Kids Article

July Features in the Brazos Treehouse

It's time for some summer adventures! We've got three great featured titles all about taking on the unexpected this month. Enjoy with our Summer Reading List, as well--great books go great together!
 

The Mystery of the Haunted Farm Cover Image
By Elys Dolan, Elys Dolan (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780763686581
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Nosy Crow - June 28th, 2016

Elys Dolan's last book, WEASELS, is a store favorite, so we're thrilled to have her newest book, THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED FARM, in now! A hilarious tale of piggie Ghostbusters investigating strange goings-on at a spooky farm, there's plenty for eager readers to find in these pages, with Dolan's signature asides and easter eggs scattered in these great spreads.


The Voyage to Magical North (Accidental Pirates #1) Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781627794206
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Henry Holt & Company - July 5th, 2016

This wonderful, wild seafaring tale should be a new favorite for all our adventure fans! When a girl with no memory of her past and an inept young mage-in-training are picked up by pirates as they try to escape their cruel master, they're swept up in a voyage to find the source of all magic--if they can survive all the hijinks, hilariously oddball adventures, and piranha penguins.


Learning to Swear in America Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781619639096
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books - July 5th, 2016

There's a lot to love in this fun, funny summer romp about a seventeen-year-old Russian physics wunderkind sent to America to help NASA stop an asteroid hurtling toward Los Angeles. Science, suspected espionage, a little romance--this page-turning, multidimensional, and laugh-out-loud debut novel is the perfect summer read for science-loving teens and parents!


June Featured Titles in the Treehouse

Summer reading is here at last! Never fear, though: we're still highlighting featured titles for all three of our age groups. Check out these heartfelt, emotional, and action-packed stories, all new this coming Tuesday, June 7--pre-order on our website!

Nobody Likes a Goblin Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781626720817
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: First Second - June 7th, 2016

We LOVE Ben Hatke here (we hope you've all read our faves JULIA'S HOUSE FOR LOST CREATURES and LITTLE ROBOT), but this newest book might be my favorite work of his yet. Cheerful Goblin lives in a cosy dungeon with his friend Skeleton, playing with their treasure--but one day a group of "heroes" smashes everything up and makes off with Skeleton and their treasure! Goblin has to save his friend, of course, but leaving the cave means finding out what the world really thinks of goblins. The art is stunning, the story is oh-so-charming: pick it up on Tuesday!


When Friendship Followed Me Home Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780803738164
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - June 7th, 2016

Talk about a great summer read--this story of a boy, the dog he rescues, and the friendship that changes him is a fantastic tale of love, loss, and wagging tails. Former foster kid Ben doesn't make friends easily, preferring the characters in his books, until he rescues a mutt from the alley next to the Coney Island Library. When this scraggly dog leads him to a new friend, wild and luminous Halley, she and Ben begin to write a story together--but as their story unfolds, Ben's life begins to unravel. You've got to read this lovely, heartbreaking, laugh-out-loud story. 


It Wasn't Always Like This Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781616955885
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Soho Teen - May 17th, 2016

As Queen so famously asked, “Who wants to live forever?” IT WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS is an atmospheric page-turner exploring just that question. After an experimental polio vaccine stops the O’Neill family from aging in 1916, oldest daughter Emma and her family find themselves the targets of a fanatic religious group. In 2016, Emma’s still on the run, and still—to all outward appearance—a teenager. But Emma’s grown colder as she’s grown older, and she’s not going to let the Church of Light hurt any more people in their quest to rid the world of her. This killer thriller from local author Joy Preble is an awesome pick for a parent-teen book club—your whole family has to read this one.


May Featured Titles in the Treehouse


It's May, and that means it's almost summer! We know it's hard sometimes to keep the whole family entertained when school's out, but never fear: we've got books for every age and interest. Here are our May featured titles for the family!

There Is a Tribe of Kids Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781626720565
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Roaring Brook Press - May 3rd, 2016

Beloved illustrator and author Lane Smith (artist of such classic favorites as THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES and GRANDPA GREEN) brings out his wild side with this completely wonderful picture book! THERE IS A TRIBE OF KIDS is a sweet and enchanting story of a young boy trying to find a place to call home. The charming, repetitive language and Smith's trademark illustration style combine to make a perfect story time experience that has more and more to show you on each reading. Not only is it a visual feast and fantastic to read, but it'll tug right on your heartstrings, too. A perfect new classic.


The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781484732748
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Disney-Hyperion - May 3rd, 2016

Another new series for fans of Rick Riordan's mythology books! In THE HIDDEN ORACLE, a new addition to the world of Percy Jackson, the Greek god Apollo crosses Zeus one too many times and finds himself sent to Earth as a mortal, stripped of all his powers. But Apollo's made some enemies over the many years he's been causing mischief, and without any of his powers, there's only one place he can be safe: Camp Half-Blood. As a big fan of Riordan's universe, I can't wait to read this one. It's under top-secret lock and key for now, but we'll all dive in together when it's out on May 3!


Ask Me How I Got Here Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062387950
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Greenwillow Books - May 3rd, 2016

ASK ME HOW I GOT HERE is revolutionary. It's a novel in verse told by Addie, a track star at an all-girls Catholic school who finds herself pregnant after one careless night with her boyfriend. She decides to end the pregnancy, and while she knows it's the right decision for her, it nevertheless changes everything in her life. ASK ME HOW I GOT HERE follows Addie's journey to rediscover who she is and what she wants in the aftermath of this massive experience. It's a phenomenal and refreshing book, not sugar-coating any of the tough decisions Addie has to make, or treating any young readers as if they can't understand or make any of these decisions themselves--because real teenagers do make the decisions Addie has to make every day. Through it all, Heppermann keeps Addie's dry wit sharp and her observations astute. Definitely pick this one up.


Out Brief Candle: A Shakespeare Death Day Reading List

Someday I hope to be famous enough that people celebrate my death day—although I suppose part of the reason we celebrate Shakespeare's death day is because we don't really have a concrete birthday, and I am lucky to live in an era of more-complete social records. Shakespeare did have a bit of a preoccupation with death, as well, if the body counts of his plays tell us anything, so a death day celebration feels particularly appropriate for this memento mori playwright.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781101994580
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - March 15th, 2016

Of all Shakespeare's plays to get a YA adaptation, I gotta admit I wasn't expecting The Winter's Tale to be one. It's a great play, and popular—the title of this novel is one of the stage directions in Act III (probably the most famous one Shakespeare ever wrote)—but it's a little odd: a sprawling, cross-country story that's ultimately about remaking a family after a king's irrational jealousy nearly destroys it. In EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR, E.K. Johnston recenters the story on Hermione, the wronged queen of The Winter's Tale, moving the setting from Renaissance Sicily and Bohemia to modern-day Canada, and casting our Hermione as the head cheerleader of a small-town team. She's an athlete, a leader, a good friend and a great cheerleader.

She also gets raped at the end of the first act of the book.

I don't want to sugarcoat it, or pretend like this isn't a book that deals with a traumatic assault. I don't want to try and be nice about it, because, well, it's not—but this book handles trauma and support and recovery better than any book I've read on it, for teens or for adults. This is Hermione's book. It's not about the assault, about her rapist, or about revenge—it's about one teenage girl, reclaiming her agency and her life after someone's selfish act of violence tries to take it away. In the author's note, Johnston says she was in a very angry place when she wrote the book (due to a particular politician, apparently, who goes unnamed), and I think Johnston's rage shows in a very powerful way in the text: through the boundless compassion Hermione experiences from her family, her teammates, and her town.

That, to me, after living through endless twenty-four-hour news cycles about slut-shaming and victim-blaming, was the real gift of this book. Compassion. Everyone in Hermione's life, from her coach to her priest to her therapist, is incredibly kind and compassionate, and that kindness allows Hermione to heal. She is a phenomenal protagonist. She pushes herself to get better, she doesn't settle for anything but the full life she deserves, but since she's surrounded by people to support and help her, she's allowed to have panic attacks and experience her trauma and be afraid, because she is undeniably a person in Johnston's hands. The dimension, the power, and the strength Johnston gives Hermione make it clear that this adaptation surpasses its source. (Sorry, but not sorry, Bill.)


The Steep and Thorny Way Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781419719158
Availability: Backordered
Published: Amulet Books - March 8th, 2016

Cat Winters is the queen of historical fiction and a favorite author of mine, with her previous YA outings forming a core of store favorites (IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS and THE CURE FOR DREAMING). So when I saw that her newest novel was a Hamlet retelling set in Prohibition-era Oregon, where biracial Hanalee tries to find justice for her murdered African-American father without running afoul of the terrifying local KKK chapter, I was a fan before I'd even read the first page—and once I'd finished the whole book, I was happier than I'd ever been.

THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY isn't just a great Hamlet adaptation, it's a great book, period. Winters always fills her historical fiction with pictures and historical documents to set the scene, and this novel is no exception—if there had been no Shakespeare references at all, this still would have been a phenomenal story. But I'm truly grateful it's a Hamlet adaptation, because it shows how the stories Shakespeare made famous are incredibly universal: Prohibition-era Oregon? A biracial, female protagonist struggling against social evils? That's not as far from early modern England as you can get, but it's several million miles, at least. Stories don't exist in a vacuum, either, and I love that Winters used this famous, wonderful story of something rotten in Denmark to tell an amazing story about a time and a set of injustices that our culture still doesn't really want to face.

And like I said, beyond Hamlet, this book is just a great story. It crosses genres as deftly as Shakespeare did himself: it's a thriller, a mystery, a ghost story, all set so perfectly in the 1920s that you'll think it was written then. Hanalee is a fierce protagonist, too—clever, tough, well-armed, and incredibly caring. THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY is the full package: great characters, a great premise, and a great author.


Dreamers Often Lie Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780803738638
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - April 5th, 2016

The awesome thing about DREAMERS OFTEN LIE was that it made me feel so normal!

...oh, wait, that's not the point? People aren't supposed to hallucinate Shakespeare walking around with them? Oops. My bad. Let me regroup.

Jacqueline West's trippy, layered story is about Jaye, a high school actress, and what happens after she gets a concussion in a skiing accident. She's finally landed the lead in a school play—Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and all she can think about is getting back on that stage. So, when she forces herself to push through not just her accident, but the memories and family trauma it stirs of her father's death a year ago, the Shakespeare starts to get a little too real. As in, she starts hallucinating Shakespeare himself speaking to her, and Hamlet and Romeo and other characters and situations.

I love DREAMERS OFTEN LIE because, well, they do, and because, with Jaye as an unreliable narrator, even to herself, there's no way to be sure who's really real, what's really happening, or what's just in Jaye's mind. We don't know who's a figment or a person, what's Jaye's own mind working against her and what's really true. I loved this one. It's chilling, mysterious, and cerebral (a great book for a parent-teen book club!), and it'll pull you into the topsy-turvy world of Jaye's mind in no time at all. It's got a great love story, like a Shakespeare play should, but for all the romance and mystery, it's more about Jaye coming to terms with her loss, and with who she is now with these changes in her life and her family. It's tense and twisty, and Jaye's bardolatry gives a great original twist to this thriller.


Summerlost Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780399187193
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - March 29th, 2016

All right, SUMMERLOST is actually middle-grade, and is about a Shakespeare festival, not a Shakespeare adaptation, but are you really going to argue with me about technicalities? Trust me: this book is golden. Like DREAMERS OFTEN LIE, it's about how Shakespeare can get into your head and affect the way you see the world—but instead of literally adding a layer of Shakespeare-themed perception, it's about theater, and the inspiration it can give you, and about how theater and drama can help you find belonging when you feel like you don't fit in.

Cedar Lee finds a new friend in local boy Leo, when she, her mother, and her brother move to her mom's hometown after losing her dad and youngest brother in a car accident. She works concessions at the local Summerlost Theater Festival, and sells programs in old show costumes with Leo, and watches soapy dramas with her brother. It's a perfect Polaroid of the monotony of grief through a young adult's perspective, of the way we can fixate on certain things as distractions, and Cedar gets caught up in the drama of—well—drama. There's a theater ghost, a mystery, and some wonderfully real, poignant family feels. It's utterly captivating and charming, like a summer evening full of potential. SUMMERLOST reminds me that Shakespeare really can make anything possible.


Liz Wright is the Kids Specialist and resident Shakespeare fanatic of Brazos Bookstore. She earned her B.A. in English and Creative Writing at Wellesley College, where she spent four years in the Wellesley College Shakespeare Society being all manner of lords, clowns, and untamed shrews. Her writing has appeared in BUST Magazine and Minerva Rising Literary Journal. This fall, she'll pursue her MA and MFA in Children's Literature and Writing for Children at Simmons College, where she'll be the Dean's Fellow for Children's Literature.


Spotlight on Novels in Verse for National Poetry Month

It's National Poetry Month, and what better time to spotlight one of the fastest-growing genres of kids lit: novels in verse! Verse novels are a fantastic way to hook young poets or reluctant readers into reading fiction, and come from an incredibly diverse array of authors. Come and browse these titles on our shelves today!

Booked Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780544570986
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Houghton Mifflin - April 5th, 2016

We adored THE CROSSOVER, Kwame Alexander's Newbery Award-winning verse novel about twin basketball stars and their life on and off the court. Now, with BOOKED, Alexander turns his keen eye to soccer, and a young boy learning the power of words in friendship and on the field.


Full Cicada Moon Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780525428756
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - September 8th, 2015

FULL CICADA MOON showcases the diversity and power of novels in verse, with the story of half-black, half-Japanese Mimi moving to an all-white Vermont town in 1969. While her race and "boyish" interests (like science and astronomy) make Mimi feel like an outsider, this amazing novel shows how a strong voice can make all the difference.


The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780553521375
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Wendy Lamb Books - April 12th, 2016

Eighteen kids. One year of poems. One school set to close. This novel is utterly poignant and inspiring, whimsical and heartfelt, as the graduating fifth grade class of a school scheduled to be torn down find their voices as they try to save it.


Ask Me How I Got Here Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062387950
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Greenwillow Books - May 3rd, 2016

Christine Hepperman's POISONED APPLES was a Brazos favorite, and we're so excited about her upcoming ASK ME HOW I GOT HERE that we'd be remiss not to mention it here! This powerful, relatable novel breaks fresh ground in YA fiction and verse novels alike, offering a witty and warm look at track star Addie's redefining of her life after she makes the difficult decision to end an accidental pregnancy. ASK ME HOW I GOT HERE  brings us a big voice and a bigger heart in Addie, and we can't wait to have it on the shelves. Pre-order your copy now!

Check out the rest of these brilliant novels in verse, on our shelves now or coming soon!


Free Verse Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780399165030
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - March 15th, 2016

Up from the Sea Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780553534740
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Crown Books for Young Readers - January 12th, 2016

Somewhere Among Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781481437868
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Atheneum Books - April 26th, 2016

The Lonely Ones Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780399172892
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Philomel Books - April 26th, 2016

Rumble Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781442482852
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books - February 2nd, 2016

The Red Pencil Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780316247825
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - November 3rd, 2015

Audacity Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780147512499
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Speak - January 5th, 2016

Red Butterfly Cover Image
By A. L. Sonnichsen, Amy June Bates (Illustrator)
$7.99
ISBN: 9781481411103
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - February 2nd, 2016

American Ace Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780803733053
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - January 12th, 2016

Cinnamon Girl: letters found inside a cereal box Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780062447593
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: HarperTeen - February 23rd, 2016

April Featured Titles in the Treehouse

April is the coolest month, bringing great books into the Treehouse… Okay, I'll stop butchering Eliot, but I really am excited for this April assortment of features! Take a look at our favorite, most Treehouse-patron-pleasing books this month!

 

Staff Pick Logo
A Hungry Lion, or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781481448895
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - March 15th, 2016

Once upon a time, there was a hungry lion, and a bunch of other adorable animals. But as the animals start to disappear one by one...hmm…what's going on here? Look, I won't spoil the twists, plural, in A HUNGRY LION, OR A DWINDLING ASSORTMENT OF ANIMALS,  but this picture book is complete perfection. The illustrations are hilarious, the language and pacing are spot-on, and the surprise ending(s) will delight clever kids. It's the next favorite story for fans of I WANT MY HAT BACK.


Staff Pick Logo
The Wild Robot Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316381994
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 5th, 2016

We love Peter Brown's picture books (MR TIGER GOES WILD is a store favorite!), so we were super excited to hear he's brought his wit and wisdom to middle grade fiction! THE WILD ROBOT is a beautiful, uplifting story about a robot, lost in a shipwreck, who "wakes up" on an isolated, human-free island. Her only programmed directive: to help. The friendships that build between Roz and the animals, the action-filled ending, and the kid-friendly environmental themes make THE WILD ROBOT a winner in storytelling, heart, and hope.

 


Staff Pick Logo
The Passion of Dolssa Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780451469922
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - April 12th, 2016

Parents, read this one with your teens--there's so much wonderful depth and dimension to this historical tale. Dolssa de Stigata is a fervently religious teenage girl in 1200s France--so fervent that she's compelled to preach to her town. Naturally, the Inquisition condemns her as an "unnatural" woman and forces Dolssa to flee. Her flight, and the friendship that grows between her and Botille, the teenage matchmaker who harbors Dolssa in her home, shine a great light on how various labels have affected women who live outside the norm all throughout history. Plus? It's a beautifully written story with incredibly affecting characters. Pick it up.

 


It's Spring Break at Brazos!

I don't know about you, but when I was in school, I would always look forward to Spring Break--pretty much from the first day back of spring semester, honestly. Sure, overworked students love any kind of break, but Spring Break is special! It officially inaugurates the feeling of warmth, of days starting to grow longer, of summer being right around the corner. It sparks a little wanderlust, a getaway kind of excitement. We've got a ton of Spring Break excitement coming up this month--take a look!

Imani's Moon Cover Image
By Janay Brown-Wood, Hazel Mitchell (Illustrator)
$17.95
ISBN: 9781934133576
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Mackinac Island Press - October 14th, 2014

King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian Cover Image
By Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator)
$19.99
ISBN: 9781481421331
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Aladdin Paperbacks - April 14th, 2015

The Green Bicycle Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780525428060
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - September 22nd, 2015

Boxers (Boxers & Saints #1) Cover Image
By Gene Luen Yang, Lark Pien (Inked or Colored by), Gene Luen Yang (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781596433595
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: First Second - September 10th, 2013

Saints (Boxers & Saints #2) Cover Image
By Gene Luen Yang, Gene Luen Yang (Illustrator), Lark Pien (Inked or Colored by)
$15.99
ISBN: 9781596436893
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: First Second - September 10th, 2013

Paris, Modigliani & Me Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9781941311912
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Luminis Books, Inc. - November 1st, 2015

Strange Light Afar: Tales of the Supernatural from Old Japan Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9781554987238
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Groundwood Books - September 15th, 2015

Our March Featured Titles in the Brazos Treehouse

We're filling March with magic with this month's featured Brazos Treehouse titles! Read on to discover the charming and captivating books we can't stop talking about this month.

 

The Night Gardener Cover Image
By Terry Fan, Eric Fan, Terry Fan (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781481439787
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - February 16th, 2016

Have you ever wanted to add just a touch of magic to the ordinary things around you? THE NIGHT GARDENER is all about the way a sleepy town awakens to the joy of nature around them through the work of a mysterious gardener moving through their midst. The moment you hold this book in your hands, you know it's a work of art. Whether it's the sweet, simple story of a neighborhood transformed by beauty, or the delicately crafted and absolutely stunning illustrations, THE NIGHT GARDENER takes me back to the first time I saw an ordinary thing transformed into something extraordinary.


The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780451476333
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - March 15th, 2016

A group of children get more danger than they bargained for in the spooky Scottish castle to which they've been sent to escape the London Blitz--I got goosebumps down my spine reading the first page of THE CHARMING CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, and they didn't go away for a second reading all the rest of it. This captivating mystery mixes magic and spies with just the right amount of chills to make one heck of a page-turner. With its great cast of characters and utterly original premise, it's a fantastic book for middle-grade adventurers!


The Head of the Saint Cover Image
By Socorro Acioli, Daniel Hahn (Translator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780553537925
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Delacorte Press - March 8th, 2016

Brazos loves books in translation, and this March we're bringing that love to the Brazos Treehouse! Our featured YA book this month comes from one of Brazil's best-loved authors of children's literature, coming to the United States for the first time! When newly-orphaned Samuel takes shelter from a storm inside the hollow head of a sculpture of St. Anthony, he's not expecting the music that echoes through it--or the prayers of the townsfolk that he hears echoing through like whispers. THE HEAD OF THE SAINT is a gorgeous story of magical realism, faith, and humor, unlike anything you've read before.


February Features in the Treehouse!

February is fantastic! We've got so many excellent books new on our shelves this month, it's ridiculous. Take a look at these three featured titles for the month of February--guaranteed to please all the readers in your family!

Staff Pick Logo
Over-Scheduled Andrew Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781770494848
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Tundra Books (NY) - January 12th, 2016

This month's picture book should strike a chord with every single family who's bursting with activities! OVER-SCHEDULED ANDREW is hilarious and delightful--the story of a very busy little penguin who soon learns that maybe it's best not to do everything, but to find your true passions instead! 


Staff Pick Logo
Pax Cover Image
By Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062377012
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Balzer + Bray - February 2nd, 2016

Our featured middle-grade title, PAX, hits the same soft bits in my heart as classics like SHILOH and WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. This story of a boy and his fox is Homeward Bound across the divide of nature, war: a gorgeously compelling story of friendship.


Staff Pick Logo
Salt to the Sea Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780399160301
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Philomel Books - February 2nd, 2016

I've been waiting for our featured young adult novel, SALT TO THE SEA, for months, Treehouse fans. This new novel from Ruta Sepetys seamlessly merges the viewpoints of four teenagers--refugees, soldiers, and everyone in between--as they flee East Prussia in the last days of World War II. It's painful yet hopeful, and a perfect book for parents and teens to read together (it's been compared to ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, another masterpiece of WWII historical fiction!).

 


I Rise! I Rise! I Rise!: Black History Month with Brazos Treehouse

Freedom in Congo Square Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781499801033
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Little Bee Books - January 5th, 2016

Slaves in New Orleans were allowed to congregate for half a day on Sundays in Congo Square, where they had their own market, with dancing and music. The countdown to Sunday is documented faithfully in this gorgeous picture book, bringing color to a little-known event in the bleak history of slavery. 


New Shoes Cover Image
By Susan Lynn Meyer, Eric Velasquez (Illustrator)
$16.95
ISBN: 9780823425280
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Holiday House - February 1st, 2015

When the harsh racism of segregation makes it difficult to even buy a pair of new shoes, Ella Mae and Charlotte take matters into their own hands. This story of resilience and resourcefulness is a great look into histories that still live today!


We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March Cover Image
$13.95
ISBN: 9781561458448
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Peachtree Publishers - February 1st, 2015

Did you know that over 4,000 children marched willingly to jail in Birmingham in 1963? This peaceful protest helped desegregate one of the most racially violent cities in America. Cynthia Levinson's exhaustively researched book is a must-have.


Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316070133
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - July 30th, 2013

This parallel biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson follows both of them from their youth to their meeting, when Jackson sang to accompany King's iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. A glorious look at the way civil rights and gospel music intertwined.


The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial Cover Image
By Susan E. Goodman, E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780802737397
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books - January 5th, 2016

When Sarah Roberts was banned from a white school in 1847 Boston, her family's court case made history. This first challenge to segregation, long before the Civil War began, paved the legal road for equal rights for all.


Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781101993880
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Dial Books - January 5th, 2016

Mildred D. Taylor's classic gets a beautiful update in this 40th anniversary edition of ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY. With a new introduction by National Book Award winner (and author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING) Jacqueline Woodson, as well as new cover art and material from Mildred D. Taylor's life, it's essential for both collectors and newcomers to the work.


Sugar Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780316043069
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 3rd, 2014

Ninth Ward Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780316043083
Availability: Backordered
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 10th, 2012

These two stories from master writer Jewell Parker Rhodes are absolutely essential middle-grade novels, whether looking far back at slavery or as close as Hurricane Katrina. With strong characters and incredible emotional journeys, these new classics can't be missed.


Juba!: A Novel Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062112712
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Amistad - October 13th, 2015

You can't miss this last novel from Walter Dean Myers, who won literally every major award possible in the field of children's literature. Based on the true life story of William Henry Lane, a young black dancer who forever changed tap, jazz, and step dancing, JUBA! is a brilliant historical novel and lively look into the history of black dance.


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