Synopsis: The classic heartwarming tale from Kate DiCamillo—now with an afterword from the beloved author, reflecting on twenty years in printOne summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother,…

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Hazel Rothbury stows away aboard the Titanic and, with the help of a porter named Charlie and a first-class passenger named Sylvia, she sets out to explore the great ship, uncovering a haunting mystery--until the ship hits an iceberg and she must fight to save herself and her friends.

Synopsis: From the assassination that triggers World War I in 1914 to Armistice Day in 1918, the story follows the fates of five young people on both sides of the conflict--each facing their portion of the war with courage, until the end of the war brings them together. Includes information on the history of the war.

Synopsis: A little tree grows all alone on a cliff, by a vast and mighty sea. Through thundering storms and the cold of winter, the tree holds fast. Sustained by the natural world and the kindness and compassion of one little boy, eventually the tree grows until it can hold and shelter others. The resilience of the Hugging Tree calls to mind the potential in all of us: To thrive, despite times of struggle and difficulty. To nurture the little spark of…

Synopsis: An exciting retelling of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale for beginning chapter book readers! Mowgli is a boy who was raised by wolves. He lives in the jungle and spends his days climbing trees, eating honey, and swimming in forest pools. The jungle is Mowlgi's home--but not everyone wants him there. Mowlgi has a dangerous enemy, the ferocious tiger Shere Kahn. Mowgli knows that someday he will be forced to fight Shere Kahn--or leave the jungle…

Synopsis: When Nadia arrives in Canada in 1950 with Marusia, the woman she calls mother, she is glad to finally be out of the displaced persons camp where she has lived for five years, but troubled by confused memories of World War II; she speaks Ukrainian, but she seems to remember living with a German Nazi family who called her by a different name--and as she tries to settle into the Canadian-Ukrainian community of Brantford she is haunted by one…

Synopsis: In this Parents' Choice Gold Award–winning book, Selig collects words, ones that stir his heart (Mama!) and ones that make him laugh (giggle). But what to do with so many luscious words? After helping a poet find the perfect words for his poem (lozenge, lemon, and licorice), he figures it out: His purpose is to spread the word to others. And so he begins to sprinkle, disburse, and broadcast them to people in need.

Synopsis: Andy is in a world of trouble. On the last day of a sea kayaking trip in southeast Alaska, fourteen-year-old Andy Galloway paddles away from his group to visit the nearby site where his archaeologist father died trying to solve the mystery of the first Americans. A sudden, violent storm blows Andy's kayak off course and washes him ashore on Admiralty Island, an immense wilderness known as the Fortress of the Bears. Struggling to survive, Andy…

Synopsis: A sensitive and endearing middle grade novel about a young Pakistani immigrant adjusting to his new life in contemporary America   Ten-year-old Bilal liked his life back home in Pakistan. He was a star on his cricket team. But when his father suddenly sends the family to live with their aunt and uncle in America, nothing is familiar. While Bilal tries to keep up with his cousin Jalaal by joining a baseball league and practicing his English, he…

Synopsis: "Nonstop action, real history, serious danger. You gotta read these books!" --Alan Gratz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of RefugeeDecember, 1961Marta is a young girl who saw thirty miles of barbed wire appear across her city overnight, separating Berlin into West and East -- with Marta's home on the Communist Bloc-controlled eastern side.January, 1989Now a spray-painted concrete monolith, the Berlin Wall bisects the city. Kurt, a young…

Synopsis: "When their father leaves them, thirteen-year-old Shana and her younger brother Cody move with Mama to the sterile suburb of Laglade, Maryland. But Shana and Cody miss the forests and rivers of Virginia. mama finds them a summer cabin, and they promise to stay out of trouble. Soon Shana and Cody find out that promise isn't easy to keep. Their tranquil summer in the woods is threatened when they meet Henry, an ornery old man who claims to be a…

Synopsis: ALA Notable Book "Horn Book" Fanfare Winner of the International Children's Literature Association's 1999 Phoenix Award * A retired college president is determined to best a young beachcomber * A store manager accuses a boy of shoplifting * A tour guide strikes a bargain with an enterprising orphan * A boy recovering from a broken arm befriends an elderly woman in an old folks' home * A widow and her son seize an opportunity presented by a pair…

Synopsis: Never out of print since its 1944 publication, this tender story offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. At its heart is Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl in an American school, who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. When she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, she unwittingly triggers a game of teasing that eventually ends in a lesson for all. In…

Synopsis: When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back to the 1870's, the land on a prairie near a one-room schoolhouse. They meet a teenage schoolteacher, some cool kids, and one big, scary bully. But just when they think their mission is over, a twister sweeps across the prairie! Can Jack and Annie help their new friends? Or will the twister blow them all away?

Synopsis: It is a dark and snowy night when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to colonial times. General George Washington is about to lead his army in a sneak attack against their enemy. But now the terrible weather is making the great general question his plans. Can Jack and Annie keep history on track? The fate of the country rests in their hands!

Synopsis: An adventure that will shake you up! That's what Jack and Annie get when the magic tree house whisks them back to California in 1906. As soon as they arrive, the famous San Francisco earthquake hits the city. Can Jack and Annie find the final writing they need to help Merlin save Camelot?

Synopsis: The popular Big Anthony tries once again to use Strega Nona’s magic with the usual hilarious and disastrous results. “Played for laughs-successfully.”--Booklist