The Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library
April, 05 2025 20:03:44
Two-Minute Drill
By Lupica, Mike
#1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica pays tribute to the underdog in his Comeback Kids series for young middle-grade readersChris Conlan is the coolest kid in sixth grade–the golden-armed quarterback of the football team, and the boy all the others look up to. Scott Parry is the new kid, the boy with the huge brain, but with feet that trip over themselves daily. These two boys may seem like an odd couple, but each has a secret that draws them together as friends, and proves that the will to succeed is even more important than raw talent.Mike Lupica scores from downtown with his Comeback Kids series. Praise for the Comeback Kids: “Lupica portrays the action clearly and vividly, with a real sense of the excitement and unpredictable nature of the games.
Publisher: n/a
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9781101022450
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Book
Up for Air
By Morrison, Laurie
Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she's unstoppable. She's the fastest girl on the middle school swim team, and when she's asked to join the high school team over the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she's got new friends, and a high school boy starts treating her like she's somebody special - and Annabelle thinks she'll finally stand out in a good way. She'll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day Invitational, even if it means blowing off her old friends. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is abandoned by the older boy and can't swim. Who is she without the one thing she's good at? Heartwarming and relatable, Up for Air is a story about where we find our self-worth.
Publisher: n/a
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9781419733666
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Hardcover
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon
By Davis, Tanita S.
Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says, has written another funny, warm story featuring middle school and family life - all about the complex calculations it takes for everyone to balance the equations of their lives and what it takes to be part of a team while handling a learning disability. This middle grade novel is perfect for fans of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Good Kind of Trouble.Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools - finally! She'll be "mainstreaming" into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can't wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes.Henri's dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems.
Publisher: n/a
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9780063143579
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Hardcover
Fish in a Tree
By Hunt, Lynda Mullaly
A New York Times Bestseller!The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. "Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid." Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.
Publisher: n/a
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9781524774950
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Audio CD
Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen
By Mcgovern, Kate
Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can't read all that well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder - especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who's half Indian and half Jewish like Maple herself - but words on the page just don't seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple's clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated - what will her friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher's assistant (because of budget cuts, you know) . But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up.
Publisher: n/a
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9781536215588
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Hardcover
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? #1
By Winkler, Henry
Inspired by the true life experiences of Henry Winkler, whose undiagnosed dyslexia made him a classic childhood underachiever, the Hank Zipzer series is about the high-spirited and funny adventures of a boy with learning differences. It's science project time in Ms. Adolf's class. This is good news and bad news for Hank-he loves science, but he hates the report part. So Hank turns to TV to take his mind off things. But when the program directory scrolls by too quickly for Hank to know what's on, he decides to take apart the cable box to try to slow down the crawl. Great! Now Hank has found the perfect science project! But what he wasn't counting on was his sister's pet iguana laying eighteen eggs in the disassembled cable box. How is Hank going to get out of this one? Illustrated by Carol Heyer.
Publisher: n/a
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9780448431628
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Paperback
Flipping Forward Twisting Backward
By Fullerton, Alma
A high-energy novel in verse starring a fifth grader who is almost as devoted to competitive gymnastics as she is to hiding her poor reading skills. What happens when Claire's secret starts unraveling? Claire is by far the best gymnast on her team, and she's well on her way to qualifying for the state championships. The gym is where Claire shines. But at school, she's known as a troublemaker. She seems to spend more time in the office than in class - which is fine with her since it enables her to hide the fact that she can't read. She has never been able to make sense of the wobbling jumble of letters on a page. No one except her BFF knows. But when a sympathetic principal wonders if Claire is acting out because she's dyslexic, her mother balks. She's afraid Claire will be labeled "stupid" and refuses testing.
Publisher: n/a
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9781682633663
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Hardcover
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
By Connor, Leslie
A 2018 National Book Award Finalist! From the critically acclaimed author of Waiting for Normal and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Leslie Connor, comes a deeply poignant and beautifully crafted story about self-reliance, redemption, and hope.Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard. An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day.Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground club space for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He's desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin, and eventually, Benny.But will anyone believe him?
Publisher: n/a
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9780062491435
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eBook
Invisible
By Gonzalez, Christina Diaz
For fans of Twins and Allergic, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who are forced together by their school to complete community service... and may just have more in common than they thought.Can five overlooked kids make one big difference?There's George: the brainSara: the lonerDayara: the tough kidNico: the rich kidAnd Miguel: the athleteAnd they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same . . . just five Spanish-speaking kids.Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help . . . or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
Publisher: n/a
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9781338194555
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Paperback
The Lightning Thief
By Riordan, Rick
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him.
Publisher: n/a
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9780786856299
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eBook
Harbor Me
By Woodson, Jacqueline
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories. It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk") , they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
Publisher: n/a
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9780399252525
|
Hardcover
Absolutely Almost
By Graff, Lisa
From the author of the National Book Award nominee A Tangle of Knots comes an inspiring novel about figuring out who you are and doing what you love.Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.Praise for ABSOLUTELY ALMOST * "Albie comes through significant emotional hardship to a genuine sense of self-worth."--School Library Journal, starred review * "A perfect book to share with struggling readers."--BOOKLIST , starred review * "Achingly superb, Albie's story shines."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "Graff's...gentle story invokes evergreen themes of coming to appreciate one's strengths (and weaknesses) , and stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward, taking on the world at his own speed."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Lately the patrons of my school library have been asking, 'Do you have any books like Wonder by R.J. Palacio?' and now I have the perfect offering."--BookPage "Maybe the wonder of Absolutely Almost is that it's willing to give us an almost unheard of hero."--Betsy Bird, Fuse #8 Blog"Graff...again draws on her ability to create rich lifeworlds for her characters to present a boy who is gifted in many ways....[T]his is a sharp portrait of an outsider's inner perspective, and Albie's coming to terms with himself will be cheered by many."--BCCB Reviews
Publisher: n/a
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9780399164057
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Book
Close to Famous
By Bauer, Joan
Foster McFee dreams of having her own cooking show like her idol, celebrity chef Sonny Kroll. Macon Dillard's goal is to be a documentary filmmaker. Foster's mother Rayka longs to be a headliner instead of a back-up singer. And Miss Charleena plans a triumphant return to Hollywood. Everyone has a dream, but nobody is even close to famous in the little town of Culpepper. Until some unexpected events shake the town and its inhabitants-and put their big ambitions to the test. Full of humor, unforgettable characters, surprises, and lots and lots of heart, this is Joan Bauer at her most engaging.
Two-Minute Drill
By Lupica, Mike
#1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica pays tribute to the underdog in his Comeback Kids series for young middle-grade readersChris Conlan is the coolest kid in sixth grade–the golden-armed quarterback of the football team, and the boy all the others look up to. Scott Parry is the new kid, the boy with the huge brain, but with feet that trip over themselves daily. These two boys may seem like an odd couple, but each has a secret that draws them together as friends, and proves that the will to succeed is even more important than raw talent.Mike Lupica scores from downtown with his Comeback Kids series. Praise for the Comeback Kids: “Lupica portrays the action clearly and vividly, with a real sense of the excitement and unpredictable nature of the games.
Up for Air
By Morrison, Laurie
Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she's unstoppable. She's the fastest girl on the middle school swim team, and when she's asked to join the high school team over the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she's got new friends, and a high school boy starts treating her like she's somebody special - and Annabelle thinks she'll finally stand out in a good way. She'll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day Invitational, even if it means blowing off her old friends. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is abandoned by the older boy and can't swim. Who is she without the one thing she's good at? Heartwarming and relatable, Up for Air is a story about where we find our self-worth.
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon
By Davis, Tanita S.
Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says, has written another funny, warm story featuring middle school and family life - all about the complex calculations it takes for everyone to balance the equations of their lives and what it takes to be part of a team while handling a learning disability. This middle grade novel is perfect for fans of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Good Kind of Trouble.Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools - finally! She'll be "mainstreaming" into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can't wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes.Henri's dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems.
Fish in a Tree
By Hunt, Lynda Mullaly
A New York Times Bestseller!The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. "Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid." Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.
Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen
By Mcgovern, Kate
Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can't read all that well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder - especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who's half Indian and half Jewish like Maple herself - but words on the page just don't seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple's clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated - what will her friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher's assistant (because of budget cuts, you know) . But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up.
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? #1
By Winkler, Henry
Inspired by the true life experiences of Henry Winkler, whose undiagnosed dyslexia made him a classic childhood underachiever, the Hank Zipzer series is about the high-spirited and funny adventures of a boy with learning differences. It's science project time in Ms. Adolf's class. This is good news and bad news for Hank-he loves science, but he hates the report part. So Hank turns to TV to take his mind off things. But when the program directory scrolls by too quickly for Hank to know what's on, he decides to take apart the cable box to try to slow down the crawl. Great! Now Hank has found the perfect science project! But what he wasn't counting on was his sister's pet iguana laying eighteen eggs in the disassembled cable box. How is Hank going to get out of this one? Illustrated by Carol Heyer.
Flipping Forward Twisting Backward
By Fullerton, Alma
A high-energy novel in verse starring a fifth grader who is almost as devoted to competitive gymnastics as she is to hiding her poor reading skills. What happens when Claire's secret starts unraveling? Claire is by far the best gymnast on her team, and she's well on her way to qualifying for the state championships. The gym is where Claire shines. But at school, she's known as a troublemaker. She seems to spend more time in the office than in class - which is fine with her since it enables her to hide the fact that she can't read. She has never been able to make sense of the wobbling jumble of letters on a page. No one except her BFF knows. But when a sympathetic principal wonders if Claire is acting out because she's dyslexic, her mother balks. She's afraid Claire will be labeled "stupid" and refuses testing.
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
By Connor, Leslie
A 2018 National Book Award Finalist! From the critically acclaimed author of Waiting for Normal and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Leslie Connor, comes a deeply poignant and beautifully crafted story about self-reliance, redemption, and hope.Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard. An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day.Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground club space for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He's desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin, and eventually, Benny.But will anyone believe him?
Invisible
By Gonzalez, Christina Diaz
For fans of Twins and Allergic, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who are forced together by their school to complete community service... and may just have more in common than they thought.Can five overlooked kids make one big difference?There's George: the brainSara: the lonerDayara: the tough kidNico: the rich kidAnd Miguel: the athleteAnd they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same . . . just five Spanish-speaking kids.Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help . . . or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
The Lightning Thief
By Riordan, Rick
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him.
Harbor Me
By Woodson, Jacqueline
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories. It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk") , they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
Absolutely Almost
By Graff, Lisa
From the author of the National Book Award nominee A Tangle of Knots comes an inspiring novel about figuring out who you are and doing what you love.Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.Praise for ABSOLUTELY ALMOST * "Albie comes through significant emotional hardship to a genuine sense of self-worth."--School Library Journal, starred review * "A perfect book to share with struggling readers."--BOOKLIST , starred review * "Achingly superb, Albie's story shines."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "Graff's...gentle story invokes evergreen themes of coming to appreciate one's strengths (and weaknesses) , and stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward, taking on the world at his own speed."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Lately the patrons of my school library have been asking, 'Do you have any books like Wonder by R.J. Palacio?' and now I have the perfect offering."--BookPage "Maybe the wonder of Absolutely Almost is that it's willing to give us an almost unheard of hero."--Betsy Bird, Fuse #8 Blog"Graff...again draws on her ability to create rich lifeworlds for her characters to present a boy who is gifted in many ways....[T]his is a sharp portrait of an outsider's inner perspective, and Albie's coming to terms with himself will be cheered by many."--BCCB Reviews
Close to Famous
By Bauer, Joan
Foster McFee dreams of having her own cooking show like her idol, celebrity chef Sonny Kroll. Macon Dillard's goal is to be a documentary filmmaker. Foster's mother Rayka longs to be a headliner instead of a back-up singer. And Miss Charleena plans a triumphant return to Hollywood. Everyone has a dream, but nobody is even close to famous in the little town of Culpepper. Until some unexpected events shake the town and its inhabitants-and put their big ambitions to the test. Full of humor, unforgettable characters, surprises, and lots and lots of heart, this is Joan Bauer at her most engaging.