Book picks similar to
I CAN Believe In Myself by Miriam Laundry


b-r-a-g-medallion-books
life-skills-picture-books
storytime

Hill & Hole


Kyle Mewburn - 2010
    Hill loves being a hill, but sometimes he wishes he could be a hole and feel the earth breathing beneath him. Hole loves being a hole but just once would love to see the sun rising. So they ask mole if he can help. Pretty soon Hill is a hole and Hole is a hill. But things aren't always what they seem and what at first seemed wonderful and new turns out not to be so great after all. Can Hill and Hole ever find an answer to their dilemma?

Martha in the Middle


Jan Fearnley - 2008
    She gets squashed between her siblings when they argue. She never gets called "big and sensible" or "cutesy-wootsy." Sometimes she even feels invisible. One day she gets so fed up, she decides to run away. Luckily, Martha meets a wise frog who points out that the middle is the best bit — the tasty seeds in the sunflower, the sweet peas in the pod, the juiciest part of a watermelon. With beguiling warmth and humor, Jan Fearnley reassures children that being in the middle of things is a choice spot after all.

Books for Me!


Sue Fliess - 2015
    There are so many to choose from. There are books about pirates, bears, superheroes, and more! And as Hippo looks around the library, she imagines the stories inside each book. How can Hippo choose just one? Maybe she doesn’t have to…Sue Fliess’s sing-song text combines with Mike Laughead’s adorable illustrations for a fun celebration of finding just the right books.

Marilia, the Warlord


Morgan Cole - 2020
    But after a terrible betrayal, Marilia’s world turns upside down. With the help of her twin brother, Annuweth, she flees the only home she’s ever known in search of the one man who can offer her a chance at a better life–the Emperor of Navessea’s greatest general, a friend of her deceased father.What follows is a journey spanning years, from the streets of the desert city of Tyracium to the splendor of the emperor’s keep and the wind-swept, wild island of Svartennos. Along the way, Marilia discovers, for the first time, the gift she has for strategy and warfare—a world that is forbidden to girls like herWhen the empire is threatened by a foreign invasion, the defense of Navessea is left in the hands of a cruel and arrogant general no match for the empire's enemy. With the fate of her new home and her family hanging in the balance, Marilia swears to use all her courage and cunning to do whatever she can to help repel the invasion—if she can convince anyone to follow her.The struggle that follows will test her to her core and lead her back to the past she thought she had escaped. Facing treachery within her own ranks as well as a devious enemy commander, Marilia will need all the help she can get, even if it means doing something her brother may never forgive—making a deal with the man who murdered her father.Inspired by The Song of Achilles and Ender’s Game, Marilia, the Warlord is a blend of the epic and the personal, a story of romance, envy, the rivalry between brother and sister, and one woman’s painful discovery that her childhood dreams weren’t quite what she imagined.

Mabel Murple


Sheree Fitch - 1995
    In Mable Murple a young girl dreams of just that -- with some wonderfully wacky results!Winner of the Ann Connor-Brimer Award.

The Seventh Magpie


Nancy Chase - 2015
    But she is a young woman on the brink of a whole new life when, in a moment of defiance, she forgets that warning and triggers a catastrophe that shatters all her hopes.Stricken with grief and seeking a way to correct her terrible mistake, Catrin risks everything on a dangerous bargain. Too late, she realizes just how much more she has to lose.With advice from a half-mad witch and help from companions she meets along the way, Catrin embarks on a desperate quest to defeat seven riddling Magpies--magical tricksters who can shapeshift into anything or anyone--and win back her book or face losing everything she holds dear.With each step the stakes get higher, and there are secrets she still doesn't suspect. How much is Catrin willing to sacrifice to finally unmask the Seventh Magpie?A dark fairy tale of loss and renewal.

Groundhog's Day Off


Robb Pearlman - 2015
    Is spring around the corner? Or are we doomed to more winter? Sure, they care about his shadow, but what about him and his interests? He's had enough! Groundhog packs his bags and sets out for a much-needed vacation.Now the town is holding auditions to find someone to fill his spot. None of the animals seem right for the job, though. Not Elephant, not Ostrich, and most certainly not Puppy. No one has Groundhog's flair for the dramatic, but is it too late to woo him back into the spotlight?With a fresh take on a familiar event and bold, lively illustrations, this hilarious picture book will leave readers wishing it was Groundhog's Day year-round.

Lorenzo, the Pizza-Loving Lobster


Claire Lordon - 2016
    But, Lorenzo can't remember exactly what was on it. Was it made with seaweed cake, kelp paste, eelgrass, and sand dollars? Or kelp dough, squid ink, algae, and coral rings? Or maybe sponge patties, jellyfish jelly, seaweed noodles, and seashells? After a few unappetizing attempts, Kalena becomes frustrated with Lorenzo and leaves hungry and unhappy. As she walks home, she comes across something delicious . . . It must be the pizza Lorenzo was talking about! She's so hungry she could eat it all, but she brings it back for Lorenzo and her to look at together. Once they figure out how to make it, they have a pizza party for all their friends!

The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent


Laura Ripes - 2012
    He is 77 percent sure that a spaghetti-slurping serpent lives in his sewer. Sammy and his sidekicks his sister, Sally, and their slobbery dog, Stan set out to discover the truth. What Sammy finds is a surprise in this tongue twisting mystery featuring the slippery letter S. The bright, fun artwork was created in colored pencil.

Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco


Laurie Berkner - 2004
    Along the way, they stop in New Mexico for burritos, South Carolina for rutabagas and collard greens, and NYC's Little Italy for the spaghetti that made this song famous!In the end, when the townsfolk cheer the return of Victor and Freddie, kids and parents will celebrate, too, as their favorite song becomes their favorite new book!

Behind the Door


A. Gavazzoni - 2016
    To help his defense, Carl’s client has written a detailed account of his steamy, year-long relationship with Lara. Carl gives the text to Simone for analysis. While evaluating the presumed killer’s writing, Simone continues to receive psychiatric patients with sexual disorders and unusual fantasies, and to research strange sexual behavior for her next book.Meanwhile, Simone’s clinical partner, friend and research colleague, Edward, is working with the police to capture a serial killer who is torturing and killing women. From hot and unusual sex and interesting psychiatric patients, to the swing houses of New York and Paris, this fast-paced page-turner is a blend of mystery, suspense, humor, romance and erotica.

Jake and the Kid


W.O. Mitchell - 1961
    Mitchell began publishing in the 1940s and more than 300 radio scripts created for broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national radio airwaves between 1950 and 1958, Jake and the Kid has won a special place in the mythology of the Canadian Prairies. Mitchell didn't just conjure up life in the 1940s in the fictional community of Crocus, Saskatchewan. He made Jake Trumper and the unnamed Kid a part of Canadians' lives. They could laugh at Jake's homespun thoughts on everything from "wimmin" to the Riel Rebellion of 1885 (Jake claiming that he helped take care of "Looie" Riel) to Canadian heroes like Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier (better known as "Wilf" to Jake). A gentle satire pervades Mitchell's evocative recreation of small-town life as seen through the eyes of a wide-eyed little boy and the hired man who becomes his hero. The stories were compiled in book form in 1961 and won Mitchell his first Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal. They still have the magic that captured the Canadian imagination for nearly two decades. --Jeffrey Canton

The Infinet (Trivial Game, #1)


John Akers - 2017
    The Univiz renders all other personal computing devices obsolete, and Pax goes on to become the head of Omnitech, the most powerful tech company in history. But due to a recent downturn in sales, Pax finds himself suddenly facing a shareholder revolt. His only hope to retain control of the company he founded lies with a secret project he believes will revolutionize human cognition the way the Univiz transformed personal computing.However, Pax's plans are upended by a worldwide computer virus that attacks people through the internet of things (IoT). Within days the virus threatens to destroy civilization, and Pax is forced to help deal with the crisis. He meets a woman named Alethia, the brilliant leader of a mysterious society that has developed a quantum computer exponentially more powerful than any supercomputer ever built. Alethia reveals a devastating truth about humanity to Pax before forcing him to make a choice that, no matter what he decides, will affect the future of the human race. An eerily believable vision of the near future, "The Infinet" is a speculative fiction thriller that can’t be missed!

Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug!


Ed Emberley - 2007
    But it's the itty bitty bugs who get the last laugh in this exciting, new, frighteningly-fun adventure. Caldecott award-winning author-artist Ed Emberley, author of the enormously popular Go Away, Big Green Monster!, offers readers another ingeniously crafted novelty storybook that helps children face, and then chase away, their fears.

This Is a Serious Book


Jodie Parachini - 2016
    Nothing silly is allowed. There are no funny faces, no clowns, and definitely no shenanigans. A serious book is always respectful, and, of course, is always in black and white. But wait! Who’s this? Zebra might be black and white, but he is NOT serious. And he and his friends are ruining the book with their antics, parades, and parties!This funny and irreverent book that pits its narrator against its characters in a hilarious way invites reader participation and encourages kids to think about writing their own books and stories—just as donkey does here in the end. A joyful page-turner of a book that celebrates writing and creativity and will appeal to fans of The Book With No Pictures.