Being a children’s librarian has many perks – I get to read to kids! I get to sing and dance with them! I get to buy books and resources for families! I get to wear silly clothes, like my Dragons Love Tacos shirt, or my cat skirt, or my rainbow dress to work! I can create programs like paint nights, and it is all part of my job. But maybe the best part is that when I am reading tons of kids books or graphic novels, and get a side-eye from another adult, I get to explain that I have to read these books! It’s my JOB!

Not that anyone needs an excuse to justify what they are reading. I just like to spin it a little. I would be reading these books either way, and getting to tell people about my job is honestly a bonus. (Just don’t tell me you “never read” or ask why libraries still exist “when there is Google.”)

So if you are an adult, and you want suggestions on the newest mysteries or romances, I am unlikely to have any personal recommendations. What I do excel at is recommending what to read after your child has read all the Raina Telgemeier books ten times.

Let me tell you about some of my most recent reads:

First up, these books are for younger readers who have moved beyond the basic early readers and are reading longer books. For fans of Dog Man, Cat Ninja by Matthew Cody is an Epic! Originals book that was previously only available on Epic!, a digital reading site, that most children access through a school account. Cat Ninja is a regular cat by day, superhero by night! Protector of Metro City, he fights all the fiendish villains that threaten the peace. Evil slugs, robot dogs, and his nemesis, Master Hamster, are no match for Cat Ninja! Agent 9 by James Burks has a similar adventurous feel, this time with a spy cat who has a habit of acting before thinking through the consequences. Because she is so reckless, Agent 9 has been sidelined by the Super Secret Spy Service for destroying more things than she is saving. But being a spy is everything to her, so Agent 9 vows to change her ways if she can just have one more chance. Readers will definitely relate to the trouble Agent 9 continually gets into because she forgets to stop and think. Can Agent 9 learn from her mistakes and stay a super spy?

For a slightly more advanced reader, like fans of the Hilo series, Bear by Ben Queen is a beautifully illustrated book about a service dog who loses his sight. What is a dog to do when he loses his reason for being? Bear doesn’t know who he is if he isn’t helping Patrick, his beloved owner who is a blind technician. Bear leaves on a journey to fix his sight, and finds that everyone has beauty and worth, no matter what they can or can’t do. Readers who enjoy the more realistic story lines, like the Babysitters books, might like Jo & Rus by Audra Winslow, a book about two kids finding a connection despite an age difference. Jo is in middle school, and she is bullied for being different and living in a trailer with her grandma. Rus is a highschooler who is Puerto Rican whose family owns the town junkyard. When Rus finds Jo skipping school, he sees a kindred spirit, and the two become friends. Rus encourages Jo to attend school, and to join a club to find kids with similar interests. He introduces her to his friends and family, and allows her to see a future where she can thrive with friends who may be outside the mainstream. I was initially unsure about a plot that revolved around an older boy helping a younger girl, but it is a very wholesome brother/sister type of relationship, and Rus never tries to change Jo. He just helps her realize there are many options to life, and we can find happiness by embracing who we are, but also by trying new things. A little more fantastical, but with real, relatable issues, is Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee, in which Lora finds herself drifting apart from her middle school friends. They want to do more ‘adult’ stuff, like talk about boys, but Lora still wants to dress up and have out of this world adventures. Determined to be herself, Lora decides to have a seance tea party with her imaginary friends and discovers a ghost named Alexa. Stuck forever at 14, Lora and Alexa become fast friends and Lora is thrilled that her new friend will never outgrow her. But, of course, time moves on and Lora inevitably does grow up. The story is sweet, but also packs real heart as the reader learns Alexa’s back story and sees Lora struggle with her friends.

Moving on from ghosts to gods, Oh My Gods by Stephanie Cooke is a cute story based on Greek mythology. Karen moves to Greece for a year to live with her eccentric dad Zed, and enrolls in the local high school. Not exactly thrilled to be uprooted, Karen takes a little while to notice that her new friends all happen to be the gods and goddesses of legend. Oh, and her dad Zed is really Zeus! Cooke brings everyone together as the teens have to solve the mystery of who keeps attacking the students of Mt. Olympus Junior High. Can they find out which student did it, before it’s too late?

In Girl Haven by Lilah Sturges, Ash’s mom has been gone a few years now, but he and his dad have just moved into her family home. Ash makes some new friends at school, and they come back to his house to hang out. When he shows them the cool clubhouse in the backyard, none of them are prepared to be sucked into a fantasy world Ash’s mom had only told him stories about. If Koretris is a place meant as a haven for girls, what does it mean that Ash was able to travel there? Can Ash face what happened to his mother, and his own feelings? With his new friends’ encouragement and looking within himself, Ash finds out who he really is.

And finally, Lightfall by Tim Probert is a fantasy adventure story, great for readers of Amulet or 5 Worlds. Bea has always lived with her adopted grandfather, the Pig Wizard, and assisted him in creating tonics for the villagers. While she is out finding supplies, she bumps into Cad, a giant Galduarian – a frog-like creature thought to be extinct. He is looking for Pig Wizard to help him find his people, but, when they return home, he is gone. Now Bea and Cad must find her grandfather and find out what happened to the Galduarians before darkness covers the land. Will the Pig Wizard have the answers? Or are Bea and Cad carrying some of the answers themselves?
These are just some of the newer graphic novels we have. Not to mention new titles in a few popular series, like the new Dog Man: Mothering Heights, Babysitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl, and more. There is something for everyone, and if you need a recommendation, just ask!

Nicole Guerra-Coon is the Assistant Children’s Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library, in Norwood, MA. Look for her article in the May 6, 2021 issue of the Transcript and Bulletin.