It’s the night before a young girl’s first dance recital. At the dress rehearsal, she and her class go over the steps one last time. On the day of the performance, she’s ready to dance. But when the class spins left and she spins right, will the recital be a disaster? With humor, warmth, and engaging illustrations, this is a celebration of a landmark event in the life of all young dancers.
Barbie - You Can Be A Doctor
When Barbie visits the doctor, Dr. Vargas shows Barbie how to weigh and measure patients and even lets her help remove an arm cast! With basic vocabulary and short sentences, this simple story is perfect for beginning readers ready to explore this popular occupation.
Child of the Dream, A Memoir of 1963
In this coming-of-age memoir, Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, focuses on the year 1963 when she was 13 years old. She has a privileged life in a wealthy neighborhood in Stamford, Connecticut, living in a huge house, riding her own horse, and attending a school where she is one of only two black students in her class. Her father has a legacy of being involved in the civil rights movement, but when Sharon sees the church bombings, children’s marches, and imprisonment of the protestors in the South, the struggle for equal rights becomes one she can’t watch from the sidelines. George Wallace’s chants of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever” disturb and inspire her to become involved in the movement. Her family sponsors fundraisers for the non-violent protests and she accompanies them to hear Martin Luther King speak at the March on Washington. This insider’s account of one of the most important years in the civil rights movement is both educational and insightful for young readers of all backgrounds.
Saving Fable
Indira Story, a young girl living in the fictional town of Origin, has been working hard to make her dream come true. She yearns to be chosen at the upcoming auditions to go to the city of Fable and attend Protagonist Preparatory, a school where famous characters like Alice of Wonderland and Romeo Montague train aspirants to become successful characters in actual stories. When she is chosen to go to the school but will be trained to be a side character, not the main protagonist she had hoped, Indira clings to the hope that she will be picked by an author to play a secondary, but important, role in a story. When her efforts are sabotaged, she realizes that an evil force may be to blame, a force that threatens to destroy Fable. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, Indira must discover whether a side character can be the real hero after all. The perfect blend of fantasy and adventure.
Who Would Win: Falcon vs. Hawk
What if a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk had a fight? Who do you think would win? This nonfiction reader compares and contrasts these two ferocious birds, with information about the anatomy and behavior of each. Facts, photos, and realistic illustrations make this a great choice for nonfiction lovers.
The Lion of Mars
Bell is the youngest member of the underground community that the United States has established on Mars. Along with four teenagers and six adults, this eleven year-old helps to keep the community going, sharing responsibilities such as growing and harvesting algae and learning about Earth from digital media and the memories of the adults in the settlement. A curious boy who loves cats, Bell knows that the rules of the community must be followed, the most significant of which is that there can be no contact with any of the other underground settlements established by France, China and Russia. The settlement’s excitement over the arrival of a shipment of supplies from Earth is soon followed by fear when the adults in the group begin falling deathly ill. Bell and the teens don’t know why the no contact rule is in place, but realize they may have to venture out of their isolation in hopes of getting the help they need. Will breaking the rules save the settlement or be the decision that dooms it to perish? This blend of science fiction and humanistic fiction from a Newbery author is a must read for readers of all ages!
Ice Cream and Sweet Dreams
When Sierra hears about a local singing contest, all of her friends insist that she enter. Everyone is convinced that Sierra is super talented and destined for stardom. But when this young vocalist gets to the contest, she realizes she is just one small fish in a large pond of incredibly good singers. Are her sweet dreams about to melt away? A perfect choice for readers looking for a light-hearted story of following your dreams.