Author: Chelsea Henley

This fun, colorful picture book is loaded with charming rhymes and an upbeat mood, celebrating all the dads raising amazing daughters.

In this picture book, a small sailor develops a friendship with a whale called Blue. When Blue doesn’t appear one day, the sailor goes looking and discovers Blue is feeling ill after accidentally swallowing a bunch of plastic.

This lyrical picture book celebrates all of life’s magical moments but also celebrates the small, mundane moments made special by the presence of people we love.

In this middle grade novel from actor John Cho, twelve year old Nigel finds his life, and his city, turned upside down after the acquittal of cops filmed brutalizing Rodney King, and the shooting of a Black teen Latasha Harlins by a Korean shop owner. As Los Angeles spirals into chaos, Nigel’s dad heads to their family store, and Nigel and his friends make their own journey to join him, and they’re forced to reckon with the racism infecting and affecting their community.

In this heartfelt novel, twelve year old Mira faces a downer of a summer with her best friend moved away, her dad out of work, and her nemesis now living nearby. When she learns her beloved cat Fig Newton is diabetic, Mira is determined to scrounge up the money needed for his insulin shots.

This sweet board book celebrates motherly love. This features a single mom who loves her kids unconditionally and shows up for them through good times and bad.

When twelve year old Emmie decides to get serious about WCMX, she starts raising money for a tricked out new wheelchair. After an unfortunate incident on a ramp at school, Emmie’s school decides to give her an aide, which isn’t what she wants. And though Emmie loves her community, she has to figure out a way to explain to them that she has different dreams and wants to live on her own terms.

In this wordless graphic novel, Marisol is forced to leave her vibrant and beloved home of Cuba. With it no longer safe to remain, Marisol is sent to the U.S on her own, but finds that her new life in Brooklyn is dull and gray in comparison to the home she left behind. But the longer Marisol stays, the more she realizes that home can be wherever she is.

In this fun picture book, Stella, who finds sleep boring, would rather not do it anymore. Stella reasons that the only reason anyone sleeps is because it gets dark, and if she and her best friend can figure out how to keep the sun out, then they can stay up forever!

In this rhyming picture book, little readers can get a fun look at the Capitol and the surrounding D.C area. This book visits historical monuments, museums, and the White House itself.

In this new novel from Newberry medalist and honoree Erin Estrada Kelly, a seventh grade class in a small town is thrown for a loop with the arrival of a new student, Orchid Mason. In a town this small, everyone knows everybody, and everybody’s business, but Orchid’s presence injects a bit of magic into Fawn Creek.

From Kelly Barnhill, who won the Newberry for what is still one of my favorite classic middle grades The Girl Who Drank the Moon, comes this new novel. In a town facing a myriad of issues, their flashy mayor continues to avoid them while assuring the townspeople things are better than they are. When a child goes missing, the mayor immediately blames the Ogress who runs the Orphan House at the edge of town. The Orphans know it’s untrue, as the Ogress secretly delivers gifts to the townspeople, but they have to come up with a way to make the rest of town listen and see the real source of their problems.

In this biographical picture book, readers can learn the story of Fatima al-Fihri, a Muslim woman who loved to learn and dreamed of building a school in her community. Her dream eventually came true, leading to the creation of the University of al-Qarawiyyin.

In this heartwarming middle grade, Knox Wei-Evans and his family suddenly move back to California as COVID-19 hits Hong Kong. But Knox struggles in his new home, as his new classmates think that he’s brought the virus with him, they don’t know when they’ll see his dad again since he had to stay behind in Hong Kong to work, and his mom’s lost her job and is now worried about health insurance.

In this suspenseful middle grade, Max searches for his best friend Josie who disappeared and left only a note behind that said “I’m real.” As Max looks for her, Josie searches for him as well, but there are forces at work to keep them apart because as it turns out, Josie was never supposed to be real.

In this sweet picture book, a working mom reassures her daughter that, though she may have to step out to work or visit someone or take care of errands, she will always return home.

In this enchanting picture book, a child stays awake past bedtime, wondering who else might also be awake. When they spot a light on, they go on an adventure to find who it is.

In this coming-of-age story, Aafiyah has to step up to help her family and overcome a bad habit of hers. When her dad is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, she comes up with a plan to get him back. But the plan might not be as foolproof as she thinks, especially when it involves giving up her habit of “borrowing” pretty things she sees.

In this vibrant picture book, Beauty is a Puerto Rican girl in love with her community. But as she gets older, seeing how her community is mistreated makes her forget what makes her so special, and the community rallies to remind Beauty of how beautiful she, and her heritage, is.

This poignant picture book tells the story of cousins living in separate countries and wanting to reunite. Olu lives in Lagos, Nigeria, and Greta lives in Milan, Italy, but their lives aren’t so different, and they both want to reunite more than anything.

In this heartwarming novel, shy Jillian promises her grandmother she’ll have more confidence in herself. Though Jillian usually tries hard to blend in, not speaking even when she has the correct answer, she decides the time has come when the school’s biggest academic competition arises.

The bestselling Wonder is adding an illustrated edition, bringing the story of August and his community to life with original artwork by cover artist Tad Carpenter, a decade (a decade!) after Wonder‘s first publication.

In this charming novel, new student Autumn is selected to be the anonymous voice of the student advice column. Her new gig gets complicated however when her new friends, Logan and Cooper, end up at odds. Now Autumn’s in the middle, and to make matters worse, her secret identity might be in trouble, too.

In this picture book, River worries that she may never dance at the powwow again after an illness. But River soon learns about the healing power of her community.

In this lyrical and vibrant picture book about the connections between trees, Britta visits her two favorite apple trees, named Apple and Magnolia. She’s convinced they’re the best of friends, and when Magnolia’s branches begin to droop, Britta wonders if there’s anything anyone can do.

In this middle grade novel, Annie’s optimistic about her seventh grade play, The King and I. But when she’s cast, her happy news leads to whispers from her classmates, who say she was only cast because she’s Asian, and Annie becomes determined to prove them wrong.

This inventive middle-grade is told from the points of view of best friends Sam and Asha, as well as the titular Very Best house in Town, Donnybrooke. When Sam gets accepted into a new school, he starts hanging around with Prestyn, who dislikes Asha and refuses to allow her into Donnybrooke.

In this fun middle grade, Ellie’s a witch which means she’s also despised by most people. So she applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy, only to be disappointed when she’s assigned to King Arthur’s Round Table instead. Meanwhile Caedmon learns his family’s death is foretold; he travels to the knight’s castle, only to find the knights have been cursed.

In this joyful picture book inspired by the Cedella Marley’s childhood with her father, musician Bob Marley, Marley and her family leave Jamaica for Delaware. To celebrate the move Marley plans an outdoor concert that’s unfortunately ruined by bad weather, until their new neighbors step in to help.

From the author of Amal Unbound comes a companion novel about the titular Omar, a scholarship student at a boarding school. Though Omar’s looking forward to his new school, he’s quickly disappointed, and then furious, when he learns that not only are first year scholarship students not allowed to take part in extracurriculars, but they have to get much higher grades than students paying tuition. So Omar sets out with a new group of friends to change the system entirely.

In this middle grade novel set against the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, kids in the same apartment building struggle with adjusting to their new lives at home. But as time goes on, the kids realize that there’s power in community, and they can help each other through difficult times. As protests erupt across the country, they begin to consider what they can do to make the world safer for everybody in it.

In this historical fiction novel, siblings Homer and Ada escape the plantation where they have been enslaved and discover Freewater, a secret community of formerly enslaved and freeborn people. When Homer learns of a threat to Freewater, he resolves to save his mother, reluctantly left behind, and his new home.

For fans of Ramona Quimby, this new novel is about Harriet Wermer. who is unhappily sent to her grandma’s B&B for the summer. But Harriet is surprised to find Marble Island isn’t as boring as she thought, not with a mystery about her dad’s own childhood on the island that she’s determined to solve.

This is the companion to the bestselling Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, this one focusing on an Asian boy who realizes his eyes look different from those of his friends. When he talks to his dad, he learns that his eyes resemble those of the other men in his family, and he recognizes the strength and vision they all share.

In this beautiful, lyrical picture book Estrella helps her Tia Fortuna move from her Miami apartment to an assisted living facility. As they pack up her apartment, Tia Fortuna explains the significance of all of her most important things, all from her Jewish Cuban background.

Sofia’s talented family loves ballet, and even though Sofia’s own dancing skills can’t compete with her parents’, there’s more than dance that bonds them together. When her family hosts dancer friends from Cuba, Sofia learns they plan on defecting to the United States. But when she confides in one of her friends, Sofia realizes that their suburban community isn’t interested in “outsiders”, leading her to wonder how her own immigrant family is viewed.

When James and his younger sister Ava move from Texas to Oregon, James knows it’s not going to be any fun. But it’s even less fun than he expected when he starts getting notes from someone called “The Keeper”, who’s watching them and is likely behind the neighborhood’s long line of missing kids. But James has a history of practical jokes, so no one believes him, but he and Ava will need to find the Keeper before they become the next victims.

This cute picture book encourages growth and positivity and is full of colorful florals and nature-themed art.

In this picture book, mermaid Kenzie begins cleaning up the ocean, enlisting other kids to help her. This also serves as a nice introduction to ocean conservation and encourages kids to get involved in protecting our oceans.

In this graphic reader, Geraldine Pu embarks on a new adventure, Picture Day. Though she loves her Cat Hat, Geraldine’s feelings about her own hair aren’t as positive, and there’s a rule against wearing hats for picture day. Now Geraldine must figure out how to appreciate her hair in time for her picure.

After accidentally setting fire to dry grass, seventh grader Gabe is assigned to community service helping people who were affected by the fire he started. At the same time, a young coyote named Rill, burned in the fire, now hides in a small cave. When the two discover each other, Gabe sets out to help her, beginning a journey of healing for them both.

In this middle-grade, a high school senior is transported back to seventh grade, and the moment he traces every bad thing in his life back to: the implosion of his friendship with his best friend, Ty. The two fell out over a girl in seventh grade, and when Mason finds himself back there, he’s determined to correct everything that’s gone wrong since then.