ALA Book Award winner Graham Salisbury writes dramatic stories for young adult readers. One of the most critically acclaimed books of 2001, Lord of the Deep is a vivid fishing adventure that takes place off of the great blue island of Hawaii. Since Bill married Mikey's mom, Mikey's life has become truly incredible. At age 13, Mikey is the youngest deckhand on the whole island, working hard on Bill's deep-sea charter fishing boat. It's his second week out on the boat, and he's busy trying to prove himself to both Bill and the disrespectful charter guests. But after making a mistake at a crucial moment, Mikey begins to feel more and more alone. Mikey's admiration for Bill compels him to take a stand for personal integrity and the truth--a decision that fills him with both regret for his actions and a deep appreciation for Bill. With narrator Robert Ramirez's enjoyable reading, listeners are in for a hot and sunny day on the boat.
In a courageous debut novel, Holly M. McGhee explores the loss that shakes one girl 's world and the unexpected consequences of the things we do for love.
Sussy and Guy are best friends, fourth-graders who share their silliest thoughts and deepest hopes. One afternoon, the two of them decide they must have something of their very own to love. After a trip to the pet store, they bring home a spotted lizard, the one with the ancient face and starfish toes, and they name her Matylda (with a y so it 's all her own). With Guy leading the way, they feed her and give her an origin story fit for a warrior lizard. A few weeks later, on a simple bike ride, there is a terrible accident. As hard as it is, Sussy is sure she can hold on to Guy if she can find a way to love Matylda enough. But in a startling turn of events, Sussy reconsiders what it means to grieve and heal and hope and go on, for her own sake and Matylda 's. By turns both devastating and buoyant, this story is a brave one, showing how far we can justify going for a real and true friend.
Praised as "a breath of fresh air" (Booklist), Karen Healey's debut novel Guardian of the Dead received a starred review from School Library Journal and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. Healey's second novel The Shattering stars Keri, a 17-year-old trying to come to terms with her brother Jake's death. Although authorities believe Jake committed suicide, Keri cannot accept that her brother would take his own life. And when she's approached by her classmate Janna, whose brother also committed suicide years earlier, the two team up in search of answers. Soon the girls come to a grim realization-that their brothers weren't the first in town to die under mysterious circumstances.
"Coming-of-age never looked so beautiful." - Kirkus (Starred Review)
Sophie's perspective on what being pretty really means changes drastically in the second adjective-busting novel by the author of Husky, Justin Sayre.
Set three months after Husky's conclusion and narrated by Sophie, Davis's best friend, Sayre details the private and public life of someone saddled with the adjective of pretty. Confident, stylish, and easygoing at school, Sophie is struggling in her home life. Stepping in to help as her mother's addiction spirals out of control, Sophie's aunt teaches the biracial Sophie new lessons about her heritage. While helping to heal the wounds inflicted by alcoholism, Sophie's renewed sense of self challenges her perception of place in the affluent, "liberal" neighborhood of Park Slope where she lives. Set against the backgrounds of Brooklyn and Harlem, Sayre challenges readers to confront superficial assumptions about gender and beauty and breathes new life into the canon of middle-grade realistic fiction.
Moql's mother is Folk, one of those tiny fairies who live hidden from mere mortals, and her father is human. Young patrons will empathize as this tiny changeling experiences the fear, sadness, and danger of not belonging. Set against the backdrop of a charming medieval setting, this award-winning book addresses problems that are still, sadly quite contemporary.
Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into a popular club; now trapped in the dark, waiting to be rescued, Kammie thinks about the best and worst moments of her life so far in this unforgettable story about a bullied girl.
The five young March sisters grew up on the East Coast during the American
Civil War. Although they had very different personalities, their strong bond
connected them as sisters throughout their childhoods and into their adult
lives. They relied on one another as they faced struggles of growing up during
the war and as they grew into young women. Through their adventures, they
learned the importance of love, following their dreams, and always supporting
your family no matter what may come.
When she arrives at her grandmother's orphanage with little more than a French horn and all that's left of a broken wish, eleven-year-old Augusta "Gusta" Neubronner steps right into what her German-born father likes to call the clear light of trouble. Papa is a fugitive from the law, times are too tough in New York for her mother to keep her, and the Second World War is already looming on the horizon.
Gusta has to learn to bravely stand up to classmates suspicious of her un-American last name, to eye charts, and even to the villainous owner of the local mill. When she stumbles onto family secrets, Gusta must try her best to put things right - and to convince her grandma that music can be "real as jam." Sometimes it takes a whole orphan band to help a girl find her voice and her place in the world.
Acclaimed author Anne Nesbet deftly combines music, magic, family, and history in an unforgettable read.
Meet Violet Remy-Robinson, an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making...
Violet has spent her holidays exploring India with Godmother Celeste, including visiting Celeste's good friend the Maharajah and meeting his very special cockatoo. But when she returns home, Violet gets a surprise visit from the Maharajah's butler, asking her to look after the bird. Violet couldn't be more amazed (and her cat Pudding couldn't be less pleased...), but the cockatoo holds the key to the Maharajah's fortune, and someone is trying to bird-nap her! Can Violet discover who the culprit is before they succeed?
Anna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill. In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about.
"It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and their new little sister, Cassie, have already formed a family, and Caleb fears there will be nothing left to write about. But that is before Cassie discovers a mysterious old man in the barn and everything changes. Everyone is excited about the arrival of a new family member -- except for Jacob, who holds a bitter grudge. Only the special love of Caleb, and the gift he offers, can help to mend the pain of the past.
Caleb's Story continues the saga begun by the Newbery Medal-winning Sarah, Plain And Tall and its sequel, Skylark, spinning a tale of love, forgiveness, and the ties that bind a family together.
Molly Moon returns ... and bumps into earlier versions of herself -- four of them, to be exact -- all kidnapped and transported back in time to nineteenth-century India by Molly's most fearsome nemesis yet, an insane maharaja. Molly foiled his plans once already, by stopping Primo Cell from becoming President of the United States. This time around, the maharaja is determined to alter the course of history.
The only thing standing in his way is Molly and her brave pug, Petula.
What is stargazer, skateboarder, chess champ, pepperoni pizza eater, older brother, sister hater, best friend, first kisser, science geek, control freak Will Tuppence so afraid of in this great big universe?
Jerry Spinelli knows.
