Category Archives: Butler Bookshelf

Butler Bookshelf

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Graphic novels are enjoyable reads for any age. The characters showcase emotion, fostering a reader’s empathy, and the format is a fantastic pathway for complex storytelling. This week we’re featuring some graphic novels from our Teen Fiction collection! This week’s feature pick is Someday Perfect written and illustrated by Kat Schneider. This graphic novel centers on teen girl Meg facing a crisis of faith. At a Christian sleepaway camp, Meg is at a crossroads between her pastor father’s expectations and her friends testing the limits of the camps’ rules. Meg doesn’t seem to want to follow her friends’ lead until she meets Danny, a gentle and charming teen boy who only seeks out her attention (and affection). Can Meg reconcile her role in her church and family with her budding romantic feelings for Danny?

Check out this and other YA graphic novel titles here:

Someday Perfect
Kat Schneider
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Available now!

Lovely Recipe
Myra Rose Nino
Random House Children’s Books/RH Graphic
Available now!

School Bus Graveyard Book 1
Red
Random House Children’s Books/Ink Pop
Available now!

Our Aimless Nights Vol 1
Koumori
Random House Children’s Books/Ink Pop
Available Now!

To Dance the Moon and Stars
Barbara Perez Marquez
Tasia S.M.
Random House Children’s Books/Joy Revolution
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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It’s the first full week of September, which means students are either already in school or about to start! This is a time of transition that brings up lots of big feelings, especially for those attending school for the first time. This week, we’re looking at picture books to ease the transition into the start of the school year. Our feature pick is A Not So Perfect Start by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Maribel Luchuga. Thea is excited for school, but she’s also nervous, and her first few days are filled with ups and downs. As she puts pressure on herself to be the perfect student and have a perfect start to the school year, her teacher reminds her that it’s ok to let go of expectations of perfection.

Check out more books for the beginning of school below!

A Not So Perfect Start
Trudy Ludwig
Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy
Mychal Threets
Illustrated by Lorraine Nam
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

It Won’t Be Forever
John Dougherty
Illustrated by Thomas Docherty
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

School Spirits
Charlotte Gunnufson
Illustrated by Rebecca Crane
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Atheneum
Available now!

Welcome to Our Classroom
Alexandra Penfold
Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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The first day of school is just around the corner, but the adventurous summer fun never ends here at the Butler Center. This week we’re featuring middle-grade adventure novels from our Children’s Fiction collection! Our feature pick of the week is Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen. Twelve-year-old Sadie Hahn didn’t picture herself on a raft with world famous YouTube star Radley “Rad” Shaw after winning a contest, but she’ll do anything to cheer her younger brother and Rad Shaw superfan, Silas, who was too young to compete. Rad, on the other hand, has millions of online followers but no real-life friends, and to make matters worse, he doesn’t give Sadie a good first impression. Things quickly devolve into disaster when their scripted rafting adventure goes off script, leaving both tweens to need to put aside their differences to survive in the wild.

Check out this and other adventurous titles here!

Wilderness Hacks
Joslin Brorsen
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

The Misfits: A Sea Monster Conundrum (The Misfits Book: 3)
Lisa Yee
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Random House Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer
Paige Classey
Random House Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

RV There Yet?
Suzanne Nelson
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Alex Wise Vs. The Gods of the Apocalypse (Alex Wise Book: 3)
Terry J. Benton-Walker
Labyrinth Road/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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There’s nothing quite like the horror genre. Horrific action in mystery stories can send chills down a reader’s spine, and some readers crave that thrilling sensation that leaves them at the edge of their seats, dreading and anticipating what will come next. This week’s Butler Bookshelf is focused on thrillers in our Teen Fiction collection! Our feature pick is What Lies Beneath the Flowers by Natasha Díaz. Pippa and Bidi are on a mission to find the popular, wealthy, and missing Estella Aubergine, whose reward money could help the two friends achieve their dreams. They infiltrate Estella’s school, the prestigious Beaumont Academy, where the students and teachers have dark secrets of their own. As their investigation leads to more questions than answers, Pippa and Bidi’s friendship starts to crack, and to make matters worse, someone seems to be tracking their every move. Will the two friends solve the mystery behind Estella’s disappearance before it’s too late?

Check out this and other thrilling titles!

What Lies Beneath the Flowers
Natasha Díaz
Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Our Wicked Gifts
Kathryn Foxfield
Random House Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Monarchs in the Wild
Israel Moya
Tu Books/Lee & Low Books
Available now!

Mystery Guest
Maren Stoffels
Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls
Cynthia Murphy
Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking at picture books about animals. Our feature pick is Puggle Snuggles by Mo O’Hara, illustrated by Loretta Schauer. In this rhyming picture book about baby animals, Platypus’s puggle just wants to snuggle the day away. But when nighttime comes, the puggle and the other baby nocturnal animals come out to party!

Check out more books about animals below:

Puggle Snuggles
Mo O’Hara
Illustrated by Loretta Schauer
The Quarto Group/Happy Yak
Available now!

Duck Delivers
Tom Tinn-Disbury
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Gigantic: The Small Whale With a Big Heart
Rob Biddulph
Random House Children’s Books/Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Lulu Didn’t Want a Dog
Laurel Molk
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Pretty Close, but Not the Same: A Side-By-Side Look at Confusable Critters
Meg Fleming
Illustrated by Steph Stilwell
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Beach Lane Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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Middle school is rarely easy. From romance to struggling to fit in to puberty, life for preteens is full of challenges and upheavals. That’s why for this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking a fiction about middle school and the many dilemmas that come with it. These books tackle issues that readers will likely recognize from their own lives and the lives of their peers, and gives them a chance to see another young person persevering through them. Our feature pick is Listen to the Girls by Chrystal D. Giles. When it comes out that her favorite teacher has been accused of misconduct with students, Calla doesn’t know what to think. But she knows it’s important to do what’s right, and that’s to listen to and amplify the voices of the girls who have spoken out. As details come to light and the news gains attention, she learns what it truly means to stand up, speak out, and share your story.

Check out more books about middle school below!

Listen to the Girls
Chrystal D. Giles
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Casting April
Wendy Lu
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

My Name is Harriet Mansoor (NOT Hairy Man Suit!)
Dr. Haleh Massey
Lee & Low Books/Tu Books
Available now!

Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away
Ciera Burch
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Margaret K. McElderberry Books
Available now!

Roxie in Color
Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka
Candlewick Press
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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Here at the Butler Center, our nonfiction collection features books about people who changed the world in their own ways. The women featured in these nonfiction titles made their mark whether it’s through their words, their artwork, or their dancing. This week’s feature pick is Remember Her Name!: Debbie Allen’s Rise to Fame written by Tami Charles and illustrated by Meredith Lucius. This picture book highlights the early life of world-renowned dancer, choreographer, and actress Debbie Allen. Charles lyrically tells the story of how Allen found acceptance taking dance classes in Mexico City and bringing her talent back to her old home in Houston, TX, where black girls weren’t allowed in prestigious dance schools because of racism and Jim Crow laws.

Remember Her Name!: Debbie Allen’s Rise to Fame
Tami Charles
Illustrated by: Meredith Lucius
Charlesbridge
Available now!

Beatrix and Her Friends: Celebrating the Life of Beatrix Potter
Anne Lambelet
Peachtree Publishing Co/Margaret Quinlin Books
Available now!

Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science and Women’s Rights
Lindsay H Metcalf
Charlesbridge/Charlesbridge Teen
Available now!

Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder
Erin Frankel
Illustrated by Jasu Hu
Astra Books for Young Readers/Calkins Creek
Available now!

Marie’s Magic Eggs: How Marie Procai Kept the Ukrainian Art of Pysanky Alive
Sandra Neil Wallace
Illustrated by Evan Turk
Astra Books for Young Readers/Calkins Creek
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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Friendships can be hard to navigate during middle school. These middle-grade novels from our Butler Center Children’s Fiction collection represent challenges students face and how they face them. This week’s feature pick is Roohi and Nate are Not on the Same Page by Supriya Kelkar and Jarret Lerner. Studious Roohi and rebellious Nate couldn’t be any more different, and they don’t consider themselves friends when they join their school Lunch Bunch. As they spend more time together, and when they learn the school librarian’s job is on the line due to budget cuts, Roohi and Nate put their differences aside and work together to save what they hold dear.

Roohi and Nate are Not on the Same Page
Supriya Kelkar and Jarret Lerner
ABRAMS/Amulet Books
Available now!

Camp Big Top
Alexandra Diaz
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Beach Lane Books
Available now!

The Unlikely Aventuras of Ramón and El Cucuy Book 2: Don’t Eat the Birthday Boy!
Donna Barbara Higuera
Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo
ABRAMS/Amulet Books
Available now!

When Tomorrow Burns
Tae Keller
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks
Kate Kirby
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking at picture books featuring fathers. These stories showcase how to express love for parents, father figures in this case, in a multitude of ways and how they care for their children in many ways, too. Our feature pick is Baba Palooza by A.D. Ghani and illustrated by Nadia Alam. Whenever Aziah rides her Baba’s taxi, she feels like a movie star. Since Baba works long hours, Aziah and her father make every second count. When Baba has to miss Aziah’s dance recital due to work, Aziah wants to give her father a surprise he’ll never forget.

Check out more picture books featuring fathers (and grandfathers) below!

Baba Palooza
A.D. Ghani
Illustrated by Nadia Alam
ABRAMS/Abrams Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Ways Papi Says I Love You
Delia Ruiz
Illustrated by: Carlos Vélez Aguilera
Charlesbridge
Available now!

Grumpy Monkey Father’s Day Fuss
Suzanne Lang
Illustrated by: Max Lang
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Sunrise Sail
Charles Trevino
Illustrated by: Maribel Lechuga
Charlesbridge
Available now!

One Two Daddy Loves You
Shelly Becker
Illustrated by: Dan Yaccarino
ABRAMS/Abrams Appleseed
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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Interaction is crucial for a child’s development, and board books can be a gateway for very young readers to fall in love with reading. Whether it’s lifting flaps, touching-and-feeling, or asking what a subject, like a color, word, animal, or shape, is, interactive board books can positively stimulate a baby’s or toddler’s brain and make reading a path to discovery. These kind of board books can also function as toys and must be treated with tender loving care (or at least try to do so). This week’s feature pick is Little Softies: Animals: A Touch-and-Feel First Words Book by Wendy Kendall. Readers can feel the soft and colorful felt pages while learning what each animal is called.

Little Softies: Animals: A Touch-and-Feel First Words Book
Wendy Kendall
ABRAMS/Abrams Appleseed
Available now!

¡Mira, Mira! Colors
Lourdes Heuer
Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Little Simon
Available now!

The Questioneers: What’s that Color?
Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by David Roberts
ABRAMS/Abrams Appleseed
Available now!

A Breathe-Along Book: Breathe a Rainbow: With 8 Calming Textures to Trace with Your Finger
Julie Koon
ABRAMS/Abrams Appleseed
Available now!

A Lift-the-Flap Book: Hide-and-Seek Mommy
Marta Altés
ABRAMS/Abrams Appleseed
Available now!