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  • Rescue

    by Jennifer A. Nielsen Year Published: 2021 FIC Nielsen HISTORICAL

    Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all.

    Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet.

    As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?

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    Here are some books Mrs. Harding has recently read. Let her know if you have any questions about them or need a book suggestion!

  • Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

    by Chris Grabenstein Year Published: 2013 FIC Grabenstein MYSTERY

    When Kyle Keeley learns that the world's world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, Kyle is determined to be there! But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library—it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must catch every clue and solve every puzzle to find the hidden escape route!

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  • Saving the Sun Dragon

    by Tracey West Year Published: 2014 FIC West FANTASY

    In the second book in this fully-illustrated series, Drake and the other three Dragon Masters (Ana, Rori, and Bo) continue their training. But Ana's dragon, Kepri, is sick. The wizard tries to make her feel better, but his potions are not working. Drake's dragon, Worm, must use his special powers to take the Dragon Masters across the world in search of a cure. What made Kepri sick? Will the Dragon Masters be able to save her? And what dangers will they face along the way?

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  • New From Here

    by Kelly Yang Year Published: 2022 FIC Yang REALISTIC

    When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad, who has to stay for work.

    At his new school in California, Knox struggles with being the new kid. His classmates think that because he’s from Asia, he must have brought over the virus. At home, Mom just got fired and is panicking over the loss of health insurance, and Dad doesn’t even know when he’ll see them again, since the flights have been cancelled. And everyone struggles with Knox’s blurting-things-out problem.

    As racism skyrockets during COVID-19, Knox tries to stand up to hate, while finding his place in his new country. Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new? And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart? Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control, the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness.

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  • The Lightning Thief

    by Rick Riordan Year Published: 2005 FIC Riordan FANTASY

    Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse--Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him.

    When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, god of the sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends--one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena--Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

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  • The Lion of Mars

    by Jennifer L. Holm Year Published: 2021 FIC Holm SCIENCE FICTION

    Bell has spent his whole life--all eleven years of it--on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid--he loves cats and any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell--a regular kid in a very different world--to uncover the truth and save his family...and possibly unite an entire planet.

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  • Keeper of the Lost Cities

    by Shannon Messenger Year Published: 2013 FIC Messenger FANTASY

    Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks…

    But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.

    But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

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  • Ivy + Bean

    by Annie Barrows Year Published: 2006 FIC Barrows HUMOR

    The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to quickly hide and Ivy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. 

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  • Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

    by Lenore Look Year Published: 2008 FIC Look HUMOR

    Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything—elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’ s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him?

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  • Rise of the Earth Dragon

    by Tracey West Year Published: 2014 FIC West FANTASY

    In the first book in this fully-illustrated series, 8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland's soldier and taken to the castle. He is to be trained as a Dragon Master. At the castle, he is joined by three other young Dragon Masters-in-training: Ana, Rori, and Bo. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons--and they must also uncover their dragons' special powers. Does Drake have what it takes to be a Dragon Master? What is his dragon's special power?

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  • The Vanderbeekers on the Road

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2022 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    The popular Harlem family is putting the VAN in Vanderbeekers as they hit the highway to give their dad the best birthday surprise EVER! Re-creating a road trip Papa never got the chance to take with his own father, the whole crew is packed and ready for a cross-country adventure.

    Things get off to a rocky start when the car breaks down on their way to pick up Papa. But they really veer off course when Laney discovers that Jessie and Orlando are interviewing at a college once they get to California. How can they even think about leaving New York? Wouldn't that change their family? And how can she and her other siblings stop them?

    (This is book 6 in the series.)

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  • Baby Island

    by Carol Ryrie Brink Year Published: 1937 FIC Brink ADVENTURE

    When a ferocious storm hits their ship, young Mary and Jean become stranded on a deserted island. They’re not the only survivors; with them are four babies. Immediately, the sisters set out to make the island a home for themselves and the little ones. 

    This book was generously donated to our library collection by Mrs. Muelder's parents. They said it was one of her favorite childhood books. When she was a child, Mrs. Muelder's family was on vacation and she was trying to read this book, but her younger brother kept pestering her. She finally climbed a tree to get away from him and read her book!

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  • The Midnight Children

    by Dan Gemeinhart Year Published: 2022 Not in our library

    In the dead of night, a truck arrives in Slaughterville, a small town curiously named after its windowless slaughterhouse. Seven mysterious kids with suitcases step out of the vehicle and into an abandoned home on a dead-end street, looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren't noticed.

    But Ravani Foster covertly witnesses their arrival from his bedroom window. Timid and lonely, Ravani is eager to learn everything he can about his new neighbors: What secrets are they hiding? And most mysterious of all...where are the adults?

    Yet amid this shadowy group of children, Ravani finds an unexpected friend in the warm and gutsy Virginia. But with this friendship comes secrets revealed--and danger. When Ravani learns of a threat to his new friends, he must fight to keep them safe, or lose the only person who has ever understood him.

    Full of wonder, friendship, and mystery, The Midnight Children explores the meaning of home, what makes a family, and what it takes to find the courage to believe in yourself.

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  • A Duet for Home

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2022 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    It's June’s first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren’t enough, she also can’t bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she’s not about to give it up now.

    Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door.

    Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?

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  • Stay

    by Bobbie Pyron Year Published: 2019 FIC Pyron ANIMALS

    Piper's life is turned upside down when her family moves into a shelter in a whole new city. She misses her house, her friends, and her privacy-and she hates being labeled the homeless girl at her new school. But while the shelter, Hope House, offers her new challenges, it also brings new friendships, like the girls in Firefly Girls Troop 423 and a sweet street dog named Baby. So when Baby's person goes missing, Piper knows she has to help. But helping means finding the courage to trust herself and her new friends, no matter what anyone says about them-before Baby gets taken away for good.

    Told in the alternating perspectives of Piper and Baby, this uplifting friendship tale celebrates the importance of hope, the power of story, and the true meaning of home.

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  • The Night Diary

    by Veera Hiranandani Year Published: 2018 FIC Hiranandani HISTORICAL

    It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

    Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

    Told through Nisha's letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl's search for home, for her own identity...and for a hopeful future.

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  • Too Bright To See

    by Kyle Lukoff Year Published: 2021

    It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. For Moira, this means figuring out the right clothes to wear, learning how to put on makeup, and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life. But none of this is all that appealing to Bug, who doesn't particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl. Besides, there's something more important to worry about: A ghost is haunting Bug's eerie old house in rural Vermont...and maybe haunting Bug in particular. As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say, an altogether different truth comes to light--Bug is transgender.

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  • The Bridge Home

    by Padma Venkatraman Year Published: 2019 FIC Venkatraman REALISTIC

    Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

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  • Room To Dream

    by Kelly Yang Year Published: 2021 FIC Yang REALISTIC

    Mia Tang is going for her dreams!

    After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family -- to China! A total dream come true! Mia can't wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China's going through, Mia thinks about the changes in her own life, like . . .

    1. Lupe's taking classes at the high school! And Mia's own plans to be a big writer are . . . stuck.

    2. Something happened with Jason and Mia has no idea what to do about it.

    3. New buildings are popping up all around the motel, and small businesses are disappearing.

    Can the Calivista survive? Buckle up! Mia is more determined than ever to get through the turbulence, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

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  • The Mysterious Benedict Society

    by Trenton Lee Stewart Year Published: 2007 FIC Stewart MYSTERY

    "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children--two boys and two girls--succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.

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  • Clean Getaway

    by Nic Stone Year Published: 2020 FIC Stone REALISTIC

    How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
        Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
        Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
        Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.

    What Not to Bring:
        A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.

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  • Starfish

    by Lisa Phipps Year Published: 2021

    Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

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  • Other Words for Home

    by Jasmine Warga Year Published: 2019 FIC Warga REALISTIC

    Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

    At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before.

    But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

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  • Restart

    by Gordon Korman Year Published: 2017 FIC Korman HUMOR

    Chase's memory just went out the window. Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.

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  • The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2021 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    It's summer on 141st Street, and the Vanderbeekers are looking forward to Papa's surprise fortieth birthday party.

    But then Papa must leave town to help his best friend and the Vanderbeeker children are surprised to find their maternal grandparents on their doorstep. Grandma is very critical of everything they do. Meanwhile, they find themselves learning more about their papa's father than ever before, and wishing they could have known him a bit better. Can they learn more about the grandfather they lost and come to appreciate the grandparents they still have while making sure their papa has the best birthday ever?

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  • Ways to Make Sunshine

    by Renee Watson Year Published: 2020 FIC Watson REALISTIC

    Ryan Hart can be and do anything. Her name means "king", that she is a leader, and she is determined to keep growing into the name her parents gave her. She is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, sister, and friend. But Ryan has a lot on her mind. For instance: Dad finally has a new job, but money is still tight. That means some changes, like moving into a new (old) house, and Dad working the night shift. And with the fourth-grade talent show coming up, Ryan wonders what talent she can perform on stage in front of everyone without freezing. As even more changes and challenges come her way, Ryan always finds a way forward and shows she is a girl who knows how to glow.

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  • Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, 1)

    by B. B. Alston Year Published: 2021 FIC Alston FANTASY

    Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.

    So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.

    Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

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  • The Thing About Jellyfish

    by Ali Benjamin Year Published: 2015

    After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

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  • The Magic Misfits: The Fourth Suit

    by Neil Patrick Harris Year Published: 2020 FIC Harris FANTASY

    Ridley Larsen is everything you want in a friend. She's tough as nails, she's fiercely loyal, and she's smart as a whip. But she can be a harsh critic, which has put her position with the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even as the threat of the group's longtime enemy Kalagan looms large. Ever since his recent appearance in Mineral Wells, the kids know that a showdown with the vicious magician is imminent.

    They must first deal with a series of odd instances and random attacks, though, all of which they use to bring themselves closer to discovering where Kalagan may be hiding, and the nature of his true identity. But can Ridley finally master her temper and put her essential magical skills to good use? She'll do anything to protect her friends, and when the time comes, she'll find that the Magic Misfits are strongest when they all work together.

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  • Three Keys

    by Kelly Yang Year Published: 2020 FIC Yang REALISTIC

    The story of Mia and her family and friends at the Calivista Motel continues in this powerful, hilarious, and resonant sequel to the award-winning novel Front Desk.

     Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever. She and her parents are the proud owners of the Calivista Motel, Mia gets to run the front desk with her best friend, Lupe, and she's finally getting somewhere with her writing!But as it turns out, sixth grade is no picnic...1. Mia's new teacher doesn't think her writing is all that great. And her entire class finds out she lives and works in a motel! 2. The motel is struggling, and Mia has to answer to the Calivista's many, many worried investors.3. A new immigration law is looming and if it passes, it will threaten everything -- and everyone -- in Mia's life.It's a roller coaster of challenges, and Mia needs all of her determination to hang on tight. But if anyone can find the key to getting through turbulent times, it's Mia Tang!

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  • Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

    by Jason Reynolds Year Published: 2019 FIC Reynolds REALISTIC

    This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

    Talking about boogers.
    Stealing pocket change.
    Skateboarding.
    Wiping out.
    Braving up.
    Executing complicated handshakes.
    Planning an escape.
    Making jokes.
    Lotioning up.
    Finding comfort.
    But mostly, too busy walking home.

    Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

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  • Sadiq and the Pet Problem

    by Siman Nuurali Year Published: 2020 FIC Nuurali REALISTIC

    Sadiq's third grade class has no classroom pet! Not only that, but Sadiq has never had a pet of his own. So Sadiq gathers some classmates to help him solve this problem. What kind of pet would be perfect for their class? A lizard? A bunny? A parakeet? Soon it's up to Sadiq and friends to convince their teacher and classmates that they have found the perfect pet match.

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  • Sadako

    by Eleanor Coerr Year Published: 1993

    In her novel Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, Eleanor Coerr told the moving story of Sadako and her brave struggle against leukemia, the “atom-bomb disease,” which she developed when she was twelve, just ten years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

    The novel became a classic, and when Sadako’s story was to be made into a film, Caldecott medalist Ed Young was asked to do the illustrations. With love and commitment, he created nearly 300 hauntingly beautiful pastels which bring to life the spirit of Sadako, her courage and her strength.

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  • Save Me A Seat

    by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan Year Published: 2016 FIC Weeks REALISTIC

    Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.

    Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.

    Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.

    Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

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  • The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

    by Jeanne Birdsall Year Published: 2005 FIC Birdsall REALISTIC

    This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

    The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.

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  • The Vanderbeekers: Lost and Found

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2020 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    When autumn arrives on 141st Street, the Vanderbeekers are busy helping Mr. Beiderman get ready for the New York City Marathon and making sure the mysterious person sleeping in the community garden gets enough to eat. But when they discover the true identity of the person making a home in the community garden’s shed, their world turns upside down as they learn what it means to care for someone in an impossible situation.

    In this fourth book in the Vanderbeekers series, return to 141st Street with Isa, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney as they attempt to make their neighborhood a better place, one heartfelt plan at a time.

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  • All Rise For The Honorable Perry T. Cook

    by Leslie Connor Year Published: 2016 FIC Connor MYSTERY

    Eleven-year-old Perry was born and raised by his mom at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C, and so far Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. That is, until a new district attorney discovers the truth—and Perry is removed from the facility and forced into a foster home.

    When Perry moves to the “outside” world, he feels trapped. Desperate to be reunited with his mom, Perry goes on a quest for answers about her past crime. As he gets closer to the truth, he will discover that love makes people resilient no matter where they come from . . . but can he find a way to tell everyone what home truly means?

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  • The Bacteria Book: The BIG World of Really Tiny Microbes

    by Steve Mould Year Published: 2018 579 Mould

    Meet a glowing squid, traveling fungus spores, and much more. The Bacteria Book walks the line between "ew, gross!" and "oh, cool!," exploring why we need bacteria and introducing readers to its microbial mates—viruses, fungi, algae, archaea, and protozoa.

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  • When Friendship Followed Me Home

    by Paul Griffin Year Published: 2017

    Ben Coffin has never been one for making friends. As a former foster kid, he knows people can up and leave without so much as a goodbye. Ben prefers to spend his time with the characters in his favorite sci-fi books…until he rescues an abandoned mutt from the alley next-door to the Coney Island Library. Scruffy little Flip leads Ben to befriend a fellow book-lover named Halley—yes, like the comet—a girl unlike anyone he has ever met. Ben begins thinking of her as “Rainbow Girl” because of her crazy-colored clothes and her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day.  Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her.  But as their story unfolds Ben’s life begins to unravel, and Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home.

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  • The Cricket in Times Square

    by George Selden Year Published: 1960 FIC Selden ADVENTURE

    Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he'd seen it all. But he's never met a cricket before, which really isn't surprising, because, along with his friend Harry Cat, Tucker lives in the very heart of New York City―the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma of liverwurst right into someone's picnic basket. Now, like any tourist in the city, he wants to look around. And he could not have found two better guides―and friends―than Tucker and Harry. The trio have many adventures―from taking in the sights and sounds of Broadway to escaping a smoky fire.

    Chester makes a third friend, too. It is a boy, Mario, who rescues Chester from a dusty corner of the subway station and brings him to live in the safety of his parents' newsstand. He hopes at first to keep Chester as a pet, but Mario soon understands that the cricket is more than that. Because Chester has a hidden talent and no one―not even Chester himself―realizes that the little country cricket may just be able to teach even the toughest New Yorkers a thing or two.

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  • Front Desk

    by Kelly Yang Year Published: 2018 FIC Yang REALISTIC

    Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

    Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

    Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.


    Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

    It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

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  • Chloe in India

    by Kate Darnton Year Published: 2016

    Though they’re divided by class, language, appearance—you name it—Chloe and Lakshmi have a lot in common. Both girls are new to Class Five at Premium Academy in New Delhi, India, and neither seems to fit in. But they soon discover how extraordinary an ordinary friendship can be and how celebrating our individuality can change the world.

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  • The War That Saved My Life

    by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Year Published: 2015 FIC Bradley HISTORICAL

    Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.

    So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

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  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    by Kate DiCamillo Year Published: 2006 FIC DiCamillo ADVENTURE

    Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . . Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

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  • The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

    by Leslie Connor Year Published: 2018 FIC Connor REALISTIC

    Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason’s learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason’s best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family’s orchard.

    An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can’t understand why Lieutenant Baird won’t believe the story Mason has told about that day.

    Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground haven for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He’s desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin and, eventually, Benny.

    But will anyone believe him?

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  • Rain Reign

    by Ann M. Martin Year Published: 2016 FIC Martin REALISTIC

    Rose Howard has OCD, Asperger's syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose's father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose's father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn't have much patience for his special-needs daughter.

    Just as a storm hits town, Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Rose will find Rain, but so will Rain's original owners.

     

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  • The War I Finally Won

    by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Year Published: 2017 FIC Bradley HISTORICAL

    When Ada’s clubfoot is surgically fixed at last, she knows for certain that she’s not what her mother said she was—damaged, deranged, crippled mentally as well as physically. She’s not a daughter anymore, either. Who is she now?

    World War II rages on, and Ada and her brother, Jamie, move with their guardian, Susan, into a cottage with the iron-faced Lady Thorton and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded home is tense. Then Ruth moves in. Ruth, a Jewish girl, from Germany. A German? Could Ruth be a spy?

    As the fallout from war intensifies, calamity creeps closer, and life during wartime grows even more complicated. Who will Ada decide to be? How can she keep fighting? And who will she struggle to save?

    Ada’s first story, The War that Saved My Life, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. This second masterwork of historical fiction continues Ada's journey of family, faith, and identity, showing us that real freedom is not just the ability to choose, but the courage to make the right choice.

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  • Magic Misfits: The Minor Third

    by Neil Patrick Harris Year Published: 2019 FIC Harris FANTASY

    Theo Stein-Meyer loves being part of the Magic Misfits. Armed with his trusty violin bow, he completes the team with his levitation skills, unflappable calm, and proper manners. But when a girl named Emily begins to spend time with the group, Theo is surprisingly drawn to her. She seems to understand the pull he feels between music and magic, between family and friends.

    Then a famous ventriloquist arrives in town, and the Misfits are sure he (and his creepy dummy) are up to no good. With their mentor, Mr. Vernon, suddenly called away and tension simmering among the friends, can they come together to stop another member of the villainous Emerald Ring? It's time for Theo to make a choice about where--and with whom--he belongs.

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  • The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2019 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    For the Vanderbeeker kids of Harlem’s 141st Street, spring break couldn’t be off to a better start. Isa’s back from band camp, Oliver’s building his first-ever treehouse in the backyard of the brownstone, and Laney, Jess, and Hyacinth are excited to help their mother when she gets the once-in-a-lifetime chance to star in a cooking magazine.

    But the Vanderbeekers’ plans go off the rails when an unexpected visit from city officials puts their mother’s bakery in jeopardy. Now they’ll have to band together to save the day before they’re out of business. 

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  • The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

    by Dan Gemeinhart Year Published: 2019 FIC Gemeinhart REALISTIC

    Five years.

    That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.
    It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.
    Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished—the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box—she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.
    Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...
    Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”

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  • The Magic Misfits: The Second Story

    by Neil Patrick Harris Year Published: 2018 FIC Harris FANTASY

    Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. She turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist--a valuable trait when you belong to a group of magical best friends. But when a famous psychic comes to town, Leila and her pals can't escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep their home of Mineral Wells safe--but can they protect themselves?

    ...have more questions? I thought you might. Here are some answers:

    WHERE? A sleepy town in New England. Within the town is a magic shop, run by the friendly but mysterious Dante Vernon--the gang's caped and top-hatted mentor.

    WHO? Carter, who can make things vanish. Leila, who can escape from anything. Theo, who can make things levitate. Ridley, who can invent anything. And twins Olly and Izzy, who can make anyone laugh.

     WHY? Because together, these six magical misfits will discover adventure, friendship, and the town's long-hidden secrets.

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  • The Magic Misfits

    by Neil Patrick Harris Year Published: 2017 FIC Harris FANTASY

    When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic in a sleepy New England town. But like any good trick, things change instantly as greedy B.B. Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies arrive to steal anything and everything they can get their sticky fingers on.

     After a fateful encounter with the local purveyor of illusion, Dante Vernon, Carter teams up with five other like-minded illusionists. Together, using both teamwork and magic, they'll set out to save the town of Mineral Wells from Bosso's villainous clutches. These six Magic Misfits will soon discover adventure, friendship, and their own self-worth in this delightful new series.

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  • The Vanderbeekers and The Hidden Garden

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2018 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    While Isa is off at sleepaway orchestra camp, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney are stuck at home in the brownstone with nothing to do but get on one another’s nerves. But when catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbor, their sleepy summer transforms in an instant as the Vanderbeeker children band together to do what they do best: make a plan. They will create the most magical healing garden in all of Harlem.

    In this companion to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, experience the warmth of a family and their community as they work together to bring a little more beauty and kindness to the world, one thwarted plan at a time.

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  • The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

    by Karina Yan Glaser Year Published: 2017 FIC Glaser REALISTIC

    The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It's practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.

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  • The Graveyard Book

    by Neil Gaiman Year Published: 2008

    IT TAKES A GRAVEYARD TO RAISE A CHILD.

    Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family.

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  • The Doll People

    by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin Year Published: 2000 FIC Martin FANTASY

    Annabelle Doll is eight years old-she has been for more than a hundred years. Not a lot has happened to her, cooped up in the dollhouse, with the same doll family, day after day, year after year. . . until one day the Funcrafts move in.

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  • Freak The Mighty

    by Rodman Philbrick Year Published: 1993

    MAX. FREAK. BEST FRIENDS. FOREVER.

    "I never had a brain until Freak came along. . . ".

    That's what Max thought. All his life he'd been called stupid. Dumb. Slow. It didn't help that his body seemed to be growing faster than his mind. It didn't help that people were afraid of him. So Max learned how to be alone At least until Freak came along.

    Freak was weird, too. He had a little body -- and a really big brain. Together Max and Freak were unstoppable.

    Together, they were Freak the Mighty.

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  • Inside Out & Back Again

    by Thanhha Lai Year Published: 2011 FIC Lai HISTORICAL

    For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

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  • Mac Undercover

    by Mac Barnett Year Published: 2018 FIC Barnett MYSTERY

    The Queen of England is calling, and she has a secret mission...JUST FOR MAC.

    My name is Mac Barnett. I am an author. But before I was an author, I was a kid. And when I was a kid, I was a spy. The story you are about to read is true. This actually happened to me. Open this book to find out more about my adventures. But beware--this mission is top secret and very dangerous!

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