This week, we are showcasing some new graphic novels in our collection. One powerful graphic is Pearl, a historical fiction work that follows a young teen, Amy, from Hawaii who traveled to Hiroshima, Japan in 1941 to visit her ill grandmother. Soon after, the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor, and Amy can no longer return home and has to settle into life in Japan. Eventually working for the Japanese army as a translator but still stuck between two countries at war with each other, she is forced to face questions of loyalty while she fears for her family’s safety. Immerse yourself in Amy’s world with Christine Norrie’s soft, emotive illustrations in Sherri L. Smith’s new children’s fiction novel.

Check out more of our graphic novels below!

Duck Moves In!
Written and illustrated by Kirk Reedstrom
Published by Disney – Hyperion
Available now!

Evil Spy School
Written by Stuart Gibbs
Illustrated by Anjan Sarkar
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess
Written and illustrated by Megan Brennan
Published by RH Graphic
Available now!

Pearl
Written by Sherri L. Smith
Illustrated by Christine Norrie
Published by Graphix
Available August 6th, 2024!

The New Girl
Written and illustrated by Cassandra Calin
Published by Graphix
Available June 4th, 2024!

With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei
Justina Chen
HarperCollins Publishers
Available May 7, 2024
Ages 8-12

Dessie Mei Breedlove always wanted a sister-twin. She spots Donna on the first day at her new school in the middle of sixth grade. “I do a double take. And another. Because the black-haired girl in the front row looks exactly like me” (p. 6). They have identical brown eyes, identical shiny black hair, and identical sassy smiles. The girls dive headfirst into their new maybe-sisterhood, enjoying every similarity they share like their favorite band, A2Z. Dessie and Donna must find out if they truly are sister-twins. They secretly take a DNA test without their parents’ permission. Astonishingly, Dessie and Donna are identical twins adopted from the same orphanage in China, and they were adopted by two separate families: a white family named the Breedloves and a Taiwanese family named the Lees. Despite the girls’ similarities, their differences soon create conflict, but Dessie does everything in her power to remain in good graces with Donna and the Lee family.

Early middle-grade readers will eat up the theme of this story: “Make Some Noise and Get into Good Trouble” (p. 302), which comes from one of Grammy’s protest posters and the famous activist John Lewis. When Amah, Donna’s grandma, suffers a brutal attack at the market because of her skin color, strong-willed and vexatious Dessie decides something must be done. She and her friends “get into good trouble” by standing up for Amah and the entire Asian community by organizing a rally at their school. Dessie’s character develops from being a regular uncertain tween into a girl who is passionate about family, community, and standing up for what is right. She is motivated by her strong friendships, tight bond with her multigenerational family, and keen sense of justice. Dessie says, “I have so much love to give. And so, so much love to receive” (p. 315). In fact, supplementary themes of the importance of friend love and family love give this book the tone of a warm hug.

We are welcoming spring this week with some of our new picture books that celebrate nature, the outdoors, gardening, and farming. In Miss MacDonald Has a Farm, Gwarjanski retells the familiar “Old MacDonald” children’s tune with a woman farmer at the center. Rewriting the lyrics to the beloved tune, readers can sing or read along as Miss MacDonald seeds, waters, picks, blooms, and harvests her vegetables, ultimately cooking a meal to be shared with a group of friends. In vibrant, earthy tones, Vukovic brings farming to life with her illustrations of pruning zucchinis and canning pumpkins. It’s hard not to smile while reading this exciting, joyful ode to farming that makes readers want to plant their own vegetables to harvest.

Check out more of our spring-inspired books below!

Lola Meets the Bees
Written by Anna McQuinn
Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Published by Charlesbridge Publishing
Available April 9th, 2024!

Miss MacDonald Has a Farm
Written by Kalee Gwarjanski
Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic
Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Planting Hope: A Portrait of Photographer Sebastião Salgado
Written by Philip Hoelzel
Illustrated by Renato Alarcão
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Available now!

The Sunshine Garden: Being a Team Player
Written by Jamie Michalak
Illustrated by Jenna Nahyun
Published by Charlesbridge Publishing
Available today!

What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest?: And Other Questions About Nature & Life Cycles
Written by Rachel Ignotofsky
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!

On the Butler Bookshelf this week, we have some charming fiction and nonfiction picture books. Our featured book this week is Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood. In the retelling of this fairytale, Mahogany is a spirited girl who likes listening to music, sewing, and wearing high-tops. She runs into the hungry wolf on her way to deliver honey cornbread to Grandma. Mahogany cleverly stands by a willow tree where her curly black hair merges with the branches. Hiding in the forest, her dark skin blends with the black shadows. Tricking the wolf’s nose, she knows her lavender essence will combine with the scent of the flowering plants. In the end, Mahogany’s sewing skills, smarts, and Blackness save her and her G-Ma in this fresh and delightful tale.

The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered 

Written by Jack Kurland

Published by Frances Lincoln First Editions

Available March 26, 2024

I Am A Masterpiece 

Written by Mia Armstrong

Illustrated by Alexandra Thompson

Published by Penguin Random House Children’s Books

Available now!

Log Life

Written by Amy Hevron 

Published by Simon & Schuster

Available now!

Lucky Duck 

Written by Greg Pizzoli 

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Available now!

Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale

Written by JaNay Brown-Wood

Illustrated by John Joven

Published by Charlesbridge

Available March 19, 2024

Ride Beside Me

Written by Lucy Knisley

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Available now!

The Lilies
Written by Quinn Diacon-Furtado
HarperTeen
Ages 13-17
Available April 30th, 2024

Welcome to Archwell Academy, an “all-girls” preparatory school that honors legacy and scrutinizes difference, epitomized by the school’s exclusive secret society—the Lilies. Initially at odds with each other, Drew (a non-binary transfer student), Blythe (striving to be the first Black valedictorian), Veró (Latina daughter of a Senator doubling as a guerilla artist), and Rory (chancellor’s daughter and school founder’s great-granddaughter struggling with addiction) quickly become entangled when one of their classmates—and Lilies recruit—goes missing. Stuck in a time loop that forces each of them to relive their most shameful memories leading up to Charlotte’s disappearance, Drew, Blythe, Veró, and Rory must wrestle with their guilt. The focus remains on saving Charlotte, but a mysterious fifth narrator slowly reveals that the students are also solving an age-old murder of another student: Rory’s great aunt Lillian, the namesake of the Lilies. As they work together through a troubling past and present, these unlikely allies grow into trusting friends that work in solidarity to rewrite history.

Like many academic thrillers, Archwell is insulated in a bubble of boarding school rules, dynamics, and traditions. But Diacon-Furtado also intentionally sets Archwell in a DC suburb against a familiar backdrop of modern threats, like mass shootings and transphobic legislation, where boarding school can’t protect students from the real world. As the story unfolds, so do the larger metaphors of trauma cycles, privilege, truth, and even a new meaning to living in the closet, a.k.a. a time loop. In this debut novel, Diacon-Furtado appeals to the complex and ethical questions of teenage life in their careful crafting of unreliable, imperfect characters that ultimately become redeemable during their time together. Using a candid voice and unexpected plot twists, Diacon-Furtado simultaneously creates anticipation, anxiety, and hope that will keep readers thinking. This fast-paced, queer, genre-bending story of solidarity acts as a mirror, asking readers not only how they are reinforcing harmful cycles but also how they can break them.

In honor of Women’s History Month, this week, Butler Bookshelf is featuring some of our books by women writers and who center women or girls as main characters. In Tender Beasts, Sunny Behre—the oldest of four siblings—has been raised by her mom to be the next matriarch of her family. Suddenly, her mom is murdered, and her youngest brother, Dom, is the prime suspect. Sunny is thrust into the family leader role sooner than she expected, with one mysterious, dying wish from her mother: “Take care of Dom.” While Sunny isn’t particularly close with Dom, she trusts her mother enough to try to clear Dom’s name and discovers more secrets in the process. Liselle Sambury delivers a psychological thriller that will keep you hooked.

Check out more of our titles by women featuring women below!

Drawing Deena
Written by Hena Khan
Published by Salaam Reads
Available now!

Ellie Mae Dreams Big!
Written by Kristina McMorris
Illustrated by Amanda Yoshida
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Available now!

Finally Heard
Written by Kelly Yang
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

Finding Normal
Written by Stephanie Faris
Published by Aladdin Books
Available now!

Tender Beasts
Written by Liselle Sambury
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Available now!

Marya Khan and The Awesome Adventure Park 

Saadia Faruqi 

Illustrated by Ani Bushry 

Amulet Books 

Available March 26, 2024 

Ages 6-9  

Excited about spring break, Marya, Hanna, and Alexa plan their trip to the most amazing place on the planet, Skye Adventure Park. Spirited third-grader Marya is determined to beat athletic Alexa in the obstacle course at Skye and have her name projected on the leaderboard for all to see. With the help of Baba, Marya researches how to become a major competitor and Operation Super Athlete, with its strict rules, is born. Rule number two states that athletes “practice regularly,” (p. 68) and rule number three asserts that it is important to “eat and sleep well” (p. 68). So, Mama cooks many delicious foods for Marya like protein-filled daal, wheat pancakes, yogurt, and fruit snacks. Marya then invites herself over to her frenemy’s (Alexa) house to train with her and her best friend, Hanna. The trio, but mostly Marya, prepare for the Skye Obstacle Course on ninja steps, a balance beam, a rock wall, and a climbing rope. Marya eagerly awaits competing against her friends at Skye and being crowned the super champion. 

In this playful and lighthearted series, Marya Khan battles her rival, Alexa, just like any competitive third grader. Each tome in the series is a stand-alone about Marya and Alexa competing to have the best birthday party, for example, in book one. The dialogue demonstrates the spunkiness in the well-developed young characters. When Mama announces they’re going to Skye Adventure Park, Alexa squealed, “Oh my god, seriously? That’s awesome!” (p. 48). The four rules about how to be a super athlete are themes in the book and rules of thumb for life. Rule number four is an important lesson, especially for the young readers of the book: “It’s okay to lose sometimes” (p.68). Losing is a crucial life lesson that everyone needs to experience, and as Marya learns, sometimes it is better to work as a team rather than fighting to win. Black and white illustrations complement the fast-paced and entertaining text. At the start of each chapter, a Word of the Day from Marya’s journal provides some insight into the upcoming plot, and at the end of the book, readers have the option to plan an obstacle course, just like Marya did in the story.

We have new teen fiction this week on the Butler Bookshelf! This week we are featuring a novel in verse called Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo. Elhillo recounts the story of 16-year-old Samira who has a reputation for being the “bad girl” in her neighborhood. After being grounded for a scandalous rumor, Samira’s dream of a fun summer full of parties and exploring the city is stymied. She turns to the poetry slam scene for support and captures the attention of an older, mesmerizing poet named Horus. Samira feels that she is desired for the first time, but she is keeping a secret that could threaten her reputation again in her community. She must figure out how to balance being true to herself, her poetry, and her family.

Bright Red Fruit
Written by Safia Elhillo
Published by Make Me A World
Available now!

Dead Girls Don’t Say Sorry
Written by Alex Ritany
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear
Written by Robin Wasley
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!

The Eternal Ones
Written by Namina Forna
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

Snowglobe
Written by Soyoung Park
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!