Library
Mrs. Benton
Collection Total:
2,550 Items
Last Updated:
Sep 10, 2023
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.
Origami Yoda 2: Darth Paper Strikes Back
Tom Angleberger*****The hilarious, clever, and much-anticipated follow-up to the breakout hit, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda!

It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . .

With his proven knack for humorously exploring the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school, Tom Angleberger has crafted a worthy sequel to his breakout bestseller.

Praise for Darth Paper Strikes BackSTARRED REIVEW“Angleberger’s just-as-funny follow-up to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda delves deeper into the mystery of the helpful paper Yoda in a satisfying tale of friendship and just resistance to authority.Pitch-perfect middle-school milieu and enough Star Wars references (and laughs) to satisfy fans and win new ones.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review  “In this imaginative sequel…author Tom Angleberger has his finger puppet squarely on the erratic pulse of middle-school life, with its shifting allegiances, squeals, moans and misgivings.” —Washington Post    “As with this story’s predecessor, the well-observed middle-school dynamics (and Angleberger’s sharp sense of humor) are greatly amplified by the book's design, which includes faux wrinkled pages, abundant doodles, and other scrawled marginalia. It's a natural step up from the Wimpy Kid series, with more text and narrative complexity, but just as much on-target humor and all-around fun.” —Publishers Weekly     “This book is honest, funny, and immensely entertaining. The illustrations and design will engage readers. Based on the positive reception Origami Yoda has received, kids will be clamoring for this sequel. They won’t be disappointed.”   —School Library Journal    “The Force is with Tom Angleberger in this sequel to his funny and clever novel/comics hybrid, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. A sequel to equal the funny and clever novel/comics debut of the Origami Yoda, as Dwight’s friends try to save him from reform school. —Shelf Awareness    

“With the same deft touch that made The Strange Case of Origami Yoda a pleasure, Angleberger takes readers through the ups and downs of adolescence.”   —Portland Book Review     “Darth Paper offers further proof that Angleberger really understands middle-schoolers and the daily dramas that engulf them, while still finding the humor inherent in their situations.   —Scripps News
The Fighting Ground
Avi*****April 3, 1778

He may be just thirteen, but Jonathan knows he's ready to go to the war against the British. He can handle a gun. He yearns to battle for glory, just like his brother and cousin.

So when Jonathan hears the tavern bell toll, calling men to fight, he runs to join them. He doesn't realize that in just twenty-four hours, his life will be forever altered — by the war, by his fellow soldiers, and by the terrible choices he must make.
The Fighting Ground
Avi*****
Tuck Everlasting
Natalie Babbit*****Time drags by for Winnie Foster, an eleven-year-old girl who lives in a house bordering the woods owned by her family. Winnie spends her summer days under the watchful eye of her grandmother. Most of the time it's too hot to be out in the sun, and when Winnie does actually venture outside, she never goes beyond the fence of the yard. But one morning she sneaks away into the woods and there she sees a young man drinking from a mysterious spring of water he uncovers at the base of tree. The young man, Jesse Tuck, discovers Winnie watching him. So he kidnaps her.
Actually, the entire Tuck family — Mae and Pa and Jesse's brother Miles — kidnap Winnie. They have to keep the spring that Winnie has seen a secret, because the strange water there makes anyone who drinks from it live forever. Long ago the Tucks unknowingly drank from the spring, and now the four of them are over 500 years old. They have come to learn that immortality is not a blessing but a curse. Winnie is won over by the kind family. But she's not the only one who knows their secret. A man wanting to buy the well and make it famous has been watching the Tucks all along, and the only way to stop him is to take away the life he so wants to make last forever. Soon, Winnie must help her new friends escape from the police; she must break every rule that she knows, to insure that the most important rule in life — death — is not broken by everyone else.
Natalie Babbit's celebrated story is both magical in its fantasy and powerful in its themes of time and life. Her vivid writing makes the landscape of the woods and countryside as easy to imagine as the characters who inhabit it. History passes the Tuck family by — they are doomed to live forever. But though they live outside the rules of time, they never live beyond the rules of human compassion and feeling.
Tuck Everlasting
Natalie Babbit*****Time drags by for Winnie Foster, an eleven-year-old girl who lives in a house bordering the woods owned by her family. Winnie spends her summer days under the watchful eye of her grandmother. Most of the time it's too hot to be out in the sun, and when Winnie does actually venture outside, she never goes beyond the fence of the yard. But one morning she sneaks away into the woods and there she sees a young man drinking from a mysterious spring of water he uncovers at the base of tree. The young man, Jesse Tuck, discovers Winnie watching him. So he kidnaps her.
Actually, the entire Tuck family — Mae and Pa and Jesse's brother Miles — kidnap Winnie. They have to keep the spring that Winnie has seen a secret, because the strange water there makes anyone who drinks from it live forever. Long ago the Tucks unknowingly drank from the spring, and now the four of them are over 500 years old. They have come to learn that immortality is not a blessing but a curse. Winnie is won over by the kind family. But she's not the only one who knows their secret. A man wanting to buy the well and make it famous has been watching the Tucks all along, and the only way to stop him is to take away the life he so wants to make last forever. Soon, Winnie must help her new friends escape from the police; she must break every rule that she knows, to insure that the most important rule in life — death — is not broken by everyone else.
Natalie Babbit's celebrated story is both magical in its fantasy and powerful in its themes of time and life. Her vivid writing makes the landscape of the woods and countryside as easy to imagine as the characters who inhabit it. History passes the Tuck family by — they are doomed to live forever. But though they live outside the rules of time, they never live beyond the rules of human compassion and feeling.
Oz 1 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum*****One of the true classics of American literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stirred the imagination of young and old alike for over four generations. Originally published in 1900, it was the first truly American fairy tale, as Baum crafted a wonderful out of such familiar items as a cornfield scarecrow, a mechanical woodman, and a humbug wizard who used old-fashioned hokum to express that universal theme, "There's no place like home." Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz. Here she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City, where lives the all-powered Wizard of Oz.
Oz 1 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum*****
Circus Mirandus
Cassie Beasley*****A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2015

A New York Times Bestseller

 

Fans of The Magician's Elephant, Savvy, and Roald Dahl will fall in love with Circus Mirandus, which celebrates the power of seeing magic in the world.

Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.
Dear Dumb Diary - Year Two 2: The Super-Nice Are Super-Annoying
Jim Benton*****Do NOT read Jamie Kelly's top-secret diaries!

"Sometimes it amazes me how ingenious I am about everything." —Jamie Kelly

We've been with Jamie Kelly through her search for inner beauty, poofy bridesmaid dresses, and desperate attempts to make money during summer vacation. Along the way, she's left us with countless gems of wisdom, such as: "If somebody ever asks you to kick her in the face, the first thing she will do is forget that she asked you to do it," and "As long as you keep laughing at how dumb something is, you can secretly enjoy it without risking your cool."

Now Jamie's upcoming diaries have a fresh look and a fun twist. It's Dear Dumb Diary: Year Two! The diary entries are still laugh-out-loud funny — but this is a whole new beginning. Everything is another year dumber!

(But Jamie STILL has no idea that anybody is reading her diary. So please, please, please don't tell her.)
Williwaw!
Tom Bodett*****"Bodett, the genial voice in those Motel 6 commercials, offers a page-turner set in the wilds of Alaska, and he clearly knows the taste of sea and storm, the face of the landscape, and the sound of the loons and the scent of salmon. In this sentimental but rousing tale, September Crane, 13, and her 12-year-old brother, Ivan, are often left to themselves while their father fishes for their living. . . . Bodett interweaves the story of the williwaw, a wild storm that took their mother's life and family boat, with a spiraling series of bad choices. . . . Along the way, we learn about boat safety, respect for the sea, and self-sufficiency in a desolate but splendid place. . . . The weather's majesty and power are convincing, and the sister and brother are appealing characters . . . [with] very recognizable adolescent longings."
—Booklist
Alice 1 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll*****Beloved classic describes a little girl's adventures in a topsy-turvy land underground and her encounters with such improbable characters as the White Rabbit, March Hare and Mad Hatter, the sleepy Dormouse, grinning Cheshire Cat, Mock Turtle, and the dreadful Queen of Hearts. Includes all 42 of Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Alice 1-2: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Lewis Carroll*****In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps the most popular heroine in English literature. Countless scholars have tried to define the charm of the Alice books–with those wonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedledee, the Cheshire Cat, Mock Turtle, the Mad Hatter et al.–by proclaiming that they really comprise a satire on language, a political allegory, a parody of Victorian children’s literature, even a reflection of contemporary ecclesiastical history. Perhaps, as Dodgson might have said, Alice is no more than a dream, a fairy tale about the trials and tribulations of growing up–or down, or all turned round–as seen through the expert eyes of a child.
Alice 1-2: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Lewis Carroll*****In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps the most popular heroine in English literature. Countless scholars have tried to define the charm of the Alice books–with those wonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedledee, the Cheshire Cat, Mock Turtle, the Mad Hatter et al.–by proclaiming that they really comprise a satire on language, a political allegory, a parody of Victorian children’s literature, even a reflection of contemporary ecclesiastical history. Perhaps, as Dodgson might have said, Alice is no more than a dream, a fairy tale about the trials and tribulations of growing up–or down, or all turned round–as seen through the expert eyes of a child.
The Civil War
Alden R. Carter*****Examines the war that cost more than 500,000 lives, from the Battle of First Bull Run to the final surrender of the Confederate Army in 1865.
The American Revolution
Alden R. Carter*****Discusses the causes, events, campaigns, personalities, and aftermath of the American revolutionary war.
Call Me María
Judith Ortiz Cofer*****A new novel from the award-winning author of AN ISLAND LIKE YOU, winner of the Pura Belpre Award.

Maria is a girl caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and New York, where she now lives in a basement apartment in the barrio. While her mother remains on the island, Maria lives with her father, the super of their building. As she struggles to lose her island accent, Maria does her best to find her place within the unfamiliar culture of the barrio. Finally, with the Spanglish of the barrio people ringing in her ears, she finds the poet within herself.

In lush prose and spare, evocative poetry, Cofer weaves a powerful novel, bursting with life and hope.
Getting Near to Baby
Audrey Couloumbis*****A Southern charmer for fans of Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Audrey Couloumbis's masterful debut novel brings to mind Karen Hesse, Katherine Paterson, and Betsy Byars's The Summer of the Swans—it is a story you will never forget. 
Willa Jo and Little Sister are up on the roof at Aunt Patty’s house. Willa Jo went up to watch the sunrise, and Little Sister followed, like she always does. But by mid-morning, they are still up on that roof, and soon it’s clear it wasn’t just the sunrise that brought them there. 
The trouble is, coming down would mean they’d have to explain, and they just can’t find the words. 
This is a funny, sometimes heartbreaking, story about sisters, about grief, and about healing.  Two girls must come to terms with the death of their baby sister, their mother’s unshakable depression, and the ridiculously controlling aunt who takes them in and means well but just doesn’t understand children. Willa Jo has to try and make things right in their new home, but she and Aunt Patty keep butting heads. Until the morning the two girls climb up to the roof of her house. Aunt Patty tries everything she can think of to get them down, but in the end, the solution is miraculously simple.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Chasing Redbird
Sharon Creech*****Zinny Taylor: Explorer

It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself was to find out where it went.

From Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world—and discovers it in her own backyard.
Chasing Redbird
Sharon Creech*****Zinny Taylor: Explorer

It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself was to find out where it went.

From Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world—and discovers it in her own backyard.
Chasing Redbird
Sharon Creech*****Zinny Taylor: Explorer

It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself was to find out where it went.

From Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world—and discovers it in her own backyard.
The Wanderer
Sharon Creech*****Publication Date: April 1, 2002 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England. —This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
The Wanderer
Sharon Creech*****Publication Date: April 1, 2002 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England. —This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Don't Know Much About American History
Kenneth C. Davis*****Was Columbus the first European in the Americas?

What sport became more popular after the Civil War?

Were the Little Rock Nine a rock-and-roll band?

As best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis knows, history can be fun, fascinating, and memorable. When his don't know much about® history was published in 1990, it was a sensation. The book delivered a fresh take on history with its wit and unusual detail. Davis now does for young people what his earlier book did for adults. In his trademark question-and-answer style — peppered with surprising facts, historic reproductions, and Matt Faulkner's lively illustrations — Davis introduces our ancestors who settled the East and expanded the West, as well as those who had been living here all along. His sure touch brings the drama and excitement of the American story vividly to life.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson
Barry Denenberg*****On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger and changed American baseball forever.

The first black man to play in the white major leagues, he had the courage to confront racism and fight for the rights of all black people, on and off the baseball diamond. He shattered the color barrier, and with tremendous skill and determination, he became not only one of the most legendary baseball players of all time, but also a great American hero.

Half a century later, Jackie Robinson's extraordinary story remains an important contribution to America's favorite pastime and to American history.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson
Barry Denenberg*****On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger and changed American baseball forever.

The first black man to play in the white major leagues, he had the courage to confront racism and fight for the rights of all black people, on and off the baseball diamond. He shattered the color barrier, and with tremendous skill and determination, he became not only one of the most legendary baseball players of all time, but also a great American hero.

Half a century later, Jackie Robinson's extraordinary story remains an important contribution to America's favorite pastime and to American history.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson
Barry Denenberg*****On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger and changed American baseball forever.

The first black man to play in the white major leagues, he had the courage to confront racism and fight for the rights of all black people, on and off the baseball diamond. He shattered the color barrier, and with tremendous skill and determination, he became not only one of the most legendary baseball players of all time, but also a great American hero.

Half a century later, Jackie Robinson's extraordinary story remains an important contribution to America's favorite pastime and to American history.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson
Barry Denenberg*****On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger and changed American baseball forever.

The first black man to play in the white major leagues, he had the courage to confront racism and fight for the rights of all black people, on and off the baseball diamond. He shattered the color barrier, and with tremendous skill and determination, he became not only one of the most legendary baseball players of all time, but also a great American hero.

Half a century later, Jackie Robinson's extraordinary story remains an important contribution to America's favorite pastime and to American history.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson
Barry Denenberg*****On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodger and changed American baseball forever.

The first black man to play in the white major leagues, he had the courage to confront racism and fight for the rights of all black people, on and off the baseball diamond. He shattered the color barrier, and with tremendous skill and determination, he became not only one of the most legendary baseball players of all time, but also a great American hero.

Half a century later, Jackie Robinson's extraordinary story remains an important contribution to America's favorite pastime and to American history.
The Secret Language of Girls
Frances O'Roark Dowell*****In the old days, when Kate had no interest in romance, she never cared what other people thought. Now, it appeared, love was turning her into a rotten human being.

Eleven-year-old Kate Faber wishes she could talk to her best friend, Marylin, about this. But Marylin is no longer her best friend. Or is she? Kate and Marylin were always the kind of best friends who lived on the same block for their entire lives, and who agreed on what kinds of boys were worth kissing and who should be invited to their sleepover. The kind of best friends who didn't need words to talk, but who always just knew.

But lately Marylin has started to think that Kate can be a bit babyish. And Kate thinks Marylin is acting like a big snob. Somehow nothing is the same, but secretly Kate and Marylin both wish it could be...
The Familiars
Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson*****When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar.

Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!
The Girl Who Could Fly
Victoria Forester*****You just can’t keep a good girl down . . . unless you use the proper methods.   Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie.   Sure, she hasn’t mastered reverse propulsion and her turns are kind of sloppy, but she’s real good at loop-the-loops.   Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma’s at her wit’s end. So it seems only fitting that she leave her parents’ farm to attend a top-secret, maximum-security school for kids with exceptional abilities.   School is great at first with a bunch of new friends whose skills range from super-strength to super-genius. (Plus all the homemade apple pie she can eat!) But Piper is special, even among the special. And there are consequences.   Consequences too dire to talk about. Too crazy to consider. And too dangerous to ignore.   At turns exhilarating and terrifying, Victoria Forester’s debut novel has been praised by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, as "the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men...Prepare to have your heart warmed.” The Girl Who Could Fly is an unforgettable story of defiance and courage about an irrepressible heroine who can, who will, who must . . . fly.   Praise for Victoria Forester and The Girl Who Could Fly:   "It's the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men. I was smiling the whole time (except for the part where I cried). I gave it to my mom, and I’m reading it to my kids—it’s absolutely multigenerational. Prepare to have your heart warmed.” Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga  

"In this terrific debut novel, readers meet Piper McCloud, the late-in-life daughter of farmers...The story soars, just like Piper, with enough loop-de-loops to keep kids uncertain about what will come next....Best of all are the book’s strong, lightly wrapped messages about friendship and authenticity and the difference between doing well and doing good."—Booklist, Starred Review   “Forester’s disparate settings (down-home farm and futuristic ice-bunker institute) are unified by the rock-solid point of view and unpretentious diction… any child who has felt different will take strength from Piper’s fight to be herself against the tide of family, church, and society.”—The Horn Book Review   The Girl Who Could Fly is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Lincoln: A Photobiography
Russell Freedman*****A description of the boyhood, marriage, and young professional life of Abraham Lincoln includes his presidential years and also reflects on the latest scholarly thoughts about our Civil War president.
Blue Willow
Doris Gates*****Janey Larkin can't remember when she's lived in the same place for more than a year. Her family has to keep moving so that her father can find work. But Janey longs for a real home and the chance to make friends. When Mom gets sick and the Larkins don't have rent money. Janey offers to pay the rent with her beloved treasure - the beautiful blue willow plate that once belonged to her great-great-grandmother. Losing the plate seems like the end of the world to Janey, but it's really the befinning of something wonderful. 154 pages
Blue Willow
Doris Gates*****Janey Larkin can't remember when she's lived in the same place for more than a year. Her family has to keep moving so that her father can find work. But Janey longs for a real home and the chance to make friends. When Mom gets sick and the Larkins don't have rent money. Janey offers to pay the rent with her beloved treasure - the beautiful blue willow plate that once belonged to her great-great-grandmother. Losing the plate seems like the end of the world to Janey, but it's really the befinning of something wonderful. 154 pages
Frightful 2: On the Far Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George*****Two years after Sam Gribley first ran away to live off the land, he is still on his own with his falcon, Frightful. His independent younger sister, Alice, lives in a treehouse of her own nearby. But suddenly, Sam's peaceful life is shattered. Frightful is confiscated by a conservation officer and Alice disappears. To find them, Sam must leave his mountain refuge and track Alice across the Catskills as only he can do. The trail to the far side of the mountain may lead Sam to the two beings that matter the most to him— or it may lead him into grave danger.
Pictures of Hollis Woods
Patricia Reilly Giff*****Grade 4-7-Abandoned at birth, Hollis Woods has lived in about a half dozen homes and has always wished for a family. A foster caretaker describes her as "a mountain of trouble." When Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher, takes the 12-year-old into her home on Long Island, NY, the two bond almost immediately. Hollis draws pictures with colored pencils and Josie carves branches into people. However, it soon becomes clear that Josie has trouble remembering things, and Hollis becomes the caregiver. When she stops attending school, a social worker comes by to investigate. Flashbacks slowly illuminate Hollis's life with one family who had hoped to adopt her and why this didn't happen. Giff masterfully weaves these two strands together in a surprising and satisfying ending. Strong characterization and a solid sense of place are the strengths of this heartfelt story that will appeal to fans of Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler (2002), Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978, both HarperCollins), and Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Gib Rides Home (Delacorte, 1998).
Old Yeller
Fred Gipson*****Set in the rough wilderness of early frontier Texas, Old Yeller is the timeless tale of a boy left in charge of his family's farm, and the big yellow dog who helps him with his many responsibilities.
Old Yeller
Fred Gipson*****Set in the rough wilderness of early frontier Texas, Old Yeller is the timeless tale of a boy left in charge of his family's farm, and the big yellow dog who helps him with his many responsibilities.
Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel
Chris Grabenstein*****“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

From the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and co-author with James Patterson of I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters, comes a hilarious illustrated series about all the wacky things that happen when you live in a motel!
 
Eleven-year-old P. T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a fact: the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever.
 
They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland!
 
BONUS: Includes fun extras like P. T. Wilkie’s outrageous (and sometimes useful) things you learn living in a motel. Installment 1: How to say “Help! The toilet is clogged!” in over twenty languages!

Here's What People are saying about Welcome to Wonderland!

* A New York Times Bestseller * Sunshine State Young Readers Award List * Winner of the Sid Fleischman Humor Award *  

“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars! Kids who check into this madcap motel will want to stay forever!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

"So funny I fell off my bed!"—Izzy B., age 10

"Classic Grabenstein. The mystery should satisfy Grabenstein’s “Mr. Lemoncello” followers, and the humor and visuals will appeal to fans of his collaborations with James Patterson. This new series should be a hit."—School Library Journal

“A  delight. P.T. is a hoot and a half. A funny, madcap dash. Grabenstein . . .  threads in a mystery that blooms in the last act and that puts this particular read over the top."—Kirkus Reviews 

“Charm galore. Easy and breezy, this well-paced novel . . . belongs in the hands of any readers wanting their bad guys bad, their good guys great, and a little of Wonderland’s promised fun in the sun.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Absolutely Almost
Lisa Graff*****From the author of the National Book Award nominee A TANGLE OF KNOTS comes an inspiring novel about figuring out who you are and doing what you love.

Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.

A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.

Praise for Lisa Graff's novels

Tangle of Knots (nominated for a National Book Award)
* "Combining the literary sensibility of E. B. White with the insouciance of Louis Sachar, Graff has written a tangle that should satisfy readers for years to come."—Booklist, starred review

Double Dog Dare
"Graff's...story is lighthearted and humorous, but honestly addresses the emotions associated with divorce. Her characters' voices, interactions, and hangups are relatable, as they battle each other and adjust to their families' reconfigurations."—Publishers Weekly
The Music of Dolphins
Karen Hesse*****A girl raised by dolphins must choose between two worlds in this critically acclaimed novel about what it means to be a human being. Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, SLJ Best Book of the Year, ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
The Music of Dolphins
Karen Hesse*****A girl raised by dolphins must choose between two worlds in this critically acclaimed novel about what it means to be a human being. Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, SLJ Best Book of the Year, ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
The Music of Dolphins
Karen Hesse*****A girl raised by dolphins must choose between two worlds in this critically acclaimed novel about what it means to be a human being. Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, SLJ Best Book of the Year, ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
The Music of Dolphins
Karen Hesse*****A girl raised by dolphins must choose between two worlds in this critically acclaimed novel about what it means to be a human being. Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, SLJ Best Book of the Year, ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Charlie and Frog
Kane, Karen*****
The Titanic
Deborah Kent*****Dramatic and defining moments in American history come vividly the life in the Cornerstones of Freedom series.
43 Old Cemetery Road 1: Dying to Meet You
Kate Klise*****Sisters Kate and M. Sarah Klise (creators of the Regarding the . . . series) launched their lively 43 Old Cemetery Road series in 2009 with Dying to Meet You, the story of the churlish, child-hating sixty-year-old children’s book author Ignatius B. Grumply, who rents an old Victorian mansion in Ghastly, Illinois, for the summer . . . only to find it already inhabited. Enter eleven-year-old Seymour Hope and the vivacious, “old as dirt” writer-ghost Olive C. Spence. The ensuing tale of unlikely roommates is cleverly, seamlessly told in letters, newspaper articles, Grumply’s work-in-progress “Ghost Tamer” manuscript, and winning illustrations by M. Sarah Klise. Alternately poignant and side-splittingly funny—and full of writing and publishing jokes—this charming title was nominated for nine state book awards and named a Junior Library Guild selection. Don’t miss the next books in the series, including Over My Dead Body (Book 2) and Till Death Do Us Bark (Book 3).
The Hypnotists
Gordon Korman*****Is it a gift . . . or is it a curse? Jax Opus can use his color-changing eyes to make people do things they don't want to do. (Only his color-blind best friend, Tommy, seems immune.) At first, Jax doesn't know what he's doing — temporarily hypnotizing friends, foes, and strangers. But then his power pushes things way too far, and his secret isn't a secret any longer.

Soon Jax finds himself meeting Dr. Elias Mako, who wants him to join a special institution that will teach him how to use his powers. But what will his powers be used for? That's the big question for Jax as his hypnotic abilities draw him into a conspiracy that will have him racing against time and a mysterious mastermind to save his best friend, his parents, and the entire United States.

From #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a fast, fun, and fantastic adventure about a kid who can make other people do what he wants — and who's wanted big-time because of it.
Schooled
Gordon Korman*****CAP was beginning to rile me. "Of course it's empty. It's your locker. It's empty until you put something in it." "What do I have to put in there?" he demanded. "How should I know? It's your stuff." "When we lock things away," he said with conviction, "we're really imprisoning ourselves." Now, that was definitely something you didn't hear every day. "What school did you go to before this?" "I'm homeschooled," he informed me. "I'm only here because Rain broke her hip, and they won't let me live alone at the community." Hugh Winkleman, you're a lucky man. With the arrival of this new kid, all the losers in school were bumped down one space. Never before had anyone screamed for the job of eighth grad president like Capricorn Anderson.
Schooled
Gordon Korman*****CAP was beginning to rile me. "Of course it's empty. It's your locker. It's empty until you put something in it." "What do I have to put in there?" he demanded. "How should I know? It's your stuff." "When we lock things away," he said with conviction, "we're really imprisoning ourselves." Now, that was definitely something you didn't hear every day. "What school did you go to before this?" "I'm homeschooled," he informed me. "I'm only here because Rain broke her hip, and they won't let me live alone at the community." Hugh Winkleman, you're a lucky man. With the arrival of this new kid, all the losers in school were bumped down one space. Never before had anyone screamed for the job of eighth grad president like Capricorn Anderson.
Time Quintet 2: A Wind in the Door
Madeleine L'Engle*****It is November. When Meg comes home from school, Charles Wallace tells her he saw dragons in the twin’s vegetable garden.  That night Meg, Calvin and C.W. go to the vegetable garden to meet the Teacher (Blajeny) who explains that what they are seeing isn’t a dragon at all, but a cherubim named Proginoskes.  It turns out that C.W. is ill and that  Blajeny and Proginoskes are there to make him well – by making him well, they will keep the balance of the universe in check and save it from the evil Echthros. 
 
Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins (grade school principal) must travel inside C.W. to have this battle and save Charles’ life as well as the balance of the universe.
Time Quintet 2: A Wind in the Door
Madeleine L'Engle*****It is November. When Meg comes home from school, Charles Wallace tells her he saw dragons in the twin’s vegetable garden.  That night Meg, Calvin and C.W. go to the vegetable garden to meet the Teacher (Blajeny) who explains that what they are seeing isn’t a dragon at all, but a cherubim named Proginoskes.  It turns out that C.W. is ill and that  Blajeny and Proginoskes are there to make him well – by making him well, they will keep the balance of the universe in check and save it from the evil Echthros. 
 
Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins (grade school principal) must travel inside C.W. to have this battle and save Charles’ life as well as the balance of the universe.
Time Quintet 3: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Madeleine L'Engle*****It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.
Time Quintet 3: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Madeleine L'Engle*****
Time Quintet 4: Many Waters
Madeleine L'Engle*****The third book in Madeleine L'Engle's spellbinding A Wrinkle in Time Quintet.

"Another provocative spellbinding tale.” ―Philadelphia Inquirer

Some things have to be believed to be seen.

Sandy and Dennys have always been the normal, run-of-the-mill ones in the extraodinary Murry family. They garden, make an occasional A in school, and play baseball. Nothing especially interesting has happened to the twins until they accidentally interrupt their father's experiment.

Then the two boys are thrown across time and space. They find themselves alone in the desert, where, if they believe in unicorns, they can find unicorns, and whether they believe or not, mammoths and manticores will find them.

The twins are rescued by Japheth, a man from the nearby oasis, but before he can bring them to safety, Dennys gets lost. Each boy is quickly embroiled in the conflicts of this time and place, whose populations includes winged seraphim, a few stray mythic beasts, perilous and beautiful nephilim, and small, long lived humans who consider Sandy and Dennys giants. The boys find they have more to do in the oasis than simply getting themselves home—they have to reunite an estranged father and son, but it won't be easy, especially when the son is named Noah and he's about to start building a boat in the desert.

Praise for Many Waters:

“Sandy and Dennys, twins and middle children in the Newbery-winning A Wrinkle in Time, are transported to the time just before the Flood. . . This will be enjoyed for its suspense and humor as well as its other levels of meaning.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“L'Engle blends speculative fiction with biblical theology to create another provocative spellbinding tale.” ―Philadelphia Inquirer

Books by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
An Acceptable Time

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope Larson: A graphic novel adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic.

Intergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time!

The Austin Family Chronicles
Meet the Austins (Volume 1)
The Moon by Night (Volume 2)
The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)
A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!
Troubling a Star (Volume 5)

The Polly O'Keefe books
The Arm of the Starfish
Dragons in the Waters
A House Like a Lotus

And Both Were Young

Camilla

The Joys of Love
Eight Keys
Suzanne LaFleur*****Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.
When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the bar . . .

SUNSHINE STATE AWARD FINALIST!

From the Hardcover edition.
Guardians of Ga'Hoole 12: The Golden Tree
Kathryn Lasky*****After the time of the legends, the tale of the Guardians returns to the present in which Soren, the hero of Books 1-6, must train a new king. Old friends, new adventures!

Coryn, Soren, and the Band preside over a new Golden Age of the Great Tree under the subtle influence of the Ember. All seems well, but beneath the prosperity of peace Coryn is tortured by the suspicion that his evil mother, Nyra, is a hagsfiend and that his own blood carries the haggish taint. He wanders afar searching for the truth from hagsfiends themselves - putting the Great Tree in danger. Soren & the Band follow their new king to strange parts to guard him from the consequences of his obsession.
Heat
Mike Lupica*****The #1 Bestseller!

Michael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat along with aspirations of leading his team all the way to the Little League World Series. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family’s escape from Cuba, Michael’s only family is his seventeen-yearold brother Carlos. If Social Services hears of their situation, they will be separated in the foster-care system—or worse, sent back to Cuba. Together, the boys carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks too many questions. But then someone wonders how a twelve-year-old boy could possibly throw with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws. With no way to prove his age, no birth certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause, Michael’s secret world is blown wide open, and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources.

Perfect for any Little Leaguer with dreams of making it big—as well as for fans of Mike Lupica's other New York Times bestsellers Travel Team, The Big Field, The Underdogs, Million-Dollar Throw, and The Game Changers series, this cheer-worthy baseball story shows that when the game knocks you down, champions stand tall.
Safe at Home
Mike Lupica*****Nick Crandall feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He doesn't fit in with his new foster parents. They don't know the first thing about sports - and he's not exactly the model student they want him to be. It's only a matter of time until they realize he's not the right kid for them. And Nick certainly doesn't belong playing varsity baseball. He's only twelve years old! His teammates want a catcher their own age. But Nick needs to prove that he belongs - to his parents, to his team, and to himself.
Safe at Home
Mike Lupica*****Nick Crandall feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He doesn't fit in with his new foster parents. They don't know the first thing about sports - and he's not exactly the model student they want him to be. It's only a matter of time until they realize he's not the right kid for them. And Nick certainly doesn't belong playing varsity baseball. He's only twelve years old! His teammates want a catcher their own age. But Nick needs to prove that he belongs - to his parents, to his team, and to himself.
Summer Ball
Mike Lupica*****The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Travel Team!

When you're the smallest kid playing a big man's game, the challenges never stop—especially when your name is Danny Walker. Leading your travel team to the national championship may seem like a dream come true, but for Danny, being at the top just means the competition tries that much harder to knock him off. Now Danny's heading to Right Way basketball camp for the summer, and he knows that with the country's best players in attendance, he's going to need to take his game up a notch if he wants to match up. But it won't be easy. Old rivals and new battles leave Danny wondering if he really does have what it takes to stand tall.
Two-Minute Drill
Mike Lupica*****Chris Conlan is the coolest kid in sixth grade?the golden-armed quarterback of the football team and the boy all the others look up to. Scott Parry is the new kid, the boy with the huge brain, but with feet that trip over themselves. These two boys may seem like an odd couple, but each has a secret that draws them together, and proves that the will to succeed is even more important than raw talent.
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. . .
Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War
Harry Mazer*****"I WANTED TO SERVE, TO BE PART OF THIS THING MY FATHER HAD GIVEN HIS LIFE FOR. I DIDN'T WANT THE WAR TO END, AND ALL I'D BE ABLE TO SAY WAS, NO I DIDN'T SERVE, I WAS RIGHT HERE THE WHOLE WAR, SAFE IN BAKERSFIELD."
Adam Pelko witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that killed his father, a lieutenant on the USS Arizona. Even though Adam is underage, he defies his mother's wishes and enlists in the Marines. Sent first to boot camp, then to Okinawa, he experiences the stark reality of war firsthand — the camaraderie and the glory as well as the grueling regimen, the paralyzing fear, and death. And at every turn, Adam must confront memories of his father.
In the concluding volume of his World War II trilogy, Harry Mazer masterfully illustrates Adam's journey as he navigates brutal circumstances that no boy should know.
Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North
Patricia C. McKissack*****Twelve-year-old Nellie Lee's family moves north to Chicago in search of a better life. Like many other African Americans, they hope to escape the racism of the rural south and take advantage of the opportunities in the city. Instead, they find themselves faced with a more sinister form of prejudice — hatred within there own race.
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?
Patricia C. McKissack, Frederick McKissack*****This 1993 Coretta Scott King Honor Book chronicles the life of African-American Sojourner Truth, a nineteenth-century preacher, abolitionist, and activist for the rights of African Americans and women. Reprint. PW. SLJ. H.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Meg Medina*****Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal

Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina.

Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Anne of Green Gables 1
L. M. Montgomery*****The Cuthberts want to adopt an orphan boy who can help out on the farm. Instead they get Anne, a proud, talkative eleven-year-old girl. Anne stays on the farm and eventually wins their hearts.
Anne of Green Gables 1
L. M. Montgomery*****The Cuthberts want to adopt an orphan boy who can help out on the farm. Instead they get Anne, a proud, talkative eleven-year-old girl. Anne stays on the farm and eventually wins their hearts.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World ... One Child at a Time
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin*****Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves.
Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club.
Simply enter the coupon code MORTENSONTHREE at checkout.
This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase.

This young readers edition of the worldwide bestseller Three Cups of Tea has been specially adapted for younger readers and updated by Greg Mortenson to bring his remarkable story of humanitarianism up to date for the present. Includes new photos and illustrations, as well as a special interview by Greg’s twelve-year-old daughter, Amira, who has traveled with her father as an advocate for the Pennies for Peace program for children.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World ... One Child at a Time
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin*****
Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs
Munoz Ryan, Pam
Habibi
Naomi Shihab Nye*****The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was moving from St. Louis all the way to Palestine. Though her father grew up there, Liyana knows very little about her family's Arab heritage. Her grandmother and the rest of her relatives who live in the West Bank are strangers, and speak a language she can't understand. It isn't until she meets Omer that her homesickness fades. But Omer is Jewish, and their friendship is silently forbidden in this land. How can they make their families understand? And how can Liyana ever learn to call this place home?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (The Secret of NIMH)
Robert C. O'Brien*****Could Mrs. Frisby, a tiny mouse, save her family? She would have to go to her worst enemy for help - The Rats!
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (The Secret of NIMH)
Robert C. O'Brien*****Could Mrs. Frisby, a tiny mouse, save her family? She would have to go to her worst enemy for help - The Rats!
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (The Secret of NIMH)
Robert C. O'Brien*****Could Mrs. Frisby, a tiny mouse, save her family? She would have to go to her worst enemy for help - The Rats!
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (The Secret of NIMH)
Robert C. O'Brien*****Could Mrs. Frisby, a tiny mouse, save her family? She would have to go to her worst enemy for help - The Rats!
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Scott O'Dell*****In the Pacific, there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea birds abound. Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.
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.
Canyons
Gary Paulsen*****Two boys, separated by the canyons of time and two vastly different cultures, face the challenges by which they will become men.
Coyote Runs, an Apache boy, takes part in his first raid. But he is to be a man for only a short time.
More than a hundred years later, while camping near Dog Canyon, 15-year-old Brennan Cole becomes obsessed with a skull that he finds, pierced by a bullet. He learns that it is the skull of an Apache boy executed by soldiers in 1864. A mystical link joins Brennan and Coyote Runs, and Brennan knows that neither boy will find peace until Coyote Runs' skull is carried back to an ancient sacred place.
In a grueling journey through the canyon to return the skull, Brennan confronts the challenge of his life.
Canyons
Gary Paulsen*****
Dogsong
Gary Paulsen*****In Paulsen's Newbery Honor novel, 14-year-old Russel Susskit leads a dog team on an arduous trek across the frozen Alaskan wilderness on a life-altering journey haunted by dreams of an ancient warrior whose life oddly parallels his own.
His people no longer use dog sleds, instead they use snowmobiles; but Oogruk still has an old team of sled dogs, and they've grown fat and lazy. Russell wonders what it was like to run with the dogs, to look at the snow and ice and hear only the swish of runners along the icy crust, to be like his ancestors. To answer his thoughts, he turns to Oogruk who tells him of the old days and the songs of his people. But hearing about it is not enough, so Russell learns to run the dogs and soon takes off across the tundra, replicating journeys that have been made for thousands of years.
Dogsong
Gary Paulsen*****
Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers
Gary Paulsen*****In June 1861, when the Civil War began, Charley Goddard enlisted in the First Minnesota Volunteers. He was 15. He didn't know what a "shooting war" meant or what he was fighting for. But he didn't want to miss out on a great adventure.

The "shooting war" turned out to be the horror of combat and the wild luck of survival; how it feels to cross a field toward the enemy, waiting for fire. When he entered the service he was a boy. When he came back he was different; he was only 19, but he was a man with "soldier's heart," later known as "battle fatigue."
This Side of Wild: Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs
Gary Paulsen*****Longlisted for the National Book Award

The Newbery Honor–winning author of Hatchet and Dogsong shares surprising true stories about his relationship with animals, highlighting their compassion, intellect, intuition, and sense of adventure.

Gary Paulsen is an adventurer who competed in two Iditarods, survived the Minnesota wilderness, and climbed the Bighorns. None of this would have been possible without his truest companion: his animals. Sled dogs rescued him in Alaska, a sickened poodle guarded his well-being, and a horse led him across a desert. Through his interactions with dogs, horses, birds, and more, Gary has been struck with the belief that animals know more than we may fathom.

His understanding and admiration of animals is well known, and in This Side of Wild, which has taken a lifetime to write, he proves the ways in which they have taught him to be a better person.
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
A Long Way From Chicago 1
Richard Peck*****Set during the years 1929–1942, and told in eight engaging episodes, this fresh and funny novel recounts a boy and his sister's annual summer trips to rural Illinois to visit their eccentric grandmother. Grandma Dowdel, a remarkable larger-than-life character, continually astounds her grandchildren with her nonconformist behavior and her gutsy, take-charge attitude.
What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice — two city slickers from Chicago — make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?
August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgilll boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back with a dead mouse and a bottle of milk.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma to trespass, pinch property, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry — all in one day.
And there's more — much more — as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's, each one funnier and more surprising than the year before.
In the grand storytelling tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannelly O'Connor, Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining. And year round, you are sure to enjoy your stay with them.
A Long Way from Chicago 2: A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck*****Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.
A Long Way from Chicago 2: A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck*****Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.
A Long Way from Chicago 2: A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck*****Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.
A Long Way from Chicago 2: A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck*****
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?
The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin*****A Newbery Medal Winner

"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review

  A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!

Winner of the Newbery Medal
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
An ALA Notable Book
 

  "Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight of hand." —The New York Times Book Review

"A fascinating medley of word games, disguises, multiple aliases, and subterfuges—a demanding but rewarding book." —The Horn Book
Harry Potter 1: The Sorcerer's Stone
J. K. Rowling*****Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.
Harry Potter 1: The Sorcerer's Stone
J. K. Rowling*****Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.
Harry Potter 2: Chamber of Secrets
J. K. Rowling*****
Harry Potter 3: The Prisoner of Azkaban
J. K. Rowling*****For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
Lily's Ghosts
Laura Ruby*****A sinister old house, an intriguing new friend, a fifty-year-old mystery, and a tag-team of disgruntled ghosts force thirteen-year-old Lily to unearth her family's deepest secrets in this multilayered tale that's both hilarious and harrowing, comic and creepy.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan*****A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico—she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances—Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Holes
Louis Sachar*****Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Holes
Louis Sachar*****Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Holes
Louis Sachar*****Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Holes
Louis Sachar*****Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Glory Be
Augusta Scattergood*****Gloriana faces her twelfth birthday in 1964 and struggles with the changes she sees happening around her, but while she struggles to understand the shift in her relationships with her sister–who is about to enter high school–and her best friend, Frankie, Gloriana witnesses tempers rise in a debate over a segregated public pool.
A Series of Unfortunate Events 1: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket*****Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events 2: The Reptile Room
Lemony Snicket*****Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour.

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy.

Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 2: The Reptile Room
Lemony Snicket*****Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour.

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy.

Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 3: The Wide Window
Lemony Snicket*****Dear Reader,
If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events 3: The Wide Window
Lemony Snicket*****Paperback: 218 pages Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.; Illustrated. edition (2001) Language: English
A Series of Unfortunate Events 3: The Wide Window
Lemony Snicket*****Dear Reader,
If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events 4: The Miserable Mill
Lemony Snicket*****I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log. The pages of this book, I′m sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons. I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven′t, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 5: The Austere Academy
Lemony Snicket*****
A Series of Unfortunate Events 5: The Austere Academy
Lemony Snicket*****
A Series of Unfortunate Events 8: The Hostile Hospital
Lemony Snicket*****Dear Reader,

Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why. This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children's miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.
There are man pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire. Clearly you do not want to read about such things.
I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best I can, so I should know that this book is best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket.
A Series of Unfortunate Events 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
Lemony Snicket*****When the Baudelaire Orphans finally make it out of Count Olaf's car trunk (from Book the Eighth), they wind up at the horribly perilous Caligari Carnival. Trying to avoid capture but desperate to find out more information about a possible surviving parent, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny pose as circus freaks, only to be humiliated in front of visitors and pushed to the brink of consumption by lions. Fortunately, though, the three discover a few surprises about fortune-telling Madame Lulu, who offers a faint clue about V.F.D. and even the Snicket family itself.
Snicket fans will be in Ninth Heaven. Again, it's a sad state of affairs for the Baudelaires, but there are some fascinating morsels of hope, plus a few small surprises that might help link it all together. With riveting suspense, wicked intentions, and gullible freaks, The Carnivorous Carnival is definitely an installment that can't be missed.
A Series of Unfortunate Events 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
Lemony Snicket*****paperback book
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without. Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without. Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without. Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without. Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without. Ages 10+
A Series of Unfortunate Events 10: The Slippery Slope
Lemony Snicket*****
A Series of Unfortunate Events 11: The Grim Grotto
Lemony Snicket*****In the 11th and most alarming volume yet in the phenomenally bestselling Series of Unfortunate Events, the intrepid Baudelaire siblings delve ever deeper into the mystery surrounding the death of their parents and the baffling organization of V.F.D.
Report to the Principal's Office!
Jerry Spinelli*****A fast, fun, friendship read from the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.

It's the first day of school at Plumstead Middle School and already there's trouble. It starts with Sunny, who is determined to do whatever it will take to get herself suspended. Then there's Eddie, who has a three-point plan for fitting in, but still gets beaten up on the morning bus. Salem is all too pleased to witness Eddie's troubles—as a future famous writer, she's drawn to drama. And on top of it all, there's Pickles Johnson, who is just...well...Pickles.
These four sixth graders have only one thing in common. They're all about to report to the principal's office.
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
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead*****This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.
Dragonology Chronicles 1: The Dragon's Eye
Dugald A. Steer*****"Steer infuses the exciting story with the flavor of a nineteenth-century novel and incorporates dragon lore found in his earlier books. Dragon lovers will be well pleased." —-BOOKLIST

Adventure! Villains! And dragons, dragons, dragons! From the creators of the best-selling Dragonology series, this first volume of the Dragonology Chronicles finds Daniel Cook and his sister, Beatrice, studying with eccentric dragonologist Dr. Ernest Drake. Soon they’re caught up in a race to find the stolen Dragon’s Eye —- a jewel that has the power to reflect the true Dragon Master —- before it is stolen by the evil Ignatius Crook. Working with Dr. Drake (and many friendly dragons), can these young siblings foil Ignatius and recover the Dragon’s Eye?
The Cay
Theodore Taylor*****Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed.

When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.”

But by the time the castaways arrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy.
The Cay
Theodore Taylor*****Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed.

When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.”

But by the time the castaways arrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy.
Grab Hands and Run
Frances Temple*****After his father disappears, twelve-year-old Felipe, his mother, and his younger sister set out on a difficult and dangerous journey, trying to make their way from their home in El Salvador to Canada.
Ghostopolis
Doug TenNapel*****A page-turning adventure of a boy's journey to the land of ghosts and back.

Imagine Garth Hale's surprise when he's accidentally zapped to the spirit world by Frank Gallows, a washed-out ghost wrangler. Suddenly Garth finds he has powers the ghosts don't have, and he's stuck in a world run by the evil ruler of Ghostopolis, who would use Garth's newfound abilities to rule the ghostly kingdom. When Garth meets Cecil, his grandfather's ghost, the two search for a way to get Garth back home, and nearly lose hope until Frank Gallows shows up to fix his mistake.
Beauty
Bill Wallace*****A Horse Named Beauty

She was an old horse, but she still had a lot of life in her. And she was the best friend Luke needed after the pain of his parents' divorce and the move to Oklahoma to live with his difficult grandfather. Luke could have had a younger horse, one better able to keep up with a boy's adventures. But it was Beauty that Luke loved. He found himself sharing his hopes, dreams, and fears with the old horse. With Beauty, Luke was finally able to enjoy life again.

Until one night, in a wild storm, Beauty escapes from the corral into a terrible trap, and Luke is faced with the most difficult decision he's ever had to make.
Star Wars: A New Hope - The Life of Luke Skywalker
Ryder Windham*****This book describes the life of Star Wars character Luke Skywalker, covering his childhood in Tatooine through his realization of who his father is and his search for information about Anakin.
Star Wars: The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ryder Windham*****Hermit. Mentor. General. Jedi.

Overlooked as a Padawan, he was to become one of the most revered Masters of all.

Sworn to serve the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order, his own apprentice would bring about their destruction.

Powerless to retrieve Darth Vader from the dark side, he would train the only one who could.

NYT bestselling author Ryder Windham brings together Obi-Wan's full life story, from his first meeting with Anakin Skywalker to his final meeting with Darth Vader—and beyond.
Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
Ryder Windham*****The full story of Anakin Skywalker, from his birth in slavery to his death as the powerful Darth Vader, is told for the first time in its entirety by a New York Times bestselling author. Spanning all six films and including the pieces of the story that fill in the gaps, this novel will be a must-have for every fan.
Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace
Patricia C. Wrede, George Lucas*****A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... A world is threatened. A young queen must save her people. A dark evil rises again. A young Jedi is discovered. The journey begins.
Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones
Patricia C. Wrede, George Lucas*****The biggest movie event of 2002 in a stellar novelization by acclaimed author Patrica C. Wrede.

Anakin Skywalker is now age eighteen and facing temptations of love, violence, betrayal, honor, and above all, the dark side of the Force.