In this guide you will find information about accessing all of the resources available to you, whether on the Hickory campus or visiting in Boone.
Navigate the tabs to the left based on your needs. Mobile users will see tabs at the top of the screen.
The Instructional Materials Center (IMC) is a model Pre-K – 12 school media center. We serve Appalachian students, faculty, and staff, as well as area educators and community members.
The IMC is located on the lower level of Belk Library in Boone. Most of our resources are available for check out, both in person and from the Hickory campus.
The IMC is open when Belk Library is open. Please call us at 828-262-2790 if you have questions.
Visit the IMC website for more information!
Picture Book
By Maddie Frost
Recommended: Grades K to 1
Pages: 32
Summary: "Bear learns to face his fears with a little help from his friends and his comforting bathrobe that acts as a security blanket." -- Provided by publisher
--From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Lauren Castillo
Recommended: Grades K to 3
Pages: 32
Summary: "A shy young girl finds exploring her new city and making friends overwhelming until a rescue dog helps her uncover the bravery that was always in her." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Drew Daywalt
Recommended: Grades PreK to 2
Pages: 32
Summary: "The narrator is WRONG about everything in this book, including that bicycles say cock-a-doodle-doo and firefighters shout Ding Dong before putting out a fire!" --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Brad Montague
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "You are cordially invited to take pride in all of your efforts and the fact that you tried!" --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Antwan Eady
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "A little boy is excited to work alongside his Papa at their stand in the farmer's market, but when Papa cannot make it to the stand, his community gathers around him, with dishes made of his own produce." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Blanca Gómez
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "When their usual routine is disrupted, Bookie and Cookie, best friends who live on opposite pages, learn to bridge their differences and explore new experiences together." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Leila Boukarim
Recommended: Ages 5 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "Based on the author's family history, a young Armenian boy is forced to leave his home and trek across the desert until he finds refuge in Lebanon--and only years later does he find the words to tell his own children the story." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By David Biedrzycki
Recommended: Grades K to 1
Pages: 32
Summary: "Robot works in a warehouse, but he keeps making mistakes. While out in the big city he discovers what he was missing: art!" --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Kwame Alexander
Recommended: Grades PreK to 2
Pages: 32
Summary: "Playful text and inventive artwork encourage readers to celebrate the magic of discovering their very own song--and singing it." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Winsome Bingham
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "As a little girl accompanies her grandma on a walk to the polling station, members of their community join and the grandmother explains the importance of their journey." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Traci Sorell
Recommended: Grades K to 1
Pages: 32
Summary: "On a day filled with anticipation, a young Cherokee girl bids farewell to her familiar city life as her family moves to their ancestral land." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Jyoti R. Gopal
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "An American child of Southeast Asian descent revels in dances, clothing, games, foods and other characteristics of both cultures, while blending them into what makes her unique." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Recommended: Grades PreK-1
Pages: 32
Summary: "From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely in their community." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Sergio Ruzzier
Recommended: Ages 3 to 6
Pages: 32
Summary: "When Cat asks Mouse how the cookie jar broke and where the cookies went, Mouse tells Cat implausible story after implausible story." --From Publisher's Description
Picture Book
By Flo Leung
Recommended: Ages 4 to 7
Pages: 32
Summary: "A young boy and his family discover a way to merge their Chinese and North American backgrounds by combining traditional foods from both cultures." --From Publisher's Description
Poetry
By Angela Shanté
Recommended: Ages 14 and Up
Pages: 148
Summary: "Written as a collection of vignettes and poetry, The Unboxing of a Black Girl is a creative nonfiction reflection on Black girlhood. As Shanté navigates New York City through memory, she balances poetry with vignettes that explore the innocence and joy of childhood eroded by adultification." --From Publisher's Description
Poetry
By Marion Dane Bauer
Recommended: Grades 1 to 4
Pages: 32
Summary: "Since the beginning, humans have created stories about the universe. From early mythology to modern-day science is a long journey... What will we believe tomorrow?" --From Publisher's Description
Poetry
By Cece Bell
Recommended: Grades K-3
Pages: 32
Summary: "This quirky ABC book draws on albums, memorabilia, and lyrics dating between 1944-1984 and adds wry, witty text, silly and sumptuous sound play, and bright, zany art to tickle young funny bones." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Jonathan Roth
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "Here is the amazing true story of how a single piece of cloth--originally destined to become underwear--was used in the design of the Wright brothers' Flyer, traveled to the Moon with Apollo 11, and is currently wandering Mars on Ingenuity." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Harold Green III
Recommended: Ages 8 to 13
Pages: 100
Summary: "Some of the greatest 'villains' in our lives include anxiety, fear, disappointment, and failure. But if we look to language as a way to empower ourselves--thanks to affirmations, mantras, compliments, and more--we can defeat anything that stands in our way while lifting up those around us." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Cindy Neuschwander
Recommended: Ages 7 to 10
Pages: 32
Summary: "Medieval math favorites Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter learn a method to calculate the volume of grain needed to feed everyone at the castle during a blizzard." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Lynn Brunelle
Recommended: Ages 4 to 8
Pages: 32
Summary: "Follow a blue whale's enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Robin Rose Bennett
Recommended: Grades 4 to 6
Pages: 136
Summary: "In this book, readers will learn about nine plants that inspire wellness and self-care, as well as follow herbal recipes, start a green witch journal, practice magical rituals, and more. An essential guide for any kid who wants to connect with natural magic!" --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Rebecca Siegel
Recommended: Grades 7 to 9
Pages: 192
Summary: "In 1934, a man walking by a lake in the Scottish highlands snapped a photo and started a monster-hunting craze. Now considered a hoax, the Loch Ness Monster is presented here as a cautionary tale on the dangers of misinformation." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Seiji Yoshida
Recommended: Ages 12 to 17
Pages: 123
Summary: "Over thirty imaginative houses and the people who make them home offer unexpected worlds to wander through and explore; readers discover the contents in each." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Ashley Renee Jefferson
Recommended: Ages 2 to 7
Pages: 30
Summary: "Kids of all colors, genders, and ability levels explore nature with their fingers, toes, noses, ears, and taste buds." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Erin Silver
Recommended: Grades 4 to 7
Pages: 89
Summary: "This illustrated book examines how sports are affecting the planet, what climate change means for athletes and sporting events, and what young people can do to make sports sustainable for the future." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Rachel Ignotofsky
Recommended: Ages 4 to 7
Pages: 32
Summary: "Butterflies soar in the sunlight. Moths flutter under the moon and stars. Find out more about these mysterious and majestic insects and their similarities and differences." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Ferin Davis Anderson
Recommended: Ages 13 to 18
Pages: 144
Summary: "Examines how Indigenous people, farmers, and forestry departments have used fire to manage resources, and how climate change is impacting the future of fire." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Jessica Kulekjian
Recommended: Grades K to 3
Pages: 32
Summary: "A step-by-step story of a volcanic eruption - told from the volcano's point of view!" --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By J. Albert Mann
Recommended: Grades 8 and Up
Pages: 409
Summary: "This eye-opening and engaging history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor and more documents how the labor movement has shaped America and how it intersects with the major issues facing modern teens." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Robin Mitchell Cranfield
Recommended: Grades PK to 2
Pages: 30
Summary: "From the dots on a ladybug to the spiral on a snail, patterns in nature can be found anywhere." --From Publisher's Description
Nonfiction
By Emma Reynolds
Recommended: Grades 3 to 7
Pages: 170
Summary: "We need everyone to help with the biggest challenge the human race has ever faced. This book shines a spotlight on sixteen incredible youth activists and artists from around the world who are fighting to protect the planet and all life on Earth." --From Publisher's Description
Biography
By Belen Medina
Recommended: Grades 2-3
Pages: 32
Summary: "Experience a 60-mile run with indigenous athlete Lorena Ramirez, who captured the world's attention when she won an ultramarathon in Mexico wearing a skirt and rubber sandals--the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Travis Dandro
Recommended: Ages 7 and Up
Pages: 245
Summary: "The beloved children's classic, now as a graphic novel." --From Publisher's Description
Early Graphic Novel
By Kirk Reedstrom
Recommended: Ages 6 to 8
Pages: 64
Summary: "Moose loves peace and quiet, relaxing, and living alone. Duck loves parties, karaoke, and living on Moose's head. Will Moose succeed in sending Duck away?" --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Ruth Chan
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 285
Summary: "Ruth is moving to Hong Kong. And she is not happy about it. She's going to miss Toronto, the only home she's ever known. But gradually, she puts down roots, knowing she can always find home wherever she is." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Paul Gilligan
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 234
Summary: "In the summer of 1975, anyone who hasn't seen 'Jaws' is a wimp. Needless to say, it leaves 10-year-old Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and his best friend David." --From Publisher's Description
Grapic Novel
By Nora Dåsnes
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 229
Summary: "The PTA wants to raze the students' beloved forest, removing the space integral to Bao and other students' lives and the environment they call home. When the adults are too apathetic, too cynical, or too preoccupied to see the importance of the forest, Bao and the others will have to take matters into their own hands." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Jen Wang
Recommended: Ages 14 to 18
Pages: 320
Summary: "Ash feels isolated, disconnected from a world that ignores the climate crisis and is obsessed with fame, while only their late Grandpa Edwin ever seemed to understand them. Ash wonders if their Grandpa's secret cabin, hidden in the California wilderness, could offer a fresh start, but they must confront whether they can truly survive and be happy alone." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel Hybrid
By Joana Estrela
Recommended: Grades 9 to 12
Pages: 100
Summary: "16-year-old Raquel lives in a small town in Portugal, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her parents are divorced and she's just been suspended. She has two best friends, but wants something more. Then she meets Pardalita." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Nancy Deas
Recommended: Grades 2 to 5
Pages: 187
Summary: "With nowhere left to live after losing his parents, Ollie unhappily finds himself at his grandpa's house in Sueño Bay. His getaway plans are altered abruptly when he and three classmates discover something they shouldn't have in a trailer in the woods." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Natalie Linn
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 188
Summary: "In Princess Aster's world, Bunnybirds live in contented isolation, keeping themselves detached from the world in order to practice magic and receive prophetic visions. But when her father disappears, her goal is definite: she's going to rescue him, no matter what." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Deborah Noyes
Recommended: Ages 12 and Up
Pages: 225
Summary: "From 1692 to 1693, fear reigned in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. Widespread panic led to one of the longest cases of hysteria in America, in which more than twenty innocent lives were lost. Here, the haunting details behind the Salem Witch Trials are visually imagined." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Jonathan Todd
Recommended: Grades 4 to 7
Pages: 261
Summary: "Cecil and his family have just moved to a new state, and he is anxious about making friends. The few kids who are impressed by Cecil's comic-making art aren't always nice to him. Can Cecil stand up for himself and figure out who his real friends are?" --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By Rory Lucey
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 199
Summary: "Rockhurst is your average suburban town. It has everything you'd expect: happy families, fun shops...and magical creatures! In the hopes of learning more about the local cryptids, three friends, Jenny, Emiko, and Brian, start the Society of Creatures Real and Magical, or S.C.R.A.M." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Memoir
By Pan Cooke
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 224
Summary: "Pan Cooke is ten years old when anxious thoughts begin to take over his brain. He has no way of knowing that this anxiety puzzle and the stressful attempts to solve it are evidence of a condition called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is his story of living with and eventually learning about OCD." --From Publisher's Description
Graphic Novel
By V. P. Anderson
Recommended: Grades 4 to 6
Pages: 185
Summary: "After ice-skater and Olympic hopeful Mina wipes out at her biggest competition, she gets recruited by a squad of vampires who need a human player to complete their Paranormal Roller Derby team. Will she be enough to help her new friends survive the season?" --From Publisher's Description
Transitional Chapter Book
By Annie Barrows
Recommended: Ages 6 to 9
Pages: 98
Summary: "Two sisters, Stella and Marigold, do all the regular things—like going to school, playing, getting sick sometimes, and visiting the zoo—but even the most regular things have a secret side." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Lisa Fipps
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 244
Summary: "Joe is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can't be depended on, and now he is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn't tell anyone he's on his own, but time is running out. Just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Allie Millington
Recommended: Grades 4 to 6
Pages: 249
Summary: "Witty typewriter Olivetti and twelve-year-old introvert Ernest embark on a mission to find Ernest's missing mother that takes them across San Francisco. As Olivetti spills out the past, Ernest is forced to face what he and his family have been running from." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Sally Nicholls
Recommended: Grades 9 and Up
Pages: 297
Summary: "In 1896 England, three best friends who are leading very different lives after boarding school share their dreams, hopes, frustrations, and romances through a series of letters as they search for happiness and love at the dawn of the Edwardian era." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Kwame Mbalia
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 466
Summary: "When 12-year-old African American Jackson Freeman is forced to move to Chicago he finds himself suddenly in a world of talking glasses and clocks, magical inheritance, and daredevil train porters in a fight against a terrifying evil." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Lois Lowry
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 194
Summary: "11-year-old Sophia endeavors to prevent her increasingly forgetful 88-year-old neighbor and best friend Sophie from entering assisted living, and in the process uncovers unexpected stories of war, loss, and hope." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Jasmine Warga
Recommended:
Pages: 211Ages 8 to 12
Summary: "When Rami sees a floating girl in the museum, he realizes she looks just like the girl in the painting that has gone missing. Will Rami, with the help of his classmate, Veda, be able to solve the mystery? --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Dawn Quigley
Recommended: Ages 8 to 12
Pages: 167
Summary: "Ariel has always danced ballet because of her Auntie Bineshiinh and loves the way dance makes her feet hover above the ground like a bird. But ever since Auntie went missing, Ariel's dancing doesn't feel like flying." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Marieke Nijkamp
Recommended: Grades 4 to 6
Pages: 343
Summary: "Ash (Princess Adelisa) is the youngest child of the queen, recently returned to the city. Splinter is the youngest child of one of Haven's most prominent families. A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each other's orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Katherine Rundell
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 358
Summary: "Christopher discovers the Archipelago, a world where mythological creatures were secreted away by magic long ago. But those creatures are now dying, and it is up to Christopher and Mal, a girl from the Archipelago, to save both of their worlds." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Ruth Behar
Recommended: Ages 10 and Up
Pages: 258
Summary: "Over 500 years and many seas separate four girls from different generations of a Jewish family. They are united by a love of music and poetry, a desire to belong and to matter, a passion for learning, and their longing for a home where all are welcome." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Olivia A. Cole
Recommended: Grades 10 to 12
Pages: 449
Summary: "Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By H. E. Edgmon
Recommended: Grades 7 to 9
Pages: 281
Summary: "With their parents dead and supplies running low after a solar flare scorched the Earth, stepsisters Millie and Rose leave home with their infant half brother and dog Corncob in search of Millie's grandma, a Seminole elder." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Jandy Nelson
Recommended: Ages 14 and Up
Pages: 519
Summary: "Told in alternating voices, the Fall siblings each encounter the mysterious Cassidy at integral points in their lives, helping them untangle their relationships and uncover the truth about their father's disappearance." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Jade Adia
Recommended: Grades 7 and Up
Pages: 404
Summary: "16-year-old Niarah's perspective on life changes when she joins a hiking/camping club and befriends Mac Torres and his wanderlust-driven friends, but as summer draws to a close and her new friends leave, existential dread challenges her new outlook." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Cynthia Hand; Brodi Ashton; Jodi Meadows
Recommended: Ages 13 and Up
Pages: 422
Summary: "Mary, a heartbroken mermaid turned pirate, dreams of becoming captain after being pulled from the sea. Determined to prove herself, she'll fight against anyone, including Blackbeard’s son and her best friend, to claim her place in the pirate world." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Adam Gidwitz
Recommended: Grades 4 to 8
Pages: 320
Summary: "To find his way back home to his family in Germany during World War II, 11-year-old Max Bretzfeld, with a kobold named Berg on one shoulder and a dybbuk named Stein on the other, sets out to do the impossible--become a British spy." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Lindsay Currie
Recommended: Grades 3 to 7
Pages: 247
Summary: "When a foreclosure notice shows up on Sarah's front door, she feels helpless until the day her friend Hannah mentions a treasure rumored to be hidden in the walls of an abandoned funhouse. The riddles and mazes seem impossible, but Sarah has no other choice." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Amalie Howard
Recommended: Grades 3 to 7
Pages: 295
Summary: "Sent to her grandmother's estate in Trinidad, Rika meets a group of kids with elemental powers called Minders, who reveal that her long-lost mom is in danger, sending Rika on a magical adventure where she must learn to believe in herself to destroy evil." --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Justin A. Reynolds
Recommended: Grades 4 to 8
Pages: 294
Summary: "12-year-old Eddie and his friends are forced to stay home while everyone else in town goes to the Beach Bash. Then, they all mysteriously disappear! Can Eddie get his gang to the beach and figure out what happened to their families?" --From Publisher's Description
Fiction
By Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin
Recommended: Grades 5 and Up
Pages: 392
Summary: "Summer, 1940. 19-year-old Jakob and his sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they're living inside of one: Britain's codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob works to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, 14-year-old Lizzie attempts to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother." --From Publisher's Description
