The Grasshopper & The Ants
Jerry Pinkney

This picture book is a retelling of the famous Aesop fable. While the ants toil away all day preparing for winter, the grasshopper is out enjoying the sunshine until the day the first snow comes and he regrets his decision not to prepare for the winter months. The ants invite him into their shelter. The moral of the story is “don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.”

The Scavengers
Michael Perry 

I bought this book at Beagle during Night-In in January, based upon Jennifer’s review and glowing recommendation. It’s a middle grade book set in a dystopian world where Maggie, aka “Ford Falcon,” and her family have chosen to live outside the bubble cities in the “OutBubble.” The reason for this decision is revealed near the end of the book. One day Ford Falcon returns home to find her parents missing, her home ransacked, and her special needs brother Dookie traumatized and injured, which prompts Ford Falcon to go on a journey to find them and uncover the mystery of their disappearance.

I Was Here
Gayle Forman

This YA novel is written by the same author who wrote If I Stay. In the aftermath of Meg’s suicide, Cody, her best female friend, is left wondering why Meg committed suicide because she never seemed suicidal. Cody is asked to clean up Meg’s dorm room and discovers some suspicious e-mails from an unknown person. Further investigation by Cody reveals devastating information regarding the suicide.

The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea
Raina Telgemeier

This is another great Graphix novel; I really liked the other three books written by this author. This book is the first in a new series adapted from the classic baby-sitters club collection by Ann Martin. A group of four girls decide to make a club for babysitting kids; they have hours when parents can contact them for babysitting availability and whichever girl is free will take the job. Themes of the book include family issues (i.e. divorce), misbehaving children, and health problems.