The top forthcoming books in Canadian libraries

July 2024 Adult List

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  1. The Briar Club
    by Kate Quinn
    William Morrow
    Jul 09, 2024
    Hardback

    Description

    “Quinn evocatively balances the outward cheerfulness of the 1950s with historical observations exploring racism, misogyny, homophobia and political persecution in this sharply drawn, gripping novel.” - People Magazine


    The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

    Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who finds herself entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Beatrice, whose career has come to an end along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

    Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?

    Capturing the paranoia of the McCarthy era and evoking the changing roles for women in postwar America, The Briar Club is an intimate and thrilling novel of secrets and loyalty put to the test.

    A beautiful, foil cover, first edition.

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  2. What Have You Done?
    by Shari Lapena Canada
    Doubleday Canada
    Jul 30, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Paperback / softback

    Description

    "Lapena is a master of manipulation." —USA Today

    Another knockout domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door


    Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont.

    The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.

    But this morning all of that will change.

    Because Diana Brewer isn't lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.

    How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.

    Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

    And one innocent question could be deadly.
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  3. A Death in Cornwall
    by Daniel Silva
    Harper
    Jul 09, 2024
    Hardback

    Description

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers another stunning thriller in his action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue.

    A brutal murder, a missing masterpiece, a mystery only Gabriel Allon can solve . . .

    Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary.

    The victim is Charlotte Blake, a celebrated professor of art history from Oxford who spends her weekends in the same seaside village where Gabriel once lived under an assumed identity. Her murder appears to be the work of a diabolical serial killer who has been terrorizing the Cornish countryside. But there are a number of telltale inconsistencies, including a missing mobile phone. And then there is the mysterious three-letter cypher she left behind on a notepad in her study.

    Gabriel soon discovers that Professor Blake was searching for a looted Picasso worth more than a $100 million, and he takes up the chase for the painting as only he can—with six Impressionist canvases forged by his own hand and an unlikely team of operatives that includes a world-famous violinist, a beautiful master thief, and a lethal contract killer turned British spy. The result is a stylish and wildly entertaining mystery that moves at lightning speed from the cliffs of Cornwall to the enchanted island of Corsica and, finally, to a breathtaking climax on the very doorstep of 10 Downing Street.

    Supremely elegant and suspenseful, A Death in Cornwall is Daniel Silva at his best—a dazzling tale of murder, power, and insatiable greed that will hold readers spellbound until they turn the final page.

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  4. The Au Pair Affair
    by Tessa Bailey
    Avon
    Jul 16, 2024
    Hardback

    Description

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny...

    Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

    Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

    Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.


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  5. The Summer Pact
    by Emily Giffin
    Doubleday Canada
    Jul 09, 2024
    FICTION / Women
    Hardback

    Description

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the wake of tragedy, a group of friends makes a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meant to Be.

    Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and aspiring lawyer from Washington, D.C.; Summer, an ambitious, recruited athlete from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after arriving on campus, they strike up a conversation in their shared dorm, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

    As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, they make a pact, promising to always be there for one another, no matter how separated they may become by circumstances or distance.

    Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are all facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a shared journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

    In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides, helping us pick up the pieces?
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  6. My Favourite Mistake
    by Marian Keyes
    Doubleday Canada
    Jul 30, 2024
    FICTION / Romance / Contemporary
    Paperback / softback

    Description

    The hilarious, heartwarming new novel from #1 internationally bestselling author Marian Keyes.

    Anna has just lost her taste for the Big Apple . . .

    Anna has a life to envy. An apartment in New York. A well-meaning (too well-meaning?) partner. And a high-flying job in beauty PR. Who wouldn't want all that? Anna, it turns out.

    Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event
    , she switches the skyscrapers of Manhattan for the tiny Irish town of Maumtully (population 1,217), helping old friends Brigit and Colm set up a luxury coastal retreat.

    Tougher than it sounds. Newsflash: the locals hate the idea. So much so, there have been threats—and violence.

    Anna, however, worked in the beauty industry. There's no ugliness she hasn't seen. No wrinkle she can't smooth over.

    There's just one fly in the ointment: old flame Joey Armstrong. He's going to be her wingman. Never mind their checkered history. Never mind what might have been.
    Because no matter how far you go, your mistakes will still be waiting for you.

    Praise for Marian Keyes

    • "Keyes is the real thing." —The Globe and Mail
    • "Everything this woman touches turns to comic gold." —Cosmopolitan
    • "Mercilessly funny." —The Times (UK)
    • "Clever, hilarious. . . . Gloriously funny." —Sunday Times
    • "Turn[s] out page-turner after page-turner." —ELLE Canada
    • “Hands down the funniest writer in the business.” —The Irish Times
    • “Marian Keyes's novels are warm, witty and wise. Even when she's writing about hard-hitting subjects like divorce, depression or alcoholism, she's never preachy or pious.” —The Independent
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  7. A Refiner's Fire
    by Donna Leon
    Atlantic Monthly Press
    Jul 19, 2024
    FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural
    Hardback

    Description

    In the thirty-third installment of Donna Leon’s magnificent series, Commissario Guido Brunetti confronts a present-day Venetian menace and the ghosts of a heroism that never was

    Around one AM on an early spring morning, two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice’s squares. Commissario Claudia Griffoni, on duty that night, perhaps ill-advisedly walks the last of the boys home because his father, Dario Monforte, failed to pick him up at the Questura. Coincidentally, Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy friend of Vice-Questore Patta to vet Monforte for a job, triggering Brunetti’s memory that twenty years earlier Monforte had been publicly celebrated as the hero of a devastating bombing of the Italian military compound in Iraq. Yet Monforte had never been awarded a medal either by the Carabinieri, his service branch, or by the Italian government.

    That seeming contradiction, and the brutal attack on one of Brunetti’s colleagues, Enzo Bocchese, by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti’s attentions. Surprisingly empowered by Patta, supported by Signorina Elettra’s extraordinary research abilities and by his wife, Paola’s, empathy, Brunetti, with Griffoni, gradually discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte’s past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.

    A Refiner’s Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly explores the ambiguity between moral and legal justice.

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  8. Flashpoint
    by Catherine Coulter
    William Morrow
    Jul 02, 2024
    Hardback

    Description

    Agents Savich and Sherlock are back in the latest installment in Catherine Coulter’s #1 New York Times bestselling FBI Thriller series, where the past refuses to stay buried.

    A year has passed since Elizabeth Palmer was nearly killed with hundreds more in the attempted bombing of St. Paul’s in London, believed to be a terrorist act until the police discovered it was a cover for something even more sinister. For Elizabeth, life is finally back to normal. She’s optimistic, her painting is getting accolades, when suddenly her world changes in a flash. With three new attempts on her life, and her connection to the terrorist attack, MI-5 gets involved to find out who is trying to kill her and why.

    Autumn Backman, twelve years old, begrudgingly accepts a summer job to shepherd Tash Navarro, a shy, bullied little boy. He’s staying with his uncle while his father and stepmother go on a honeymoon in Europe. Then the unexpected happens. Autumn learns Tash is gifted psychically, like her, and Tash’s father, Archer Navarro, is suspected of embezzling from his own firm. The FBI and Interpol are on the case, but Archer and his new wife have disappeared. Tash is scared and convinced his father needs help, so Autumn reaches out to Dillon Savich, the only person she knows who can find them.

    Desperate for answers, Elizabeth flies to Washington, D.C., to seek out Savich and Sherlock and is assigned Special Agent Rome Foxe for protection. With deadly assailants in terrifying pursuit, Elizabeth and Rome soon find themselves neck deep in danger and in a race for survival.

    Buckle up for a nonstop, action-packed thriller from the one and only Catherine Coulter.

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  9. The Haters
    by Robyn Harding Canada
    Grand Central Publishing
    Jul 02, 2024
    FICTION / Psychological
    Hardback

    Description

    The bestselling author of The Party and The Drowning Woman returns with a twisted tale of fame, obsession, and the dark recesses of social media..

    Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy; her teenage daughter is proud; and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world—until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender.

    Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

    As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her—and finally learn why she's being targeted.

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  10. The Book of Elsewhere
    by Keanu Reeves Canada
    Random House Canada
    Jul 23, 2024
    FICTION / Action & Adventure
    Hardback

    Description

    A mind-blowing epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books


    She said, We needed a tool. So I asked the gods.

    There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who’s seen a thousand civilizations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he’s known simply as “B.”

    And he wants to be able to die.

    In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.

    In a collaboration that combines Miéville’s singular style and creativity with Reeves’s haunting and soul-stirring narrative, these two inimitable artists have created something utterly unique, sure to delight existing fans and to create scores of new ones.
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May & June 2024 Juvenile and Young Adult List

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  1. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
    by Jen Ferguson Canada
    Heartdrum
    May 10, 2022
    Hardback

    Description

    In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth. A William C. Morris Award Honor Book and a Stonewall Award Honor Book!

    Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.

    But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.

    While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.

    The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

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  2. Roswell Johnson Saves the World!
    by Chris Colfer
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
    Jun 04, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General
    Hardback

    Description

    ★ A New York Times bestseller! ★ A USA Today bestseller! ★ An IndieBound bestseller! ★

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a funny, heartfelt, action-packed “Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Land of Stories” adventure series that will take readers on an epic journey across the galaxy to save Earth!


    Eleven-year-old Roswell Johnson is obsessed with conspiracies about extraterrestrial life, an interest he inherited from his late father, who aptly named Roswell after the infamous UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. 

    When Roswell is accidentally abducted by aliens, his biggest dream comes true—he learns that aliens are real! But when he discovers Earth is in grave danger, he must join forces with a team of quirky extraterrestrials, including two bickering Grays, a humorless Cyborg, a germophobic Mantis, an overly confident Furgarian, and an over achieving Pleiadean to save his planet from a tyrannical invasion. But can Roswell restore his own faith in humanity and Earth in time to save the world?
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  3. The New Girl: A Graphic Novel (The New Girl #1)
    by Cassandra Calin Canada
    Graphix
    Jun 04, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Humorous
    Lexile measure GN210L
    Hardback

    Description

    Instagram sensation and Tapas webcomic superstar Cassandra Calin makes her long-form debut with this funny, feel-good middle-grade graphic novel about change.

    Goodbye, old life...

    Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family, friends, and Romania -- the only home Lia has ever known. But Lia's heartache is overshadowed by the discomfort of her first period. As if things weren't difficult enough! Now Lia is thrust into a world where everything is different: her home, her language, and even her body. With so many changes happening at once, Lia struggles with schoolwork, has trouble communicating with classmates, and has no idea how to manage her unpleasant periods. Will she ever feel like herself again?

    Inspired by the author's own immigration experience, The New Girl is a comically charming story about change and acceptance.

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  4. Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not?
    by Sandra Boynton
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
    May 07, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
    Board book

    Description

    Find out what happens when you suddenly give some dinosaurs their very own trucks in this hilarious rhyming board book from bestselling author Sandra Boynton.

    You like dinosaurs. Of course you do!
    Dinosaurs are terrific! I like them too.
    You also like trucks and watching them go.
    Dinos never had trucks. (As far as we know.)


    This masterful mash-up by beloved author and illustrator Sandra Boynton brings together two things kids love...because HEY, WHY NOT? A riotous read aloud and the perfect gift for dinosaur-obsessed / truck-obsessed toddlers, this book will make little listeners roar with laughter as they zoom through the pages!
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  5. Little Fish's Opposites
    by Lucy Cousins
    Candlewick
    May 14, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Concepts / Opposites
    Board book

    Description

    Have fun exploring opposite word pairs in this vibrant, bubbly board book by Maisy creator Lucy Cousins, the award-winning creator of Hooray for Fish!

    Hello! I am Little Fish,
    swimming in the sea.
    Today I’m learning opposites.
    Come along with me!

    Join Little Fish and friends on an exciting underwater search for opposites! Baby seahorses are young, but Turtle is very old. Look at how shelly fish hide in their shells, but come out when Little Fish calls. Ele-fish may be slow, but Fly Fish whizzes fast! Readers both big and small will enjoy this delightful board book from Lucy Cousins with its playful rhyming text and bold illustrations—a fresh, effervescent introduction to learning opposite words, with adorable Little Fish as a guide.
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  6. Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream!
    by James Dean
    HarperCollins
    Jun 04, 2024
    Hardback

    Description

    A NEW YORK TIMES AND INDIE BESTSELLER!

    I scream! You scream! Pete screams for ice cream!

    The Just Chillin’ ice cream truck is coming today and Pete the Cat can't wait. He runs as fast as he can to find the truck. It's getting late, but his friends need his help.

    Will Pete take a little time out of his day to help his friends?

    Follow Pete the Cat as he learns that it's always cool to be kind.

    From the authors of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pete the Cat series, James and Kimberly Dean, this picture book is reminiscent of Pete favorites like Magic Sunglasses and perfect for fans of Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang.

    Don't miss Pete's other adventures, including Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues, Pete the Cat and the New Guy, Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie, Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes, Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party, Pete the Cat: Crayons Rock!, Pete the Cat’s Groovy Imagination, and Pete the Cat Plays Hide-and-Seek.

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  7. 10 Little Construction Trucks
    by Annie Bailey
    Doubleday Books for Young Readers
    Jun 18, 2024
    JUVENILE NONFICTION / Transportation / Cars & Trucks
    Board book

    Description

    Fans of cars and trucks can count down from ten to one as they follow ten construction vehicles on a busy workday. This sturdy board book is perfect for the youngest readers!

    Ten little construction trucks excited for the day.
    They can’t wait to get to work, but something’s in their way!

    On each page of this exciting board book, young readers can count down construction vehicles from ten to one. Along the way, they'll learn about different machines on a construction site, such as bulldozers, rollers, forklifts, and concrete mixers. With action on every page, this is the perfect book to read aloud with your little vehicle fan.

    Also available:
    10 Little Tractors
    10 Little Excavators
    10 Little Race Cars
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  8. Kids Book of Black History in Canada, The
    by Rosemary Sadlier Canada
    Kids Can Press
    Jun 04, 2024
    JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / Canada / General
    Hardback

    Description

    An important and comprehensive exploration of 400 years of Black history in Canada. This narrative journey through Black history in Canada begins with the arrival in 1604 of Mathieu Da Costa, the first known African in the country, and continues through the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing fight for social justice. A one-of-a-kind book, it contains inspiring and thought-provoking stories of the people involved in Canada's legacy of slavery, the Black Loyalist and Exoduster movements, the Underground Railroad and the fight for civil rights. Separate from the chronological history, the book also examines key issues that have affected the lives of Black Canadians, including slavery, racism and prejudice, and representation. The definitive children's guide to Black history in Canada, this book is an essential update to the bestselling and award-winning The Kids Book of Black Canadian History, which was first published in 2003. With informative and engaging text, author Rosemary Sadlier honors the proud history of Black Canadians on every page. Sidebars with interesting facts, quotations and profiles of historical figures appear throughout the book, making this a perfect fit for social studies lessons on Canadian heritage and history. The back matter includes six pages of profiles of important Black figures in the arts, sciences, sports, politics and more, as well as a glossary of key terms and an index. Redesigned for a new generation of readers featuring Arden Taylor's contemporary style using blocks of color and vivid illustrations, this book is a must-have resource for every classroom and library across the country.
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  9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Nature Walk
    by Eric Carle
    World of Eric Carle
    Jun 04, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Concepts / Counting & Numbers
    Board book

    Description

    A simple search-and-find in the great outdoors with The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

    In this engaging search-and-find board book, young readers will be challenged to find various animals on a nature walk with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Count the creatures hidden on each spread and discover all there is to see in nature. Lace up those hiking boots, grab some binoculars, and get ready for an adventure!
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  10. Changes for Riley (Disney/Pixar Inside Out 2)
    by RH Disney
    RH/Disney
    May 28, 2024
    JUVENILE FICTION / Media Tie-In
    Hardback

    Description

    This Step 2 Step into Reading leveled reader is based on the Disney and Pixar film Inside Out 2—in theaters summer 2024!

    Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is an all-new adventure inside the mind of now-teenager Riley, who is definitely feeling all kinds of new Emotions. Amy Poehler returns as the voice of Joy. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, Inside Out 2 is set for release in Summer 2024. Children ages 4 to 6 will love this Step 2 Step into Reading leveled reader based on the animated feature film.

    Step 2 readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. They are for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.
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