Anne Blankman

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Kentucky

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER
A SYDNEY TAYLOR MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOK
 
Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history.

On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?

Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.

The Blackbird Girls

8bf95ef9-c89d-452b-b188-cb9c7ace9065-1

Ace Atkins

County sheriff Quinn Colson is determined to find those responsible for lynching an innocent black man in Jericho, Mississippi 30 years prior, in the fourth book of the series following The Broken Places.

The Forsaken

c775c55e-0f19-4c73-9dc5-d4bc7b004b28-1

Rhoda Belleza

"A family divided. A galaxy at war. A sacrifice in blood to unite them all."--Page [4] of cover.

Blood of a Thousand Stars

937c2c68-0193-4db2-ad29-1d53538f0112-1

Patrick Weekes

A monster-hunter teams up with super-powered teens to protect her brother in this fast-paced adventure novel that's X-Men meets Men in Black.

Lori Fisher hunts monsters. Not with a sword or a gun, but with an interdimensional creature called Handler. Together they take down "feeders"--aliens who prey on mankind. When Lori touches a feeder, Handler's impossibly large jaws appear and drag the beast into another dimension.

It's a living--or was, until a job for the Lake Foundation goes wrong, and Lori stumbles across the Nix, a group of mutant teenagers held captive on the docks. Now the Lake Foundation is hunting Lori, and if they find Lori, they find Ben, the brother Lori would do anything to protect. There's only one thing to do: strike first.

Lori teams up with the Nix to take on Lake, and to discover why the Nix were kidnapped in the first place. But as she watches their powers unfold, Lori realizes the Nix are nothing like her. She has no powers. She has...Handler. Maybe she's not the monster hunter after all. Maybe she's just the bait.

Feeder

7fc5f549-21ba-44c1-9dbf-dbbd1e10bd22-1

Mayim Bialik

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant

Mayim Bialik, Jeopardy! host and star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 bestseller Girling Up, puts her Ph.D. to work to talk to teen boys about the science and pressures of growing up male in today's world. A must-have book for all teenage boys!

Why does my voice crack like that? What should I eat to build muscle? How do I talk to someone I have a crush on? What do I do if someone calls me names or bullies me?

Growing from a boy to a man is no easy task. Bodies are changing, social circles are evolving, hair is appearing in places it never was before -- and on top of it all, there's the ever-present pressure to conform to the typical idea of what it means to be "manly" and masculine. But it's easier to do if you're armed with facts.

Using personal anecdotes as an overly observant mother of two boys and plenty of scientific information from her life as a neuroscientist, Mayim Bialik, PhD, star of The Big Bang Theory, talks directly to teen boys about what it means to grow from a boy to a man biologically, psychologically, and sociologically. Using the same cool, fun, and friendly tone that she took in Girling Up, Mayim takes boys--and their parents!--through the challenges and triumphs of Boying Up today.

In six sections (How Boys Bodies Work; How Boys Grow; How Boys Learn; How Boys Cope; How Boys Love; and How Boys Make a Difference), she takes a look at what it means for boys to come of age in today's world, how can they take control of their paths, and what can they do to help shape the types of futures they want for themselves.

Praise for Boying Up-

"A matter-of-fact mirror that reflects reality and respect, not bewildered embarrassment." --Kirkus Reviews

"Boying Up hits all the hot spots and should be included in tween and teen library collections." --VOYA

Boying Up

1cb9b396-0f12-4f06-845d-439f09155a33-1

Jamie Sumner

A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2019

"A big-hearted story that's as sweet as it is awesome." --R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder

In the tradition of Wonder and Out of My Mind, this big-hearted middle grade debut tells the story of an irrepressible girl with cerebral palsy whose life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to a new town.

Ellie's a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she's going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer's for dinner, but one day she's going to be a professional baker. If she's not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she's practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.

But when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. Except she's not just the new kid--she's the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends. Now she just has to convince her mom that this town might just be the best thing that ever happened to them!

Roll with It

68a3f039-c471-4eaf-b8a8-6e302dbbae79-1

Jordan Reeves

Jen Lee Reeves

From tween advocate for limb difference and founder of Project Unicorn Jordan Reeves and her mom, Jen, comes an inspiring memoir about how every kid is perfect just the way they are. When Jordan Reeves was born without the bottom half of her left arm, the doctors reassured her parents that she was “born just right.” And she has been proving that doctor right ever since! With candor, humor, and heart, Jordan’s mother, Jen Lee Reeves, helps Jordan tell her story about growing up in an able-bodied world and family, where she was treated like all of her siblings and classmates—and where she never felt limited. Whether it was changing people’s minds about her capabilities, trying all kinds of sports, or mentoring other kids, Jordan has channeled any negativity into a positive, and is determined to create more innovations for people just like her. Her most famous invention, aptly called Project Unicorn, is a special prosthetic (that shoots glitter!) made with the help of a 3-D printer. A real-life superhero, Jordan is changing the world with her foundation, Born Just Right, which advocates and celebrates kids with differences, and helps them live their best possible life—just like Jordan is today!

Born Just Right

fe0a4acc-aed1-47f0-8b35-1ce86ffedcf2-0

Jennifer Chiaverini

Pledging her loyalty to the North at the risk of her life when her native Virginia secedes, Quaker-educated aristocrat Elizabeth Van Lew uses her innate skills for gathering military intelligence to help construct the Richmond underground and orchestrate escapes from the infamous Confederate Libby Prison. By the best-selling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.

The Spymistress

31fa8b34-59ef-490e-a90b-974e16a49533-1

Rachel Urquhart

A Novel

An enthralling first novel about a teenage girl who finds refuge--but perhaps not--in an 1840s Shaker community. After 15-year-old Polly Kimball sets fire to the family farm, killing her abusive father, she and her young brother find shelter in a Massachusetts Shaker community called the City of Hope. It is the Era of Manifestations, when young girls in Shaker enclaves all across the Northeast are experiencing extraordinary mystical visions, earning them the honorific of "Visionist" and bringing renown to their settlements. The City of Hope has not yet been blessed with a Visionist, but that changes when Polly arrives and is unexpectedly exalted. As she struggles to keep her dark secrets concealed in the face of increasing scrutiny, Polly finds herself in a life-changing friendship with a young Shaker sister named Charity, a girl who will stake everything--even her faith--on Polly's honesty and purity.

The Visionist

91100e4f-dd41-4d00-9a0c-3bae4c6b8934-1

Khizr Khan

Discover America with a Gold Star Father

The author traces his family's experiences immigrating to the U.S. to introduce the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, explaining how it represents America's democratic values and discussing the importance of the documents' history.

This Is Our Constitution

87802a3e-f2f8-4c2e-a773-a185a59a053e-1

Will McIntosh

Thirteen-year-old twins Vick and Tara have built an incredible machine--a loyal robotic watchdog named Daisy. But, when local crime boss Ms. Alba schemes to add Daisy to her robot army, Vick and Tara must go to great lengths to protect their prized pet. Because Daisy is more than just any robot--she's their constant protector, and together the three make a great team.

Vick and Tara are determined to stop the mob from tearing their little family apart. And they might just succeed! Sure, the evil Ms. Alba has more robot watchdogs, but none are as smart--or as faithful--as their Daisy. Plus, if things get too dangerous, Tara could always upgrade their pet. With her mechanical skills, she could make Daisy bigger, stronger, and a lot more intimidating!

A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2019-2020 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List Selection

"Engaging, suspenseful, and with nearly all the vivid fighting confined to robots, this gritty tale is perfect for a younger audience than most post-apocalyptic stories." --Kirkus Reviews

"This compelling drama with cool tech themes and bad guys getting their comeuppance is a winner." --SLJ

Watchdog

36419a9f-a7a4-439a-877e-044cd9546b64-1

Kate Ormand

A Unique Twist on Shape-Shifters with Fast-Paced Action, Thrilling Adventure, Mystery, and a Bit of Romance Flo lives an eccentric life—she travels with a popular circus in which the main acts star orphaned children with secret shape-shifting abilities. Once Flo turns sixteen, she must perform, but she’s not ready. While practicing jumping a flaming hurdle in a clearing beside the circus, she spots a dark figure in the trees and fears he saw her shift. The news sends the circus into a panic. In Flo’s world, shifters are unknown to humans with the exception of a secret organization—the EOS, referred to as “hunters.” Hunters capture and kill. They send some shifters to labs for observation and testing—testing they don’t often survive—and deem others useless, a danger to society, and eliminate them. To avoid discovery, shifters travel in packs, constantly moving and keeping themselves hidden. Up until now, the circus was the perfect disguise. Believing she has brought attention to the group, Flo feels dread and anxiety, causing her to make a mistake during her performance in front of the audience—a mistake that triggers a violent attack from the hunters. Flo manages to flee the torched circus grounds with Jett, the bear shifter who loves her; the annoying elephant triplets; and a bratty tiger named Pru. Together they begin a new journey, alone in a world they don’t understand and don’t know how to navigate. On the run, they unravel secrets and lies that surround the circus and their lives—secrets and lies that all point to the unthinkable: Have they been betrayed by the people they trusted most? Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Wanderers

8ad39d90-c25b-443b-9957-632dae789cbd-1

Tanya Lloyd Kyi

A Banksy-style protest against cameras in classrooms brings a group of middle-grade students together. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Susin Nielsen and Gordon Korman.

Dominica's private school is covered in cameras, and someone is hacking into them and posting embarrassing moments for the whole school to see. Like Ana picking her nose. When Dominica quickly changes her shirt from inside out in what she thinks is the privacy of a quiet corner in the library, she's shocked -- and embarrassed -- to discover a video has captured this and is currently circulating amongst her schoolmates. So mortifying, especially since over the past three years, they've had a half-dozen school talks about social media safety.

Who has access to the school security cameras and why are they doing this? Dominica and her best friends, Holden and Saanvi, are determined to find out, and in the process start an art-based student campaign against cameras in the classroom.

Me and Banksy

759bdb68-f464-4cf3-8589-403df6efcf49-1

Gregory Funaro

New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us into a world where magic exists, monsters roam in the shadows, and wooden animals come to life.

Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock's gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.

When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that's too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.

It doesn't take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. And before they can entirely understand the strange world they've stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr--a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear.

Watch Hollow

762df39f-6df8-4c25-88e4-02604c60a47c-1

Catriona Clarke

Explains what causes the weather, including precipitation, storms, and lightning.

Weather

28361106-e01e-46b7-9949-1a8008467595-1

Cassie Beasley

Welcome back to Circus Mirandus . . . a place with magic so wondrous, you need to believe it to see it.

Micah Tuttle--magician in training--lives and works at Circus Mirandus alongside his guardian, the ancient and powerful Lightbender.

The circus is a place filled with dazzling fire shows, stubborn unicorns, and magicians from every corner of the world. And Micah is doing everything he can to prove he belongs there. When a dangerous enemy from the past threatens his new home, Micah will have to untangle the mystery of his own potent magic, and he'll have to do it fast. With trouble this deadly on its way, every magician will need to be ready to fight. Even the youngest.

The Bootlace Magician

Jodi Lynn Anderson

From acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes the fantastical and heartfelt first installment in a new trilogy about the thirteen witches who are responsible for all the evil in the world—and the girl who sets out to defeat them. Full of magic and bittersweet truths, this tale is perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this...and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen...but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother. In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable. At the core of this stunning novel—the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson—is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change...and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.

Thirteen Witches

2ae9b3db-0628-4de4-be46-45053ea0d85b-1

Joel A. Sutherland

The Haunted meets House of Salt and Sorrows in this young adult debut horror by acclaimed Canadian master of the macabre Joel A. Sutherland. Seventeen-year-old Josephine Jagger is a talented writer with special abilities she doesn't fully understand. Over the years she has developed methods to cope with the voices she hears in her head, but the old house her family has inherited in Vermont makes Josephine question what's real and what's not more than anything she's ever encountered before. It's filled with shadows, and whispers, and the unshakable feeling of being watched. Josephine then catches her first glimpse of a shadowy woman with long hair, pale skin, an impossibly wide smile and hollow pits for eyes. Her name is Dorcas, the ghost of a witch who died three hundred years ago. She has summoned the family to Vermont to ensnare them — then consume them — in order to rise from the grave and live again . . .

House of Ash and Bone

dbf08529-5403-4f13-be56-f8eaa0b5e2cd-1

Gretchen McNeil

One of Us is Lying meets Hitchcock in this novel from celebrated author of the #MurderTrending series, Gretchen McNeil.

I did my part, BFF. Now it's your turn.

Seventeen-year-old film noir fan Neve Lanier is a girl who just wants to be seen, but doesn't really fit in anywhere. When Neve is betrayed by her best friend, Yasmin, at the end of the school year, she heads off to a girl's empowerment camp feeling like no one will ever love her again. So when she grabs the attention of the beautiful, charismatic Diane, she falls right under her spell, and may accidentally promise to murder Diane's predatory step-brother, Javier, in exchange for Diane murdering Yasmin. But that was just a joke...right?

Wrong. When Yasmin turns up dead, Diane comes calling, attempting to blackmail Neve into murdering Javier. Stalling for time, Neve pretends to go along with Diane's plan until she can find a way out that doesn't involve homicide. But as she gets to know Javier - and falls for him - she realizes that everything Diane told her is a lie. Even worse, she discovers that Yasmin probably wasn't Diane's first victim. And unless Neve can stop her, she won't be the last.

In this twisted game of cat and mouse, the reader never quite knows who's telling the truth, who's playing games, and who is going to end up dead.


Dig Two Graves

937e551f-eaa2-42c6-bb6e-35aabca3abe3-1

Alex Gino

CRUSHES ARE CONFUSING.

Green is very lucky. They've got a supportive dad, friendly neighbors, and good friends. They've figured out a lot of things... but they can’t figure out what to do about Ronnie.

Ronnie's a boy who's been in Green's class for awhile. He's sweet. Funny. And lately, Green's heart has raced a little faster whenever he's around.

Green is pretty sure about their own feelings. But when it comes to how Ronnie feels, they have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.

When Green doesn't get a part in the school musical -- a very untraditional version of The Wizard of Oz -- they join the crew to work alongside Ronnie.

Is this a good idea?

Green’s about to find out...

From the bestselling author of MELISSA, a new book putting a non-binary kid named Green at center stage. Middle-grade superstar author Alex Gino returns to the world they began with MELISSA and RICK with GREEN, the story of a non-binary middle-schooler named Green who comes into their own in no small part by fighting for gender-free casting in their school's production of THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Green

e97060a8-69c2-45ea-868c-0bb13a410f3f-1

Kirsty Murray

"Stories of imagination and daring"--Jacket.

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

f9b5ddbd-1665-4bdc-8dce-0fd82b9ca9de-1

Luke Reynolds

There is a lot of pressure in today’s society to succeed, but failing is a part of learning how to be a successful person. In his teaching career, Luke Reynolds saw the stress and anxiety his students suffered over grades, fitting in, and getting things right the first time. Fantastic Failures helps students learn that their mistakes and failures do not define their whole lives, but help them grow into their potential.

Kids will love learning about some of the well-known people who failed before succeeding and will come to understand that failure is a large component of success. With stories from people like J. K. Rowling, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Vincent Van Gogh, Julia Child, Steven Spielberg, and Betsy Johnson, each profile proves that the greatest mistakes and flops can turn into something amazing. Intermixed throughout the fun profiles, Reynolds spotlights great inventors and scientists who discovered and created some of the most important medicines, devices, and concepts of all time, including lifesaving vaccines and medicines that were stumbled upon by mistake. 

True Stories of People Who Changed the World by Falling down First

Even the most well-known people have struggled to succeed! This follow-up to Fantastic Failures offers up a second dose of fascinating stories featuring flops that turned into triumphs. Kids today are under a lot of pressure to succeed, but failure has an important place in life as young people learn how to be a successful person. In his teaching career, Luke Reynolds saw the stress and anxiety his students suffered, whether it was over grades, fitting in, or simply getting things right the first time. Even More Fantastic Failures is a second installment in Luke Reynolds’s personal campaign to show kids it’s okay to fall down or make mistakes, just so long as you try, try again! Kids will read about a host of inspiring, courageous, and diverse people who have accomplished—or still are accomplishing—big things to make this world a better place. A wide range of stories about Barack Obama, Greta Thunberg, Nick Foles, Emma Gonzalez, Beyoncé, Ryan Coogler, John Cena, Socrates, and even the Jamaican national women’s soccer team, prove that the greatest mistakes and flops can turn into something amazing. In between these fun profiles, Reynolds features great scientists and other pivotal people whose game-changing discovery started as a failure. Readers will enjoy seeing stories they know highlighted in the new feature “Off the Page and On the Screen,” which showcases how failures and successes are presented in books and film. Each profile includes advice to readers on how to come back from their own flops and move forward to succeed.

Even More Fantastic Failures 

15e218ec-708b-4121-bd8b-db661641df8a-0

Megan Frazer Blakemore

A curse will fall . . .
A hero will rise . . .

Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. She's lived her whole life hidden away on a remote island with her magical aunts, following all the rules for being a princess. Now it is only one more year until thirteenth birthday, when a hero will finally arrive to save her from her curse.

But as with any story, there are two sides . . . and the curse told of much more than a single princess's uncertain fate. It told of a dangerous foe rooted in powerful magic. It told of a terrible war that could destroy everything if a young hero didn't arrive in time. It told of a magic imbued with hope that could save everyone, but only if they believe.

With her beloved kingdom and island at grave risk, Harbor Rose has a choice: Should she wait for the hero, or take matters into her own hands?

In a fresh, feminist retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” Megan Blakemore creates a rich fantasy world where the hero we’ve been waiting for is a young girl who takes control of her own destiny.

Browse by categories

Save this search

Anne Blankman

The Blackbird Girls

Ace Atkins

The Forsaken

Rhoda Belleza

Blood of a Thousand Stars

Patrick Weekes

Feeder

Mayim Bialik

Boying Up

Jamie Sumner

Roll with It

Jordan Reeves; Jen Lee Reeves

Born Just Right

Jennifer Chiaverini

The Spymistress

Rachel Urquhart

The Visionist

Khizr Khan

This Is Our Constitution

Will McIntosh

Watchdog

Kate Ormand

The Wanderers

Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Me and Banksy

Gregory Funaro

Watch Hollow

Catriona Clarke

Weather

Cassie Beasley

The Bootlace Magician

Jodi Lynn Anderson

Thirteen Witches

Joel A. Sutherland

House of Ash and Bone

Gretchen McNeil

Dig Two Graves

Alex Gino

Green

Kirsty Murray

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

Gretchen McNeil

Dig Two Graves

Luke Reynolds

Even More Fantastic Failures

Megan Frazer Blakemore

Princess of the Wild Sea