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11 Birthdays
Wendy Mass*****This hilarious novel from award-winning author Wendy Mass is now available in paperback!

It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited—-after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .
Afternoon of the Elves
Janet Taylor Lisle*****When her misfit classmate Sara-Kate tells her that elves have built a miniature village in her backyard, Hillary wonders why elves would choose to associate with the outcast girl. Reprint. Newbery Honor Book. AB. K. H. "
Allie, First at Last: A Wish Novel
Angela Cervantes*****Allie Velasco wants to be a trailblazer.
A trendsetter.
A winner.

No better feeling exists in the world than stepping to the top of a winner’s podium and hoisting a trophy high in the air. At least, that’s what Allie thinks . . . she’s never actually won anything before. Everyone in her family is special in some way — her younger sister is a rising TV star; her brother is a soccer prodigy; her great-grandfather is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

With a family like this, Allie knows she has to make her mark or risk being left behind. She’s determined to add a shiny medal, blue ribbon, or beautiful trophy to her family's award shelf. When a prestigious school contest is announced, Allie has the perfect opportunity to take first — at last. There’s just one small snag . . . her biggest competition is also her ex-best friend, Sara. Can Allie take top prize and win back a friend — or is she destined to lose it all?
Around the World in Eighty Days
Jules Verne*****An eccentric English gentleman and his manservant pack a carpet bag with two woolen shirts, three pairs of stockings, and 20,000 pounds, and travel around the world in 80 days, in order to win a bet.
The Beast and the Bethany
Meggitt-Phillips, Jack*****
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen
Lenz, Niki*****
The Black Pearl
Scott O'Dell*****From the depths of a cave in the Vermilion Sea, Ramon Salazar has wrested a black pearl so lustrous and captivating that his father, an expert pearl dealer, is certain Ramon has found the legendary Pearl of Heaven. Such a treasure is sure to bring great joy to the villagers of their tiny coastal town, and even greater renown to the Salazar name. No diver, not even the swaggering Gaspar Ruiz, has ever found a pearl like this!

But is there a price to pay for a prize so great? When a terrible tragedy strikes the village, old Luzon’s warning about El Diablo returns to haunt Ramon. If El Diablo actually exists, it will take all Ramon’s courage to face the winged creature waiting for him offshore.
Blackberries in the Dark
Mavis Jukes*****"Austin's visit to his grandmother's is the first since Grandpa died. Austin notices Grandpa's things but feels the emptiness of his absence. This spare story vividly captures the emotions of painful times and shows how they ease with sharing and remembering. Boy and grandfather were close, but boy and grandmother seem destined to be just as close, with Grandpa's memory to bind them. Poignant and perceptive, this has impressive resonance, and readers won't easily shed its warm afterglow."—(starred) Booklist.
Blue Heron
Avi*****What is magic really for?

As Maggie approaches her thirteenth birthday, she wants to believe that some kind of magic can stop the changes all around her. Her visit with her father and his new family at a lakeside cabin makes her wonder. Will he still love her as much, now that he has a new family, or will he love her baby half-sister more? Her father seems troubled and withdrawn and, while he insists nothing is wrong, she worries.

Alone with her own secret thoughts, Maggie finds comfort in the beautiful blue heron she visits at the lake every morning. With each visit, she grows more attached to the bird, and she becomes aware that someone else is watching, too — someone who's putting the bird in great danger. Through her determination to protect the bird, Maggie begins to understand the magic of change in her own life, and in the constantly changing world around her.
Captain Nobody
Dean Pitchford*****When Newt Newman's football-star brother, Chris, is knocked into a coma during the biggest game of the season, Newt's two best friends keep his mind off of the accident by helping him create the ultimate Halloween costume: Captain Nobody. Newt feels strong and confident in his new getup, so he keeps wearing it after Halloween is over. Soon Newt assumes the role of a hero in a string of exploits that include foiling a robbery and saving a planeload of passengers. But will Captain Nobody be able to save the one person he cares about most?
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading
Tommy Greenwald*****Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.This is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book.
Clarice Bean Spells Trouble
Child, Lauren
Colder Than Ice
David Patneaude*****Josh isn't happy to be starting at a new school. Maybe it's a chance to be somebody—not so easy for a kid who's been pretty average and is overweight besides. But he is pumped when a cool kid asks hims to play ice hockey.
Colder Than Ice
David Patneaude*****Josh isn't happy to be starting at a new school. Maybe it's a chance to be somebody—not so easy for a kid who's been pretty average and is overweight besides. But he is pumped when a cool kid asks hims to play ice hockey.
Distress Signal
Lambert, Mary E.*****
Do the Funky Pickle
Jerry Spinelli*****A fast, fun, friendship read from the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.

Eddie Mott has a problem. He is completely and hopelessly in love with his friend Sunny...and he's way too wimpy to tell her. But the school dance is approaching quickly and Eddie knows it's time to act. He has to find a way to make Sunny notice him...but how? Eddie and Pickles come up with a plan that's sure to attract attention. But the girl who falls for Eddie at the dance isn't Sunny—it's Angelpuss, the girlfriend of the toughest, meanest eighth grader around. Eddie is in big, big trouble—unless he and Pickles can come up with some new moves...fast.
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
Louis Sachar*****Twelve-year-old jokester Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian, it's the kids in his class who think he's just a goon. Winning the school talent show would be Gary's dream come true, but on the big night his dream nearly backfires—with hilarious results.

An IRA/CBC Children's Choice.
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
Louis Sachar*****Twelve-year-old jokester Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian, it's the kids in his class who think he's just a goon. Winning the school talent show would be Gary's dream come true, but on the big night his dream nearly backfires—with hilarious results.

An IRA/CBC Children's Choice.
Dorko the Magnificent
Andrea Beaty*****Robbie Darko is a magician. An old-school, pull-a-rabbit-out-of-your-hat-style magician. Robbie loves magic and he’s good at it—sort of. Despite his best efforts, passion, and practice, something always goes wrong with his tricks, landing Robbie in trouble. Enter crotchety Grandma Melvyn, who calls everyone “Trixie” and complains about everything. When Grandma Melvyn moves in and takes over his room, Robbie discovers that she was once an internationally renowned magician and learns about the heartache that turned her into a bitter woman. Against all odds, Robbie and Grandma Melvyn form an uneasy alliance to show the world—or at least the kids of Hobson Elementary School—that he is a true magician. Shortly after a successful talent show, Grandma Melvyn performs a final disappearing act, and Robbie learns a little about the true meaning of magic.
Written with pitch-perfect middle-grade humor and unforgettable characters, this gem of a novel will stay with readers long after Dorko the Magnificent has taken his final bow.

Praise for Dorko the Magnificent
"A young would-be magician gets lessons in both stagecraft and life from a crusty elder... the supporting characters steal the show."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Short chapters keep the story moving. Robbie has impressive determination, but it is Grandma Melvyn who is the star in this moving story."
—Booklist

"Satisfying and enjoyable, Dorko will engage reluctant and voracious readers alike."
—School Library Journal

" A thoroughly likable middle-grade novel, offering a blend of poignancy and giggle-worthy humor, this book is a solid back-to-school read."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Literature circles would work well with this title that deals with alienation, friendship, family, reconciliation, and death."
—Library Media Connection
Double Dog Dare
Lisa Graff*****When Kansas Bloom moves to California and joins the Media Club at school, he soon finds himself trying to outdo one of the other fourth-grade students in a “dare war” while vying for the job of on-air video homeroom announcer.
Double Dog Dare
Lisa Graff*****
The Doublecross (and Other Things I Learned as a Superspy)
Jackson Pearce*****With a hilarious and charismatic cast of characters, this start to a fresh middle grade action-adventure series is part Spy Kids and all fun!

Everyone in twelve-year-old Hale's family is a spy, going way back. They've all worked for the Sub Rosa Society, an elite organization that's so top secret that new agents aren't recruited; they're born. His parents may be the ultimate spy team at SRS, but Hale isn't your typical stealthy spy—he is, as his mother puts it, "big-boned," and as some of his classmates put it, "fat." Still, he's convinced he will someday be a great field agent. After all, it's his legacy.

But when both his mother and father go missing on a secret mission—likely captured by the SRS's number one enemy—it's Hale's time to step up and (with a little help from his acrobat-cheerleader little sister) save the day.

Don't miss these other books from Jackson Pearce:
The Doublecross
The Inside Job

The Ellie, Engineer series
Ellie, Engineer
Ellie, Engineer: The Next Level
Ellie, Engineer: In the Spotlight
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
Lynne Jonell*****Emmy Addison was perfectly happy as the daughter of bookstore owners—and then her parents inherited a lot of money and she suddenly became invisible. She can't understand why her formerly attentive and loving mother and father keep taking off for faraway places and leaving her in the hands of an incredibly controlling nanny named Miss Barmy. And no one at school seems to know she exists. Then, she is bitten by the classroom rat and discovers that she can understand every word he says, as can Joe, one of the cool kids in her class who was also bitten. At this point, events start to unfold and a fast-paced adventure begins. To Joe's chagrin, he discovers that a second bite makes a person shrink to the size of an action figure and Emmy discovers that Miss Barmy has been mixing animal essences together to control the Addisons' lives. With the aid of new animal friends, Emmy embarks upon a perilous path to undo the evil nanny's sinister plans. A mystery is cleverly woven into this fun and, at times, hilarious caper, and children are likely to find themselves laughing out loud during some parts. A medley of endearing characters adds to an already delightful read.
Fake Mustache: Or, How Jodie O'Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind
Tom Angleberger*****
Fig Pudding
Ralph Fletcher*****Take it from Cliff, being the oldest of six kids is not easy under the best of circumstances. Who can be Mr. Reliable all the time? How do you deal with a brother who enjoys sitting under the kitchen table for punishment? Or explain to your sister that she can't divorce herself from the family just because they eat meat? Or figure out what your baby brother wants for Christmas when he asks for a yidda yadda? Told in the first person, each lively, humorous episode from Cliff's fifth-grade year focuses on one of the kids. Together they create a strong, satisfying story of a large, closely knit family.
Flying Solo
Ralph Fletcher*****When the substitute for Mr. "Fab" Fabiano never shows up and his sixth-grade students are on their own, they set out to prove that they can run the class by themselves. With a little ingenuity and some careful planning, they might just succeed. But when a fight breaks out between Bastian Fauvell and Rachel White over a classmate, Tommy Feathers, who died six months earlier, everything begins to fall apart. Can Rachel deal with the anxieties that plunged her into silence the day Tommy died? Inventive and uniquely constructed, "Flying Solo" follows Mr. Fab's students hour by hour as they tackle the challenges of an unusual school day.
Gooney Bird Greene
Lois Lowry*****Two-time Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry introduces a new girl in class who loves being the center of attention and tells the most entertaining “absolutely true” stories.

There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. What other new kid comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots one day and a polka-dot t-shirt and tutu on another? Gooney Bird has to sit right smack in the middle of the class because she likes to be in the middle of everything. She is the star of story time and keeps her teacher and classmates on the edge of their seats with her “absolutely true” stories. But what about her classmates? Do they have stories good enough to share?
The Great Treehouse War
Lisa Graff*****Kids vs. parents! An epic treehouse sleepover! An awesome group of friends! An exciting new book from National Book Award finalist Lisa Graff.

Winnie's last day of fourth grade ended with a pretty life-changing surprise. That was the day Winnie’s parents got divorced and decided that Winnie would live three days a week with each of them and spend Wednesdays by herself in a treehouse between their houses, to divide her time perfectly evenly. It was the day Winnie’s seed of frustration with her parents was planted, a seed that grew until it felt like it was as big as a tree itself.

By the end of fifth grade, Winnie decides that the only way to change things is to barricade herself in her treehouse until her parents come to their senses—and her friends decide to join. It’s kids vs. grown-ups, and no one wants to back down first. But with ten kids in one treehouse, all with their own demands, things get pretty complicated! Even if they are having the most epic slumber party ever.

In the newest novel by beloved National Book Award finalist Lisa Graff, kids turn the tables on their parents, and all the rules are tossed out the window. But does Winnie have what it takes to hold her ground and keep everyone happy?

This story, with a pitch-perfect middle grade voice and a zany yet poignant situation, is perfect for fans of Sharon Creech, Louis Sachar, and Jack Gantos.

Praise for Lisa Graff's novels:

The Great Treehouse War

"It’s kids vs. parents in epic fashion...Graff’s whimsical, original work is a breath of fresh air."—School Library Journal

"Combining over-the-top storytelling with down-home wisdom, this [is] fun."—Booklist

"[Graff creates] a vibrant patchwork of personalities that gives voice to the power of friendship."—Publishers Weekly

"A good-natured satire of helicopter parenting and a celebration of child ingenuity."—Horn Book

Lost in the Sun

* "Graff writes with stunning insight...consistently demonstrat[ing] why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Weighty matters deftly handled with humor and grace."—School Library Journal, starred review

"This [novel] speaks powerfully, honestly, almost shockingly about our human pain and...redemption. This book will change you."—Gary Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars

"Graff crafts a compelling story about a boy touched with tragedy....And like all the best stories, it ends at a new beginning."—Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

Absolutely Almost

* "A perfect book to share with struggling readers."—Booklist, starred review

* "Achingly superb."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Graff’s...gentle story invokes evergreen themes of coming to appreciate one’s strengths (and weaknesses), and stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The patrons of my school library have been asking, 'Do you have any books like Wonder by R.J. Palacio?' and now I have the perfect offering."—BookPage

A Tangle of Knots

“A beautiful world of deliciously interconnected stories.”—Entertainment Weekly, A-

* “Subtle and intricate, rich with humor and insight, this quietly magical adventure delights.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Combining the literary sensibility of E. B. White with the insouciance of Louis Sachar, [this] should satisfy readers for years to come.”—Booklist, starred review
Hamlet: Based on the Play by William Shakespeare
Neil Novelli, Kathleen Forrest, William Shakespeare*****The king is dead. Why doesn't anyone seem to care? When Hamlet's father, the king, died, his uncle Claudius moved right in. Claudius claimed the throne. And even worse, he claimed the queen, Hamlet's mother! Is Claudius a kindly uncle who wants to make everything right? Or is he a cold-blooded killer? Hamlet means to find out.
Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh*****Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
Hey World, Here I Am!
Jean Little*****Kate Bloomfield is back! And she's got a lot to say — about school and friends and parents, about cartwheels (she can't do them), about parsnips (she won't eat them), about being alone and being herself, about life and love...even about Dave Nelson, who doesn't know she's alive. Outspoken, funny, sometimes confused but always observant, Kate is writing it all down — "Hey World, Here I Am!" Notable Children's Books of 1989 (ALA)
Best Books of 1989 (SLJ)
Notable 1989 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Children's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)
1989 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
Homer Price
Robert McCloskey*****Six episodes in the life of Homer Price including one in which he and his pet skunk capture four bandits and another about a donut machine on the rampage.
How to Eat Fried Worms
Thomas Rockwell*****"Because of a bet, Billy is in the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. A hilarious story that will revolt and delight bumptious, unreachable intermediate-grade boys and any other less particular mortals that read or listen to it.... Colorful, original writing in a much-needed comic vein."—Booklist.
In Some Other Life
Jessica Brody*****
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Suzanne Weyn, George Lucas, Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz*****While trying to recover a sacred stone belonging to an Indian village, Indiana Jones and his two companions become prisoners of a ruthless sect dedicated to the worship of the evil goddess Kali. Includes production stills from the motion picture.
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
Dillard, J.*****
The Kid Who Became President
Dan Gutman*****Just in time for election season, Dan Gutman's hugely popular sequal to THE KID WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT is back. Humor, adventure, and excitement will draw kids into the world of white house politics.

Judson Moon has done a big flip-flop. Immediately after being elected President of the United States, he resigned. Now, after a heart-to-heart with his running mate (and ex-babysitter) June Syers, Judd has decided to take office after all: He wants to make a difference.
Being President is anything but easy. Between dealing with a crazed South American dictator and people who are trying to kill him, Judson starts to wonder if it wouldn't be better just to go back to being a kid in Madison, Wisconsin. But with a lot of help from his friends, Judson might just figure everything out.
Lord of the Deep
Graham Salisbury*****SOFTBOUND - GLUED BINDING
Maria's Comet
Deborah Hopkinson*****Maria's wish burns as brightly as a star.
Maria longs to be an astronomer and imagines all the strange worlds she can travel to by looking though her papa's telescope. One night Maria gets her chance to look through the telescope. For the first time, she sees the night sky stretching endlessly above her, and her dream of exploring constellations seems close enough to touch.
In this story, inspired by the life of Maria Mitchell, America's first woman astronomer, "viewers will find the cobalt-blue nights, lit with constellations that make imaginary (and actual) pictures in the sky, every bit as attractive as Maria does."
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Betty MacDonald*****Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and smells like cookies. She was even married to a pirate once. Most of all, she knows everything about children. She can cure them of any ailment. Patsy hates baths. Hubert never puts anything away. Allen eats v-e-r-y slowly. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has a treatment for all of them. The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits.
The Newspaper Club
Vrabel, Beth
Nightbirds on Nantucket
Joan Aiken*****Having had enough of life on board the ship that saved her from a watery grave, Dido Twite wants nothing more than to sail home to England. Instead, Captain Casket's ship lands in Nantucket, where Dido and the captain's daughter, Dutiful Penitence, are left in the care of Dutiful's sinister Aunt Tribulation. In Tribulation's farmhouse, life is unbearable. When mysterious men lurk about in the evening fog, the resourceful Dido rallies against their shenanigans with help from Dutiful, a cabinboy named Nate, and a pink whale.
North: The Tale of a Boy Who Becomes a Free Agent and Travels the World in Search of the Perfect Parents
Alan Zweibel*****In a cross-country comic odyssey, nine-year-old North goes to court to win ""free agency"" from his parents and proceeds to search the United States for parents who deserve him. Reprint. 150,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Movie tie-in.
Notes from a Liar and Her Dog
Gennifer Choldenko*****Living in a family with two perfect sisters and parents who just don't get her, Ant MacPherson finds it easier to lie. After all, the only one who appreciates her is her dog, Pistachio. But when a concerned teacher sees the truth behind Ant's lies, it seems as though she might be in for a change . . .
Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere
Gravel, Elise
Operation Frog Effect
Scheerger, Sarah*****
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
Judy Blume*****Sheila Tubman (Peter Hatcher’s sworn enemy) sometimes wonders who she really is: the outgoing, witty, and capable Sheila the Great, or the secret Sheila, who’s afraid of spiders, the dark, swimming and, most of all, dogs. When her family leaves the city for a summer in the country, Sheila has to face some of her worst fears. Not only does a dog come with the rented house, but her parents expect Sheila to take swimming lessons! Sheila does her best to pretend she's an expert at everything, but she knows she isn't fooling her new best friend, Mouse Ellis, who not only is an outstanding swimmer, but loves dogs! What will it take for Sheila to admit to Mouse and to herself that she's only human?
P. S. Longer Letter Later
Ann M. Martin, Paula Danziger*****Best friends Elizabeth and Tara Starr now live in different towns, but they continue their friendship through letters. Paula Danziger writes in Tara's voice, and Ann M. Martin in Elizabeth's voice, in this complex and emotionally rich novel about two friends coping with overwhelming change.
Phineas L. MacGuire … Erupts!
Frances O'Roark Dowell*****Here's what you need to know about Phineas L. MacGuire, boy-scientist extraordinaire, aka Mac:

1. He's allergic to purple, telephone calls, and girls, and can prove it.

2. He's probably the world's expert on mold, including which has the highest stink potential.

3. He does not have a best friend. He does, however, have an un-best friend, who he does not — repeat, not — want to upgrade to best friend status.

But disaster strikes when his teacher pairs Mac and his un-best friend together for the upcoming science fair. Worse, this un-best friend wants the project to be on dinosaurs, which is so third grade. Worse still, it seems as though everyone else in his class finds the un-best friend as unlikeable as Mac does. But, being a boy-scientist, once Mac notices this, he just might have to do some investigating....
Phineas L. MacGuire … Erupts!
Frances O'Roark Dowell*****Here's what you need to know about Phineas L. MacGuire, boy-scientist extraordinaire, aka Mac:

1. He's allergic to purple, telephone calls, and girls, and can prove it.

2. He's probably the world's expert on mold, including which has the highest stink potential.

3. He does not have a best friend. He does, however, have an un-best friend, who he does not — repeat, not — want to upgrade to best friend status.

But disaster strikes when his teacher pairs Mac and his un-best friend together for the upcoming science fair. Worse, this un-best friend wants the project to be on dinosaurs, which is so third grade. Worse still, it seems as though everyone else in his class finds the un-best friend as unlikeable as Mac does. But, being a boy-scientist, once Mac notices this, he just might have to do some investigating....
Pugs of the Frozen North: A Not-So Impossible Tale
Philip Reeve*****Get ready for a ruff, ruff ride! For early chapter book readers who are ready for something longer, the Not-So-Impossible Tales are packed with humor, action, and illustrations on almost every page.
 
Far away, in a winter wonderland, an amazing sled race is about to begin. The winner can make one wish, and it will magically come true! Two friends, Sika and Shen, want to win more than anything. But all they have is a pack of yappy, yippy, pug puppies.
 
Ten pugs can’t move their sled. Even with thirty, it doesn’t budge. But what about . . . SIXTY-SIX? With a little bit of luck, anything is paws-ible.
 
“A madcap, magical blend of fluff and other good stuff.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
“Rich in humor and meaning both. Pug power!” —Booklist, starred review
Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest
Ann McGovern*****Ten adventures of the legendary outlaw who, with his band, vowed to bring woe to both the greedy rich and those without mercy, and to help the innocent and good-hearted.
Seek
Paul Fleischman*****Assigned to write his autobiography, high school senior Rob Radkovitz decides to "listen" back on his life. As he remembers the voices of his younger self, his quirky family, and his closest friends, one stands apart — the haunting voice of his long-absent father, left behind on a single tape from one of his radio shows.

Told in a collage of past and present voices, Seek follows Rob's obsessive search for his father, pursued not through San Francisco's streets, but through the labyrinth of the airwaves. Open the cover and listen in — to psychic readers and pirate DJs, and to Rob's transforming views of his past and future.
Seven Kisses in a Row
Patricia MacLachlan*****It's not fair, Emma thinks, for her parents to go away (for five whole days) and leave her with an aunt and uncle she hardly knows. What if they don't like children? But Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Eliot like Emma and her brother, Zachary, just fine. They also like rules. Rules about: Eating. Sleeping. Cleaning up. Messing up. Emma doesn't believe in rules. Not unless they're hers: Eating no broccoli, dead or alive. Sleeping: No sleeping in a room where night rumbles hide. Cleaning up: Don't. Messing up: Do. Emma can see that Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Elliot have a lot to learn about being parents. But that's okay—-because Emma has five whole days in which to teach them.
Someday Cyril
Phillis Gershator*****Eight-year-old Cyril, living in Saint Thomas, the Virgin Islands, finally takes sailing lessons and is excited about becoming a good sailor.
Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli*****A modern-day classic and New York Times bestseller that celebrates the power of individuality and personal expression from beloved Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli.

Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’ s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

Don’t miss the sequel, Love, Stargirl, and Jerry Spinelli’s latest novel, The Warden’s Daughter, about another girl who can't help but stand out.
 
“Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent. . . . No writer guides his young characters, and his readers, past these pitfalls and challenges and toward their futures with more compassion.” —The New York Times
Superfudge
Judy Blume*****Sometimes life in the Hatcher household is enough to make twelve-year-old Peter think about running away. His worst problem is still his younger brother, Fudge, who hasn't changed a bit since his crazy capers in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. If you ask Peter, Fudge is just an older — and bigger — pain.

Then Peter learns that his mom is going to have a baby and the whole family is moving to Princeton for a year. It will be bad enough starting sixth grade in a strange place and going to the same school as Fudge. But Peter can imagine something even worse. How will he ever survive if the new baby is a carbon copy of Fudge?
The Terrible Two
Mac Barnett, Jory John*****“A double helping of fun and mischief!”
—Jeff kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
 
“Hilarious.”
—Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants series
 
Miles Murphy is not happy to be moving to Yawnee Valley, a sleepy town that’s famous for one thing and one thing only: cows. In his old school, everyone knew him as the town’s best prankster, but Miles quickly discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a prankster, and a great one. If Miles is going to take the title from this mystery kid, he is going to have to raise his game.
 
It’s prankster against prankster in an epic war of trickery, until the two finally decide to join forces and pull off the biggest prank ever seen: a prank so huge that it would make the members of the International Order of Disorder proud.
 
In The Terrible Two, bestselling authors and friends Mac Barnett and Jory John have created a series that has its roots in classic middle-grade literature yet feels fresh and new at the same time.
 
“The pranks, the brotherhood, the art, the heart! What’s not to love about the Terrible Two?”
—Sara Pennypacker, author of the Clementine series
 
“You don’t have to be a cow, like cows, or even know a cow to love the Terrible Two.”
—Dave Eggers
 
“This book is terrible! Terribly funny, terribly full of pranks, and terribly wonderful.”
—Jon Scieszka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man and the Frank Einstein series
 
“The Terrible Two are my kind of kids. And what’s more, they’re kids’ kind of kids.”
—Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy & Bean series
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Barbara Robinson*****Called one of America's favorite Christmas stories, and now a classic television movie,The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been a favorite of young readers the world over since 1972. Funny, memorable, and outrageous, it is the story of a family of incorrigible children who discover the Christmas story for the first time and help everyone else rediscover its true meaning.
The Boy Who Lost His Face
Louis Sachar*****DAVID IS ONLY trying to be cool when he helps some of the popular kids steal Old Lady Bayfield’s cane. But when the plan backfires, he’s the one the “old witch” curses. Now David can’t seem to do anything right. Is it the Bayfield curse at work? Or is David simply turning into a total loser?

“Wildly funny.”—Kirkus Reviews
The Christmas Eve Mystery and Other Holiday Stories
David McCord, Clyde Robert Bulla, Joan Lowery Nixon, Elisabeth Wenning, William Dana Street, Susan Sussman, Clement Clarke Moore, Eva Moore*****Each story is a gift for you!

- The Christmas Coat by Clyde Robert Bulla
- The Christmas Eve Mystery by Joan Lowery Nixon
- The Christmas Mouse by Elisabeth Wenning
- Christmas Surprises by Melissa Peterson
- Giant Grummer's Christmas by William Dana Street
- The Tap- dancingest, Tree-trimmingest Christmas Party Ever! by Susan Sussman
- A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
- Why Trolls Don't Come to Evergreen Valley on Christmas Eve by Eva Moore

Poems and a song, too! RL 3 ages 8-10
The Hundred Dresses
Eleanor Estes*****Eleanor Estes’s The Hundred Dresses won a Newbery Honor in 1945 and has never been out of print since. At the heart of the story is Wanda Petronski, a Polish girl in a Connecticut school who is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. Wanda claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn’t and bullies her mercilessly. The class feels terrible when Wanda is pulled out of the school, but by that time it’s too late for apologies. Maddie, one of Wanda’s classmates, ultimately decides that she is “never going to stand by and say nothing again.” This powerful, timeless story has been reissued in paperback with a new letter from the author’s daughter Helena Estes, and with the Caldecott artist Louis Slobodkin’s original artwork in beautifully restored color.
The Kid Who Ran for President
Dan Gutman*****FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. With his friend as campaign manager and his former babysitter as running mate, twelve-year-old Judson Moon sets out to become president of the United States.
The War with Grandpa
Robert Kimmel Smith*****Peter thinks the only way he can reclaim his room is by declaring war on his grandfather.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, William Allen White Award, Tennessee Children's Choice Book Award, Parents' Choice Award, An IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Mark Twain Award, Young Hoosier Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, Georgia Children's Book Award.
The Word Eater
Mary Amato*****Lerner Chanse, a new student at Cleveland Park Middle School, finds a worm that magically makes things disappear, and she hopes it will help her fit in, or get revenge, at her hated school.
The Word Eater
Mary Amato*****Lerner Chanse, a new student at Cleveland Park Middle School, finds a worm that magically makes things disappear, and she hopes it will help her fit in, or get revenge, at her hated school.
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Louis Sachar*****Bradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . .

Winner of 19 Children’s Choice Awards
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Louis Sachar*****Bradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . .

Winner of 19 Children’s Choice Awards
The Tiger Rising
Kate DiCamillo*****A National Book Award finalist by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo.

Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things—like memories, and heartache, and tigers—can’t be locked up forever. Featuring a cover illustration by Stephen Walton.
Trading Places with Tank Talbott
Dori Hillestad Butler*****Jason Pfeiffer does not want to take swimming lessons or be anywhere near class bully Tank Talbott. Tank does not want to take dance classes. But when the two meet at the rec center, they decide to switch places.
Trading Places with Tank Talbott
Dori Hillestad Butler*****Jason Pfeiffer does not want to take swimming lessons or be anywhere near class bully Tank Talbott. Tank does not want to take dance classes. But when the two meet at the rec center, they decide to switch places.
Tumble & Blue
Cassie Beasley*****From the New York Times bestselling author of Circus Mirandus comes the magic-infused story of a golden gator, two cursed kids, and how they take their destinies into their own hands.

When the red moon rises over the heart of the Okefenokee swamp, legend says that the mysterious golden gator Munch will grant good luck to the poor soul foolish enough to face him.

But in 1817, when TWO fools reach him at the same time, the night’s fate is split. With disastrous consequences for both . . . and their descendants. Half of the descendants have great fates, and the other half have terrible ones.

Now, Tumble Wilson and Blue Montgomery are determined to fix their ancestors’ mistakes and banish the bad luck that’s followed them around for all of their lives. They’re going to face Munch the gator themselves, and they’re going to reclaim their destinies.

But what if the legend of Munch is nothing but a legend, after all?

Full of friendship, family, and the everyday magic and adventure that readers of Savvy and A Snicker of Magic love, Cassie Beasley’s newest middle grade book is another crowd-pleasing heart-warmer—perfect for reading by yourself, or sharing with someone you love.
When Life Gives You O. J.
Erica S. Perl*****For years, 10-year-old Zelly Fried has tried to convince her parents to let her have a dog. After all, practically everyone in Vermont owns a dog, and it sure could go a long way helping Zelly fit in since moving there from Brooklyn. But when her eccentric grandfather Ace hatches a ridiculous plan involving a "practice dog" named O.J., Zelly's not so sure how far she's willing to go to win a dog of her own. Is Ace's plan so crazy it just might work . . . or is it just plain crazy?

Erica S. Perl weaves an affectionate and hilarious tale that captures the enduring bond between grandparents and grandchildren.  Even when they're driving each other nuts.
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak*****Max is sent to bed without supper and imagines sailing away to the land of Wild Things,where he is made king.
The Worst Class Trip Ever
Barry, Dave
The Young Artist
Thomas Locker*****Adrian is only 12 years old when he is apprenticed to a master artist who teaches him to paint subjects as they really are. But when the members of the royal court order Adrian to paint them as they wish the world to see them and not as they are, Adrian finds he is faced with a royal dilemma. Full color.