Princess Cora and the Crocodile
Laura Amy Schlitz, illus. by Brian Floca
(Candlewick)
An overscheduled princess turns the
palace upside-down (and finally gets her
parents to listen to her) with help from
an opinionated and mischievous crocodile in this droll early chapter book,
written and illustrated with style by
Newbery Medalist Schlitz and Caldecott
Medalist Floca.
Real Friends
Shannon Hale, illus. by LeUyen Pham
(First Second)
The author of The Goose Girl and other
beloved books reflects thoughtfully and
honestly about her childhood relationships with friends and family in this
graphic memoir, illustrated with equal
care by Pham. What’s more, it’s also a
lovely portrait of a writer finding her
confidence and voice.
Refugee
Alan Gratz (Scholastic Press)
Gratz intertwines the fictional stories
of child refugees at three
points in time: Nazi Germany,
1994 Cuba, and Syria in 2015.
Each tale is harrowing on its
own; together they draw
potent connections between
past and present while demonstrating how far some people
must go to ensure their safety,
then and now.
The Road to Ever After
Moira Young (FSG)
Tinged with mystery, magic, and
inexplicable turns of events, Young’s
engrossing story of intergenerational
friendship follows 13-year-old orphan
Davy David as he escapes his grim hometown with the elderly Miss Flint, racing
to reach her childhood home before her
80th birthday.
The Stars Beneath Our Feet
David Barclay Moore (Knopf)
A 12-year-old with a Lego fixation
copes with the gang-related murder of
his older brother—while simultaneously
forging new friendships and facing other
family difficulties—in Moore’s
engrossing and multilayered first book
for children, set in present-day Harlem.
Wishtree
Katherine Applegate, illus. by Charles
Santoso (Feiwel and Friends)
A red oak tree serves as the narrator of
Applegate’s story of a community in the
midst of change: a new-to-the-area
Muslim family becomes the target of
ugly messages, and the fate of Red, the
tree, isn’t secure either. It’s a timely
reflection on the crucial need for empathy
and kindness.
YOUNG ADULT
American Street
Ibi Zoboi (HC/Balzer + Bray)
A richly written look at contemporary
immigration and intersections of culture, this National Book Award finalist
from first-time novelist Zoboi follows
Haitian teenager Fabiola Toussaint’s
adjustment to life in Detroit—made all
the harder by her mother’s
being sent to a detention
center en route.
Far from the Tree
Robin Benway (Harper Teen)
Three siblings separated as
infants reconnect in this
National Book Award finalist
from Benway, which fearlessly addresses the difficulties of family: profoundly felt
absences, shortcomings, and connections
that persist despite distance and
circumstance.
Gem & Dixie
Sara Zarr (HC/Balzer + Bray)
Two sisters, growing apart with each
passing day, struggle through high
school, let down at nearly every opportunity by their irresponsible and neglectful
parents. Writing with deep empathy and
care, Zarr has crafted a tough, honest
account of vulnerable sisters doing whatever they can to persevere.
A compassionate end-of-
life resource that explores
the reciprocal and healing
relationship between the
living and the dying.
Hard Cover: 978-1-942094-49-4
Paperback: 978-1-942094-50-0
194 pages | $25.00 / $15.95
OCTOBER 2017
Distributed to the trade by
centralrecoverypress.com
“The concrete guidance
we’ll need to skillfully
and compassionately
support those we love at
the end of their lives.”
—David Sheff, author of the
#1 New York Times bestsellers
Beautiful Boy and Clean
