AS YOU WISH by Nashae Jones (out January 7th, 2025) where eighth grader Birdie has the chaos-loving West African trickster god offering to give her make the messy fight with her best friend, Deve, go away.
Middle schoolers are craving romance similar to classics from Meg Cabot and The Baby-Sitters Club, and Nashae perfectly captures that tween voice, making readers feel like they’re sitting down and chatting with their best friend.
This sweet and funny middle grade novel, with a dash of magic, offers the friends-to-more trope that tweens who love romance immediately pick up.
This is a fun and magical book!
Ten Purim Bears by Ron Atlas
Illustrations by Zach Horvath
The Collective Book Studio/February 4, 2025
$9.95 USD / $12.95 Canada
ISBN: 9781685552787
In Ten Purim Bears, one cheerful bear sits alone in a chair, waiting in anticipation for a festive surprise. Soon, another costumed friend joins, and then another, as one by one, ten playful bears gather to celebrate Purim together. With each new arrival, young readers will enjoy counting along, exploring the colorful costumes, and sharing in the excitement of what happens next.
This beautifully illustrated book combines simple counting and playful rhyming to engage children during the early learning stages. Parents and caregivers will love introducing little ones to the traditions of Purim, creating opportunities for storytelling, bonding, and celebrating together.
This delightful book is the perfect companion for family gatherings and holiday traditions, offering a joyful introduction to the customs and spirit of Purim and entertains and educates young readers while capturing the excitement of anticipation and celebration with friends, fostering meaningful emotional connections.
Perfect for preschoolers and early readers, Ten Purim Bears is more than a counting book—it’s a celebration of joy, friendship, and the enduring Jewish traditions of Purim.
In LILY’S DREAM (Aladdin; January 7, 2025; $18.99; Ages 4-8), a flightless fairy named Lily befriends a human girl named Willow and together, they create a safe space to learn from each other and grow despite their differences. And through their connection to the environment, they come together to inspire and build confidence in each other.
Lily is a young fairy determined to learn to fly just like the others who soar on shimmering, jeweled-colored wings, but she’s worried her own colorless wings will never lift her off the ground. Then she meets a young girl named Willow who helps her not only discover her special magic, but the truly magical gift of friendship.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR
Bea (Brittany) Jackson, the New York Times bestselling and award-winning illustrator of Parker Looks Up and Parker Shines On, attended the College for Creative Studies and was a grand prize winner of the L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrator of the Future Award. In addition to her work as a children’s book artist and a character and concept artist, Bea’s art has been featured on books and comic covers as well as in various magazines. In 2021, Target launched Wondershop, a Christmas-themed collection, which included Bea’s art on gift bags, gift boxes, and wrapping paper. She lives in Detroit, Michigan.
This January, experience NFL Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett’s picture book Dear Black Boy, a letter of encouragement to all boys of color who feel like sports is their only choice.
A different kind of coach for black and brown boys, and essential reading for children of every color, Dear Black Boy empowers kids to see new possibilities and follow their passions. Whenever self-doubt creeps in, they will find strength in its pages. With dreamlike illustrations that invite children to place themselves in the pages’ scenes, this uplifting picture book reminds kids that the biggest game they’ll ever play is the game of life. Off the courts and fields, people are rooting for them not as athletes, but as future leaders of the world.
Dear Black Boy will be available for purchase wherever books are sold on January 14, 2025.
For further information on Dear Black Boy please visit quarto.com.
On the surface, thirteen-year-old Kaya’s life is great. She lives in beautiful, beachy Lihiwai, Honolulu. She has ride-or-die best friends. She’s ultrasmart and killing it at school. She even works with a super-cute boy at her parents’ restaurant.
But she also has anxiety—serious anxiety, and she’s always had bad luck around the water. It’s hard to enjoy Hawaiian beaches when you’ve almost drowned more than once.
But as stranger and stranger things happen to Kaya around the sea, she realizes she has a special connection to it. Waves rise when she’s angry. Surf smooths when she’s calm. Fish come when she calls them. And when she learns the truth about her family and her divine ancestor, Mazu, she knows that she will need to connect with her most difficult emotions—or her potent powers may become dangerous to the people she loves.
KAYA OF THE OCEANby debut novelist Gloria L. Huang (Holiday House, January 7, 2025, Hardcover, eBook)is an exciting, fresh, and beautiful middle-grade fantasy about embracing who you really are. KAYA OF THE OCEAN gives tweens and their parents or guardians a jumping off point to discuss their own mental health, immigrant experience, and the complexities of growing up. Already selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection as well as the ALA’s Indies Introduce List spotlighted debuts, KAYA OF THE OCEAN is already impressing readers, booksellers and librarians. Kaya is sure to leave a mark on you, too!
Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books. Images and information were also provided.
Happy New Year! Have a wonderful year of reading!
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