Check out these exciting easy and fiction titles published in May. Everything here is realistic, including historical fiction, mysteries, and adventure. Happy reading!
ELEMENTARY PICTURE BOOKS
The Bagel King by Andrew Larsen (ill. by Sandy Nichols). 9781771385749. 2018. Gr PK-2.
Every Sunday Eli’s Zaida brings him bagels from the bakery. But one Sunday, after Zaida was injured in a fall, he didn’t show up. When Eli discovers that Zaida had been bring baked goods to all his friends as well, he decides to help.
Dad By My Side by Soosh. 9780316438087. 2018. Gr PK-2.
Instagram star Soosh celebrates the loving bond between fathers and daughters using a larger-than-life father and tiny daughter.
Day at the Beach by Tom Booth. 9781534411050. 2018. Gr K-2.
Every year siblings Gideon and Audrey build a sand castle together at the beach. But this year Gideon wants to make one on his own—with no help from his sister.
Dog on a Digger by Kate Prendergast. 9781536200416. 2018. Gr PK-1.
A dog, riding along with his human at the construction site, realizes that his smaller doggie friend is missing. But how to find him?
Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey. 9780316510318. 2018. Gr K-3.
Charlotte loves tinkering with, coding, and fixing all things electronic. Then Mom gives her a doll. Charlotte is baffled about what to do with the doll, until she discovers its power source and begins to make improvements to the doll’s programming. But problems arise when Charlotte’s little dog gets jealous over the time she spends with the doll.
Hazelnut Days by Emmanuel Bourdier. 9789888341542. 2018. Gr K-2.
This picture books follows the story of a boy going to see his incarcerated father on visiting jail.
The Honeybee by Kirsten Hall & Isabelle Arsenault. 9781481469975. 2018. Gr K-2.
Simple rhyming text and colorful illustrations show honeybees foraging for pollen and nectar and making honey at their hive.
A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano (ill. by Lane Smith). 9781626723146. 2018. Gr PK-3.
A young boy and girl explore an abandoned house and imagine living there, putting together clues from all the items discarded in the house, their own imaginations running wild questioning who used to live there.
I Need All of It by Petra Postert (ill. by Jens Rassmus). 9781250112712. 2018. Gr PK-1.
While doing laundry, a father finds three small objects in Jim’s jeans: a button, a key, and a stone. Jim insists that he needs them all, telling stories about how he found them.
Let’s Go ABC! : Things That Go, from A to Z by Rhonda Gowler Greene (ill. by Daniel Kirk). 9780802735096. 2018. Gr PK-2.
New and favorite trucks, cars, planes, and more teach the alphabet.
Marwan’s Journey by Patricia de Arias & Laura Borras. 9789888341559. 2018. Gr K-2.
A young refugee boy takes an unknown journey away from his war-torn homeland. And as he reaches the border along with thousands of other displaced people, he doesn’t know if he will find a home in a new country.
One of a Kind by Chris Gorman. 9781524740627. 2018. Gr K-3.
A young boy sighs that it’s not easy being different…until three other kids, also different in their own ways, show up to form an impromptu band. But, he finally decides, “It’s great to be one of a kind together.”
Pet Dad by Elanna Allen. 9780525428268. 2018. Gr PK-2.
Plum wants a pet, but her dad does not. So Plum pretends her dad is her pet, giving him tummy rubs and ear scratches. Her dad plays along, until she tries to teach him tricks (he insists on using the toilet instead of the back yard). This funny book is especially great for Father’s Day or dad’s birthday.
Pie Is for Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard (ill. by Jason Chin). 9781626725621. 2108. Gr PK-1.
Pie is for sharing, but many other things at this diverse community’s Fourth of July celebration can be shared, including a jump rope, cousins, and the breeze and the sky.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul by Susan Verde (ill. by Matthew Cordell). 9781419728495. 2018. Gr K-2.
A young girl is determined to make her own unique music during a school talent show.
Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin Kheiriyeh. 9781338150520. 2018. Gr PK-2.
Rashin, a new immigrant, compares a day at the beach in Iran with her first experience at the beach at Coney Island.
Summer Color! by Diana Murray (ill. by Zoe Persico). 9780316370943. 2108. Gr PK-2.
Two lively children discover the vibrant colors of summer in their backyard.
ELEMENTARY CHAPTER BOOKS
Ask Emma (Book 1) by Sheryl Berk. 9781499806472. 2018. Gr 4-7.
Emma had a great idea—she knows it’s great because her fingertips are tingling. She is going to start an advice blog for her school. But she is not prepared for some of the questions—how to get out of detention—or for the negative comments she receives. She learns about dealing with cyberbullying, and the book includes resources for that in the back a well.
Boy Bites Bug by Rebecca Petruck. 9781419721410. 2018. Gr 4-6.
To defuse a situation between his best friend and a new student, Nolan eats a live stink bug, gaining popularity and a class project idea but, perhaps, losing a friend.
The Cure for Cold Feet by Beth Ain. 9780399550843. 2108. Gr 3-6.
Middle schooler Izzy Klein writes free verse poems about her middle school woes, which include a very annoying boy, lunch tables of popular girls, her mom’s new friend and her dad’s remarrying, her overly dramatic brother, and her woes over a ballroom dance.
The Front Desk by Kelly Yang. 9781338157796. 2108. Gr 4-6.
Ten-year-old Mia Tang and her immigrant parents take over management of a rundown motel in Southern California. While her mother cleans rooms, Mia runs the front desk. They also hide immigrants in the empty rooms, which could get them kicked out of the motel if the mean owner ever found out. She also desperately wants to be a writer, but her mother thinks she should stick with math because English is her second language.
The Key to Every Thing by Pat Schmatz. 9780763695668. 2018. Gr 4-6.
When Tash is forced to go to summer camp, she is furious with her Uncle Kevin (her guardian) for sending her and with Cap’n Jackie, her elderly neighbor and friend, for agreeing with him. But after her summer away, Tash is eager to go home, apologize, and have everything back to normal. However, Cap’n Jackie is in a rehab facility after breaking her hip and is uncommunicative after surgery. Tash needs to find a way to get through to her.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty. 9781524767570. 2018. Gr 4-6.
Twelve-year-old Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning and became a math genius. Homeschooled since the incident, and technically ready for college, Lucy’s grandmother insists that Lucy go to middle school for at least one year, make one friend, join one activity, and read one non-math-related book. Lucy then learns that life is more than just numbers.
The Missing Baseball (Zach & Zoe Mysteries, Book 1) by Mike Lupica. 9780425289365. 2108. Gr 1-4.
Fourth-grader Zayd has great plans to be a star basketball player when he grows up, as well as being the first Pakistani-American kid in the NBA. And for starters, he wants to make the Gold Team at school. But his parents want him to play violin instead of basketball and threaten to ground him from practicing basketball. He needs to find a way to stand up for his dreams.
Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages. 9780425288597. 2018. Gr 4-6.
In 1957, Katy Gordon is the best pitcher in her neighborhood, and everybody knows it. But when she wants to join Little League, she is told girls can’t play. With the help of some helpful librarians and tenacious research, she learns the history of women in baseball to prove that she should be able to play.
Power Forward (Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream, Book 1) by Hena Khan. 9781534411999. 2018. Gr 2-5.
Fourth-grader Zayd has great plans to be a star basketball player when he grows up, as well as being the first Pakistani-American kid in the NBA. And for starters, he wants to make the Gold Team at school. But his parents want him to play violin instead of basketball and threaten to ground him from practicing basketball. He needs to find a way to stand up for his dreams.
Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant. 9781534412774. 2018. Gr 2-5.
In 1972 Indiana, nine-year-old Flora struggles with the death of her dog and the separation of her parents. With the help of her friends, Yury and Nessie, and her newly-adopted stray cat, Flora finds affirming change and strength, made better when her parents reconcile.
Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins. 9780062499660. 2018. Gr 3-6.
Alix and her sister Jools are nervous about leaving home to go on vacation to the beach, but once there, the two girls go exploring, meet new people, and discover how exciting the beach can be. There is a lot of science seamlessly integrated into the story.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. 9780399544682. 2018. Gr 5-8.
In a Pakistani village, Amal works hard to become a teacher. But after an unfortunate encounter with the son of a corrupt landlord, Amal becomes an indentured servant to the Khan family to pay off her own family’s debt. At the extravagant estate, she learns just how far the Khan’s go to protect their status and realizes that she must work with others to change the status quo.
Confusion Is Nothing New by Paul Acampora. 9781338209990. 2018. Gr 5-8.
Ellie doesn’t remember her mom, but she just found out that she has died. Her mom had been the lead singer for an 80’s tribute band. Ellie wants to find out more about her mom, but her dad is not willing to talk about the woman that abandoned her family. Learning that her mom’s band will be in town, Ellie decides to talk to the band members and others who knew her.
From You to Me by K.A. Holt. 9781338193305. 2018. Gr 5-8.
A few years ago, Amelia’s older sister Clara died—and that is just enough change for Amelia. Then she finds a letter that Clara had written to herself, in which she had listed all the things she wanted to do before the end of middle school and never got to do. Amelia decides to finish the list. Maybe that will help her stop hurting and start feeling like her old self.
Here Comes Trouble by Kate Hattemer. 9781524718466. 2108. Gr 5-7.
When Flynn comes from New York City to stay with Soren and his family in their small Minnesota town, Soren hopes his cousin will fill the void left after his best friend moved away. But Flynn and Soren have very different ideas of fun. It seems they have very different ideas about most things. Flynn is less than impressed by Soren’s prankster ways. And while Soren was planning to reform himself after his buddy moved, he’s not so sure he wants to give up his jokester lifestyle anymore.
The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman. 9780735229471. 2018. Gr 6-8.
Twelve-year-old Imani, the only black girl in Hebrew school, is preparing for her bat mitzvah and hoping to find her birthparents when she discovers the history of adoption in her own family through her great-grandma Anna’s Holocaust-era diary.
Racing Manhattan by Terence Blacker. 9780763692735. 2018. Gr 7-10.
Jay feels that her only talent is understanding and riding racehorses. Leaving home to escape her shady uncle, she starts to work at a racing stable. There she meets Manhattan, a beautiful mare that is as much of a misfit as Jay, a mare no one wants. She is determined to give Manhattan one last chance to be the champion Jay knows she is.
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth. 9781616208196. 2018. Gr 5-8.
After her parents are arrested by Chinese soldiers because of their religious beliefs, twelve-year-old Tash and her best friend Sam travel from their home in Tibet across the Himalayas to India in order to seek the help of the Dalai Lama.
Whatshisface by Gordon Korman. 9781338200164. 2018. Gr 4-7.
Twelve-year-old Cooper Vega and his military family have moved so often that he is used to new schoolmates not knowing his name. At the moment he has a bigger problem—his new phone is haunted by the ghost of Roderick Northrop, a boy from the sixteenth-century, who needs his help to finish a quest, which is somehow tied up in his middle school’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
HIGH SCHOOL FICTION
The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan. 9781419728587. 2018. Gr 9-12.
After hooking up with her best friend’s ex, high school senior Kendall finds her reputation destroyed. And when her online identity is hacked and she is framed for stealing from a dealer, she is thrust into a world of drugs, detectives, and shady people living in the shadows of her Brooklyn private school. She needs to decide if she should lean into her new identity as a bad girl or embrace who she once was.
Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong. 9780399550362. 2108. Gr 9-12.
Three years ago, Skye left town after losing her older brother in a high school shooting. Now she’s back, the sister of the boy who participated in the mass murder of his classmates and was shot by police in the process. And while she deals with the sideways glances and outright hatred of her classmates, she reunites with Jesse, her friend whose brother was killed in the shooting. Both are desperate for answers because there’s more to what happened that day than anyone ever imagined.
Airports, Exes, and Other Things I’m Over by Shani Petroff. 9781250130501. 2018. Gr 8-12.
When a bad storm cancels both her flight, Sari is trapped in the airport for hours. And so is Fitz, a hot “Captain America” college guy. But so is Sari’s cheating boyfriend Zev. When the opportunity to take a connecting flight to Boston pops up, she ends up on the plane with both Fitz and Zev in this comedy about forgiveness.
All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor. 9780062673657. 2018. Gr 8-12.
In a story told from different perspectives as interviews, journal entries, and book excerpts, four Long Island teens befriend best-selling YA novelist Fatima Ro, who uses their deepest secrets in her next book, leaving all of the teens feeling betrayed.
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro. 9781250167026. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Gay African-American student Moss Jeffries feels stuck in his run-down West Oakland High School. Moss still mourns the death of his father, shot by police years earlier, when a violent incident at his school prompts him to channel his simmering anger into community activism against a corrupt authority system.
The Dead Enders by Erin Saldin. 9781481490337. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Ana, Davis, Erik, and Georgie are bound together by a tragedy from their past and feel trapped in their small tourist town. When an arsonist as well as the return of long-lost family members force them to confront what really happened all those years ago, they learn that someone is keeping a dangerous secret.
Driving by Starlight by Anat Deracine. 9781250133427. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Growing up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, best friends Leena and Mishie engage in small rebellions against strict cultural norms, such as no Western clothing, music, and flirtations with boys. But Leena wants to go to college and a live different life than the one she was raised in, leading her to take dangerous risks.
Fatal Throne : The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All by Candace Fleming, et al. 9781524716196. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Seven award-winning young adult authors use different viewpoints to illuminate the lives of Britain’s King Henry VIII and his six wives.
The Foreseeable Future by Emily Adrian. 9780399538995. 2018. Gr 10-12.
Though her parents expect her to attend college in her hometown where they both teach, Audrey just wants to live in Seattle. So she gets her nursing assistant certificate and gets a job at a nearby nursing home, where classmate Seth also works. On a date at the beach one night, Audrey saves the life of a girl who collapsed. Someone films it, her rescue goes viral, and suddenly she has more options that she knows what to do with.
From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon. 9781481495400. 2018. Gr 7-12.
Twinkle Mehra is asked by fellow film geek Sahil Roy to direct a movie for a summer arts festival. She is thrilled to show off her talent. Then a mystery man begins emailing her, causing Twinkle to rethink who and want she wants. And before she knows it, she finds herself falling for Sahil. Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers through text messages, emails, blog posts, and letters, trying to express herself while deciphering what her heart is telling her.
The Game Can’t Love You Back by Karole Cozzo. 9781250163899. 2018. Gr 9-12.
The only girl on her school’s baseball team, Eve knows how to deal with macho athletes and to focus only on being the best pitcher she can. But when her school is merged with a neighboring high school, she finds that most of the men on the new team don’t know how to—or want to—deal with a woman teammate, especially Jamie, their star pitcher. Competition leads to attraction, and readers will enjoy the twist ending.
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake. 9781328778239. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Mara’s twin brother Owen is accused of rape, and as close as they are as siblings, Mara seriously questions whether he is capable of sexual assault. To complicate matters, the girl accusing Owen is Mara’s friend Hannah—and Mara is already dealing with one crumbling relationship in her ex-girlfriend Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie face the crime, they are all forced to confront their feelings about family and friends, right and wrong, consent, victim blaming, and past traumas.
Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth. 9781338143546. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Carson wants to leave his mark at school by winning the Battle of the Bands, but he doesn’t actually have a band. And his brother was shot in a racist crime. Maggi and her family, back in the Rez after seven years, work at selling beadwork to tourists, though she would prefer to make high-concept art. Carson is attracted to Maggi, until he finds out she is in a relationship with a white man who doesn’t treat her as well as he should. Gansworth’s novel covers racism, bullying, identity, and the difficulties of reservation life,
Jazz Owls : A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots by Margarita Engle. 9781534409439. 2018. Gr 7-12.
In 1940s Los Angeles, Navy sailors prepare to ship off to the front lines of World War II. Marisela, Lorena, and other Mexican American girls spend their days working in canneries, then dance with the sailors at night, where they are called Jazz Owls. In May and June of 1943, white teenage soldiers began attacking the Mexican American boys and men for wearing zoot suits—considered unpatriotic at the time, and indicative of criminal behavior—which later became known as the Zoot Suit Riots.
The Lies They Tell by Gillian French. 9780062642585. 2018. Gr 9-12.
When her caretaker father is wrongly blamed for a deadly house fire, Pearl befriends its only survivor and his friends in hopes of getting answers about what happened that night. What she uncovers will change not only her life, but the entire town forever.
A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller. 9780062662002. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Arthur discovers a journal written by his grandfather, a famous author in his time, who went missing years ago and was found dead hundreds of miles away a week later. Due to his Alzheimer’s disease, the journal is filled with dementia-related nonsense, but Arthur decides to follow the journal to try and recreate the last week of his grandfather’s life and discover how and why he died.
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. 9780062422675. 2018. Gr 9-12.
When Claudia comes back from summer vacation, her best friend Monday is gone. They’ve been friends since childhood, and now no one can tell her what happened. In fact, nobody even seems concerned about Monday’s disappearance. Claudia is determined to find out where her friend is and what happened to her.
Moonrise by Sarah Crossan. 9781681193663. 2018. Gr 10-12.
With his older brother on death row awaiting execution in a few weeks, seventeen-year-old Joe Moon is determined to spend as much time with him as he can, no matter the cost or other people’s opinion.
My Name Is Victoria by Lucy Worsley. 9780763688073. 2018. Gr 8-12.
Sir John Conroy instructs his daughter, Miss V Conroy, to become a companion to the young princess Victoria (who will go on to become the famous Queen Victoria). Initially reluctant, Miss V and Victoria eventually develop a close friendship and work to determine if the rules placed on Victoria to supposedly keep her safe, might have more dubious ends.
My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma. 9780553523256. 2018. Gr 9-12.
A pandit prophesied that Bollywood fan Winnie would meet her soul mate before her eighteenth birthday, and Raj meets all the qualifications. But when she returns home from summer film camp, she’s shocked to learn Raj hooked up with another girl. She turns to smart charming Dev, a fellow film geek, who tells Winnie to write her own destiny. To live happily ever after, Winnie might need the help of family, fate, and a Bollywood movie star.
The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard. 9780763692728. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Alice struggles with words after a brutal assault left her with a serious brain injury. Manny was a former child soldier from Sierra Leone taken in by a couple in Alice’s home town. Alice has a habit of leaving poems all over town hoping to find a kindred spirit. Manny finds one and explores the town searching for the author. When they find each other, a relationship begins despite the protestations of the community.
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis. 9781335994134. 2108. Gr 9-12.
When Tiffany’s mom dies from cancer, she has to move across the country to live with the wealthy father she never met—and his white wife and four daughters. She feels lost in her new elite school with its snobbery and bigotry. And then there’s the fact that another man, also claiming to be Tiffany’s father, will be arriving in seven days to demand a paternity test. The only saving grace seems to be the boy next door, an outcast himself.
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo. 9780374304089. 2018. Gr 9-12.
When Clara takes a practical joke too far, she’s sentenced to working in her dad’s food truck, the KoBra, all summer with her uptight classmate, Rose. As the summer progresses, Clara starts dating a boy named Hamlet and becoming invested in her father’s business. She begins to examine her relationships to see if she can let go of the old, irresponsible Clara.
We Are All That’s Left by Carrie Arcos. 9780399175541. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Told in two voices. Nadja grows up in war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s, and in the present, her daughter Zara is traumatized by a terrorist attack in Rhode Island, prompting her to learn more about her mother’s history.
We’ll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss. 9780062494276. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Best friends Luke and Toby are looking forward to leaving their small dead-end town at the end of their senior year of high school. Then one action changes everything—and now Luke writes letters to Toby from death row reflecting on where things went wrong.
What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee. 9781481476560. 2018. Gr 9-12.
Sixteen-year-old Will is trying to cope with his dad’s suicide three years ago. Most days he works at a discount store, tries to make his father’s famous cornbread recipe, and wanders the streets of Los Angeles. He begins to come out of his sadness when he starts leaving small gifts for the people he sees every day. This act transforms Will and everyone around him.
