Past Golden Sower Books

Across the desert

Bowling, Dusti,


School Library Journal starred, October 2021. Booklist starred, December 2021. Library Media Connection, August 2021. Publishers Weekly Annex, September 2021. While using a public library computer to find help for her mother who is addicted to pain medicine, twelve-year-old Jolene witnesses a friend's livestreamed crash-landing in the Arizona desert and embarks on a journey to rescue her.
Date Published:2021

Amari and the night brothers

Alston, B. B.,


School Library Journal starred, November 2020. Booklist starred, November 2020. Pub Weekly, November 2020. Kirkus Starred, October 2020. Horn Book, January 2021. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), December 2020. Library Media Connection, January 2021. "Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she's certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton--if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real."--Publisher.
Date Published:2022

School Library Journal starred, November 2020. Booklist starred, November 2020. Pub Weekly, November 2020. Kirkus Starred, October 2020. Horn Book, January 2021. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), December 2020. Library Media Connection, January 2021. "Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she's certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton--if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real."--Publisher.

Date Published:2022

Amari and the night brothers

Alston, B. B.,


School Library Journal starred, November 2020. Booklist starred, November 2020. Pub Weekly, November 2020. Kirkus Starred, October 2020. Horn Book, January 2021. Library Media Connection, January 2021. Thirteen-year-old Amari, a poor African American girl from the projects, gets an invitation from her missing brother to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and join in the fight against an evil magician.
Date Published:2021

School Library Journal starred, November 2020. Booklist starred, November 2020. Pub Weekly, November 2020. Kirkus Starred, October 2020. Horn Book, January 2021. Library Media Connection, January 2021. Thirteen-year-old Amari, a poor African American girl from the projects, gets an invitation from her missing brother to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and join in the fight against an evil magician.

Date Published:2021

Bathe the cat

McGinty, Alice B., 1963-,


School Library Journal, November 2021. Horn Book Starred, January 2022. Publishers Weekly, September 2021. Booklist, November 2021. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), October 2021. Kirkus Review, November 2021. Dad has posted a list of chores for the family to do before grandma comes, including bathing the cat; but the cat does not want a bath, so she mixes up the instructions, and soon the family is mowing the floor, vacuuming the lawn, mopping the baby--and the house is in chaos.
Date Published:2021

School Library Journal, November 2021. Horn Book Starred, January 2022. Publishers Weekly, September 2021. Booklist, November 2021. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), October 2021. Kirkus Review, November 2021. Dad has posted a list of chores for the family to do before grandma comes, including bathing the cat; but the cat does not want a bath, so she mixes up the instructions, and soon the family is mowing the floor, vacuuming the lawn, mopping the baby--and the house is in chaos.

Date Published:2021

Bear is a bear

Stutzman, Jonathan,


"Balzer + Bray." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2021. Booklist starred, September 01, 2021. Kirkus, July 15, 2021. Publisher's Weekly, August 09, 2021. Horn book, November 2021. Through all the many ups and downs of childhood, Bear is there to provide love and support. Until it is time to say goodbye ... and hello again. A moving and surprising tribute to the beloved companions of our childhoods.
Date Published:2021

"Balzer + Bray." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2021. Booklist starred, September 01, 2021. Kirkus, July 15, 2021. Publisher's Weekly, August 09, 2021. Horn book, November 2021. Through all the many ups and downs of childhood, Bear is there to provide love and support. Until it is time to say goodbye ... and hello again. A moving and surprising tribute to the beloved companions of our childhoods.

Date Published:2021

Because of the rabbit

Lord, Cynthia,


Booklist Starred Reviews, 2/15/2019. Horn Book Guide, 10/2019. Kirkus Reviews Starred, 1/1/2019. Publishers Weekly Starred, 12/24/2018. School Library Connection, 3/2019. School Library Journal, 3/2019. Emma and her game warden father head out on a call to capture a wild rabbit stuck in a fence, but instead find a domestic bunny. Emma convinces her father to let the rabbit come live with them. The next day, Emma is set to attend fifth grade at a public school for the first time after being homeschooled her whole life. She wants to make a good first impression and maybe a new best friend, but is instead paired with the hyperactive Jack, who, while annoying, loves animals as much as Emma, and the two bond over the rescued rabbit.
Date Published:2019

Booklist Starred Reviews, 2/15/2019. Horn Book Guide, 10/2019. Kirkus Reviews Starred, 1/1/2019. Publishers Weekly Starred, 12/24/2018. School Library Connection, 3/2019. School Library Journal, 3/2019. Emma and her game warden father head out on a call to capture a wild rabbit stuck in a fence, but instead find a domestic bunny. Emma convinces her father to let the rabbit come live with them. The next day, Emma is set to attend fifth grade at a public school for the first time after being homeschooled her whole life. She wants to make a good first impression and maybe a new best friend, but is instead paired with the hyperactive Jack, who, while annoying, loves animals as much as Emma, and the two bond over the rescued rabbit.

Date Published:2019

Big

Harrison, Vashti,


Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.
Date Published:2022

Black brother, black brother

Rhodes, Jewell Parker,


School Library Journal, February 2020. Booklist starred, March 2020. Library Media Connection starred, March 2020. Publishers Weekly, January 2020. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), March 2020. Kirkus Review, December 2019. Suspended unjustly from elite Middlefield Prep, Donte Ellison studies fencing with a former champion, hoping to put the racist fencing team captain in his place.
Date Published:2021

The book that almost rhymed

Abed, Omar,


School Library Journal starred, May 2024. Booklist starred, December 2023. Horn Book, March 2024. Kirkus Review, January 2024. A boy begrudgingly composes a sometimes-rhyming adventure with his precocious little sister.
Date Published:2024

The box turtle

Roeder, Vanessa,


Booklist, December 01, 2019. Kirkus, December 01, 2019. Publisher's Weekly, October 14, 2019. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2020. Terrance the turtle was born without a shell, so he uses a cardboard box instead. Terrance loves his box. It keeps him dry on soggy days, safe from snooping strangers, and is big enough to cozy up with a friend. But when another turtle points out that Terrance's shell is, well, weird, he begins to wonder whether there might be a better shell out there.
Date Published:2020

Booklist, December 01, 2019. Kirkus, December 01, 2019. Publisher's Weekly, October 14, 2019. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2020. Terrance the turtle was born without a shell, so he uses a cardboard box instead. Terrance loves his box. It keeps him dry on soggy days, safe from snooping strangers, and is big enough to cozy up with a friend. But when another turtle points out that Terrance's shell is, well, weird, he begins to wonder whether there might be a better shell out there.

Date Published:2020

Brave like that

Stoddard, Lindsey,


Kirkus, March 15, 2020. School library journal, June 2020. Booklist, June 01, 2020. Eleven-year-old Cyrus knows he is not cut out to be a football hero or fireman like his adopted father, but it takes a skittish stray dog to teach him that he, too, can be brave.
Date Published:2020

Chez Bob

Shea, Bob,


Booklist Starred Reviews, Horn Book Guide, Kirkus Reviews Starred, Publishers Weekly Starred, School Library Journal Starred, Bob the alligator is hungry, so he comes up with a brilliant idea for a restaurant. He opens Chez Bob, a birdseed restaurant on his nose so birds will land on him and he can eat them. His first customer says he will tell all his friends about Bob's restaurant, so Bob decides not to eat the bird. Soon, birds from all over arrive to eat at his restaurant and a small town sprouts up around Bob. When a storm arrives, the birds fly into Bob's mouth, and he realizes it is his chance to eat the birds. He thinks about how much he would miss his new friends if he ate them and decides to set them free.
Date Published:2021

Booklist Starred Reviews, Horn Book Guide, Kirkus Reviews Starred, Publishers Weekly Starred, School Library Journal Starred, Bob the alligator is hungry, so he comes up with a brilliant idea for a restaurant. He opens Chez Bob, a birdseed restaurant on his nose so birds will land on him and he can eat them. His first customer says he will tell all his friends about Bob's restaurant, so Bob decides not to eat the bird. Soon, birds from all over arrive to eat at his restaurant and a small town sprouts up around Bob. When a storm arrives, the birds fly into Bob's mouth, and he realizes it is his chance to eat the birds. He thinks about how much he would miss his new friends if he ate them and decides to set them free.

Date Published:2021

Clues to the universe

Li, Christina,


School Library Journal, January 2021. Booklist, December 2020. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), January 2021. Library Media Connection, January 2021. "The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together. Benjamin Burns doesn't like science, but he can't get enough of Spacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he's thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him. Though Ro and Benji were only supposed to be science class partners, the pair become unlikely friends: Benji helps Ro finish her rocket, and Ro figures out a way to reunite Benji and his dad. But Benji hesitates, which infuriates Ro"--Amazon.
Date Published:2022

School Library Journal, January 2021. Booklist, December 2020. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), January 2021. Library Media Connection, January 2021. "The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together. Benjamin Burns doesn't like science, but he can't get enough of Spacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he's thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him. Though Ro and Benji were only supposed to be science class partners, the pair become unlikely friends: Benji helps Ro finish her rocket, and Ro figures out a way to reunite Benji and his dad. But Benji hesitates, which infuriates Ro"--Amazon.

Date Published:2022

Count me in

Bajaj, Varsha,


Booklist, July 2019. "Told from two viewpoints, sixth-graders Karina and Chris use social media to stand up to racism in Houston, Texas, after an attack puts Karina's Indian American grandfather in the hospital"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2019

Dog vs. Strawberry

Buchet, Nelly,


School Library Journal starred, April 2024. Pub Weekly, January 2024. When Dog is handed a strawberry from the fruit bowl, she sizes it up, dances around it, and decides she is going to race the Strawberry--and win.
Date Published:2024

Dogtown

Applegate, Katherine,


Booklist, Kirkus Review, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal Starred, Friendly three-legged Chance has lived at Dogtown shelter ever since her owners unwittingly left her with a neglectful dog-sitter who skipped town, but everything changes when an uncharacteristically empathic robot dog, Metal Head, arrives at Dogtown. Metal Head asks Chance and his friend Mouse to help him break out, and the trio embarks on a journey to find their forever home.
Date Published:2023

Booklist, Kirkus Review, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal Starred, Friendly three-legged Chance has lived at Dogtown shelter ever since her owners unwittingly left her with a neglectful dog-sitter who skipped town, but everything changes when an uncharacteristically empathic robot dog, Metal Head, arrives at Dogtown. Metal Head asks Chance and his friend Mouse to help him break out, and the trio embarks on a journey to find their forever home.

Date Published:2023

A duet for home

Glaser, Karina Yan,


Pub Weekly, February 2022. Kirkus Starred, February 2022. Booklist, February 2022. New York Times, March 2022. Horn Book, July 2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May 2022. Library Media Connection, March 2022. "It's June's first day at Huey House, and...[she] can't bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she's not about to give it up now. Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door. Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2023

Pub Weekly, February 2022. Kirkus Starred, February 2022. Booklist, February 2022. New York Times, March 2022. Horn Book, July 2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May 2022. Library Media Connection, March 2022. "It's June's first day at Huey House, and...[she] can't bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she's not about to give it up now. Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door. Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2023

Dust

Bowling, Dusti,


Publishers Weekly, May 2023. Booklist, July 2023. When a boy with a terrible secret moves to town there is a sudden increase in dust storms, and asthmatic Avalyn theorizes the storms are linked to his emotions and tries to help as she struggles to breathe.
Date Published:2023

Every missing piece

Conklin, Melanie,


School Library Journal, May 2020. Publishers Weekly, March 2020. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May 2020. Kirkus Review, March 2020. "Ever since her father died in a terrible accident, Maddy Gaines has worried a lot. She calls the police so often that she's on a first-name basis with the Sheriff. When a new boy moves to town, Maddy is convinced that he's not who he says he is-he's a boy who went missing six months ago. Maddy, her dog, her best friend, and her stepdad team up to see what he's hiding"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2020

School Library Journal, May 2020. Publishers Weekly, March 2020. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May 2020. Kirkus Review, March 2020. "Ever since her father died in a terrible accident, Maddy Gaines has worried a lot. She calls the police so often that she's on a first-name basis with the Sheriff. When a new boy moves to town, Maddy is convinced that he's not who he says he is-he's a boy who went missing six months ago. Maddy, her dog, her best friend, and her stepdad team up to see what he's hiding"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2020

Ferris

DiCamillo, Kate,


School Library Journal, February 2024. During the summer before fifth grade, Ferris Wilkey has her hands full with her little sister terrorizing the town, her Aunt Shirley moving into their basement and her grandmother seeing a ghost--one who has wild, impractical and illuminating plans.
Date Published:2024