Samantha attends Miss Crampton's Academy, a private school for proper young ladies. Samantha wants to win the gold medal in the speaking contest, but she's worried about Nellie, the poor servant girl who has become her friend. If she can teach Nellie to read, maybe the boys and girls at school will stop calling Nellie "dummy" and "ragbag." Samantha sets up a school in Grandmary's tower room and becomes Nellie's teacher. But Nellie teaches Samantha some very important lessons, too. View More...
In the imaginary Land of Prydain, where "evil is never distant," it has become imperative that the Black Cauldron, chief implement of the diabolical Arawn, be destroyed. In this cauldron Arawn has created his terrible army of deathless warriors from the stolen bodies of the slain. For each of those chosen to journey to Arawn's domain, the quest has a special meaning, and to Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, the adventure becomes a glorious opportunity to wear his first sword and prove himself a man among men.
John David Anderson returns to the world of superheroes he created in Sidekicked with an entirely new cast of characters in Minion, a funny and emotional companion to his first breakout tween novel--perfect for superhero fans who also love the work of bestselling authors Rick Riordan, Louis Sachar, and Frank Cottrell Boyce.Michael Morn might be a villain, but he's really not a bad guy. When you live in New Liberty, there are no Supers and only two kinds of people: those who turn to crime and those who suffer. Michael and his adoptive father spend their days building boxes--special devices with... View More...
A funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking contemporary story about three boys, one teacher, and a day none of them will ever forget.Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you'll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She's the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don't even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a k... View More...
If the kids can't sit still for the class performance, Roscoe's teacher could be in big trouble. Fortunately Roscoe has a plan to save her a super, mega, gonzo plan What could go wrong?" View More...
Set during the Civil War Era, this heartwrenching novel of two girls--one African American, one white--and their flight North to freedom, was called powerful, moving, and thought-provoking by Publishers Weekly. An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists in Orchard hardcover. View More...
The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not. He was a nameless orphan, marked for death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name- Crispin-only intensified the mystery. Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear-the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher-Crispin also found a new father and a new world. Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don't get far before their past catches up with them: Bear is being pursued by members of the secret br... View More...
Reintroducing a magical, bestselling medieval mystery from a Newbery-winning author The release coincides with Avi's exciting new companion to this book, MURDER AT MIDNIGHT.Night after night, a ghost appears in the royal castle of Pergamontio, terrifying the princess. Mangus the Magician doesn't believe in ghosts, but that doesn't stop him from being charged with finding this one. The King demands that Mangus free his daughter from the torment of the ghost. . . otherwise, the magician will pay with his life. Mangus's only hope is his faithful, street-smart servant boy, Fabrizio, who must solv... View More...
The schoolmaster says nine-year-old Benjamin is the finest student he's ever seen-fit for more than farming; destined for great things someday But his father's grave illness brings Ben home, from school and compels him to strive forsomething great right now -- to do the one thing that will please Father so much he'll want to live. But first Ben must convince his older sister andbrother to work with him. And together, they succeed in ways they never dreamed possible. View More...
Avon the snail has never had an adventure. And adventure, he has heard, is the key to a happy life. So with his new friend Edward the ant, Avon sets out on a journey to find the excitement his life has been missing. This modern fable is filled with funny--and profound--insights about the meaning of things . . . great and small.
In the overlapping years when childhood and adolescence blend and shift like waves and sand, nothing is certain and everything is changing. Now award-winning author Avi creates seven astonishing portraits of life in the middle-school years. In these stories you will meet, among others William, of "What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything?", who wonders why he shouldn't ask questions that have no answers. Is it because he might discover the truth? A minister's son, the baddest of the bad, is dared to be good in "The Goodness of Matt Kaizer". And in the chilling tale "Pets", Eve is haunted by the g... View More...
The first book in the series Middle school is tough already--but when your parents are evil supervillains and you've just discovered you have powers of your own, life can be a real challenge. Not only do bullies pick on Joshua, but do you see those supervillains over there trying to flood the world? The ones that everyone, including his best friend Milton, are rooting for Captain Justice to take down? They're the Dread Duo, and they just happen to be his parents. As if trying to hide his identity wasn't hard enough, Joshua has started leaving a trail of exploding pencils and scorched handprin... View More...
Jackie's turn Book four in this exciting new series April has finally arrived. How lucky of Jackie to have such a lovely month to tell her story. It starts off with fun and laughter on April Fool's Day, and then all the beautiful flowers start to bloom and then . . . Wait a minute. April fifteenth. That's not a fun day. That's the day every adult dreads--Tax Day The Eights have never had to worry about taxes. Their parents always took care of everything. But as we all know, their parents are gone (or dead). Who will take care of the taxes now? Luckily, the girls have Pete the Mechanic on th... View More...
It's the final book Each of the Eights has received her power and gift and they even know where Daddy is--inside a snowglobe-shaped Christmas tree ornament. Now all they have to do is get inside the ornament and rescue Daddy. Hopefully, Mommy's in there with him. For heaven's sake, how are they supposed to shrink all of them (plus the cats ) down to a size small enough to fit in the globe and then actually get inside it? Of course, through magic or just shear will power--who really knows which--the girls have done quite a few things that, to be honest, they really shouldn't have been able to ... View More...
The next-to-last episode in the Sisters Eight saga Finally Zinnia's turn has arrived. The poor girl has been waiting for her time in the spotlight quite long enough. Really, it would be cruel to make her wait any longer. What will her power and her gift be? Will either of them prove to be as much of a doozy as she has been hoping for? There's only one way to find out: Let her story begin. It's Zinnia Time But the search doesn't end here To find out if the Eights rescue Mommy and Daddy, you'll have to read book 9, "The Final Battle" View More...
National treasures, criminal masterminds, and...secret agent librarians? Steve Brixton wants to be a crime-busting detective--just like his favorite crime-busting detectives, the Bailey Brothers. Turns out, though, that real life is nothing like the stories. When Steve borrows the wrong book from the library, he finds himself involved in a treasonous plot that pits him against helicopter-rappelling librarians, has him outwitting a gaggle of police, and sees him standing off against the mysterious Mr. E. And all his Bailey Brothers know-how isn't helping at all Worst of all, his social studie... View More...
From the critically acclaimed author of Anything But Typical comes a "tense...and thought-provoking" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and how that day impacted the lives of four middle schoolers. Ask anyone: September 11, 2001, was serene and lovely, a perfect day--until a plane struck the World Trade Center. But right now it is a few days earlier, and four kids in different parts of the country are going about their lives. Sergio, who lives in Brooklyn, is struggling to come to terms with the absentee father he hates and ... View More...
WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is--or "was"--a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea "Elsa" Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn't make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck--whether it be home-ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the Pirate--is especially, well, "heckish "for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuc... View More...
This classic Stepping Stone edition, brings the classic Wizard of Oz tale to first chapter book readers. Includes art from the original Wizard of Oz View More...