Best2015-16LINKSminiNS - 2nd Grades
Waiting by Kevin Henkes An owl, puppy, bear, bunny, and pig wait for marvelous things to happen. 2015
Best New Books A Roundup of Recommended Titles
I Hear A Pickle by Rachel Isadora Children explore their five senses, learning what they can see,
smell, hear, touch, and taste. 2016
My Bike by Byron Barton Tom tells all about his bicycle, his ride to work past trucks, cars, and
even elephants, and his work as a circus performer. 2015
from 2015 and the first half of 2016
The Thank You Book by Mo Willems Piggie is determined to thank everyone she knows, but Gerald thinks she will forget
someone important. 2016
When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek Animals and children alike watch as the world transforms from
the dark and dead of winter to a full and blooming spring. 2016
Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell Maggie hosts a pajama party at which Clement, Alan
Alexander, and Jean play a variety of fun games, tire themselves, and drift off to sleep, but not before sharing their gratitude. 2015
My House by Byron Barton Jim the cat describes his favorite places inside and
outside his house. 2016
Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora When her parents find a
baby wolf on their doorstep and decide to raise him as their own, Dot is certain he will eat them all up until a surprising encounter with a bear brings them closer together. 2015
The Cowboy by Hildegard Müller When Anna teaches her dog, Toto, to swim, he is carried too far
out by a big wave but a boy in a cowboy hat comes to the rescue. 2015 (available in paperback)
Snail & Worm by Tina Kugler Snail and Worm are best friends who support each other during a silly game of tag,
through Snail's adventure up a flower stalk, and when Worm's pet goes missing. 2016
Supertruck by Stephen Savage When the city is hit by a colossal snowstorm, only one superhero
can save the day. But who is this mysterious hero, and why does he disappear once his job is done? 2015
= Nonfiction = Picturebook= Early Reader= Fiction
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers One day, Duncan is
happily coloring with his crayons when a stack of postcards arrives in the mail from his former crayons, each of which has run away or been left behind, and all of which want to come home. 2015
and Sophie Blackall A fictionalized account of Captain Harry Coleburn's
relationship with a bear cub in 1914, which he rescued while on his way to care for soldiers' horses during World War I and became the inspiration for A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. 2015
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only
hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants. 2016
Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee
Because their dreams of daring adventures go against the cautious teachings of their nations, Firefly and
Cricket set out on their own, find a home with kindly Vole, and help a grieving "miniature giant" named Peter. 2015 (available in paperback 8.16.16)
Mesmerized: How Ben
Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff &
Iacopo Bruno Relates the story of Franklin's involvement in the early development of the scientific method during a visit to France during the American Revolution to drum up support for the colonists. 2015
When Green Becomes
Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano & Julie Morstad A book of poetry moving through the seasons. 2016
Trombone Shorty
by Troy Andrews & Bryan Collier New Orleans jazz musician Troy
"Trombone Shorty" Andrews tells the story of how he got his nickname and his start in jazz music. 2015
Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead
& Erin E. Stead When Peter and his father move to a new house, Peter creates a
“Guardian of the Bridge” (Lenny), and a friend for Lenny (Lucy), to protect him from the scary things hidden in the woods. 2015
Snappsy the Alligator
(Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!) by Julie Falatko & Tim Miller Snappsy's ordinary day
is interrupted by a meddling narrator. 2016
1st - 5th Grades
Jazz Day by Roxanne
Orgill and Francis Vallejo A collection of poems tell the story behind a famous 1958 photograph of jazz musicians. 2016
Lost in NYC by Nadja
Spiegelman & Sergio Garcîa Sånchez After getting separated from his teacher and his classmates during an
outing to the Empire State Building, Pablo, the new kid in school, learns to navigate the New York City subway system as well as his own feelings towards making new friends and living in a big city. 2015
It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee
Very strange noises that keep awakening the Wimbledon family one night have an even stranger source. 2015
Earmuffs for Everyone!
by Meghan McCarthy This picture book biography of Chester Greenwood explores the invention of the
earmuffs and the patenting process. 2015
= Narrative
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and
learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. 2015
Olinguito, de la A a la Z! =
Olinguito, from A to Z! by Lulu Delacre Presents information about plants and
animals of the cloud forest of the Ecuadorian Andes and the 2013 discovery of the olinguito. 2016
Pax by Sara
Pennypacker After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get
his best friend back. 2016
the Lumberwoods: 20 Chilling Tales from the Wilderness by Hal Johnson Bone-chilling tales about the most dangerous fantastical beasts in North
American folklore. 2015
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy
Schlitz 14-year-old Joan, just like the heroines in her beloved novels, yearns for real life and true love. In the summer of 1911, she
journeys from the muck of the chicken coop to the comforts of a society household in Baltimore in search of adventure, beauty, and art. 2015
Cuckoo Song by Frances
Hardinge After nearly drowning in a millpond known as "The Grimmer," Triss suffers memory gaps and notices that things around her
seem off-kilter and agrees to meet with a twisted architect who, unbeknownst to her, has designs on her family. 2015 (available in paperback)
Raymie Nightingale
by Kate DiCamillo Hoping that if she wins a local beauty pageant her father will come home, Raymie practices twirling a baton and performing
good deeds as she is drawn into an unlikely friendship with a drama queen and a saboteur. 2016
We Will Not Be Silent
by Russell Freedman The true story of the White Rose, a group of students
in Nazi Germany who were undercover agents of the resistance movement against Hitler and his regime. 2016
The War That Saved My Life
by Kimberly Bradley A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where
they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother. 2015 (available in paperback)
4th - 7th Grades The Thing About Jellyfish
by Ali Benjamin 12-year-old Suzy wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is
convinced was responsible for her friend's death. 2015
Sophie Quire and the Last
Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier 12-year-old Sophie knows little beyond the four walls of her father's bookshop, where she repairs old
books and dreams of escaping the confines of her dull life. But when a strange boy and his talking cat/horse companion show up with a rare and mysterious book, she finds herself pulled into an adventure beyond anything she has ever read. 2016
Booked by Kwame
Alexander Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a
bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. 2016
Roller Girl by Victoria
Jamieson Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, but her best friend Nicole chooses dance. While making new friends, Astrid fears she is
losing Nicole. 2015 (available in paperback)
= Narrative= Graphic Novel / Comic= Nonfiction = Poetry= Fiction
Goodbye Stranger
by Rebecca Stead As Bridge makes her way through 7th grade in Manhattan with her best friends, curvacious Em, crusader Tab, and a
curious new friend, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?” 2015
Echo by Pam Muñoz
Ryan Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and becomes entwined in a prophecy, a promise,
and a harmonica— and decades later three children find themselves caught up in the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the 20th century. 2015
Drowned City by Don Brown
The riveting tale of Hurricane Katrina is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage - and also of indifference, incom-
petence, and criminality. 2015
The Tight-Rope Walkers
by David Almond Set in the shipyards of northern England, Dominic is torn between eccentric artist Holly, his love of the
tightrope, and Vincent, a bully who brings out his darker desires. 2015
Titles selected by Judith Van Alstyne, Librarian, Allendale Columbia School Descriptions from Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
All titles are linked to Amazon. If you go on to purchase a book, a percentage of your total order will come
back to the library at no extra cost to you!
Stonewall by Ann Bausum
In 1969, being gay in the United States was a criminal offense. But one hot June night, when cops pounded on the door of a gay bar (the
Stonewall Inn), almost nothing went as planned. 2015 (available in paperback)
Most Dangerous by Steve Sheinkin
Traces the story of how Daniel Ellsberg, an obscure government analyst, exposed two decades of political deception about
the Vietnam War in what became known as the Pentagon Papers. 2015
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
Orianna, a ballet dancer accused of murdering other ballerinas, is sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber
and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together. 2015 (available in paperback)
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
In 13th century Provence, Dolssa is a fervently rel- igious girl who is con- demned by the Inquisition; Botille finds the hunted
Dolssa dying on a hillside and feels compelled to protect her, a decision that may cost her everything. 2016
The Emperor of Any Place
by Tim Wynne-Jones Before Evan's father died, he was obsessed with a Japanese soldier's World War II diary. Now, Evan is
reluctantly living with his estranged grandfather, whose past is tied to the diary's shocking conclusion. 2015
Summer Days and Summer Nights
edited by Stephanie Perkins Contains twelve short stories about summer love, including stories by Libba
Bray, Veronica Roth, and Cassandra Clare. 2016
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--
if they don't kill each other first. 2015
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and
Brendan Kiely When Rashad is mistaken- ly accused of theft, class- mate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands
of a police officer who is the brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints. 2015
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Treated as an outsider in his quiet Midwestern town, Finn is the only witness to an abduction, but his inability to distinguish between faces
hampers his ability to help and leads to ridicule. 2015 (available in paperback)
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
On an island off the coast of Victorian England, Faith investigates the mysterious death of her father, and discovers a tree that feeds
upon lies and gives those who eat its fruit visions of truth. 2016
8th - 12th Grades
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
As he struggles with schizophrenia, a teenage boy believes he is on a journey to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the
deepest place on Earth. 2015 (available in paperback)
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz
Follows the childhood of the civil rights leader to his imprisonment at age twenty, where he found the faith that would lead him to
his path towards activism and justice. 2015 (available in paperback 8.2.16)
= Narrative= Graphic Novel / Comic= Nonfiction = Poetry= Fiction
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson