Explore Books of 2024
When this big brother realizes his sister just might be improving his yarn—and doing it with an impressive surprise of her own—it’s clear what you do with an interrupting sibling. You share the narrative! Turns out adventure is way more fun when you build it together, rhyme by daring rhyme.
Piper Waterstone loves her books. So much so, that she cannot, will not, share them with anyone. That is, until a friendly librarian presents Piper with a magical card that will give her all the books she could ever dream of . . . as long as she shares them with all her book-loving neighbors.
Ember has always been different from the other dragons. His fearsome roar sounds more like a polite sneeze. Ember fears he’ll never collect a respectable hoard of gold until a chance encounter with a baker causes his fortunes to turn. As the little dragon soon discovers, the gold that is shared? That’s best of all.
As a diabolical mystery unravels around her, Princess Beautiful is plunged into a terrible world where trending isn’t a thing, danger lurks around every corner, and cucumbers are no laughing matter.
Ava, who attends a boarding school for the descendants of Greek monsters and uncovers a terrible secret. Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology—and themselves—forever.
An illustrated fable about a young child’s journey into the world beyond the shadow of home, a magical landscape where he discovers the secrets of sharing, connection, and finding peace with the people we love.
Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. She must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And to save herself and the ones she’s vowed to protect.
Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and a frantic man arrives. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.
Evie Wilder is an orphan who has gone through most of her life unnoticed . . . until she’s caught up in a dramatic heist and captures the attention of the Dark Fable. No one is who they seem to be and the price of uncovering the Dark Fable’s cryptic history just might be fatal.
Nebraska Golden Sower Award Winners and Honor Books
Welcome to Chez Bob. Bob’s got a hidden plan for his customers: “Birds will come to eat, but I will eat the birds!” As they fly in from all over the world to dine on Bob’s face, something starts to happen that takes the lazy, hungry reptile by surprise—the birds stay.
Since the day he hatched, Owl dreamed of becoming a real knight. During Knight Night Watch, Owl is faced with the ultimate trial—a frightening intruder. It’s a daunting duel by any measure. But what Owl lacks in size, he makes up for in good ideas.
Jeff the bear has definitely forgotten something. He ate his breakfast, he watered his plant, he combed his fur…what could it be? So he asks his friend Anders the rabbit what could possibly be wrong.
Rosie and Baker are hiding something. Their great grandmother made them promise to pretend she’s alive until they find her missing will and get it in the right hands. They’ve already lost their parents and Great Grammy–they can’t lose each other, too.
Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old “Addie Earhart” shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert.
Javi Santiago is just a sandwich-obsessed Puerto Rican trying to host the ultimate dinner party and not fail sixth grade. When the annual “Any Three People to Dinner” rolls around, none of them predicted that the family’s mysterious antique table would *actually* bring their storied guests to the meal.
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own.
As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind.
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she’s found her safe space–her swimming pool–where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish.
Nonfiction Focus Plus YA Historical Fiction
Experience life on a ranch in the heartland of Nebraska in this charming alphabet roundup, featuring beautiful photographs from this home on the range where the cows and the buckaroos roam. So saddle up and open the gate to learning just dont let the cows out!
The Cat in the Hat introduces beginning readers to maps of different kinds including city, state, world, topographic, temperature and terrain. Plus their formats, the tools we use to read them and funny facts about the places they show us.
Did you know that sharks range in size from smaller than a ruler to longer than a bus? Did you know that there are more than 500 species of shark? Those are just some of the fascinating tidbits kids will discover in 10 Fascinating Facts About Sharks.
Gather up your LEGO® bricks and get ready for a wild and fun adventure with fascinating characters and crazy-cool creations you can build at home with bricks you already have. This collection is both a storybook and a project book.
Great Battles for The American Revolution covers the stunning battles that created the United States of America, a war between ragtag colonists and the world’s mightiest military force of its time—the British Imperial Army.
Readers will celebrate young authors, artists, activists, editors and inventors. Each story is told in a whimsical fairy tale style and is paired with a bold, full-page portrait, showcasing the stories of incredible young people.
Underground hip-hop icon Percy Carey, a.k.a. M.F. Grimm, tells the true story of his life in the game, from dizzying heights to heartbreaking losses, in this raw, brutally honest graphic novel memoir. Carey chronicles his life in the sometimes glamorous, often violent world of hip-hop.
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words.
March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
Dive Into Cool Books
Sal, a Portuguese Water Dog, feels bad because she’s the only dog at Hilltop Farm who hasn’t won any awards. She loves to swim, though, and decides that maybe if she joins the local swim team, she too can win a medal.
The weatherman predicts a beautiful, sunny day in LEGO® City, so everyone heads to the beach. But when dark storm clouds roll in over the ocean, it’s up to the coast guard to spring into action and save the day!
In glorious onomatopoeia, Tim McCanna takes the reader on a dazzling journey as a fox seeks shelter from a rainstorm.
Sixth-grader Gabe feels out of depth in school and worries that he may have learning disabilities like his older brother, but he gains some self-confidence after joining the local swim team and working at a local aquarium store.
Exuberant Narwhal and skeptical Jelly test the waters of adding a new friend to their pod when they meet Otty the super-adventurous otter in the fourth book of this blockbuster early graphic novel series!
A brave clown fish leaves his home in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to rescue his captured son from a dentist’s fish tank. Readers will also love the eight-page insert featuring full-color stills from the hit movie!
After a narrow escape from his burning house, psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware is ready for a relaxing getaway. And revered scientist Dr. Woodrow Wilson Moreland has just the ticket for Alex and his girlfriend, Robin Castagna: an all-expenses-paid vacation to a Pacific island retreat.
In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota–and hopefully live to see another day. Then he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane.
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments and clouds are sucked from the sky. When a new friend suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him.
"Adventure Begins At Your Library"
Come along with John and his family as they go on a camping adventure to Yellowstone Park. Each member of John’s family has a sight-seeing favorite they want to explore.
Zelda has big plans – she wants to be the first chook in space. She leaves nothing to chance and packs food, fuel and a cosy nesting box. But will she make it without the help of her friends?
Featuring a classic in children’s literature, Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and finds trouble when he goes into Mr. McGregor’s garden.
Follow Roan’s first year at Jedi Academy where, under the tutelage of Master Yoda, he learns that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed.
When his dad unexpectedly announces a trip to Grand Teton National Park, Isaiah is ecstatic! On the second night, he wakes to a thunderous noise that grows louder and louder. The ground begins to tremble.
A classic in juvenile literature, Tom Sawyer’s bold spirit, winsome smile, and inventive solutions to the problems of everyday life in fictional St Petersburg have won him the hearts of generations.
Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest dedicated to fight against tyranny.
On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, the young sorceress Sabrina Spellman finds herself at a crossroads, having to choose between an unearthly destiny and her mortal boyfriend, Harvey.
Meet John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve-year-old twins who one day discover themselves to be descended from a long line of djinn.
Tribute to Teachers!
Mrs. Hartwell’s students worry that their teacher will miss them while they are gone for the summer. The class comes up with a way to make sure Mrs. Hartwell won’t be too sad. But Mrs. Hartwell and the other teachers have some plans of their own.
Ms. McCaw tries to draw a simple face on the chalkboard — and she can’t do it! The other kids start to snicker, but Dudley jumps to the rescue and gives his favorite teacher a drawing lesson. A fun lesson for little fingers on how to draw!
Prelutsky’s delicious verse is uncannily Seussian to explore the Diffendoofer School and discover good old Horton, a platter of green eggs and ham, and a few Whos from Who-ville scattered across the fascinating landscape of Smith’s artwork.
In the late 1870s many young teachers traveled West to earn money and make a new life for themselves. Sarah Jane Price’s diary shares of braving the rough conditions in the West and the daily tasks that ensued.
Nate Wright is eleven years old, a self-described genius and sixth-grade Renaissance man. Middle school kids everywhere can relate to Big Nate’s daily battle against overzealous teachers, cafeteria food, and all-around conventionality.
Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that’s why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.
Harry Potter has never heard of Hogwarts when the letters start coming. On Harry’s eleventh birthday, Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard and has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure begins.
Fifteen-year-old Mike McGill has lived with his Uncle Billy since his mother’s death. Nothing gets by Mike’s history teacher, an ex-cop named Riel especially not long-hidden information about Mike’s mother. Her death might not have been an accident after all!
Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything. An encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny at the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes.
Spring Into Action with Audiobooks on the Libby app
Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed. Everybody who was outside . . .went inside. We remembered to protect the ones we love and love the ones who protect us. While the world changed outside, we became stronger on the inside.
This collection of My First I Can Reads is perfect for shared reading with a child. Included are five favorite Pete the Cat I Can Read books: Pete the Cat: Play Ball! — Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch — Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach — Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete — Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School.
A frog’s eye view of life in a pond throughout the seasons in the Caldecott Honor Book. A child explores the wonders of the natural world in this rhyming, beautiful bright colored picture storybook about the lives of small animals and insects living around a freshwater pond.
The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they move from their little house on the banks of Plum Creek to the wilderness of the unsettled Dakota Territory. Here Pa works on the new railroad until he finds a homestead claim that is perfect for their new little house and Pa puts up the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the beautiful shores of Silver Lake.
Amelia Albright dreams about going to Florida for spring break like everyone else in her class, but her father—a cranky and conservative English professor—has decided Florida is too much adventure. Now Amelia is stuck at home with him and her babysitter, the beloved Mrs. O’Brien. The week ahead promises to be boring, until Amelia meets Casey at her local art studio.
Signs of spring are very exciting to everyone at Longfellow School. Mrs. Brisbane’s class has seen flowers poking out of snow and baby birds hatching, and Just-Joey even brought in tadpoles that are growing into frogs. It also means Family Fun Night is coming up, and all of the students’ families are involved in making amazing activities.
Second in a series, Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring. Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.
Third in a series, Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.
In the dead of night, a cloaked figure drags a heavy box through snow-covered streets. Centuries later, in an Oxford library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce his finger. The volume is blank, wordless, but its paper has fine veins running through it and seems to quiver, as if it’s alive.