This Spring 2018 season, in additional to the wonderful new books we’re excited for, we have a great list of titles coming out in paperback for readers of all ages! Check out these award-winning books, now in a new format!

Now in Spanish! This fictionalized first-person biography, written in verse by Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle (and translated by Teresa Mlawer and Georgina Lázaro), follows the early year of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel of the Western world. Miguel’s Brave Knight is also one of 2017’s best books!

Newly revised and featuring extended back matter! Fish make our world a better place. But sometimes people do things that make it hard for them to live and grow. Expository nonfiction powerhouse author Melissa Stewart shares the ways human actions can affect fish and describes ways people can help protect them and their nature habitats.

In this modern spin on “The Princess and the Pea,” Prince Henrick wants to marry an outdoorsy kind of girl, and he know just how to find her: instead of a single pea tucked into a pile of bedding, Henrik tests prospective brides with an entire packet of frozen peas shoved under a flimsy camping mattress. This unconventional twist will have readers laughing out loud!

Pig and Bug just want to be friends. But their size difference is proving to be a BIG problem. Pig wants to play games, but Bug is too small. Bug wants to make things for his friend, but Pig is too big! This entertaining tale from Alex Latimer, filled with wordplay and visual puns, is a great “odd couple” story to pair with upcoming picture book Kalinka and Grakkle.

When Harriet’s sister offers to fix her rebellious curl, the three of them launch into a series of outrageous, hair-raising schemes to tame Harriet’s wayward ringlet. Despite their best efforts, another curl breaks loose…and then another…and then another. Soon the  year and the house are a wreck, poor Harriet is exhausted, and her head is covered in curls. This quirky story filled with energetic illustrations will take all of the dread out of a bad hair day.

Award-winning author Cathryn Sill and her husband, noted wildlife illustrator John Sill, offer young readers a first glimpse into grassland habitats. In simple, easy-to-understand language, this guide teachers children what grasslands are and what kinds of animals and plans live there. Pick up this paperback and see why this is an NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12! And check out the rest of the books in the About Habitats series.

Emmy loves trees, especially the mimosa tree that grows in her grandmother’s pasture. So when Emmy decides she wants a mimosa tree of her own for her birthday, she is dismayed to find that many garden stores don’t sell them. Emmy is crushed—until she discovers that the answer to her problems is growing right before her eyes!

Everyone’s favorite detective dog-human duo are now available in paperback! Uncover exciting mysteries with an adorkable pup King and his human pal Kayla. From missing dog treats to secret encryptions, there’s plenty of detective work and laughs to be had. The straightforward and predictable format, make these early chapter book readers great for fact-gathering, analytical thinking, and predicting what will happen next!

In this new paperback in the Dog Chronicles series, Murphy escapes a grueling life as part of a dogsled team, mercilessly driven so that their cruel owner can reach Nome before the Bering Sea thaws and word gets out to the mainland that gold has been discovered. When the first ships arrive, Murphy is taken in by two recent arrivals: Sally and her mother, who hope to make their fortune providing secretarial labor, so that they can buy their own stake, free from their wealthy but oppressive family back home in Seattle. This action-packed and heartwarming tale, supplemented with more historical information in the back matter, explores the roles that dogs played during the Alaskan gold rush.

Thirteen-year-old Jameson Cooper has been thrown in jail after the death of both of his parents. After he’s been sold to the town baker, Jameson is kidnapped by a brigand of privateers working for Queen Anne. He must prove his worth on the high seas to the men who eventually become like family. In the end, Jameson must use his wits and education to save his captain from death. This sure-fire, action-packed adventure is loaded with fascinating details about life at sea during Queen Anne’s War.

For thirteen-year-old Samantha, life consists of too many unanswered questions about her past. Like why has her father not tried to contact her all these years? How could he have let her twin sister drown in Clearwater Quarry when they were only toddlers? And how can Sam’s mother expect her to accept some make she hardly knows as her new father? Sam already has a father out there. Somewhere. As she sets out to find her father and discover what really happened the day her sister was presumed drowned, she uncovers painful secrets that threaten to destroy her family all over again.
Read about how author Dori Hillestad Butler approached revising and updating this title and it’s companion, Yes, I Know the Monkey Man, in her blog post.

Alba wants to stop tie so she can stay in her small town forever—but news of the end of the world might just force her to confront her future. High school has ended, and everyone else seems to be making plans to move on. Meanwhile, Alba’s old crush has unexpectedly reappeared, and her best friend has suddenly gone off the rails. Even her latest comic book creation is misbehaving. Also, the world might be ending—which is proving to be awkward. As doomsday enthusiasts flock to idyllic Eden Valley, Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. Bit when it comes to figuring out her heart, Armageddon might turn out to be the least of Alba’s problems.

Check out our full Spring 2018 catalog here, and see what new stories we have coming this season here!