Book Buddies: Marco Polo Brave Explorer

Can an intrepid toy mouse help a child venture out of his comfort zone? Book Two of an endearing illustrated series about friendly library toys and the children who borrow them.

Marco Polo is a retired Christmas ornament, but in his mind he is a great mouse explorer. Because he’s tiny and likely to be lost, he is the least-borrowed of the Book Buddies—toys that children can check out of the library just like a book—and he almost never leaves the library. But the little mouse finally meets the right match in Seth, a boy who is about to attend his first sleepover. If Seth were to bring the stuffed bunny he usually sleeps with, he’d risk being teased, but Marco Polo is the perfect size to hide away in his sleeping bag. Are both boy and mouse in for an unexpected adventure? Charmingly illustrated and offering a window into the secret life of toys (including a suspenseful glimpse at where all the household’s lost toys go), Marco Polo Brave Explorer explores common fears and quiet bravery and will leave readers eager for the next episode in the Book Buddies series.

Cynthia Lord is the author of award-winning middle-grade fiction. Her titles include Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found, the Newbery Honor Book Rules, Touch Blue, Half a Chance, A Handful of Stars, Because of the Rabbit, and other books for young readers. Cynthia Lord lives in Maine.

Stephanie Graegin is the author-illustrator of Little Fox in the Forest and the illustrator of many other books, including Book Buddies: Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord, You Were the First by Patricia MacLachlan, and Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins. Stephanie Graegin lives in Brooklyn.