My Big Rig

Zoom! While playing with his toy truck, a little boy imagines himself driving an eighteen-wheeler through a city, across a bridge, and into the countryside. Along the way, he uses his two-way radio and parks at a truck stop. Finally, he reaches the coast, where he unloads his cargo. His imagination would keep growing . . . but it’s time for dinner!

                                                                                                                        Read more

The Night My Sister Went Missing

 tiny pistol, passed from friend to friend at a party on an abandoned pier, suddenly fires—and Casey Carmody falls into the water below. Kurt, Casey’s older brother, endures a seemingly endless night at the police station while the coast guard searches for his sister and his friends are questioned, one by one. Was the gunfire accidental or deliberate? Or was the whole drama one of Casey’s practical jokes? And where is Casey—or her body—now?

                                                                                                                        Read more

Looking For Luna

We’re after a cat, a soft-stepping cat
I’m walking with Dad and we’re after a cat.
With me out in front and him close behind,
There’s a wandering kitty we need to find.
When Luna is lost, it’s up to a little girl and her father to search for their feline friend. Quiet illustrations rendered digitally by Mike Reed follow the narrative as father and daughter meet many cats along the way.

                                                                                                                        Read more

The Hand-Me-Down Doll

A beautiful doll with long, dark curls and a velvet coat has been passed from owner to owner: a spoiled little girl, a farmer and his wife, a woman who works the ring-toss booth at a county fair, a chauffeur, a waiter, and a dirty-faced boy. Keep me and love me and give me a name, begs the doll. Finally, her luck changes when she meets a little girl who appreciates her and takes her home. Originally published in 1983, the slightly shortened text is beautifully interpreted in Dan Andreasen's nostalgic oil-painted illustrations.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Gandhi: A March to the Sea

Mohandas Gandhi’s 24-day March to the Sea, from March 12 to April 5, 1930, was a pivotal moment in India’s quest to become an independent country no longer ruled by Great Britain. With over 70 marchers, Gandhi walked from his hometown near Ahmedabad to the seacoast near Dandi. The march was a non-violent means to protest the taxes that Great Britain had imposed on salt-not the salt that the Indians could get from the sea, but the salt that Great Britain forced them to buy. Gandhi believed that peaceful protests were an effective way to challenge British law, and his peaceful but ultimately successful movement became known as Satyagraha.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Bad to the Bone (Down Girl and Sit series Book 3)

Down Girl, a dog, protects her home from Here Kitty Kitty, the enemy feline next door, and attempts to train his master to understand canine ways.

                                                                                                                        Read more

On the Road (Down Girl and Sit series Book 2)

Down Girl spends her days protecting her master, Rruff, from Here Kitty Kitty and the neighborhood squirrels. But when Rruff invites Down Girl on a road trip, Down Girl knows she’s in for an even bigger adventure. With her best friend, Sit, along for the ride, the fun really begins. These two dogs never know quite where they’re going, but one thing’s certain. When they hop into a car, they’re sure to drive everyone crazy!

The popular Down Girl and Sit stories were inspired by Lucy Nolan’s two setters, Nutmeg and Becky. The second book in the series, On the Road, recently won the Texas Bluebonnet Award, given to the children’s book that won the most votes from children in the Lone Star state.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina

Alicia Alonso’s artistic achievements are remarkable, considering that she became partially blind and lost her peripheral vision at age nineteen. From childhood, she exhibited a passion for dancing, studying first in Cuba and later in New York City, where she became an overnight sensation in Giselle and was promoted to principal dancer in Ballet Theater. Returning to Cuba in 1948, she founded her own company, which eventually folded due to lack of funding. In 1959 the Cuban government gave her enough money to establish a new dance school, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, which Alonso directs to this day. In elegant free verse and stunning artwork rendered in watercolor, colored pencils, and lithograph pencils on watercolor paper, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and Raúl Colón capture the seminal events in Alonso’s life. The back matter includes a biography, Alonso’s ballets, choreography, and awards, a glossary, sources, notes, and websites.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Thea Stilton Graphic Novels #2: Revenge of the Lizard Club

It's election time at Mouseford Academy and the candidates from the Lizard and Gecko student clubs face some challenges if they want to get elected president. Certainly not helping matters is the arrival of a mysterious black ship off the shores of the island . . . and it's trying to pollute the beach! The girls must use all their investigative skills to root out the connection between the ship and the campaign. The fates of the election and their beautiful island home is at stake!

                                                                                                                        Read more

52 Reasons to Hate My Father

Being America's favorite heiress is a dirty job…but someone's gotta do it.

Lexington Larrabee has never had to work a day in her life. After all, she's the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they're not supposed to crash brand-new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Boulevard either.

Which is why, on Lexi's eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there's anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it's dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In Jessica Brody's hilarious "comedy of heiress" about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have fifty-two reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Thea Stilton Graphic Novels #1: The Secret of Whale Island

Geronimo isn't the only world-famous adventuring journalist from New Mouse City; introducing his fabulous sister, Thea!

The Thea Sisters are five fun, lively students at Ratford College on Whale Island, who want to be real, live journalists just like their hero, Thea Stilton. Between classes and friendships, love and small fits of jealousy, they're finding college life is really exciting! In "The Secret of Whale Island," it's the start of the new school year and the students have arrived at Ratford College. Every year at this time, the whales move off the coast of Whale Island, but this time, a savage killer whale threatens the peace.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Rhyme Schemer

Kevin has a bad attitude. He's the one who laughs when you trip and fall. In fact, he may have been the one who tripped you in the first place. He has a real knack for rubbing people the wrong way—and he's even figured out a secret way to do it with poems. But what happens when the tables are turned and he is the one getting picked on? Rhyme Schemer is a touching and hilarious middle-grade novel in verse about one seventh grader's journey from bully-er to bully-ee, as he learns about friendship, family, and the influence that words can have on people's lives.

Includes bonus material!
- Book Club Discussion Guide
- Reading and Writing Connections

                                                                                                                        Read more

Chrysanthemum

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator ofLilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria. "Let's smell her," says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

This popular picture book has sold more than a million copies and was named a Notable Book for Children by the American Library Association. "Perfectly executed in words and illustration,Chrysanthemum exemplifies Henkes's talent for creating true picture stories for young audiences."—The Horn Book

Supports the Common Core State Standards

                                                                                                                        Read more

Smarter Than Squirrels (Down Girl and Sit series Book 1)

THE HILARIOUS ADVENTURES OF TWO CONFUSED CANINES

Down Girl and Sit are two dogs who are "smarter than squirrels." They know how to protect their masters from all the things that can go wrong in the neighborhood: they bark at paperboys and guard the garbage cans, and keep mischievous squirrels at bay. But when Here Kitty Kitty moves in next door, their daily routines are turned topsy-turvy. Filled with humor and adventure, this illustrated chapter book takes a look at life in the backyard from the well-intentioned but misguided viewpoint of man’s best friend.

                                                                                                                        Read more

That's Not Mine

Two fuzzy creatures both want to sit in the same comfy chair. The trouble is, they can’t agree who it belongs to. They get madder and madder, until…

With expressive illustrations and simple text, this giggle-inducing tale about (not) sharing and (not) being a good friend features the endearing characters from Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner You Are (Not) Small.

                                                                                                                        Read more

The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 1

In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Peak

The only thing you’ll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below. – Peak Marcello

After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.

Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. The story of Peak’s dangerous ascent—told in his own words—is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down.

                                                                                                                        Read more

Mary Poppins

By P.L. Travers, the author featured in the upcoming movie Saving Mr. Banks.

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed.
   It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life

                                                                                                                        Read more

The Kill Order (Prequel)

The fourth book in the blockbuster phenomenon MAZE RUNNER SERIES now features chapters from The Fever Code, the highly-anticipated conclusion to the series—the novel that finally reveals how the maze was built!

    Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth, killing most of the population.
    Mark and Trina were there when it happened. They survived. But now a virus is spreading. A virus that fills humans with murderous rage. 
    They’re convinced that there’s a way to save those who are left—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some you’re worth more dead than alive. 
 
    The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials are now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The third movie, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, will hit screens in 2018.
 
   Also look for James Dashner’s edge-of-your-seat MORTALITY DOCTRINE series!

                                                                                                                        Read more

Pete the Cat's Got Class

New York Times bestselling author and artist James Dean brings us a new story about the classiest cat around—Pete! This time Pete teaches us how to add and subtract our way to loving math in Pete the Cat’s Got Class—which comes complete with a poster, stickers, and a set of 20 punch-out flash cards that teach counting, adding, and subtracting.

When Pete’s friend Tom has a tough time with math, our favorite blue cat steps in to help him out. With good friends, fun learning tools, and some extra help, it all adds up. Pete the Cat knows you can’t hate math—you just don’t love it yet! 

                                                                                                                          Read more