Nina Soni, Halloween Queen

Nina Soni, Halloween Queen
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 118
Release: 2022-06-07
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682634299

Nina Soni is a lovable, distractible Indian American girl with big plans and cast of family and friends to help her make her realize her dreams—or resolve the chaos that often results. Halloween brings out Nina Soni's competitive spirit. Her friend Jay has a great costume planned, so—of course—Nina has to come up with an even better idea. A bunch of old boxes in the basement inspires her to create an impressively scary haunted house, for which she can charge admission. So what could possibly go wrong for the Halloween Queen? Middle grade readers are sure to relate to Nina Soni and her entertaining efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems. Perfect for STEAM enthusiasts.

Nina Soni, Former Best Friend

Nina Soni, Former Best Friend
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682631796

Nina Soni is a lovable, distractible Indian American girl with big plans and cast of family and friends to help her make her realize her dreams—or resolve the chaos that often results. Nina tried as hard as she could but still somehow forgot about her school project. Fortunately, a class lesson about Alexander Fleming suggests how she might make a great discovery—and thus a great project! But with little sister Kavita's birthday party right around the corner, and her longtime friendship with Jay on the rocks, Nina has a lot to keep track of. Middle grade readers are sure to relate to Nina Soni and her entertaining efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems. Perfect for STEAM enthusiasts.

Nina Soni, Master of the Garden

Nina Soni, Master of the Garden
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682633608

Nina Soni is a lovable, distractible Indian American girl with big plans and cast of family and friends to help her make her realize her dreams—or resolve the chaos that often results. It's Take Your Child to Work Day, and Nina, Kavita, and Jay are all going to work with Mom, a landscape architect, to learn how to start a garden. Naturally that's not enough for Nina, who quickly develops big plans for a business selling the vegetables she plans to grow. But her plans don't include managing the problems that inevitably arise, including rabbits, slugs, mosquitos, and more! Middle grade readers are sure to relate to Nina Soni and her entertaining efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems. Perfect for STEAM enthusiasts.

Danger: Dynamite!

Danger: Dynamite!
Author: Anne Capeci
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2015-12-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1561457485

Danger: Dynamite! is the first book in a mystery series based on a page from American history, featuring a trio of mischievous and determined young crime solvers. Everyone in the isolated town of Scenic knows that railway workers are using dynamite to blast an eight-mile train tunnel through the Cascade Mountains. A case of dynamite is found near the schoolhouse, even though explosives aren't allowed inside the camp town where the workers and their families live. Before the source can be found, the crate disappears! Ten-year-old Billy and his best friend Finn want to find out who stole the dynamite and what they plan to do with it. The boys' search leads them back to a thirty-year-old gold robbery—and face to face with a dangerous outlaw who will stop at nothing to retrieve his treasure. This fast-paced historical series offers young readers a satisfying mystery, well-drawn characters, and an authentic portrait of the rough and tumble life of a western camp town in the 1920s.

My Dadima Wears a Sari

My Dadima Wears a Sari
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2022-05-24
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682633985

An Indian grandmother and her American granddaughter explore culture, imagination, and individuality through a collection of saris. Every day, Rupa's grandmother wears a beautiful Indian sari. Each is brightly colored and very pretty. "Don't you ever want to wear a gray skirt and red blouse with round buttons like Mommy or a green dress like me?" Rupa asks. But Dadima prefers to wear her traditional saris. Dadima shares all the wonderful things that saris can do—from becoming an umbrella in a rainstorm to providing a deep pouch to carry seashells. Soon Rupa's own imagination is sparked as she envisions saris protecting her in the scary Gir Jungle, bandaging up an injured knee, and holding a special secret for her and Dadima to share. Kashmira Sheth provides a warm, unique peek into Indian culture in this sensitive portrait of a grandmother and her American granddaughter. Hindi words defined and sprinkled throughout the text further add to the story's authenticity. Yoshiko Jaeggi's sweeping, colorful, and fanciful watercolor illustrations capture the extraordinary bond of love that unites families across generations and cultures. A note from the author and instructions for wrapping a sari are included.

Best Friend in the Whole World

Best Friend in the Whole World
Author: Sandra Salsbury
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 47
Release: 2021-03-02
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682633462

In this sweet and moving picture book, debut author-illustrator Sandra Salsbury explores friendship, compassion, loss, and the transformative power of connection. Roland lives a quiet life filled with art, music, and tea parties for one. It's a nice life, but sometimes he feels rather lonely. And then one day, Roland finds the perfect companion. Milton may just be a pine cone, but they have so much in common. Milton also happens to enjoy drawing, listening to music, and drinking tea. And he's also alone. But there are signs in the woods suggesting that someone else might be missing their best pine cone friend. Suddenly, Roland doesn't know if he truly cured his loneliness or if he just passed it on to someone else.

Sona and the Wedding Game

Sona and the Wedding Game
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2022-05-24
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682634485

Experience the magic of an Indian wedding in story about a girl playing a fun, traditional game on her sister’s wedding day. Sona's big sister Nisha is getting married and Sona has been given an important job. She has to steal the groom's shoes. Her grandmother tells her that this tradition is intended to help the bride's and groom's families get to know each other. If Sona is successful, Anil-ji will have to bargain with her to get his shoes back and she can ask for a special reward. Sona has never attended a wedding before, so she's unfamiliar with this Indian tradition-as well as many of the other magical experiences that will occur before and during the special event. There's so much to do: making garlands and rangoli designs to decorate their home, welcoming relatives from India, and helping Nisha-ben get ready. And there are so many exciting things happening: an artist draws patterns on the hands of the girls and women at a mehndi party, Dadima fancy braids Sona’s hair—and the groom arrives on a white horse! Still, Sona can't stop worrying about how she will steal Anil-ji's shoes. Fortunately her know-it-all cousin Vishal, who has arrived from India, is available to help Sona come up with a plan. In an author's note, Kashmira Sheth describes her childhood experiences attending weddings in India (she never got to steal the shoes!) and explains the significance of the Hindu customs and rituals described in the story.

Nina Soni, Snow Spy

Nina Soni, Snow Spy
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2022-10-25
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682635007

Lovable, distractable Nina Soni and her friends and family return in another entertaining tale of big plans gone awry and amusing solutions with unexpected consequences. A long weekend and lots of snow sounds like a recipe for super-special fun to Nina. Best friend Jay is going skiing with his cousins, which is a little disappointing, but some family friends are going to visit and they've got two kids right about the ages of Nina and little sister Kavita. When Nina notices a strange car stopping at the house of neighbors she knows are out of town, she decides that it's time to be a Snow Spy--complete with a Snow Spy Snow Fort, to be built by Nina, Kavita, and new friends Priya and Nayan. Maybe together they can keep an eye on the neighborhood and figure out what MP (Mystery Person) is up to.

Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull

Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull
Author: Bill Harley
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2016-09-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1561457655

Can Charlie Bumpers face his fear of horror movies, come up with a genius costume, and enjoy Halloween? Fourth graders Charlie and Tommy have big plans for Halloween. They're going to trick-or-treat and sleep over at Alex's house. But when Charlie finds out that the entertainment at the party will be the "Scariest Horror Movies Ever," he is struck by panic. Charlie loves candy, he loves sleepovers with his friends, but he absolutely hates horror movies. There is yet another wrinkle in Charlie's Halloween plans. He is determined to win the big prize (ten movie tickets) that will be awarded for the best costume, but when he finally comes up with a genius prize-winning idea, he runs into an unexpected obstacle. How will Charlie be able to enjoy Halloween this year? Black and white illustrations throughout.

The Smile Shop

The Smile Shop
Author: Satoshi Kitamura
Publisher: Holiday House
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1682633500

Acclaimed author-illustrator Satoshi Kitamura (Hat Tricks) celebrates human connection and community in this hopeful story about a boy, a benevolent shopkeeper, and a shared smile. A small boy has saved all his pocket money, and today's the day he'll buy something special just for himself! There's lots to see and smell at the market, from tasty pies to colorful toys and noisy instruments. But before he can even make up his mind, disaster strikes, and he loses his money down a drain. Oh no! But wait, what's this? A store called the Smile Shop? Could he buy a smile? A small one, perhaps, to cheer himself? Featuring charming, classic illustrations reminiscent of Maurice Sendak and Tomie dePaola, Satoshi Kitamura's The Smile Shop is an absorbing story of community, self-worth, and the effect of a smile shared between two people. An apt parable for a time when smiles and expressions of warmth are in high demand.