flop! as the baby makes its exhausting sojourn into the world. Cutaway illustrations give detailed views of what’s going on inside the egg, while sidebars give additional information about each step in the process. The final illustration shows the newly-hatched gosling joining its siblings in a line behind a parent. Includes a glossary, a list of selected sources, and an author’s note about the wonder children experience when watching eggs hatch.

Spring will be here before you know it, and egg incubators will be making appearances in preschool and primary grades classrooms. This is an excellent introduction to the process, with the step-by-step instructions and illustrations explaining the process for the youngest readers and the sidebars adding more scientific information for older ones.

Ember the Fire Dragon (Dragon Hill book 1) by Tracey West, illustrated by Carolina Vázquez (Scholastic, 64 pages, ages 5-7). When Alden the Hill Dragon tells young Ember (Fire Dragon) and Gus (Mushroom Dragon) that his magic Jewel of the Hill is missing, the two friends get on the case. Although they don’t have their full dragon powers, they use some sharp detective skills to track it down. Instead of breathing fire, Ember can only sneeze sparks, so when they find the jewel hidden in a dark hole, Gus remembers the flowers that make her sneeze, and the two work together to recover the treasure. Alden hangs it up over his cave, and the forest is protected by its magic once again.

This cute series opener from Dragon Masters author Tracey West is sure to find an audience with those not quite ready for the longer chapter books. With five chapters, there’s a decent plot, and readers will undoubtedly find the illustrations enchanting. Gus gets his own book when the second installment comes out in early March.

Five favorite graphic novels

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Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi (HarperAlley, 224 pages, grades 4-7).  Hassan, a middle-school boy observing Ramadan in America for the first time after moving from Yemen, experiences the challenges of fasting while trying to maintain a busy schedule of school and soccer. Finding a community helps him overcome those challenges and celebrate a joyous Eid with his family and friends.

Cabin Head and Tree Head by Scott Campbell (Tundra Books, 88 pages, grades K-4). Hailed by some (me) as “quite possibly the weirdest book ever,” this series opener is sure to attract a devoted following who will love the quirky premise and laugh-out-loud humor.

Kindred Dragons by Sarah Mesinga (Harry N. Abrams, 208 pages, grades 4-8). This fantasy take-off of Anne of Green Gables features a girl named Alice, who longs to be a kindred like other women in her community who have a special bond with a dragon. Beautiful artwork and a compelling story make this a winner.

Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than (First Second, 224 pages, grades 3-7). The creature clinic is run by the imperious Dr. Orc and her long-suffering daughter, Kara, who tries to help a human boy despite her mother’s belief that humans are nothing but trouble. Clever world building, lots of humor, and a heartwarming plot make me hope there will be a sequel

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout (First Second, 256 pages, grades 8 and up). I was blown away by this National Book Award Longlist graphic novel that tells two intersecting stories about young women in Amsterdam in 1943 and 2011, narrated by a blackbird who represents the creativity that gives them both hope in dark times.

Five favorite middle grade fiction books

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The Freedom Seeker by Ruchira Gupta (Scholastic Press, 320 pages, grades 4-8). This story of Simi and her family, who are forced to leave India after her Sikh father and Muslim mother are targeted by a new right-wing government, puts a face on illegal immigration and shows the difficult decisions and dangerous journeys so many people are forced to make.

Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales) by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 88 pages, grade 1-4). Okay, this may not be the finest literature on this list, but it will be the easiest book to sell to readers. Jasper Rabbit of Creepy Carrots fame tells the story of Charlie Marmot, whose adventures with tonsillitis start innocently enough but quickly devolve into a bizarre tale worthy of The Twilight Zone.

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose (Nancy Paulsen Books, 256 pages, grades 4-7). In this riveting novel in verse, three generations of women serve as fire lookouts deep in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. When a forest fire leaves Opal trapped with her injured grandmother, she has to face her secret fear of fire and call on her training to keep them both safe.

A Day at the Beach by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge (Clarion Books, 224 pages, grades 3-7). 28 interconnected short stories take place over a single summer day at the New Jersey shore. The writing perfectly captures the fleeting interactions that can happen on a crowded beach and shows how to create characters and settings in just a few pages.

The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic Press, 224 pages, grades 3-7). 12-year-old Esme feels like she can never succeed in her mother’s eyes, particularly when she has to live up to her three successful older sisters. When summer starts, she’s surprised to find her swimming has improved enough to make her a real contender on the swim team, but her mother’s pressure to be the best forces her to make some difficult choices between personal success and being a good teammate.

Five favorite nonfiction books for older readers

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Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett (Candlewick, 384 pages, grades 8 and up). This graphic history of trans people, from ancient times to the present, is mostly told through stories of individuals that show the beliefs and treatment of trans people of that time. A concluding chapter includes stories about present-day activists.

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Yas Imamura (Random House, 304 pages, grades 5-8). Nicholas Day looks at the 1815 eruption of the volcano Tambora with the resulting changes in climate around the globe, the creation of the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, inspired by the months of gloomy weather, and what we can learn that applies to our present-day climate change.

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming (Anne Schwartz Books, 368 pages, grades 7 and up). The story of Jim Jones, his People’s Temple, and the tragic murder of over 900 people in the jungles of Guyana gives readers a look at how important it is to maintain a questioning attitude, particularly around charismatic leaders like Jones.

Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson (Peachtree, 2025, grades 6 and up). Although this book was originally published in 2017, I first read it this year in its third edition with extra information added. The authors dig into eight different issues to show flaws in the Constitution and how they might be corrected using methods from the governments of states and other countries.

A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight Over Science in Schools by Debbie Levy (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 288 pages, grades 6 and up). The story of the 1925 Scopes Trial reveals that questioning science is nothing new. Debbie Levy does an excellent job of connecting the trial with current controversies involving scientific ideas.

Five favorite nonfiction picture books

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To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities by Patricia Morris Buckley, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Heartdrum, 40 pages, grades 1-5). For more than a century, members of the Mohawk tribe from Canada’s Caughnawaga Reserve have worked construction as “skywalkers,” balancing on beams high above the ground. This book tells the story of their many contributions to famous skyscrapers around America, as well as the huge risks they take as skywalkers, sometimes with fatal results.

Whales in the City by Nancy F. Castaldo, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 40 pages, grades K-4). Whales narrate the first half of the book, explaining how pollution drove them from the Hudson River. Humans take the story from there, describing how Earth Day activism led to the Clean Water Act, which eventually brought the whales back to the river they left a century before.

A Change Is Gonna Come words and music by Sam Cooke, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith (little bee books, 32 pages, all ages). This illustrated version of the Sam Cooke song captures its juxtaposition of hope and despair, with scenes from the Jim Crow South next to the March on Washington. This could easily have been on my Caldecott contender list, and I hope it will be considered for a Coretta Scott King Award as well.

The Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Women Anti-Poaching Unit by Kelly Crull (Millbrook Press, 40 pages, grades 2-5). The Black Mambas had to prove themselves, even to their family and friends, to become the first female park rangers in South Africa and the first women-led anti-poaching unit in the world. Their story is inspiring, the work they do is fascinating, and the many excellent photographs tell their story in a way readers of all ages will find engaging and inspirational.

The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis by Erin McGuire (Beach Lane Books, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Rose Valland loved art and was courageous enough to secretly work against the Nazis who took over Paris’s Jeu de Paume Museum, where Rose was a curator. Her ingenuity and bravery helped preserve thousands of works of art in a story that is more relevant than ever in today’s world.

Five favorite picture books

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The Interpreter/La Intérprete by Olivia Abtahi, illustrated by Monica Arnaldo (Kokila, 40 pages, ages 5-8). Cecilia has two jobs: being a kid and interpreting for her Spanish-speaking family. Blue cartoon bubbles in English and yellow ones in Spanish are a fun way to show the two languages she speaks, and she provides a good example for readers about setting boundaries and making sure her kid job doesn’t get shortchanged.

Lena the Chicken (But Really a Dinosaur) by Linda Bailey, illustrated by K-Fai Steele (Tundra Books, 56 pages, ages 4-8). Lena is a fearless chicken who knows she’s really a dinosaur. The other chickens think she’s a little crazy, but when her dinosaur roar scares a weasel away from the chicken coop, they start to adopt some of her confidence. A funny story with a good message about being your best self and some interesting information about the bird-dinosaur connection.

Fox and the Mystery Letter by Alex G. Griffiths (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 40 pages, grades K-3). Fox enjoys his solitary life until a mysterious letter sends him on a search for one clue after another that ends with an apology and a friendship restored. It’s a charming story with a satisfying ending, and who doesn’t enjoy a good scavenger hunt?

Balloon by Bruce Handy, illustrated by Julie Kwon (Chronicle Books, 44 pages, ages 3-7). This nearly wordless book tells the story of a boy who loses his orange balloon and finally recovers from his loss by finding an orange cat, whom he names Balloon. The illustrations make this a fun read-aloud, with lots of orange objects that may or may not be the lost balloon.

Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). I read this aloud many times this fall, and it never got old. The cutaway illustration of Crow’s secret hideout is a delightful surprise, as is the meteor shower that Crow entertains his friends with after casually saving the world.

Five favorite Newbery contenders

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Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 416 pages, grades 5-9). With its setting in Boston from March 1776 when the British evacuated to the end of the year, this historical fiction novel is a compelling read with some timely themes and subplots, like vaccine controversy and living through times of revolutionary upheaval.

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 368 pages, grades 4-7). After vandalizing a gravestone, Finn’s consequence is an assignment to hike the highest 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. Drawing on her own experiences in the Adirondacks, Kate Messner’s novel in verse traces Finn’s journey from grief and anger at his father’s death to healing and connecting with community.

Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Dutton Books for Young Readers, 320 pages, grades 4-7). Another novel in verse, this explores fifth-grader Cooper’s efforts to live up to her parents’ expectations to be “radiant” against the backdrop of the racism she experiences as one of the few Black students in her 1963 elementary school.

Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 208 pages, grades 4-7). Will and his father leave sharecropping in Texas for a dangerous and adventurous journey to try to get a farm for their family in Oklahoma during the 1889 Land Rush.

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 208 pages, grades 5-8). Sage processes the grief of losing her best friend in a hit-and-run accident on her birthday to slowly moving toward new friendships and a romance in another novel in verse.