Nizrana Farook's Chaya, a female Robin Hood character in the tropical land of Serendib, gets out of trouble as fast as she falls into it. In the opening chapter, Chaya is stopped by a bronze spear at her throat, while underneath her blouse, a secret pouch clinks. What has she done? Stolen the Queen's jewels? Why? Because the King would do nothing to help a poor friend who was attacked by a crocodile. Chaya wheedles her way out of trouble with the guard, but as she reluctantly departs the palace, she suddenly hears a shout. The race is on, complete with a mayhem of elephants! Farook beautifully paints her tropical landscape, rich with sounds and flavors, and delineates an engaging pair of friends for Chaya—her carpenter friend Neel who had to drop out of school to work, and Nour, a pampered lass who is just a little bit smarter than Chaya but aghast at the idea of escaping through the jungle. As they manage their trek through the jungle, they encounter wild animals and bandits, are chased by the King's forces, and end up meeting the mysterious Sena, who plans to take the Kingdom back. Highly recommended as an exciting read for third and fourth graders, particularly those who have an interest in India and Sri Lanka.

Ten-year-old Oliver Nelson may be the only patron of the Garden Grove Library. At least, he may be its only thief. Sequestered away in the hard-to-reach section of the stacks, he favors the old, musty, incomplete titles. If he takes some home with him, that shouldn't matter to anyone, right? What difference could one copy of "The Timekeeper's Children" matter, anyway? All of the other kids seem to be completely tuned into their VR headsets; no one should miss this one little book. Then the Pribbles arrive. Eccentric toy inventors—makers of the popular alternative reality headsets—are out to get the same story that is Oliver's most-beloved possession. They'll stop at nothing to get it, even if that means taking the story right out of Oliver's mind. If he is to resist, Oliver must enter the story fully, and ally himself with the characters, so they can all overcome the dark and ominous villains of its pages, all while staying ahead of the Pribbles, who have also entered the story. Readers will be drawn into this meta-story from the start. As the perils mount, it may seem impossible to turn the pages quickly enough. A fascinating blend of fairy-tale and sci-fi gothic elements makes this a one-of-a-kind book from a new voice in children's literature. Recommended for public and elementary school shelves.

"In the one place I could have been invisible, I'd created my own audience." Halli Gomez's "List of Ten" follows Troy, a sixteen-year-old boy with Tourette syndrome (TS) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Troy narrates his experience as he quickly approaches the tenth anniversary of his TS diagnosis...the day he plans to finish his list of ten goals to accomplish in his life. For Troy, these are challenging goals: to get his first kiss, to talk about Tourette in public, to be pain free. And when the first nine goals are accomplished, to commit suicide. Gomez, who herself has Tourette syndrome, has written a powerful book that refuses to ignore the painful aspects of Tourette yet still maintains a hopeful message. Perhaps most interestingly, by crafting a character who often feels invisible and is marginalized, Halli Gomez successfully makes the experience of disability itself visible. This novel fits well into the growing body of children's and young adult literature that positively centers disabled characters.

Inspired by the real-life phenomenon of Chinese nail houses, this book tells the story of a rabbit family that refuses to sell their house to developers, who are depicted as two foxes, a powerful image. The rabbits' refusal to sell does not stop the wheels of change from rolling into their quiet, idyllic community as readers see the family's neighbors moving on and the construction vehicles moving in. Soon their little home is an "island in a river of concrete," surrounded by a never-ending flow of traffic and noise. It seems that they will never again have the same quiet, rural life they once knew until one of the younger rabbits comes up with an inspired, creative solution to their predicament. It is a clear message to readers that although some things are out of our control, we still can control how we react to them and devise out-of-the-box solutions to solve them. Kerbel's text is poetic without being verbose, and Kang's watercolor illustrations are soft, yet compelling, adding an almost dreamlike quality to the story. Through these paired-together elements, this story pulls at the heartstrings but is ever hopeful. A small book that tackles big concepts in a thoughtful and touching way.

Like many letter blends and digraphs, Q and U spend a lot of time together. Usually, they have loads of fun. They make quilts, go on quests, and even visit the quacking ducks on the farm. Eventually, U notices that she can pair up with lots of other letters and still enjoy herself. Q feels lonely, and he struggles to make new friends. Then he invites U to hang out again to play squash, have a barbeque, or even quiz each other. Uninterested, U grows frustrated by Q's constant pleas for attention and takes a break to get some space for herself. When the other letters hear of this split, they begin to question grouping up so often themselves. They start to do their own things independently; chaos ensues. The clever text is enhanced with Martin's illustrations, which show real personality and emotions as the letters go through the story arc, both paired up and split apart. A phenomenal book for phonemic awareness, this piece is made even more hands-on with the formatting: Letters of focus in each sentence are printed in red to give readers helpful visuals. This story is more than just a phonics resource, though; it is a wonderful tool for discussing friendships. It's great to spend time together, to have multiple friends, and to take some quiet moments alone. Learning to balance ourselves and our relationships is essential, and this book shows that struggle and resolution in a much less obtuse and more relatable way than other books. Endless conversations can be prompted with this read.

What a delight this series is! Filled with STEM thinking and featuring women, each title encourages readers' curiosity. Colorful, exciting illustrations encourage readers to dive into this volume. Emilie du Chatelet was interested in gravity, but she was kept out of cafes where physics was being discussed because women were not allowed. So, Emilie dressed in men's clothing to join the conversation. She also translated Isaac Newton's Principia, which was written in Latin, to French so she could read it. That also meant other scientists would read it. Laura Bassi, the first woman in the world to be a professor of physics, loved studying force, which cannot be seen, although its effect on objects can be. Marie Curie and her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie are famous women who were awarded Nobel Prizes for discovering radium and polonium. Chien-Shiung Wu is a physicist whose discovery changed what was known about atoms. This book features women who asked questions, solved problems, designed, and redesigned experiments. The glossary is just big enough to help a young reader through the book. This book--and all of those in this series--are recommended for every elementary library.

Advertising is complex. Behind the commercials and advertisements is plenty of research and planning to promote a product. With this book, readers can learn the basics of the advertising industry, including marketing a product. Follow the marketing of a bubble gum product, learn how advertisers find ways to persuade consumers to purchase their product and find out how marketing research tracks buyers. For instance, learn how colors, emotions, sounds, pricing, and more influence consumers to select certain products over others. Throughout the book, comical characters illustrate some of the information. Headings and subheadings are used to organize the topics. Vocabulary words are printed in bold font through the main body of the text and listed in the glossary. Also, the bibliography has a variety of additional resources (i.e., articles, websites, books, and radio). This book provides a strong start to understanding the world of advertising and marketing. Readers interested in how advertising influences consumers' decision-making will begin to see products from a different perspective.

In the dark of night, inside a garbage can, two dramatically different creatures cross paths. Grub the raccoon is looking for some choice meal options, and Seed is stuck, waiting to be planted in the ground and to start growing. The potential for Seed's bounty is great, and when Grub becomes convinced that Seed will grow into a cheeseburger plant, he is more than happy to oblige Seed's wishes. When Seed develops into something different than Grub expects, though, he is left with an important decision to make. This tale of unlikely friendship is a delightful adventure for young readers. Told through a combination of dialogue and narration, it is a read-aloud children will love hearing as they examine the expressive illustrations. Readers who are becoming more comfortable with complex storytelling will appreciate the progression of the story, especially as it includes dramatic tension surrounding Seed's true identity. The illustrations are filled with texture and detail, drawing readers into the story world. With a combination of real and imagined elements, this dynamic presentation emphasizes the feelings that inherently emerge from having to wait for something exciting. Varying angles and colors make each image eye-catching while complementing the narrative. The endpapers and cover pages further enhance the story by including relevant imagery and kid-friendly humor. Built on hardcover with glossy interior pages, this book is well-suited for both home and classroom settings. Readers who enjoy tales about unlikely friendship with some comic elements are sure to appreciate this book. Well-crafted and entertaining, this book is an excellent addition to library collections for young children, preschool through second grade.