New Titles

New kid

Craft, Jerry.


"Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?"--Publisher's description. .
Date Published:2019

"Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?"--Publisher's description. .

Date Published:2019

Don't cosplay with my heart

Castellucci, Cecil, 1969-


Edan Kupferman's life is coming apart: her father is being "sequestered" because the company he works for in Hollywood is in legal trouble, her best friend is in Japan for the summer, and the boy she has a crush on is just plain confusing, so she escapes into the world of comics, and her favorite character, Gargantua--but when Kirk, a boy from her high school, gets her into the sold out ComicCon it starts to look like she might, with a little help, be able to take control of her life after all.
Date Published:2017

Edan Kupferman's life is coming apart: her father is being "sequestered" because the company he works for in Hollywood is in legal trouble, her best friend is in Japan for the summer, and the boy she has a crush on is just plain confusing, so she escapes into the world of comics, and her favorite character, Gargantua--but when Kirk, a boy from her high school, gets her into the sold out ComicCon it starts to look like she might, with a little help, be able to take control of her life after all.

Date Published:2017

The things Owen wrote

Kerrin, Jessica Scott,


"Owen has always done well, even without trying that hard. He gets A's in school, is an avid photographer and knows he can count on his family's support. But then Owen makes a mistake. A big one. And now he must face his fear of disappointing his entire family. A last-minute trip to Iceland, just Owen and his granddad, seems like the perfect way out. For Owen's granddad, the trip is about paying tribute to a friend with Icelandic roots. But Owen has a more urgent reason for going: he must get back the notebook his granddad accidentally sent to the Iceland archive. He can't let anyone read the things he wrote in it! The pair gets on a plane, excited to leave their prairie town for a country of lava fields, glaciers and geysers. However, as they explore Iceland, the plan to recover Owen's notebook starts to spiral out of control. Why does Owen's granddad seem so confused and forgetful? And can Owen really hide the truth of what's in his notebook?"--
Date Published:2017

"Owen has always done well, even without trying that hard. He gets A's in school, is an avid photographer and knows he can count on his family's support. But then Owen makes a mistake. A big one. And now he must face his fear of disappointing his entire family. A last-minute trip to Iceland, just Owen and his granddad, seems like the perfect way out. For Owen's granddad, the trip is about paying tribute to a friend with Icelandic roots. But Owen has a more urgent reason for going: he must get back the notebook his granddad accidentally sent to the Iceland archive. He can't let anyone read the things he wrote in it! The pair gets on a plane, excited to leave their prairie town for a country of lava fields, glaciers and geysers. However, as they explore Iceland, the plan to recover Owen's notebook starts to spiral out of control. Why does Owen's granddad seem so confused and forgetful? And can Owen really hide the truth of what's in his notebook?"--

Date Published:2017

I survived the Wellington avalanche, 1910

Tarshis, Lauren,


"The snow came down faster than train crews could clear the tracks, piling up in drifts 20 feet high. At the Wellington train depot in the Cascade Mountains, two trains sat stranded, blocked in by snow slides to the east and west. Some passengers braved the storm to hike off the mountain, but many had no choice but to wait out the storm. But the storm didn't stop. One day passed, then two, three...six days. The snow turned to rain. Then, just after midnight on March 1, a lightning storm struck the mountain, sending a ten-foot-high wave of snow barreling down the mountain"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2022

"The snow came down faster than train crews could clear the tracks, piling up in drifts 20 feet high. At the Wellington train depot in the Cascade Mountains, two trains sat stranded, blocked in by snow slides to the east and west. Some passengers braved the storm to hike off the mountain, but many had no choice but to wait out the storm. But the storm didn't stop. One day passed, then two, three...six days. The snow turned to rain. Then, just after midnight on March 1, a lightning storm struck the mountain, sending a ten-foot-high wave of snow barreling down the mountain"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2022

The Galveston hurricane, 1900

Tarshis, Lauren,


"It's 1900, and Charlie feels lucky to live in Galveston, Texas. Sure, there are storms sometimes. But nobody worries about hurricanes. Even a famous weather expert says it's impossible for a strong hurricane to strike Galveston. Which is why few people worry on the morning of September 8, when a big storm starts to brew. but Charlie watches with growing horror as monster waves rise up from the sea, as the wind starts to scream. by night, much of the city is under twenty feet of water. Will Charlie find a way to survive the storm of the century?"--Back cover.
Date Published:2021

"It's 1900, and Charlie feels lucky to live in Galveston, Texas. Sure, there are storms sometimes. But nobody worries about hurricanes. Even a famous weather expert says it's impossible for a strong hurricane to strike Galveston. Which is why few people worry on the morning of September 8, when a big storm starts to brew. but Charlie watches with growing horror as monster waves rise up from the sea, as the wind starts to scream. by night, much of the city is under twenty feet of water. Will Charlie find a way to survive the storm of the century?"--Back cover.

Date Published:2021

Specials

Westerfeld, Scott.


"Final volume in the highly acclaimed UGLIES trilogy"--Cover. Sequel to: Pretties. When she is turned into a super-modelesque super-fighting machine, Tally, a former ugly, is ordered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid in a carefully engineered world of perfection where she refuses to play by the rules.
Date Published:2006

Lost at Windy River : a true story of survival /

Rathgeber, Trina,


A title in the Indigenous Collection at VPL. This nonfiction comics for middle-grade readers tells the true story of how a young Indigenous girl survives nine days lost in a snowstorm in Northern Canada.
Date Published:2024

Haunted Canada the Graphic Novel: Four Terrifying Tales.

Sutherland, Joel A.



Date Published:2024

The curse of Eelgrass Bog

Averling, Mary,


Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon's head in a jar named Shrunken Jim). But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse-- and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog. Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she'd ever expected, and she'll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it's too late.
Date Published:2024

Nothing about Kess Pedrock's life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family's Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon's head in a jar named Shrunken Jim). But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse-- and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog. Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she'd ever expected, and she'll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it's too late.

Date Published:2024

Dodger boy

Ellis, Sarah, 1952-


In 1970 Vancouver, thirteen-year-old Charlotte and her best friend, Dawn, are keen to avoid the pitfalls of adolescence. Couldn't they just skip teenhood altogether, along with its annoying behaviors -- showing off just because you have a boyfriend, obsessing about marriage and a ring and matching dinin--room furniture? Couldn't one just learn about life from Jane Austen and spend the days eating breakfast at noon, watching "People in Conflict," and thrift-store shopping for cool castoffs to tie-dye for the upcoming outdoor hippie music festival? But life becomes more complicated when the girls meet a Texan draft dodger who comes to live with Charlotte's Quaker family. Tom Ed expands Charlotte's horizons as they discuss everything from war to civil disobedience to women's liberation. Grappling with exhilarating and disturbing new ideas, faced with a censorship challenge to her beloved English teacher and trying to decode the charismatic draft dodger himself, Charlotte finds it harder and harder to stick to her unteen philosophy, and to see eye to eye with Dawn.--
Date Published:2018

In 1970 Vancouver, thirteen-year-old Charlotte and her best friend, Dawn, are keen to avoid the pitfalls of adolescence. Couldn't they just skip teenhood altogether, along with its annoying behaviors -- showing off just because you have a boyfriend, obsessing about marriage and a ring and matching dinin--room furniture? Couldn't one just learn about life from Jane Austen and spend the days eating breakfast at noon, watching "People in Conflict," and thrift-store shopping for cool castoffs to tie-dye for the upcoming outdoor hippie music festival? But life becomes more complicated when the girls meet a Texan draft dodger who comes to live with Charlotte's Quaker family. Tom Ed expands Charlotte's horizons as they discuss everything from war to civil disobedience to women's liberation. Grappling with exhilarating and disturbing new ideas, faced with a censorship challenge to her beloved English teacher and trying to decode the charismatic draft dodger himself, Charlotte finds it harder and harder to stick to her unteen philosophy, and to see eye to eye with Dawn.--

Date Published:2018

The sleeping giant

Robertson, David, 1977-


A title in the Indigenous Collection at VPL. To save the animal beings of Ministik, Eli joins forces with the leader of the Bird Warriors, and journeying across the North Country, Eli must fight for his life and the lives of his friends and family-- and come to terms with only being part human.
Date Published:2024

North to Benjamin

Cumyn, Alan, 1960-,


"A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book"--Title page. Eleven-year-old Edgar and his mother move to Dawson, a town in Yukon, Canada, for a new start, but when Edgar fears his mother's destructive behavior will force them to leave, he turns to a dog named Benjamin to help him stop the worst from happening.
Date Published:2018

The Ash House

Walker, Angharad,


"Published simultaneously in the United Kingdom in 2021 by Chicken House"--Title page verso. "When eleven-year-old Sol arrives at the Ash House, desperate for a cure for his complex pain syndrome, he finds a community of strange children long abandoned by their mysterious Headmaster. The children at the Ash House want the new boy to love their home as much as they do. They give him a name like theirs. They show him the dorms and tell him about the wonderful oasis that the Headmaster has created for them. But the new boy already has a name. Doesn't he? At least he did before he walked through those gates..."--
Date Published:2021

"Published simultaneously in the United Kingdom in 2021 by Chicken House"--Title page verso. "When eleven-year-old Sol arrives at the Ash House, desperate for a cure for his complex pain syndrome, he finds a community of strange children long abandoned by their mysterious Headmaster. The children at the Ash House want the new boy to love their home as much as they do. They give him a name like theirs. They show him the dorms and tell him about the wonderful oasis that the Headmaster has created for them. But the new boy already has a name. Doesn't he? At least he did before he walked through those gates..."--

Date Published:2021

El deafo

Bell, Cece,


Chiefly illustrations. Newberry Honor Book The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower." "Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful--and very awkward--hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for"--
Date Published:2014

Chiefly illustrations. Newberry Honor Book The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower." "Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful--and very awkward--hearing aid. The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for"--

Date Published:2014