To prepare us for spooky season, we are highlighting thrillers, mysteries, books about magic, and of course scary stories in this week’s Butler Bookshelf. In There’s No Way I’d Die First, Noelle, a high-school horror movie buff and aspiring influencer, decides to host an elite Halloween party. However, when the clown she hired for the party starts killing off her party guests, Noelle and her classmates suddenly become characters in a real-life slasher movie. Noelle may know everything about scary movies, but will she make it out of this horror house alive? Find out in Springer’s debut novel.

For more stories that will get you in the mood for Halloween, check out the following titles in our collection!

Curious Tides (The Drowned Gods Duology)
Written by Pascale Lacelle
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available now!

Hollowthorn: A Ravenfall Novel
Written by Kalyn Josephson
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

Midnight at the Houdini
Written by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

Nightmare King
Written by Daka Hermon
Published by Scholastic Press
Available now!

There’s No Way I’d Die First
Written by Lisa Springer
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

The Voice Upstairs
Written by Laura E. Weymouth
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available now!

Ruptured
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Holiday House
Age 9-14
Available November 14th, 2023!

Thirteen-year-old Claire has noticed the tension between her parents for years, so she plans to find solace in reading on their annual summer vacation in coastal Maine. However, when her mom suddenly has a brain aneurysm after sharing a personal secret, Claire is thrust into an unexpected journey of grief and worry. The novel is written in verse, which softens the shock of Claire’s experience and invites readers to cope alongside Claire with lines such as “Is it wrong to grieve for someone who is still alive?” (p. 120) and “not every rupture leads to death” (p. 67). With the help of her aunt who introduces her to photography, a new friend whose mom also had a brain aneurysm, and her desire to have more honest relationships with her dad and friends, Claire starts to heal from the complex waves of trauma and fear.

Fritz uses the calming, flowing, and healing nature of water to contrast the intense experiences Claire faces, comparing relief to a tide and whispers to sea spray. The smooth, free verse form flows quickly, but the short lines, stanzas, and chapters allow for necessary pauses and adds maturity to the prose. Pulling from her own experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms, described in the author’s note, Fritz uses Claire’s curiosity to incorporate information on brain aneurysms—even weaving in facts on health disparities and recovery rates. This novel pairs heavy topics with accessible language, calling to the middle-grade readers that need hope in moments they are forced to grow up too fast.

The Butler Bookshelf has four new children’s fiction books this week and two new picture books. This week on the Butler Bookshelf you will find All the Small Wonderful Things. Alex is an eleven year-old boy with Autism who dreads starting middle school because change is especially difficult for him. He thinks that having a friend by his side on the first day of school will make the transition bearable. To meet new friends, Alex decides to enter into the PAWS Dog Show with his cockapoo, Kevin, so that he can win a trophy and impress the kids at school. In the end, Alex finds friendship in the least expected places–in the small things. For more amazing titles, check out the list below!

All the Small Wonderful Things

Written by Kate Foster

Published by Candlewick Press

Available now!

Game Face

Written by Shari Green

Published by Groundwood Books

Available now!

Giraffe Is Too Tall for This Book

Written and Illustrated by DK Ryland

Published by Page Street Kids

Available now!

Robot. Unicorn. Queen: Poems for You and Me

Written by Shannon Bramer

Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher

Published by Groundwood Books

Available now!

Sejal Sinha Swims with Sea Dragons

Written by Maya Prasad and Illustrated by Abira Das

Published by Simon & Schuster

Available now!

The Wishing Machine

Written by Jonathan Hillman and Illustrated by Nadia Alam

Published by Simon & Schuster

Available now!

Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust

Written by Neal Shusterman and Illustrated by Andres Vera Martinez

Scholastic

Available October 31, 2023

Ages 12 and up

Prepare to be inspired by the acts of courage in Neal Shusterman’s gripping new graphic novel that contains five short stories inspired by true heroes from the Holocaust. The real-life examples of aid and resistance are briefly recounted between each tale. “He Opens a Window” features Frederick, the delivery boy turned rescuer, as he helps three orphaned sisters escape through the magical Window of Opportunity far away from the Nazis. Staggering tales of a golem of Auschwitz, resistance fighters protecting Jews in a forest hideout, and an adolescent brandishing the “staff of Moses” to assist Danish Jews move to safety in Sweden. Lastly, a young girl travels to an alternate time when the Holocaust never occurred and the descendants of those killed are still alive.

The themes of resistance, survival, and hope in times of crisis tightly connect these tales of magical realism. Shusterman’s objective in writing this anthology was to shine a light upon evil in the recent wave of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. He achieves this by eloquently intertwining Jewish and Eastern European folktales into the stories. The mystical objects and magical beings in these traditional tales are symbols, according to Schusterman, of “hope, survival, and collective grief” (p. 246) in the face of harsh realities. Andres Vera Martinez states in the end notes that the illustrations were created to engage a younger audience and influenced by Marvel comics he read as a child. Martinez perfectly channels both the superpowers and humanity of Marvel characters into the main characters of this graphic novel with every bash, crash, and smash. He creates an old world feel with his muted color palette and light brown pages in this advanced readers copy. An extensive bibliography and note on the Hebrew letters included throughout the book are thoughtful additions. Courage to Dream successfully weaves atrocious narratives with striking images of history and legend to warn us about what happens when authorities sanction violence and hate.

The Butler Bookshelf is all about newly published picture books this week, and on the Butler Bookshelf, you will find Bigger Than Me by Erica Simone Turnipseed! Turnipseed tells the story of Luna and Zion who are living through the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and a time of racial reckoning in the United States. Luna and Zion are trying to understand all of the big words that they are hearing around them like “homelessness,” “quarantine,” “injustice,” and “immigration.” In order to cope with all of these heavy words, Luna and Zion recruit their friends to create powerfully positive words to make life a bit lighter. The book celebrates the impact of working together to create change. For more amazing titles, check out the list below!

Bigger Than Me

Written by Erica Simone Turnipseed and Illustrated by Kara Bodegon-Hikino

Published by Atheneum Books

Available now!

Oh, Panda

Written and Illustrated by Cindy Derby

Published by Alfred A. Knopf

Available now!

Slowly Slowly

Written and Illustrated by Toni Yuly

Published by Atheneum Books

Available now!

Ways to Play

Written by Lyn Miller-Lachmann and Illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo

Published by Levine Querido

Available now!

We Are Afro Unicorns

Written April Showers by and Illustrated by Anthony Conley

Published by Penguin Random House

Available now!

In honor of October’s LGBT History Month, this week’s Butler Bookshelf features books in our collection centering LGBTQIA+ characters. Take Green, for instance, non-binary, queer middle schooler who is an active member of their school’s queer affinity group, Rainbow Spectrum. When Green decides to join the backstage crew with their friend Ronnie for their school’s creative, nontraditional version of the play The Wizard of Oz, Green soon realizes they’ve developed a crush on Ronnie. But how does Ronnie feel, and how will this affect their friendship? Join Green’s journey navigating middle school joys and complexities in this affirming, feel-good story from the award-winning author Alex Gino.

For more LGBTQIA+ stories, check out these titles in our collection below!

Being Ace
Edited by Madeline Dyer
Published by Page Street YA
Available October 10, 2023!

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club
Written by Page Powars
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

Brooms
Written by Jasmine Walls and Illustrated by Teo DuVall
Published by Levine Querido
Available October 10, 2023!

Green
Written by Alex Gino
Published by Scholastic Press
Available now!

Ryan and Avery
Written by David Levithan
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art Is Changing the Tide
Joanna Ho 
Illustrated by Cátia Chien
Orchard Books
Available October 31st, 2023!
Ages 4-8

Opening with evocative images and lyrical writing, readers immediately feel Ai Weiwei’s importance, regardless of their familiarity with his politically provocative art. Ho deftly embeds the narrative of Weiwei’s life within the story of his notable exhibit “Safe Passage,” which called attention to the global refugee crisis by hanging discarded life jackets from refugees on a famous concert house in Berlin. Weiwei’s life is not unlike refugees displaced from their homes—as a child, authorities forced Weiwei and his family into a labor camp, where he taught himself to draw and sculpt. Similar to refugees, Weiwei “lived on the tip of a wave, far from home and always in danger” (p. 14), ultimately learning to harness the injustice into power through art.

Using almost exclusively complimentary colors, Chien’s woodblock printing contrasts a bold orange hue with many deep, textured blues—as if the bright orange color, like a life jacket, represents a beacon of hope or safety. Although some may find the unevenly spaced words choppy, this creative choice almost gives the reader a glimpse of living—or reading—“on the tip of a wave” (p. 14), without security and unsure of what may come next. Ho ends with an appendix about Weiwei’s life, his impactful art installations, and a brief overview of the global humanitarian crisis. Balancing the severity of the global refugee crisis with hope, this accessible story might inspire readers to make their own waves and stand up for causes they deem important.

We are continuing with Hispanic Heritage Month this week and included books with Hispanic authors and illustrators. This week on the Butler Bookshelf you will find Tumble by Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom. Bergstrom tells the story of a tumbleweed as it journeys through a desert to plant its seeds. While traveling through the desert, tumbleweed meets many different living species from cacti to javelinas. Finally, tumbleweed transforms into a beautiful flowering and fruit-producing plant after a rainstorm in the desert and becomes a butterfly and ladybug haven. For more amazing title, check out the list below!

Cantora: Mercedes Sosa, the Voice of Latin America
Written and Illustrated by Melisa Fernández Nitsche
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available Now!

Elena Rides
Written and Illustrated by Juana Medina
Published by Candlewick Press
Available Now!

Lia & Luís Puzzled!
Written by Ana Crespo and illustrated by Giovana Medeiros
Published by Charlesbridge
Available Now!

Pepita Meets Bebita
Written by Ruth Behar & Gabriel Frye-Behar and Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available Now!

Tumble
Written and Illustrated by Adrianna Hernández Bergstrom
Published by Orchard Books
Available Now!

Tyson, el Pequeñito / Too-Small Tyson
Written by JaNay Brown-Wood and illustrated by Anastasia Magloire Williams
Published by Charlesbridge
Available Now!

Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life
Emma Steinkellner
Labyrinth Road
Available September 26, 2023!
Ages 8-12

Twelve-year-old Nell Starkeeper lives in the magical world of Gumbling with her younger siblings and two star-farming dads. She is extremely disappointed when she is not assigned as an apprentice to the famous painter, Wiz Bravo. Instead, Nell is assigned to the apprenticeship with the stern lorekeeper Mrs. Birdneck and is bored with the lorekeeping work in the deep, dark dungeon of the archives. Nell is further dispirited when her two best friends, Myra Didwell (a half fairy) and Gilligan Bugg (a Thumbkin), receive their first-choice apprenticeships. When two opportunistic developers from New York city try to take control of quiet Gumbling to construct a buzzing resort, Nell and her crew use their apprentice skills and strong bonds of friendship to rescue their adored kingdom.

Emma Steinkellner creates a charming world where events in the story seamlessly unfold. The apprenticeships teach each character a specific skill needed to solve a puzzle later. Knowing the kingdom’s history from her archive work, Nell can open some latches on a door to save Gumbling. “I pulled one of the stars hanging from a string down in the direction of Star Farm for the story of the first Starkeepers. Another latch opened. Yes!” (p. 171). The text illustrates the need to appreciate what we already have and not take things or the people around us for granted. A rotation of Nell’s journal entries, hilarious text with illustrations, and comic book panels in muted vintage pastels enrapture the audience. Steinkellner encapsulates the personality and emotions of each character through their detailed facial expressions to captivate bibliophiles. The themes of creating community and building strong friendships will have a far-reaching appeal for many young readers.