Prize-Winning Paperbacks

A Game of Fox and Squirrels  by Jenn Reese  
2021 Oregon Book Award Winner for Children’s Literature 
Eleven-year-old Sam just wants to go back to the way things were: Living in California with her parents, not sent to Oregon with her sister to stay with an aunt they’ve never met. But when her aunt gives her a strange card game, Sam finds herself caught up in a dangerous, magical challenge. And just as she comes to enjoy her new home, there’s a chance she could lose it. Great for ages 9 and up. $16.99.  Macmillan Publishers 

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw  
2019 Winner of the Oregon Book Award for Young Adult Literature
Shea Ernshaw delves deep into Wicca and magic in this YA fantasy novel set in a fictional small town in Oregon. Ernshaw does an excellent job of developing an atmospheric world that’s easy to get lost in, perfect for fans of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Parents, keep an eye out for her adult novel, A History of Wild Places, coming out in December 2021. Recommended for ages 14 and up. $11.99.  Simon and Schuster

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Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 
2018 Oregon Book Award for YA and 2018 Printz Honor book 
Junior librarian Lazlo Strange’s dream is to uncover the truth of the mythical Unseen City. But when the chance comes to explore its remains, he finds that dreams can be more real — and more dangerous — than he expected. Who is the blue girl in his dreams? And what happened in the city of Weep? Recommended for ages 14 and up. $14.99. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol  
2016 Caldecott Honor recipient and NYT Notable Children’s Books
On a quest to finish her knitting in a quiet place, this determined grandmother travels to the forest, the mountains and even to the moon! A wonderful sense of humor makes this book one of our favorites! We also recommend this Portland author’s most recent picture book, Memory Jars, which came out in May. Great for ages 3 and up. $17.99. Macmillan Publishers