Best books of the year from Goodreads
Check out this list from the Goodreads community of readers.
School LIbrary Journal Best of 2015
You can always depend on a magazine for librarians to pick some awesome reads!
New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year
Check out these beauties from the New York Times.
Snowmen at Night
Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night?
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
Circus Mirandus is a fantastical novel in which children delight in a magical circus that exists solely to enchant them. The novel alternates between the present-day story of a fifth-grader named Micah Tuttle, who's grappling with the impending death of his beloved grandfather (and sole guardian), Ephraim Tuttle, and Ephraim's experiences as a boy at the Circus Mirandus.
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.” Fish in a Tree is a sensitive account of a middle school girl's struggle with dyslexia and her progress in learning to read once she's paired with the right teacher. It's a powerful testament to the many ways in which different people learn that upends traditional notions of how we define intelligence, what it means to be truly gifted, and what a difference asensitive teacher can make in a child's life.
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Crenshaw, by Newbery winner Katherine Applegate, is a masterful story about a family down on its luck, and though it tackles homelessness, it's never hopeless. Jackson is visited by a giant cat, his former imaginary friend Crenshaw who's more persnickety than warm and fuzzy, and Crenshaw pushes Jackson and ultimately his parents to be truthful about their situation. Honest and very readable, this portrayal of economic insecurity flows effortlessly toward its hopeful but not unrealistic conclusion.
