"Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets of his own. And soon the boys are thrust into circumstances that will lead them to a fantastic, spellbinding conclusion."
"Mark Chelmsley IV has never felt truly at home anywhere. With only four months left in the fifth grade before he starts at an exclusive boarding school, Mark doesn't think it's even worth trying to settle in. What changes his mind is a Week in the Woods- the annual school camping trip. But even there, things go wrong. Mark covers for a friend and lands himself in Big Trouble: his nemesis, science teacher Mr. Maxwell, suspends him. Just as Mr. Maxwell is about take Mark home, Mark runs off into the woods, putting his survival skills- and Mr. Maxwell's- to the test."
"Kit Tyler must leave behind shimmering Caribbean islands to join the stern Puritan community of her relatives. She soon feels caged, until she meets the old woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond. But when their friendship is discovered, Kit herself is accused of witchcraft!"
"Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, whenever you go out.
In this powerful and realistic tale, eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city during the Taliban rule. Parvana's father- a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed- works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food. As conditions in the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden by the Taliban government to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy and become the breadwinner."
"People in Adenville are breathing a sigh of relief. It seems that Tom D. Fitzgerald, the Great Brain, has truly reformed. For months, not one kid has been swindled and not one stunt has been pulled. But when he gets a new bike for Christmas, the Great Brain heads full speed into his old ways. And this time his ideas are bigger than ever. He puts all of Adenville in fear of a prehistoric beast from Skeleton Cave, solves a mysterious bank robbery, and captures the ghost of Silverload Mine. Don’t look now–the Great Brain is at it again!"
"HOW CAN YOU LOVE SOMEONE AND RESENT HIM AT THE SAME TIME?
Jake Moon used to love the time he spent with his grandfather, Skelly, but that was before Skelly got Alzheimer's disease. All of a sudden, it's as if Skelly is the kid, and Jake has to be the grown-up. Much of Skelly's care becomes Jake's responsibility, and that doesn't leave much time for a life of his own.
Then, one day Jake rebels, and the unthinkable happens. Has Jake discovered too late how much his grandfather still means to him?"
"The Great Brain is Tom D. Fitzgerald, aged ten. The story is told by J.D., a sometimes confounded but always admiring younger brother. Such people as Mr. Standish, the mean schoolmaster, regret the day they came up against The Great Brain. But others, like the Jensen kids lost in Skeleton Cave, Basil, the Greek kid, or Andy, who has lost his leg and his friends, know that Tom's great brain never fails to find a way home."
"Tyler Stewart knows he’s going to be a television star. He’s funny, and his uncle Pete is a writer for the most popular show on TV. Best of all, Tyler’s parents have just sent him to visit Pete in Hollywood. Talk about luck—no more of his mom’s worrying and his dad’s instructions, for the rest of his summer vacation. Everyone in show business needs a break, and Tyler is sure this is going to be his.
Now Tyler has two weeks to land an audition and impress the sitcom’s moody star. First he’ll have to learn everything there is to know about life on the set, from navigating the food cart to breaking a story. And that will mean spending as much time as possible at the studio—despite his parents’ objections. With the help of his new friend Samantha, Tyler’s dream just might become a reality. But the road to fame is paved with surprises, and the part of a lifetime is sometimes the one we least expect. . . ."
"Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, despite what the other residents of Coal Harbour believe. For all practical purposes, Primrose is an orphan, and there's no great clamoring of prospective adopters. After realizing the impracticality of continuing to pay Miss Perfidy (a mothball-scented elderly lady) an hourly wage to baby-sit her, the town council places her with Uncle Jack, who reluctantly takes her in. Primrose does warm up to him, but her true sanctuary is a local restaurant called The Girl on the Red Swing, where everything--including lasagna--is served on a waffle, and where the proprietor Miss Bowzer offers a willing ear.
Through a mixture of eccentric humor and probing philosophy, author Polly Horvath makes Primrose's search for peace and understanding a most memorable one."
"Amber, her parents, her best friend Justin and his family are all in the Poconos on vacation in It’s a Fair Day, Amber Brown. Amber is hopeful for a perfect day at the county fair, and the morning almost goes as planned. Then her mom and dad get into a fight, and a perfect day at the fair turns into just a fair day in this warm-hearted tale of family and friendship. Vacation time again in What a Trip, Amber Brown, and once again Amber and Justin are off to the Poconos with their families. They’re looking forward to loads of fun, until tempers flare when Justin teases Amber about her fear of the water. The ups and the downs are realistically conveyed and the story is as exuberant and fresh as the seven-year-old herself."
"Sheila Rae believes that she is not afraid of anything. She steps on cracks, walks backward with her eyes closed, and teases her sister for her fears. But when Sheila Rae gets lost one day, she discovers maybe, just maybe, she isn’t quite as brave as she thought she was.A Live Oak Media audio production."
"He wasn’t born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend. Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park “frog” homer; how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. But the thing Maniac Magee is best known for is what he did for the kids from the East Side and those from the West Side."
