Dave's carefree life of pranks and stickball in his Lower East Side New York neighborhood ends the day his papa dies. No one wants the 11-year-old "rascal," so Dave is shuffled off to the Hebrew Home for Boys, a.k.a. the Hell Hole for Brats. There he must contend with a brutal headmaster, bullies, freezing rooms, and institutional slop to eat-all on top of his personal losses. But at least Dave is not alone. The boys in his class are "buddies" who look out for each other, and soon Dave meets some friends on the outside. Still a rascal at heart, Dave sneaks out of the orphanage at night. There he meets an old "gonif" named Solly who becomes his guide to the magical jazz-filled nightlife of the Harlem Renaissance. Solly's Yiddish and the engaging dialog that color Dave at Night make it a natural for audio. Narrator Johnny Heller's boyish tones perfectly capture the drama and the wonder of this heartfelt orphan's tale.
Long before they became famous writers, Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) were childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama. This fictionalized account of their time together opens at the beginning of the Great Depression, when Tru is seven and Nelle is six. They love playing pirates, but they like playing Sherlock and Watson-style detectives even more. It's their pursuit of a case of drugstore theft that lands the daring duo in real trouble. Humor and heartache intermingle in this lively look at two budding writers in the 1930s South.
Eleven-year-old David is about to meet his new stepsister, Amanda, who is only one year older than he is. Amanda arrives at their big old house wearing a huge tattered shawl and carrying a sharp-eyed crow in a cage. She is hardly what David expects.
Before long, she introduces David to a strange world of witchcraft and the occult. At first, spells and potions are fun. He enjoys the spooky chants and smoky seances. Even his younger brother and sisters join in, making sure their parents suspect nothing. But when rocks of all sizes start flying around the house and strange things go crash in the night, David begins to fear the strange forces at work.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder has written several popular children's books. A former teacher, she lives in an old house similar to the one in The Headless Cupid. She thinks it, too, may have a resident ghost. Whether you believe in spirits or not, this Newbery Honor Book is sure to captivate your imagination
When Pinkalicious learns about Planet Pink, she has fun imagining life as a Pinktonian alien living on the pinkest planet in the universe! But what would happen if the Pinktonians paid her a visit?
Beginning readers will love the close encounters in this space-themed Pinkalicious I Can Read adventure!
This is a Level One I Can Read book that is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
The final book in the New York Times bestselling House of Secrets series that was called "a breakneck, jam-packed roller coaster of an adventure" by J. K. Rowling. Created by Hollywood director Chris Columbus (of Harry Potter fame) and bestselling author Ned Vizzini (It's Kind of a Funny Story), with the acclaimed author of the Codename Zero series and the Fourth Stall saga, Chris Rylander.
With their last adventure just barely over, the Walker kids thought life would finally go back to normal. But things don't remain calm for long . . . especially when the colossus Fat Jagger turns up in San Francisco Bay-and he's in danger!
With the police closing in, the Walkers must figure out how to save their giant friend. When a frost beast is spotted in Santa Rosa-and more mystical creatures start appearing all over America-it's soon clear that the characters from Denver Kristoff's works are invading the real world. It's up to Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia to reenter the book world one last time to keep the worlds from colliding, causing mass destruction.
They will have to track down three Worldkeepers hidden in Kristoff's books-magical items that when used together will seal the worlds off for good. But the Walkers' first move leads them straight into the Wild West, with lethal outlaws and lawless deputies-and that's just the beginning. They'll encounter dinosaurs, aliens, killer robots, and the Wind Witch herself-with new friends and old-and be faced with some of the deadliest choices they'll ever have to make. The scariest thing of all could be deciding who to trust, since everyone is hiding something. . . .
The final thrilling installment of Darren Shan's Zom-B series is sure to knock you dead!B Smith has escaped from the murderous clown Mr. Dowling, only to find herself trapped by someone she had once thought of as an ally. As B learns more about the twisted history of the zombie virus, she prepares to make a final stand against her enemies--even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
It all started in 1927 when a group of animals on a farm in Upstate New York decided to travel to Florida in search of warmer weather --and faithful fans of the Freddy books have been joyously lapping up each book in the twenty-six book series ever since! Why is Freddy such a popular pig? Most readers will tell you it's because he's a pig for all seasons--a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician . . . you name it, and Freddy will give it a shot! In Freddy and the Bean Home News, Freddy's friend Mr. Dimsey, the editor of the Guardian, is ousted for publishing news of Bean Farm in the local newspaper. To ensure that those who are interested might still learn of all the goings-on, Freddy takes it upon himself to found a newspaper of his own and calls it The Bean Home News, the basis for the current Freddy fan club newsletter. It turns out that being a newspaperman isn't quite as easy as Freddy thought it might be...
Lyrical yet unsentimental, The Midwife's Apprentice won the coveted 1996 Newbery Medal. Filled with striking characters, it paints unforgettable pictures of village life in the Middle Ages, the midwife's craft, and a very remarkable girl's growing independence and pride. Brat has no name, no home, and no shelter against the 14th-century English winter except the foul warmth of a dung heap. So when Jane the Midwife wakes her with a kick and takes the half-starved creature to her cottage, a curious relationship begins. Jane teaches Brat to gather herbs and make the poultices used to ease the pain of childbirth for the village women. The skinny young girl quickly learns to obey the sharp-tongued midwife, and secretly watches Jane practice her art whenever she can. But Jane is also teaching Brat unspoken lessons that will take longer-maybe a lifetime-to master.
Three sisters struggle with the bonds that hold their family together as they face a darkness settling over their lives in this masterfully written debut novel.
There are three beautiful blond Babcock sisters: gorgeous and foul-mouthed Adrienne, observant and shy Vanessa, and the youngest and best-loved, Marie. Their mother is ill with leukemia and the girls spend a lot of time with her at a Mexican clinic across the border from their San Diego home so she can receive alternative treatments.
Vanessa is the middle child, a talented pianist who is trying to hold her family together despite the painful loss that they all know is inevitable. As she and her sisters navigate first loves and college dreams, they are completely unaware that an illness far more insidious than cancer poisons their home. Their world is about to shatter under the weight of an incomprehensible betrayal...
Sixteen-year-old Travis is looking for a good time. A vacation in Mexico with his mother and two siblings might cramp his style, but he's willing to take that risk for a chance to cruise the beaches. Some things keep gnawing at him, though, like leaving Dad crying at the airport, and watching Mom disappear with a mysterious 'headache' every afternoon that they're in Mexico. Some creep is following Jennifer around, and ten-year-old Teddy is obsessed with saving endangered sea turtles-an obsession, it turns out, that will change the course of all their lives. Will Hobbs has delighted young readers with his memorable award-winners, Bearstone and Beardance. Once again, with Changes in Latitudes, the author vividly captures the angst of a teenager who is forced to deal with complicated emotions: anger, betrayal, love, guilt, and loss.
You're thinking that just because I love crime fighters, vampires, and dogs, I made up the whole thing about having a crime-fighting vampire dog.
Well, I didn't. It's all true. This story is so crazy that I don't think ANYBODY could have made it up. Not even Elroy Evans, writer of the greatest vampire books ever, or Stanley Murdock, creator of the greatest police show ever.
The truth is that my dog, Abby, totally
1) saved me from my slightly crazy babysitter;
2) helped me become friends with an actual, human girl; and
3) stopped evil criminal masterminds in my very own backyard!
Newbery Medalist Richard Peck tells a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes in this novel for fans of Gary Schmidt and Jack Gantos.
Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa, the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer,; and his uncle Paul, who is just plain great. These are the three he wants to be. Along the way he finds a fourth—Mr. McLeod, a teacher. In fact, the first male teacher in the history of the school.
But now here comes middle school and puberty. Change. Archer wonders how much change has to happen before his voice does. He doesn't see too far ahead, so every day or so a startling revelation breaks over him. Then a really big one when he's the best man at the wedding of two of his role models. But that gets ahead of the story.
In pages that ripple with laughter, there's a teardrop here and there. And more than a few insights about the bewildering world of adults, made by a boy on his way to being the best man he can be.
