Heart-Wrenching Reads: Exclusive Candlewick Press Sampler

Heart-Wrenching Reads: Exclusive Candlewick Press Sampler
Author: John M. Cusick
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 83
Release: 2015-11-05
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763690244

The sampler includes chapters from Steve Watkins’s Juvie, John M. Cusick’s Cherry Money Baby, and Jo Knowles’s Living with Jackie Chan. Juvie Heart-wrenching and real, Juvie tells the story of two sisters grappling with accountability, sacrifice — and who will be there to help you after you take the fall. Cherry Money Baby Hollywood glitz collides with working-class aspirations in this satirical tale of an impulsive starlet and a sharp-witted small-town teen. Living with Jackie Chan After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive.

Provocative Reads: Exclusive Candlewick Press Sampler

Provocative Reads: Exclusive Candlewick Press Sampler
Author: David Almond
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 69
Release: 2015-11-05
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763690236

The sampler includes poems from Ron Koertge’s Coaltown Jesus and chapters from Susann Cokal’s The Kingdom of Little Wounds and David Almond’s The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean. Coaltown Jesus When Jesus shows up in Walker’s life, healing triumphs over heartbreak in Koertge’s finest and funniest novel yet. The Kingdom of Little Wounds A young seamstress and a royal nursemaid find themselves at the center of an epic power struggle in this stunning young adult debut. The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean From master storyteller David Almond comes a gripping, exquisitely written novel about a hidden-away child who emerges into a broken world.

The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2009-09-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763649430

A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal–winning tale. Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. With black-and-white illustrations and a refreshed cover by Timothy Basil Ering.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Author: Meg Medina
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2018-09-11
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1536204099

Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.

The Heartbreak Bakery

The Heartbreak Bakery
Author: A. R. Capetta
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1536222372

Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up. “What’s done is done.” Unless, of course, it was done by my brownies. Then it’s getting undone. Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. Being dumped is no different, except now Syd is baking at the Proud Muffin, a queer bakery and community space in Austin. And everyone who eats Syd’s breakup brownies . . . breaks up. Even Vin and Alec, who own the Proud Muffin. And their breakup might take the bakery down with it. Being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. But the cute bike delivery person, Harley (he or they, check the pronoun pin, it’s probably on the messenger bag), believes Syd about the magic baking. And Harley believes Syd’s magical baking can fix things, too—one recipe at a time.

Small as an Elephant

Small as an Elephant
Author: Jennifer Jacobson
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2011
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763641553

Abandoned by his mother in an Acadia National Park campground, Jack tries to make his way back to Boston before anyone figures out what is going on, with only a small toy elephant for company.

My Real Name Is Hanna

My Real Name Is Hanna
Author: Tara Lynn Masih
Publisher:
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2018-09-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781942134510

Hanna Slivka is on the cusp of fourteen when Hitler's army crosses the border into Soviet-occupied Ukraine. Soon, the Gestapo closes in, determined to make the shtetele she lives in "free of Jews." Until the German occupation, Hanna spent her time exploring Kwasova with her younger siblings, admiring the drawings of the handsome Leon Stadnick, and helping her neighbor dye decorative pysanky eggs. But now she, Leon, and their families are forced to flee and hide in the forest outside their shtetele-and then in the dark caves beneath the rolling meadows, rumored to harbor evil spirits. Underground, they battle sickness and starvation, while the hunt continues above. When Hanna's father disappears, suddenly it's up to Hanna to find him-and to find a way to keep the rest of her family, and friends, alive. Sparse, resonant, and lyrical, weaving in tales of Jewish and Ukrainian folklore, My Real Name Is Hanna celebrates the sustaining bonds of family, the beauty of a helping hand, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Author: Meg Medina
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2013-03-26
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0763663549

Winner of the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award In Meg Medina’s compelling new novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school — and must discover resources she never knew she had. One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Pawcasso

Pawcasso
Author: Remy Lai
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1250839440

Remy Lai, the award-winning creator of Pie in the Sky makes her middle-grade graphic novel debut, Pawcasso, about the unexpected friendship between the loneliest girl in class and the coolest canine in town. A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021, Amazon Best Book of the Month, New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year "It's tail-wagging entertaining!" —Kelly Yang, New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. One day, he passes eleven-year-old Jo, peering out the window of her house, bored and lonely. Astonished by the sight of an adorable basket-toting dog on his own, Jo follows Pawcasso, and when she’s seen alongside him by a group of kids from her school, they mistake her for Pawcasso’s owner. Excited to make new friends, Jo reluctantly hides the truth and agrees to let “her” dog model for an art class the kids attend. What could go wrong? But what starts as a Chihuahua-sized lie quickly grows Great Dane-sized when animal control receives complaints about a dog roaming the streets off-leash. With Pawcasso’s freedom at stake, is Jo willing to spill the truth and risk her new friendships? "A beautifully drawn and delightful story bursting with art, books, and fun!" —Maria Scrivan, New York Times bestselling author of Nat Enough and Forget Me Nat

The Naming

The Naming
Author: Alison Croggon
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 515
Release: 2010-12-07
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0763652512

"An epic fantasy in the Tolkien tradition, with a strong girl hero. . . . I couldn’t put it down!" – Tamora Pierce Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She doesn’t yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror. The first book in a projected quartet, Alison Croggon’s epic about Maerad and her remarkable yet dangerous gift is a beautiful, unforgettable tale. Presented as a new translation of an ancient text, The Naming evokes the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world just waiting to be discovered.