Black Eyed Susan Bookshelf2025-2026

Novels

2025-2026

Graphic Novels

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A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall By Jasmine Warga

Rami is a lonely 6th grader. When a painting goes missing from the art museum where his mom works, she becomes a suspect. While at work with his mom, a mysterious floating girl appears to Rami in the hall - the same hall where the painting disappeared from! Rami and his classmate pair up to try to solve the mysteries - who stole the painting, and who is the floating girl? Will Rami and Veda crack the case?

Genre: Mystery, Supernatural/Thriller

Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska By Helen Moss

There is a diphtheria outbreak in the isolated town of Nome, Alaska in the winter of 1924. Children are getting sick and there is not enough antitoxin to save everyone. Roads are impassable, airplanes won’t work in the extreme cold, and rivers are blocked by ice. Sled dogs are the only way for the antitoxin to reach the town.

Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction

Table Titans Club By Scott Kurtz

Valeria Winters is a new student looking for a fresh start when she meets the Table Titans, a Dungeons & Dragons playing club who have never had a female member before. Valeria is a hot tempered, day dreamer who is great at wrestling. She may be exactly who the Table Titans didn’t know they needed to keep their club together.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Lost Time By Tas Mukank

Evie becomes stranded in the Cretaceous period after fleeing an argument with her parents. She saves a pterosaur egg, explores her surroundings, and strives to survive and make her way back to her own time and her mothers.

Genre: Adventure, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Gamerville By Johnnie Christmas

Max Lightning is howling at the moon—he’s finally qualified for Gamerville, a championship where players compete to be top dog in the game Lone Wolf of Calamity Bay. But his dreams of domination are doomed when his parents send him to Camp Reset. Gone are the long nights of screen time. They've been replaced with fresh air and group activities under the hot sun— a shock to the system for a lone wolf like Max. Can Max escape Camp Reset and level up at Gamerville, or has he finally played his last match?

Genre: Adventure

The Monster and the Maze: Monkey King and the World of Myths, Book 1 By Maple Lam

In this epic mash-up of world myths, Chinese folklore’s mischievous Monkey King Sun Wukong is tasked with defeating a monster uprising in Ancient Greece. With his new pal Cerberus by his side he takes on the Minotaur to prove himself worthy as a demigod. A journey of self-discovery inside an adventure to defeat evil.

Genre: Adventure, Mythology/Folklore

Misfit Mansion By Kay Davault

Iris is a monster that lives in a sanctuary home for monsters run by former paranormal investigator Mr. Halloway. Despite the safety and friends the home provides, Iris feels trapped. After a human boy obsessed with the supernatural breaks the spell on the house, Iris decides this is her chance to make a break for it and try to find what she wants most - a family. Lucky for her, it happens to be the spookiest time of year.

Genre: Fantasy

Anzu and the Realm of Darkness By Mai. K. Nguyen

Anzu is not happy with her family’s move right after her grandmother’s death, especially since they are not even celebrating Obon, a festival dedicated to remembering ancestors. While avoiding her family she chases after a stray dog and wanders right into the underworld! As she tries to make her way back home she encounters many different yokai, although who will help her return and who is trying to hurt her is not always as clear as it seems to be. Will Anzu ever manage to return home?

Genre: Fairytale/Folktale/Adventure/ Science Fiction/Fantasy

Inivisible Isabel By Sally J. Pla

Isabel Beane is a quiet, shy girl overwhelmed by the chaos of her large family and the social pressures at school. Her worries—especially about being ignored and an upcoming big test—grow into persistent "worry-moths" in her belly. As her fears intensify, Isabel must find a way to be seen and heard in a world that often overlooks her.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All By Chanel Miller

Magnolia Wu has resigned herself to spending another hot summer helping her parents in their family laundromat. But her birthday brings the unexpected surprise of a new friend and the chance to share her city’s many joys as the two girls team up to find the owners of the missing socks. As their adventures unfold, Magnolia learns about community, acceptance and the importance of family and friendship.

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Mystery

Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains By Maxwell Eaton III

When an ordinary hiking trip takes a sudden wrong turn, Scout finds herself lost in the mountains with no cell service, no map, and no clear way back. But Scout isn’t just any hiker — she’s a smart, resourceful kid with a head full of survival know-how. With help from her companion, an opinionated skunk, Scout navigates tough terrain, unpredictable weather, and real dangers like dehydration and hypothermia. Along the way, she shares practical survival tips and life-saving strategies.

Genre: Adventure

Lost & Found: Based on a True Story By Mei Yu

Based on the author’s real life experience, this book follows a girl whose family has moved from China to Canada. Mei discovers a unique way to learn English by drawing pictures! The author uses color coded text to indicate what English words Mei knows throughout the story and the reader gets to see her vocabulary grow.

Genre: Autobiography

The Mystery of Locked Rooms By Lindsey Currie

Sarah’s family has been struggling since her father became ill a couple of years ago. Sarah loves escape rooms, and has always wanted to win the rumored hidden treasure in the town’s old rundown abandoned fun house. She believes that if she can reach whatever treasure is inside that house, she could really help her family. Will Sarah and her friends, “The Deltas,” be able to get out of the funhouse, with or without the treasure?

Genre: Adventure, Mystery

Olivetti By Allie Millington

Olivetti, the typewriter, has been virtually forgotten by the Brindle family. Suddenly, Mrs. Brindle has disappeared and Ernest will do anything to find her, including enlisting the help from Olivetti, who has been the guardians of her memories. While Ernest is searching, painful memories come to the surface that makes the family deal with “The Everything that Happened”. A wonderful story about families, and he power of memories.

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

The Sherlock Society By James Ponti

Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock enlist their friends, Yadi and Lina, to become detectives and to try to solve the mystery of mobster Al Capone’s missing millions. Alex and Zoe’s grandfather, a retired reporter, serves as the driver and a guide as to how to collect clues and to organize evidence. Their detecting leads them to the Everglades. That trip changes everything and a new mystery emerges that could lead to the Society members to be arrested or even dead.

Genre: Mystery, Adventure

Unicorn Boy By Dave Roman

Brian Reyes is a quiet and shy boy who likes being unremarkable until one day a unicorn horn grows on his head. His life makes a magical turn when he discovers that the unicorn horn gives him special powers. When the forces of evil discover Brian and his magical unicorn horn, his best friend, Avery, convinces Unicorn Boy to embrace his heroic powers. When monsters kidnap Avery and Unicorn Boy must find a way to save his BFF.

Genre: Fantasy

Max in the House of Spies By Adam Gidwitz

Eleven-year-old Max is sent from Nazi Germany to England as part of the Kindertransport, a rescue mission for Jewish children. Lonely and missing his parents, he's surprised to find two magical creatures only he can see who become his constant companions. Max hatches a daring and improbable plan: to become a British spy and return to Germany himself, leading to a series of exciting and often humorous attempts to learn the skills of espionage.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure

Gracie Under the Waves By Linda Sue Park

After three snorkeling trips, all Gracie dreams about is snorkeling in the Maldives. Her carefully laid plans start to unravel when she hurts her leg, and can no longer go snorkeling. Gracie visits the marine park and learns about the dangers facing the coral reef. As her priorities change, Gracie realizes that she has the power to make change. How can Gracie help the reef and the wildlife she loves so much?

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Tree. Table. Book. By Lois Lowry

Everyone knows the two Sophies are best friends. One is in elementary school, and one is . . . older. She's elderly, sure, but she's the best friend any girl struggling to fit in could ever have. The Sophies drink tea, have strong opinions about pretty much everything, and love each other dearly. Now it seems the elder Sophie is having memory problems. Young Sophie sets out to help elder Sophie's memory- stories of war, hunger, cruelty, and ultimately love.

Genre: Realisitc Fiction

Ant Story By Jay Hosler

Follow Rubi, a lonely ant, on an epic adventure as she finds a friend who should be her mortal enemy and discover why there are no real bad guys in the natural world.

Genre: Adventure