Books

**Description from Amazon: When the Nazis invaded Denmark on Tuesday, April 9, 1940, the people of this tiny country to the north of Germany awoke to a devastating surprise. The government of Denmark surrendered quietly, and the Danes were ordered to go about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. But everything had cha...

**Description from Amazon: “A delightful combination of race-against-the-clock medical mystery and outwit-the-bad-guys adventure.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred   Eel has troubles of his own: As an orphan and a “mudlark,” he spends his days in the filthy River Thames, searching for bits of things to sell. He’s bein...

**Description from Amazon: From the award-winning author of The Great Trouble comes a story of espionage, survival, and friendship during World War II.Bertie Bradshaw never set out to become a spy. He never imagined traipsing around war-torn London, solving ciphers, practicing surveillance, and searching for a traitor to the ...

**Description from Amazon: A sketchbook is an essential tool for the growth of any aspiring artist, but its blank pages can be daunting to even the most motivated. Obsessed with perfection, many wind up treating their sketchbooks more like portfolios than playgrounds. In Drawing Is Magic, author John Hendrix teaches aspiring ...

**Description from Amazon: Published on the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, this biography explores the life of one of American history’s most controversial figures. A great deal of academic study has been published recently about John Brown. This is the first book for young readers to include the...

FROM SARAH:

An excellent picture book for older kids and teens, this text-heavy picture book relays the incredible (and true!) story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. Perfect to pair with your history studies for this time period. John Hendrix is an RAR favorite.

Age rec: 12 + up

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Shooting at the Stars is the moving story of a young British soldier on the front lines during World War I who experiences an unforgettable Christmas Eve. In a letter to his mother, he describes how, despite fierce fighting earlier from both sides, Allied and German soldiers ceased firing that evening and came together on the battlefield to celebrate the holiday. They sang carols, exchanged gifts, and even lit Christmas trees. But as the holiday came to a close, they returned to their separate trenches to await orders for the war to begin again.

**Description from Amazon: This is the incredible true story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who dressed as a man and fought in the Civil War. When she was 19, Sarah cut her hair, donned her brother’s clothes, and fled from Canada, where her father wanted her to marry an elderly gentleman. In the U.S., she went by the name Frank Tho...

FROM SARAH:

A delightful picture book biography about the man who wrote some of the most famous novels of all time, including A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

For years Dickens kept the story of his own childhood a secret. Yet it is a story worth telling. For it helps us remember how much we all might lose when a child's dreams don't come true...

**Description from Amazon: McToad likes Thursdays. Why? Because on every other day of the week, McToad mows Big Island, but on Thursdays, McToad mows Tiny Island. To do so, he puts his mower on the back of a truck, which drives to a train, which goes to a helicopter, which flies to a boat, which uses a crane to put the lawn m...

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Grab a seat as Marcia Williams wields her popular comic-book style to bring As You Like It, King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and Richard III vividly to life while evoking the mood, mischief, and manners of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Elizabethan theater. As in her previous volume Tales from Shakespeare, Williams blends her own storytelling skill with Shakespeare's rich dialogue to make these masterpieces accessible to even the most reluctant reader. Bravo!

FROM SARAH:

I love Marcia Williams's comic-strip books that make classics oh-so approachable.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Travel back to Medieval England and join Chaucer and his band of Canterbury pilgrims in this wonderful introduction to one of Britain's greatest literary legacies. These nine well-loved tales, from a host of colourful characters - the Knight, the Miller, the Reeve, the Wife of Bath, the Summoner, the Clerk, the Franklin, the Pardoner and the Nun's Priest - are brought to life with Marcia Williams' trademark witty, comic-strip art, allowing this classic text to be enjoyed by all ages.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

This title presents a comic-strip re-telling of some of Britain's best-loved stories and legends. Aided by the magician Merlin, Arthur draws the sword from the stone to become King of Britain, and Lord of the Knights of the Round Table. Read of their valiant deeds as King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and other heroic knights rescue maidens, defend Excalibur and search for the Grail. Also publishing this month are "God and His Creations" and "Sindbad the Sailor".

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Told in lively comic-strip style, this book relates eleven colourful action-packed tales about Robin and his merry men. Read how Robin becomes an outlaw, gets a ducking from Little John and encounters a disguised Maid Marian in the forest; enjoy the stories of Much the Miller's Son, Friar Tuck, Allan-a-Dale, Sir Richard of Leigh and the golden arrow. Meet Robin's sworn enemy Sir Guy of Gisborne, witness his visit from King Richard and see Robin fire his final arrow.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Witches, murder, ghosts, and madness — one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies is also a perfect fit for the graphic novel format. This compelling adaptation depicts every blood-curdling scene in easy-to-follow illustrations, accompanied by Shakespeare’s original text. An illustrated cast of characters reminds readers who’s who, and fascinating background information on Shakespeare and the real Macbeth adds historical context.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

This is the entire, unabridged play brought to life as a vivid and engaging full-color graphic novel.With its mix of real people who stumble into a fairy kingdom (with its own problems!) it is little wonder that this play is one of the best loved and most performed of all Shakespeare's masterpieces.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

This full-color graphic novel presents the sparkling romantic comedy just as Shakespeare intended: in its original and unabridged format, and in its original setting. As with the other titles in this well-received series, it encourages readers to discover classical literature while staying true to Shakespeare’s vision.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Shakespeare’s rousing tale of war and peace between England and France during the reign of Henry V springs to life in this unabridged, full-color graphic adaptation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Placed on countless reading lists, translated into more than forty languages, and made into a feature film, The Giver is the first book in The Giver Quartet that also includes Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. In this new graphic novel edition, readers experience the haunting story of twelve-year-old Jonas and his seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment, through the brilliant art of P. Craig Russell that truly brings The Giver to life.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

in 50 years of publication, the book has never been illustrated. In the graphic novel, Hope Larson takes the classic story to a new level with her vividly imagined interpretations of tessering and favorite characters, like the Happy Medium and Aunt Beast. Perfect for delighting old fans and winning over new ones, this graphic novel adaptation is a must-read.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Schoolyard rivalries. Baking disasters. Puffed sleeves. Explore the violet vales and glorious green of Avonlea in this spirited adaptation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Drawing on the unique historical sites, archives, expertise, and unquestioned authority of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling authors Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón have created the first authorized and exhaustive graphic biography of Anne Frank.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Did you know snails build roads like engineers and go undercover in camouflage like spies? Did you know they can be smaller than a seed or bigger than a grown-up’s hand? Kevin McCloskey mixes snail science, art, and hilarity for the newest book in his Giggle and Learn series, praised by The New York Times as “a winning combination of facts and gross-out fun.”

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

In the midst of a family dinner with her scolding parents, Maya receives an unexpected invitation to dine with the Queen. Suddenly, her messy manners are put to the ultimate test and she begins to improvise her very own set of rules, with uproarious results.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Why won't Benny help? Penny found a dead salamander, but her brother Benny is refusing to help her bury it. Is it silly to hold a service for Little Sallie, or could this tiny salamander mean something more to the siblings? Geisel Award–winner Geoffrey Hayes shares this gentle tale of a child's early encounter with death.

FROM SARAH:

This book is clever! Our team met Ivan Brunetti at a library conference one, and he was a real gem (even helping Kortney find her lost phone!).

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Annemarie and her clever classmates have to draw sets of twelve and use their imagination to come up with creative solutions. Young readers will delight in the counting game while learning the basics of multiplication. Star cartoonist Ivan Brunetti’s ingenious and fun-to-read comic turns everyone into a math whiz!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Go "outside," "elsewhere," and down the "rabbit hole" with this hilarious introduction to compound words. Young readers will fall in love with the English language as they watch star cartoonist Ivan Brunetti put his sly spin on vocabulary. The lesson here? Even "homework" is fun when you let yourself play with the words.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Barnaby Richards lives in London, where he shares a studio with his wife Alice and their cat Mosca. He has been doodling pictures of his little robot in the margins of notebooks and the corners of pictures for many years. Barnaby was inspired to write Blip! when he felt it was time his robot found a friend.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Zita's exploits from her first adventure have made her an intergalactic megastar! But she's about to find out that fame doesn't come without a price. And who can you trust when your true self is being eclipsed by your public persona, and you've got a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc . . . while wearing your face?

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Zita the Spacegirl has saved planets, battled monsters, and wrestled with interplanetary fame. But she faces her biggest challenge yet in the third and final installment of the Zita adventures. Wrongfully imprisoned on a penitentiary planet, Zita has to plot the galaxy's greatest jailbreak before the evil prison warden can execute his plan of interstellar domination!

**Description from Amazon: The Saints Chronicles bring vividly to life the stories of courageous Christians from the earliest days of Christianity to modern times. All four volumes of this Graphic Novel Series are packed with engaging texts and dramatic images that captivate and inspire readers of all ages.In this first volum...

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Jack and Lilly follow Maddy’s captor through the portal, they are ready for anything . . . except what they find waiting for them in the floating crossroads between worlds. Even the power of their magic plants may not be enough to get them back to earth alive.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's the middle-grade team-up of the century as the heroes of New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke join forces to save the world in Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Filled with activities, Comics: Easy as ABC is a fun way for young readers to effortlessly and playfully start thinking like writers and artists. This simple guide is also aimed at parents, teachers, and librarians: all will enjoy learning the ABCs of this popular and rapidly growing medium.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Using simple shapes, Ed Emberley shows would-be artists how to draw over 400 things, such as an airplane, anteater, submarine, train, kangaroo, gondola, and much much more! This classic book is packed with cool things that kids-and not a few adults-really want to draw. Easy and fun, the book provide...

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Once upon a time . . . a princess tried to make a comic. And with the help of a magical cartooning elf, she learned how – well enough to draw her way out of an encounter with a dangerous dragon, near-death by drowning, and into her very own adventure! Like the princess, young readers will discover that they already have the drawing and writing skills it takes to make a comic – they just need a little know-how. And Adventures in Cartooning supplies just that.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

This gorgeous, fully illustrated handbook tells the story of sketchnotes--why and how you can use them to capture your thinking visually, remember key information more clearly, and share what you've captured with others.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Read This Comic and Start Drawing Today! Nominated for a 2017 Eisner AwardFor the first time ever, drawing instructor and graphic novelist Mark Crilley brings his easy-to-follow artistic instruction to aspiring artists in the form of a comic book, providing you with a one-of-a-kind how-to experience.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden are brothers and sisters―and they’re orphans! The only way they can stay together is to make it on their own. One night, during a storm, the children find an old red boxcar that keeps them warm and safe. They decide to make it their home.

**Description from Amazon: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden discover that a mystery surrounds the run-down yellow house on Surprise Island. The children find a letter and other clues that could lead them on the trail of a man who vanished from the house. Join The Boxcar Children in their graphic novel adventure to solve...

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

New York Times Bestseller Araminta Ross was born a slave in Delaware in the early 19th century. Slavery meant that her family could be ripped apart at any time, and that she could be put to work in dangerous places and for abusive people.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The Iliad tells the story of the war between Greeks and Trojans; the love between Helena and Paris; Achilles and Hector's deadly combat; and the Trojan Horse. "The Odyssey" depicts the perilous voyage home of the Greek warrior Odysseus; his struggles against the one-eyed Cyclops; the terrible Sirens; the dreadful, six-headed Scylla. These classic Greek stories have been retold with lively text and a dramatic cartoon style, making them accessible and fun for young children.

**Description from Amazon: Jane Austen’s beloved heroine Lizzy Bennet tells the story of Pride and Prejudice in her own words in an illustrated diary created by Marcia Williams.When Lizzy Bennet’s father gives her a diary, she fancies she will use it to write a novel, as her real life is exceedingly dull. Then the handsom...

These gripping texts and dramatic images bring you the exciting stories of some of the Church's greatest saints. Along with them, you'll embark upon the adventure of holiness, learning from their example how to embrace wholeheartedly God's unique mission for your own life.In this spectacular graphic...

Experience the rousing adventures of some of history's greatest saints. Their lives, depicted here in spectacular graphics, demonstrate that living our faith is never dull but demands heroic courage and tireless strength.In these thrilling stories of saintly men and women, you ll meet:St. Willibrord...

Gilbert du Motier became the Marquis de Lafayette at a young age, but he was not satisfied with the comforts of French nobility—he wanted adventure!   A captain at eighteen and a major general by nineteen, he was eager to prove himself in battle. When he heard about the Revolution going on in Ame...

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
From Nathan Hale, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List maker, comes the definitive graphic novel about the Alamo.

Three classic graphic novels in one deluxe hardcover edition: The Broken Ear, The Black Island, and King Ottokar's Sceptre.

In this handsome graphic novel, you'll join some of the world's greatest saints in their inspiring and often exciting and even dangerous quests for holiness. These thrilling stories and stunning images found here will captivate you and fascinate readers of all ages.Here you'll meet:St. Nicholas, the...

Cult graphic novelist Dylan Meconis offers a rich reimagining of history in this beautifully detailed hybrid novel loosely based on the exile of Queen Elizabeth I by her sister, Queen Mary.When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her ki...

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

This funny, touching picture book celebrates the difference a good teacher can make. Written as a thank-you note to a special teacher from the student who never forgot her, this moving story makes a great classroom read-aloud, and a perfect back-to-school gift for students  and teachers!

**Description from Amazon: Marcia enjoys being her mother's helper, so she's hurt when Mother hires Fannie Farmer to prepare family's meals. But sure enough Fannie's charm (and griddle cakes!) win Marcia over, and she finds herself cooking up delights she never thought possible!

**Description from Amazon: Get the inside story on the famous fortress in the heart of Moscow that has withstood fires, invaders, and revolutions for almost seven hundred years.Lined by nineteen beautiful towers, the high walls of the Kremlin enclose colorful domed cathedrals, treasure-filled museums, and the Russian capitol....

**Description from Amazon: Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson brings her signature action-packed narrative style to one of the most crucial battles of WWII.The WWII invasion known as D-Day was the largest military endeavor in history. By June 6, 1944, Hitler and his allies had a strong grip on the European continent, where...

**Description from Amazon: Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson illuminates the true stories of Jewish children who fled Nazi Germany, risking everything to escape to safety on the Kindertransport.Ruth David was growing up in a small village in Germany when Adolf Hitler rose to power in the 1930s. Under the Nazi Party, Jewis...

**Description from Amazon: Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific tells the incredible story of America's little known "war within a war" -- US submarine warfare during World War II.Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II in December 1941 with only 44 Naval submarines -- ma...

**Description from Amazon: Published in time for the 150th anniversary of her birth, this story stars a young Beatrix Potter, creator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other classic children’s books.   Master of the historical fiction picture book, Hopkinson takes readers back to Victorian England and the home of buddi...

**Description from Amazon: Maria's wish burns as brightly as a star. Maria longs to be an astronomer and imagines all the strange worlds she can travel to by looking though her papa's telescope. One night Maria gets her chance to look through the telescope. For the first time, she sees the night sky stretching endlessly abov...

**Description from Amazon: This inspiring story of little-known civil rights champion Oscar Chapman reminds readers that one person can truly make a difference.On Easter Sunday 1939, Marian Anderson performed at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial for a crowd of over 75,000 people. The person largely responsible for putting her ...

FROM SARAH:

I really love this whole, mostly wordless series by Karel Hayes! They can be a little harder to find in library systems, but they are worth owning for your own home collection. Seasonal and family-focused and just all-around delightful.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: