The Yellow Bus by Loren Long + Enter the Back-to-School Sweepstakes!

Art: The Yellow Bus with children and a driver on board

Introducing the #1 New York Times bestselling Picture Book

Read on to learn all about The Yellow Bus, download resources, score special librarian & educator surprises, and access a bus-load of bonus content! Hop on board!

The Yellow Bus Cover Image

Perfect for fans of Love and Hello, Lighthouse, The Yellow Bus from #1 New York Times bestselling Loren Long is a tender and hopeful new classic about a forgotten school bus that finds happiness and purpose in the most unexpected places—and in the journey along the way.

There is a bright yellow bus who spends her days driving. She loves carrying children from one important place to another. Every morning they climb in . . . Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, giggle, giggle-patter. And they fill her with joy.

As time passes, things change. The Yellow Bus gets a new driver, a new route, and new passengers, young and old. Until one day the driving stops for good, and the Yellow Bus is left on her own. And yet, no matter where she is, the Yellow Bus still finds joy and discovery in the world around her.

With stirring black-and-white artwork and powerful pops of color, The Yellow Bus is a poignant reflection on the many new beginnings life has to offer.

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Activity Kit: The Gingerbread Monster by Dan Gemeinhart; illustrated by Hugo L. Cuellar

Activity Kit Graphic

Gingerbread Monster Social Asset

The Gingerbread Monster
By Dan Gemeinhart; illustrated by Hugo L. Cuellar
Ages 4-7
On Sale Now!

“A deliciously fun adventure with vibrant charm and a perfect blend of spooky and sweet! A great read-aloud experience for both kids and grown-ups alike.” ―Pete Oswald, #1 New York Times–bestselling illustrator of The Good Egg and The Bad Seed

From #1 New York Times–bestselling author Dan Gemeinhart comes a spooky picture book tale about a young baker whose Gingerbread Man creation comes to life with a fright—yet even monsters long for a friend.

In his laboratory high on the hill, Frank N. Stine has a ferocious sweet tooth that snarls to be fed. But when an eerie experiment spills into his Gingerbread batter, a frightening cookie creation comes to life! The Gingerbread Monster is hulking, horrific . . . and hungry. But as Frank is chased by his creepy creation, the young baker begins to wonder what the Monster truly craves. After all, there’s no sweeter treat than friendship.

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Summer 2025 E-Book Sale for Libraries

Keep your patrons entertained and engaged with the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Summer Reads promotion!

From 7/31/2025 through 9/31/2025, over 350 Macmillan Children’s titles will be discounted across pay-per-use / cost-per-circ sales models – perfect for lucky day check outs and summer reading. Please reach out to your digital content distribution partners for more information!

Download the spreadsheet of all promoted titles here!

SUMMER READING AND BACK TO SCHOOL ESSENTIALS

Cover of "Agents of S.U.I.T. Wilde Ghost Chase"
Cover of "Plain Jane and the Mermaid"
Cover of "Children of Anguish and Anarchy"
Cover of "Real Friends"
Cover of "Six of Crows"
Cover of "Cinder"
Cover of "Promise Boys"
Cover of "Look on the Bright Side"
Cover of Check Please #1

Teacher’s Guides for Every Occasion!

Cover image that reads "Teacher's Guides for every occasion" white text on a red background, framed by cover images.

If you’re looking to boost your lesson plans with great reads and important classroom discourse, we have a selection of guides to help! This list of teacher’s guides for every occasion can help you plan for the year! From well-loved canon to important historical moments, you’ll find pre-reading questions, discussion topics, and common core ties that are evergreen conversation starters.

Picture Books: Fiction

opens in a new windowCover of "Why?"
opens in a new windowCover of "Odder, an Otter's Story"
opens in a new windowCover of "I wish you knew"
opens in a new windowCover of "Together, a Forest"
opens in a new windowCover of "Anh's New Word"
opens in a new windowCover of "Abuelo, The Sea, and Me

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for Together, A Forest by Roz MacLean, Odder: An Otter’s Story by Katherine Applegate, Abuelo, the Sea, and Me by Ismée Williams; illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, Ánh’s New Word by Hanh Bui; illustrated by Bao Luu, I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer; illustrated by Magdalena Mora, and Why? A Conversation About Race by Taye Diggs; illustrated by Shane W. Evans.

Picture Books: Non-Fiction

opens in a new windowCover of "Choosing Brave"
opens in a new windowCover of "Ida B. Wells: Voice of Truth"

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for Choosing Brave by Angela Joy; illustrated by Janelle Washington, and Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth by Michelle Duster; illustrations by Laura Freeman.

Middle Grade: Fiction

opens in a new windowCover for "A Wrinkle In Time"
opens in a new windowCover for "Wishtree"
opens in a new windowCover for "The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise"
opens in a new windowCover of "Frizzy"
opens in a new windowover of "The Lost Year"
opens in a new windowCover of "Onyx and Beyond"
opens in a new windowCover for "The Song of Orphan's Garden"
opens in a new windowCover of "Greta"
opens in a new windowCover for Odder
opens in a new windowCover of "Farther Than The Moon"
opens in a new windowCover of "The Gray"
opens in a new windowCover of "Eagle Drums"
opens in a new windowCover of "The Marvellers"
opens in a new windowCover of "In the Key of Us"
opens in a new windowCover of "Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa"
opens in a new windowCover of "Cuba in my Pocket"

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle; Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, Odder by Katherine Applegate, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart, Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride, The Song of Orphan’s Garden by Nicole M. Hewitt, Greta by J. S. Lemon, Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega; illustrated by Rose Bousamra, Farther than the Moon by Lindsay Lackey, The Gray by Chris Baron, by Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson, The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh, The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton; illustrated by Khadijah Khatib, In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington, Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall, and Cuba in my Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas.

Middle Grade: Non-Fiction

opens in a new windowCover of "Latinitas"
opens in a new windowCover of "Three Summers"
opens in a new windowCover of "Torpedoed"
opens in a new windowCover of "My Selma"
opens in a new windowCover of "Betty Before X"
opens in a new windowCover of "The Girl Who Sang"

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for Three Summers by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan, The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel with Bethany Strout; illustrated by Sammy Savos, Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz, with Renee Watson, My Selma by Willie Mae Brown, Torpedoed by Deborah Heiligman, and Latinitas by Juliet Menéndez.

Young Adult: Fiction

opens in a new windowCover of "Speak"
opens in a new windowCover Promise Boys
opens in a new windowCover of "Shadow and Bone"
opens in a new windowCinder Cover
opens in a new windowCover of "The Lost Dreamer"
opens in a new windowCover of "So Many Beginnings"
opens in a new windowCover of "Shadow & Bone"
opens in a new windowClash of Steel
opens in a new windowCover of "Librarian of Auschwitz"
opens in a new windowCover of "Under the Same Stars"
opens in a new windowCover of "Thirsty"
opens in a new windowCover of "Saints of the Household"
opens in a new windowCover of "Warrior Girl Unearthed"
opens in a new windowCover of "Himawari House"

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; illustrated by E.M. Carroll, The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe; adapted by Salva Rubio and illustrated by Loreto Aroca; translated by Lilit Thwaites; Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray, Thirsty: A Novel by Jas Hammonds, Saints of the Household by Ari Tyson, Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley, Promise Boys by Nick Brooks, Himawari House by Harmony Becker, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow, Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo, A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee, and Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angelline Boulley.

Young Adult: Non-Fiction

opens in a new windowCover of "Accountable"
opens in a new windowCover of "The Impossible Escape"
opens in a new windowCover of "True or False"
opens in a new windowCover of "Call Him Jack"
opens in a new windowCover of "The Sun Does Shine"
opens in a new windowcover of "Jane Against The World"
opens in a new windowCover of "Fallout"
opens in a new windowCover of "Whose Right Is It"
opens in a new windowCover of "Don't Look Back"
opens in a new windowCover of "The 57 Bus"
opens in a new windowCover of "Duet"
opens in a new windowCover of "Rise up"
opens in a new windowCover of "Strongman"

Scroll through the images above to find teacher’s guides for The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, Accountable by Dashka Slater, Impossible Escape by Steve Sheinkin, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Don’t Look Back by Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, Call Him Jack by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, Duet by Phillip Hoose, Jane Against The World by Karen Blumenthal, Rise Up! by Crystal Marie Fleming, Fallout by Steve Sheinkin, Strongman by Kenneth C. Davis, Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns by Hana Bajramovic, True or False by Cindy L. Otis.

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate

opens in a new windowAuthor Letter from Katherine ApplegateDear Reader,When I think about the books I've most loved writing, it always comes back to stories for middle-grade readers. I so love that audience. I love their unquenchable curiosity. Their fierce idealism. And their boundless imaginations.For this wildly open-minded and open-hearted audience, I can create a possible invisible giant cat, or a miniature polar bear-hummingbird hybrid who builds nests out of glowing bubbles. I can write from the point of view of an orphaned otter with Olympian diving moves, or a wise, deeply kind, talking oak tree.I can do these things because I know that my audience is uniquely able to embrace the unusual, the unexpected, even the unbelievable.In my newest book, Pocket Bear, which debuts in September, 2025, I write about a wily, theft-prone cat named Zephyrina and her dear friend Pocket, a tiny stuffed bear who was originally created to provide comfort to a soldier during World War I.Pocket, or mascot, bears were made to fit into the breast pocket of a uniform. Their eyes were positioned in such a way that, glancing down, a soldier would see a little bear looking up, a token of love and hope, always there in the darkest of moments. Not for a fleeting second, as I wrote this story of an unlikely friendship, did I wonder if a child would embrace the idea. Adults? You never know. We are, sadly, a weary and distracted lot, especially lately.But a child? Absolutely.The epigraph to Pocket Bear is from a Mary Oliver poem: Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.That's why writing for middle-grade readers is just a privilege and a joy.They have so much room in those tender hearts of theirs.Katherine Applegate

opens in a new windowThimble-born from tip to toe, meet Pocket Bear

Preorder Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate’s next middle-grade novel Pocket Bear for your classroom or library to receive a gift for you and a gift for your students!

Upload your receipt from any retailer to receive an exclusive art print and 15 Pocket Bear patches.

Submit your receipt here!
Pocket Bear"Experience an unforgettable tale of bravery, kindness, and second chances, where every stitch tells a story."

opens in a new windowPocket Bear cover imageSmall bear with a blue scarf curled up next to a large cat.
Pocket Bear | On sale September 9th

Meet Pocket, created as a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle, whose bravery and loyalty lives on long after the war.

From Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Odder and The One and Only Ivan.

Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm.

Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,” have seen it all, and then some.

An unforgettable tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness, Pocket reminds us all that love comes in many forms (sometimes filled with fluff), and that second chances are always possible.

Katherine Applegate Teacher’s Guide

Explore themes of community, empathy, resilience, and the environment through books by Katherine Applegate. Download a free discussion guide here!

opens in a new windowA Teacher's Guide to the Middle-Grade Novels of Katherine ApplegateCrenshaw cover imageWillodeen cover imageOdder cover imagewishtree cover image

Activity Kit: Everything’s Wrong by Jory John

graphic announcing a free activity kit with the EVERYTHING'S WRONG! book cover that includes a disgruntled bear and rabbit in a forest landscape

EVERYTHING'S WRONG! book cover that includes a disgruntled bear and rabbit in a forest landscape

Everything’s Wrong!
By Jory John; illustrated by Erin Kraan
Ages 4-8
On Sale May 20th!

From #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Bad Seed, Jory John, and the #1 New York Times-bestselling illustrator of Buffalo Fluffalo, Erin Kraan, comes a meaningful yet utterly hilarious tale—a companion to the popular picture books, Something’s Wrong! And Nothing’s Wrong!

It’ll surely be a no-hassle, stress-free, easy-peasy kind of day. . .

Best friends Jeff and Anders start the day with the best of intentions, but before long, everything goes haywire. From power outages, to spilled breakfasts, to missing socks, a series of irritating incidents sends the bear-and-bunny duo on an epic journey that will test their fortitude and their friendship. Can these pals work together to salvage this disastrous day?

Another read-out-loud, laugh-out-loud picture book from bestselling author Jory John, paired with standout talent Erin Kraan, reminds us that even when your day seems to go completely off the rails, you can make it through any challenge—especially when you have a good friend by your side.

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ALA 2025 Conference Resource Center

Image that reads "MacKids School and Library ALA 2025 Resources"

We’re so excited to see our librarian friends on June 27 to June 30 in Philadelphia!

What’s inside

What’s inside

What’s inside

What’s inside our ALA Resource Center:
  • Make the most of your ALA experience + meet your favorite authors & illustrators!
    Check our ALA schedule for a full list of in-person author programs and book signings.
  • We’ve collected our digital resources for you in this handy resource center!
    Download our digital catalogs, request digital preview copies, and fill out our checklist survey for your chance to win a collection of free books for your library!
  • Not attending ALA?
    You can still download digital resources, request preview copies, and more!
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