Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

No Place on Earth

No Place on EarthNo Place on Earth by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Published by Random House on August 25, 2026
ISBN: 9798217119431
Genres: Family, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, Mental Health
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

So much is different for Gustavo when he moves with his mom and sister from Puerto Rico to Yellowstone.  His school is much smaller, the weather is a lot colder, and he has to share a room with his older sister.  He misses his friends and can’t even game with them because his Internet is unstable at his new house in the park.  Even his dreams are different.  The nightmares that plagued him in Puerto Rico still occur, but now they include a boy from school. Gustavo and Kordell share a connection through their shared dreams and also because of their mental illness.  Gustavo experiences anxiety, though he is just starting to use that label, and Kordell has depression and is isolated from the other kids at school.  Gustavo slowly adjusts and starts to form friendships, with Kordell, and with other kids at school.  When Kordell is in trouble, only Gustavo and the mystical dream connection they share can save him.

This novel would be a great addition for libraries serving middle school students.  Gustavo learns to face his anxiety and its stigma, especially from his father who is initially resistant to Gustavo going to therapy.  Gustavo’s self-awareness develops throughout this book, as does his relationship with his sister.  Readers who like character driven stories will enjoy this book and there is enough action, especially at the end, to keep readers engaged.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

five-stars

Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of America

Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of AmericaPublished by Random House Studio on July 7, 2026
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, dinosaurs, Informational
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
five-stars

This book goes back 85 million years to a time when Kansas was submerged under a vast ocean called the Western Interior Seaway that was teeming with incredible prehistoric sharks. This unique dinosaur book introduces lesser-known creatures through both narrative prose and brief, well-organized fact boxes. Dinosaur lovers will eat this up! Stewart is the author of over 200 science books for children and this is one of her best that also  includes a clear explanation of plate tectonics and the formation of Monument Rocks. Becca Stadtlander’s lush colored illustrations of these creatures compliment the text. I highly recommend adding this unusual dinosaur book to your dinosaur section. Ages 6-10.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

In One Whale’s Breath

In One Whale’s BreathIn One Whale's Breath by Cinyee Chiu, Jessica Kulekjian
Published by Kids Can Press on September 1, 2026
ISBN: 1525314106
Genres: Animals, Informational
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A humpback whale takes a breath and dives below the ocean’s surface where it can swim underwater for 15 minutes before coming back to the surface for more air. Meanwhile, each page spread introduces a different animal, showing what it’s doing, where it lives, and how it breathes. This informational picture book offers two layers of text: a lyrical narrative that follows the whale and other animals, and smaller, more detailed factual blurbs explaining the science behind each creature’s breathing, making the book accessible to a wider range of readers. (Personally, this informational text was my favorite part of the book. I learned a lot!) At the end of  the book, the whale returns for its next breath, water droplets arising from its spout and traveling into the atmosphere and all the way to space. (This part could have been left out IMHO but it does not detract from the book.) Gouache and pastel illustrations of mostly blue and green depict a cool  oceanic setting. It would be fun to set a timer at the beginning of the book and wait for it to go off as you read the book so children have a better sense of the length of 15 minutes. You may want to read this book twice – once with the lyrical text and again with the informational text, which would likely take about 15 minutes. There is an author’s note, more information, books and websites at the end. Ages 4--8.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

While We’re Here

While We’re HereWhile We’re Here by Anne Wynter, Micha Archer
Published by Clarion Books ISBN: 0063238292
Genres: Cultural / African American, Family Life, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

An African American mom and daughter are rushing to get somewhere in the first half of the book . . The suspense builds with the repeated refrain, “Hurry, hurry.” The reader wonders where they are going, only to be empathetically disappointed when they arrive to discover the party was yesterday. However, now that they have nowhere to be they can take a more leisurely trip back home and stop to enjoy things along the way. This book covers the gambit of emotions using mostly simple two-lined text. Archer’s brilliant collage art sets the characters against vibrant greens and blues in the city setting. This book will be a wonderful read aloud at story time. It’s message is relatable for everyone.

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

The World’s Game

The World’s GameThe World's Game by Andrés Landazábal, Yamile Saied Méndez
on June 2, 2026
Genres: Cultural / Latin America, Inspiration, Sports
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

One ball, two teams, and a whole lot of fans – what can bring the world together like a soccer match? This fun picture book, timed perfectly for the 2026 World Cup, celebrates a game like no other. A game where people of all cultures, from all around the world, come together to cheer on their teams. This story shows all perspectives of the game – from the action on the field, to the chants in the stands, and even the family feuds while watching the game on the couch at home. The photoshop illustrations depict diverse characters and multiple languages, and the inside cover includes flags from all around the world. A wonderful addition to any picture book collection. Recommended for ages 3 to 7 (Preschool to 2nd Grade). Nominated for cream of the crop.

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

five-stars

I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea

I Hear the Snow, I Smell the SeaI Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea by Chris Raschka, Jan Milusich, Janice Milusich
Published by Random House Children's Books on October 7, 2025
ISBN: 0593308174
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
This extraordinarily rich picture book is a sensory feast told from the perspective of Nevaeh, a young, blind girl with light brown hair and blue eyes. Drawing on her experience as a teacher of the blind and visually impaired, Milusich takes readers on a journey through the seasons. Nevaeh serves as an expert guide, illustrating how the year smells, feels, sounds, and tastes: spring smells like hyacinths, summer feels like floating in the ocean, fall sounds like the “Honk, honk, honk” of migrating birds, and winter tastes like fresh snow.
Nevaeh lives a rich, full life, enjoying the same seasonal milestones as her sighted peers. Her mindful awareness and joy are perfectly captured as she jumps into leaf piles, smells spring blossoms, and builds a snowman. Raschka’s watercolor and oil pastel illustrations strike a beautiful balance between representation and abstraction, giving sighted readers a luscious understanding of the world experienced through non-visual senses.
This title serves as an excellent mentor text for discussing how a character’s unique perspective shapes a narrative. Highly recommended for public and school library collections.

 

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

five-stars

Is This a Plum?

Is This a Plum?Is This a Plum? A Peek-Through Picture Book by Dan Ojari
Genres: Babies/Infants, Children's Beginning Readers, Humor, Picture book/animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Is This a Plum? a delightful peek-through picture book by Dan and Finn Ojari, will keep readers on their toes! Page cut-outs look like one thing, but you’ll be surprised with every turn of the page. Readers of any age will enjoy the guessing game as well as the charming critters determined to lead your guesses astray. And such illustrations! Like Eric Carle, Dan Ojari can command a page with basic shapes and colors. Those who tend to be visually overwhelmed will especially love the design of the book. Even the texture of the cover has a tactile appeal.

Recommended for ages 3-8, and the book begs to be read aloud. Daycares, preschools, K-3 classrooms, library children’s collections, and caregivers of all types would do well to add Is This a Plum? to their collections.

Bonus! The book was inspired by Dan’s son Finn who realized a plum looks a lot like a … well, you’ll have to find that out for yourself.

Reviewed by Beth Almquist, Lewiston Public Library

five-stars

Life on the Moon

Life on the MoonLife on the Moon by Matthew Swanson, Robbi Behr
Published by Alfred A. Knopf on 4/14/26
ISBN: 059370472X
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Leo Brightstar is a twelve-year-old boy who joins his dad stepmother, Sally, to live on the first colony on the moon. Shortly after arrival, Leo’s dad and Sally disappear and Leo breaks all sorts of rules to find them, including stealing a talking rover.  While searching, Leo discovers that the Moon is full of life, even though he was told several times there is no life on the Moon.  Leo starts to question the truth of everything he has been told since his arrival, especially after becoming friends with some Valrootens, and then watching the Hortle eat his rival, Bobby. Leo does find his dad and Sally, and discovers they, too, had been eaten by the Hortle.  He saves them but then needs to find a creative way to prevent them from getting in trouble with the Constable, who happens to be Bobby’s dad and the leader of the group trying to suppress the truth about life on the Moon.  Bobby is also rescued and has been changed by his experience and becomes Leo’s ally.  They both love the Moon and its creatures and will do anything to save them.  Previous colonies have failed and life on the Moon is threatened, but Leo and Bobby are determined to do their best to save them.  Their plan is risky, but they are motivated, so Bobby returns to Earth to tell the people about the Valrootens and Leo is intentionally eaten by the Hortle, who is not the evil villain he was portrayed to be.

On the surface this book seems like a fun science fiction book, which it is.  It is full of adventure and imagination and plenty of action to keep readers hooked.  There are black and white illustrations throughout the text, and some pages are written with white text on a black background, reflecting the dark atmosphere of the moon and the caves that the characters find themselves in.  This book, however, is also much more.  Leo asks tough questions about life and friendship, tackling important issues like belonging and purpose, not only regarding himself, but also for his mother who is struggling on Earth.  More importantly, he learns what it means to be human and wants to share what he has learned with others, so they too, might become better versions of themselves.  Middle grade readers who like to think deeply about big questions will enjoy exploring what Leo has learned.  Readers will be left with a lot to thing about after reading this book.  This is a great addition to public and school libraries serving 4th-7th graders.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

five-stars

The Second Life of Snap

The Second Life of SnapThe Second Life of Snap by Erin Entrada Kelly
Published by Greenwillow Books on May 12, 2026
ISBN: 0063485958
Pages: 164
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Erin Entrada Kelly creates a plausible, if bluntly drawn, near-future dystopia in The Second Life of Snap: Working-class residents of Barren, Texas, live to serve their corporate overlords in nearby Bountiful while suffering deprivation of every kind. But don’t be deceived by the bleak setting or the sharp class contrast: This book is full of hope, nuance, and reverence. 

Eleven-year-old, Filipina Zuzu lives with her widowed dad and runs with the Valleycats, a foursome of “stray” kids in one of Barren’s subsidized camps. When her laid-off dad brings home his severance, a factory-reset robot, Zuzu worries the Secure Network Android Processor will babysit her, and worse, snitch on her and her friends for playing in the off-limits local scrapyard. As Zuzu gets to know the device she dubs Snap, both are transformed: Zuzu sheds her black-and-white thinking while Snap develops what appears to be sentience, feelings, and even loyalty. 

“Do you think it’s possible to change the world?” Zuzu asked. “No. Everything’s already ruined,” Elias said… “I don’t think it’s ever too late to change things,” said Zuzu.

A different story would have gone down a number of tired, well-worn paths, but Kelly gives her young audience more credit: No one saves the world, no one starts a revolution, no one comes back from the dead (battery) just the same as before – and all for the better. In the end, changes for good do occur, but they unfold subtly and gently, just like Kelly’s themes: community, change, and the interconnectedness of things. Key offscreen actions are wisely never spelled out in detail, which might frustrate some readers used to more literal storytelling. The ending is likewise not resolved tidily and predictably, going out not with a bang but a whisper – of hope.

What to love: Intersectionally diverse, endearing characters; moral complexity; taut, straightforward writing; real-life problems portrayed relatably – from best-friend envy to climate anxiety and despair; and, dare we say, snappy humor. A book for our times. 

Reviewed by Emily Ender, Oxford Hills Middle School Library, South Paris

five-stars

Loch Ness Monster’s Unbelievable Science

Loch Ness Monster’s Unbelievable ScienceLoch Ness Monster's Unbelievable Science by Anne Appert
Published by Kids Can Press on May 5, 2026
ISBN: 1525312537
Pages: 62
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

With a catchy title and graphic novel approach, this book will be popular with the younger elementary readers. The Loch Ness Monster (call them Ness) explains how puffins got their red beak. However, Ness uses a story as an explanation and when confronted by an actual puffin learns that a story is not an actual scientific fact. The format is cute and playful and throughout the book Ness learns that in order to explain a fact about a bird, research is needed and scientific facts matter more than what you want to believe because it’s fun or cute. A fantastic book that uses humor to explaining the need to conduct research and consult multiple sources before spouting off “facts” about a topic. Back matter includes additional resources and a glossary.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Elementary School

five-stars