Olivia has one toy that she loves more than anything. She feeds him, dresses him and takes him everywhere. So when he disappears, Olivia is FURIOUS!
She looks under the rug, under the sofa, under the cat. She shouts at Ian and baby William, she cries, she stomps...all to no avail. Then, one dark and stormy night, Olivia hears a noise...Clutching a candelabra, she creeps bravely into her bedroom, and sees a huge menacing shadow on the wall. Who is this monster, and what's that hanging from his jaws?
All is resolved peacefully in this entertaining story starring our favorite pig and her favorite toy. Now available as an eBook with audio!
Motherless Olivia and Nellie go to live with their elderly Great-Aunt Minty, who knows little about children, but a lot about her overgrown garden. Then one day, Olivia finds an old teacup in a flowerbed--and, later, an old story about eight children transformed into flowers. Only the person who finds their teacups can bring them back. Now the two sisters know what they must do.
What happens when the dad you don't know suddenly invades your life? Gabe Mendoza is off to the library when his long-absent father appears-and looks to be homeless. His father wants to reestablish a relationship, but thirteen-year-old Gabe is hesitant. He's confused. And his Mom is mad. Should Gabe allow his father back into his life, or keep his distance? Can Gabe's dad, with all his failings, clean up his act? This powerful novella by bestselling author Gary Soto will ring true to kids-and grown-ups-who can relate to the everyday challenges of one-parent home life. Soto's strong voice and poignant characters will draw you into Gabe's world and the decisions that will change his life.
Caroline's mom is Jewish, her dad isn't, and Caroline has never really thought of herself as any religion. But when her nana dies and leaves Caroline a Star of David necklace, Caroline begins to wonder about her heritage. If she starts going to synagogue, won't that upset her dad? Should she have a Bat Mitzvah like her best friend, Rachel? Does Caroline want to be Jewish? The more she thinks about it, the more questions she has. Like Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, this thoughtful and relevant novel traces one girl's journey toward discovering who she is and where she fits in.
Frannie has been named principal for the day and she couldn't be more excited! To spend the whole day in an office?-with a desk, a copier, and swivel chair, no less?-is beyond her wildest dreams! Pretty soon all these office supplies are making her a little punchy, and before she knows it she's accidentally setting off the fire alarm, which is no small offense. But as principal of her own school, does she get to come up with her own punishment?
From the creator of the national bestseller "It's a Book" comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love. Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. In his most enigmatic and beautiful work to date, Lane Smith explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family history and love; by turns touching and whimsical, it's a stunning picture book that parents and grandparents will be sharing with children for years to come.
Jason, Julia, and Rick have crossed through the Door to Time into ancient Egypt, a land of labyrinths, riddles, and secrets. But when the passageway collapses around them, Julia ends up back at home, in the present - with the door shut tight behind her. Now the boys are trapped in the past, and there's just one way to get back to Argo Manor. They must find the long-lost map of Kilmore Cove hidden somewhere in Egypt's Land of Punt. And to do so, they'll have to solve more puzzles left by the enigmatic Ulysses Moore. But before long, Rick and Jason realize that they are not the only travelers from the present in search of the mysterious map. Can they be the first to find it?
Can classmate Julie protect the brothers from vanishing? With warmth and humor, Carnegie Medalist Frank Cottrell Boyce transports readers from the steppe of Mongolia to the streets of Liverpool in an immigration tale that is compelling, miraculous, and often laugh-out-loud funny.
Mallory and Meredith Brynn are no ordinary twins: born on either side of midnight, one has the power to see into the future, the other into the past. But supernatural visions can't keep Merry from falling for the new boy in town, even if the relationship is doomed from the start. The reason? Ben is a ghost. And revealing the truth about her own power would mean the end of their blossoming love. As Merry falls for Ben, the twins sense a dark shadow encroaching on their family's inner circle: someone wants their beloved little brother, and that someone will stop at nothing to take him away. Using their supernatural visions, the twins must come together to save their brother from harm. And along the way, they're forced to question the loyalty of everyone in their lives, even those closest to them. . . . Jacquelyn Mitchard uses her skill as a novelist to bring us a story that is truly based in family and mystery - and at the same time threatens all that we hold most dear.
This practical look at sexual purity is written directly to teens in a frank, accessible, and totally honest style to help them make decisions for sexual integrity. When Young Men Are Tempted discusses factors surrounding sexual temptation and presents a strategy to encourage and assist young men to lead morally pure lives. Author Bill Perkins offers success stories as well as testimonies of false solutions. Readers will:
* Understand why 'wrong' things seem so 'right' and how sexual appetites get out of control
* Learn to filter and deal with the elements of teens' pop culture work
* Find freedom to confront and defeat the demons of sexual compromise, bad habits, and feelings of guilt---breaking addictive cycles
* User-friendly ways to make healthy decisions and act on them.
* Discover strategies for ongoing victory
Upside-down. Turned around. Sound like a typical day for you? invert books meet you where you are---in the twisted, flipped around places in your life. You've got so many relationships to focus on---God, others, and even yourself---invert books will help you figure out how to give yourself fully to all of them. invert tackles the difficult topics that are important to you---and will help you turn to focus on God more clearly.
Nonstop fun with a dizzying amount of mystery, Pizzicato: The Abduction of the Magic Violin is a lighthearted whodunit featuring a fair-haired orphan named Darius Dorian, who has a sly wit and a curious way of approaching most any predicament. Darius is none too pleased to be paired with Archibald Archinola, a master violinmaker, for a school project, especially when he thinks about his rival - fellow orphan and constant nemesis Max - being surrounded by Porsches at Auto Frederick for the same assignment. But when Darius discovers an old violin in a glass case and strikes the chords, a cut on his hand magically disappears, and suddenly studying with the violinmaker proves to be anything but dull. As a greedy doctor works to get her hands on the magic fiddle, Darius is forced to pull a few strings to save the magic violin's power.
It's 1944, W.W. II is raging. Jayna's big brother Rob is her only family. When Rob is called to duty on a destroyer, Jayna is left in their small town in upstate New York with their cranky landlady. But right before he leaves, Rob tells Jayna a secret: they may have a grandmother in Brooklyn. Rob found a little blue recipe book with her name and an address for a bakery. When Jayna learns that Rob is missing in action, she's devastated. Along with her turtle Theresa, the recipe book, and an encouraging, ghostly voice as her guide, Jayna sets out for Brooklyn in hopes of finding the family she so desperately needs.
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2012:
"Jayna's journey is a memorable one."
