Cozy Kids’ Reads
With a chill in the air and the sun setting before dinnertime all I seem to want to do is curl up under a blanket with a book. Not just any book though—one where I can feel the warm and fuzzies radiating from the pages, you know the kind! I know that I’m not the only one feeling this way, so I have put together a list of books that give that warm, cozy, nostalgic feeling as we head into the depths of autumn for your young reader to curl up and get lost in.
Everything is humming at the Heartwood Hotel one year after the forest fire. Yet Mona the mouse feels like something is missing. Something besides the Golden Acorn—a legendary treasure buried and forgotten long ago. When a stranger turns up at the Heartwood with a map, suddenly the whole forest is taking part in a big treasure hunt and the hotel’s regular activities are turned upside down.
But Mona has an idea to get things back to normal: throw a surprise birthday party for Mr. Heartwood! As the Heartwood attracts treasure hunters—well-meaning and otherwise—and as Mona’s best friend Tilly seems to be pulling away, Mona feels like her plans are slipping through her paws! Who will find the legendary treasure? And what if danger finds the hotel first?
The newest installment of the Heartwood Hotel chapter book series is another cozy adventure through an imaginative woodland, complete with charming black-and-white illustrations, comforting themes, and a classic feel.
It’s been nearly a year since Eve became the only living child to call the land of the undead her home and the Pumpkin King her father—except, Eve was no longer sure just how “living” she actually was, not after what transpired during the Forever Night.
Now, peculiar and magical things are starting to happen to Eve, and she suddenly finds herself slipping through objects like a ghost, or even able to light torches with a mere breath. Stranger still, she’s beginning to see a mysterious green-eyed shadow that no one else can. And when the shadow offers Eve a deal that would give someone closest to her the thing they always wanted, Eve is forced into a decision she never wished to make. Torn between friendship and responsibility, where either path could lead to disaster, Eve must make a choice.
One there is no going back from….
Skunk and Badger have an easy roommate rhythm—Skunk cooks! Badger cleans!—until they take in two orphaned rat pups, Zeno and Zephyr. Badger is working on an Important Rock Work article for Rock Hound Weekly and needs focus, focus, focus to write it. How much trouble could two tiny rats really be? Some scheduling, a few strategically placed naps, and all will be well!
But it’s winter, and nothing goes to plan. Hibernation threatens every routine. Articles refuse to write themselves. And rats in the rock room? It will take a North Twist village to raise these rats!
Featuring cozy drawings and full-color pictures by bestselling artist Jon Klassen, Amy Timberlake’s delightfully off-kilter adventure explores the complexity of friendship and the meaning of family in a wintery world where chickens wear parkas and Yard Sheep host spaghetti dinners. And wait! Is that a dinosaur?
Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive—just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross into the Afterlife or become an Usher of wandering souls. Clare chose the latter: a solitary life of guiding souls to their final resting place.
Clare’s quiet and predictable days are met with upheaval when a badger soul named Gingersnipes knocks on his door. Despite Clare’s efforts to usher her into the Afterlife, the badger is unable to leave Deadwood. This is unprecedented. Baffling. A disturbing mystery which threatens the delicate balance between the living and the dead.
Desperate for help, Clare and Gingersnipes set out on a treacherous journey to find Hesterfowl—the visionary grouse who recently foretold of turmoil in Deadwood. But upon their arrival, Hesterfowl divulges a shocking revelation that leaves Clare devastated, outraged, and determined to do anything to change his fate.
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.
“A Harry Potter-esque adventure.” — Time Magazine
Johan is off to visit his Grandpa Siggy—a charismatic, impetuous Icelander with a big secret: He took a dragon egg with him when he immigrated to America. As fate would have it, Dreki hatched just a few hours after Johan was born, magically linking the two. But Dreki was kept hidden.
Now, many years later, the time has come for Dreki to journey home and for Johan to discover his ancestry through a life-changing trip to Iceland. But the clock is ticking, as both Siggy’s and Dreki’s health are in jeopardy. This cross-cultural coming-of-age story explores aspects of Icelandic folklore while dealing sensitively with the themes of aging, generational memory, and returning home.
Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.
But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.
This special ten-year anniversary edition of the book that launched the beloved worldwide phenomenon includes a personal note from the author and over 20 new full-color, full-page illustrations from series illustrator Brandon Dorman, making this the perfect gift for both new and returning fans!