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."
Welcome to Hokey Pokey. A place and a time, when childhood is at its best: games to play, bikes to ride, experiences to be had. There are no adults in Hokey Pokey, just kids, and the laws governing Hokey Pokey are simple and finite. But when one of the biggest kids, Jack, has his beloved bike stolen - and by a girl, no less - his entire world, and the world of Hokey Pokey, turns to chaos. Without his bike, Jack feels like everything has started to go wrong. He feels different, not like himself, and he knows something is about to change. And even more troubling he alone hears a faint train whistle. But that's impossible: every kid knows there no trains in Hokey Pokey, only tracks.
Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli has written a dizzingly inventive fable of growing up and letting go, of leaving childhood and its imagination play behind for the more dazzling adventures of adolescence, and of learning to accept not only the sunny part of day, but the unwelcome arrival of night, as well.
And there it was again, the troubling notion that I barely knew the people I loved.
Daddy's girl Rebecca Muir has long known exactly what she wants to do after high school: attend the prestigious architecture program at Columbia University, 3000 miles away from her home. But as the end of school nears, things are no longer so clear cut-she's just fallen in love with the perfect guy, Jackson; her dad has gotten a new job in New York, so her whole family is following her to the east coast; and she's having trouble ignoring her premonition that something terrible is coming.
And it soon becomes clear why: shortly after the move, her father reveals that he's leaving them, and Rebecca is left to pick up the pieces of her former life. When everything can change in an instant, Reb doesn't know what path to follow or whom to trust--and must begin to search for what she really wants to do with her life.
Justina Chen, the acclaimed author of North of Beautiful, has created a moving and powerful story about the struggle that comes from betrayal, the uncertainty of life after high school, and the joy that ultimately comes from discovering what's truly in your heart.
If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first in a series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.
Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It's not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.
What she can't handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.
The vision is everywhere-on billboards, television screens, windows-and she's the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.
In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act-and act fast-to keep her vision from becoming reality.
Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity-a debt that should've been hers. Now she is living a borrowed life, and she doesn't know what to do with the guilt. And every night, Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away. No matter how she tries to reach for his hand, she can never find it.
Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen-and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to help in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.
Nikki and Cole, along with Cole's bandmate Max, descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they'd anticipated-and more deadly. From a Lake of Blood and Guilt to Sirens' alluring tricks to insurmountable walls of rock and flame, the trio is given every reason to turn back and give up. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack-even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.
In this breathtaking sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we'll go to for the ones we love.
Every spring, Pinkalicious loves to see all of the beautiful flowers and blossoming trees come to life in her family's garden. Of course, Pinkalicious knows that the blooming garden is all because of the hard work of the fairies! This year, Pinkalicious wants to be ready for the fairies' arrival, so she makes a cozy house for the fairies to stay in during their visit. Peter and Pinkalicious camp out in the backyard, waiting for the fairies to appear-but will they be able to see them?
Join Pinkalicious in this fairy-filled I Can Read adventure.
A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.
Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she's a witch about to come of age-so she's only a few spells away from making it all happen.
On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn's conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she's found out, she could be vilified-and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for!
When Pinkalicious and Peter decide to visit their favorite park, they find that it's no longer their favorite place-the park is now filled with stinky trash! So, Pinkalicious decides to make an extra-special wand out of a stick and some flowers. Now whenever Pinkalicious makes a wish, adds a little love, and recites a pinkatastic rhyme, something amazing happens: It's pinkerrific magic!
Join Pinkalicious as she turns an ordinary place into an Emeraldalicious world.
Acclaimed author Peg Kehret has written the true story of the year when she was twelve and stricken with polio. At first paralyzed and terrified, she fought her way to recovery, aided by doctors and therapists, a loving family, supportive roommates fighting their own battles with the disease, and plenty of grit and luck. With the humor and suspense that are her trademarks, Peg Kehret vividly recreates a year of heartbreak and triumph.
In his gripping tales, acclaimed author Mick Cochrane demonstrates a keen understanding of today's youth. With Fitz, Cochrane delivers a riveting novel featuring a 15-year-old boy and his estranged father. Though Fitz's dad has always supported him financially, the two have never met. But when Fitz learns his father is living nearby, he starts to follow him - and finally resorts to desperate measures that will change both their lives forever.
Clarice Bean is back and starring in her second novel! By Children's Laureate Lauren Child.
There are so many things in life you can't explain. Like why isn't YOU spelt U? Why isn't WHY spelt Y? And why can just opening your mouth get you into some very BIG trouble?
Clarice Bean is in non-stop trouble these days - almost as much as Karl Wrenbury, and he is the naughtiest boy in school. Clarice just wants to star in the school play and impress Mrs Wilberton in the spelling bee, but things aren't quite going to plan...
Read by Claire Skinner, star of the hit BBC series 'Outnumbered'.
(P) Orchard Books 2013
