"Sixth-grader Ruth Mudd-Flaherty hasn't yet found her place at Humberboldt Middle School, at least that's how her moms see it. She prefers to be a lone wolf now that her very best friend, Charlotte Diamond, has moved on to a new, more socially acceptable group of friends. Ruth has been spending most of her time at the public library studying words for their school's upcoming spelling bee. She just knows that winning the bee will make people see her differently. Until she finds a mysterious note tucked into an old book.and in that note is a riddle. With no choice but to accept this mysterious invitation, Ruth sets off on a quest that could provide the answers to all her questions. But when solving the riddles becomes too difficult to complete alone, Ruth must allow others in. And doing so means that she might just end up making a new set of friends who share her love of adventure."
"Dear diary...
I'm not exactly a farm girl, but even I was excited to meet farmers Sam and Abby Heyworth. Through their CSA (that's Community Supported Agriculture), they supply most of River Heights with fresh fruits and veggies. But lately, Black Creek's food has been making people sick. Really sick. In fact, tests revealed that their fruits and vegetables are crawling with deadly bacteria! The Heyworths swear that someone is contaminating their food on purpose. I can't imagine why anyone would want to sabotage a farm . . . but I'm going to find out!"
"Dear diary...
The good news: Bess, George, and I are on a train bound for Denali National Park, gazing at majestic Mount McKinley as we speed along. It's truly awesome! The bad news: Someone - a creepy passenger or a disgruntled employee? - is still causing major trouble on the Arctic Star cruise ship, and now that we're sightseeing on land, the danger has followed. Whoever it is has got even me in their sights - but I've been working undercover, so I have no idea how anyone discovered I'm a detective. With every step I take, I'm looking over my shoulder. The forty-ninth state sure is proving to be treacherous territory."
"Dear diary...
Who would want to harm a horse? I kept asking myself that question while watching the beautiful jumpers at the annual River Heights Horse Show. The top riders from all over the country are here, and one of them, Payton Evans, is a close friend of Ned's family. She's been training for years, and Ned said she might even make the Olympic team. But just when Payton was supposed to compete in this show, everything went horribly wrong: Her horse, Midnight, tested positive for drugs! What kind of person would ever give drugs to a horse? And why?"
"What would you do if your faith could cost you your life?
The fascinating story of one of Christianity's most courageous heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is now unabridged and adapted for students. This compelling account of Bonhoeffer's remarkable testimony-combined with historical, theological, and political elements and enhanced with photos-brings the story to life. How did Bonhoeffer become someone who would defend God's truth, even when it was a matter of life and death? How did he endure the hardships that came with his faithfulness? How might we respond similarly to injustices today?
New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas vividly portrays the struggles and faith of Bonhoeffer, a man who had the courage to follow his convictions into Nazi Germany and stand up for the truth of God."
"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler meets Chasing Vermeer in this clever middle grade debut
When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.
With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.
“Uniquely readable, entirely charming, and a pleasure from start to finish. Debuts this good are meant to be discovered.” —SLJ Fuse 8 Blog
“Riveting from start to finish.” —BookPage "
"At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is National Book Award winner Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.
“These teenagers risked all—and lost much … This energetic work of nonfiction … will cheer the hearts of readers whatever their age.”—The Wall Street Journal
A Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Winner • A Boston Globe–Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Winner • A Booklist Editors’ Choice • A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and Best Teen Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A New York Public Library Notable • A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2015"
"It's Maddy's turn to have a bayou summer. At first she misses life back home in the city, but soon she grows to love everything about her new surroundings -- the glimmering fireflies, the glorious landscape, and something else, deep within the water, that only Maddy sees. Could it be a mermaid? As her grandmother shares wisdom about sayings and signs, Maddy realizes she may be only the sibling to carry on her family's magical legacy. And when a disastrous oil leak threatens the bayou, she knows she may also be the only one who can help. Does she have what it takes to be a hero? A coming-of-age tale rich with folk magic, set in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, 'Bayou Magic 'celebrates hope, friendship, and family, and captures the wonder of life in the Deep South."
"The jackdaw wants all his friends to come to his party, but when he calls out his invitation the animals just touch their heads. Why won't they answer? And what do their actions mean? Luckily a brown owl can help him with the puzzle!
This story about friendship and sign language was created by The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson with a group of deaf children in a workshop organised by the not-for-profit organization Life & Deaf which helps deaf children to explore their identities through poetry, film, performance and art.
Read by CBeebies TV presenter Justin Fletcher, What the Jackdaw Saw is another brilliant story from the team behind Goat Goes to Playgroup and Toddle Waddle."
"For whimsical Cody, many things are beautiful, especially ants who say hello by rubbing feelers. But nothing is as beautiful as the first day of summer vacation, and Cody doesn't want to waste one minute of it. Meanwhile, teenage brother Wyatt is moping over a girl, Mom is stressed about her new job selling shoes, Dad is off hauling chairs in his long-distance truck, and even camp has been closed for the summer. What to do? Just when all seems lost, Cody bumps into a neighborhood boy named Spencer who is looking for a runaway cat. Good thing Cody is an expert at finding runaway cats. Now it's Cody to the rescue!"
"Handsome but headstrong, a retired racehorse finds a second chance in eventing in this affecting, fast-paced novel told straight from the horse's mouth.
When Dante's Inferno is born early, on a February night, there are great expectations for him. He may be the grandson of the greatest racehorse in modern times, but Dante's start proves a rough one: he doesn't bond with many people, as they always seem to be either poking and prodding him or trying to get him to fulfill their dreams. When Dante fails to live up to his bloodline, he ends up at a Thoroughbred rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners and is later adopted as a project horse for a student named Ashley at the Maury River Stables.
It's not easy for Dante to befriend other horses, but slowly Daisy and Napoleon let him into the fold, and Ashley begins to work with him to learn dressage and jumping in hopes that he'll find redemption as an eventing horse. Can Dante put his fears aside enough to succeed on the cross country course?
Narrated from Dante's point of view, this is a story that animal lovers will cherish."
"Powerful forces collide in this explosive conclusion to the middle-grade dystopian Psi Chronicles trilogy.
Four months ago, Taemon was able to stave off an invasion by the Republik Army by using tricks to convince his enemies that the people of Deliverance still had the telekinetic ability known as psi. Now, though, the truth of his deception has come to light, and the Republik is preprared to mount another attack, led by General Sarin and his son, Gevri.
Once an ally, Gevri is fuming over Taemon's perceived betrayal. Now that his father has put him in charge of a special archon unit, Gevri is ready to exact revenge on his foe—and, with Deliverance securely in the control of the Republik, to end the centuries-long war between the Republik and the Nau nation.
Can Taemon—the supposed True Son and savior of Deliverance—find a way to save his people one last time?"
