Ladybug Nominee Profile

Broken by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 2025)

When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi's accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can't take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out.

With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang's newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent's forgiving hug.

About X. Fang

X. Fang is an award-winning illustrator and maker of books for young readers. She was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with her husband and son. Her website is: https://www.xfang.studio/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMqyegxiaw
• Here's an interview with X. Fang about "Broken": https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/13/broken-a-cover-reveal-and-conversation-with-x-fang/
• Reflection exercise: Ask children how Mei Mei might feel at different points in the story. Invite kids to share times when they made mistakes and how they handled them.
• Here's a fun Kintsugi activity for kids: https://rockyourhomeschool.net/resilience-activity/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Emotions & Feelings at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-emotions-feelings.html 
• For another book about honesty & apologies, consider I'm Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff and Julie Kwon, a 2025 Ladybug Nominee Finalist. 
• For another book by X. Fang, check out We Are Definitely Human, a 2025 Ladybug Nominee Finalist.
• For more books about family, consider My Dad is a Tree by Jon Agee, a 2024 Ladybug Longlist title, or We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens, a 2026 Ladybug Longlist title.

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Book of the Week (7/13/2026)

You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner (Grand Central Publishing, 2026)

For Raquel and Theo Collins, it appeared to be love at first sight. Raquel, a renowned interior designer, and Theo, a brash financial wizard met and married in a matter of months, only to confront a terrible tragedy. Now, unbearably aware of the distance between them, they’ve come to a remote town in New Hampshire to begin anew.

Perched on a ledge with stunning views, the Dixon’s family lodge was once a crown jewel of the mountains. Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for thirty years. Now, its latest occupants, the Collinses, are arriving, and the former grand lodge is once more stirring to life.

For Amanda Grady, following in her father’s footsteps as the recently appointed Shereford police chief, it’s good to see a fresh start for the derelict Dixon place. However, not everyone is happy about a new family in the old home and its hidden past may have returned with a vengeance.

When a stray dog leads to the discovery of a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive. Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. The local residents, the new neighbors, and the fledgling police chief must work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or…you’ll be sorry. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Lisa Gardner ia a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide). Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage.

Join Gibson's Bookstore, in conjunction with New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7 pm as they welcome Lisa Gardner to the Bank of NH Stage for "You'll Be Sorry", as part of their author series, Authors on Main!

Ladybug Nominee Profile

If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen (Rocky Pond Books, 2025)

"My town will be swanky! My town will be swell!
My town will be prized as the best place to dwell!"

Jack has some great ideas for improving the community he lives in. And who better to describe them to than Mayor McKay! As they walk through the park together, Jack eagerly tells the mayor his plans for improving their town.

And what a town he has dreamed up! The zoo is packed with fantastic, Jurassic, and mythical creatures, the mail is delivered by super-fast hover vans, the health clinic travels right to your door, and a parade passes through each and every week. And don't forget the robots! All of Jack's plans include the most exciting and useful serving machines. But best of all, everything is free!

Jack's over-the-top creativity and infectious enthusiasm will inspire budding young inventors. It's a story time romp that you'll want to return to again and again.

About Chris Van Dusen

Chris Van Dusen was born in 1960 in Portland, Maine. He has been writing and illustrating books since 2000 when Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee was published. He lives on the coast of Maine with his wife Lori and a yellow lab named Opal. His website is: https://www.chrisvandusen.com

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll4z-AXOJPw
• Here's an interview with Chris Van Dusen & tour of his art studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW9u0SbZrao
• Check out these activity sheets for the book: https://assetbucketpublic.7169.prh.com/9780/593/324/981/sales-assets/9780593324981_If%20I%20Built%20a%20Town%20Activity%20Sheets.pdf
• Map drawing exercise: Encourage students to draw a map of their own imagined town/city. Here's a link to some map ideas: https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/pirate-treasure-map/

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Imagination & Creativity at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/02/ladybug-longlist-imagination-creativity.html 
• For other books by Chris Van Dusen, check out Big Truck Little Island, a 2023 Ladybug Finalist, The Circus Ship, a 2010 Ladybug Finalist, and If I Built a House, the 2014 Ladybug winner.
• For other books about imagination, consider The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague, Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messner or Treehouse Town by Gideon Sterer. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

Book of the Week (7/6/2026)

Ghost Chickens: Omelet from the Other Side by Adi Rule (Tundra Books, 2026)

After eating a glowing green egg, aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue can suddenly see that her house is overrun with ghost chickens in this delightfully bizarre and hilarious first book of a new early middle-grade series for readers aged 8 to 12!

Ten-year-old aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue did NOT want to move to the country, leaving her best friend and city life behind.

To make matters worse, Florence is shocked to discover a Minions-esque flock of ghost chickens running amok all over her new house — and her parents are oblivious! Clearly, Mom and Dad need to take their precious daughter back to the city RIGHT NOW. If only she could convince them . . .

Using her journalistic skills, Florence cooks up a sizzling exposé in her homemade newspaper: TERROR IN THE HAUNTED COOP! But when that plan fails, Florence has to enlist the help of her weird new neighbor, two bizarre dogs and maybe even the ghost chickens themselves! --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Adi Rule is the author of Nell and the Netherbeast, Why Would I Lie?, Hearts of Ice, as well as The Hidden Twin and Strange Sweet Song, which won the 2016 New Hampshire Writers' Project Literary Award for Outstanding Young Adult Book and the Vermont College of Fine Arts Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Prize. Adi is a member of the faculty of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing program at Lasell University. She lives in New Hampshire with two and a half warring cats, a macaw, a magician, and a small but mighty flock of chickens.

Ladybug Nominee Profile

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe (A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books, 2025)

Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of rules: No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food.

But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house.

About Matthew Forsythe

Matthew Forsythe is the award-winning author and illustrator of the books, Pokko and the Drum and MINA. 

He was also the lead designer on the animated show, Adventure Time at Cartoon Network, and the Oscar-nominated film, Robin Robin. He lives in Los Angeles. His website is: https://www.comingupforair.net/

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkwr9sC90z0
• Here's an interview with Matthew Forsythe about his artistic technique in illustrating his picture books: https://www.brushupmag.com/articles/interview-matthew-forsythe
• Check out these activity sheets for the book at: https://tinyurl.com/ycyzyt3a
• Here's a link to a printable ghost coloring sheet: https://www.firstpalette.com/pdf/ghost-large.pdf 
• Narrative writing exercise: While coloring their ghost sheets, encourage children to develop a ghost character by exploring its personality, appearance, and quirks. 

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Friendship & Cooperation at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-friendship-cooperation.html 
• Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima, a 2023 Ladybug Finalist title, and There's a Ghost In This House by Oliver Jeffers are some other titles about ghosts. 
• For more books about friendship, consider The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen, a 2022 Ladybug Longlist title, or Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did.) by Ryan T. Higgins, a 2022 Ladybug Finalist title.

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

3 on a Theme: Numbers

 The Five Year Lie: A Domestic Thriller by Sarina Bowen

 Six Thousand Doughnuts by Thomas Tosi

 Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W Greene 

Book of the Week (6/29/2026)

Lady Justice and the Sisterhood of the Crones by Jennifer Speidel (Olympia Publishers, 2026)

The world is broken - corrupt men rule, greed runs rampant, and the voices of women have been silenced for too long. Enter Mavon, a demon, who's lost her taste for wicked souls, and Buluku, the ancient goddess of matriarchy, who's had enough. Together, they call upon the crones - women of wisdom, resilience, and untapped power - to rise up and take back what's theirs.

On Peaks Island, an unlikely sisterhood forms: Maxine, a no-nonsense New Yorker with a rebellious streak; Toby, a teacher whose empathy is her superpower; and Sumita, a gentle soul with quiet strength. As their magic spreads, curses unravel the powerful, and a revolution begins. But changing the world won't be easy - especially when the forces of greed fight back.

Witty, fierce, and full of heart, Lady Justice and the Sisterhood of the Crones is a spellbinding tale of justice, sisterhood, and the power of women who refuse to be ignored. For anyone who's ever wished the patriarchy would just... crumble. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Jennifer Speidel has been a special education teacher for twenty years. She's passionate about building strong connections with students and community, and founded a school thrift shop that has provided over 11,000 free items to students. She lives in New Hampshire with her partner, Dave, and their two cats. Now empty nesters, they enjoy camping with their daughters. Jennifer loves coastal walks in Maine and reading with a cat curled up on her lap.

Join Jennifer at Gibson's Bookstore on Thu., August 6, 2026 at 6:30 pm where she will be discussing her first novel!