GPL Blog

New Children’s Books — December 2022

Visit the library to grab these new Children’s releases before someone else does! If you see something that interests you, give us a call or visit the catalog to put one on hold.


A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience’s applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she’ll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall.

But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe’s dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn’t the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn’t the only part of Zoe’s life in Michigan that’s off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day.

Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises—and that perfection may be even better when it’s just a little off center.

Fiction, Middle Grade


BLACKBIRD, BLUE ROAD by Sofiya Pasternack

Pesah has lived with leprosy for years, and the twins have spent most of that time working on a cure. Then Pesah has a vision: The Angel of Death will come for him on Rosh Hashanah, just one month away.

So Ziva takes her brother and runs away to find doctors who can cure him. But when they meet and accidentally free a half-demon boy, he suggests paying his debt by leading them to the fabled city of Luz, where no one ever dies—the one place Pesah will be safe.

They just need to run faster than The Angel of Death can fly…

Fiction, Middle Grade


DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: DUNGEON CLUB: ROLL CALL by Molly Knox Ostertag & Xanthe Bouma

Middle school is a dungeon… At least, that’s how Jess sees it.

Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius.

But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game—and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure—and their friendship—finally come to an end?

Fiction, Middle Grade


STILL THIS LOVE GOES ON by Buffy Sainte-marie & Julie Flett

Based on Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, Still This Love Goes On combines Flett’s breathtaking art with vivid lyrics to craft a stunning portrait of a Cree worldview. At the heart of this picture book is a gentle message about missing our loved ones, and the promise of seeing each other again.

Fiction, Picture Books


BABIES AROUND THE WORLD DANCING by Tamara Barker

The journey takes us from the Bollywood dancers in India to the dragon dancers in China, with stops in Brazil, South Africa, the United States, and many more countries. These friendly babies welcome us to their homes with lots of rhythm and uplifting dance moves. Let’s boogie with them all around this musical planet.

Nonfiction, Picture Books


MEET SONIC!

Illustrated in the modern 2D Sonic style, Meet Sonic! is the perfect introduction to Sonic for younger readers. In twenty-four easy-to-read pages, readers learn all about Sonic and his friends. This book also contains cool stickers of everyone’s favorite characters from the world of Sonic the Hedgehog!

Nonfiction, Picture Books


All book descriptions are courtesy of the publisher.