Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician Written by Barb Rosenstock Illustrated by Mar Delmar New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. Biography. In this illustrated biography, rather than focusing on Houdini's life, the story is told through his love of books. Houdini's love of books began as a child reading from his father's collection—which was eventually sold to pay for rent after the family immigrated to America. His love of magic was also tied to his love of reading—he learned magic from a book that he later considered burning to keep the secrets of his magic tricks safe. Throughout his life, Houdini grew his collection and even travelled with a special folding bookcase the magically housed hundreds of volumes. By the time of his death, his brownstone in New York held 15,000 volumes that were later donated. In addition to the interesting narrative focus on his life, readers will be intrigued by the beautiful gauche and cut paper illustrat...
Junie B. Jones is a modern classic, with a spunky and relatable main character that kids love! If your elementary school reader is looking for books that will strike a similar chord in their reading line up, this list will introduce you to a whole new cast of loveable characters. Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple Written by Liz Garton Scanlon Illustrated by Dung Ho New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Intermediate. 117 pages. Bibsy Cross loves her family, her cat, her best friend, and she really loves school! But as the eight-year-old starts a new school year with a new teacher, Mrs. Stumper, things don't go as smoothly as Bibsy is used to. Her teacher thinks she is just a bit too much, especially when it comes to all her talk about the science fair. On a day that things go just a "stone too far," Mrs. Stumper punches a hole in Bibsy's paper apple hung in the classroom, which makes Bibsy worry how she can make the perfect science fair project when feeling so low. This book...