What’s Your Next Great Read?

Are you a tween looking for great adventure in far off lands or looking for your first great chapter book?  Maybe you’re somewhere in-between. No matter your age or interest, the library has something new waiting for you!

Notorious by Gordon Korman  Age Interest: 8-12 Grades 3-7 Rating: 5/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Tweens looking for a great adventure on an island that’s half in the United States and half in Canada ( a place so well described I had to look up whether it was real or not!)  Meet Keenan who has arrived to live with his father on the U.S. side of the island and Zarabeth(ZeeBee) who lives on the Canadian side of the island in a house once occupied by gangsters. She also once had a dog who was the terror of the island and the new Barny II is the exact opposite of her old dog. 

I really liked how the character and the setting were developed through the making of new friends and the consistent theme of the old Barney being compared to the new Barney and the mystery of the gangsters gold. Join the adventure while Keenan and ZeeBee unravel the clues and a conspiracy that dates back to Centerlight’s gangster past in the 1920’s. The bad news is that someone is after them. . .

Northwind by Gary Paulsen Age Interest: 9-12 Grades 3-7 Rating: 4/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Survival story in the Arctic! Leif is an 11 year old orphan in the wilds of the Arctic who is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe when a deadly plague reaches the small fishing camp where he lives. He flees northward and learns to survive the plague, bears attacks, Orcas and hunger along a wild shore laced with high fjords, all on his own. Leif learns to connect with the ocean and live on his own.  Another great survival book by Gary Paulsen. If you like this one, read Hatchet too!

Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro Age Interest: 5-8 Grades 1-3 Rating: 4/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Do dragons like marshmallows or will they make them sick? From the Zoey and Sassafras series, Meet Zoey who can see magical animals and what’s even better they come to her barn to be taken care of. Fun read for the emerging reader who is ready for chapter books.  What’s not to like about fixing magical animals?!

The Ember Stone by Katrina Charman Age Interest: 6-8 Grades 1-3 Rating: 4/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️

From The Last Firehawk series, Magical animals abound in Perodia, but a dark magic used by a powerful vulture named Thorn is trying to destroy it. Can a young owl named Tag and Skyla, a perky squirrel, help save the island when they find the last Firehawk? 

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor Age Interest:8-11 Grades 3-6 Rating:5/5❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is the story of two 6th graders Aurora and Frenchie.  Aurora is loud and boisterous and Frenchie does not talk.  But… they understand each other. They both love nature and they are both a little bit different! They live in a small town in Maine where many of the people march to their own tune.  When Frenchie goes missing all of these odd ball characters come together to search for him.  This story “Honors the sweet mysteries of how to communicate with each other and the world.” (Kirkus Review Feb 2022)  

Alien in My Pocket – Blast Off  by Nate Ball  Age Interest: 6-9 Grades 1-4 Rating: 5/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Catch this one on Libby! The first in a series, this is a perfect chapter book for a young readers.  There’s a boy – Zach, a girl – Olivia, and a 4 inch tall blue alien – Amp. Will Zach have to protect the world from an alien invasion while trying to navigate 4th Grade? Or will he have to protect Amp from the world?  Highly recommend this book with a DYI science experiment ! Have fun!

July Tween Read Scene: 2023 Rebecca Caudill Award Nominees

The Rebecca Caudill Award is given each year to the author of the book voted for most by Illinois 4th-8th grade students. To learn more about the award and Rebecca Caudill herself, visit https://www.rebeccacaudill.org.

Come in to the library to check out one of the outstanding 2023 award nominees below!

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. AlstonJ ALS (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 8-12
AR: 4.9
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil BildnerJ BIL (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 10-13
AR: 4.1
Lexile: 690L
The Blackbird Girls by Anne BlankmanJ BLA (CAUDILL 2023)Ages 9-12
AR: 4.8
The Benefits of Being an Octopus  by Ann BradenJ BRA (2023 CAUDILL)
PLAYAWAY J F BRA (CAUDILL 2023)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4.9
Lexile: 770L
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyJ BRA (2023 CAUDILL)
AUDIO CD J F BRA
Ages 10-12
AR: 3.6
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo CartayaJ CAR (2023 CAUDILL)
AUDIO CD J F CAR
Ages 10+
AR: 3.9
Lexile: 580L
Efrén Divided by Erenesto CisnerosJ CIS (2023 BLUESTEM)
AUDIO CD J F CIS (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4.5
Lexile: 710L
The Only Back Girls in Town by Brandy ColbertJ COL (2023 CAUDILL)
AUDIO CD J F COL (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4.4
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna CuevasJ CUE (2023 CAUDILL)
AUDIO CD J F CUE (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4.7
Lexile: 740L
Scritch Scratch by Lindsay CurrieJ CUR (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 10-14
AR: 4.3
Lexile: 610L
A Thousand Questions by Saadia FaruqiJ FAR (2023 BLUESTEM)
AUDIO CD J F FAR (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4.8
Wink: Surviving Middle School with One Eye Open by Rob HarrellJ HAR (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 9-12
AR: 3.9
Lexile: 580L
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar MohamedJ GN JAM (CAUDILL 2023)
PLAYAWAY J F JAM (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 9-12
AR: 3.7
Lexile: 530L
This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd KyiJ 303.385 KYI (CAUDILL 2023)Ages 11-14
AR: 6.8
Lexile: 910L
Chirp by Kate MessnerJ MES (2023 CAUDILL)
PLAYAWAY J F MES (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 10-14
AR: 4.6
The Best at It by Maulik PancholyJ PAN (2023 CAUDILL)
PLAYAWAY J F PAN (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 4
Lexile: 620L
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker RhodesJ RHO (2023 CAUDILL)
PLAYAWAY J F RHO (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 8-12
AR: 3.4
Lexile: 400L
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina SoontornvatJ 796.52 SOO (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 8-12
AR: 7.2
Lexile: 1020L
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable and Stephanie YueJ GN VEN (2023 CAUDILL)Ages 8-12
AR: 3
Lexile: 340L
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline WoodsonJ WOO (CAUDILL 2023)
AUDIO CD J F WOO (2023 CAUDILL)
Ages 10+
AR: 4.5

UPCOMING TWEEN EVENTS

July 1-30
TinkerCAD Challenge: Create a Derby Car

4th Grade & Up
Registration begins July 1

July 11
Wild Explorers: Rockss + Geology | 10:30-11:15am

Grades 3-6 with a caregiver
Registration begins June 27

July 11
Mad Science: Growing Geodes | Video posted at 4:30pm

Kindergarten-6th Grade
Registration begins June 27

July 15
Chalk the Walk | 11-11:45am

All Ages
No registration required

Happy Reading!