Batchelder Award Honors

After becoming a rabbit, Haneru Sato gathers stars at an observatory, sails the sea in a watermelon, tastes the emotions captured in different colors of ice, and more.

As France buckles under the Nazi regime, budding photographer Rachel Cohen must change her name, go into hiding, and bear witness to the atrocities of World War II.

Stump always has a fantastic time with his grandparents, filled with flowers, puzzles, crosswords, and endless love. But one day, Stump's grandfather starts to lose his memory--and his words, which literally fall from him. Stump tries his best to keep the lost words safe, collecting them in a special box. But Grandpa seems to forget more and more everyday, and the situation comes to a head one snowy night when Stump wakes up to find Grandpa missing. Together, Stump and Grandma must find new ways to connect with Grandpa, and show him that he's no alone"-- Provided by publisher.

Ah Mei has always been close to her French grandmother, Nainai, and is proud to look like her. But in their home city of Shanghai, many people are suspicious of their European heritage and looks. Politics and war make 1960s Shanghai a difficult place to grow up, especially when the family silk business is given over to the government and they are left with their beloved home and little else. Ah Mei and her grandmother suffer, but they are resourceful and have each other, and the tenderness they share brings them great strength.

"A grandmother shares the story of her experiences in WWII with her grandchild in this graphic novel for young readers"-- Provided by publisher.

"16-year-old Raquel lives in a small town in Portugal, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her parents are divorced and she's just been suspended for cursing out a school aide asking about her father's new marriage. She has two best friends, Luísa and Fred, but wants something more. Then, from afar, she sees Pardalita, a senior and a gifted artist who's moving to Lisbon to study in the fall. The two girls get to know each other while working on a play. And Raquel falls in love. Using a gorgeous blend of prose poems, illustrations, and graphic novel format, Estrela captures the feeling of being a teenager in a way that feels gentle, joyful, and real."--Provided by publisher.

"Xiao Le's grandmother lives in a faraway village. A visit with Grandma is always a special event, but this time she is frail. With encouragement from his mom, Xiao Le plays with and helps Grandma. When Grandma dies shortly thereafter, Xiao Le comforts his mom--reminding her that when it rains, Grandma is washing her clothes in the sky, and that although the Perfume Village in heaven cannot be reached by train, it can be accessed by the heart"--Page 4 of cover.

Describes how a young Pakistani activist was violently targeted by the Taliban for her efforts to secure educational rights for girls.

Presents a collection of stories from nations and cultures across our two continents, the Sea-Ringed World, as the Aztecs called it, from the edge of Argentina all the way up to Alaska.

A young girl gazes out over the horizon, and wonders what lands lie beyond the ocean, and what the people are like who live in those lands.

"Four short stories set in a hutong, or residential alleyway, of Beijing, China. Yu Er, her grandfather, and their eccentric neighbors and experience the magic of everyday life"-- Provided by publisher.

"In the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, Yui, fleeing her violent husband, and Hiyori, a young orphan, are taken in by a strange but kind old lady named Kiwa in the small town of Kitsunezaki​​. The newly formed family finds refuge in a mayoiga, a lost house, perched atop a beautiful cape overlooking the sea. While helping to rebuild Kitsunezaki, the three adapt to their new lives and supernatural new home, slowly healing from their troubled pasts. Kiwa regales Yui and Hiyori with local legends--from the shapeshifting fox-woman who used to roam the mountains, to the demon Agam̌ and a sea snake who once terrorized the townspeople, preying upon their grief and fears until they trapped the snake and the demon's claws in an underwater cave. But when mysterious and sinister events start happening around town, the three fear the worst. Did the earthquake release Agam̌ and the sea snake into the world again? Kiwa, Yui, and Hiyori join forces with a merry band of kappa river spirits, a bold zashiki warashi house spirit, and flying JizM guardian statues to save their new family and home and banish Agam̌ and the snake once and for all. Now a hit anime film, The House of the Lost on the Cape is a heartwarming tale about the strength of family and friendship in the face of natural and mythical forces."--Back cover.

When two unlikely friends build a vessel capable of taking them to the bottom of the ocean and find a missing treasure, the truth turns out to be far more amazing.

"When Henrietta's mother gives her a box of colored pencils, she sets out to draw a terrifying and fantastic adventure"-- Provided by publisher.

"Introduces a colorful cast of characters whose fates are connected in different ways, exploring the importance of kindness and the dangers of greed" --Publisher description.

"As Joâo tucks under a lovingly woven quilt, he asks himself: So it's just me now? He curls up, getting cozy in bed, and soon the world of his dreams unspools on the page. The blanket in his bed unravels into deep rivers, lakes, valleys, reservoirs, mountain ranges, fishing nets full of tadpoles and gaping holes, until what's left is just one long thread. When he feels alone and scared in the dark, Joâo "sews words like patchwork" into a new blanket to cover himself up. He weaves the threads of his quilt until they form one long sentence, and soon, the nighttime is peppered with his own silvery, slippery words. Roger Mello draws like a shapeshifter - to look at his illustrations is always to see something you missed before (a stingray, a crescent moon nestled into the palm of Joâo's hand). His breathtaking line drawings, beaming in white thread against deep red, combined with poetic and bewildered language, make Joâo by a Thread a book to take into bed at the edge of sleep, just before you start to dream."-- From Amazon.com.

"During the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath, siblings Soccoro and Paco must live with constant secrets while they wait to reunite with their father, who fled Spain due to political persecution"-- Provided by publisher.

A young, bedridden girl spends her day watching a mobile of spinning horses and uses her imagination to give the seven horses life in a fantasy world.

When nine-year-old Mafalda learns she will go blind in six months from Stargardt Disease, she needs the help of family and friends to retain what is essential to her.-- Provided by Publisher.

Ten-year-old Jette wrestles with the death of her younger brother, Emil, at age six, recalling special times they had together, his long-term illness, and his funeral, as well as her parents' grief.

"This story follows a little boy named Raphael, whose daily rhythm is steeped in his immense affection for his friend Jerome. The two boys share jokes and snacks and plan future adventures to the Himalayas. Even when Raphael's constant talk of Jerome is driving his parents crazy, he remains steadfast: 'Raphael loves Jerome. I can say it. It's easy.' And the truth is, when he's with Jerome, Raphael feels happy, liked, and understood-- even special."--Amazon.

Late at night, Vera runs to the pond where mysterious, blue-haired Syl tells a wonderful story to bring Vera's little brother, Salandar, back to life again.

Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player is an epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.

As a child approaches the diving board at a pool, she dreams about all the amazing things she might do when she is older.

Grandfather returns each year to the demilitarized zone, the barrier--and accidental nature preserve--that separates families that live in North and South Korea.