Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is By: Casey Lyall

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Age Recommendation: Grade 4+

This Silver Birch 2024 nominee is a sweet story about Lemon's relationship with her Grandpa and his encounter with gnome like aliens.  Lemon's father does not believe that Grandpa actually met an alien many years ago and actually suffered through some teasing because of Grandpa's stories.  This has made the relationship between Lemon's dad and Grandpa strained.  But, it's summer vacation and even though Grandpa has moved to a seniors' residence, Lemon is determined to work with him to prove that Grandpa did indeed meet an alien.  One night Lemon hears a strange noise and ventures into the forest to see if the aliens have returned.  What luck!  They have! Lemon and her friends begin a quest to meet the aliens and prove Grandpa wasn't telling a tall tale.  This is a fun story about friendship, life on other planets and family.  I recommend this book.

The Umbrella House By: Colleen Nelson

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 5+

"The Umbrella House" is a Silver Birch 2024 nominee.  This is the story of best friends, Roxy and Scout, who are in grade 7 and live in the Umbrella House.  The Umbrella House is more than an apartment building.  It is a community of people who have worked hard to change a once abandoned and decaying building into a wonderful home.  When their beloved home is under the threat of being sold and redeveloped, Roxy and Scout join together with their community to save their beloved home.  This is a story of friendship, community and standing up for what you love.  This book is based on the actual Umbrella House in New York City.  The book also includes factual information about the real building.  This is an interesting story especially for those who enjoy learning about real places.

Jude Saves The World By: Ronnie Riley

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 5+

"Jude Saves The World" is a Silver Birch 2024 nominee.  This is the story of 12 year old Jude who lives with their mom and has a best friend named Dallas.  At school, Jude struggles with focus and is working on this.  In their home life, Jude struggles with not being able to tell their grandparents they are non-binary.  Jude is a sweet and caring person, so when Stevie gets tossed out of the popular group at school, Dallas and Jude soon befriend her, but how long will their friendship last?  This is an informative and heart-warming story.  I recommend this to fans of realistic fiction, or stories about friendship, or stories about being true to yourself.

Beatrice & Croc Harry By: Lawrence Hill

Genre: Fantasy
Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8 

"Beatrice And Croc Harry" is a 2024 Red Maple Nominee.  This book begins with Beatrice waking up alone in a treehouse in Argilia.  Argilia is a magical forest where Beatrice is able to communicate with the animals, but Beatrice has no memory of how she got there or of her past.  Beatrice soon meets a crocodile, Harry, who really wants to befriend her.  As you can imagine, Beatrice is reluctant to befriend a creature who could eat her, but they soon build a relationship built on trust.  Beatrice soon discovers clues that can lead her back to her world.  The challenge is that an evil giant is trying to break into her mind and has his henchmen trying to find her.  This is an interesting story with several important themes including discrimination, segregation, and friendship. It did take me a while to truly get into the story, but once I did it was enjoyable.  The ending sets the scene for a sequel.  If you like adventure and fantastical, futuristic worlds, give this book a try.

Simon Sort Of Says By: Erin Bow

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

"Simon Sort Of Says" is a Red Maple 2024 nominee.  This is the story of Simon whose family has just moved to the National Quiet Zone in a small town called Grin and Bear It. This is an area of the United States where internet is banned because it would interfere with the work of the scientists who are listening for messages from space.  Although you might think it would be hard for a young person to move to a town without internet, Simon is thrilled with the idea.  This is because he was part of a traumatic event in his old town and wants an opportunity to start fresh.  Being the new kid is never easy, but Simon makes two good friends and everything is going well until someone finds out who he is and what he's been through.  This is an enjoyable story about friendship and family.  There's even a cute dog and a stabby peacock!  I recommend this book to fans of realistic fiction.

The Boy Who Woke The Sun By: A.T. Woodley

Genre: Realistic/Fantasy Fiction
Age Recommendation:  Grade 4+

"The Boy Who Woke The Sun" is a Silver Birch 2024 nominee.  I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book, and was incredibly pleased by what I found.  This is the story of 11 year old Elliot, who lives near the ocean with his family.  He loves the water and spends hours observing the creatures who live there.  One night, Elliot finds himself awake in a dream world.  A dream world where the sun doesn't rise anymore and butterflies have been enchanted to be evil.  Elliot wants nothing more than to return home and must go on a dangerous journey with some new companions to find the way home.  In doing this, he might also be able to help the dream world return to normal.  This is an exciting and unique story.  The dream world is very interesting complete with kitten ranchers, a robot, and magic. I recommend this book to those who enjoy realistic fiction and fantasy.

The Fort By: Gordon Korman

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

"The Fort" is a Red Maple 2024 nominee and is Gordon Korman's 100th book.  This book tells the story of a group of friends who live in a small town.  When the town gets hit by a hurricane, they venture off into the forest to see if their fort survived.  Unfortunately, it did not, but the new kid discovers something better.  The hurricane has unearthed the opening to a bunker.  The boys quickly settle into a routine of spending time together in the bunker.  This book gives the reader the perspective of each boy and the challenges each one faces, including an abusive stepfather and divorce.  It is a story of friendship and family.  I highly recommend this book to fans of  Gordon Korman or realistic fiction.