"It all starts with a school essay.
Twelve-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is assigned to write five pages on "The True Meaning of Smekday" for the National Time Capsule contest, and she's not sure where to begin: when her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended to Earth, and aliens-called the Boov-abducted her mother?
Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it "Smekland" (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?
Gratuity's story is much, much bigger than the assignment. It involves her unlikely friendship with a renegade Boov mechanic named J.Lo, a futile journey south to find Gratuity's mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom, a cross-country road trip in a hovercar called Slushious, and an outrageous plan to save Earth from yet another alien invasion."
"Fans of Karen Cushman's witty, satisfying novels will welcome Meggy Swann, newly come to London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy's mother was glad to be rid of her; her father, who sent for her, doesn't want her after all. Meggy is appalled by London,dirty and noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around in-not that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks.Just as her alchemist father pursues his Great Work of transforming base metal into gold, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation. Earthy and colorful, Elizabethan London has its dark side, but it also has gifts in store for Meggy Swann."
"The Nancy Drew Notebooks enchant listeners with the antics of 8- year-old supersleuth Nancy Drew and her friends George and Bess. Nancy has a new puppy that needs lots of training, patience, and love. But when the chocolate-chip muffins go missing, Nancy's new puppy is blamed. The girls know that the puppy is innocent and they are determined to find the real thief."
"It's the day before the big ballet recital and Nancy Drew and her best friends Bess and George are very excited. But suddenly the tape with the dance music on it is missing! Everyone in the class thinks Bess took it, but Nancy knows better. It's up to her to find the culprit and the tape before it's too late."
"Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the California Young Reader Medal, Graham Salisbury injects his books with the exotic color of his native Hawaii. Continuing the story begun in Under the Blood-Red Sun, House of the Red Fish returns to Honolulu one year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thirteen-year-old Japanese American Tomi Nakaji must struggle to support his family after the arrest of his father and grandfather."
"Space Case is a Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Selection, and parents with fond memories of the Nancy Drew mysteries will love sharing it with their children. When the jelly bean jar in a guessing contest disappears, third grader Nancy Drew and her friends Bess and George start to gather clues. If they can't find the missing candy, no one will get the nifty prize: a trip to Cosmic Kids Space Camp."
"The Sand Castle Mystery is another Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Selection from acclaimed author Carolyn Keene. Eight year old Nancy Drew and her friends enter a sand castle building contest. Someone doesn't want them to win and won't play fair. When their castle is destroyed and a mean message is found in the sand, Nancy becomes a detective once again."
"Acclaimed author of the Parents' Choice Jim & Me, Dan Gutman adds a fictional twist to the true story of pitching legend 'Satchel' Paige. After facing a flamethrowing Little League hurler, 13-year-old 'Stosh' Stoshack time-travels back to 1942 to join Satchel on an unforgettable road trip to the Negro League World Series. With nobody out and the series on the line, Stosh watches as Old Satch intentionally walks three straight batters, waves all but his catcher off the field, and then challenges the best hitter in baseball."
"In Mockingbird-a poignant gem by acclaimed author Kathryn Erskine-a talented young artist struggles to overcome a disability. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, 10-year-old Caitlin faces a range of social and emotional challenges. The unexpected death of her caring brother makes matters even worse, but will the memory of his words of wisdom and the help of a compassionate counselor be enough to enable her to connect with others? 'Erskine's moving and insightful masterpiece delivers a compelling message for all.'-Publishers Weekly"
"Inge Auerbacher is a happy German girl when the nightmare begins. Six-year-old Inge is made to wear a yellow star to identify her as a Jew. As the Nazis gain power, her family is subjected to greater and greater horrors. Their home and citizenship are taken away. Inge's relatives are sent away, and she and her parents are forced into the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Background material on Hitler, the Nazi plan, and WW II provides a helpful context for understanding Inge's experiences. But it is Inge's own story, told from a child's point of view, and sprinkled liberally with her poems, that makes this chapter of world history personal and compelling. I Am a Star will take its place among the classics of Holocaust literature-alongside such works as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Night. Narrator Suzanne Toren artistically conveys the book's full gamut of feelings-from playful innocence to utter horror."
"The Carrie Diaries is the coming-of-age story of one of the most iconic characters of our generation.
Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small town girl who knew she wanted more. She's ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend's betrayal makes her question everything.
With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself, and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins."
"Meet Kevin Pugh, 12-year-old couch potato. Now meet Cromwell, his part beagle, part potato chip dog. Kevin’s looking forward to spending his summer doing as little as possible. Unfortunately, Kevin’s father, former Chicago Bears star player/super-sports fanatic, Howie Pugh, feels differently. So does Cromwell, who has suddenly and mysteriously developed a fascination with agility competitions: running up seesaws, leaping over hurdles, soaring through hoops (sometimes). If he has to do anything, Kevin would rather do something for newly obsessed Cromwell, but dog agility lessons do not constitute a sport in his father’s mind, so football camp it is. Until some well-timed events collide, literally, and soon Kevin’s found a way for he and Cromwell to take classes, and the upstart Team Cromwell is born.
Andy Behrens has written a hilarious novel with a dry-as-dirt protagonist who’s constantly tortured by the goings-on around him. It’s also a charming story about a boy and his dog, as well as a meaningful and heartfelt look at a relationship between a boy and his father who don’t always see eye-to-eye."
