Making the grade for kids

Rise of the Jumbies Tracy Baptiste

When children start to disappear from her Caribbean island, young Corinne makes a deal with a sea jumbie (an evil spirit) to get them back — but she has to undertake a dangerous journey first. (Algonquin Young Readers)

See You in the Cosmos Jack Cheng

Inspired by the Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft, Alex Petroski sets out to record life on Earth as he knows it on a golden iPod, a journey that takes him and his dog, Carl Sagan, across western state lines, where he discovers secrets about his family and the universe. (Dial Books)

Real Friends Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

Hale’s graphic memoir, illustrated by Pham, tells the story of a young girl whose best friend decides she wants to run with the “in” crowd, led by a cool girl named Jen. (First Second)

Winne-the-Pooh and House at Pooh Corner A.A. Milne

Follow up “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” the new family film about Milne, with this clothbound and illustrated two-book set of his timeless stories about the lovable bear. (The Folio Society)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 3 The Ship of the Dead Rick Riordan

The newest volume in Riordan’s Norse mythology-inspired fantasy series follows Magnus, the son of the god Frey, in a race to stop Loki from bringing about the end of the world as they know it. (Disney-Hyperion)

The Glass Town Game Catherynne M. Valente

The four Brontë siblings (yes, those ones) have invented a fun childhood game to pass the time, and they are shocked when a train brings them to a slightly more dangerous version of the land they’ve created. (Margaret K. McElderry Books)

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground Rita Williams-Garcia, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Young Clayton loves the blues and his grandfather, who taught him about the music. When his grandpa dies, he runs away from home, hoping the older man’s band will let him join with them. (Amistad)