We have new books coming in all the time with them on display right as you enter the Trove.  Here’s some of our recent favorite new titles!

For Wee Ones

Is That the Bus? by Libby Koponen & Katie Mazeika
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

“In this vehicle-heavy board book, a young boy waits for his big sister. He plays throughout the day but continually looks out the window at each new noise. ‘Is that the bus? WAAA! WOOOOO! But it's not the bus. WAAAA! WOOOOO! The fire truck wails away.’ A variety of vehicles, including a garbage truck, dump truck, and motorcycle, make appearances in this title. VERDICT: The soft lines, bright palette, and sparse text make this a first purchase for libraries.” –School Library Journal

The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

“Rex, who parodied Goodnight Moon with the creepy Goodnight Goon, pokes monstrous fun at another Margaret Wise Brown/Clement Hurd collaboration, The Runaway Bunny. Instead of the cozy call-and-response of Brown's rabbits, Rex crafts an amusing, mock-threatening exchange between a green-faced mummy and her son, who is threatening to run away. ‘ ‘If you run away,' said Mother Mummy, ‘I will get you! For you are my rotten little mummy!'  Though their conversation is neither cute nor fuzzy, the images reveal mutual affection. When the child mummy says he ‘will become a gargoyle and hide on a freezing mountaintop,’ his mother responds that she ‘will turn into a dragon and breathe fire on you to keep you warm!’ A double spread, modeled on Hurd's wordless paintings, shows the dragon heating the grinning gargoyle, who says, ‘That's a little hot!’ Only when the little mummy threatens to become a soccer and piano–playing ‘little boy’ rabbit (he and his family are shown in a familiar green room with a red carpet) does his mother express horror. Rex fondly and cleverly imitates the original, echoing its tenderness even as he mocks it.”  –Publishers Weekly

On Powwow Day by Traci Sorell & Madelyn Goodnight
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

“A colorful counting book engages children to identify the different visual elements that occur on powwow day. From the car that vrooms to the shaking shiny jingle cones, the exciting expressions catch more beyond the eye. The rainbow palette is shown off in organic and youthful design work. Every number from one to ten has a corresponding color, attached to a powwow day element. Readers can identify and count these elements, from the gray feathers on regalia to the bright moccasins. VERDICT: This delightful picture book allows Indigenous children to connect with and feel pride in the abundance of powwow participation, and gives all readers a great counting book full of cultural imagery.” –School Library Journal

For Younger Readers

I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes by Karol Hernández & Lorena Alvarez Gómez
Me llamo la chiva!: el colorido bus de los Andes by Karol Hernández & Lorena Alvarez Gómez
(Preschool – 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“Climb aboard for a trip you won't forget! La Chiva, a bus that drives through the Andes, narrates this peppy tale. Painted with vibrant hues and patterns, this open-air bus rises early–’before Señor Sun’–and picks up farmers and their products, from Doña Ines and her arepas and huevos to Don Ernesto and his pig. La Chiva and the passengers sing as they roll past a verdant countryside. But soon La Chiva gets a flat tire and must pull over. Luckily, everyone works together to replace the tire with a spare–they are a community, after all. Once they reach the lively town square, the passengers disembark and sell their wares to grateful customers, while children play tag and hopscotch. Before the day is over, the group has a present for La Chiva (a replacement tire for the spare), but to La Chiva, the people themselves are the best gift. Alvarez Gómez makes superb use of color: the lush greens of the surrounding country, punctuated by pops of red, orange, and purple; rich earth tones for the buildings in the square; and, of course, La Chiva, a veritable rainbow. Interspersed with Spanish, the rhyming verse bounces along as energetically as the titular bus. In the backmatter, Hernández explains that La Chiva buses are common to rural Colombia and notes that the story is rooted in her own childhood memories. A delightful journey; readers will be eager for repeat trips.” –Kirkus Reviews

The Day Madear Voted by Wade Hudson & Don Tate
(Preschool – 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“Hard-won civic rights turn Election Day into something special for one Black mother. Madear's children aren't fully aware of how special today is, but their mother–sporting one of her best dresses–joyously explains that this Tuesday in 1969 will be the first day she gets to vote. She delivers a straightforward civic and history lesson to her children (one of whom narrates) and to readers: ‘Many obstacles [were] put up to prevent Black folks from voting.’ The digital watercolor and mixed-media illustrations become relatively muted during flashbacks in which distressed Black folk are subjected to poll taxes, reading tests, and ‘even a test where people had to correctly guess the number of jelly beans in a jar!’ The subsequent spread of protests contrasts with the vibrant images of Madear with kids in tow proceeding to their city hall in Taylorville, Louisiana. The monumental shift from the disenfranchised past to the present of 1969 is significant, but even still, the young narrator witnesses the mean looks Madear receives as she queues before the voting booth. Nonetheless, she votes and triumphantly leaves the building in her floral dress, bright orange coat, and head scarf, sun streaming behind her. Her children are equally ecstatic; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would be just the beginning of Madear and her family's electoral participation. The book concludes with the family celebrating the election of Barack Obama in 2008. This straightforward yet empowering tale will get youngsters energized for Election Day. A brightly colored retread of voting rights in an easy package.” –Kirkus Reviews

What Can A Mess Make? by Bee Johnson
(Preschool – 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

“Two siblings make messes throughout the day, with sweet and fun results. Berries and chocolate mousse are a delicious treat for the children, even as they leave syrup spills in their wake, while crumbs from an outdoor tea party become a feast for ants and squirrels. Repurposed boxes, tins, and a hose are transformed into musical instruments, and cushions and blankets turn into a classic pillow fort. Sometimes messes result in treasured items accidentally getting broken and the two siblings squabbling, but things–and bonds–can soon be mended or made into something new. Johnson's rhyming text pairs with homey artwork depicting a rustic setting. As each scenario unfolds, the author/illustrator lists various objects–’magic markers. / Missing caps. / Glue and pom-poms’–before revealing the project the protagonists have been working on. The repetitive ebbing and flowing pattern of the words and the narrative establishes a calming tone that sets up the characters and readers alike for a well-earned bedtime, though the mess doesn't end here: Time for a pillow fight! The eye-catching details in the artwork and the question of what each mess will evolve into keep the book as engaging as it is cozy. Characters present white. An imaginative snapshot of daily life that elevates domestic messes into a soothing lullaby.” –Kirkus Reviews 

Fiction

The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“What happens when a Chinese American martial arts student defies her parents and uses an assumed identity to audition for a movie featuring her idol? In Chan's kick-butt debut, 12-year-old Taekwondo student Modesty ‘Mo’ Seto does just that, along the way unearthing family secrets and battling villains. Mo's father is traveling for work and hasn't been answering her texts. So, with the support of her BFF Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Garcia, she surreptitiously auditions for a new movie starring martial arts superstar Cody Kwok; she resolves to land the role, which will hopefully lead to much-desired attention from Dad. After Mo finds a mysterious book containing information on secret martial arts moves unlike anything she's seen before, she adopts them into her practice. But as auditions proceed, so too do strange and dangerous happenings, such as plummeting set lighting and unexpected explosions. And if she hopes to find her place on and off the movie set, Mo must learn to stand–as well as kick, punch, and spin–on her own. Action-packed prose mimics the cinematic high-intensity atmosphere of a classic martial arts film, while Mo's desire to connect with her father acts as a driving force in this adrenaline pumping series opener.” –Publishers Weekly

Amir and the Jinn Princess by M. T. Khan
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“A rollicking fantasy adventure set in Pakistan and based on the mystical realm of jinn. Wealthy 12-year-old Amir, destined to inherit the Rafiq Bricks Company, prefers to be in his garden alone where he can feel connected to his missing mother. His world unravels when his father announces plans to remarry and ends the search for Amir's mother. Unwilling to give up hope, Amir teams up with Shamsa, a shape-shifting jinn princess who is different from him in every way. They work together on a thrilling quest through the jinn realm, with Shamsa guiding Amir, and Amir aiding Shamsa in a royal tournament to win her rightful throne. On their wild journey, they meet sneaky tricksters, magical foes, and learn some hard lessons about loss and life. Khan's captivating prose and tight action sequences will keep readers engaged and eager to see how the odd-couple duo resolves their quest. VERDICT: This book is a mix of adventure, friendship, and courage and is perfect for young readers who revel in magical escapades.” –School Library Journal

Dead Good Detectives by Jenny McLachlan
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

“Young amateur cartographer Sid Jones accidentally releases a centuries-old pirate ghost from the cemetery in her English seaside town of Fathom. Sid can see and hear the boisterous pirate Capt. Ezekiel ‘Bones’ Kittow and his impish macaw, Elizabeth—but no one else can, not even her best friend, a boy named Zennor Moyo. After an understandable period of disbelief and frustration, Sid teams up with Bones to solve the mystery of his missing treasure so that he and his crew can escape their ghostly limbo and pass on. Though Sid draws Zen into the historical puzzle of Bones’ pirate booty, she’s been growing self-conscious about hanging out with her proudly oddball friend and drawing more attention from their classmates; she’s already been called weird, after all, and having a ghost as a constant companion, even a secret one, doesn’t help. The overall tone is one of whimsy more than menace. McLachlan infuses both the supernatural adventure and Sid’s emotional evolution with a charming earnestness, especially as Sid grows bolder and more comfortable with her magical talents. Stylized black-and-white illustrations depict Sid as a white waif with large, round glasses and Zen as an energetic Black boy with short twists; Bones receives a loving visual treatment that includes voluminous hair, a tricorn hat, and a beard entangled with seaweed. A series opener—big on heart and short on horror—that offers fun ghostly escapades.” –Kirkus Reviews 

Nonfiction

Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford
(Grades 2-5)
Library Catalog

A gallery of wonders and mysteries in 25 lakes worldwide. Spun off from the author's ongoing series of TikTok videos, these visits to a select few of our planet's estimated 304 million lakes feature glimpses of eerie shipwrecks, sudden eruptions of toxic gas, and unexpected residents such as the 10-foot-long bull sharks in Lake Nicaragua–all designed to “give you goose bumps on your arms and chills up your spine.” Readers are likely to come away equally impressed by the sheer variety of what's in the lakes she presents, from water-filled ones such as Russia's Lake Baikal and the hot springs of Yellowstone, to lakes of lava and pitch, the seriously radioactive waste in Lake Karachay in the Urals, and Lake Natron in Tanzania, which is so hot and toxic that any hapless creatures falling in “are petrified, dried out, and made crispy.” Along with going for the gusto, she explores the distinctive history and geology of each site, backing up her assertions with substantial lists of sources at the end. If her decision to illustrate the entries with painted scenes rather than photographs makes these locales seem a little less real, it does allow her the opportunity to provide cutaway views, as well as stimulating explosions, visible fumes, the occasional clutching hand, and other drama-enhancing details. Human figures are rare but racially diverse. A chilling but thrilling primer for budding limnologists. – Kirkus Reviews

The Atlas of Women Explorers by Riccardo Francaviglia and Margherita Sgarlata
(Grades 2-7)
Library Catalog

Follow the fascinating voyages of 18 courageous women who defied convention to follow their dreams and explore the world.  From Amelia Earhart to Isabelle Bird, Freya Stark to Laura Dekker, these 18 women broke the rules, took the road less traveled, and went that extra mile to win their own freedom. This beautifully illustrated and information-packed atlas tells their stories, following them across the globe on bike or sailboat, planes and trains, as they pass through Australian deserts, Asian tundra, to the mountaintops, and even into space. –Publisher Marketing

Do You Believe in Magic?: The Search for Wonder, from Sorcery to Science by Laura Krantz
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog

Inspired by her popular Wild Thing podcast, journalist Laura Krantz incorporates the scientific method and her journalistic skills to determine if magic might be real in Do You Believe in Magic? Magic–spells and curses, hexes and potions, superstition, and rituals. We've all heard stories of alchemists attempting to turn abundant lead into precious, rare gold. Or of poor, unfortunate souls asking potion masters to brew up unappetizing concoctions that will help them find love. And of course, we're familiar with curses–muttering magical words for the purposes of exacting revenge on an enemy, or protecting a hidden treasure.  Who wouldn't like the idea of special powers, or control over the natural world? It seems pretty fun, even if it's just the stuff of fantasy books and movies. But a lot of what we call “magic” has grounding in real practices. In fact, magic is at the root of many scientific fields–from chemistry to botany to astronomy–and has been an important part of human culture for thousands of years.  Do You Believe in Magic? takes readers through a world where magic and science collide. What do they have in common? Where do they differ? What role has magic played in our history, and the history of science? Why is magic still significant, even when it doesn't seem to line up with reality? And is it possible to be scientifically minded and still believe in magic? Readers are encouraged to weigh the facts and go beyond their gut assumptions, to stretch their imaginations and think about why magic and science might be two sides of the same coin.  Includes color illustrations, an at-home science/magic experiment, glossary, bibliography, and index.  –Publisher Marketing

A Kid’s Guide to Fandom: Exploring Fan-fic, Cosplay, Gaming, Podcasting, and More in the Geek World!  By Amy Ratcliffe, art by Dave Perillo
(Grades 4-7)
Library Catalog

Some people enjoy books, movies, TV shows, and anime so much that they continue to think about their characters, settings, and storylines. And for some fans, this means imagining new or alternate versions of the characters' adventures. With this book as a guide, readers can explore various forms of fandom. From fanfiction and cosplay to gaming and podcasting, the chapters introduce different kinds of fandom and offer helpful tips on getting started, being creative, and having fun. There are even short interviews with authors, animators, podcast producers, and other professionals who reveal how their early fandom endeavors led to similar creative careers. The final chapters describe how to get involved in fandom communities and the planning and etiquette of attending a fan convention for the first time. Throughout the upbeat and accessible text, digital illustrations in blues and reds feature cartoonish young people with a range of skin tones, hairstyles, and physical abilities. The guide concludes with fandom writing prompts, a glossary, and related resources. It's game on for proud geeks! -Booklist

Queer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World by Guido A. Sanchez, art by James Fenner
(Grades 6-12)
Library Catalog

In an exploration of ancient queer identities in global mythology, Sanchez retells tales of LGBTQ+ representation across a variety of folktales. Several stories come from Greco-Roman traditions, but others come from cultures in the Pacific and Caribbean islands, West Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and more. Each retelling has a focus on the enduring existence of queer identities across time and culture and seeks to bring light to topics that have previously been glossed over by historians. Sanchez makes it clear that these stories have been told time and time again but details have been changed to support a heteronormative worldview. Here, stories are told in full detail, portraying queer love, exploration of gender identities, and how being queer helped the characters grow as people (or as deities). Some stories may be familiar to readers, such as that of Achilles and Patroclus of Ancient Greece. Others may offer new perspectives, tied together by the portrayals of queerness. Sanchez's exploration of queerness in mythology brings to light a never-ending human connection across cultures of the world. -Booklist

Graphic Novels

Rover and Speck series by Jonathan Roth
(Grades 1-4)
Library Catalog

This whimsical early reader comic will delight a young audience and give them a few science tidbits on the way. Rover is deposited on a planet to explore, but immediately is hampered by a broken antenna, which means he won't be able to call home when he is ready to move on. While trying to find a way to fix the antenna, he happens onto an older model rover that has been covered and is out of solar power. He revives the robot, and the two bots become friends, exploring the planet together, only to meet up with huge rock monsters. The narration breaks every so often to sprinkle in a scientific fact, but this doesn't hinder the flow of the story, which is laden with humor and just enough suspense for the target audience. The artwork uses vibrant colors and simple geometric shapes that give an overall vibe of simplicity.  – School Library Journal

Detective Beans: The Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen
(Grades 2-5)
Library Catalog

This cat is on the case! Trench coat-clad Beans–called Jellybean by his affectionate mother–is a majorly cute tabby who takes his job seriously. As he tells Mom, he's “a hard-boiled detective cleaning up this city one case at a time.” He abandons his current investigation (identifying the sender of his many “mysterious yet heartwarming,” affirming sticky notes) when his fedora, an essential professional accessory, vanishes. Beans questions Bird, who found the hat–and traded it away to a pair of kittens for a new TV. Next, Beans heads to Pigeon Park, where the kittens tell him they gave the hat to a magician. And so it goes, as Beans visits a magic show, a community garden, an ice cream shop, a jazz club (“The Black Cat,” of course), an antiques store, a restaurant, and more. Beans briefly regains–and then loses–the hat, and a chase ensues as the tale reaches an ever-more-exciting crescendo before coming to a thrilling conclusion. Snazzy, appealing artwork, with firm lines, stylish focus, and an atmosphere reminiscent of hardboiled, 1930s detective tales, enhances this absurdly funny and clever graphic novel, which features vivid characters, snappy dialogue, and nonstop action. Catnip to feline lovers and mystery fans alike. – Kirkus Reviews

Nancy Spector, Monster Detective: The Case of the Missing Spot by Stephen W. Martin, art by Linh Pham
(Grades 2-6)
Library Catalog

Intrepid eight-year-old detective Nancy Spector and her talking dog, Jinx, search high and low for an invisible dog in this laugh-a-minute, fast-paced graphic novel perfect for fans of Dungeon Critters and The Mighty Jack. The Invisible Man has a problem. His dog, Spot, is missing. Complicating matters, Spot is also invisible. So the Invisible Man turns to Nancy Spector for help. Nancy eagerly takes the case, and she and her grumpy best friend, a (visible) dog named Jinx, dive into the investigation.  Every time they think Spot is right around the corner, things get more and more confusing, but Nancy knows that to a great detective, there is no such thing as a bad clue. And Nancy knows she's a great detective. Now she just needs to crack the case! – Publisher Marketing

Weirdo by Tony Weaver, art by Jes Wibowo and Cin Wibowo
(Grades 5-6)
Library Catalog

After enduring relentless bullying, a boy learns how to embrace his true self with the support of family and fellow blerds. Debut author Weaver got used to being the new kid; in this graphic memoir, he shows how he relied on his love of comics, anime, and video games to navigate challenges. But entering seventh grade at an elite pressure cooker of a school was different–those passions made Tony a target of vicious bullying; feeling trapped, he attempted to die by suicide. Soon after, he reluctantly started therapy and entered a new school, this time determined not to stand out. But Tony found the Literature Club, bonded with other delightfully nerdy Black students, and rekindled his love of writing, gradually realizing that being unapologetically himself was exactly what he should do. Tony's journey to joy and self-love is funny, relatable, and empowering. His story is rendered in a simple yet dynamic art style that skillfully uses different colors plus video game and comic motifs to reflect his emotional state and growth. The artwork grounds the otherwise abstract journey of self-discovery, delivering a nuanced depiction of healing from fear and a reminder that we can all become the hero. Fans of Jerry Craft and Jarrett Krosoczka will appreciate this honest, hopeful portrayal of recovery from even the darkest places. Readers will also enjoy spotting the many anime and gaming references. A powerful, poignant reminder that you are always worth fighting for. – Kirkus Reviews