The Best Books for Young Readers in April 2018

Rebound, by Kwame Alexander
A prequel to Kwame Alexander’s Newbery Award winner, The Crossover, Rebound presents a tale told in verse and graphic novel illustrations about Josh and Jordan Bell’s father’s beginnings. This impactful story travels back in time to give young readers a glimpse at Chuck Bell’s childhood and the path that lead him to becoming the basketball star whom his sons so admire. The book’s focus is on one particularly pivotal summer for young Chuck as he’s sent to live with his grandparents, where he learns more about basketball and his family’s past.

Waste of Space (Moon Base Alpha Series #3), by Stuart Gibbs
The third and final installment in Stuart Gibbs’s bestselling Moon Base Alpha series brings the story to an exciting conclusion. Thirteen-year-old Dash Gibson’s life at Moon Base Alpha has been a little more thrilling than he had hoped. He’s already solved a murder and rescued the base’s commander. Can’t he just enjoy a nice, quiet birthday? Nope, certainly not after multi-billionaire Lars Sjoburg went and got himself poisoned. This Barnes & Noble exclusive edition includes a jacket with holographic foil, a moon base scene on the reverse side, and an additional 16 pages of bonus content, including an interview with an alien.

The Creature of the Pines (Unicorn Rescue Society Series #1), by Adam Gidwitz and Hatem Aly
The kickoff in this illustrated fantasy-adventure series is perfect for fans of mythical creatures. In the exciting and funny first installment, young readers meet Elliot Eisner, who is none too excited to be starting a new school. On a field trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens forest Elliot befriends brave and outspoken Uchenna Devereaux, and the pair soon get caught up with a secret group known as The Unicorn Rescue Society, whose purpose is to protect and defend the world’s mythical creatures from the likes of the dastardly Schmoke brothers. Fantasy readers will relish this new book.

My Life as a Youtuber, by Janet Tashjian and Jake Tashjian
Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love to get their hands on the My Life books. And the seventh installment in this funny series continues following the misadventures of middle-schooler Derek Fallon, this time as he finds himself in an extracurricular class he’s actually excited about—video making! Derek and his pals Carly, Matt, and Umberto can’t wait to be the stars of their own Youtube series, but as Derek soon discovers, being a Youtube star is a lot more work than he thought. Is Derek destined for life on screen? Find out in this hilarious and thoughtful read.

The Unflushables, by Ron Bates
James Patterson presents a fun and exciting new action-packed middle grade read starring superheroes straight from the sewers. Take Super Mario Bros. and swirl it together with Captain Underpants, and you’ve got a little glimpse into The Unflushables. And naturally, there’s plenty of potty humor to be had in such a toilet-centric read. In the fictional city of Nitro City, 13-year-old Sully Sullivan has a passion for plumbing and greatly admires all of the great plumber heroes of his town’s past—he even collects plumber trading cards. But the powerful Ironwater Corporation is threatening to take over the city now that the guardians of the sewers have been taken down. So now it’s up to Sully to tackle this seriously dirty job.

River of Fire (Warriors: A Vision of Shadows Series #5), by Erin Hunter
The bestselling Warriors: A Vision of Shadows series continues with this thrilling fifth installment. And it’s not just for the books’ super-fans; it makes for an excellent entree to the series for newbies. In it, StarClan’s prophecy has been fulfilled, and the long-lost SkyClan has reclaimed its spot among the warrior clans. But the danger does not simply lie in the past, as one of the clans is threatening to fall apart—permanently. This Barnes & Noble special edition includes a double-sided jacket and a bonus poster.

The Lifters, by Dave Eggers
Humor, adventure, mystery, and fantasy blend seamlessly in Dave Eggers’s new young readers’ book sure to inspire readers of all ages. Twelve-year-old Granite Flowerpetal—or Gran, as he calls himself—has just moved to a new town with his family in search of steady work and a lower cost of living. But what he soon finds is that mysterious forces beneath the town of Carousel are threatening it to slowly but surely sink. And now with the help of his new friend, Catalina Catalan, he’ll have to figure out a way to save his new home from malevolent forces lurking beneath it.

The Bad Guys in Alien vs Bad Guys (The Bad Guys Series #6), by Aaron Blabey
The sixth book in this fun and silly illustrated series is filled with humor, bad guys, and butts. Sound like something your kiddos would laugh their tushes off about? Read on: In the action-packed tale, the Bad Guys are suddenly disappearing. And a creature with lots of shark teeth and way too many butts is the one stealing them. Could this possibly be the end for the Bad Guys? Find out as the badness continues in this latest installment.

Curveball, by Derek Jeter and Paul Mantell
Derek Jeter hits another one out of the park with this fifth book in the middle grade series based on his own life before becoming a superstar professional baseball player for the New York Yankees. The book, co-authored by Paul Mantell, finds young Derek on summer break, which he’ll be spending with his grandparents in Pequannock Township, New Jersey. Young sports fans will relish this opportunity to learn more about Derek and the sport he loves so much.

Drama at Mouseford (Thea Stilton Mouseford Academy Series #1), by Thea Stilton
This brand-new spinoff series will appeal to fans of Geronimo Stilton. The exciting new books are by Thea Stilton, Geronimo’s sporty little sister and special correspondent for The Rodent’s Gazette. In the kickoff installment, Thea writes all about the adventures of the Thea Sisters—a group of five little mouselings that so admire Thea that they named themselves after her—as they audition for William Squeakspeare’s favorite play, Mouseo & Juliet, at Mouse Academy. All the girls want the part of Juliet but so does their arch rival. But there can only be one star of this show.