PICTURE BOOKS



The Pilot and the Little Prince

Peter Sís

Foster Books, $18.99; ages 5-8

This exquisitely illustrated biography recounts the life of writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Lovers of his classic tale "The Little Prince" will find that the masterful Sís has captured the wonder and dreaminess evoked in that book. -- Karen Sandstrom

Mister Bud Wears the Cone

Carter Goodrich

Simon & Schuster, $16.99; ages 4-8

Goodrich finds hilarity and drama in "Mister Bud Wears the Cone," a story of one dog's humility in the confines of a plastic head cone. -- Sandstrom



Abuelo

Arthur Dorros; illustrated by Raúl Colón

Harper, $17.99; ages 6-8

A young boy learns a lot from his grandfather in the country as they camp and ride horses under the big sky. The abuelo also teaches his grandson the Spanish words for important ideas. Colón's rich illustrations make each page dazzle. -- Sandstrom

Where's My Mommy?

Beverly Donofrio; illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ages 3-7

A girl and her mouse keep their friendship a secret from their parents in this gorgeously illustrated look at parallel lives. You'll marvel over the details McClintock gets just right as she lays out the two worlds in a soft, golden palette. -- Sandstrom



President Taft is Stuck in the Bath

Mac Barnett; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Candlewick Press, $16.99; ages 4-8

The story goes that our horizontally challenged 27th president once became trapped by in a bathtub. Branett's words and Van Dusen's silky smooth illustrations have the most possible fun with the idea, yet remain respectful. Historical notes at the end separate fact from fiction. -- Sandstrom

MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS



Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

Nancy Paulsen Books, $16.99; ages 10 and up

Woodson won the National Book Award for this childhood memoir in verse. It begins with Woodson's birth in 1963. "I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital / Columbus, Ohio, / USA – / a country caught / between Black and White." A wonderful model for young readers wanting to write their own family stories. -- Tricia Springstubb

West of the Moon

Margi Preus

Amulet Books, $16.95; ages 10-14

Weaving Norwegian folklore with actual hardships faced by 19th-century immigrants, Preus spins a riveting tale of love, sin, remorse, forgiveness and how stories give us courage. -- Springstubb

The Crossover

Kwame Alexander

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99; ages 9-12

Sports and life intertwine in this electric celebration of the game and of the power of brotherhood and family. The language sizzles and pops, ranging from free verse to hip-hop to poems for two voices. -- Springstubb

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Karen Foxlee

Knopf, $16.99; ages 8-12

Behind a museum door, Ophelia discovers a small boy with an unbelievable tale: Wizards have chosen him to defeat the wicked Snow Queen, and he needs help. Ophelia finds herself bravely battling evil, not just to save him, but her beloved father and sister, too, in this melancholy and beautiful book. -- Springstubb

The Meaning of Maggie

Megan J. Sovern

Chronicle Books, 220 pp., $16.99; ages 8-12

Maggie is smart, self-centered and friendless – not that she minds one bit. Her own brain and ambition are company enough. Resolving to fix her father's illness, she discovers multiple sclerosis has no cure. Maggie's family copes with courage, humor and love, and readers will not only root for them, but believe in them. -- Springstubb

Revolution

Deborah Wiles

Scholastic, $19.99; ages 8-12

Mississippi, 1964. Sunny and her stepbrother sneak into their town's segregated pool one hot night. To their surprise, a "colored" boy is there, too. Wiles chronicles the Freedom Summer through a mixture of fiction and documentary, including photos, excerpts of speeches and song lyrics. -- Springstubb

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

Candace Fleming

Schwartz and Wade, $ 18.99, ages 9-12

No fiction is more fantastic than the true story of foolish Nicholas, fanatic Anastasia, and their five beautiful children. Geared toward middle-school readers, this superb account will also satisfy adults looking for an overview of this period of Russian history, when impoverished workers revolted, soldiers died by the millions, Lenin was on the rise, and the tsar, secluded in his opulent country palace, trusted in God to save his throne. -- Springstubb

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS



Why We Took the Car

Wolfgang Herrndorf

Arthur A. Levine Books, 256 pp., $17.99

Boys (and girls, too) will love this joy ride of a story, featuring German teens Mike and Tschick, who "borrow" a car to escape the boredom of summer break. Adventures – and misadventures – ensue, until they end up in police custody. Fasten your seatbelt for a rollicking read. -- Susan Glaser

We Were Liars

E. Lockhart

Delacorte, 240 pp., $20.99

The protagonist of this story is Cady Sinclair, a member of an upper-crust New England family that spends its summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Cady, together with same-age cousins Johnny and Mirren and love interest Gat Patil, make up "the Liars," tightknit teens who share adventures – and one big surprise. At age 17, Cady returns to Beechwood Island to piece together the details of an accident two years prior. The result: An ending you won't see coming. -- Glaser

I'll Give You the Sun

Jandy Nelson

Dial Books, 384 pp., $17.99

Twins Noah and Jude are the narrators of this tale, which alternates between their 13th and 16th years. In between: Their mother dies, their lives are upended and the two struggle to make peace with each other and the people around them. Their paths come back together at the end – but the real story is in the journey. -- Glaser

The Impossible Knife of Memory

Laurie Halse Anderson

Viking, 391 pp., $18.99

Anderson, who has tackled date rape and eating disorders in previous works, turns her attention to post-traumatic stress disorder in this story about Hayley Kincain and her Iraq War vet father, Andy. Hoping for stability, the two return to Andy's hometown in upstate New York for Hayley's senior year of high school. Instead, the two are forced to deal with more chaos, including Andy's increasingly erratic behavior. A budding romance between Hayley and fellow high schooler Finn helps lighten the mood. Even so, Anderson maintains her status as one of the most serious storytellers in the young adult genre. -- Glaser

Dorothy Must Die

Danielle Paige

HarperCollins, 464 pp., $17.99

Imagine that a second girl from Kansas was swept away to Oz after Dorothy left. But when Amy arrives, Oz is falling apart. The color is dull, and a huge hole in the middle of the land is getting bigger. What has happened to Oz? Short answer: Dorothy. Now it is up to Amy to fix things, and decide which of her unlikely companions are the most trustworthy. Is it the order of the wicked witches or the wingless flying monkeys, or both? Or are there other players in this game that we don't know about yet? I loved this book. -- Ami Bray, Loganberry Books