YA Books Central

About This Book: Splash! Dragging a young tree a beaver enters the water with some new building material for his dam. Using his powerful teeth, he cut down the slender tree trunk. Now he knows exactly where it will be placed in the ever-growing structure he is building with his mate. In this book, young readers will be introduced to this keystone species. Beavers build dams across rivers to make ponds where they can safely raise their young.

About This Book: A factual (and funny) introduction to the horned toad and its gross but cool “superpower.” The Texas desert may be hard living for some, but not for a little lizard called the horned toad. Between lounging in the hot sun, snacking on ants, and chatting with his new friend Owlet, things are pretty easy. Some might even say it’s a laid back life . . . unless of course he’s about to get eaten.

About This Book: Dragons! Witches! A talking duck! Join three adventurous kids on a hilarious and heartfelt tale filled with bravery, friendship, and magic. Take him to the Forest of Sidra. No one will dare look for him there . . . When two little witches find a boy lost in the woods with only his pet duck for company, they’re startled to discover a stolen dragon egg in his bag.

About the Book: A groundbreaking memoir about growing up mixed-race in Ireland, by the recent European Leader of the Obama Foundation: Irish Book Award-winning author and media personality Leon Diop. Mixed-race experience has never been described so honestly. Diop, a charismatic public figure and strong positive male role-model for young people, tells his story from his first day as the only mixed race boy in school to his powerful recent experience reconnecting with his African roots in Senegal.

Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Mike Chen  (Of Sorcery and Science)! Meet the Author: Mike Chen Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of novels that cross genres and audiences, as well as stories for Star Wars, Marvel, Star Trek, and Critical Role.

Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Nastya Ryabtseva ! Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway! Meet the Author: Nastya Ryabtseva NASTYA RYABTSEVA is a St. Petersburg-born, Jerusalem-based journalist and educator. After relocating her family from Russia to Israel in fall 2021, she struggled to find her footing. She recognized that teens who were being displaced due to the war in Ukraine were struggling too.

Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Stef Ferrari (PINING FOR YOU)! Meet the Author: Stef Ferrari Stef Ferrari is a three-time Emmy Award–winning and James Beard Award–nominated producer on the PBS docuseries The Migrant Kitchen.

About This Book: Love is the most powerful emotion. The only one that accompanies us from the beginning to the end. And beyond… A beautiful picture book that embraces us in an atmosphere of feelings, memories and emotions that span a lifetime. An invitation to open our senses, to introspection and to encounter ourselves, to learn to recognize love in all its forms and at every stage of our journey.

About This Book: A fun and heartwarming story that teaches us the value of every creature, reminding us all that harmony comes from embracing differences. Welcome to Sophie’s farm! Life is peaceful, filled with the friendly sounds of happy animals―except for one. The loud, croaky frog by the pond drives Sophie crazy. But when Sophie chases away the frog, everything on her farm starts to fall apart.

About This Book: Wizard Whitebeard’s magic staff is missing—and is going wild transforming everything! Join everyone’s favorite wanderer and search through twelve Where’s Waldo? scenes as you’ve never seen them before. Wizard Whitebeard has lost his magic staff, and it’s stirring up mischief everywhere. Dragons are making a spectacle at the seaside, robots have crash-landed in the Stone Age, dinosaurs are wandering in the Wild West, there’s a sticky situation at a castle made of cake . . .