The Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library
December, 21 2024 22:49:42
Reasons to Look at the Night Sky
By Daniel, le
A sensitive middle grade novel in verse about a space-obsessed girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut - and begins to see the world differently when a substitute teacher enters her orbit.. Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp.. But when Luna's teacher is unexpectedly replaced with a substitute, Ms. Manitowabi, who is looking to shake up science class by bringing in art, Luna's carefully laid plans are crushed. And that's not all that's shifting in Luna's life - changes at home and in her friendships have her feeling topsy-turvy.
Publisher: n/a
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9781774883532
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Hardcover
Dork Diaries 16
By Russell, Rachel Renée
Annnnd she's back! The much-adored Nikki returns for her sixteenth Dork Diaries adventure and has to deal with...a bratty younger sister.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665974608
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Hardcover
Thea and the Mischief Makers
By Badua, Tracy
In this magical adventure that's perfect for fans of Lisa Yee and Erin Entrada Kelly, star athlete Thea must face her worst fears when two mischievous duwendes, Filipino goblins, threaten to wreak havoc on her life - and destroy her town.Thea gets a chance to begin anew at Coastview Academy. There, she's a star athlete, someone with friends and popularity. But disaster strikes at Junior Stunt Warrior summer camp with her new friends: Her extremely uncool former best friend, Evan, shows up too, and she discovers that stunt class is the one activity she's not good at. Actually, it's something she's terrified of. It all reminds Thea of the shy, invisible version of herself she's determined to leave behind. Then, in the midst of building a practice obstacle course, Thea wrecks a tree that a pair of grumpy duwendes - Filipino goblins - call home.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063346994
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Hardcover
Izzy Wong's Nose for News
By Chan, Marty
Key Selling PointsWhen Izzy Wong finds out the girls' bathroom was purposely flooded, she knows she's found the perfect subject for her podcast. But her drive to find the culprit and get listeners overtakes her journalistic ethics...and puts her podcast (and investigation) in jeopardy.Izzy Wong's Nose for News shows a middle grader learning about ethical journalism from firsthand experience and making missteps along the way; it's a great springboard for readers to think about the difference between news and gossip or truth and supposition.Shows how smarts and persistence really do pay off, but also how empathy is key to making the right choices.Podcasts are incredibly popular and readers will get some of the inside scoop on how to make one, down to Izzy's choice of audio recorder.
Publisher: n/a
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9781459839373
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Hardcover
The Headless Doll
By Ford, Mike
From the author of The Lonely Ghost comes a chilling new tale about a vengeful ghost who wants her doll back -- or else.A headless doll. A deserted island. A haunted lighthouse. Twelve-year-old Jen's summer vacation is not going anything like she expected it to. She's staying with her Aunt Liv, who lives on an island off the coast of Maine. The island is mostly famous for its lighthouse, which is rumored to be haunted by a ghost. Aunt Liv is an artist who specializes in making one-of-a-kind dolls. She also runs a doll hospital so people send her their dolls from all over to repair.Jen notices some creepy things about the house, like flickering lights and something that sounds like faint whispering. Then one of the dolls that Jen has been helping her aunt work on is found broken.
Publisher: n/a
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9781546111764
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Paperback
Popcorn
By Harrell, Rob
The beloved author of Wink is back with a hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety on a day when everything is going wrong. Andrew's just trying to make it through Picture Day, which is easier said than done when it seems like the whole world is out to get him - from a bully to a science experiment gone wrong to a someone else's juice snot (don't ask) .. But as Andrew goes through the school day, and as one thing after another goes wrong, that little kernel of worry in his stomach is getting hotter and hotter, until it threatens to pop and turn into a public panic attack, his worst fear. He tries to keep his anxiety at bay, but the news that his grandmother with Alzheimer's is missing is too much.. Interspersed with humorous spot art and "anxiety file" panels that depict the real, difficult feelings of anxiety and OCD and real tips for coping, this is a poignant, personal, and laugh-out-loud funny story about letting go of control and accepting help - all while trying to get the perfect school picture.
Publisher: n/a
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9780593697924
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Hardcover
Dungeon Runners
By Todd-stanton, Joe
A new action-packed series for fans of fantasy and RPG games!. CALLING ALL DUNGEON RUNNERS - There's space for a new team of heroes. This is your chance to enter the leagues and fight your way to the top! Kit has dreamed of being a Dungeon Runner all his life, although being a gnorf (part gnome, part dwarf) means he's much smaller than the other competitors. But when a space opens up for a new team in the Dungeon Running League, Kit doesn't want to miss this chance to try out! With his new friends Sandy and Thorn, they're ready to take on anything - mazes, puzzles, monsters, treasure, and most of all adventure! Are you ready for the games to begin? Welcome to the Dungeon!
Publisher: n/a
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9798887771076
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Hardcover
Every Story Ever Told
By Polonsky, Ami
In this life-affirming novel of trauma and recovery, a girl searches for a path forward after being forced to confront the reality of gun violence, for fans of Dusti Bowling and Jasmine Warga. Stevie Jane Cohen-Kaplans sheltered suburban life is shattered by a mass shooting at a festival in her town. In the aftermath, her brain feels broken. She cant bear to visit her mom, recovering in the hospital under Stevies dads watchful eye, or to be pent up in her grandparents nearby Manhattan apartment. To escape the apartment and her own thoughts, Stevie starts adventuring around New York City with her best friend, Avi, and a new therapy dog (in training) . The trio starts chasing stories - about a neighbors life after the Holocaust, Stevies grandfathers who died of AIDS long before she was born, and even about her own moms activist upbringing. These stories may not bring Stevie all the way back to "normal," but can they help her find a new version of herself? Written with compassion and care, Every Story Ever Told places readers at the center of their own story and within a larger human tapestry, as one girl tries to make sense of the unthinkable.
Publisher: n/a
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9780316570978
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Hardcover
Tale of the Flying Forest
By Romero, R. M.
A spellbinding and lyrical modern fairy tale about a girl who journeys to an enchanted world to find the twin she's never met, filled with lavish illustrations that bring the magic to life, perfect for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia.. After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she'll ever have are in The World to Come, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train as knights, and songs come to life. But even these stories can't stop Anne from feeling alone. So when a raven tells her that she has a long-lost twin brother named Rainer, she sets out to find him. Anne soon learns that Bei Ilai is a real place - and she must step through the door into this magical realm to seek her brother.
Publisher: n/a
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9780316539487
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Hardcover
The Shape of Lost Things
By Everett, Sarah
From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called "one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever) " (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and "Powerful" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) ,comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father. Skye Nickson's world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It's been four years without Finn's jokes, four years without her father's old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn's birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063256613
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Hardcover
Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City
By Biddulph, Rob
Superstar, author and illustrator Rob Biddulph dazzles in Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City, the first title in an adventure series for children 8 . Fizzing with magic, danger, friendship and art, this exciting, funny, middle-grade debut is from the bestselling creative genius behind #DrawWithRob. . 'A wildly imaginative, big-hearted celebration of creativity' - Anna James, bestselling author of the Pages & Co seriesSome legends are born, some are drawn . . .. Drawing feels like magic to Peanut Jones. But art can't fix her problems. Her dad has gone missing, and she's stuck in a boring new school. Until the day she finds a unique pencil turbo-charged with special powers. Suddenly she's pulled into a world packed with more colour, creativity, excitement and danger than she could ever have imagined.
Publisher: n/a
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9781035042692
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Hardcover
Still Sal
By Henkes, Kevin
A stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes's award-winning and acclaimed The Year of Billy Miller. With themes of family, friendship, and resilience, this very funny school story focuses on Billy's little sister, Sal, and her first day of school. For fans of Ramona, Ivy Bean, and Dory Fantasmagory. Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal's name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn't turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063389625
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Hardcover
Rougarou Magic
By Marsh, Rachel M.
After discovering that the creatures from Cajun folklore actually exist, Feliciana is torn between hiding her Southern heritage and starting fresh at her new school - all while caring for an unexpected magical friend. Rachel M. Marsh's debut novel is for fans of Tracey Baptiste's The Jumbies and Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw.Twelve-year-old Feliciana Fruge does not like Boston. If given the chance, she would gladly move herself and her mom from the freezing city right back to Grandma's house in Louisiana. Feliciana dreams of escaping her stepfather's corny jokes and bland food and the relentless bullying at school for "being poor" and having a Southern accent.So, when she transfers to a new school and has the chance to start fresh, Feliciana plans to be as un-Cajun as possible in order to blend in.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063325388
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Hardcover
That Curious Thing
By Raschka, Chris
A delightful middle grade adventure by two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka about good, evil, and cats. Generously illustrated with black-and-white illustrations.When a twelve-year old girl named Cleo and her cat, Muffin, become the newest members of PURR (Peace Urgently Requires Reasonableness) , a secret society of cats fighting for peace, they aren't exactly sure what they're getting themselves into. Then, PURR discovers that KLAW (Cats Loving Awful Warfare) , an evil secret society of cats, is planning to send dogs to space for ransom. PURR tasks Cleo to infiltrate KLAW as a secret spy so together they can stop them. It will take the intelligence, confidence, and tenacity of a feline to save the world from KLAW's evil plans. Does Cleo have what it takes? Includes gorgeous black-and-white watercolors by two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka.
Publisher: n/a
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9780062858276
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Hardcover
Monster Movie!
By Wendig, Chuck
In this hair-raising and hilarious novel by New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig, a boy must face his many fears to save his town from a cursed videotape - before "The Scariest Movie Ever Made" devours his friends and family.. Ethan Pitowski is afraid of everything. Luckily, his best friends don't mind, and when their entire class gets invited to watch a long-buried horror movie at the most popular boy in school's house, Ethan's friends encourage him to join in the fun. But when the "scariest movie ever made" reveals itself to be not just a movie about a monster, but a movie that is a monster, only a terrified Ethan escapes its clutches. Now he must find a way to stop the monster and save his friends (and also, um, get their heads back) .
Publisher: n/a
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9780316572590
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Hardcover
Rise of the Spider
By Spradlin, Michael P.
Witness the chilling rise of Hitler's Germanythrough the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in this first book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.. 1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he's old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf's father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665947213
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Paperback
Eyes on the Ice
By Rosner, Anna
In 1963, under the brutal Communist regime, two hockey-loving brothers must throw a game in a Soviet-Czech tournament to help their imprisoned father.Ten-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey, but it's 1963, and they live in Czechoslovakia, where the secret police (the "Eye") are constantly on the lookout for anyone committing crimes against the state -- whether that be reading a magazine about the NHL or saying anything negative about the Communist regime. Lukas's father works for a newspaper, and printing the truth is a dangerous activity.The family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. They learn to skate on a bumpy outdoor rink in a city park. And when their talent is noticed, they are encouraged to try out for a local youth league, where they are thrilled to play in a real arena for the first time.
Publisher: n/a
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9781773067377
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Paperback
Spirals and Stars
By Gordon, Kate
Its 1993. Beth McMaugh is eleven years old and about to start her final year of middle school. Her best friend since kindergarten is Ashlee, but Ashlee is changing. She wears surf brand clothes now, and watches teenage TV and knows all the words to all the songs by Girlfriend and Peter Andre. Beth is terrified of losing her when they get to senior school, but Ashlee assures her that grade six is going to be the best year ever. On the first day, though, Beth enters her new homeroom to find Ashlee sitting with Kristy, Abbi and Nikki - the popular girls. The mean girls. What is Beth going to do? Ashlee cant really want to be one of them. They must have trapped her into being part of their group, through some sort of heinous bribery. Beth has to save Ashlee, but how? Further complicating matters, there is a new kid in class - a strange, loud, smart kid from Brisbane, called Jools, who listens to Queen and is obsessed with science fiction and all things nerdy.
Publisher: n/a
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9781761111709
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Paperback
The Fairy Tale Fan Club
By Ayoade, Richard
What if you could send fan mail to your fairy tale idols? And what if they wrote back? "Happily ever after" takes on a new meaning in this book from actor-comedian-author Richard Ayoade and best-selling illustrator David Roberts. . It's once upon a time . . . as only the irreverently witty Richard Ayoade can tell it. In this series of letters organized by C. C. Cecily, Senior Secretary of the Fairy Tale Fan Club, the fairest of them all (and a few bitter foes) correspond with curious - and opinionated - fans. So if you've ever wondered how a less-than-genius (and less-than-clothed) emperor fell for a certain con, how the Big Bad Wolf is handling meatless Mondays, or whether Rapunzel recommends going for the big chop, no need to look far, far away.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536222173
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Hardcover
The Best Friend Bracelet
By Collier, Nicole D.
A tender, funny story about making - and keeping - friends, perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski.At Hurston Middle School, best friendship is a big deal. And Zariah Brown makes the best best friendship bracelets in town. Business is booming; Zariah can hardly keep up with orders. The problem is, Zariah doesn't have a best friend of her own. As the entire seventh grade gears up for their big Pajama Jam weekend, it seems as if everyone else is paired up except her. So Zariah pours her heart and soul into making the ultimate friendship bracelet, using a set of beads gifted to her by a mysterious woman. But the bracelet turns out to be a tiny bit . . . magical. In fact, anyone who puts it on instantly becomes Zariah's best friend. Now all she has to do is find the perfect best friend and get the bracelet on them.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063326163
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Hardcover
Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood
By Beatty, Robert
Robert Beatty, author of the Serafina Series, has crafted a brand-new story filled with mystery and adventure.. Thirteen-year-old Sylvia Doe has lived at the Highground Home for Children nearly all her life. Whenever the administrators try to place her with a foster family, she runs away--back to Mason, Highground's caretaker and her best friend. The only place she feels like she belongs is with him and the horses he has taught her to love.. When a powerful storm causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don't belong--everything's out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water.. As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from.
Publisher: n/a
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9781368007580
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Hardcover
Chasing the Shy Town
By Mcgann, Erika
Senan uses his binoculars to spy out the Shy Town, a sweet little place on a hill, with winding streets and red and yellow roofs. Senan calls it the Shy Town because it often hides and is hard to find. He tells his next-door friend Joshua about the Shy Town, and they set off, with Senan's grandmother in a ramshackle wheelchair, to find this elusive place. Along the way they make friends with Paperboy. Who is, as you'd expect, a boy made of paper. With the help of a kruckle (a sort of Shy Town creature) that they meet on their journey, they find the Shy Town, only its real name is Perfection, because it is absolutely perfect.But all is not well in Perfection: the inhabitants are constantly worrying about making it more and more perfect. But since more perfect than perfect is an impossibility, they are constantly exhausted.
Publisher: n/a
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9781915071514
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Paperback
Mystery at the Biltmore
By Nelson, Colleen
The Biltmore in New York City is full of mysteries, and Elodie LaRue, a novice detective, plans to piece together the clues and solve the case of the missing jewels.Left behind by her globe-trotting detective parents once again, Elodie decides to prove she's worthy of joining them on a case by setting up her own detective agency at her renowned Upper West Side home, The Biltmore.When a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings mysteriously disappear from Mrs. Vanderhoff's apartment, Elodie is asked to solve the case. Elodie begins her investigation the way any good detective would, looking for clues and potential suspects. With twists, turns, and suspects galore, will Elodie be able to prove she has what it takes to solve a crime? Or will the LaRue Detective Agency fail on its first case? As Elodie, her dog Carnegie, and new friend Oscar (a self-proclaimed parkour master) delve deeper into the mystery, they encounter a quirky cast of characters, an array of clues, and a little bit of fun.
Publisher: n/a
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9781772783278
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Hardcover
The Hotel Balzaar
By Dicamillo, Kate
In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales - and every moment is a story in the making. . At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta's mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly - like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel's wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story - in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536223316
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Hardcover
Hungry Bones
By Hung, Louise
A chilling middle grade novel about a girl haunted by a hungry ghost.Molly Teng sees things no one else can.By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the "zaps" are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely.The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she's been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She's a 'hungry ghost' reliant on the livings' food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition.Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade's house, nothing will ever be the same -- for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house -- before her hunger destroys them both.
Publisher: n/a
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9781338832587
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Hardcover
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents
By Preto, Nicki Pau
A middle grade magic school fantasy perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and Witchlings, in which a girl with unparalleled power must work with her misfit classmates to save her new school.
Lavinia "Vin" Lucas is out of control and out of options. Stranded by parents who would rather use their average magical abilities to study dung beetles than raise her, Vin's been on her own for years. But she's never been able to corral her own powerful, unpredictable magic. After years of detention, suspension, and expulsion from magic schools far and wide, she's now being sent to the Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents. If she gets expelled, it's the end of the line.
Now, Vin is determined to behave. Except no one at Last Hope seems to want her to.
Publisher: n/a
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9780593528518
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Audiobook
Deer Run Home
By Lezotte, Ann Clare
Effie is Deaf, and no one in her family speaks sign language, her language. This moving story of survival and found family, inspired by a true court case, is perfect for fans of Wonder and Out of My Mind."Will break your heart and then make it whole again." -- Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s"Ann Clare LeZotte is such a talent and deserves to be widely read!" -- Lisa Yee, author of the Newbery Honor book and National Book Award Finalist Maizy Chen's Last ChanceEffie and her older sister, Deja, have recently moved into their father's trailer after an incident at their mom's house. Daddy communicates with Effie by pointing, stomping on the floor, and making thoughtless jokes. Even if they did understand each other, could she tell the terrible secret she carries when telling feels impossible -- and dangerous?But what if telling is the only way to be seen?This tender, spare, emotionally charged story about the impact of abuse and the power of love explores what it feels like to be an outsider in your own family and to awaken -- through friendship, writing, and kinship with the natural world -- to a new understanding and appreciation of yourself.
Publisher: n/a
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9781339021904
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Hardcover
Answers to Dog
By Hautman, Pete
National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a friendship like no other - and the universal truth that dogs make life better, especially for underdogs.. Evan doesn't seem to fit in at school or at home. He goes out of his way to avoid attention. He sits at the back of the bus, keeps his head down in class, and keeps to himself. But when a burr-covered border collie - a survivor with a gut instinct about the Boy - starts following him around and joining him on his runs, Evan's simple duck-and-dodge existence becomes a lot more complicated . . . a lot more like life. Evolving from wary companions to steadfast friends, Evan and the dog run fast and far together, thwart an abusive dog breeder and the school bully, and find the courage to stand up for themselves and to open up to those who matter most.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536234886
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Hardcover
Make a Little Wave
By Cerra, Kerry O'malley
Swim with the current, or go against the flow?Savannah has been feeling out of place ever since her family moved to Sandy Dune, Florida. She finds it easier to make friends with animals than people. Plus, everyone in Sandy Dune seems to love spending time in the ocean, and Sav never feels comfortable leaving the shore.When her classmate Tanner invites her to the opening of his family's restaurant, Sav's excited -- until she's served a bowl of shark fin soup. Sav has always been scared of sharks, but she's horrified that they're inhumanely killed for this expensive delicacy. Especially as she learns more about these surprisingly gentle creatures and discovers that some shark species are being hunted to the point of endangerment. Tanner's family brushes off her concerns, but Sav resolves to stop them from serving the soup.
Publisher: n/a
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9781728493220
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Hardcover
The Flicker
By Edgmon, H.e.
Perfect for fans of The Marrow Thieves, Hatchet and The City of Ember, H.E. Edgmon's middle grade debut offers a bittersweet tale of hope and survival, a modern classic for the climate change generation.One year ago, a solar flare scorched the Earth and destroyed life as we know it.. With their parents gone and supplies running dangerously low, step-sisters Millie and Rose only have one chance at survival: leave home with their infant half-brother and loyal dog Corncob in search of Millie's grandma, a Seminole elder. As they navigate the burning land with a group of fellow survivors, dodging The Hive, a villainous group that has spent the last year hoarding supplies and living in luxury, the siblings have to learn to rely on each other more than ever, and discover how to build a new life from the ashes.
Publisher: n/a
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9781250873972
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Hardcover
The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition
By Cuevas, Adrianna
In Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Adrianna Cuevas's new spooky middle grade novel. Frani must fight to stop the undead from rising in her father's body-farm laboratory - that is, if she can embrace the true nature of her brain and its ADHD. No one has ever called Frani Gonzalez squeamish. Seriously, whether it's guts (no big deal) , bugs (move aside, she's got this) , or anything else that you might find at the Central Texas Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, to her and her dad, the university's body farm is just home.Having bodies buried in her backyard doesn't exactly make Frani the most popular kid in school, and the imaginary spider that lives in a web in her brain isn't helping either. Arañita's always to blame for the distracted thoughts weaving through Frani's mind.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063285545
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Hardcover
A Two-Placed Heart
By Nguyen, Doan Phuong
Afraid her sister (and maybe even herself) could lose sight of their Vietnamese identity, twelve-year-old Bom writes a poetic memoir to help them both remember--a love letter in verse to sisterhood and the places we leave behind. Bom can't believe that her sister doesn't see herself as Vietnamese, only American. She says she doesn't remember Vietnam or their lives there, their family there, their house and friends. How could her sister forget the terrible journey through Saigon and the airplanes and... everything? And what about Bom? She remembers now, but how long will she keep her memories? She always found comfort in the sound of her father's typewriter. Clickity-clack, clickity-clack. So she has an idea. She'll write down all that she can remember: the time when her father was a spy, when her mother was nicknamed a "radio," when they were so hungry Bom couldn't walk well, when the family all said goodbye.
Publisher: n/a
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9781643796420
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Hardcover
Wish Monster
By White, J. A.
From J. A. White, the acclaimed author of Nightbooks, comes another spine-chilling stand-alone middle grade horror novel about a pair of friends who discover a strange creature in a cave that can make any wish come true - including bringing the dead back to life.In the darkness, something opened its eyes.The town of Haywood, New Jersey, has a secret. A wish monster.Violet Park discovered its cave by accident, and the wish monster granted her deepest desire by bringing her dog Midnight back to life. It even erased everyone's memory of his death. Life was perfect. But then an unremarkable boy named Hudson Causeway somehow remembered Midnight had died. That scared Violet. What if he ruined everything? Even worse, what if the wish monster wasn't as innocent as it seemed?Deep down, Violet knew: No wishes are made without consequences, and every monster needs to be fed.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063082069
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Hardcover
Tig
By Smith, Heather
A new, heartwarming middle-grade story from the critically acclaimed author Heather Smith featuring Tig, a young girl struggling to find peace within herself and in her new family. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.. After months of living without electricity or parents, Tig and Peter are forced to move in with their Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny. The transition from down-and-out to picture-perfect isn't easy, especially in pristine Wensleydale with the idyllic couple and their beautiful home.. Tig, with Peter's support, decides to make their new life messy, starting with daily arguments and her plans to become a competitive cheese racer. She'll run circles around her new guardians, outrun a wheel of cheese, and leave the past buried in her dust.
Publisher: n/a
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9780735267497
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Hardcover
The Everybody Experiment
By Ramée, Lisa Moore
From the award-winning author of A Good Kind of Trouble, Lisa Moore Ramée, comes a hilarious and heartfelt young middle grade novel, in the vein of Judy Blume, about friendship, fitting in, and the ups and downs of middle school. Sure to resonate with fans of Rebecca Stead, Meg Medina, and Kelly Yang.Eleven-year-old Kylie's friends seem so much more mature than she is. And with middle school just a summer away, she's worried her friends might leave her behind, especially because she keeps embarrassing them.So Kylie applies her scientific brain to solve the problem and comes up with the Everybody Experiment:Hypothesis: Kylie Stanton will be mature if she does what everybody else does.Experiment: This summer, when all of Kylie's friends do something, she will do it too.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063039476
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Hardcover
Jasmine Is Haunted
By Oshiro, Mark
Jasmine Garza has a problem: a ghost has been following her for years, ever since her Papi died. Not that Mami will admit anything supernatural is going on. But even the ghost she won't acknowledge makes real trouble, so Jasmine and her mami are moving (again) to a new apartment in East Hollywood. This time Jasmine is committed to living a normal life with normal friends.. Enter: Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. They're the only two members of Jasmine's middle school's Gay Straight Alliance and they're already obsessed with all things supernatural. Bea wants to prove herself to her paranormal investigator parents and Jorge is determined to overcome his fear of the beyond. And when Jasmine confesses she's been tormented by a ghost for years, they not only believe her, they're thrilled! .
Publisher: n/a
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9781250337290
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Hardcover
The Long Way Around
By Nesbet, Anne
In an exciting wilderness adventure, three cousins are cut off from their parents by a huge earthquake - and must hike long and treacherous mountain trails back to safety, with only each other to rely on.. During a hiking trip with their parents in the mountains of California, cousins Owen, Vivian, and Amy are finally allowed to camp for one night at a little lake all on their own. But when a massive earthquake blocks their return path, there's only one way home: the long way around, through a wilderness filled with fierce animals, raging rivers, unstable weather, and high passes. The hardest challenges the cousins face, however, are the troubles they've brought with them: bold Vivian's fear of starting middle school and of changes she can't control, Owen's lingering emotional scars from a car accident, and Amy's desire to live in stories rather than in boring regular life.
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9781536234725
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Hardcover
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science
By Mckinnon, Kate
From beloved Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon comes a madcap new adventure about three sisters, a ravenous worm, and a mysterious mad scientist.. So, you want to be a young mad scientist. Congratulations! Admitting it is the first step. The second step is reading the (definitely true) tale of the Porch sisters ... Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch do not belong. They don't belong in the snooty town of Antiquarium, where all girls have to go to etiquette school and the only dog allowed is the bichon frise. They don't belong with their adoptive family, where all their cousins are named Lavinia and their Aunt has more brooches than books. And they certainly don't belong at Mrs. Wintermacher's etiquette school - they're far more interested in science.
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9780316554732
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Hardcover
All the Ways to Go
By Janowitz, Jessie
From the author of The Doughnut Fix comes another funny, heartfelt book about overcoming the fear of letting down the people you love and the amazing things that can come from a summer of nothing going your way. Milo Bloom, chess prodigy, has a secret: he doesn't want to play chess anymore. So he blows a major tournament on purpose instead of telling anyone. If no one knows he wants to quit, then no one can be disappointed. The problem is, winning that tournament was a ticket to chess camp, and the loss means his summer plans are shot. Enter Roxie, a girl he's never met, who shows up at his door to tell him he and his mom will be spending the summer at her house ... what? Surprise! Before Milo knows what's hit him, he's living at Roxie's house, where creepy cats rule, meat products are banned, and Roxie, who doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space, won't give him a second alone.
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9781728272504
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Hardcover
Library Girl
By Horvath, Polly
After living in the public library for the last eleven years, Essie must learn to adapt to a world that's not as perfect as the stories she's grown up with in this heartfelt middle grade novel from Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath.. Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children's department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there. . But now that she is eleven, Essie longs for a little more freedom . . . and maybe a friend her own age. She seems to get her wish when her moms let her go by herself to the mall. On her second trip there, she meets G.E., a mysterious boy who looks so much like her she can't help but think they may be twins.
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9780823455676
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Hardcover
The Girls of Skylark Lane
By Benway, Robin
National Book Award winner Robin Benway debuts a coming-of-age middle grade novel about friendships, family, and discovering the person you're meant to be. Babysitters Club meets The Sandlotwhen twin sisters join a ragtag neighborhood girls softball team at a time when growing up could mean growing apart. Aggie and Jac might be twin sisters, but lately they haven't felt the same about anything. While Jac is excited about their move to Los Angeles and a chance to seem cool and mysterious, Aggie is worried her new locker won't open, that Jac could make new friends without her, and that her friends from home will move on, leaving her all alone.When the first day at school ends with an invite to join the neighborhood softball team, Aggie jumps at the chance to meet the other girls, even if she has to drag Jac along, whose own interest in the softball team might have more to do with the captain's older brother .
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9780063311596
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Hardcover
Black Star
By Alexander, Kwame
The riveting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi's granddaughter, Charley, who's set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.You can't protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have. 12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee's Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South. Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big.
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9780316442596
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Hardcover
Wishbone
By Winans, Justine Pucella
Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren't careful what you wish for.. Ollie Di Costa wishes things could be different. . He wishes the bullies at school would leave him alone. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn't have to worry about things like paying for college. But most of all, he wishes he wasn't so angry about all of this. When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change-then suddenly, it does. Everything Ollie and Mia wish for comes true, and it's like all of their problems are solved. But magic comes at a price. Whatever they wish for is not simply given to them, but taken from others.
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9781547612574
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Hardcover
The Queen of Ocean Parkway
By Tash, Sarvenaz
An 11-year-old podcaster-turned-sleuth teams up with the new kid in the building to find their missing neighbor! A captivating adventure perfect for fans of When You Reach Me and Only Murders in the Building.. Eleven-year-old Roya is the superintendent's kid in her regal Brooklyn apartment building, so she knows pretty much everything there is to know about its residents. An aspiring reporter, she even hosts a secret podcast about the lives of the building's tenants. It's a good distraction from the problems in her own life. . But when Katya Petrov, one of her favorite tenants, goes missing, Roya discovers an eerie connection to Grandmother's Predictions, an antique fortune-telling machine at Coney Island. "Grandmother" has been linked to multiple disappearances in the Petrov family over the last century.
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9780593809785
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Hardcover
The Sherlock Society
By Ponti, James
In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle grade series from New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author James Ponti!. Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring) , lawn mowing (sweaty) , or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty) . Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe's retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases. The group's first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami.
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9781665932530
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Hardcover
Splinter & Ash
By Nijkamp, Marieke
"An essential middle grade fantasy where all readers will find heroes to love and to cheer!" - Alex London, author of Battle Dragons and The Princess Protection Program"Every kid deserves to see themselves as princesses or knights or whatever role they wish to play, and Nijkamp carves out the space for them to do so. Thoughtful, inclusive, and an outright joy, Splinter & Ash shines; a new classic that belongs on the shelves of every fantasy reader." - Nicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season and coeditor of This Is Our Rainbow"Splinter & Ash is a rare gem: a shining example of a fantasy novel that will engage readers of any age." - A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the EdgeNew York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's middle grade prose debut is an immersive medieval fantasy starring queer and disabled young heroes.
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9780063326262
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Hardcover
The Beautiful Game
By Méndez, Yamile Saied
A powerful story about family, futbol, and playing like a girl, perfect for fans of Front Desk, The Academy, and, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the award-winning author of Furia.. At thirteen years old, Valeria "Magic" Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades and an abuelo whose tough-love coaching and lessons about "strength and honor" have made her the star of the Overlords, the top boys' team in the state. But everything changes at the State Cup semi-final when Valeria gets her first period while Wearing. White. Shorts. After her team is unexpectedly eliminated, she goes from their secret weapon to their scapegoat. Soon, she doesn't have a team at all anymore. She's not sure she has a relationship with her grandfather either.
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9781643753980
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Hardcover
Glass
By Lasky, Kathryn
Newbery Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of the Guardians of Ga'Hooleseries Kathryn Lasky delivers an enchanting prequel to the Cinderella story from the perspective of a young fairy godmother.In a grand glass house, there was a girl named Bess whose power would, one day, change the fate of her family. . . Bess Wickham has always felt like a bit of an outcast among her family of extraordinary glassblowers, but then an immense, magical power that's lain dormant in her bloodline begins to emerge. So, when she suspects her family's business has taken a sinister turn, Bess must find the strength to defeat dark magic and save a certain cinder girl. But will she shatter under the weight of such evil or get her happily ever after? From Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky comes a captivating Cinderella companion, with enchanting spells and endearing animal friendships, reminding us that we have the power to forge our own happy endings.
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9780063294028
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Hardcover
Onyx & Beyond
By Mcbride, Amber
Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn't want to bring attention to his home -- if Child Protective Services finds out, they'll put him into foster care.. As he's trying to keep his life together, the Civil Rights Movement is accelerating. Is there anywhere that's safe for a young Black boy? Maybe, if only Onyx can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring space, where none of these challenges will follow him. In the meantime, Onyx can dream. And try to get his mom the help she needs.. Based on her own father's story of growing up in the 1960s and facing the same challenge with his own mother, award winner Amber McBride delivers another affecting depiction of being young and Black in America.
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9781250908780
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Hardcover
Kwame Crashes the Underworld
By Farmer, Craig Kofi
Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.. Twelve-year-old Kwame Powell isn't ready to deal with losing his grandmother, even as he and his family head to Ghana for her celebration of life ceremony. . He's definitely not ready when he's sucked into a magical whirlpool that leads straight to Asamando, the Ghanaian underworld. There, he comes face to face with his grandmother, who is very much alive, and somehow still...a kid? Together with his best friend, Autumn, and a talkative aboatia named Woo, Kwame must battle angry nature gods, and stop the underworld from destroying the land of the living.. But there's an even bigger problem: Only living souls can leave Asamando.
Publisher: n/a
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9781250900265
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Hardcover
The Serpent Rider
By Diño, Yxavel Magno
In this middle grade debut inspired by Filipino folklore, a spunky, determined warrior must claim her destiny in order to save her sister, perfect for fans of Witchlings and The Owl House.. Tani dreams of fulfilling her destiny as a Serpent Rider, fighting alongside an elemental serpent to defend her village against monsters. More than anything, she wants to protect her little sister Ligaya, the village princess who's tasked with memorizing their community's history, including the tale of Great Bakunawa, the most powerful and feared sea serpent that swallowed six of the world's seven moons.. After a devastating monster attack, Tani can no longer wait patiently for her bakunawa egg to hatch. She makes a desperate deal with a stranger who promises her a serpent of her own.
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9781547615131
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Hardcover
The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night
By Banbury, Steven
A spooky yet heartwarming adventure about one girl's journey into the land of the undead, and the unexpected family she finds along the way. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and the hit series Wednesday.
On Halloween, it is always wise to expect the unexpected, but no amount of planning could have prepared Eve for that particular night. Fleeing an unpleasant orphanage, she's saved by someone who she never believed was real ... the fabled Pumpkin King himself.
Throwing caution aside, Eve accepts the offer to become his daughter and is whisked away to the misty Hallowell Valley - home to witches and vampires, ghosts and goblins, and all that go bump in the night. But just when she believes she's found her place among the undead, a sinister scheme unearths itself, threatening to take everything from Eve unless she can stop it.
Publisher: n/a
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9780316572989
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Audiobook
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
By Ness, Patrick
From the best-selling author of A Monster Calls, this funny, wise middle-grade series explodesevery stereotype - including what it means to be a hero - in a brilliant reptilian take on surviving school.. When Principal Wombat makes monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia hall monitors, Zeke gives up on popularity at his new school. Brought in as part of a district blending program, the monitor lizards were mostly ignored before. Reptiles aren't bullied any more than other students, but they do stick out among zebras, ostriches, and elk. Why would Principal Wombat make them hall monitors? Alicia explains that it's because mammals are afraid of being yelled (hissed) at by reptiles. The principal's just a good general, deploying her resources. Zeke balks, until he gets on the wrong side of Pelicarnassus.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536235937
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Hardcover
Time Travelers
By Holub, Joan
Athena and her friends have a time traveling mishap in this thirtieth and final Goddess Girls adventure!. Athena can't believe it's almost her little sister Hebe's birthday ... or that it's been a year since Athena found herself at Mount Olympus Academy. It turns out Athena and her BFFs, the Goddess Girls, remember very different versions of Athena's first day at school. To see what really happened, they use a spell to travel back in time! The girls go back a year earlier but to ancient Rome instead of Greece - where they meet the Roman equivalents of themselves! With time running out for them to get back to Greece - and for Hebe's celebration! - can the Goddess Girls work with their new friends to find their way home?
Publisher: n/a
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9781665917827
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Hardcover
Gracie Under the Waves
By Park, Linda Sue
An empowering story from #1 New York Times bestseller and Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park starring a young snorkeling enthusiast who draws inspiration for fighting climate change from interacting with her pesty little brother. Snorkeling is the best! Gracie loves floating above underwater reefs, watching colorful fish dart in and out of the coral. She convinces her parents to let her plan a family vacation to Roatán, Honduras, where they can snorkel together. She even makes a new friend there. Now, if only her irritating little brother would leave her alone, everything would be perfect.. Things come to a screeching halt when Gracie hurts her leg, and all her carefully made plans start to come apart. Worse still, she learns the reef itself is in serious danger.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063346291
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Hardcover
When We Flew Away
By Hoffman, Alice
Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history's most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank's life before she went into hiding.Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for decades. Published posthumously by her bereaved father, Anne's journal, written while she and her family were in hiding during World War II, has become one of the central texts of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, as well as a work of literary genius.With the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Frank family's life is turned inside out, blow by blow, restriction by restriction. Prejudice, loss, and terror run rampant, and Anne is forced to bear witness as ordinary people become monsters, and children and families are caught up in the inescapable tide of violence.
Publisher: n/a
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9781338856941
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Hardcover
Camp Twisted Pine
By Burch, Ciera
Whispering Pines meets Small Spaces in this spooky middle grade novel about a girl whose first summer camp experience is disrupted by a menacing creature abducting her fellow campers.. Eleven-year-old Naomi loves all things outdoors - birds and beetles, bats and bunnies - in theory. She explores nature in the best possible way: the cold, hard facts in books. So when her parents' announcement of their impending divorce comes hand in hand with sending Naomi and her younger twin brothers to summer camp while they figure things out, it's salt in the wound for Naomi and her avoidance of hands-on experience. Camp Twisted Pine could be worse. The counselors are nice, and Naomi likes her cabinmates, especially Jackie, whose blunt personality and frank dislike of the camp draws Naomi in quickly.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665930574
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Hardcover
Westfallen
By Ann, Brashares
From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes an action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller that asks what it would be like to wake up in present-day America if Germany had won World War II.. Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school Frances got emo, Lukas went to private school, and Henry just felt left behind. When they come together again for the funeral of a pet gerbil, the three ex-friends make a mindblowing discovery: a radio, buried in Henry's backyard, that allows them to talk to another group of kids in the same town...in the same backyard...eighty years in the past. The kids in 1944 want to know about the future: Are there laser guns? Flying cars? Jetpacks, at least? Most of all, they want to know about the outcome of the world war their dad and brothers are fighting in.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665950817
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Hardcover
Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better
By Larsen, Mylisa
A fiercely independent nonconformist, Quagmire must recalibrate his formidable survival skills when his mother's unstable mental health forces him to build a new life and forge ties with found family. . Fans of Gary D. Schmidt and Rebecca Stead will cheer for Quagmire Tiarello, a boy who prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it's nothing he can't handle. He's used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different.. Then his mom disappears, and Quag is forced to find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had. Should he come clean about his mother's unstable mental health? Or can he bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? With wry humor and sharp insight, Mylisa Larsen captures the distinctive outlook of a young teen rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063324664
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Hardcover
Rosa by Starlight
By Mckay, Hilary
From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes an enchanting illustrated middle grade novel in the spirit of Matilda about a lonely orphan who dreams of escaping her ghastly aunt and uncle.. Rosa has always believed there is magic in the world. Or at least, she hopes there is. She lost her parents when she was four, and her aunt and uncle moved into her home not long after, transforming it from a messy place of love and warmth to a cold world of business. Their approach to family is as phony as the plastic grass they sell, keeping Rosa at arm's length and tucking her in at night by locking her in her room. Now eleven, Rosa's loneliness threatens to overwhelm her. Her only solace is the magic she sees around her, particularly in a cat named Balthazar who comes to - and through - her window.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665958103
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Hardcover
Puppet
By Almond, David
Writing in the tradition of Pinocchio, Hans Christian Anderson Award winner David Almond brings his ineffable touch to a warm and wistful story that shows anything is possible with imagination and trust.. "You're a mystery, aren't you, Puppet? But isn't everything a mystery? Not just you, but every single thing that exists."What should a puppet master do when he's old and alone and all his puppets are gone? Silvester decides to make one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he starts to walk . . . While Silvester shows Puppet the town, the playground, and other wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Silvester to make a new friend and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536239171
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Hardcover
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall
By Warga, Jasmine
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of A Rover's Story and Other Words for Home comes an extraordinary story about two friends, a ghost, a missing painting, and a turtle named Agatha. The perfect next read for fans of The Swifts, Kate DiCamillo, and Erin Entrada Kelly.A painting has been stolen ... !When Rami sees a floating girl in the museum, he knows he has seen her somewhere before. Then he realizes: She looks just like the girl in the painting that has gone missing. But how does her appearance connect to the theft?Agatha the turtle knows - she has been watching from the garden. But she can't exactly tell anyone ... can she?Will Rami, with the help of his classmate, Veda, be able to solve the mystery? The clues are all around them, but they'll have to be brave enough to really look.
Publisher: n/a
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9780062956705
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Hardcover
On a Wing and a Tear
By Smith, Cynthia L
A living legend roosting in the backyard. An unmissable game. A hair-raising mystery. A road trip full of adventure and danger. And all the overlapping circles that connect us throughout Creation.Melanie "Mel" Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations, but the friends have become like siblings since the Robertses moved in with the Halfmoons. And they soon welcome a distinguished guest: Great-grandfather Bat, whose wing is injured, has taken refuge in their old oak tree.A rematch of the legendary Great Ball Game is coming up, with Bat as the star player. Grampa Charlie Halfmoon offers to drive Bat from Chicago down to the traditional playing field outside Macon, Georgia, and Mel and Ray are determined to help out.Together, they all set off on a road trip - facing adventure, danger, and a hair-raising mystery - on the way to the historic game.
Publisher: n/a
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9780062870001
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Hardcover
When Wishes Were Horses
By Voigt, Cynthia
What would you wish for? In this young middle-grade novel by the Newbery Medal- and Newbery Honor-winning author, four kids in the same town are each granted two wishes. Full of magic, adventure, friendship, family, surprises, and lots of dogs, this is for readers who love Katherine Applegate and Sara Pennypacker.How do such things happen? Something appears, sudden as disaster. It wasn't there and now it is. An envelope arrives, in your mailbox, on your dinner table, your dresser, your computer keyboard. It's in your hand. You are alone when it finds you. No one else sees it, to ask about it or take it from you. There is only your name on the envelope. Inside, two pieces of pale gray tissue paper, each the size of a playing card, and simple instructions: ONE WISH AT A TIME WHISPER IT TO ME BE WISEMagic? Impossible.
Publisher: n/a
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9780062996923
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Hardcover
Cool Cat
By Taylor, Jazz
From the author of Meow or Never and Starting From Scratch, a story about friendship, anxiety, and internet culture.Nova doesn't lie -- she tells hopes for the future. That's why she tells her mom she got an A on her math quiz, even though she got a B. It's also why she doesn't tell her mom about her secret Instagram that she's almost old enough to have.When a viral video of her cat pushes her into the popular crowd, and next to her crush, Lily, Nova tells even more "hopes for the future" to try to fit in.The more lies she tells, the more everything spins out of control! Nova wants to come clean ... but will it mean losing everything?
Publisher: n/a
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9781339022307
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Hardcover
The Secret Dead Club
By Strong, Karen
The Baby-Sitters Club meets Stranger Things in this eerie middle grade novel about friendship, fitting in, and the afterlife, following a girl who discovers she's not the only one at her new school who can see ghosts.. Wednesday Thomas sees ghosts. But that doesn't mean she has to talk to them. After a terrifying experience in an Arizona state park with a wicked ghost, Wednesday and her mother Olivia sell their RV and move back south to the family home in Alton, Georgia. Wednesday's determined not to use her gift anymore - until she meets a group of girls who also know about the spirit realm. There's free-spirited Miki Okada and Southern belle Danni-Lynn Porter who seem to know about the ghosts who roam the school's hallways, popular girl Alexa Scott who tells Wednesday to stay away from Miki and Danni-Lynn and not draw attention to herself, and mysterious neighbor Violet Delgado who died last year but still haunts the house across the street.
Publisher: n/a
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9781665904506
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Hardcover
The Night Train
By Savaryn, Lorelei
The past has come calling in the town of Hush, and for one girl, that means facing her ghosts. Perfect for fans of the satisfyingly scary Small Spaces quartet!. Maddie Maverick likes to win. Whether it's track team races or one-liners she delivers on her parents' home renovation show, Maddie knows that if she puts in the work, she'll always come out on top. But things take a turn when her ghost-hunting nana passes away, and Maddie and her twin sister, Nat, discover that Nana left them an unexpected inheritance: They can now see ghosts just like she did.. While Nat is totally on board to try to help some spirits find peace, a ghostly calling is just not Maddie's speed. So when history comes back to haunt their town, and the story of a decades-old train crash rears its ugly head, Maddie wants nothing to do with the ghosts of days long gone.
Publisher: n/a
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9780593524183
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Hardcover
The Truth About 5th Grade
By Parisi, Mark
Charlotte "Charli" Wilson thought Alex Andropov would always be her best BFF in the whole wide world. From crushes to butterfly phobias to secret hidden blankies, there's never been a secret they couldn't share. Charli even showed Alex the supersecret hiding spot for her diary. But when school starts and Charli learns that Alex has betrayed her by sharing her biggest, most secretest secret, she realizes that maybe her bestie isn't so great after all.Meanwhile, Alex has no idea what he's done wrong. He doesn't know why Charli's not talking to him. He has no choice (right? RIGHT?) but to take her diary and try to correct the record. There's always two sides to the truth - especially in fifth grade.With hilarious illustrations and outrageous twists on every page, this is the perfect story for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Tapper Twins, and Invisible Emmie.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063038714
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Hardcover
The Creepening of Dogwood House
By Royce, Eden
The Walter Award Honor-winning author of Root Magic returns with a terrifying story in the Southern Gothic tradition, inspired by the hoodoo practice of hair burning.At night, Roddie still dreams of sitting at his mother's feet while she braids his Afro down. But that's a memory from before. Before his mom died in a tragic accident. Before he was taken in by an aunt he barely knows. Before his aunt brought him to Dogwood House, the creepiest place Roddie has ever seen. It was his family's home for over a hundred years. Now the house - abandoned and rotting, draped in Spanish moss that reminds him too much of hair - is his home too.Aunt Angie has returned to South Carolina to take care of Roddie and reconnect with their family's hoodoo roots. Roddie, however, can't help but feel lost.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063251403
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Audiobook
The Chainbreakers
By Randall, Julian
In this action-packed fantasy, thirteen-year-old Violet Moon must rescue her father and save her enchanted underwater world -- perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Tristan Strong series.. All Violet Moon has ever wanted is to be a Reaper captain like her father. Born on the Tides of the Lost, a magical world beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Violet has spent her life at her father's side rescuing souls lost in the water.. But when a rescue mission turns to disaster after the arrival of the dreaded Children of the Shark, weaponized ghost-sharks who steal the souls for themselves, her father is seized and pulled down into the darkness of the Depths. With no choice for Violet but to inherit the captain's powers and helm the ship as the next in line, it'll be up to her to save her father -- if he even still lives -- and stop the Children of the Shark before they devour the world.
Publisher: n/a
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9781250882028
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Hardcover
Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic
By Perry, Jamar J.
In this magical middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Amari and the Night Brothers, a shy boy must step up and become his own hero after his best friend disappears at a magical school. . Jaden and Elijah have been best friends since they were born. They're so close that Jaden doesn't even mind that he's constantly living in talented, high-achieving Elijah's shadow-well, he doesn't mind much.. But then Elijah disappears, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note asking for Jaden's help. The next day, Jaden is invited to attend Elijah's fancy private boarding school. Only, it turns out it's not a boarding school at all. It's a school for magic! Somehow, before Elijah vanished, he used his note to transfer part of his own magic into Jaden-a feat that is supposed to be impossible.
Publisher: n/a
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9781547612789
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Hardcover
Read at Your Own Risk
By Lai, Remy
Read at Your Own Risk is the illustrated sketch diary of a girl who is being haunted after a game goes terribly wrong and an evil spirit starts conversing with her on the page -- perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Steven Seagle's Camp Midnight.. Hannah and her friends were just having a bit of fun when they decided to play a game to communicate with spirits of the dead. Little did they know something would answer their call and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah's journal. What started out as a game has turned into something much more evil. With dire, horrifying consequences.. Is there any way to escape the curse?
Publisher: n/a
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9781250323354
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Hardcover
Buffalo Dreamer
By Duncan, Violet
An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author's family history Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom's family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she's running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children's graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on.
Publisher: n/a
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9780593624814
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Audiobook
The Swifts
By Lincoln, Beth
Shenanigan Swift is headed to Paris, where new mysteries and new relatives await. The hilarious, quick-witted sequel to Beth Lincoln's instant bestseller.. Now that the murderer has been caught and her family is safe, Shenanigan Swift can return her attention to important projects, like combing the lake bottom for the family treasure. But the routine won't last for long, because a new adventure is about to begin--in Paris. Shenanigan, Phenomena, and their uncle Maelstrom are off to France to unravel the mystery of a strange series of elaborately staged art museum heists.. The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues is the highly anticipated sequel to Beth Lincoln's celebrated debut, The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels. Beloved characters are back, joined by a fresh flock of relatives - the Martinets, the French branch of the Swift family tree.
Publisher: n/a
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9780593533260
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Hardcover
The Daggers of Ire
By Cervantes, J. C.
"A perfect blend of magic, humor, adventure, and heart!" - Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Percy Jackson and the OlympiansA rich and exciting new Latine middle grade fantasy about sisterhood, magic, and the power of kids to face what grown-ups refuse to see - by J. C. Cervantes, New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner seriesEsmerelda Santos is a rare bruja, born with Chaos magic in her veins. She and her family are direct descendants of one of the four original witches - a mysterious legend about the night magic was born in San Bosco. But since the death of her mother, Esme is more concerned about healing their father's spiraling grief.When Esme finds a heart spell in a forbidden grimorio, she thinks it could be the answer to making her dad whole again.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063312074
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Hardcover
The Science of Friendship
By Davis, Tanita S.
A friendship hypothesis - and one failed experiment - leads one girl to investigate the science of middle school friendship makeups and breakups in this hopeful and heartwarming story from Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says.Rylee Swanson is beginning eighth grade with zero friends.A humiliating moment at the end-of-seventh-grade pool party involving a cannonball, a waterlogged updo, and some disappearing clothes has Rylee halfway convinced she's better off without any friends - at least friends like those.The one question Rylee can't shake is . . . why? When a group assignment in journalism pairs Rylee with science geek DeNia Alonso, DeNia's annoyingly know-it-all, nerdy personality is both frustration and fuel to Rylee's search for answers.
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9780063284746
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Hardcover
Grow Up, Luchy Zapata
By Alessandri, Alexandra
A funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs - until sixth grade turns everything upside down.. Luchy Zapata is starting middle school, and she's muy excited. She and her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, will finally be at the same school. Luchy and Mateo will be in art class together, and she and Cami can try out for the same soccer team! As long as they're all together, Luchy can handle anything. But Cami has been acting weird ever since she got back from visiting family in Colombia. She's making new, "cool" friends who just seem mean. And suddenly, everything about Luchy and Mateo is too immature for her. Luchy is determined to help Cami remember how special their friendship is. They've been BFFs their whole lives, and that can't just disappear in a poof of glitter! But .
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9781665935968
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Hardcover
The Beanstalk Murder
By Bell, P. G.
The Beanstalk Murder - a middle grade fantasy novel by P. G. Bell - involves a young witch in training, her archenemy, the kingdom of giants, and a huge murder mystery!Anwen Sedge, a young Meadow Witch apprentice, lives in a rural village that hasn't seen giants since the Great Beanstalk War. So it's quite a surprise when one drops from the sky and squishes the village flat. It's an even bigger surprise when Anwen discovers that he was dead BEFORE he hit the ground. This is a murder! The only solution is for Anwen and her arch nemesis, Cerys (who's the best at High Magic and won't let anyone forget it) to send a plea for help to the giants' kingdom, using a magic beanstalk.. But the beanstalk backfires, shooting the two rivals into the giants' kingdom before crumbling to dust! There, they make a terrible discovery - the murdered giant was none other than the king.
Publisher: n/a
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9781250864840
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Paperback
The Skeleton Flute
By Allen, Damara
The legend of the Pied Piper meets Sal and Gabi Break the Universe with a touch of Coraline in this spooky and suspenseful middle grade adventure about a boy whose wish goes horribly wrong and his fight to reunite with his real family.. Sam Windsor's parents and younger siblings, Grayson and Addie, are his whole world, so when his parents announce they're separating, Sam is devastated. He'd do anything to make his parents change their minds and keep the family together. When a stranger offers a flute made of bone that supposedly grants the player's wish, Sam doesn't really believe it will work but figures he has nothing to lose. Surprisingly, the wish on the skeleton flute comes true. The next day, his parents are happily in love, with no plans for his dad to leave.
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9781665946605
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Hardcover
The Train of Dark Wonders
By Bell, Alex
Jump aboard for a journey to strange and spectacular lands ... . The magical must-read middle-grade novel from the bestselling author of THE POLAR BEAR EXPLORERS' CLUB and FROZEN CHARLOTTE. Bess has always loved her grandfather's collection of curiosities. So she's delighted when she's handed the keys to his Odditorium. But unless she finds a way to draw in the crowds, she'll have to close its doors for good.. When a mysterious train pulls into town, bound for The Land of Halloween Sweets, Bess hatches a plan and sneaks onboard. She is soon discovered by Beau the puppeteer, Louie the violinist and Maria the fire witch. Eager to join their adventure, Bess sets out to search for the rarest sweet of all - the ghostly gobstopper. . But the land is ruled by the fearsome Candymaker.
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9780861545988
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Hardcover
It Happened to Anna
By Mejia, Tehlor Kay
This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who's being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life. From the bestselling author of the Paola Santiago series!. "Absolutely haunting!" - Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine. Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost - a ghost that doesn't want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.. Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.. Which is why she's not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn't bother her for once.
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9780593647035
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Hardcover
A Bite Above the Rest
By Virnig, Christine
A boy moves to a Halloween-themed town only to realize there may be more to the tourist trap than meets the eye in this fast-paced romp of a middle grade novel perfect for fans of The Last Kids on Earth and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library!. When Caleb's mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom's hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween. Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders.
Reasons to Look at the Night Sky
By Daniel, le
A sensitive middle grade novel in verse about a space-obsessed girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut - and begins to see the world differently when a substitute teacher enters her orbit.. Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp.. But when Luna's teacher is unexpectedly replaced with a substitute, Ms. Manitowabi, who is looking to shake up science class by bringing in art, Luna's carefully laid plans are crushed. And that's not all that's shifting in Luna's life - changes at home and in her friendships have her feeling topsy-turvy.
Dork Diaries 16
By Russell, Rachel Renée
Annnnd she's back! The much-adored Nikki returns for her sixteenth Dork Diaries adventure and has to deal with...a bratty younger sister.
Thea and the Mischief Makers
By Badua, Tracy
In this magical adventure that's perfect for fans of Lisa Yee and Erin Entrada Kelly, star athlete Thea must face her worst fears when two mischievous duwendes, Filipino goblins, threaten to wreak havoc on her life - and destroy her town.Thea gets a chance to begin anew at Coastview Academy. There, she's a star athlete, someone with friends and popularity. But disaster strikes at Junior Stunt Warrior summer camp with her new friends: Her extremely uncool former best friend, Evan, shows up too, and she discovers that stunt class is the one activity she's not good at. Actually, it's something she's terrified of. It all reminds Thea of the shy, invisible version of herself she's determined to leave behind. Then, in the midst of building a practice obstacle course, Thea wrecks a tree that a pair of grumpy duwendes - Filipino goblins - call home.
Izzy Wong's Nose for News
By Chan, Marty
Key Selling PointsWhen Izzy Wong finds out the girls' bathroom was purposely flooded, she knows she's found the perfect subject for her podcast. But her drive to find the culprit and get listeners overtakes her journalistic ethics...and puts her podcast (and investigation) in jeopardy.Izzy Wong's Nose for News shows a middle grader learning about ethical journalism from firsthand experience and making missteps along the way; it's a great springboard for readers to think about the difference between news and gossip or truth and supposition.Shows how smarts and persistence really do pay off, but also how empathy is key to making the right choices.Podcasts are incredibly popular and readers will get some of the inside scoop on how to make one, down to Izzy's choice of audio recorder.
The Headless Doll
By Ford, Mike
From the author of The Lonely Ghost comes a chilling new tale about a vengeful ghost who wants her doll back -- or else.A headless doll. A deserted island. A haunted lighthouse. Twelve-year-old Jen's summer vacation is not going anything like she expected it to. She's staying with her Aunt Liv, who lives on an island off the coast of Maine. The island is mostly famous for its lighthouse, which is rumored to be haunted by a ghost. Aunt Liv is an artist who specializes in making one-of-a-kind dolls. She also runs a doll hospital so people send her their dolls from all over to repair.Jen notices some creepy things about the house, like flickering lights and something that sounds like faint whispering. Then one of the dolls that Jen has been helping her aunt work on is found broken.
Popcorn
By Harrell, Rob
The beloved author of Wink is back with a hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety on a day when everything is going wrong. Andrew's just trying to make it through Picture Day, which is easier said than done when it seems like the whole world is out to get him - from a bully to a science experiment gone wrong to a someone else's juice snot (don't ask) .. But as Andrew goes through the school day, and as one thing after another goes wrong, that little kernel of worry in his stomach is getting hotter and hotter, until it threatens to pop and turn into a public panic attack, his worst fear. He tries to keep his anxiety at bay, but the news that his grandmother with Alzheimer's is missing is too much.. Interspersed with humorous spot art and "anxiety file" panels that depict the real, difficult feelings of anxiety and OCD and real tips for coping, this is a poignant, personal, and laugh-out-loud funny story about letting go of control and accepting help - all while trying to get the perfect school picture.
Dungeon Runners
By Todd-stanton, Joe
A new action-packed series for fans of fantasy and RPG games!. CALLING ALL DUNGEON RUNNERS - There's space for a new team of heroes. This is your chance to enter the leagues and fight your way to the top! Kit has dreamed of being a Dungeon Runner all his life, although being a gnorf (part gnome, part dwarf) means he's much smaller than the other competitors. But when a space opens up for a new team in the Dungeon Running League, Kit doesn't want to miss this chance to try out! With his new friends Sandy and Thorn, they're ready to take on anything - mazes, puzzles, monsters, treasure, and most of all adventure! Are you ready for the games to begin? Welcome to the Dungeon!
Every Story Ever Told
By Polonsky, Ami
In this life-affirming novel of trauma and recovery, a girl searches for a path forward after being forced to confront the reality of gun violence, for fans of Dusti Bowling and Jasmine Warga. Stevie Jane Cohen-Kaplans sheltered suburban life is shattered by a mass shooting at a festival in her town. In the aftermath, her brain feels broken. She cant bear to visit her mom, recovering in the hospital under Stevies dads watchful eye, or to be pent up in her grandparents nearby Manhattan apartment. To escape the apartment and her own thoughts, Stevie starts adventuring around New York City with her best friend, Avi, and a new therapy dog (in training) . The trio starts chasing stories - about a neighbors life after the Holocaust, Stevies grandfathers who died of AIDS long before she was born, and even about her own moms activist upbringing. These stories may not bring Stevie all the way back to "normal," but can they help her find a new version of herself? Written with compassion and care, Every Story Ever Told places readers at the center of their own story and within a larger human tapestry, as one girl tries to make sense of the unthinkable.
Tale of the Flying Forest
By Romero, R. M.
A spellbinding and lyrical modern fairy tale about a girl who journeys to an enchanted world to find the twin she's never met, filled with lavish illustrations that bring the magic to life, perfect for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia.. After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she'll ever have are in The World to Come, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train as knights, and songs come to life. But even these stories can't stop Anne from feeling alone. So when a raven tells her that she has a long-lost twin brother named Rainer, she sets out to find him. Anne soon learns that Bei Ilai is a real place - and she must step through the door into this magical realm to seek her brother.
The Shape of Lost Things
By Everett, Sarah
From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called "one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever) " (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and "Powerful" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) ,comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father. Skye Nickson's world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It's been four years without Finn's jokes, four years without her father's old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn's birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them.
Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City
By Biddulph, Rob
Superstar, author and illustrator Rob Biddulph dazzles in Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City, the first title in an adventure series for children 8 . Fizzing with magic, danger, friendship and art, this exciting, funny, middle-grade debut is from the bestselling creative genius behind #DrawWithRob. . 'A wildly imaginative, big-hearted celebration of creativity' - Anna James, bestselling author of the Pages & Co seriesSome legends are born, some are drawn . . .. Drawing feels like magic to Peanut Jones. But art can't fix her problems. Her dad has gone missing, and she's stuck in a boring new school. Until the day she finds a unique pencil turbo-charged with special powers. Suddenly she's pulled into a world packed with more colour, creativity, excitement and danger than she could ever have imagined.
Still Sal
By Henkes, Kevin
A stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes's award-winning and acclaimed The Year of Billy Miller. With themes of family, friendship, and resilience, this very funny school story focuses on Billy's little sister, Sal, and her first day of school. For fans of Ramona, Ivy Bean, and Dory Fantasmagory. Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal's name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn't turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster.
Rougarou Magic
By Marsh, Rachel M.
After discovering that the creatures from Cajun folklore actually exist, Feliciana is torn between hiding her Southern heritage and starting fresh at her new school - all while caring for an unexpected magical friend. Rachel M. Marsh's debut novel is for fans of Tracey Baptiste's The Jumbies and Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw.Twelve-year-old Feliciana Fruge does not like Boston. If given the chance, she would gladly move herself and her mom from the freezing city right back to Grandma's house in Louisiana. Feliciana dreams of escaping her stepfather's corny jokes and bland food and the relentless bullying at school for "being poor" and having a Southern accent.So, when she transfers to a new school and has the chance to start fresh, Feliciana plans to be as un-Cajun as possible in order to blend in.
That Curious Thing
By Raschka, Chris
A delightful middle grade adventure by two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka about good, evil, and cats. Generously illustrated with black-and-white illustrations.When a twelve-year old girl named Cleo and her cat, Muffin, become the newest members of PURR (Peace Urgently Requires Reasonableness) , a secret society of cats fighting for peace, they aren't exactly sure what they're getting themselves into. Then, PURR discovers that KLAW (Cats Loving Awful Warfare) , an evil secret society of cats, is planning to send dogs to space for ransom. PURR tasks Cleo to infiltrate KLAW as a secret spy so together they can stop them. It will take the intelligence, confidence, and tenacity of a feline to save the world from KLAW's evil plans. Does Cleo have what it takes? Includes gorgeous black-and-white watercolors by two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka.
Monster Movie!
By Wendig, Chuck
In this hair-raising and hilarious novel by New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig, a boy must face his many fears to save his town from a cursed videotape - before "The Scariest Movie Ever Made" devours his friends and family.. Ethan Pitowski is afraid of everything. Luckily, his best friends don't mind, and when their entire class gets invited to watch a long-buried horror movie at the most popular boy in school's house, Ethan's friends encourage him to join in the fun. But when the "scariest movie ever made" reveals itself to be not just a movie about a monster, but a movie that is a monster, only a terrified Ethan escapes its clutches. Now he must find a way to stop the monster and save his friends (and also, um, get their heads back) .
Rise of the Spider
By Spradlin, Michael P.
Witness the chilling rise of Hitler's Germanythrough the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in this first book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.. 1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he's old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf's father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory.
Eyes on the Ice
By Rosner, Anna
In 1963, under the brutal Communist regime, two hockey-loving brothers must throw a game in a Soviet-Czech tournament to help their imprisoned father.Ten-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey, but it's 1963, and they live in Czechoslovakia, where the secret police (the "Eye") are constantly on the lookout for anyone committing crimes against the state -- whether that be reading a magazine about the NHL or saying anything negative about the Communist regime. Lukas's father works for a newspaper, and printing the truth is a dangerous activity.The family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. They learn to skate on a bumpy outdoor rink in a city park. And when their talent is noticed, they are encouraged to try out for a local youth league, where they are thrilled to play in a real arena for the first time.
Spirals and Stars
By Gordon, Kate
Its 1993. Beth McMaugh is eleven years old and about to start her final year of middle school. Her best friend since kindergarten is Ashlee, but Ashlee is changing. She wears surf brand clothes now, and watches teenage TV and knows all the words to all the songs by Girlfriend and Peter Andre. Beth is terrified of losing her when they get to senior school, but Ashlee assures her that grade six is going to be the best year ever. On the first day, though, Beth enters her new homeroom to find Ashlee sitting with Kristy, Abbi and Nikki - the popular girls. The mean girls. What is Beth going to do? Ashlee cant really want to be one of them. They must have trapped her into being part of their group, through some sort of heinous bribery. Beth has to save Ashlee, but how? Further complicating matters, there is a new kid in class - a strange, loud, smart kid from Brisbane, called Jools, who listens to Queen and is obsessed with science fiction and all things nerdy.
The Fairy Tale Fan Club
By Ayoade, Richard
What if you could send fan mail to your fairy tale idols? And what if they wrote back? "Happily ever after" takes on a new meaning in this book from actor-comedian-author Richard Ayoade and best-selling illustrator David Roberts. . It's once upon a time . . . as only the irreverently witty Richard Ayoade can tell it. In this series of letters organized by C. C. Cecily, Senior Secretary of the Fairy Tale Fan Club, the fairest of them all (and a few bitter foes) correspond with curious - and opinionated - fans. So if you've ever wondered how a less-than-genius (and less-than-clothed) emperor fell for a certain con, how the Big Bad Wolf is handling meatless Mondays, or whether Rapunzel recommends going for the big chop, no need to look far, far away.
The Best Friend Bracelet
By Collier, Nicole D.
A tender, funny story about making - and keeping - friends, perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski.At Hurston Middle School, best friendship is a big deal. And Zariah Brown makes the best best friendship bracelets in town. Business is booming; Zariah can hardly keep up with orders. The problem is, Zariah doesn't have a best friend of her own. As the entire seventh grade gears up for their big Pajama Jam weekend, it seems as if everyone else is paired up except her. So Zariah pours her heart and soul into making the ultimate friendship bracelet, using a set of beads gifted to her by a mysterious woman. But the bracelet turns out to be a tiny bit . . . magical. In fact, anyone who puts it on instantly becomes Zariah's best friend. Now all she has to do is find the perfect best friend and get the bracelet on them.
Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood
By Beatty, Robert
Robert Beatty, author of the Serafina Series, has crafted a brand-new story filled with mystery and adventure.. Thirteen-year-old Sylvia Doe has lived at the Highground Home for Children nearly all her life. Whenever the administrators try to place her with a foster family, she runs away--back to Mason, Highground's caretaker and her best friend. The only place she feels like she belongs is with him and the horses he has taught her to love.. When a powerful storm causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don't belong--everything's out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water.. As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from.
Chasing the Shy Town
By Mcgann, Erika
Senan uses his binoculars to spy out the Shy Town, a sweet little place on a hill, with winding streets and red and yellow roofs. Senan calls it the Shy Town because it often hides and is hard to find. He tells his next-door friend Joshua about the Shy Town, and they set off, with Senan's grandmother in a ramshackle wheelchair, to find this elusive place. Along the way they make friends with Paperboy. Who is, as you'd expect, a boy made of paper. With the help of a kruckle (a sort of Shy Town creature) that they meet on their journey, they find the Shy Town, only its real name is Perfection, because it is absolutely perfect.But all is not well in Perfection: the inhabitants are constantly worrying about making it more and more perfect. But since more perfect than perfect is an impossibility, they are constantly exhausted.
Mystery at the Biltmore
By Nelson, Colleen
The Biltmore in New York City is full of mysteries, and Elodie LaRue, a novice detective, plans to piece together the clues and solve the case of the missing jewels.Left behind by her globe-trotting detective parents once again, Elodie decides to prove she's worthy of joining them on a case by setting up her own detective agency at her renowned Upper West Side home, The Biltmore.When a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings mysteriously disappear from Mrs. Vanderhoff's apartment, Elodie is asked to solve the case. Elodie begins her investigation the way any good detective would, looking for clues and potential suspects. With twists, turns, and suspects galore, will Elodie be able to prove she has what it takes to solve a crime? Or will the LaRue Detective Agency fail on its first case? As Elodie, her dog Carnegie, and new friend Oscar (a self-proclaimed parkour master) delve deeper into the mystery, they encounter a quirky cast of characters, an array of clues, and a little bit of fun.
The Hotel Balzaar
By Dicamillo, Kate
In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales - and every moment is a story in the making. . At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta's mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly - like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel's wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story - in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order.
Hungry Bones
By Hung, Louise
A chilling middle grade novel about a girl haunted by a hungry ghost.Molly Teng sees things no one else can.By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the "zaps" are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely.The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she's been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She's a 'hungry ghost' reliant on the livings' food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition.Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade's house, nothing will ever be the same -- for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house -- before her hunger destroys them both.
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents
By Preto, Nicki Pau
A middle grade magic school fantasy perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and Witchlings, in which a girl with unparalleled power must work with her misfit classmates to save her new school. Lavinia "Vin" Lucas is out of control and out of options. Stranded by parents who would rather use their average magical abilities to study dung beetles than raise her, Vin's been on her own for years. But she's never been able to corral her own powerful, unpredictable magic. After years of detention, suspension, and expulsion from magic schools far and wide, she's now being sent to the Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents. If she gets expelled, it's the end of the line. Now, Vin is determined to behave. Except no one at Last Hope seems to want her to.
Deer Run Home
By Lezotte, Ann Clare
Effie is Deaf, and no one in her family speaks sign language, her language. This moving story of survival and found family, inspired by a true court case, is perfect for fans of Wonder and Out of My Mind."Will break your heart and then make it whole again." -- Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s"Ann Clare LeZotte is such a talent and deserves to be widely read!" -- Lisa Yee, author of the Newbery Honor book and National Book Award Finalist Maizy Chen's Last ChanceEffie and her older sister, Deja, have recently moved into their father's trailer after an incident at their mom's house. Daddy communicates with Effie by pointing, stomping on the floor, and making thoughtless jokes. Even if they did understand each other, could she tell the terrible secret she carries when telling feels impossible -- and dangerous?But what if telling is the only way to be seen?This tender, spare, emotionally charged story about the impact of abuse and the power of love explores what it feels like to be an outsider in your own family and to awaken -- through friendship, writing, and kinship with the natural world -- to a new understanding and appreciation of yourself.
Answers to Dog
By Hautman, Pete
National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a friendship like no other - and the universal truth that dogs make life better, especially for underdogs.. Evan doesn't seem to fit in at school or at home. He goes out of his way to avoid attention. He sits at the back of the bus, keeps his head down in class, and keeps to himself. But when a burr-covered border collie - a survivor with a gut instinct about the Boy - starts following him around and joining him on his runs, Evan's simple duck-and-dodge existence becomes a lot more complicated . . . a lot more like life. Evolving from wary companions to steadfast friends, Evan and the dog run fast and far together, thwart an abusive dog breeder and the school bully, and find the courage to stand up for themselves and to open up to those who matter most.
Make a Little Wave
By Cerra, Kerry O'malley
Swim with the current, or go against the flow?Savannah has been feeling out of place ever since her family moved to Sandy Dune, Florida. She finds it easier to make friends with animals than people. Plus, everyone in Sandy Dune seems to love spending time in the ocean, and Sav never feels comfortable leaving the shore.When her classmate Tanner invites her to the opening of his family's restaurant, Sav's excited -- until she's served a bowl of shark fin soup. Sav has always been scared of sharks, but she's horrified that they're inhumanely killed for this expensive delicacy. Especially as she learns more about these surprisingly gentle creatures and discovers that some shark species are being hunted to the point of endangerment. Tanner's family brushes off her concerns, but Sav resolves to stop them from serving the soup.
The Flicker
By Edgmon, H.e.
Perfect for fans of The Marrow Thieves, Hatchet and The City of Ember, H.E. Edgmon's middle grade debut offers a bittersweet tale of hope and survival, a modern classic for the climate change generation.One year ago, a solar flare scorched the Earth and destroyed life as we know it.. With their parents gone and supplies running dangerously low, step-sisters Millie and Rose only have one chance at survival: leave home with their infant half-brother and loyal dog Corncob in search of Millie's grandma, a Seminole elder. As they navigate the burning land with a group of fellow survivors, dodging The Hive, a villainous group that has spent the last year hoarding supplies and living in luxury, the siblings have to learn to rely on each other more than ever, and discover how to build a new life from the ashes.
The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition
By Cuevas, Adrianna
In Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Adrianna Cuevas's new spooky middle grade novel. Frani must fight to stop the undead from rising in her father's body-farm laboratory - that is, if she can embrace the true nature of her brain and its ADHD. No one has ever called Frani Gonzalez squeamish. Seriously, whether it's guts (no big deal) , bugs (move aside, she's got this) , or anything else that you might find at the Central Texas Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, to her and her dad, the university's body farm is just home.Having bodies buried in her backyard doesn't exactly make Frani the most popular kid in school, and the imaginary spider that lives in a web in her brain isn't helping either. Arañita's always to blame for the distracted thoughts weaving through Frani's mind.
A Two-Placed Heart
By Nguyen, Doan Phuong
Afraid her sister (and maybe even herself) could lose sight of their Vietnamese identity, twelve-year-old Bom writes a poetic memoir to help them both remember--a love letter in verse to sisterhood and the places we leave behind. Bom can't believe that her sister doesn't see herself as Vietnamese, only American. She says she doesn't remember Vietnam or their lives there, their family there, their house and friends. How could her sister forget the terrible journey through Saigon and the airplanes and... everything? And what about Bom? She remembers now, but how long will she keep her memories? She always found comfort in the sound of her father's typewriter. Clickity-clack, clickity-clack. So she has an idea. She'll write down all that she can remember: the time when her father was a spy, when her mother was nicknamed a "radio," when they were so hungry Bom couldn't walk well, when the family all said goodbye.
Wish Monster
By White, J. A.
From J. A. White, the acclaimed author of Nightbooks, comes another spine-chilling stand-alone middle grade horror novel about a pair of friends who discover a strange creature in a cave that can make any wish come true - including bringing the dead back to life.In the darkness, something opened its eyes.The town of Haywood, New Jersey, has a secret. A wish monster.Violet Park discovered its cave by accident, and the wish monster granted her deepest desire by bringing her dog Midnight back to life. It even erased everyone's memory of his death. Life was perfect. But then an unremarkable boy named Hudson Causeway somehow remembered Midnight had died. That scared Violet. What if he ruined everything? Even worse, what if the wish monster wasn't as innocent as it seemed?Deep down, Violet knew: No wishes are made without consequences, and every monster needs to be fed.
Tig
By Smith, Heather
A new, heartwarming middle-grade story from the critically acclaimed author Heather Smith featuring Tig, a young girl struggling to find peace within herself and in her new family. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.. After months of living without electricity or parents, Tig and Peter are forced to move in with their Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny. The transition from down-and-out to picture-perfect isn't easy, especially in pristine Wensleydale with the idyllic couple and their beautiful home.. Tig, with Peter's support, decides to make their new life messy, starting with daily arguments and her plans to become a competitive cheese racer. She'll run circles around her new guardians, outrun a wheel of cheese, and leave the past buried in her dust.
The Everybody Experiment
By Ramée, Lisa Moore
From the award-winning author of A Good Kind of Trouble, Lisa Moore Ramée, comes a hilarious and heartfelt young middle grade novel, in the vein of Judy Blume, about friendship, fitting in, and the ups and downs of middle school. Sure to resonate with fans of Rebecca Stead, Meg Medina, and Kelly Yang.Eleven-year-old Kylie's friends seem so much more mature than she is. And with middle school just a summer away, she's worried her friends might leave her behind, especially because she keeps embarrassing them.So Kylie applies her scientific brain to solve the problem and comes up with the Everybody Experiment:Hypothesis: Kylie Stanton will be mature if she does what everybody else does.Experiment: This summer, when all of Kylie's friends do something, she will do it too.
Jasmine Is Haunted
By Oshiro, Mark
Jasmine Garza has a problem: a ghost has been following her for years, ever since her Papi died. Not that Mami will admit anything supernatural is going on. But even the ghost she won't acknowledge makes real trouble, so Jasmine and her mami are moving (again) to a new apartment in East Hollywood. This time Jasmine is committed to living a normal life with normal friends.. Enter: Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. They're the only two members of Jasmine's middle school's Gay Straight Alliance and they're already obsessed with all things supernatural. Bea wants to prove herself to her paranormal investigator parents and Jorge is determined to overcome his fear of the beyond. And when Jasmine confesses she's been tormented by a ghost for years, they not only believe her, they're thrilled! .
The Long Way Around
By Nesbet, Anne
In an exciting wilderness adventure, three cousins are cut off from their parents by a huge earthquake - and must hike long and treacherous mountain trails back to safety, with only each other to rely on.. During a hiking trip with their parents in the mountains of California, cousins Owen, Vivian, and Amy are finally allowed to camp for one night at a little lake all on their own. But when a massive earthquake blocks their return path, there's only one way home: the long way around, through a wilderness filled with fierce animals, raging rivers, unstable weather, and high passes. The hardest challenges the cousins face, however, are the troubles they've brought with them: bold Vivian's fear of starting middle school and of changes she can't control, Owen's lingering emotional scars from a car accident, and Amy's desire to live in stories rather than in boring regular life.
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science
By Mckinnon, Kate
From beloved Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon comes a madcap new adventure about three sisters, a ravenous worm, and a mysterious mad scientist.. So, you want to be a young mad scientist. Congratulations! Admitting it is the first step. The second step is reading the (definitely true) tale of the Porch sisters ... Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch do not belong. They don't belong in the snooty town of Antiquarium, where all girls have to go to etiquette school and the only dog allowed is the bichon frise. They don't belong with their adoptive family, where all their cousins are named Lavinia and their Aunt has more brooches than books. And they certainly don't belong at Mrs. Wintermacher's etiquette school - they're far more interested in science.
All the Ways to Go
By Janowitz, Jessie
From the author of The Doughnut Fix comes another funny, heartfelt book about overcoming the fear of letting down the people you love and the amazing things that can come from a summer of nothing going your way. Milo Bloom, chess prodigy, has a secret: he doesn't want to play chess anymore. So he blows a major tournament on purpose instead of telling anyone. If no one knows he wants to quit, then no one can be disappointed. The problem is, winning that tournament was a ticket to chess camp, and the loss means his summer plans are shot. Enter Roxie, a girl he's never met, who shows up at his door to tell him he and his mom will be spending the summer at her house ... what? Surprise! Before Milo knows what's hit him, he's living at Roxie's house, where creepy cats rule, meat products are banned, and Roxie, who doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space, won't give him a second alone.
Library Girl
By Horvath, Polly
After living in the public library for the last eleven years, Essie must learn to adapt to a world that's not as perfect as the stories she's grown up with in this heartfelt middle grade novel from Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath.. Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children's department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there. . But now that she is eleven, Essie longs for a little more freedom . . . and maybe a friend her own age. She seems to get her wish when her moms let her go by herself to the mall. On her second trip there, she meets G.E., a mysterious boy who looks so much like her she can't help but think they may be twins.
The Girls of Skylark Lane
By Benway, Robin
National Book Award winner Robin Benway debuts a coming-of-age middle grade novel about friendships, family, and discovering the person you're meant to be. Babysitters Club meets The Sandlotwhen twin sisters join a ragtag neighborhood girls softball team at a time when growing up could mean growing apart. Aggie and Jac might be twin sisters, but lately they haven't felt the same about anything. While Jac is excited about their move to Los Angeles and a chance to seem cool and mysterious, Aggie is worried her new locker won't open, that Jac could make new friends without her, and that her friends from home will move on, leaving her all alone.When the first day at school ends with an invite to join the neighborhood softball team, Aggie jumps at the chance to meet the other girls, even if she has to drag Jac along, whose own interest in the softball team might have more to do with the captain's older brother .
Black Star
By Alexander, Kwame
The riveting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi's granddaughter, Charley, who's set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.You can't protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have. 12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee's Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South. Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big.
Wishbone
By Winans, Justine Pucella
Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren't careful what you wish for.. Ollie Di Costa wishes things could be different. . He wishes the bullies at school would leave him alone. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn't have to worry about things like paying for college. But most of all, he wishes he wasn't so angry about all of this. When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change-then suddenly, it does. Everything Ollie and Mia wish for comes true, and it's like all of their problems are solved. But magic comes at a price. Whatever they wish for is not simply given to them, but taken from others.
The Queen of Ocean Parkway
By Tash, Sarvenaz
An 11-year-old podcaster-turned-sleuth teams up with the new kid in the building to find their missing neighbor! A captivating adventure perfect for fans of When You Reach Me and Only Murders in the Building.. Eleven-year-old Roya is the superintendent's kid in her regal Brooklyn apartment building, so she knows pretty much everything there is to know about its residents. An aspiring reporter, she even hosts a secret podcast about the lives of the building's tenants. It's a good distraction from the problems in her own life. . But when Katya Petrov, one of her favorite tenants, goes missing, Roya discovers an eerie connection to Grandmother's Predictions, an antique fortune-telling machine at Coney Island. "Grandmother" has been linked to multiple disappearances in the Petrov family over the last century.
The Sherlock Society
By Ponti, James
In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle grade series from New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author James Ponti!. Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring) , lawn mowing (sweaty) , or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty) . Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe's retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases. The group's first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami.
Splinter & Ash
By Nijkamp, Marieke
"An essential middle grade fantasy where all readers will find heroes to love and to cheer!" - Alex London, author of Battle Dragons and The Princess Protection Program"Every kid deserves to see themselves as princesses or knights or whatever role they wish to play, and Nijkamp carves out the space for them to do so. Thoughtful, inclusive, and an outright joy, Splinter & Ash shines; a new classic that belongs on the shelves of every fantasy reader." - Nicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season and coeditor of This Is Our Rainbow"Splinter & Ash is a rare gem: a shining example of a fantasy novel that will engage readers of any age." - A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the EdgeNew York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's middle grade prose debut is an immersive medieval fantasy starring queer and disabled young heroes.
The Beautiful Game
By Méndez, Yamile Saied
A powerful story about family, futbol, and playing like a girl, perfect for fans of Front Desk, The Academy, and, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the award-winning author of Furia.. At thirteen years old, Valeria "Magic" Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades and an abuelo whose tough-love coaching and lessons about "strength and honor" have made her the star of the Overlords, the top boys' team in the state. But everything changes at the State Cup semi-final when Valeria gets her first period while Wearing. White. Shorts. After her team is unexpectedly eliminated, she goes from their secret weapon to their scapegoat. Soon, she doesn't have a team at all anymore. She's not sure she has a relationship with her grandfather either.
Glass
By Lasky, Kathryn
Newbery Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of the Guardians of Ga'Hooleseries Kathryn Lasky delivers an enchanting prequel to the Cinderella story from the perspective of a young fairy godmother.In a grand glass house, there was a girl named Bess whose power would, one day, change the fate of her family. . . Bess Wickham has always felt like a bit of an outcast among her family of extraordinary glassblowers, but then an immense, magical power that's lain dormant in her bloodline begins to emerge. So, when she suspects her family's business has taken a sinister turn, Bess must find the strength to defeat dark magic and save a certain cinder girl. But will she shatter under the weight of such evil or get her happily ever after? From Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky comes a captivating Cinderella companion, with enchanting spells and endearing animal friendships, reminding us that we have the power to forge our own happy endings.
Onyx & Beyond
By Mcbride, Amber
Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn't want to bring attention to his home -- if Child Protective Services finds out, they'll put him into foster care.. As he's trying to keep his life together, the Civil Rights Movement is accelerating. Is there anywhere that's safe for a young Black boy? Maybe, if only Onyx can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring space, where none of these challenges will follow him. In the meantime, Onyx can dream. And try to get his mom the help she needs.. Based on her own father's story of growing up in the 1960s and facing the same challenge with his own mother, award winner Amber McBride delivers another affecting depiction of being young and Black in America.
Kwame Crashes the Underworld
By Farmer, Craig Kofi
Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.. Twelve-year-old Kwame Powell isn't ready to deal with losing his grandmother, even as he and his family head to Ghana for her celebration of life ceremony. . He's definitely not ready when he's sucked into a magical whirlpool that leads straight to Asamando, the Ghanaian underworld. There, he comes face to face with his grandmother, who is very much alive, and somehow still...a kid? Together with his best friend, Autumn, and a talkative aboatia named Woo, Kwame must battle angry nature gods, and stop the underworld from destroying the land of the living.. But there's an even bigger problem: Only living souls can leave Asamando.
The Serpent Rider
By Diño, Yxavel Magno
In this middle grade debut inspired by Filipino folklore, a spunky, determined warrior must claim her destiny in order to save her sister, perfect for fans of Witchlings and The Owl House.. Tani dreams of fulfilling her destiny as a Serpent Rider, fighting alongside an elemental serpent to defend her village against monsters. More than anything, she wants to protect her little sister Ligaya, the village princess who's tasked with memorizing their community's history, including the tale of Great Bakunawa, the most powerful and feared sea serpent that swallowed six of the world's seven moons.. After a devastating monster attack, Tani can no longer wait patiently for her bakunawa egg to hatch. She makes a desperate deal with a stranger who promises her a serpent of her own.
The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night
By Banbury, Steven
A spooky yet heartwarming adventure about one girl's journey into the land of the undead, and the unexpected family she finds along the way. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and the hit series Wednesday. On Halloween, it is always wise to expect the unexpected, but no amount of planning could have prepared Eve for that particular night. Fleeing an unpleasant orphanage, she's saved by someone who she never believed was real ... the fabled Pumpkin King himself. Throwing caution aside, Eve accepts the offer to become his daughter and is whisked away to the misty Hallowell Valley - home to witches and vampires, ghosts and goblins, and all that go bump in the night. But just when she believes she's found her place among the undead, a sinister scheme unearths itself, threatening to take everything from Eve unless she can stop it.
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
By Ness, Patrick
From the best-selling author of A Monster Calls, this funny, wise middle-grade series explodesevery stereotype - including what it means to be a hero - in a brilliant reptilian take on surviving school.. When Principal Wombat makes monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia hall monitors, Zeke gives up on popularity at his new school. Brought in as part of a district blending program, the monitor lizards were mostly ignored before. Reptiles aren't bullied any more than other students, but they do stick out among zebras, ostriches, and elk. Why would Principal Wombat make them hall monitors? Alicia explains that it's because mammals are afraid of being yelled (hissed) at by reptiles. The principal's just a good general, deploying her resources. Zeke balks, until he gets on the wrong side of Pelicarnassus.
Time Travelers
By Holub, Joan
Athena and her friends have a time traveling mishap in this thirtieth and final Goddess Girls adventure!. Athena can't believe it's almost her little sister Hebe's birthday ... or that it's been a year since Athena found herself at Mount Olympus Academy. It turns out Athena and her BFFs, the Goddess Girls, remember very different versions of Athena's first day at school. To see what really happened, they use a spell to travel back in time! The girls go back a year earlier but to ancient Rome instead of Greece - where they meet the Roman equivalents of themselves! With time running out for them to get back to Greece - and for Hebe's celebration! - can the Goddess Girls work with their new friends to find their way home?
Gracie Under the Waves
By Park, Linda Sue
An empowering story from #1 New York Times bestseller and Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park starring a young snorkeling enthusiast who draws inspiration for fighting climate change from interacting with her pesty little brother. Snorkeling is the best! Gracie loves floating above underwater reefs, watching colorful fish dart in and out of the coral. She convinces her parents to let her plan a family vacation to Roatán, Honduras, where they can snorkel together. She even makes a new friend there. Now, if only her irritating little brother would leave her alone, everything would be perfect.. Things come to a screeching halt when Gracie hurts her leg, and all her carefully made plans start to come apart. Worse still, she learns the reef itself is in serious danger.
When We Flew Away
By Hoffman, Alice
Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history's most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank's life before she went into hiding.Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for decades. Published posthumously by her bereaved father, Anne's journal, written while she and her family were in hiding during World War II, has become one of the central texts of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, as well as a work of literary genius.With the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Frank family's life is turned inside out, blow by blow, restriction by restriction. Prejudice, loss, and terror run rampant, and Anne is forced to bear witness as ordinary people become monsters, and children and families are caught up in the inescapable tide of violence.
Camp Twisted Pine
By Burch, Ciera
Whispering Pines meets Small Spaces in this spooky middle grade novel about a girl whose first summer camp experience is disrupted by a menacing creature abducting her fellow campers.. Eleven-year-old Naomi loves all things outdoors - birds and beetles, bats and bunnies - in theory. She explores nature in the best possible way: the cold, hard facts in books. So when her parents' announcement of their impending divorce comes hand in hand with sending Naomi and her younger twin brothers to summer camp while they figure things out, it's salt in the wound for Naomi and her avoidance of hands-on experience. Camp Twisted Pine could be worse. The counselors are nice, and Naomi likes her cabinmates, especially Jackie, whose blunt personality and frank dislike of the camp draws Naomi in quickly.
Westfallen
By Ann, Brashares
From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes an action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller that asks what it would be like to wake up in present-day America if Germany had won World War II.. Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school Frances got emo, Lukas went to private school, and Henry just felt left behind. When they come together again for the funeral of a pet gerbil, the three ex-friends make a mindblowing discovery: a radio, buried in Henry's backyard, that allows them to talk to another group of kids in the same town...in the same backyard...eighty years in the past. The kids in 1944 want to know about the future: Are there laser guns? Flying cars? Jetpacks, at least? Most of all, they want to know about the outcome of the world war their dad and brothers are fighting in.
Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better
By Larsen, Mylisa
A fiercely independent nonconformist, Quagmire must recalibrate his formidable survival skills when his mother's unstable mental health forces him to build a new life and forge ties with found family. . Fans of Gary D. Schmidt and Rebecca Stead will cheer for Quagmire Tiarello, a boy who prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it's nothing he can't handle. He's used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different.. Then his mom disappears, and Quag is forced to find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had. Should he come clean about his mother's unstable mental health? Or can he bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? With wry humor and sharp insight, Mylisa Larsen captures the distinctive outlook of a young teen rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.
Rosa by Starlight
By Mckay, Hilary
From award-winning author Hilary McKay comes an enchanting illustrated middle grade novel in the spirit of Matilda about a lonely orphan who dreams of escaping her ghastly aunt and uncle.. Rosa has always believed there is magic in the world. Or at least, she hopes there is. She lost her parents when she was four, and her aunt and uncle moved into her home not long after, transforming it from a messy place of love and warmth to a cold world of business. Their approach to family is as phony as the plastic grass they sell, keeping Rosa at arm's length and tucking her in at night by locking her in her room. Now eleven, Rosa's loneliness threatens to overwhelm her. Her only solace is the magic she sees around her, particularly in a cat named Balthazar who comes to - and through - her window.
Puppet
By Almond, David
Writing in the tradition of Pinocchio, Hans Christian Anderson Award winner David Almond brings his ineffable touch to a warm and wistful story that shows anything is possible with imagination and trust.. "You're a mystery, aren't you, Puppet? But isn't everything a mystery? Not just you, but every single thing that exists."What should a puppet master do when he's old and alone and all his puppets are gone? Silvester decides to make one last puppet. But this one is different. When the old man speaks to him, Puppet speaks back. And then he starts to walk . . . While Silvester shows Puppet the town, the playground, and other wonders the world holds, Puppet in turn helps Silvester to make a new friend and share his puppet-making skills with the next generation.
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall
By Warga, Jasmine
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of A Rover's Story and Other Words for Home comes an extraordinary story about two friends, a ghost, a missing painting, and a turtle named Agatha. The perfect next read for fans of The Swifts, Kate DiCamillo, and Erin Entrada Kelly.A painting has been stolen ... !When Rami sees a floating girl in the museum, he knows he has seen her somewhere before. Then he realizes: She looks just like the girl in the painting that has gone missing. But how does her appearance connect to the theft?Agatha the turtle knows - she has been watching from the garden. But she can't exactly tell anyone ... can she?Will Rami, with the help of his classmate, Veda, be able to solve the mystery? The clues are all around them, but they'll have to be brave enough to really look.
On a Wing and a Tear
By Smith, Cynthia L
A living legend roosting in the backyard. An unmissable game. A hair-raising mystery. A road trip full of adventure and danger. And all the overlapping circles that connect us throughout Creation.Melanie "Mel" Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations, but the friends have become like siblings since the Robertses moved in with the Halfmoons. And they soon welcome a distinguished guest: Great-grandfather Bat, whose wing is injured, has taken refuge in their old oak tree.A rematch of the legendary Great Ball Game is coming up, with Bat as the star player. Grampa Charlie Halfmoon offers to drive Bat from Chicago down to the traditional playing field outside Macon, Georgia, and Mel and Ray are determined to help out.Together, they all set off on a road trip - facing adventure, danger, and a hair-raising mystery - on the way to the historic game.
When Wishes Were Horses
By Voigt, Cynthia
What would you wish for? In this young middle-grade novel by the Newbery Medal- and Newbery Honor-winning author, four kids in the same town are each granted two wishes. Full of magic, adventure, friendship, family, surprises, and lots of dogs, this is for readers who love Katherine Applegate and Sara Pennypacker.How do such things happen? Something appears, sudden as disaster. It wasn't there and now it is. An envelope arrives, in your mailbox, on your dinner table, your dresser, your computer keyboard. It's in your hand. You are alone when it finds you. No one else sees it, to ask about it or take it from you. There is only your name on the envelope. Inside, two pieces of pale gray tissue paper, each the size of a playing card, and simple instructions: ONE WISH AT A TIME WHISPER IT TO ME BE WISEMagic? Impossible.
Cool Cat
By Taylor, Jazz
From the author of Meow or Never and Starting From Scratch, a story about friendship, anxiety, and internet culture.Nova doesn't lie -- she tells hopes for the future. That's why she tells her mom she got an A on her math quiz, even though she got a B. It's also why she doesn't tell her mom about her secret Instagram that she's almost old enough to have.When a viral video of her cat pushes her into the popular crowd, and next to her crush, Lily, Nova tells even more "hopes for the future" to try to fit in.The more lies she tells, the more everything spins out of control! Nova wants to come clean ... but will it mean losing everything?
The Secret Dead Club
By Strong, Karen
The Baby-Sitters Club meets Stranger Things in this eerie middle grade novel about friendship, fitting in, and the afterlife, following a girl who discovers she's not the only one at her new school who can see ghosts.. Wednesday Thomas sees ghosts. But that doesn't mean she has to talk to them. After a terrifying experience in an Arizona state park with a wicked ghost, Wednesday and her mother Olivia sell their RV and move back south to the family home in Alton, Georgia. Wednesday's determined not to use her gift anymore - until she meets a group of girls who also know about the spirit realm. There's free-spirited Miki Okada and Southern belle Danni-Lynn Porter who seem to know about the ghosts who roam the school's hallways, popular girl Alexa Scott who tells Wednesday to stay away from Miki and Danni-Lynn and not draw attention to herself, and mysterious neighbor Violet Delgado who died last year but still haunts the house across the street.
The Night Train
By Savaryn, Lorelei
The past has come calling in the town of Hush, and for one girl, that means facing her ghosts. Perfect for fans of the satisfyingly scary Small Spaces quartet!. Maddie Maverick likes to win. Whether it's track team races or one-liners she delivers on her parents' home renovation show, Maddie knows that if she puts in the work, she'll always come out on top. But things take a turn when her ghost-hunting nana passes away, and Maddie and her twin sister, Nat, discover that Nana left them an unexpected inheritance: They can now see ghosts just like she did.. While Nat is totally on board to try to help some spirits find peace, a ghostly calling is just not Maddie's speed. So when history comes back to haunt their town, and the story of a decades-old train crash rears its ugly head, Maddie wants nothing to do with the ghosts of days long gone.
The Truth About 5th Grade
By Parisi, Mark
Charlotte "Charli" Wilson thought Alex Andropov would always be her best BFF in the whole wide world. From crushes to butterfly phobias to secret hidden blankies, there's never been a secret they couldn't share. Charli even showed Alex the supersecret hiding spot for her diary. But when school starts and Charli learns that Alex has betrayed her by sharing her biggest, most secretest secret, she realizes that maybe her bestie isn't so great after all.Meanwhile, Alex has no idea what he's done wrong. He doesn't know why Charli's not talking to him. He has no choice (right? RIGHT?) but to take her diary and try to correct the record. There's always two sides to the truth - especially in fifth grade.With hilarious illustrations and outrageous twists on every page, this is the perfect story for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Tapper Twins, and Invisible Emmie.
The Creepening of Dogwood House
By Royce, Eden
The Walter Award Honor-winning author of Root Magic returns with a terrifying story in the Southern Gothic tradition, inspired by the hoodoo practice of hair burning.At night, Roddie still dreams of sitting at his mother's feet while she braids his Afro down. But that's a memory from before. Before his mom died in a tragic accident. Before he was taken in by an aunt he barely knows. Before his aunt brought him to Dogwood House, the creepiest place Roddie has ever seen. It was his family's home for over a hundred years. Now the house - abandoned and rotting, draped in Spanish moss that reminds him too much of hair - is his home too.Aunt Angie has returned to South Carolina to take care of Roddie and reconnect with their family's hoodoo roots. Roddie, however, can't help but feel lost.
The Chainbreakers
By Randall, Julian
In this action-packed fantasy, thirteen-year-old Violet Moon must rescue her father and save her enchanted underwater world -- perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Tristan Strong series.. All Violet Moon has ever wanted is to be a Reaper captain like her father. Born on the Tides of the Lost, a magical world beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Violet has spent her life at her father's side rescuing souls lost in the water.. But when a rescue mission turns to disaster after the arrival of the dreaded Children of the Shark, weaponized ghost-sharks who steal the souls for themselves, her father is seized and pulled down into the darkness of the Depths. With no choice for Violet but to inherit the captain's powers and helm the ship as the next in line, it'll be up to her to save her father -- if he even still lives -- and stop the Children of the Shark before they devour the world.
Jaden Powers and the Inheritance Magic
By Perry, Jamar J.
In this magical middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Amari and the Night Brothers, a shy boy must step up and become his own hero after his best friend disappears at a magical school. . Jaden and Elijah have been best friends since they were born. They're so close that Jaden doesn't even mind that he's constantly living in talented, high-achieving Elijah's shadow-well, he doesn't mind much.. But then Elijah disappears, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note asking for Jaden's help. The next day, Jaden is invited to attend Elijah's fancy private boarding school. Only, it turns out it's not a boarding school at all. It's a school for magic! Somehow, before Elijah vanished, he used his note to transfer part of his own magic into Jaden-a feat that is supposed to be impossible.
Read at Your Own Risk
By Lai, Remy
Read at Your Own Risk is the illustrated sketch diary of a girl who is being haunted after a game goes terribly wrong and an evil spirit starts conversing with her on the page -- perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Steven Seagle's Camp Midnight.. Hannah and her friends were just having a bit of fun when they decided to play a game to communicate with spirits of the dead. Little did they know something would answer their call and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah's journal. What started out as a game has turned into something much more evil. With dire, horrifying consequences.. Is there any way to escape the curse?
Buffalo Dreamer
By Duncan, Violet
An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author's family history Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom's family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she's running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children's graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on.
The Swifts
By Lincoln, Beth
Shenanigan Swift is headed to Paris, where new mysteries and new relatives await. The hilarious, quick-witted sequel to Beth Lincoln's instant bestseller.. Now that the murderer has been caught and her family is safe, Shenanigan Swift can return her attention to important projects, like combing the lake bottom for the family treasure. But the routine won't last for long, because a new adventure is about to begin--in Paris. Shenanigan, Phenomena, and their uncle Maelstrom are off to France to unravel the mystery of a strange series of elaborately staged art museum heists.. The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues is the highly anticipated sequel to Beth Lincoln's celebrated debut, The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels. Beloved characters are back, joined by a fresh flock of relatives - the Martinets, the French branch of the Swift family tree.
The Daggers of Ire
By Cervantes, J. C.
"A perfect blend of magic, humor, adventure, and heart!" - Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Percy Jackson and the OlympiansA rich and exciting new Latine middle grade fantasy about sisterhood, magic, and the power of kids to face what grown-ups refuse to see - by J. C. Cervantes, New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner seriesEsmerelda Santos is a rare bruja, born with Chaos magic in her veins. She and her family are direct descendants of one of the four original witches - a mysterious legend about the night magic was born in San Bosco. But since the death of her mother, Esme is more concerned about healing their father's spiraling grief.When Esme finds a heart spell in a forbidden grimorio, she thinks it could be the answer to making her dad whole again.
The Science of Friendship
By Davis, Tanita S.
A friendship hypothesis - and one failed experiment - leads one girl to investigate the science of middle school friendship makeups and breakups in this hopeful and heartwarming story from Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says.Rylee Swanson is beginning eighth grade with zero friends.A humiliating moment at the end-of-seventh-grade pool party involving a cannonball, a waterlogged updo, and some disappearing clothes has Rylee halfway convinced she's better off without any friends - at least friends like those.The one question Rylee can't shake is . . . why? When a group assignment in journalism pairs Rylee with science geek DeNia Alonso, DeNia's annoyingly know-it-all, nerdy personality is both frustration and fuel to Rylee's search for answers.
Grow Up, Luchy Zapata
By Alessandri, Alexandra
A funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs - until sixth grade turns everything upside down.. Luchy Zapata is starting middle school, and she's muy excited. She and her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, will finally be at the same school. Luchy and Mateo will be in art class together, and she and Cami can try out for the same soccer team! As long as they're all together, Luchy can handle anything. But Cami has been acting weird ever since she got back from visiting family in Colombia. She's making new, "cool" friends who just seem mean. And suddenly, everything about Luchy and Mateo is too immature for her. Luchy is determined to help Cami remember how special their friendship is. They've been BFFs their whole lives, and that can't just disappear in a poof of glitter! But .
The Beanstalk Murder
By Bell, P. G.
The Beanstalk Murder - a middle grade fantasy novel by P. G. Bell - involves a young witch in training, her archenemy, the kingdom of giants, and a huge murder mystery!Anwen Sedge, a young Meadow Witch apprentice, lives in a rural village that hasn't seen giants since the Great Beanstalk War. So it's quite a surprise when one drops from the sky and squishes the village flat. It's an even bigger surprise when Anwen discovers that he was dead BEFORE he hit the ground. This is a murder! The only solution is for Anwen and her arch nemesis, Cerys (who's the best at High Magic and won't let anyone forget it) to send a plea for help to the giants' kingdom, using a magic beanstalk.. But the beanstalk backfires, shooting the two rivals into the giants' kingdom before crumbling to dust! There, they make a terrible discovery - the murdered giant was none other than the king.
The Skeleton Flute
By Allen, Damara
The legend of the Pied Piper meets Sal and Gabi Break the Universe with a touch of Coraline in this spooky and suspenseful middle grade adventure about a boy whose wish goes horribly wrong and his fight to reunite with his real family.. Sam Windsor's parents and younger siblings, Grayson and Addie, are his whole world, so when his parents announce they're separating, Sam is devastated. He'd do anything to make his parents change their minds and keep the family together. When a stranger offers a flute made of bone that supposedly grants the player's wish, Sam doesn't really believe it will work but figures he has nothing to lose. Surprisingly, the wish on the skeleton flute comes true. The next day, his parents are happily in love, with no plans for his dad to leave.
The Train of Dark Wonders
By Bell, Alex
Jump aboard for a journey to strange and spectacular lands ... . The magical must-read middle-grade novel from the bestselling author of THE POLAR BEAR EXPLORERS' CLUB and FROZEN CHARLOTTE. Bess has always loved her grandfather's collection of curiosities. So she's delighted when she's handed the keys to his Odditorium. But unless she finds a way to draw in the crowds, she'll have to close its doors for good.. When a mysterious train pulls into town, bound for The Land of Halloween Sweets, Bess hatches a plan and sneaks onboard. She is soon discovered by Beau the puppeteer, Louie the violinist and Maria the fire witch. Eager to join their adventure, Bess sets out to search for the rarest sweet of all - the ghostly gobstopper. . But the land is ruled by the fearsome Candymaker.
It Happened to Anna
By Mejia, Tehlor Kay
This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who's being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life. From the bestselling author of the Paola Santiago series!. "Absolutely haunting!" - Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine. Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost - a ghost that doesn't want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.. Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.. Which is why she's not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn't bother her for once.
A Bite Above the Rest
By Virnig, Christine
A boy moves to a Halloween-themed town only to realize there may be more to the tourist trap than meets the eye in this fast-paced romp of a middle grade novel perfect for fans of The Last Kids on Earth and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library!. When Caleb's mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom's hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween. Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders.