Ten-year-old Matt really wants a phone, but his parents won’t let him have one. When he finds one just lying on the sidewalk, he naturally picks it up and claims it for himself. But when Matt uses his new phone to take pictures, they show the crossing guard in front of his school as a monster. But that can’t be right…can it? Matt soon learns that: a) his lunch lady is also a monster (actually, an alien); b) an invasion of Earth is due to take place within the next few days; and c) the lunch lady is having cold feet (well, tentacles) about the whole thing and wants his help. Matt and his friend Marcela join forces with her to save the planet. Battles in their school cafeteria and high above the Earth’s atmosphere place them in very close encounters with alien pets and the business end of a gigantic oven. As the danger mounts, Matt and Marcela must ask themselves what they’re willing to risk to save their friends, their family, and their world.

J. A. Dauber is a professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University, where he has also served as director of its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. He lives right near there, with his family, so that he can walk to work and see if anyone has dropped anything. Like a phone. After all, you never know. He also wrote a YA novel about a teenage supervillain named Mayhem which won an award from the Children’s Book Council. Dauber received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Harvard and his doctorate from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Dauber has published many adult nonfiction and humor books—including Jewish Comedy and The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. More recently he is the author of Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew, American Comics: A History, and American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond.

With lush paintings and intricately constructed 3D artwork, bestselling and Caldecott Honor–winning author-illustrator Brian Lies introduces a sleepy kitten whose afternoon nap transforms into an epic journey through art, time, and history. Perfect for fans of They All Saw a Cat, Museum Trip,and Jumanji. Includes back matter.

In the warm, late afternoon sunlight, a girl sits on the couch reading a book. Her kitten dozes nearby. But when Kitten notices a mouse and dives after it, an epic chase through time, art, and history ensues. Is it a dream? That’s up to the reader to decide, but for the kitten, every leap and bound is full of suspense and makes for a masterpiece.

Caldecott Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies creates a truly unique picture book journey that invites young readers through the galleries of an art museum as well as through time, space, and history. As the cat and mouse leap from one page to the next, they are portrayed in the style of masterful artworks from history—an ancient Egyptian relief, an illuminated manuscript, a stained-glass window, a ceramic dog—each painstakingly and lovingly re-created in its original media by Brian Lies. When the sly mouse gets away, Kitten finds himself lost and alone. Will art help him find his way home?

The visual showstopper by an award-winning and bestselling picture book creator offers readers a page-turning cat and mouse chase, an introduction to famous works of art throughout history, an epic adventure story, and a homecoming. Back matter includes information about how each of the illustrations in the book was created, notes on the original artworks featured in the book, and an afterword inviting young readers to make, create, and build things. This is a delightful book for young children!

About Brian Lies

Brian Lies is the New York Times bestselling creator of Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, Bats at the Ballgame, Bats in the Band, and the Caldecott Honor book The Rough Patch. He has written and/or illustrated dozens of other acclaimed books for children. He lives with his family in a small seaside town in Massachusetts, where he tends a big and thriving garden. 

Ashley Craft’s Weeknight Wonders brings the family together to cook fun themed dishes celebrating holidays and cultures from around the world. From the best-selling author of The Unofficial Disney Parks cookbook series comes a cookbook that gathers the family in the kitchen and around the dinner table. Weeknight Wonders shares 52 weeks of holiday- and culture-themed dinners, with 3 family-friendly recipes per theme—for a total of 156 recipes!  This cookbook offers a treasure trove of opportunities to involve kids in the meal preparation process and make lasting memories together. Travel the world, celebrate holidays, and learn new techniques through exciting and easy-to-make recipes that even the littlest chefs can accomplish, with helpful tips for Little Helping Hands (3+), Big Kids in the Kitchen (7+), Tweens on the Scene (11+), and Budding Sous-Chefs (17+). Let the kids have fun picking the theme they want for the upcoming week, gather the ingredients, and get cooking together! Make all 3 recipes at once or spread the celebration over the course of the week. Spice up the weekday meal plan, include picky eaters, introduce new cultures and flavors, and bond with your family over delicious meals with Weeknight Wonders.   About the Author: Ashley Craft began writing cookbooks in 2020 and is the best-selling author of the Disney and Universal Parks cookbooks. Her books have sold over 700,000 copies and reached the top 10 on bestsellers of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Her first book, The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook, was ranked fifth in all books on Amazon. Besides Ashley’s passion for Disney and Universal theme parks, she also loves cooking at home with her kids. Currently ages 11, 9, and 6, her kids are constantly clamoring to be helpers with whatever meal is in production. In 2019, she began The Cool Kids Cooking Club online to have a fun way to include her kids in the meal preparation process and start an online community of kids and their parents making the same meals at the same time. It was a success for everyone who participated, and she was able to see her children eating better and trying new foods for the first time.

• Creator of DRAGONOLOGY: Amanda “A.J.” Wood is the brains behind the best-selling novelty “Ology” series, which have sold over 19 million copies worldwide, and includes DRAGONOLOGY and WIZARDOLOGY!
• Exciting Experiments: The book’s fun and accessible experiments use common items and ingredients found in most homes
• Blend of science and magic: Perfect for little wizards and budding scientists to do with the whole family
• Reminiscent of “Ologies” series: With interactive flaps and engaging illustrations, this feels like a worthy keepsake alongside “Dragonology” and “Wizardology.” This book is a lot of fun! I highly recommend it!

When eager Clay asks his elisi (grandmother) for help to be named star of the week at school, he’s surprised by her answer: No one person is more important than his family and his community. But is Clay still important at all?

This contemplative exploration of community, individualism, and responsibility—accentuated with traditional beadwork in the art—is a moving invitation to consider an indigenous perspective of one’s place in the world and how we all light up our sky, together.

I learned a new word from reading this book. Gadugi is a Cherokee word which refers to how working together and helping each other makes the whole community stronger. It is the belief that our community – our world – is stronger when each of us works for the common good instead of individual glory, when we care for our elders and our young people, when we care for and take care of one another. I now love this word!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Art Coulsonis a writer of Cherokee, English, and Dutch descent and comes from a family of storytellers in all three traditions. A Navy brat, Art traveled the world, attending fourteen schools on three continents before graduating high school. Art served as the first executive director of the Wilma Mankiller Foundation in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma after an award-winning twenty-five-year career in journalism. A 2023 McKnight Fellow in Children’s Literature, Art is the author of twenty books, graphic novels, and plays, including Chasing Bigfoot, Bank Street Best Book of 2020 The Reluctant Storyteller, All the Stars in the Sky, and Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!, which was named a best STEM children’s book by the National Science Teaching Association. Find out more at ArtCoulson.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Winona Nelson is a fine artist and illustrator of comics and children’s books. She’s the illustrator of If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving by Chris Newell, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and All the Stars in the Sky by Art Coulson. Her fine art, which often focuses on the stories and history of her tribe, the Ojibwe of Minnesota, as well as on gender and diversity, has been featured in galleries across the country. She lives in Pennsylvania with her artist beau Anthony and their gentleman cats, Diego and Tod.

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to feature. Cover images were also provided, and additional information.

In Eleanor The Great, June Squibb brings to vivid life the witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who after a devastating loss, tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own. Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut is a comically poignant exploration of how the stories we hear become the stories we tell.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Mikella G. comments, “I really like the film, Eleanor The Great. It has a simple but yet incredibly complex storyline, and conveys emotion in a beautiful way. It highlights different perspectives, and shows multiple sides to one story. I am really touched by this movie, and feel that it’s important for us as a society to bring more attention to films like this.” Valerie M. adds, “Eleanor The Great is the most heartfelt movie I’ve ever seen. Its story was handled with expert care, and the acting left me in awe…Eleanor is a beautiful character, and June Squibb’s brilliant acting really brings her to life.” See their full reviews below.

Eleanor The Great
Mikella G, KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, age 19

I really like the film, Eleanor The Great. It has a simple but yet incredibly complex storyline, and conveys emotion in a beautiful way. It highlights different perspectives, and shows multiple sides to one story. I am really touched by this movie, and feel that it’s important for us as a society to bring more attention to films like this.

Eleanor The Great follows the life of Eleanor (June Squibb), who is trying to navigate her way through life at its later stages. She recently moved back to New York to be with family, after losing one of her closest friends. While trying to find her place in the big city she calls home, she finds herself recalling old stories with nothing but pure intentions, however her small lies eventually catch up to her, and she must learn the power of honesty and accountability.

Scarlett Johansson’s directing style is a notable standout in this film. This movie highlights the often quietness and loneliness in people’s lives. Each camera angle brings that feeling to the screen. There are so many moments of stillness, where the audience is focused on one thing even, for example, watching Eleanor come back to New York. This is a place that she once called home, and you can really tell how much she’s taking it all in. It feels like I’m really seeing New York City through her eyes. Additionally, I enjoy the simplicity of this movie. It isn’t a huge blockbuster film, and it doesn’t take big expensive sets to make it happen. Everything feels extremely realistic, as if I’m just watching Eleanor’s life right beside her. Something else I enjoy is the storyline. This is one of the first movies I’ve ever watched with an older woman as the main character. Getting to see her perspective on life is so interesting and refreshing. In most films the older characters are often pushed to the side, and seen as someone who has a lot of wisdom. Here, Eleanor is so much more than that. Of course we get her wise advice, but we also get to understand her life. We learn her struggles and dreams, but also what brings her happiness. Hearing her perspective on why she does certain things is fascinating and educational.

The message of Eleanor The Great is that life is valuable, and a reminder to take in everything, even the small things. Please be aware that this film does contain mentions of the Holocaust.

I give Eleanor The Great 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18 plus adults. This film will be released in select theaters starting September 26, 2025.

Eleanor The Great
By Valerie M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12

Eleanor The Great is the most heartfelt movie I’ve ever seen. Its story was handled with expert care, and the acting left me in awe.
The story follows Eleanor (June Squibb), a 94-year-old senior citizen, who lives with her best friend Bessie (Rita Zohar), a Holocaust survivor. One day Bessie suffers a heart attack; she survives, but ends up passing shortly afterwards. Filled with grief, Eleanor moves back to Bronx and accidentally joins a Holocaust support group.  Under stress and grief, she feels compelled to share Bessie’s story as if it was her own. A young journalist named Nina (Erin Kellyman) approaches Eleanor after the meeting and asks her for an interview. That’s how Eleanor’s double life begins.

Eleanor is a beautiful character, and June Squibb’s brilliant acting really brings her to life. Right off the bat, I could sense her grief through the screen. Later, after a major event, when her fighting spirit is gone, the vacuum left behind is so palpable that she does not need to say anything to convey. I will go a step further and say that everyone’s performance in this film deserves a round of applause. They all tell this story with an outstanding authenticity that’s not typically found. Their emotions are raw, ugly and justified. I also enjoyed the suspense of Eleanor managing two identities. You can feel the tension building as you see how minor inconsistencies snowball into unbearable contradictions that Eleanor must keep up to maintain these two separate worlds. The measured pacing is the cherry on top. It feels real, as if everything is happening in real time. The transitions from Bessie to Eleanor after Bessie passes convey so much emotion and the cuts in the middle of scenes are perfectly placed. No one is interrupted, and instead, I was left wondering what they could have said. Another thing I found interesting is Nina’s character being a parallel to Eleanor’s. While Eleanor is old, confident and stands her ground, Nina is young and easily influenced. However, they have both lost someone close to them. They understand and share their feelings with each other, which leads to their friendship. Later, when Nina confronts Eleanor, we see that they are not so different after all.

The film’s message is that you cannot lie forever, and that telling the truth and admitting your mistakes is much more fulfilling. Note that there are discussions of death, mass genocide and references to explicit activities.

I give Eleanor The Great 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18 plus adults. Eleanor The Great releases in theaters on Friday, September 26, 2025.

Trailer:

Grow is a tale of pumpkins, sabotage, and unlikely family bonds. A no-nonsense farmer living in the self-proclaimed ‘Pumpkin Capital of the World’ takes in her estranged niece Charlie. Charlie decides to enter the local pumpkin growing competition where she and the other pumpkin growers face fierce competition, sabotage and a genetically engineered rival. As she nurtures her pumpkin ‘Peter’ and watches him grow, so does her bond with the townsfolk, farm and her new way of life.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Jackson N. comments, “Grow is a heartwarming story about a little girl’s dream to win a pumpkin-growing contest. With awesome tales of love, laughter, and the power of persistence, Grow encases Halloween magic with some sweet family elements to make it a blast for all ages.” Harper B. adds, “Grow is a wonderful film about family, friends, and loyalty. I like this movie because the lessons of keeping promises run deep. I also love this film because it kept me on my toes and I never knew what would happen next.” See their full reviews below. 

Grow

By Jackson N., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

“It’s better to do the right thing than the easy thing.” Grow is a heartwarming story about a little girl’s dream to win a pumpkin-growing contest. With awesome tales of love, laughter, and the power of persistence, Grow encases Halloween magic with some sweet family elements to make it a blast for all ages.

Grow takes place in the fictional town of Mugford, UK – a small town obsessed with a BIG annual pumpkin contest. The prize would change the lives of anyone in the town, except the Smythe-Gherkins, 50 time annual winners of the challenge. Charlie (Priya-Rose Brookwell) has been sent to live with her Aunt Dinah (Golda Roshuevul) in Mugford since her mother disappeared and decides to put her green thumb to the test by entering the contest. And she will do everything in her power to win so she can use the prize money to find her mom. But with the competition so fierce, does this newcomer even stand a chance?

While Halloween is often celebrated with a bunch of horror films and stories, Grow is a story about family connection and a sweet Halloween film for all ages. Grow is filled to the brim with great actors, like SAG-nominated Golda Roshuevul (Bridgerton), Nick Frost, who will play Rubeus Hagrid in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, and Jeremy Swift (Higgins in Ted Lasso). It also includes new faces, like up-and-comer Priya-Rose Brookwell, who I predict we will see a lot more of after her first starring role here. As Charlie, she is a perfect example of persistence. She really thinks she will win, even in the face of countless unknowns. The humor in this film is outstanding, with hilarious moments and awesome nods to other movies, like when a gruesomely stabbed pumpkin ends up in the owner’s bed in a nod to The Godfather.  The set and costume designers have created bright, fun costumes and larger-than-life pumpkins that add vibrancy to the neutral background of the town and farm. Hats off to Director John McPhail for a non-scary Halloween movie that families can enjoy.

The main message of Grow is that nothing is impossible and, if you keep pushing for your dreams, you can make it to the top. This film includes themes of love, friendship, and persistence. Parents should be warned that Grow includes some scenes with suspenseful moments, including seeing a hooded man attack multiple pumpkins, and a theme of parental abandonment.

I give Grow 4 out of 5 pumpkins and recommend it for ages 5 to 12, plus adults. Check it out in theatres when it plays a limited run on Fathom Events starting on October 17, 2025. Happy Haunts Everyone!

Grow

By Harper B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13

Grow is a wonderful film about family, friends, and loyalty. I like this movie because the lessons of keeping promises run deep. I also love this film because it kept me on my toes and I never knew what would happen next.

Grow is about a girl, Charlie Little (Priya-Rose Brookwell), who wants to find her mother, Polly Little (Kathryn Drysdale). However, Charlie is sent to her aunt, Dianah Little (Golda Rosheuvel), who lives on a farm. The town is crazy about pumpkins and a pumpkin contest; some of the neighbors have insane ideas about how to grow a pumpkin. Charlie needs the prize money of $100,000 in order to find her mother, so she enters the contest, and has help from previous winner, Arlo (Nick Frost). 

This film is phenomenal. It is wonderful in every aspect, from the setting to the writing and the acting. I love the setting because it made me feel as if I was really there. It is filmed in Scotland. The actors are phenomenal – my favorite character is Dianah Little because of how much patience she has no matter what happens. The background music enhances the film extremely well. It made me feel things I would not have felt otherwise. Going into the film I had very high expectations for it and it fulfilled all that I thought it would be. The film is also directed very well, particularly by how relationships are shown between Charlie and Dianah Little. When they are separated, they do not feel whole. They have a very deep connection to each other. Polly’s and Dianah’s relationship is also worth noticing. They both are from the Little family, but Polly is popular and Dianah knows how to work hard. Many siblings will relate to this as we see one of them in the spotlight while the other works behind the scenes, without being noticed. We also see Charlie break a promise to her friends, family, and herself. She knows what she must do, but the question is, will she do it?

The film’s lessons are about restoring relationships and being loyal to your friends, family, and even a pumpkin.

I give Grow 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. Grow will be released in theaters October 17, 2025.