Synopsis: Twelve-year-old House Jackson--star pitcher and team captain of the Aurora County All-Stars--has been sidelined for a whole sorry year with a broken elbow. He's finally ready to play, but wouldn't you know that the team's only game of the year has been scheduled for the exact same time as the town's 200th-anniversary pageant. Now House must face the pageant's director, full-of-herself Frances Shotz (his nemesis and perpetrator of the elbow break…

Synopsis: This is a lovely version of an eccentric bit of American history. The text describes a man with a different outlook on life-a man who believed that other creatures have just as much right to be on the earth as humans. Johnny Appleseed lived his life true to his philosophy; he carried news between the settled East and the newly settled West and planted groves of apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Every other page presents a full-page…

Synopsis: New York Times Bestseller: “A sprawling action-packed novel” of Israel by the author of The Hope (The Philadelphia Inquirer). This follow-up to The Hope plunges immediately into the violence and upheaval of the Six-Day War of 1967 and continues the stories of its multiple characters and of Israel’s dramatic struggle for survival across the years. The Glory takes readers through the terrors of the Yom Kippur War, the famous Entebbe operation, and…

Synopsis: Julie Albright doesn't want to move, even just a few miles away. Moving means leaving her best friend, Ivy, and her pet rabbit, Nutmeg. Worst of all, it means leaving Dad, now that her parents are divorced. Then Julie finds out that her new school has a basketball team, and life starts looking up--until the coach says no girls allowed. When Julie decides to fight for her place on the team, some of her new classmates tease her, and now even Ivy…

Synopsis: A retelling of the tale, set in medieval Paris, of Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, and his struggles to save the beautiful gypsy dancer Esmaralda from being unjustly executed.

Synopsis: Helen Keller was a sad little girl. When she was just a baby, she became very sick.The illness left Helen blind and deaf. Suddenly, she could not see or hear. Helen's world was dark and silent... until she met a wonderful teacher named Annie.Read this story and find out how Annie changed Helen's life!

Synopsis: In a Jewish ghetto, Max Rosen and his sister Zena struggle to live after their father is taken away by the Nazis. With barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from Nazi soldiers into the nearby forest. Max and Zena are brought to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. But soon, bombs are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?

Synopsis: Growing up during the Great Depression of the 1930s, nine-year-old Kit Kittredge longs for a big story for her daily newspaper for Dad--that is, until she's faced with really bad news. When Mother's friends lose their home and come to stay with her family, it's nothing but trouble for Kit. Part of the "American Girls" series.

Synopsis: Laura Ingalls's story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Four-year-old Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard, since the family must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her folks celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and…

Synopsis: DK's Biography series for young readers features one of the best-known and most inspiring women of the 20th century -- Eleanor Roosevelt. A biography of the First Lady who, despite her shyness, followed her conscience and devoted her life to helping others and working for peace. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

Synopsis: When the Los Angeles riots break out in the streets of their neighborhood, a young boy and his mother learn the value of getting along with others no matter what their backgrounds or nationalities.

Synopsis: Gripping and inspiring, these true stories of bravery, terror, and hope chronicle nine different children's experiences during the Holocaust.These are the true-life accounts of nine Jewish boys and girls whose lives spiraled into danger and fear as the Holocaust overtook Europe. In a time of great horror, these children each found a way to make it through the nightmare of war. Some made daring escapes into the unknown, others disguised their…

Synopsis: Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Frederick Douglass was determined to gain freedom--and once he realized that knowledge was power, he secretly learned to read and write to give himself an advantage. After escaping to the North in 1838, as a free man he gave powerful speeches about his experience as a slave. He was so impressive that he became a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, as well as one of the most famous abolitionists of the…

Synopsis: Congress is in session and the Squeaker of the House and the Senate Mouse-jority leader have a big job to do: they have to pass a law designating a national cheese for the United Mice of America. InHouse Mouse, Senate Mouse, bestselling and award-winning duo Peter and Cheryl Barnes give kids an entertaining and educational look at the legislative process while teaching them the values of hard work and compromise. From drawing up a bill and…

Synopsis: Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood up and fought for what she believed in. From an early age, she knew that women were not given rights equal to men. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and later gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote.Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.Elizabeth Leads the Way is a 2009…

Synopsis: Ten little Pilgrims and ten little Wampanoag boys and girls are getting ready for the harvest feast. In colonial Plimoth, the Pilgrims hunt ducks and geese and dig up turnips and carrots. In a nearby village, the Wampanoag dig for clams, fish for cod, and gather nuts and berries. Finally it’s time for the meal. First everyone gives thanks, then it’s time to eat and celebrate. The simple rhythmic text and autumn-colored illustrations are just…

Synopsis: A Thanksgiving story celebrating the gift of friendship Mini is the littlest Pilgrim in her village. Too little to sew. Too little to bake. Too little to fish. But she's not too little to make a friend. Kirsten Richards' adorable art brings to life this Pilgrim friendship tale; perfect for Thanksgiving, or anytime

Synopsis: Baseball legend Satchel Paige changes a boy’s life in this coming-of-age tale from the author of Lucky.When Nick is released from the hospital after suffering from polio, he is sure that his father will never look at him in the same way again. Once the best pitcher in youth league, Nick now walks with a limp and is dependent on a heavy leg brace. He isn’t sure he will ever return to the mound, never mind be the star he once was. When Nick starts…

Synopsis: He is a motherless child, a coal miner, a circus star, a con artist, a seer, a hero, and a survivor. This is the tale of Billy Creekmore, a young boy with mystifying powers and the gift of storytelling. But his life in the Guardian Angels Orphanage is cruel and bleak, and when a stranger comes to claim Billy, he sets off on an extraordinary journey. From the coal mines of West Virginia to the world of a traveling circus, he searches for…