Ready for another bookish adventure? Head to the island of Serendib for mystery and missing treasure, escape to a magical bookstore, and solve a cruise ship case with a wacky penguin detective in these page-turning tales! Perfect for reading aloud with bookworms of all ages and sharing at your next middle grade book club, don’t miss our thrilling book picks and helpful resources.
The Boy Who Met a Whale
by NIzrana Farook
Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view with a small, still hand hanging over the side. Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating escapade in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all. Nizrana Farook (author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant) has crafted another action-packed quest that swells with empathetic heroes, missing treasure, and a great beast lurking beneath.
The Bookshop Girl
by Sylvia Bishop
illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Property Jones and her family have just won the Great Montgomery Book Emporium in a contest, and it’s every booklover’s dream! But there is more to the Emporium than its thousands of books in extravagant displays. In fact, the previous owner is hiding something that could destroy absolutely everything for the Joneses. Property has a whopper of a secret too―and it might just be the key to saving her family and their bookshop from the clutches of a nasty villain. Sylvia Bishop’s fantastical story explores themes of family, identity, and mystery while weaving an entertaining tale filled with quirky, memorable characters.
Find out which Bookshop Girl character you are in this personality quiz, and check out the discussion guide to dive deeper into Property’s story.
Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure
by Alex T. Smith
When Bouddica Bones from the Museum of Extraordinary Objects calls for help, Mr. Penguin swings into action. Can he and Colin the spider find the museum’s missing treasure before bandits do? Or is this the adventure Mr. Penguin should have never answered? This quirky, slapstick story from Alex T. Smith, author-illustrator of the popular Claude series, is sure to delight young readers looking for adventure and a laugh. Black and orange illustrations throughout.
Download the series activity kit, and don’t miss Mr. Penguins other hilarious adventures in Mr. Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets and Mr. Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise.