A Sick Day for Amos McGee (10th Anniversary Edition) by Phillip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Ages 2-6

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of this Caldecott Medal winner with this special anniversary edition of a beloved story!

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Ages 8-12

The New York Times-bestselling story of kindness, friendship, and hope from the author of The One and Only Ivan!

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever. Funny, deep, warm, and nuanced, this is Katherine Applegate at her very best—writing from the heart, and from a completely unexpected point of view.

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Ages 12-18

★ A New York Times Bestseller
★ Stonewall Book Award Winner
★ YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

If it weren’t for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight.

Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen
Ages 8-12
On Sale January 12, 2021!

A middle grade memoir from a living literary legend, giving readers a new perspective on the origins of Gary Paulsen’s famed survival stories.

His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now, beloved author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.

A moving and enthralling story of grit and growing up, Gone to the Woods is perfect for newcomers to the voice and lifelong fans alike, from the acclaimed author at his rawest and realest.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (Collector’s Edition) by Kimberly Willis Holt
Ages 10-14
On Sale January 12, 2021

A new collector’s edition of the 1999 National Book Award Winner!

Toby Wilson is having the toughest summer of his life. It’s the summer his mother leaves for good; the summer his best friend’s brother returns from Vietnam in a coffin. And the summer that Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world, arrives in their sleepy Texas town. While it’s a summer filled with heartache of every kind, it’s also a summer of new friendships gained and old friendships renewed. And it’s Zachary Beaver who turns the town of Antler upside down and leaves everyone, especially Toby, changed forever.

With understated elegance, Kimberly Willis Holt tells a compelling coming-of-age story about a thirteen-year-old boy struggling to find himself in an imperfect world. At turns passionate and humorous, this extraordinary novel deals sensitively and candidly with obesity, war, and the true power of friendship.

The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas by Kimberly Willis Holt
Ages 10-14
On Sale January 12, 2021

A stunning post-9/11 standalone companion to When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.

Decades after the Vietnam War and Toby’s life-changing summer with Zachary Beaver, Toby’s daughter Rylee is at a crossroads—her best friend Twig has started pushing her away just as Joe, a new kid from New York, settles into their small town of Antler. Rylee befriends Joe and learns that Joe’s father was a first responder on 9/11. The two unlikely friends soon embark on a project to find Zachary Beaver and hopefully reconnect him with Rylee’s father almost thirty years later.

This beautiful middle grade novel is a tribute to friendships—old and new—and explores the challenges of rebuilding what may seem lost or destroyed.

2020 ILA Teachers’ Choices Reading List

Moon! Earth’s Best Friend* by Stacy McAnulty; illustrated by Stevie Lewis

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

2020 ILA/CBC Childrens’ Choices Reading List

When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos, Jr.; illustrated by German Blanco

2020 ILA Young Adults’ Choices Reading List

Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden