New Releases by Robin Stevenson

A girl must wrestle with frightening choices when she learns she’s lived almost her entire life inside a cult. Thirteen-year-old Ara lives in an isolated community called Jupiter Station with her family. They abide by the strict rules of Father Jupiter, their self-appointed leader, and await his prophecy that the family will become stardust and “Ascend to the planet Jupiter,” where they’ll live together forever. But one day, Ara’s brother Leo tells her of his doubts about Father Jupiter, particularly his story about how they joined the family. And now Ara must decide what to do, as she realizes he may be right. A chilling tale of awakening that readers won’t be able to put down!

All over the world, athletes break records and defy odds to compete in the games—and some were kids themselves when they started dreaming and training! In Kid Olympians: Winter, discover the childhood stories of legends such as: Michelle Kwan, who used to sleep in her skating clothes to get a few extra minutes of sleep before her lessons at dawn! Cindy Ouellet, one of the few athletes to have competed in both the Winter and Summer Paralympics. Apolo Ohno, who started skating because he thought the speed skaters looked like superheroes! With kid-friendly text and full-color illustrations, the book will inspire readers 8 to 12 years old to dream bigger, faster, and higher than ever before! The diverse group also includes Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, Adam Rippon, Kristy Yamaguchi, Lindsey Vonn, Marie-Philip Poulin, Shani Davis, Charles Flaherty, Maame Biney, and Nathan Chen. Looking for even more totally true and inspiring childhood stories about sports icons? Check out Kid Athletes and Kid Olympians: Summer!

Key Selling Points When Sam’s grandmother tells him she’s going away for the winter, Sam worries about how much he’ll miss her—but she reassures him she can send a hug on the wind or with a beam of sunshine, kisses in the raindrops and snowflakes, and a "goodnight" with the evening stars. A comforting read for kids whose loved ones aren’t close by, to remind them that their connection is still strong, no matter the distance; could also be a helpful resource for readers whose family member or friend has passed away. Depicts a child’s separation anxiety as he queries each of his grandmother’s reassurances, and shows his transition from his worry to his acceptance that all will be okay. Illustrations by Kristina Jones are painterly and warm, showcasing Sam and his grandmother’s close relationship and evoking the magic of their bond across the distance. Robin Stevenson is the award-winning author of over thirty books of fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens.

Every superstar musician started out as a kid—and many discovered their love of music early on. Before leaving their mark on the world, these groundbreaking performers, songwriters, and musicians were regular kids. Tune in to the childhood stories of musical legends such as: Beyoncé, who used to play truth or dare in the middle of the night with the rest of her music group. Dolly Parton, who sometimes made up her own stories for class book reports. Louis Armstrong, who played instruments in parades all over New Orleans. Taylor Swift, who grew up on a Christmas tree farm! Featuring kid-friendly text and full-color illustrations, Kid Musicians will inspire readers 8 to 12 years old to express themselves and march to the beat of their own drum.

★“[A] sheer delight and will be a welcome addition to shelves everywhere. Highly—and proudly—recommended.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ “This engaging introduction to Pride parades for the youngest readers successfully testifies to the warmth and power of queer community.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review A young child and their family are having a wonderful time together celebrating Pride Day—meeting up with Grandma, making new friends and eating ice cream. But then something terrible happens: their dog gets lost in the parade! Luckily, there are lots of people around to help reunite the pup with his family. This rhyming alphabet book tells a lively story, with rich, colorful illustrations that will have readers poring over every detail as they spot items starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. An affirming and inclusive book that offers a joyful glimpse of a Pride parade and the vibrant community that celebrates this day each year.

Follow cousins on a road trip to Pride as they dive into family secrets and friendships in this contemporary novel—perfect for fans of David Levithan and Becky Albertalli. As kids, Mark and his cousin Talia spent many happy summers together at the family cottage in Ontario, but a fight between their parents put an end to the annual event. Living on opposite coasts—Mark in Halifax and Talia in Victoria—they haven't seen each other in years. When their grandfather dies unexpectedly, Mark and Talia find themselves reunited at the cottage once again, cleaning it out while the family decides what to do with it. Mark and Talia are both queer, but they soon realize that's about all they have in common, other than the fact that they'd both prefer to be in Toronto. Talia is desperate to see her high school sweetheart Erin, who's barely been in touch since leaving to spend the summer working at a coffee shop in the Gay Village. Mark, on the other hand, is just looking for some fun, and Toronto Pride seems like the perfect place to find it. When a series of complications throws everything up in the air, Mark and Talia—with Mark's little sister Paige in tow—decide to hit the road for Toronto. With a bit of luck, and some help from a series of unexpected new friends, they might just make it to the big city and find what they're looking for. That is, if they can figure out how to start seeing things through each other's eyes.

Every activist started out as a kid—and in some cases they were kids when their activism began! But even the world’s greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems—often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Martin Luther King, Jr. loved fashion, and argued with his dad about whether or not dancing was a sin. Harvey Milk had a passion for listening to opera music in different languages. Dolores Huerta was once wrongly accused of plagiarizing in school. Kid Activists tells readers 8 to 12 years old these childhood stories and more through kid-friendly texts and full-color cartoon illustrations on nearly every page. The diverse and inclusive group encompasses Susan B. Anthony, James Baldwin, Ruby Bridges, Frederick Douglass, Alexander Hamilton, Dolores Huerta, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Iqbal Masih, Harvey Milk, Janet Mock, Rosa Parks, Autumn Peltier, Emma Watson, and Malala Yousafzai.

★“Required reading for teens of every gender.”—Booklist, starred review Abortion is one of the most common of all medical procedures. But it is still stigmatized, and all too often people do not feel they can talk about their experiences. Making abortion illegal or hard to access doesn't make it any less common; it just makes it dangerous. Around the world, tens of thousands of women die from unsafe abortions every year. People who support abortion rights have been fighting hard to create a world in which the right to access safe and legal abortion services is guaranteed. The opposition to this has been intense and sometimes violent, and victories have been hard won. The long fight for abortion rights is being picked up by a new generation of courageous, creative and passionate activists. This book is about the history, and the future, of that fight.

★ “Awash in messages of love and the celebration of individuality... A rare treat for both Pride Day and everyday sharing.”—School Library Journal, starred review ★ "A good thing comes in a small, rainbow package...A joyful, affirming, pride-filled read."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Through gentle rhymes and colorful photographs of adorable children, Pride Colors is a celebration of the deep unconditional love of a parent or caregiver for a young child. The profound message of this delightful board book is you are free to be whoever you choose to be; you'll always be loved. Celebrated author Robin Stevenson ends her purposeful prose by explaining the meaning behind each color in the Pride flag: red = life, orange = healing, yellow = sunlight, green = nature, blue = peace and harmony, and violet = spirit.

In this thriller for young adults, eight teens spend a scary week on a remote island.

In this high-interest novel for teen readers, a girl struggles with the threats that her abortion-providing parents are receiving and the reactions of her girlfriend’s family.

What do you do when someone you care about wants you to follow him to a really dark place? Do you pull away? Do you help plan the trip? Or do you put your own life on the line in the hope that love will coax your friend away from the precipice? When Mel meets Jeremy, she thinks she has finally found someone who understands her, someone who will listen to her, someone who cares. But Jeremy has secrets that torment him, and Mel isn’t sure she can save him from his demons. All she knows is that she has to save herself. Set in Florida, against a backdrop of anti-death-penalty activism, The World Without Us examines one girl’s choices in a world where the stakes are very high and one misstep can hurt—or even kill—you.

It's an ordinary nightmare of a family trip until Theo realizes that the beautiful girl beside the hotel pool is his childhood babysitter—and his first crush. Theo hasn't seen Ronnie for five years, but when she invites him to go with her—and her toddler son, Zach—on a road trip, he leaps at the opportunity to ditch his parents and head to Hollywood. They've only gone a few miles before Theo begins to regret his impulsive decision. Zach cries nonstop, and when they get pulled over by the police, Ronnie is clearly terrified. She says her ex-boyfriend is a cop and that he is looking for her. Theo wants to trust her, but he suspects she is hiding something. And when they reach Los Angeles and she disappears, leaving him to look after Zach, he needs to find out the truth—and decide where his loyalties lie. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

With the world mourning over President Kennedy's assassination and his family reeling from the death of his baby sister, Jack decides that setting a world record will help his family heal.

Sixteen-year-old Dylan has never met her father. She knows that her parents were just teenagers themselves when she was born, but her mother doesn't like to talk about the past, and her father, Mark, has never responded to Dylan's attempts to contact him. As far as Dylan is concerned, her family is made up of her mother, Amanda; her recently adopted younger sister, Karma; and maybe even her best friend, Toni. And then, out of the blue, a phone call: Mark will be in town for a few days and he wants to meet her. Amanda is clearly upset, but Dylan can't help being excited at the possibility of finally getting to know her father. But when she finds out why he has come – and what he wants from her – the answers fill her with still more questions. What makes someone family? And why has her mother been lying to her all these years?

When Cameron rescues a baby abandoned in the woods, everyone says it is a miracle. A stroke of luck that he just happened to be there, riding his bike along that trail, and heard the baby's cry. But Cameron has a secret: It wasn't just luck. He was there because his twin sister Katie begged him to go. Did Katie know about the baby? Is she covering for someone? At first Cameron just wants some answers but once he knows the truth he has to decide what to do with it. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! Available in Spanish as En el bosque.

A sailing trip to the Caribbean might sound great, but sixteen-year-old Rachel can't stand being trapped on a small boat with her family. She misses her best friend and feels guilty about leaving her older sister Emma, who lives in a group home. Her father is driving her crazy with his schedules and rules, her brother is miserable, and there is never anyone her own age around. Worst of all, there is nowhere to go when her parents fight. While their boat is being repaired, the family spends a few weeks in a small Bahamian community, where Rachel and Tim discover a secret which turns their world upside down and threatens to destroy the fragile ties that hold their family together.

Fifteen-year-old Sophie sees her move to Victoria as a chance to start over and leave her old self behind. She is soon drawn into the orbit of the charismatic but troubled Zelia. As their friendship develops, and Zelia's behavior becomes increasingly self-destructive, Sophie struggles to maintain both the friendship and her own sense of self. Then Sophie meets Max. At first, Max seems to be Zelia's opposite: direct, straightforward and sure of herself. But this new friendship brings its own unexpected challenges and confusion, and Sophie slowly starts to realize that friendships are a place in which one can both lose and discover oneself.