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Debbie have you seen THE NIGHT TOURIST by Katherine Marsh

Debbie have you seen Tara Lazars NORMAL NORMAN

What is "normal?" Thats the question an eager young scientist, narrating her very first book, hopes to answer. Unfortunately, her exceedingly"normal" subject�an orangutan named Norman�turns out to be exceptionally strange. He speaks English, sleeps in a bed, loves his stuffed toy, goes bananas over pizza, and even deep-sea dives! Oh, no: whats a "normal" scientist to do? A humorous look at the wackiness that makes us all special� and a gentle reminder that "normal" cant ever be defined!

Debbie have you seen THE DRAGON HAMMER by Tony Daniel

Beast-men, bitter feuds, and battles are just some of the elements in this epic coming-of-age fantasy, set in an alternate North America populated by Viking-like settlements, Romans who practice blood magic, and mythical creatures. 

First in the Wulf Saga, the story is a kitchen sink of fantasy tropes, with elves and gnomes existing alongside animal-human hybrids (who replace a native population in a regrettable worldbuilding decision), and a vaguely explained mythology involving stars and dragons.

Evil from the dawn of time is on the verge of domination�but Wulf von Dunstig figured none of that mattered to him. What could he do about it? After all, he was basically nobody�the sixteen-year-old third son of a duke destined for an uneventful life as a ranger. But when destiny comes calling, it turns out there is only Wulf to answer. After a devastating invasion of his native land, Wulf must rally the peaceful valley of Shenandoah. He must free his family and his land from the grip of intruders controlled by vampiric evil.

Debbie have you seen Cammie McGoverns JUST MY LUCK

Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGoverns middle grade debut is a powerful and heartwarming story that will appeal to readers who loved R. J. Palacios Wonder, Ann M. Martins Rain Reign, and Holly Sloans Counting by 7s.

Fourth grade is not going at all how Benny Barrows hoped. He hasnt found a new best friend. Hes still not a great bike rider�even though his brother George, whos autistic, can do tricks. And worst of all, he worries his dads recent accident might be all his fault. Benny tries to take his moms advice and focus on helping others, and to take things one step at a time. But when his dad ends up in the hospital again, Benny doesnt know how he and his family will overcome all the bad luck that life seems to have thrown their way.

Just My Luck is a deeply moving and rewarding novel about a down-on-his-luck boy whose caring heart ultimately helps him find the strength to cope with tragedy and realize how much he truly has to offer his friends and family.

Debbie have you seen Joan Crates BLACK APPLE

A dramatic and lyrical coming-of-age novel about a young Blackfoot girl who grows up in the residential school system on the Canadian prairies.

Torn from her home and delivered to St. Mark�s Residential School for Girls by government decree, young Rose Marie finds herself in an alien universe where nothing of her previous life is tolerated, not even her Blackfoot name. For she has entered into the world of the Sisters of Brotherly Love, an order of nuns dedicated to saving the Indigenous children from damnation. Life under the sharp eye of Mother Grace, the Mother General, becomes an endless series of torments, from daily recitations and obligations to chronic sickness and inedible food. And then there are the beatings. All the feisty Rose Marie wants to do is escape from St. Mark�s. How her imagination soars as she dreams about her lost family on the Reserve, finding in her visions a healing spirit that touches her heart. But all too soon she starts to see other shapes in her dreams as well, shapes that warn her of unspoken dangers and mysteries that threaten to engulf her. And she has seen the rows of plain wooden crosses behind the school, reminding her that many students have never left here alive.

Set during the Second World War and the 1950s, Black Apple is an unforgettable, vividly rendered novel about two very different women whose worlds collide: an irrepressible young Blackfoot girl whose spirit cannot be destroyed, and an aging yet powerful nun who increasingly doubts the value of her life. It captures brilliantly the strange mix of cruelty and compassion in the residential schools, where young children are forbidden to speak their own languages and given Christian names. As Rose Marie matures, she finds increasingly that she knows only the life of the nuns, with its piety, hard work and self-denial. Why is it, then, that she is haunted by secret visions�of past crimes in the school that terrify her, of her dead mother, of the Indigenous life on the plains that has long vanished? Even the kind-hearted Sister Cilla is unable to calm her fears. And then, there is a miracle, or so Mother Grace says. Now Rose is thrust back into the outside world with only her wits to save her.

With a poet�s eye, Joan Crate creates brilliantly the many shadings of this heartbreaking novel, rendering perfectly the inner voices of Rose Marie and Mother Grace, and exploring the larger themes of belief and belonging, of faith and forgiveness.

Debbie have you seen BELLA BELLA by Jonathan London

From best-selling author Jonathan London comes BELLA BELLA, the heart-pounding sequel to DESOLATION CANYON. In this story for young readers, the same cast of characters?thirteen-year-olds Aaron and Lisa and their fathers, and seventeen-year-old Cassidy and his dad?embark on a sea kayaking trip through the Inside Passage that brings them unexpected and even terrifying adventures. Young readers will eagerly follow Aaron�s adventures in this suspenseful page turner, as he learns to navigate a kayak, discovers another side to a bully, shares a first kiss, encounters the desperate world of human trafficking, and challenges an evil smuggler who threatens the entire group.

Debbie have you seen THE CRYING ROCKS by Janet Taylor Lisle

From Newbery Honor author Janet Taylor Lisle comes a lyrical story about one girl�s discovery of her startling past�and her search to understand her complicated present.

Joelle�s height and dark skin set her apart from everyone in Marshfield. It�s no secret that she�s adopted, but where is she from? Aunt Mary Louise says she came from Chicago on a freight train, but the story doesn�t sit right with Joelle. There�s something more. She feels it.

Carlos, the quiet boy in Joelle�s Spanish class, sees it. When he tells her that she looks like a girl in the town library�s old mural of Narragansett Indians, Joelle can�t help sneaking a look. She�s surprised by a flicker of recognition. And when Carlos tells her about the Crying Rocks, where the ghosts of Narragansett children are said to cry for their lost mothers, Joelle knows she must visit them.

When they finally set out through the forest, neither she nor Carlos anticipates the power of the ancient place, or the revelations to be found there�about the pasts they�ve both buried, and the discovery of a rare kind of courage that runs deep in Joelle�s family.

�What was that?� Carlos asks.
Joelle listens but hears nothing, only the sound of wind kicking branches overhead. "What?�
�A scream. Did you hear it?�
She shakes her head. "No. Nothing."

Carlos listens again. �Somewhere over there is a mass of glacial boulders called the Crying Rocks.� His face, in shadow, has taken on a stern, gaunt look. For the first time, Joelle sees, or imagines she sees, a vague outline of his Indian ancestry�something about his nose and the slope of his forehead. He is gazing intently into the forest.

�The story is that when you pass by these rocks at certain times, you hear children crying,� he says.
�Children! What children?�
Around them, tree shadows flick and twist.
�Ghosts of Indian children,� Carlos says. �They were killed there or something. A long time ago.�
�Its getting so dark,� Joelle murmurs.
In that moment an eerie feeling descends on them both.
�Lets get out of here,� Carlos whispers.

Debbie have you seen A R Kahlers SHADES OF DARKNESS

American Gods meets The Secret History in this suspenseful start to a brand-new fantasy trilogy about a girl named Kaira Winters, the murders that keep happening at her artsy boarding school, and the lengths she must go to in order to protect the people she loves.

When Kaira Winters decided to go to Islington�a boarding school deep in the woods of Michigan�she thought she could finally get away from everything she has tried so hard to forget, including some things from her past that she refuses to believe ever actually happened.

Everything seemed great until the bodies of murdered students started appearing all over campus. The victims seem to have been killed in some sort of ritual sacrifice. And even worse, Kaira�s dreams are giving her clues to the killer�s identity.

Though she tries to resist, Kaira quickly realizes that she is the only one who can stop the violence, but to do so she must come to terms with her past. She�s going to have to listen to the voice that is buried deep within her�the one that claims to have unimaginable power�the one that claims to be an actual goddess.

But even if Kaira can harness the power within her, will it be enough to stop the darkness that has fallen over her school? And if it is strong enough, then what�s to stop the goddess from wreaking her own havoc once she�s released?

Her family was Korean, though shed lived in the States for so much of her childhood, her accent was flawless.

Debbie have you seen Kelly DiPucchios ONE LITTLE TWO LITTLE THREE LITTLE CHILDREN

From bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio, with illustrations by Mary Lundquist, comes a charming new picture book in the vein of Liz Garton Scanlon�s All the World and Susan Meyers�s Everywhere Babies.

One Little Two Little Three Little Children�an exuberant reinvention of the classic children�s rhyme�is pure read-aloud, sing-along joy and an irresistible celebration of all kinds of children and families.

Facing this page is a trio of homes: �Snow-cozy, / stick-cozy, / brick-cozy houses,� and herein lies the rub: the igloo and teepee depicted here are juxtaposed with a child making a structure of building blocks, undermining efforts at multicultural inclusion by falsely equating these so-called �snow� and �stick� structures with toys. These depictions also bring to the forefront the text�s similarities to versions of the rhyme referring to �One little, / two little, / three little Indians� that have been roundly critiqued as racist, or, even more egregiously, other versions that use the n-word. The appearance of another teepee on the outskirts of the closing illustration is perplexing�is it a plaything like the soccer goals? Or just a visual balance for the ice cream truck? Or something else?

Debbie have you seen JOURNEY INTO MOHAWK COUNTRY by Harmen Meyndertsz von den Bogaert and George OConnor

Debbie, have you seen...

An illustrated childrens version of the journal of a young Dutch trader, Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, who journeyed into the land of the Iroquois Indians, a Mowhawk tribe that controlled the trade routes in the area, in 1634, seeking to bolster the Dutch trade in what is now New York State.

Debbie have you seen RED MOON RISING by K A Holt

Space-farmer Rae Darling is kidnapped and trained to become a warrior against her own people in this adventurous middle grade space western.

Rae Darling and her family are colonists on a moon so obscure it doesn�t merit a name. Life is hard, water is scarce, and the farm work she does is grueling. But Rae and her sister Temple are faced with an added complication�being girls is a serious liability in their strict society. Even worse, the Cheese�the colonists� name for the native people on the moon�sometimes kidnap girls from the human colony. And when Rae�s impetuous actions disrupt the fragile peace, the Cheese come for her and Temple.

Though Rae and Temple are captives in the Cheese society, they are shocked to discover a community full of kindness and acceptance. Where the human colonists subjugated women, the Cheese train the girls to become fierce warriors. Over time, Temple forgets her past and becomes one of the Cheese, but Rae continues to wonder where her loyalties truly lie. When her training is up, will she really be able to raid her former colony? Can she kidnap other girls, even if she might be recruiting them to a better life?

When a Cheese raid goes wrong and the humans retaliate, Rae�s loyalty is put to the ultimate test. Can Rae find a way to restore peace�and preserve both sides of herself?

Debbie have you seen SOME KIND OF COURAGE by Dan Gemeinhart

Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone hes ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, hes lost his pony-fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her.

Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isnt about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left.

Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything. But he hasnt lost hope. And he hasnt lost the fire in his belly that says hes getting his Sarah back-no matter what.

The critically acclaimed author of The Honest Truth returns with a poignant, hopeful, and action-packed story about hearts that wont be tamed... and spirits that refuse to be broken.

"Shes half Indian pony, so shes got some spirit, but she aint nothing but perfect with me."

"It was Indians. [...] The boys eyes narrowed. He bared his teeth like a wolf and snarled a word low and mean in his native tongue."

Debbie have you seen MacMillan Kirkers MULTICULTURAL STORYTIME MAGIC

Storytime audiences grow ever more diverse, and it s important that the materials used in programs reflect that richness of experience. Multiculturalism need not be an occasional initiative attached to particular holidays. In this book best-selling authors MacMillan and Kirker offer a new paradigm for multicultural programs, one in which diversity is woven into any and every storytime, no matter what the topic. Arranged thematically around dozens of popular storytime themes, the authors

• Present original and traditional resources from all over the world that will enrich storytimes for ages 2 through 5

• Offer concrete book recommendations, fingerplays, and other activities that can be integrated into existing storytimes

• Include download links for flannelboard and stick puppet patterns, and illustrations of American Sign Language signs

With numerous activities and programming suggestions, this book will seamlessly integrate and enhance cultural awareness for children all year round.

Non-Native children often believe that all American Indian people live in tipis. There is a reason for this erroneous idea. Books, cartoons, and movies typically show all Native people living in the past, most often in the tipi, the traditional abode for the plains Nations. For example, What Can You Do With a Pocket? (Merriam 1964) shows generic Indians in front of tipis. Some teachers try to counter this by studying the historic abodes of various Native Nations. Few teachers or books, however, show the homes of Native peoples today. Books such as A House Is a House for Me (Hoberman 1978), still being sold in bookstores as of this writing, continue to lock Native peoples in houses of the past (p. 13):

An igloos a house for an Eskimo.
A tepees a house for a Cree.
A pueblos a house for a Hopi.
And a wigwam may hold a Mohee.

This stanza is clearly an attempt on the authors part to reflect the diversity of Native Nations, and perhaps to counter the prevalent image that all Native peoples traditional lived in tipis. However, the attempt is flawed because the author portrays Native peoples in the past and not in the present. A House Is a House for Me is a clear example of how a well-meant effort to diversity curriculum can go badly astray if all the factors are not considered.

Debbie have you seen DREAMLAND BURNING by Jennifer Latham

When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her familys property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the past... and the present.

Nearly one hundred years earlier, a misguided violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do whats right the night Tulsa burns.

Through intricately interwoven alternating perspectives, Jennifer Latham�s lightning-paced page-turner brings the Tulsa race riot of 1921 to blazing life and raises important question about the complex state of US race relations � both yesterday and today.

Debbie have you seen S D Nelsons SITTING BULL LAKOTA WARRIOR AND DEFENDER OF HIS PEOPLE

Increasingly, today�s readers also want to see dialogue attribution in the back matter of biographies. That�s because invented dialogue is still a touchy subject. You have those who think that it has no place and that any sort of made-up dialogue puts the biography squarely in the category of historical fiction. Then you have those who think such dialogue is acceptable, helps bring the story to life, and can still be considered nonfiction. In 2014, Betsy Bird wrote here about her changing feelings on the subject (�In general I stand by my anti-faux dialogue stance but recently I�ve been cajoled into softening, if not abandoning, my position�), which made me nod my head a lot.

Here�s where I (and many others) draw the line: if a biographer invents dialogue or shifts around facts in any sort of way, they need to come clean about this in the back matter. A great example of this is Greg Pizzoli�s Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower, the story of con artist Robert Miller, published last year and named a Kirkus Best Book of 2015. There�s a line in the starred review of the book that states: �The truth behind Miller�s exploits is often difficult to discern, and Pizzoli notes the research challenges in an afterword.� 

Debbie have you seen Lane Smiths AUGIE HOBBLE

Augie Hobble lives in a fairy tale?or at least Fairy Tale Place, the down-on-its-luck amusement park managed by his father. Yet his life is turning into a nightmare: hes failed creative arts and has to take summer school, the girl he has a crush on wont acknowledge him, and Hogg Wills and the school bullies wont leave him alone. Worse, a succession of mysterious, possibly paranormal, events have him convinced that hes turning into a werewolf. At least Augie has his notebook and his best friend Britt to confide in?until the unthinkable happens and Augies life is turned upside down, and those mysterious, possibly paranormal, events take on a different meaning.

Debbie have you seen Jean Craighead Georges THE TALKING EARTH

It was tied beside the airboat, a flat boat with a motorized fan that "blew" passengers across the saw grass in the watery prairie the Indians called the pa-hay-okee.

Debbie have you seen John Flanagans THE GHOSTFACES

From John Flanagan, author of the worldwide bestselling Rangers Apprentice, comes a brand-new chapter in the adventures of young Skandians who form a different kind of family--a brotherband.

When the Brotherband crew are caught in a massive storm at sea, they�re blown far off course and wash up on the shores of a land so far west that Hal can�t recognize it from any of his maps. Eerily, the locals are nowhere in sight, yet the Herons have a creeping feeling they are being watched.

Suddenly the silence is broken when a massive, marauding bear appears, advancing on two children. The crew springs into action and rescues the children from the bear�s clutches, which earns them the gratitude and friendship of the local Mawagansett tribe, who finally reveal themselves. But the peace is short-lived. The Ghostfaces, a ruthless, warlike tribe who shave their heads and paint their faces white, are on the warpath once more. It�s been ten years since they raided the Mawagansett village, but they�re coming back to pillage and reap destruction. As the enemy approaches, the Herons gear up to help their new friends repel an invasion.

Debbie have you seen Joseph Bruchacs THE LONG RUN

Follow Travis Hawk on a cross-country trek as he escapes a world of brutality and uncertainty and puts his trust, and even his very life, in the hands of total strangers. Traviss story is one of struggle, survival, risk and resilience, navigating a solo journey of hundreds of miles to seek a safe haven far from the demons of his past.

Debbie have you seen TRU NELLE by G Neri

Long before they became famous writers, Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) were childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama. This fictionalized account of their time together opens at the beginning of the Great Depression, when Tru is seven and Nelle is six. They love playing pirates, but they like playing Sherlock and Watson-style detectives even more. It�s their pursuit of a case of drugstore theft that lands the daring duo in real trouble. Humor and heartache intermingle in this lively look at two budding writers in the 1930s South.