Early Chapter Books

Jojo

Makoons by Dawn Quigly, illustrated by Tara Audibert Hello/Boozhoo meet Jo Jo Makoons! Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly.

Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she’s worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore…

Trouble at Table 5 by Tom Watson

From the author of Stick Dog comes the first book in a highly illustrated early chapter book series about three best friends whose plans, missions, and schemes are sure to shake up their school.

Molly gets things stuck in her head sometimes. When she sees a jar of candy on Principal Shelton’s desk, she absolutely needs to know how many candies are in that jar!

Luckily, her two best friends, Simon and Rosie, are ready to help her find the answer even if it means detention for all of them!

Alina in a Pinch by Shenaaz Nanji *Calgarian Author!*

Lunchtime can be lonely when you’re the new kid at school. Moving to a new city means Alina has to make new friends, and nothing is worse than lunch at a new school. When her grandmother visits, Alina is inspired to help her cook the delicious Afro-Indian meals she’s always loved, but a cruel note from a mysterious lunchtime bully leaves a bitter taste that even Nani’s excellent cooking can’t erase. With an audition for Junior Chef fast approaching and Nani’s wise lessons helping her, can Alina embrace her heritage and convince her classmates that being different is a good thing?

Aven Green Series by Dusti Bowling

Aven Green is a smart, lively, confident white girl who happened to be born without arms, a congenital condition called amelia. For Aven, having no arms hasn’t stopped her from living life to the absolute max! Young readers will laugh aloud at Aven’s funny reactions to queries about what happened to her arms (they were not scrubbed off in the car wash, eaten by iguanas in the Galapagos, pulled off in a game of tug of war, or flattened by a steamroller)

They will be intrigued by the practical skills she has perfected, using her feet to brush her teeth, comb her hair, eat mint chocolate chip ice cream, and write about all of the mysteries she has solved with her trusty magnifying glass and sleuthing kit

With no arms, Aven says all those extra cells went straight to her brain, making her extra smart and, in her own words, “a sleuthing machine” who has been solving cases for a really long time practically a whole month!

Bear in the Family by Eric Walters

On returning to their home after a massive wildfire, nine-year-old Jasmin and her seven-year-old brother, Hunter, thought the biggest surprise would be whether their fire-resistant house had survived

Jasmin and Hunter did not expect to find an orphaned bear cub stuck in the neighbors’ well. Rescuing the tiny cub from the well was the easy part; now they need to care for it until the people from the bear-rescue sanctuary can make it safely through the fires to pick it up. The cub turns out to be exactly what one would expect of a wild animal a huge handful!

The latest Orca Echoes early chapter book from award-winning author Eric Walters was inspired by Eric’s visit to a wildlife sanctuary in Northern British Columbia Bear in the Family tells the fictionalized story of a bear cub found by a family after the forest surrounding their home was destroyed by a wildfire

Crimson Twill by Kallie George, illustrated by Birgitta Sif

A little witch with a penchant for bright colors and bows has a surprising big-city shopping adventure in the first book of an illustrated series filled with offbeat charm

Crimson Twill is a little witch, but you might not know it She lives in the country and loves polka dots and puppies instead of pointy shoes and black dresses She even wears a big bow on her hat which is crimson, just like her name.

Tonight, for the very first time, Crimson is riding on her mother’s broom all the way to New Wart City to go shopping at Broomingdale’s! The huge department store has everything a witch could itch for. For Crimson, each floor (hats! cats! brooms!) is a new adventure But is Broomingdale’s ready for a witch as unique as Crimson? A rich and playful new world comes to life in the first book of this charming series.

Starla Jean Series by Elana K. Arnold

Introducing Starla Jean!

She's full of moxie, clever as a fox, and obsessed with catching a chicken she finds at the park

When Starla first sees the scrawny bird wandering around, she just knows they're destined for one another. Her dad says, "If you can catch it, you can keep it," and Starla Jean is not one to back down from a challenge.

Simon B. Rhymin’ by Dwayne Reed

Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious DOG But for now, he's just a Chicago fifth grader who's small for his age and afraid to use his voice

Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he's constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears

With some help from an unexpected ally and his neighborhood crew, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his 'hood?

Dwayne Reed is a Chicago teacher, whose viral back-to-school music video "Welcome to the 4th Grade" took the internet by storm. His debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin' , inspires young readers everywhere to use their voices to create change within their communities.

Sparrow Being Sparrow by Gail Donovan (out July 25)

Nine-year-old Sparrow Robinson blames herself for her elderly neighbour's accident, so she promises to take care of Mrs LaRose's seven cats But things become complicated when she has to find new homes for all of the cats plus some unexpected kittens

Novels

Annie’s Life in Lists by Kristin Mahoney

For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of! Do you love Anastasia Krupnik, Ramona Quimby, and the Penderwicks? Then you will love Annie! Annie's a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her life in a new place.

Annie has:

1 An incredible memory (really, it's almost photographic) that can get her in trouble.

2. A brother who is mad at her because he thinks she is the reason they had to move to Clover Gap, population 8,432

4. A best friend who she is (almost) certain will always be her best friend.

5. New classmates, some of whom are nicer than others.

6 A rocky start finding her place in her new home

It’s the End of the World and I’m in my Bathing Suit by Justin A.

Reynolds

What happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances?

Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores... especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he'll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.

On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie's monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie's day has just taken a turn for the worst Now he's stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!

With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel. He soon meets up with other neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head shaved), Eddie's former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama).

As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren't coming back anytime soon And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left... anywhere.

A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn

Maya discovers stories and secrets from her family's past in Korea as her grandmother teaches her to cook and about their family's ability to time travel into memories via food

Maya’s grandmother, Halmunee, may be losing her memory, but she hasn’t lost her magic touch in the kitchen Whether she serves salty miyeok-guk or sweet songpyeon, her stories about Korea come to life for Maya

Then one day, something extraordinary happens: one delicious bite transports Maya and Halmunee into one of Halmunee’s memories. Suddenly they’re in Seoul, and Halmunee is young

This is just the first of many secrets Maya will uncover: that she and her grandmother can travel through time. As Maya eats her way through the past, her questions multiply until a shocking discovery transforms everything she thought she knew about family, friendship, loss, and time itself.

Brimming with heart and interspersed with seven family recipes that readers can make themselves, this is a story to savor by rising Korean American author Flora Ahn

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf

A Malaysian spin on Little Red Riding Hood from the critically acclaimed author of The Girl and the Ghost, Hanna Alkaf

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories When Hamra steals a magical fruit from a tiger hoping to cure her grandmother, she must repay her debt to the tiger by going on an extraordinary journey with him to make him human again.

For fans of Ikegna and A Tale Dark and Grimm comes a story of a brave heroine, a beguiling villain, fantastical worlds, magical adventures, and a journey that will remind you that hope, friendship, and love endures all.

Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas

It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday Others, not so much like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.

The Greatest Kid by John David Anderson

Zeke Stahls is not the best kid in the world. Some days he struggles just to be good He'd rather be pulling pranks than doing extra credit, and he's too busy performing experiments on his little brother, Nate, or tormenting his older sister, Jackie, to volunteer for charity.

Which is why Zeke and his entire family are shocked when they receive word that he has been selected as a contestant in an online competition to find the World's Greatest Kid.

Zeke has no idea how he was chosen for this, and he knows that measuring up to the other nominees--a saintly lineup of selfless, charming and talented do-gooders with photogenic smiles and hearts of gold--is hopeless Still, with a $10,000 cash prize on the line, and Zeke's mom struggling to hold the family together on her single-parent salary, he decides to give it his best shot As Zeke concocts various plots to show the world just how “great” he is, however, he finds himself wondering what that word even means, and who gets to decide And what kind of kid he wants--and needs--to be

Elf Dog & Owl Head by M.T. Anderson

From the singular imagination of National Book Award winner M T Anderson comes a magical adventure about a boy and his dog or a dog and her boy and a forest of wonders hidden in plain sight Clay has had his fill of home life. A global plague has brought the world to a screeching halt, and with little to look forward to but a summer of video-calling friends, vying with annoying sisters for the family computer, and tuning out his parents’ financial worries, he’s only too happy to retreat to the woods.

From the moment the elegant little dog with the ornate collar appears like an apparition among the trees, Clay sees something uncanny in her With this mysterious Elphinore as guide, he’ll glimpse ancient secrets folded all but invisibly into the forest Each day the dog leads Clay down paths he never knew existed, deeper into the unknown. But they aren’t alone in their surreal adventures. There are traps and terrors in the woods, too, and if Clay isn’t careful, he might stray off the path and lose his way forever.

Harriet Spies by Elana K. Arnold

There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer:

-She always tells the truth

-She’s loving spending her summer on Marble Island, where she is an A+ mystery-solver

-Okay, maybe she doesn’t always tell the truth.

-Actually she has a tendency to lie quite a bit

Which is why, when one of the guests at her grandmother’s bed-and-breakfast finds that their treasured pair of binoculars has gone missing, no one believes Harriet when she said she had nothing to do with it But this is one time Harriet isn’t lying and she knows that if she can find the binoculars and figure out who really took them, she can prove it

The Takeout by Tracy Badua

When a celebrity chef’s new restaurant threatens Mila’s family’s food truck, she plans to expose them for the recipe thieves they are even if that means dabbling in the Filipino folk magic she’s tried to avoid Fans of Tae Keller and Lily LaMotte will cheer for this charming story about food, family, and finding the place you belong Mila teams up with family friend Ajay to investigate. She soon realizes that she needs to take the beloved Fab Foodie Brothers down before they run her family's tiny truck out of town But that means dabbling in the Filipino folk healing and magical traditions that she has shied away from her whole life as well as alienating her new friends

Does Mila have to choose between her family and fitting in? Or, like the best recipes, will a blend of the traditional and the unexpected mix into something truly special?

Gae Polisner

When chance, or fate, throws two twelve-year-olds together on board a scientific research ship at the edge of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it’s not all smooth sailing!

Jeremy “JB” Barnes is looking forward to spending the summer before seventh grade hanging on the beach But his mother, a scientist, has called for him to join her aboard a research ship where, instead, he’ll spend his summer seasick and bored as he stares out at the endless plastic, microbeads, and other floating debris, both visible and not, that make up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Miles and miles away, twelve-year-old Sidney Miller is trying to come up with an alternate activity worthy of convincing her overprotective parents that she can skip summer camp

When Jeremy is asked to find the contact information for a list of important international scientists and invite them to attend a last-minute Emergency Global Summit, he's excited to have a chance to actually do something that matters to the mission. How could he know that the Sidney Miller he messages is not the famous marine biologist he has been tasked with contacting, but rather a girl making podcasts from her bedroom let alone that she would want to sneak aboard the ship?

Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner's Consider the Octopus is a comedy of errors, mistaken identity, and synchronicity. Above all, it is a heartfelt story about friendship and an empowering call to environmental protection, especially to our young people who are already stepping up to help save our oceans and our Earth.

Gossamer Summer by H.M Bouwman

Four sisters find their summer vacation taking a magical turn when they stumble into the world of some rather unexpected fairies in this moving middle grade story that’s perfect for fans of The Penderwicks.

It all started when Jojo saw a fairy but said she didn’t After all, fairies aren’t real and if they were, they wouldn’t look like that! No, Jojo did not see a small, green, muddy person Her sisters have no problem believing, though. They beg Jojo to finish the story she started telling long ago, but since the death of their beloved grandmother, Jojo hasn’t felt like talking about magic, even if her sisters still believe

Instead, the sisters decide to make fairy gardens to entice the new kid across the street to come play. Their plan works, but it also catches the attention of creatures that bear an uncanny resemblance to the bedraggled fairies Jojo invented Stories can’t come to life, though can they? Yet the danger is real enough. With the questionable help of a very self-satisfied cat, the sisters and their new friend, Theo, set off on an adventure to save the fairies from a flock of terrifying birds made of bones But making everything right again will require a different kind of magic: the magic of sharing stories…and letting go.

The Town with No Mirrors by Christina Collins

In a modern-day utopian community where mirrors, photos, and even words like beautiful and ugly are forbidden, a girl who has never seen her own face harbors a guilty curiosity about the outside world. A thoughtful exploration of self-image in a world familiar to readers of The Giver and The List

Zailey has never seen her own face She's never seen her reflection, or a photo of herself, or even a drawing. In the special community of Gladder Hill, cameras and mirrors are forbidden: it's why everyone's happier here. Nobody talks about anyone else's appearance You're not supposed to even think about what other people look like, or what you look like.

But Zailey does.

She knows her superficial thoughts are wrong, and her sketchbook, filled with secret portraits of her classmates and neighbors, could get her in trouble Yet she can't help but think those thoughts, and be curious about the outside world where she once lived, years ago Most of all, she wonders what it's like to see herself her own face

When Zailey suddenly finds herself beyond the gates of her town, she has a chance to see if what she's been taught about the outside world is true and search for the mother she barely remembers Only then will she find out the real story about Gladder Hill But is she prepared for the truth?

The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney

A visit to Leo's grandfather's farm turns upside down when his grandmother's bee hives are stolen. Eleven-year-old Leo is an "armchair adventurer." This, according to Dad, means he'd choose adventures in books or video games over real-life experiences. And while Leo hates the label, he can’t argue with it Unlike his little sister Lizzie, Leo is not a risk-taker

So when he, Lizzie, Mom and Dad leave the city to visit Grandpa on Heron Island, Leo finds all kinds of dangers to avoid from the deep, dark ocean to an old barn on the verge of collapse. But nothing on the island is more fearsome than Grandpa himself Leo has never met anyone so grumpy! According to Mom, Grandpa is still grieving the recent death of his wife, a beekeeper beloved by everyone on the island.

Despite Leo's best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma’s beehives go missing in the dead of night Infuriated, Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself with risk-averse Leo and danger-loving Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow