Are they flirting or fighting? This is Joey Pigza's question when the fireworks suddenly start to explode between his long-separated mom and dad, whom he's never really had a chance to see together. The more out of control his parents get, the less in control Joey feels and the more he wants to help make things better. But Joey's ailing, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother wants her grandson to see it like it is with his unpredictable parents. Knowing that she is fading fast, she needs Joey to hurry up and show that he can break the Pigza family mold by making a friend in the outside world. The only potential candidate, however, is Olivia Lapp-Joey's blind home schooling partner, who brags that she is "blind as a brat" and gets meaner to Joey the more desperate he gets for her friendship-even if Joey senses there's more to her than meets the eye.
In this dazzling conclusion to the Joey Pigza trilogy, Jack Gantos's acclaimed hyperactive hero is discovering that settling down isn't good for anything if he can't find a way to stop the people he cares about from winding him up all over again.
I should not exist. But I do.
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else-two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren't they settling? Why isn't one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn't. . . .
For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she's still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.
Harriet, Felix, and Max were visiting their neighbor, Mrs. Mole. Felix and Max shared their new toys. But Harriet didn't have anything new to share with her friends. Mrs. Mole comforted her and reminded her that she learned a new dance which she could share with her friends. Soon everyone was dancing!
Ever since Herbie Jones had to be Annabelle's partner in the class dance contest, he's been acting weird, even going to the library instead of going fishing with his best friend, Raymond. Lucky for Herbie, Raymond is determined to get to the bottom of this mess.
The twins' kitten, Charlie, isn't feeling well. A trip to the vet to remove a thorn lodged in his paw soon solves the problem. Soon, he's back to his playful self.
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.
Siblings Jenna and Jeremy have known for a long time that their parents don't get along. They find out just how bad it is when they are pulled out of class and told their father just shot and killed their mother. Jenna was always her father's favorite, while Jeremy was his mother's. Now a painful silence has fallen between them. They have trouble agreeing on just about everything at a time when they need each other more than ever. Where are they going to live? Who is going to take care of them? Can they have a relationship with their imprisoned father? Author Julius Lester handles difficult topics with grace and sensitivity. His To Be a Slave was a Newbery Honor Book and a New York Times Book of the Year. Uncompromisingly honest, When Dad Killed Mom is sometimes painful, and perhaps Lester's most moving novel. The emotional depth is enhanced by a skilled dual narration.
I should have asked the question "How could someone who was missing be in two places at once?" Instead, I asked the wrong question -- four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the second.
In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl. Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business? These are All The Wrong Questions.
