Category Archives: children’s fiction

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!

Version 2.0: A review of The Continuation of Summer Dillon

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The Continuation of Summer Dillon
Sarah Everett
HarperCollins Children’s
September 15, 2026
Age 8-12

What would you think of a replica android replacing your sibling? What if you were the replica? That’s how Summer 2.0 came to join the grieving Dillon family after their 11-year-old daughter’s passing. With downloads of Summer’s memories and mannerisms, she is not meant to replace, but to continue Summer’s life. That is, until a glitch in her code has Summer 2.0 developing her own likes (the color turquoise), dislikes (oatmeal-yuck), fears (being recycled), and a “forever plan” with dreams for her future—gaining her family’s love, becoming the perfect Summer, growing old, and visiting the Grand Canyon.

This middle grade, science fiction novel is an exploration of what makes us “us,” what makes us human. Sarah Everett’s characters embody all the joys and heartbreaks of life (for both humans and androids), with themes of grief, love, friendship, and individuality. She handles tough subjects delicately and with an 11-year-old’s worry about their place in the worlds of school and family. Fast prose, brief paragraphs, and journal-like footnotes addressed to Summer 1.0 and future Summers embody the voice of a vibrant, yet unsure young girl, with just a touch of AI omniscience. This juxtaposition poses questions about the ethics of artificial intelligence in an age-appropriate way and mirrors the changes tweens experience as they grow from childhood wants to the more complex understanding that comes with growing up. A bittersweet coming of age story to remind readers that we are all unique, we all have value, and we are all irreplaceable.

Seeing Double: A Review of Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Fairy Double

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Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Fairy Double
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Lenny Wen
Candlewick Press
Ages 6-9
Available September 15, 2026

When she’s struck with a case of the hiccups that just won’t go away, Eliza realizes she’s being sent a unique message by the elves of Elfindor. Something bad is happening to the elf Zelia, and only her human double can save her. Can Eliza help her fairy twin before it’s too late?

McDonald’s Fairy Door Diaries allow readers a peek into a world full of magic and fantastical creatures, underscored by Lenny Wen’s gorgeous gouache illustrations of flowers and fairy folk. The story is engaging and fast paced, keeping readers hooked as Eliza puzzles through how to save her newfound double.

This read is sure to appeal to young readers who love all things magical and fairy-filled. With multiple chapters, it’s a step up from easy readers, but is easy to tackle for those who are ready to move on to chapter books.

Butler Bookshelf

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Whether you’re planning on celebrating Easter this Sunday or just really love those chocolate candied eggs, the spring season is in full bloom (pun intended)… and hopefully sunny skies are to follow! This week’s Butler Bookshelf is full of spring-themed & seasonal reads to get you ready for April’s showers and May’s flowers. From nature-themed non-fiction reads to picture books of landscaping lawns and baby animals galore, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone here. Our feature pick is Goldfinches, a poem by the late, great Mary Oliver, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. The finches dazzle in color as they lay their eggs and weave their baskets, with a sweet and tender song. “Have you heard them singing in the wind, above the final fields? / Have you ever been so happy in your life?”

Check out some more springtime reads below:

How to Hatch: A Gosling’s Guide to Breaking Free
Sara Holly Ackerman
Illustrated by Galia Bernstein
Random House Children’s Books / Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Lawn-Mowing Day!
Breanna Carzoo
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Little Simon
Available now!

Goldfinches
Mary Oliver
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Random House Children’s Books / Viking Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Our Green Planet
Leisa Stewart-Sharpe
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Beach Lane Books
Available now!

Welcome, Spring!
Apryl Stott
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Beach Lane Books
Available now!

It’s Better to Give: A Review of Just One Gift

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Just One Gift
Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng
HarperCollins/Clarion Books
April 7, 2026
Age: 8-12

The language arts assignment is deceptively simple: If you could give a gift, what would it be? The recipient must fall into the assigned category (family, friend, or ?), and the gift must not be something they have ever asked for. When Ms. Chang’s middle school ELA class begins to think through their assignment, they discover that the thought put into a gift can reveal as much about the giver as the receiver. And that their gifts highlight emotions, priorities, and community in ways that may never have been imagined.

Inspired by the Sijo poetry style of Korea, composed of three lines and thirteen to seventeen syllables, each response is its own short story of connection and meaning. In this companion to The One Thing You’d Save, Park’s choice to arrange the title into an assignment explanation, followed by individual student responses, provides natural pauses between chapters to digest the consideration that went into each gift. It also helps to delineate between student voices and highlight the self-consciousness, enthusiasm, and growing thoughtfulness of the middle school years. The simple pencil sketches from the book cover and select interior pages (available online) showcase Sae-Heng’s clear and imaginative style, bringing the students’ vision to the page like one might doodle in their assignment notebook.

A thoughtful exploration of the meaning, importance, and joys of gift giving for middle schoolers beginning to understand the ways their actions—big and small—can affect the world around them.

*Final art not included in the ARC.

A Stick (Or Princess) In The Mud: A Review of Her Muddy Majesty of Muck

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Her Muddy Majesty of Muck
Beatrice Alemagna
Astra Books for Young Readers / Hippo Park
Ages 5-8
Available March 31st, 2026

Little Yuki and her older brother Shen are far from friends. Yuki has big feelings, and Shen has little patience for her stomps and tears. One afternoon on the walk home from school, Yuki, in a fit of rage, flings their house keys into the sewer. When she climbs down after them, she comes face-to-face with the Muddy Majesty of Muck: an ooey, gooey creature made entirely of mud. The Muddy Majesty takes Yuki on a journey underground, meeting Boogers who love to be mean, and trekking to a museum of objects left behind by those who lost their tempers once, too. Along the way, the Muddy Majesty explains that the meaner Yuki becomes, the bigger she grows. Yuki feels like she’ll be stuck underground forever, but then she spots Shen, who’s come to her rescue. The siblings reconcile, Yuki feels her anger melt away, and although the Muddy Majesty has now shrunk, Yuki promises to come back and visit her soon—to make mud pies, of course.

Alemagna’s incredibly charming illustrations, created through an endearing and eclectic potpourri of gouache, collage, oil paint, and wax pencils, make Her Muddy Majesty of Muck just as delightful visually as it is in its storytelling. The dialogue is simple yet incredibly effective, and the humor—snarky Boogers attempting to read or bathe or don heels and a muddy princess who can’t stop dripping—will appeal to younger and older readers alike. Most importantly, the story’s message resonates: we shouldn’t let our feelings consume us. Anger, envy, and sadness can be messy, but with persistence and love and maybe a nice shower, even the muddiest of feelings can eventually be washed clean.

Olive You, Too: A Review of The Giant and the Olive

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The Giant and the Olive
Leo Daly
Catalyst Press
Ages 4-10
Available February 3rd, 2026

Once there was a happy giant who did all the usual giant things—scaring cows and “Ho-Ho-Ho”-ing all day long. That is, until he stumbles upon what feels like the most beautiful treasure of all: a tiny, shiny black olive. He proudly shows it off to the town & his friends, kisses it goodnight, and tucks it under the covers each evening. But after one fateful, maybe-too-tight hug ends with a POP!, the giant is devastated by his broken treasure. Through all four seasons, he mourns, weeping over the olive’s grave. Things look bleak until one sunny morning, he discovers that his giant tears might’ve made for the perfect fertilizer; an olive tree has begun to grow!

Through simple dialogue that still effortlessly conveys big emotion, The Giant and the Olive tiptoes between grief and humor with a gentle charm, complemented by Daly’s color-packed, hatched illustrations. With themes that align naturally with social–emotional learning, the story emphasizes the importance of leaning on friends, or even an entire town, during moments of loss. This makes it a thoughtful learning & regulating tool for younger children, as well as older elementary readers who may be encountering heavy, hard feelings for the first time. Daly is careful not to paint grief and sadness as something to simply “get over,” as he makes sure to end with a final, encouraging (and perhaps giant) message: change and loss and olive (all of) one’s love can lead to new, beautiful beginnings.

Butler Bookshelf

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With all the current uncertainty & hurt in the world, sometimes you just need a pick-me-up. It’s snowy and slushy and super duper cold outside, so here’s to warming up… your insides! This week’s Butler Bookshelf is chock-full of feel-good picture books to inspire, encourage, and help you feel all things warm and fuzzy. Our feature pick this week is When I Redraw the World, written by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Heather Fox. One little girl is on a mission to redraw the world, and she’s got big plans: lion & zebra tea parties, dogs everywhere (complete with tennis ball confetti!), and enough love and magic to go around. Complete with adorably charming illustrations inked in bright color, When I Redraw the World is a perfect feel-good read for dreamers & drawers alike.

Check out some more warm & fuzzy picture books below!

Crouton
Kristine A. Lombardi
Random House Children’s Books / Random House Books for Young Readers
Available January 27th, 2026 (today!)

Two Artists, Grandad and Me
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Random House Children’s Books / Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Available now!

When I Redraw the World
Audrey Vernick
Illustrated Heather Fox
Random House Children’s Books / Random House Studio
Available now!

Let It Shine! A Celebration of You
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Tequitia Andrews
Random House Children’s Books / Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

The Wildest Thing
Emily Winfield Martin
Random House Children’s Books / Random House Books for Young Readers
Available now!

All You Need Is Love: A Review of We All Love

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We All Love
Julie Flett
Greystone Books / Greystone Kids
Ages 3+
Available February 10th, 2026!

From snuggling otters & hand-holding crabs under the sea to a family fireside bundled up in the cold, we all love. Flowers dance in the wind. Big stars illuminate the night. Warm stones make the perfect perch for a plover. The stories of flora & fauna are the stories of love—all around us, inside us, and they, as author Julie Flett suggests, help us grow.

As a sequel to the award-winning We All Play, Julie Flett returns, even five years later, with the same easy-to-read charm that made the original so beloved. The book maintains its distinctly handmade feel through soft pastel illustrations and simple yet poetic sentences that are perfectly suited for younger readers. Throughout the book, a recurring Cree phrase, kîstanaw mîna, meaning “we do too!” appears across various pages, reinforcing the central message of shared experience, interconnectedness between nature, and belonging. A helpful glossary of Cree animal names alongside their English counterparts is included, as well as pronunciation guidance that invites readers to engage more confidently with the language. The glossary thoughtfully notes that many Cree words don’t have direct English translations, instead reflecting a fluid process of innovation and creation rooted in Cree culture. Because of this, the book functions not only as a story but as a gentle educational tool.

We All Love is a great semi-bilingual introduction for readers interested in exploring a new language, particularly one that may be unfamiliar to most, while honoring Julie Fleet’s Cree-Métis roots in Indigenous language and knowledge. Through its celebration of nature, language, and connection, We All Love is the perfect affirmation that love surrounds us.

Butler Bookshelf

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Christmas is just two sleeps away! Can you believe it?! Although we’ve covered our fair share of Yuletide tales this holiday season, they do say the more the merrier… so here are five more wonderful wintertime reads to keep you busy before Santa’s big day. Guaranteed to bring joy for even the Grinches and Scrooges. Our feature pick this week is Merry Mittens: A Moontime Cats Christmas Story, written by Jordan Morris and illustrated by Charlie Mylie. Nighttime neighborhood shenanigans are always on the agenda for car friends Carl, Biscuit, and Peewee. They love to cause mischief, but when a mysterious trail of snowy paws leads them right to a big, meow-ing gift box, the three cats decide to find this kitten—well, Christmas present—the proper home. Under someone’s tree, of course.

Check out some other Christmas books below!

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
Maya Angelou
Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Random House Children’s Books / Anne Schwartz Books
Available now!

Candy Corn Christmas!
Jonathan Fenske
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / Little Simon
Available now!

Secrets From the North Pole: Discover the Magic of Christmas
Santa’s Head Elf and Saskia Gwinn
Illustrated by Daria Danilova
The Quarto Group / Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

Merry Mittens: A Moontime Cats Christmas Story
Jordan Morris
Illustrated by Charlie Mylie
Candlewick Press
Available now!

Listen to the Music at Christmas: A World of Magical Melodies
Mary Richards
Illustrated by Skylar White
The Quarto Group / Wide Eyed Editions
Available now!