1. Alice Austen Lived Here
    by Alex Gino
    Scholastic Press
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / LGBTQ+
    Hardback
    Alice Austen Lived Here
    by Alex Gino
    Scholastic Press
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / LGBTQ+
    Hardback

    From the award-winning author of Melissa, a phenomenal novel about queerness past, present, and future.

    Sam is very in touch with their own queer identity. They're nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam's family is very cool with it... as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms, do their homework, and try not to antagonize their teachers too much.

    The teacher-respect thing is hard when it comes to Sam’s history class, because their teacher seems to believe that only Dead Straight Cis White Men are responsible for history. When Sam’s home borough of Staten Island opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect non-DSCWM subject: photographer Alice Austen, whose house has been turned into a museum, and who lived with a female partner for decades.

    Soon, Sam's project isn't just about winning the contest. It's about discovering a rich queer history that Sam's a part of -- a queer history that no longer needs to be quiet, as long as there are kids like Sam and TJ to stand up for it.

    View this title on BNC CataList
  2. Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome
    by Kat Zhang
    Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander
    Lexile measure AD520L
    Hardback
    Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome
    by Kat Zhang
    Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander
    Lexile measure AD520L
    Hardback
    Amy Wu does her best to make her new classmate feel welcome in this warmhearted and playfully illustrated follow-up picture book to Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao and Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon.

    Amy’s class has a new student from China! Amy tries hard to make Lin feel included, but she can’t draw him out of his shell. Then she sees Lin chattering happily in Chinese with his family. The gears in her head start to turn, and a plan blossoms. Step one: invite Lin to her dumpling party…

    ​With a little help from her grandma and a shiny new banner, can Amy give Lin the warmest welcome?
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  3. Be a Good Ancestor
    by Leona Prince Canada
    Orca Book Publishers
    May 17, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Activism & Social Justice
    Guided Reading Level N, Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient N, Lexile measure NP
    Hardback
    Be a Good Ancestor
    by Leona Prince Canada
    Orca Book Publishers
    May 17, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Activism & Social Justice
    Guided Reading Level N, Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient N, Lexile measure NP
    Hardback

    Rooted in Indigenous teachings, this stunning picture book encourages readers of all ages to consider the ways in which they live in connection to the world around them and to think deeply about their behaviors.

    Addressing environmental issues, animal welfare, self-esteem and self-respect, and the importance of community, the authors deliver a poignant and universal message in an accessible way: Be a good ancestor to the world around you. Thought-provoking stanzas offer a call to action for each one of us to consider how we affect future generations. Every decision we make ripples out, and we can affect the world around us by thinking deeply about those decisions.

    View this title on BNC CataList
  4. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
    by Jesmeen Kaur Deo Canada
    Viking Books for Young Readers
    Jun 07, 2022
    YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
    Lexile measure HL670L
    Hardback
    TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
    by Jesmeen Kaur Deo Canada
    Viking Books for Young Readers
    Jun 07, 2022
    YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
    Lexile measure HL670L
    Hardback
    “With an iconic heroine, delightful banter and a deeply felt message, this debut proves many times over that Jesmeen Kaur Deo is an invaluable new voice. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is rife with insight and rich with rom-com joy, often on the same page.” — Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of If I’m Being Honest

    When TJ Powar—a pretty, popular debater—and her cousin Simran become the subject of a meme: with TJ being the “expectation” of dating an Indian girl and her Sikh cousin who does not remove her body hair being the “reality”—TJ decides to take a stand.

    She ditches her razors, cancels her waxing appointments, and sets a debate resolution for herself: “This House Believes That TJ Powar can be her hairy self, and still be beautiful.” Only, as she sets about proving her point, she starts to seriously doubt anyone could care about her just the way she is—even when the infuriating boy from a rival debate team seems determined to prove otherwise.

    As her carefully crafted sense of self begins to crumble, TJ realizes that winning this debate may cost her far more than the space between her eyebrows. And that the hardest judge to convince of her arguments might just be herself.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  5. Goodnight Racism
    by Ibram X. Kendi
    Kokila
    Jun 14, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
    Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient M, Lexile measure AD520L
    Hardback
    Goodnight Racism
    by Ibram X. Kendi
    Kokila
    Jun 14, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
    Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient M, Lexile measure AD520L
    Hardback
    National Book Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be an Antiracist, Antiracist Baby) returns with a new picture book that serves as a modern bedtime classic.

    As children all over the world get ready for bed, the moon watches over them. The moon knows that when we sleep, we dream. And when we dream, we imagine what is possible and what the world can be.

    With dynamic, imaginative art and poetic prose, Goodnight Racism delivers important messages about antiracism, justice, and equality in an easy-to-read format that empowers readers both big and small. Goodnight Racism gives children the language to dream of a better world and is the perfect book to add to their social justice toolkit.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  6. A Dress with Pockets
    by Lily Murray
    Macmillan Children's Books
    Jun 14, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Clothing & Dress
    Hardback
    A Dress with Pockets
    by Lily Murray
    Macmillan Children's Books
    Jun 14, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Clothing & Dress
    Hardback
    A funny, fashion-forward picture book with a subtle feminist undertone that celebrates the joy of pockets and the inquisitive, adventurous spirit of all young children. Lucy and Aunt Augusta are dress shopping. And, at the Fabulous Fashion Store, there are dresses to suit just about everyone. There are fancy dresses, frilly dresses, stripy dresses, silly dresses, sun dresses, fun dresses, blue dresses, green... But Lucy doesn't care about frills or lace. She wants a dress WITH POCKETS. And as she wades through the titchy dresses, witchy dresses, very, very itchy dresses, she starts to worry about where she's going to put her leaves, nettles, and delicate petals, her magical spells and beautiful shells. The hunt is on: will Lucy find the dress of her dreams? A fantastic, funny, frock-filled story for modern children who don't just want sequins and sparkles on their dresses, from rising star Lily Murray and Waterstones Prize-winning illustrator, Jenny Lovlie.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  7. The Blur
    by Minh Lê
    Knopf Books for Young Readers
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Superheroes
    Lexile measure AD290L, Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient N
    Hardback
    The Blur
    by Minh Lê
    Knopf Books for Young Readers
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Superheroes
    Lexile measure AD290L, Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient N
    Hardback
    Meet a child with superhero-like abilities . . . and the parents who are racing to keep up with her in this sweetly funny picture book about the blur of childhood, from the award-winning creators of Drawn Together. A perfect gift to celebrate all of our special milestones--from graduations to birthdays and beyond!

    From the very beginning, there was something different about this child... An ultrasonic voice. Fantastically elastic limbs. Super-magnetic powers. But it wasn’t until the child took her first steps that she became: THE BLUR!

    Nothing can stand in her way as she takes the world by storm: always on the move and darting into danger! All too soon, she is zipping through the days, and zooming over the years…

    Framed as an origin story, here is a fun superhero romp for kids, filled with bold and bright illustrations, that will pull at the hearstrings of every parent.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  8. The Marvellers
    by Dhonielle Clayton
    Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
    Hardback
    The Marvellers
    by Dhonielle Clayton
    Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
    May 03, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
    Hardback

    Dhonielle Clayton makes her middle-grade debut with a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky an instant New York Times and #1 Indie Bestseller!

    "The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live in this world." —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling–author

    Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies.

    Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy—some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.

    When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.

    "A marvelous gift of a novel! With fantastical twists at every turn, Clayton has created a world that readers won't want to leave.” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give and Concrete Rose

    View this title on BNC CataList
  9. Itzel and the Ocelot
    by Rachel Katstaller
    Kids Can Press
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Cultural
    Hardback
    Itzel and the Ocelot
    by Rachel Katstaller
    Kids Can Press
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Cultural
    Hardback
    A gorgeous picture book inspired by a traditional Central American Indigenous story about a snake with the power to bring the rain, told in lyrical language and evocative art, and subtly conveying an environmental theme. Itzel listens as her nana tells the story of when the giant snake would be awakened from its sleep: “And first with a whisper that would rustle the leaves, and then with a deep thunderous cry, the giant snake would bring the arrival of the rainy season.” But now, since many no longer believe in the snake, her nana says, “It has returned to the place where the water is born.” Now, Itzel and her nana are desperate for rain to water their bone-dry crops. So Itzel decides she must find and awaken the snake herself. She sets out in the night alone, but soon she is joined by an ocelot, and a bevy of other jungle creatures in need of the rain. And Itzel worries, is she leading them on a fruitless journey? This rich, beautifully told folk tale from author and illustrator Rachel Katstaller was inspired by a traditional story she heard growing up in El Salvador. The story features words from an Indigenous language, Nawat, that was once on the verge of extinction and animals native to Central America, including the ocelot who becomes Itzel's guardian spirit. Lush dark-toned illustrations play with shadow and light to evoke the thrilling feel of a night spent deep in the jungle, giving the book a magical quality. An author's note provides further context and a glossary of Spanish and Nawat words. A perfect choice for character education lessons on courage, optimism and perseverance, with an environmental message sure to resonate with today's readers.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  10. Noodle and the No Bones Day
    by Jonathan Graziano
    Margaret K. McElderry Books
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dogs
    Lexile measure AD510L
    Hardback
    Noodle and the No Bones Day
    by Jonathan Graziano
    Margaret K. McElderry Books
    Jun 07, 2022
    JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dogs
    Lexile measure AD510L
    Hardback
    An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

    From the creator of the viral “Bones or No Bones” TikTok videos comes a sweet and entertaining picture book following Noodle the pug and his human as they navigate Noodle’s first No Bones Day—a day for being kind to yourself!


    Noodle is a sweet, silly old pug who enjoys doing all his favorite activities with his favorite human, Jonathan. But one day when Jonathan goes to take Noodle on his morning walk, he finds Noodle still comfortable in bed. When Jonathan lifts Noodle up, Noodle just flops over. It’s almost like Noodle woke up without any bones!

    Noodle isn’t sick or sad—but he also isn’t interested in going for walks or sitting outside (he will accept snacks, though). Today, all he needs are extra snuggles and belly rubs. Jonathan soon learns that not every day can be a Bones Day, and sometimes a No Bones Day is exactly what you need to get through the week.
    View this title on BNC CataList

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