Pie in the Sky, by Remy LaiWhen Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he's often stuck looking after his little brother, Yanghao.
To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.
Pie in the Sky is the March 2023 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home, explore the author's website, and register for the March Wise Owl meeting!
Girl Giant and the Jade War, by Van HoangIn this sequel to Girl Giant and the Monkey King, Thom and her friends set off on a far flung adventure to save the Heavens and the Jade Emperor from certain destruction.
Thom Ngoh thought the Monkey King was her friend―he taught her to control her super strength and to stand up for herself. But really he was just using her. He tricked her into stealing from the Heavens and releasing him from his 500-year prison. Now the Monkey King is waging a war against the Heavens and Thom must do everything in her power to fix the mess she made.
Determined to prevent a war, Thom and her dragon friend Kha set off on an adventure across the Heavens to search for allies. But with the stakes higher than ever, the price for help may be more than Thom is willing to pay. . .
Girl Giant and the Jade War was the January 2023 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home and explore the author's website!
How to Win a Slime War, by Mae RespicioAlex Manalo and his dad have just moved back to Sacramento to revive their extended family’s struggling Filipino market. While Alex likes helping at the store, his true passion is making slime! He comes up with his own recipes, playing with ingredients, colors, and textures, which make his slime truly special. Encouraged by a new friend at school, Alex begins to sell his creations, leading to a sell-off battle with a girl who previously had a slime-opoly. Winner gets bragging rights and the right to be the only slime game in town. But Alex’s dad thinks Alex should be focused more on “traditional” boy pastimes and less on slime. As the new soccer coach, Dad wants Alex to join the team. Alex is battling on multiple fronts--with his new friends at school, and with his dad at home. It will be a sticky race to the finish to see who oozes out on top.
How to Win a Slime War was the October 2022 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home and explore the author's website!
How to Make Friends with the Sea, by Tanya GuerreroPablo is homesick. He's only twelve years old, but he's lived in more countries than he can count. After his parents divorced, he and his mother have moved from place to place for years, never settling anywhere long enough to call it home. And along the way, Pablo has collected more and more fears: of dirt, of germs, and most of all, of the ocean. Now they're living in the Philippines, and his mother, a zoologist who works at a local wildlife refuge, is too busy saving animals to notice that Pablo might need saving, too. Then his mother takes in Chiqui, an orphaned girl with a cleft lip―and Pablo finds that through being strong for Chiqui, his own fears don't seem so scary.
He might even find the courage to face his biggest fear of all...and learn how to make friends with the sea.
How to Make Friends with the Sea was the September 2022 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home and explore the author's website.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame MbaliaTristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. On his first night at his granparents' farm in Alabama, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it, and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature's hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm. In order to get back home, Tristan and new allies from black American folklore will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky was the July 2022 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home or explore the author's website.
Last Gamer Standing, by Katie ZhaoIn twelve-year-old Reyna Cheng's world, gaming is everything. Reyna is the up-and-coming junior amateur Dayhold gamer, competing in a VR battle royale against AI monsters and human players. But gaming is still a boys' club, so to protect herself against trolls, Reyna games as the mysterious TheRuiNar. When she qualifies for the Dayhold Junior Tournament, she knows she's got what it takes to win the championship title and the $10,000 prize. It's a chance to make a step forward towards her professional esports dreams and to help her family with the costs of her mother's hospital bills. But when she's blackmailed and threatened to be doxed by an anonymous troll, Reyna has to confront the toxic gaming community head-on. With her dreams and the cash prize on the line, it's game on!
Last Gamer standing is the June 2022 book club pick! Join us for the meeting to meet the author virtually on June 30, 2022, at 4pm at the Central Library! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
While I Was Away, by Waka T. BrownWhen twelve-year-old Waka’s parents suspect she can’t understand the basic Japanese they speak to her, they make a drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been her summer vacation, Waka is plucked from her life in rural Kansas and flown across the globe, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime. In Japan, Waka struggles with reading and writing in kanji, doesn’t quite mesh with her complicated and distant Obaasama, and gets made fun of by the students in her classes. If she’s always been the “smart Japanese girl” in America but is now the “dumb foreigner” in Japan, where is home...and who will Waka be when she finds it?
While I Was Away is the May 2022 book club pick! Join us for the meeting to meet the author virtually on May 24, 2022, at 4pm at the Central Library! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
Root Magic, by Eden RoyceIt’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. The biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven— and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork. Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations—especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has to see her through.
Root Magic is the April 2022 book club pick! Register online to reserve your seat in the virtual author visit. The first 20 registrations will receive a free copy of the book (to keep!), at-home activity materials, and snacks. Miss the registration window? Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica KimOn the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. But instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem? Everyone thinks she’s a girl named Kay Nakamura–and Yumi doesn’t correct them. As things unravel, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and the people she cares about.
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! is the March 2022 book club pick! Register online to reserve your seat in the virtual author visit. The first 20 registrations will receive a free copy of the book (to keep!), at-home activity materials, and snacks. Miss the registration window? Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
A Good Kind of Trouble, by Lisa Moore RaméeTwelve-year-old Shayla is allergic to trouble. All she wants to do is to follow the rules. But in junior high, it’s like all the rules have changed. Now she’s suddenly questioning who her best friends are and some people at school are saying she’s not black enough. Wait, what? Shay’s sister, Hana, is involved in Black Lives Matter, but Shay doesn't think that's for her. After experiencing a powerful protest, though, Shay decides some rules are worth breaking. Soon everyone is taking sides. And Shay is given an ultimatum. She's scared to do the wrong thing, but if she doesn't face her fear, she'll be forever tripping over the next hurdle. Now that’s trouble, for real.
A Good Kind of Trouble was the February 2022 book club pick! Did you miss it? No worries - you can download the reader guide and check out your own copy of the book from the library using this page. Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
Willa of the Wood, by Robert BeattyMove without a sound. Steal without a trace.
To Willa, a young night-spirit, humans are the murderers of trees. She's been taught to despise them and steal from them. She's her clan's best thief, creeping into the log cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and taking what they won't miss. It's dangerous work, but Willa will do anything to win the clan leader's approval.
When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded, she calls upon the old powers and forest allies to survive. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her human enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her people's society are crumbling.
As forces of unfathomable destruction attack her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is.
Willa of the Wood is the January 2022 Wise Owl Book Club pick! Click on the book cover to find the book in the library, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
The Leopard Behind the Moon, by Mayonn Paasewe-ValchevNo one knows what lies beyond the magical village door, but Ezomo is determined to find out.
There are three important laws in Ezomo’s village: Do not go to The Valley, do not go out at night, and never, ever, ever open the magical door that protects them all. But when Ezomo encounters the leopard believed to have killed his father, he and his two best friends embark on a journey that leads them past the boundaries set by their elders. With his friends by his side, Ezomo chases after the leopard, certain that it has the power to cure all. But in the process, he discovers the truth about his village. And that cautionary tales exist for a reason. A gripping adventure with themes of friendship, community, identity, grief, and resilience, this is Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev's debut novel!
The Leopard Behind the Moon is the November 2021 Wise Owl Book Club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading guide to use at home!
Eva Evergreen: Semi-Magical Witch, by Julie AbeSometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic.
When she lands in the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. When the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love, Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster.
Eva Evergreen: Semi-Magical Witch is the October 2021 Wise Owl Book Club pick! Click on the book cover to find the book in the library, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, by Kaela RiveraLiving in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. Only brujas consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by a powerful criatura, Cece is determined to bring her back. To save her sister, Cece will have to become a bruja herself. With a legendary criatura with a soft spot for humans at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is the September 2021 book club pick! Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book for pickup, and use the buttons below to download and print the reading & activity guide!
Girl Giant and the Monkey King, by Van HoangEleven-year-old Thom Ngho is keeping a secret: she's strong. Like suuuuper strong. Freakishly strong. And it's making it impossible for her to fit in at her new middle school. In a desperate bid to get rid of her super strength, Thom makes a deal with the Monkey King, a powerful deity and legendary trickster she accidentally released from his 500-year prison sentence. Thom agrees to help the Monkey King get back his magical staff if he'll take away her strength. Soon Thom is swept up in an ancient and fantastical world in where demons, dragons, and Jade princesses actually exist. But she quickly discovers that magic can't cure everything, and dealing with the trickster god might be more trouble than it's worth.
Girl Giant and the Monkey King is the February-March 2021 book club pick! Registration closed on February 11, but not to worry - you can download the reader guide and check out your own copy of the book from the library using this page. Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
Holes, by Louis SacharStanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Holes was the June-July 2020 book club pick! Did you miss it? No worries - you can download the reader guide, meeting slides, and check out your own copy of the book from the library using this page. Click on the book cover to place a hold on the book in the library's catalog, and use the button below to download and print the reading & activity guide to use at home!
