CatStronauts

Kids will love this graphic novel series by Drew Brockington.  In this first installment, the cat astronauts are called upon to save the planet from a global energy disaster by building an energy source on the moon.  (GN BRO) 

Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery

This series by Raj Halder reminds me of Magic Treehouse.  Two kids find a magic book that transports them in time.  But MJ and Edie's magic book is a book of entymology - or the origin of words.  When they travel to India, they learn many of the words they use come from the Indian languages.  They are also helping a new friend follow clues to find a treasure left for his family.  Meanwhile, a dastardly bad guy is also trying to steal it!  (BC HAL)  

Two Degrees

Alan Gratz at his finest...Two Degrees is the page-turning novel about climate change.  Three separate catastrophies are all connected by one thing:  global warming.  Akira and her family have to escape a wildfire in California.  Owen and George are running for their lives being hunted by a polar bear in Canada.  Natalie barely survives a hurricane in Miami.  Students will devour this thrilling book, but will hopefully be called to action, as we all should be.  (FIC GRA)

The Ogress and the Orphans

Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon) has written another beautiful fantasy story about the power of kindness.  A town, once ideal in every way, has devolved into one in which people isolate and mistrust one another.  It started after the heart of their town - the library - burned down suspiciously and a mayor came to town whose presence captivated the townspeople and persuaded them to do all that he asks.  The orphange there has come upon hard times, as did their entire town, while the mayor does nothing but collect taxes.  Luckily for the town, a kind and generous orgress has been secretly giving of her talents and resources.  However, she becomes a target of anger and suspicion.  Can the orphans save the ogress and restore their town to its former glory?  The message of this story is one of generosity.  "With good, the more you give, the more you have.  It is the best sort of magic."  However it is also a warning about those who sow discord and division through falsehoods.  I saw recent political events mirrored here. In Anthea's plea to those who would harm the Ogress:  "People do stupid things when they get riled up...[and] when they believe something that is untrue. .... It isn't logical to allow falsehoods to spread."  (FIC BAR)

The Yeti Files - Meet the Bigfeet

 

Students will devour this heavily-illustrated novel series by Kevin Sherry.  In this installment, the Yetis want to have a reunion, but must do so covertly, so as not to be discovered.  But a cryptid-hunter who is dedicated to revealing their existence threatens their code of privacy that keeps them safe from the human world.  (BC SHE)