Ten year-old Caleb Franklin, living with his family in a small Indiana town, is tired of just feeling ordinary. The prospect of a more exciting summer appears to improve, however, when Caleb and his 11 year-old brother, Bobby Gene, meet a new neighbor, the older and very cool Styx Malone. When the younger boys get to keep a sack of fireworks they offered to give up their baby sister for, Styx convinces them that they can use the fireworks to make a series of trades that will eventually get them the shiny moped at the local hardware store. But as the trades get bigger, the boys find themselves in over their heads, resorting to sneaking out and evading the truth when their parents question their activities. They may not be the only ones keeping secrets though. It seems that Styx has kept some things from his new friends, things that reveal more about Styx than he wanted others to know. This Coretta Scott King Honor title is a rambunctious yet heart-warming look at friendship and acceptance.
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Baby-Sitter’s Little Sister: Karen’s Worst Day
In this spin-off of the popular Baby-Sitters Club series and featuring Kristy’s stepsister, Karen, younger readers can enjoy the graphic novel format along with stories perfect for them. In this story, Karen is having a terrible day. Her favorite jeans are missing, there is no prize in the cereal box, and even Boo-Boo the cat won’t play with her! She even gets punished and sent to her room. Despite all of her attempts to make the day better, nothing seems to be going right. If she can’t find a way to turn her luck from bad to good, will this be her worst day ever? A delightful story and format for those new to the world of graphic novels.
Baby-Sitter’s Little Sister: Karen’s Worst Day
Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
Rescue always believed he would be a seeing eye dog like the other canines in his family. When he gets the news that he is better suited to being another type of service dog, he wonders if he will be up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life has turned out differently than she imagined as well and they realize that together they can accomplish much more than they could apart. Based on a true story, this tale of the incredible relationship between a girl and a dog will inspire readers of all ages to reach for their dreams.
Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
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.
Barbie - You Can Be A Doctor
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.
Child of the Dream, A Memoir of 1963
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.
Saving Fable
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.
