New Releases by Kathryn Erskine

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine teams up with Keith Henry Brown on this lyrical picture book that celebrates music and Black identity. Trevor’s dad is a DJ, and he always picks the best music— tunes jivin’, beat drivin’, high fivin’! —he’s DJ Dap Daddy! But after his parents split up and Dad moves out, Trevor feels like the pitch doesn’t fit between them. Trevor has his own music now—hip-hop—and Dad can’t seem to let go of his old soul favorites. As the end-of-year dance approaches, Trevor and his father will have to find their new groove to get the party started. My Dad Is a DJ is a hip-hoppin’, beat boppin’, tunes poppin’, not stoppin’ story of a father and son’s shared love of music and each other.

From National Book Award–winning author Kathryn Erskine comes a heartfelt, poignant novel that tackles grief, change, and the struggle to let your voice be heard. Perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Ali Benjamin. Shy, eleven-year-old Lily made her dad an important promise before he passed away—that she would “Strive for Five” and speak her mind at least five times. But speaking up one time, let alone five, is easier said than done. It’ll be even harder now that Lily must attend public school for the first time. Fortunately, she meets curling-obsessed Hobart and quiet Dunya at the beginning of sixth grade. Their kindness gives Lily hope that life without Dad might just be bearable. But when Lily and her friends are bullied by Ryan and his mean clique, she quickly discovers the true meaning of friendship and speaking out. Despite the anxiety she feels, Lily knows she needs to stand up for herself and others. And she’ll use the tools her dad gave her to not only keep her final promise but bring her whole school together. Following Lily’s journey and the snarky, insightful, and humorous commentary from Libro, the actual book, who guides readers through this thoughtful tale, makes Lily’s Promise a strong title for social emotional learning.

A beautiful book about community and love by National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Alexandra Boiger. ME can be WE. YOU can come, too. In a lyrical text that travels the globe, National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine shows young readers how the whole world is a community made up of people who are more similar than we are different. With stunning, cinematic art by Alexandra Boiger, the illustrator of the She Persisted series, this is the perfect read-aloud at bedtime or for story time. Perfect for fans of All Are Welcome and Be Kind. Praise for All of Us: * "[In this] book about global inclusivity . . . the breathtaking art carries the message throughout." --Booklist, starred review * "This simple yet beautiful book reminds readers that they are not alone. . . . Children will find something different u00adevery time they read the poem, and feel cherished by the message of openness." --School Library Journal, starred review "A lyrical celebration of unity and diversity . . . Purely sweet." --Kirkus Reviews "This picture book offers an uplifting vision for a unified world." --Publishers Weekly

Caitlin misses her brother every day. Since his death in a school shooting, she has no one to explain the world to her. And for Caitlin, the world is a confusing place. She hates it when colours get mixed up, prefers everything to be black-and-white, and needs to check her Facial Expressions Chart to understand emotions. So when Caitlin reads the definition of "closure", she decides that''s what she needs. And as she struggles to find it, a world of colour begins to enter her black-and-white life...

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine delivers a contemporary story about a boy with a mystical worldview and a love of science and comets as he faces questions about what makes him special. Some might say Julian is sheltered. But he lives large, and his eternal optimism allows him to see infinite possibilities wherever he looks. Despite his optimism, he is anxious about his stressed family falling apart. Even his ability to "uni-sense" what''s happening with his sister is gone. If he can make his family focus on the magic in the universe, surely they''ll appreciate life again. Now that they are moving from Washington, DC, to rural Maine, Julian can use his beloved telescope without any light pollution. He can discover a comet, name it for himself, and show his family how they''re all truly connected.As Julian searches the night sky, he encounters a force that may drive his plan apart. His neighbor, Mr. X, could bring an end to his parents'' dream of opening their B&B. Could one negative force unravel everything? An avid student of science, Julian understands that there is much about the universe that we don''t yet know. Who is to say what''s possible and what''s not?

Offers young readers an intimate view of Miriam Makeba''s fight for equality.

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine presents unique novel about a sickly boy''s epic journey through England and Scotland at the height of Medieval times. Adrian is small for his age, even for a twelve year old. It doesn''t help that he''s an albino, which makes those he meets wonder if he''s an angel or a devil. His father is a bowyer, and all Adrian wants to do is become apprenticed and go off to war as a long bowman. But that''s not what his father wants for him. Since Adrian can write, his father wants him to be a scribe. That''s just about the last thing Adrian wants. When the Scots invade England and Adrian''s best friend Hugh runs off to find his father and fight in battles, Adrian soon follows, intent on finding Hugh and joining him in glorious warfare against the pagans invading England from the north. When Adrian finds Hugh, who is caring for a wounded Scotsman, he''s horrified that Hugh would aid an enemy. But soon, as Adrian gets to know the Donald, he begins to question what he''s been taught about the enemy and the nature of war. In this epic journey an afflicted boy finds and inner strength he never knew belonged to him.

National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine delivers a powerful story of family, friendship, and race relations in the South.Life will never be the same for Red Porter. He''s a kid growing up around black car grease, white fence paint, and the backward attitudes of the folks who live in his hometown, Rocky Gap, Virginia. Red''s daddy, his idol, has just died, leaving Red and Mama with some hard decisions and a whole lot of doubt. Should they sell the Porter family business, a gas station, repair shop, and convenience store rolled into one, where the slogan -- "Porter''s: We Fix it Right!" -- has been shouting the family''s pride for as long as anyone can remember? With Daddy gone, everything''s different. Through his friendship with Thomas, Beau, and Miss Georgia, Red starts to see there''s a lot more than car motors and rusty fenders that need fixing in his world. When Red discovers the injustices that have been happening in Rocky Gap since before he was born, he''s faced with unsettling questions about his family''s legacy.

From the author of Mockingbird, a National Book Award winner! Mike tries so hard to please his father, but the only language his dad seems to speak is calculus. And for a boy with a math learning disability, nothing could be more difficult. When his dad sends him to live with distant relatives in rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project, Mike figures this is his big chance to prove himself. But when he gets there, nothing is what he thought it would be. Instead of an engineering assignment, he finds himself part of a town-wide project to adopt a boy from Romania while working alongside his wacky eighty-something-year-old aunt, a homeless man, and a punk-rock girl. Mike might not learn anything about engineering, but what he does learn is far more valuable.