Win it Wednesday: Isabel in Bloom

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.) 

Isabel in Bloom

By Mae Respicio

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Fill out this form for a chance to win our next Win it Wednesday!

Book Recommendations: Completed Middle-Grade Series

Summer is a great time to dive into a series. Here are some of my favorite completed middle-grade series to keep the kiddos (and you) reading all summer long!

🧡Miss Ashlee

Win it Wednesday: Old Friends

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Old Friends

By Margaret Aitken

Paired with colorful and vibrant art by Lenny Wen, Old Friends by Margaret Aitken is an inventive and heartfelt debut picture book that celebrates found family, caregiving, and the value of intergenerational friendships.

Marjorie wants a friend who loves the same things she does: baking shows, knitting, and gardening. Someone like Granny. So with a sprinkle of flour in her hair and a spritz of lavender perfume, Marjorie goes undercover to the local Senior Citizens Group. It all goes well until the Cha-Cha-Cha starts and her cardigan camouflage goes sideways. By being true to herself, Marjorie learns that friends can be of any age if you look in the right places.

Congrats, Reese R.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner! 

Win it Wednesday: Ghost

 Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Ghost

By Jason Reynolds

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of the acclaimed Trackseries from Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds.

Congrats, Ameek G.! You're this week's Win it Wednesday winner! 

Read Across America: June-Build Others Up

The theme for June is Build Others Up: Share books with characters that model ways to be positive and offer others support and encouragement.

Here are the recommended books for the month. Find discussion questions and more resources on their website.

Elementary: Leo and the Pink Marker

by Mariyka Foster

Middle Grade: The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet

by Jake Maia Arlow

Young Adult: The Deep Dark

by Molly Knox Ostertag

Monthly Early Literacy Activities Calendar: June

Win it Wednesday: Hurry Up!: A Book About Slowing Down

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Hurry Up!: A Book About Slowing Down

By Kate Dopirak & Christopher Silas Neal

For one busy boy, life is all hurry up, hurry down, hurry round and round and round! That is until he takes a big breath...and a big break...and slows down to see all the wonderful things in the world around him.

From celebrated picture book creators Kate Dopirak and Christopher Silas Neal, this playful yet powerful picture book reminds us to be present, to be mindful, and to appreciate each moment.

Congrats, Giannis G.! You're this week's Win it Wednesday Winner!