MIDDLE GRADE

JESSIE ALDEN IS TAKING ON THE BIGGEST STORIES AND MYSTERIES SEVENTH GRADE CAN THROW AT HER

New Middle Grade Series

www.jessiefiles.com

Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties

by KELLYE CROCKER

978-0-8075-1421-4 US $17.99 Ages 9–12/Grades 3–7 September 2022 5.5 X 8, 288 pages Jacketed Hardcover with Matte Lamination Territory: World E-Book: 978-0-8075-1422-1 US $9.99

Anxiety has always made Ava avoid the slightest risk, but plunging headfirst into danger might be just what she needs.

Dad hasn’t been dating his new girlfriend that long, so Ava is sure that nothing has to change in her life. That is, until the day after sixth grade ends, when Dad whisks her away on vacation to meet The Girlfriend and her daughter in terrifying Colorado, where even the squirrels can kill you! Managing her anxiety, avoiding altitude sickness, and surviving the mountains might take all of Ava’s strength, but at least this trip will only last two weeks. Right?

What to Expect

• Authentic portrayal of a pre-teen with an anxiety disorder by an author with lived experience • Highlights changing family dynamics and relationships when two families come together • Relevant messages of self-acceptance and making one’s voice heard

KELLYE CROCKER is a journalist who has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, and Glamour. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial from the Missouri School of Journalism. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

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Science in Action

Big picture views of important topics that help kids understand our world today

GILLIAN KING-CARGILE has a BA in film production and an MFA in creative writing. As the founder of Northern Illinois University’s STEM Read and host of the STEM Read podcast on NPR, she works to spark a love of reading, learning, and science. Gillian lives in DeKalb, Illinois, with her husband and daughters.

SANDIE SONKE is an illustrator with many published picture books, including the Language Is Fun series. She is a Southern California native and a Cal State University Fullerton grad with a degree in studio art. She currently lives in her hometown Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Vaccines Change the World

by GILLIAN KING-CARGILE

illustrated by SANDIE SONKE

HC 978-0-8075-8481-1 HC US $19.99 PB 978-0-8075-8107-0 PB US $10.99 Ages 9–12/Grades 3–7 October 2022 5.5 X 8, 192 pages Jacketed Hardcover with Matte Lamination Territory: World E-Book: 978-0-8075-8482-8 US $8.99

Learn about the world’s pandemics and the people who helped save us from them with vaccines.

Unlike other science books for middle grade readers, this definitive guide to vaccines is told in an approachable, compelling narrative style. Fascinating stories, combined with fresh design elements, will help kids make connections to current events and get them thinking about where human ingenuity will take us next.

What to Expect

• Discover the stories behind critical diseases and the vaccines that helped save us. • Explains how scientists pieced together the spread of diseases that turned into pandemics • Appeals to kids, adults, and every age in between