An engaging book can transport you, reveal new perspectives, push you to make a change, be a source of inspiration or shake you to your core. An engaging book can push you to read “just one more chapter” repeatedly until the sun rises. A truly engaging book stays with you long after the final words are devoured.
At Booksource, we are as passionate about carrying books that engage your students as we are about reading engaging books ourselves. Each year, our team of experts read hundreds of books to bring you the best of what’s new. Here are the books we are most excited about this year:
1. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. This book won the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, and Reynolds was recently named as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2020-2021.
2. Sometimes I’m Anxious: A Child’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Poppy O’Neill
This interactive book helps younger students identify and work through their emotions, stress and anxiety with the help of Fiz, a friendly and supportive character with whom they can identify and connect. Engaging activities are interspersed with useful tips, inspirational statements, and practical information for parents.
3. Eclipse Chaser: Science in The Moon’s Shadow by Ilima Loomis
One of the newest books in the popular Scientists in the Field series, this book follows astronomer and physicist Shadia Habbal as she travels the world searching for solar eclipses in order to study the suns corona and the effects it has on our planet.
4. New Kid by Jerry Craft
New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. This is the first graphic novel to ever win the Newbery Award. It also won the Coretta Scott King Author Award.
5. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Received an amazing nine starred reviews. This is a memoir in verse that details her own experiences with sexual assault and abuse as well as anecdotes from other survivors that have been shared with her through the years.
This young readers edition of the bestselling nonfiction book outlines various elements from the periodic table and the roles they played in history.
7. The Good Egg by Jory John
From the author of The Bad Seed comes a new book following the adventures of the best egg in the carton as he tries not to crack under the pressures of being perfect.
8. Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
This is a new, middle grade fantasy book inspired by Filipino folklore that follows 12-year-old Lalani as she goes on an epic quest to find a new, more hospitable land for her people.
9. Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle & illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Lopez won the Pura Belpre illustrator award for his work on this beautiful picture book: a biography of Venezuelan-born pianist and composer Teresa Carreño, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln.
10. No More Poems! A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worse by Rhett Miller & illustrated by Dan Santat
This collection of fun poems, accompanied by the illustrations of Caldecott winner Santat, are full of word play and visual gags while also addressing issues of modern family life. These rhyming poems allow for an ideal read-aloud experience.
What books are you most excited to read and explore with your students in 2020? Tell us in the comments!
To find these engaging books and many more, request a catalog or visit www.booksource.com.
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