Buzz Books
What is Buzzing at the Honey Bee?
Check out our recommended reading lists!
Updated monthly, here are a few Honey Bee best sellers, staff favorites, and new releases.
Picture Books:
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The Sandman
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The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie by William Joyce
When the moon is less than full and bright, who will keep children safe at night? The follow-up to the bestseller The Man in the Moon introduces us to the sleepy little fellow and sweet-dreamer extraordinaire to whom we owe many a good nights’ rest—the second Guardian of Childhood, the Sandman.
Visit Official Website: http://www.theguardiansofchildhoodbooks.com/sandman.php
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Stellaluna
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Seperated from her mother before she is old enough to fly, Stellaluna finds out that not all winged creatures eat fruit. But swallowing food that crawls is just one of the many amazing things this little fruit bat must learn to do. Not all are lessons in survival, however. For as Stellaluna adapts to the habits of her new family, she learns the essence of friendship in humerous and touching ways.
Written by Janell Cannon
Visit Official Website: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/stellaluna
Meet Me at the Moon
When Mama Elephant must leave Little One to ask the skies for rain, the young
elephant is worried. Who will care for Little One? Who will sing Mama’s special
songs? When will she return? Mama is very reassuring – Little One will
hear her song on the wind and feel her love in the warmth of the sun, and, after
the rains come, they will meet where the moon sets.
Exquisitely illustrated and supremely comforting, Meet Me at the Moon is a mother and child love story to be enjoyed again and again. By Gianna Marino
Visit Official Website: http://www.giannamarino.com/books/meet_me_at_the_moon.php
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
The story that inspired the Academy Award®-winning animated short film by William Joyce.
Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. But every story has its upsets. Everything in Morris Lessmore’s life, including his own story, is scattered to the winds. But the power of story will save the day.
Visit Official Website: http://morrislessmore.com/
Chapter Books Ages 5-8:
Ivy + Bean
Written by Annie Borrows, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Meet Ivy and Bean, two friends who never meant to like each other.
The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they would never be friends. But when Bean plays a trick on her sister and has to hide–quick!– Ivy comes to the rescue with her wand, some face paint, and a bucket of worms. Will they end up in trouble? Maybe. Will they have fun? Of course!
Visit Offical Website: www.anniebarrows.com/ivyandbean
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy. Mercy is a porcine wonder. One night, Mercy decides she would like to snuggle up with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. This is not good news for the Watsons’ bed. Or for the Watsons.
The New York Times Best-selling series by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Visit Official Website: http://www.mercywatson.com/
Magic Tree House Series
Get ready for a world of adventure with the beloved Magic Tree House series. Jack and his little sister Annie are just two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, until they discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books…and their lives are never the same. Soon they are traveling through time and space in the “magic” tree house and having amazing adventures. Whether it’s watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure, readers won’t want to miss a single story!
Written by Mary Pope Osborne
Visit Official Website: http://www.magictreehouse.com
Stink Moody Series
In Stink’s first solo adventure, his style comes through loud and strong – enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by Stink himself, which are sprinkled throughout the book. These very funny, homespun sagas reflect the familiar voice of a kid who pictures himself with super powers to deal with the travails of everyday life – including the occasional teasing of a bossy big sister!
Written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H Reynolds.
Chapter Books Ages 8+
Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters
It’s the start of the school year, and nothing feels right to Justin. He didn’t get the teacher he wanted, he’s not in the same class as his best friend, and his little sister, Elizabeth, is starting kindergarten at his school. Elizabeth doesn’t seem nervous at all. Justin is very nervous about third grade. And to top it off, he’s lost his favorite stuffed animal, but he can’t tell anyone, because technically he’s too old to still have stuffed animals. Right? Here is third grade in all its complicated glory-the friendships, the fears, and the advanced math.
Acclaimed author Rachel Vail captures third grade with a perfect pitch, and Matthew Cordell’s line art is both humorous and touching. As Justin bravely tries to step out of his shell, he will step into readers’ hearts.
Visit Official Website: http://rachelvail.com/pages/justin_case.htm
Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist Series
The year is 1928, the setting England, and Nate’s wayward parents have just been reported lost at sea. Nate is sent that very day to his Aunt Phil’s house in Batting-at-the-Flies, but not for long . . . The morning after he arrives at the renowned beastologist’s doorstep, she whisks him away to the Arabian desert to witness a phoenix lay an egg!
Written by R.L. LaFever and illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Visit Official Website: http://nathanielfludd.com/
Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage
When the sensible, reliable, and always tidy Clover Twig goes to work for a messy witch, she discovers that the witch’s cottage has quite a few secrets hiding inside of it!
Written by Kaye Umansky, Illustrated by Johanna Wright
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The Popularity Papers
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Lydia and Julie are best friends with one goal: to crack the code of popularity. Lydia’s the bold one: aspiring theater star, stick-fighting enthusiast, and human guinea pig. Julie’s the shy one: observer and artist, accidental field hockey jock, and faithful recorder. In this notebook they write down their observations and carry out experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But somehow, the harder Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, the farther they get from their goal—and each other. Amy Ignatow understands friendship and the fifth grade, and she knows just how to wring humor out of ordinary and extraordinary moments.
Visit Official Website: http://www.abramsbooks.com/popularitypapers/
Chapter Books Ages 10+:
The 39 Clues
After their grandmother dies, Amy and Dan Cahill discover that they are part of the most powerful family in history. The source of this power is hidden in 39 Clues scattered around the world. Amy, Dan and other Cahills are given a choice: Take a million dollars and walk away, or compete to find all the Clues. The first Clue is somehow connected to Benjamin Franklin, but its location is a mystery.
Written by Rick Riordan
Visit Official Website: http://www.the39clues.com/
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The Chronicles of Narnia
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Narnia: The secret passage to the house next door leads to a fascinating adventure. Where the woods are think and cool, where Talking Beasts are called to life… a new world where the adventure begins.
Enter this enchated world countless times with these seven books: The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle
Visit Official Website: http://cslewis.com/index.aspx
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Harry Potter Series
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Imagine a school in a castle filled with moving staircases, a sport played on flying broomsticks, an evil wizard intent on domination, an ordinary boy who’s the hero of a whole world he doesn’t know. This is the story that comes to life in the marvelous Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
Each of the seven books in the series chronicles one year in Harry’s adventures at Hogwarts and his battle against Lord Voldemort. Harry makes two marvelous best friends named Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He studies topics like Transfiguration and Potions under wise headmaster Albus Dumbledore and the malevolent Severus Snape. He becomes expert at a game called Quidditch; encounters incredible creatures like phoenixes and dragons; and discovers an entire Wizarding universe hidden just out of sight, as prone to the darker aspects of human experience as our own, but brightened by a quirky original magic.
Visit Official Website: http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/
Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
In ancient times, the magicians of Egypt were recognized as the best in the world. Each god’s temple had a branch called the House of Life, where magicians were trained to battle monsters, duel enemy sorcerers, and when necessary, even do combat with the gods themselves. What if the House of Life still existed? When a magical accident unleashes the Egyptian gods into the modern world, Carter and Sadie Kane discover that they are descended from the most powerful Egyptian magicians, and only they have the power to set things right!Join their adventures against the mythical forces of Ancient Egypt in The Kane Chronicles.
Visit Official Website: http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/kane-chronicles.aspx
Advanced Readers:
Starry River of the Sky
The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can’t help but notice the village’s peculiar inhabitants and their problems-where has the innkeeper’s son gone? Why are Master Chao and Widow Yan always arguing? What is the crying sound Rendi keeps
hearing? And how can crazy, old Mr. Shan not know if his pet is a toad or a rabbit?
But one day, a mysterious lady arrives at the Inn with the gift
of storytelling, and slowly transforms the villagers and Rendi himself. As she
tells more stories and the days pass in the Village of Clear Sky, Rendi begins
to realize that perhaps it is his own story that holds the answers to all those
questions. Written by Grace Lin
Visit Official Website: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=starryriver
Okay For Now
As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain. In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.
Visit Official Website: http://www.hmhbooks.com/schmidt/okay.html
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Billy Creekmore
Tracey Porter weaves an intense historical tale, bringing to life America’s industrial era of the early 1900s. Readers may be shocked to learn of the dangers and lack of safety measures for factory workers in those times, and even more horrified to find out that young kids slaved away in those factories as well. But Porter’s characters shine through the grime and gloom with hope and determination, especially the kindhearted and adventurous Billy Creekmore.
Visit Official Website: http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/billy-creekmore
