Big Apple Diaries
In Big Apple Diaries, a heartfelt diary-style graphic memoir by Alyssa Bermudez, a young New Yorker doodles her way through middle school—until the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack leaves her wondering if she can ever be a kid again.
It’s the year 2000 in New York City. For 12-year old Alyssa, this means splitting time between her Puerto Rican dad's apartment in Manhattan and her white mom's new place in Queens, navigating the trials and tribulations of middle school, and an epic crush on a new classmate. The only way to make sense of it all is to capture the highs and lows in doodles and hilarious comics in a diary.
Then life abruptly changes on September 11, 2001. After the Twin Towers fall and so many lives are lost, worries about gossip and boys feel distant and insignificant. Alyssa must find a new sense of self and purpose amidst all of the chaos, and find the strength to move forward with hope
BUY NOW: Bookshop | B&N | Booktopia AU | Dymocks AU | Amazon US | Amazon AUS
WE LAUGH ALIKE / JUNTOS NOS REÍMOS
Six kids are ready to play: three speak English. Y tres hablan español [and three speak Spanish]. But all of them laugh alike and together! This clever playground adventure weaves together bilingual English and Spanish conversations, allowing two groups of children to express similar thoughts in their own languages.
A brand new barrier-breaking and friendship-affirming bilingual picture book from award-winning author Carmen T. Bernier-Grand (Diego: Bigger than Life). Three kids are playing at the park when three more arrive. The groups can’t understand each other because one trio speaks only English and the other only Spanish. But they can express similar thoughts in their own languages. Aquí interactúan el inglés y el español. Can they find a way to play? Of course they can! By watching each other, both groups learn that they are more alike than different and end up discovering new words and making new friends in this adventure propelled by clever integrated Spanish dialogue.
BUY NOW: Bookshop | B&N | Booktopia AU | Amazon US
Lucia The Luchadora
Lucía the Luchadora named one of the Best Books of 2017 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Chicago Public Library and more! Lucía zips through the playground in her cape just like the boys, but when they tell her "girls can't be superheroes," suddenly she doesn't feel so mighty. That's when her beloved abuela reveals a dazzling secret: Lucía comes from a family of luchadoras, the bold and valiant women of the Mexican lucha libre tradition. Cloaked in a flashy new disguise, Lucía returns as a recess sensation! But when she's confronted with a case of injustice, Lucía must decide if she can stay true to the ways of the luchadora and fight for what is right, even if it means breaking the sacred rule of never revealing the identity behind her mask. A story about courage and cultural legacy, Lucía the Luchadora is full of pluck, daring, and heart.
BUY NOW: Bookshop | B&N | Booktopia AU | Amazon US
Lucia The Luchadora And The Million masks
Lucía's little sister Gemma wants to be a luchadora like her big sister, but she is more bumble and splat than pizzazz and seems to find trouble wherever she goes. When Gemma makes a ginormous hole in Lucía's special silver mask, Lucía is incredulous and exasperated at how her little sister seems to get away with everything. But Lucía's grandmother, Abu, has an idea: a trip to the mercado to get Gemma her very own lucha libre mask. There are so many masks to choose from, and Lucía can't resist trying on masks and imagining all the new secret identities she could have if she had endless masks. When Lucía realizes she's misplaced her special silver mask, a frantic search ensues with Gemma's help. Lucía the Luchadora's big heart is on display again in her latest adventure, where she learns that some things, including trouble making little sisters, are one of a kind.
BUY NOW: Bookshop | B&N | Booktopia AU | Amazon US
My Singing Nana
"Always amigos!"
My Singing Nana is a compassionate tribute to families dealing with Alzheimer's Disease. This story celebrates the ideals of family, heritage, and happy memories, showing kids that no matter how their loved one might change they always have ways to maintain their special connection.
BUY NOW: Bookshop | B&N | Booktopia AU | Amazon US
Amelia Chamelia Books 1-4
Amelia's eighth birthday is just around the corner and she is SO excited. She's going to have the best party ever – even if she does have to invite her troublesome twin cousins. But then something strange and magical happens . . Now Amelia has a very big secret.
Will Amelia be able to keep her chameleon powers hidden, even when disaster strikes and the party bags go missing?
REVIEWS
“Filled with cute illustrations, a vibrant plot and colourful characters, your little readers will be enamoured of Amelia’s keen sense of justice and charm. Most suited to 5+ readers who love Billie B Brown and Hey Jack.”-Better Reading
BUY NOW: Penguin AU | Booktopia AU | Dymocks AU | Amazon AU
Goodnight 70s
Say goodnight to long hair and beanbag chairs, Kung Fu champs and lava lamps, Pop Rocks and your David Cassidy lunchbox—this playful Goodnight Moon parody is a retro rhyming ride back to the seventies!
Illustrated and packaged à la Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, Goodnight '70s turns the classic children’s book into a baby boomer’s ode to the far out 1970s. It’s the perfect gift for anyone nostalgic for the good old days of bell-bottoms, disco balls, and 8-track tapes.
Iveliz Explains It All (Interior Illustrations)
How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening? In this moving novel in verse that Printz Honor-winning author Lisa Fipps calls “powerful,” one girl takes on seventh grade while facing mental health challenges, and must find her voice to advocate for the help and understanding she deserves.
Listen up:
The end of elementary school?
Worst time of my life.
And the start of middle school?
I just wasn’t quite right.
But this year?
YO VOY A MI.
Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz's year. She's going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school. . . Except is that what happens? Of course not. Because no matter how hard Iveliz tries, sometimes people say things that just make her so mad. And worse, Mimi keeps saying Iveliz's medicine is unnecessary--even though it helps Iveliz feel less sad. But how do you explain your feelings to others when you're not even sure what's going on yourself?
Powerful and compassionate, Andrea Beatriz Arango's debut navigates mental health, finding your voice, and discovering that those who really love you will stay by your side.
Becoming Beatriz (Cover Jacket Illustration)
Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez was her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days--that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame. But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her gang leader brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her gang needs running, when her mami can't brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question is: will the gang let her go?
Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz's story is a timeless one of a teenager's navigation of romance, gang culture, and her own family's difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa.
The Mindful Fairies
The Mindful Fairies is an enchanting fairy story for all those who believe that fairy folk really do live at the bottom of the garden.
"Whenever I felt sad or lonely, I would scramble down the rocky path, across the green orchard and sit on the old wooden bench at the bottom of the garden. There in the quiet shady space, I would talk to my caring mindful fairy friends, and they would lift my spirits and make me feel that everything would be alright."