Family Reader

Parents, educators, therapists, and social workers alike have declared The Invisible String the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love.

Born in the picturesque town of Taxco, Mexico, Julissa Arce was left behind for months at a time with her two sisters, a nanny, and her grandma while her parents worked tirelessly in America in hopes of building a home and providing a better life for their children. That is, until her parents brought Julissa to Texas to live with them. From then on, Julissa secretly lived as an undocumented immigrant, went on to become a scholarship winner and an honors college graduate, and climbed the ladder to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs.

Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. They have a puppy of their own named Buddy, but they also foster dogs that need help finding new homes. Charles and his friend Sammy are on their way home from school one day when they hear a puppy crying. His name is Patches, and he's tied up in a garage all by himself. His owners seem to care ABOUT Patches, but they don't know how to care FOR him. And it's up to Charles and Lizzie to show them!

Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It's where he met his best friends. It's where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it's where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim - who's only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists. This year, however, it's going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as "Del" - buff, masculine, and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish, and his unicorn bedsheets, he's determined to get Hudson to fall for him.

In this heartwarming sequel to Laurel Snyder's beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers enjoy a special visit from their grandpa, Grumpy. Follow along as they discuss being medium, pounce each other, sing the wrong songs, build blanket forts, and more. This touching, funny celebration of imagination and bonding will enchant listeners young and old.

Rescue on Crescent River When fear meets faith, an unforgettable adventure begins! Nick is a 14-year-old boy who dreams of exploring the world by boat. Fearless and full of courage, he’s always ready for an adventure. Monica, also 14, is confident and popular, but there’s one thing she can’t face: water. She’s terrified of it. They couldn’t be more different, but when Monica’s beloved dog, Max, is swept into the dangerous waters of Crescent River, Nick is the only one who can help. To rescue Max, Monica must face her greatest fear and join Nick on his small boat. Together, they ...

Things are going just swimmingly for EllRay. He's finally getting along with most of the kids at school. He's even getting along with his family. But then everything comes screeching to a halt when his younger sister accidently overfeeds the classroom goldfish EllRay was supposed to be taking care of over Spring vacation. What is EllRay going to tell his teacher and the kids in his third-grade class? Fortunately, most of them are sympathetic. But not bossy Cynthia.

As part of her exciting film course, Stacey is making a documentary about teen life in Stoneybrook. The movie creates a conflict with friendships when Stacey pursues tell-all interviews with her friends and enemies.

“I am a recluse and I love books more than I love people.” – So begins Fiza Pathan, the self-proclaimed Reclusive Writer and Reader of Mumbai. In this charming collection of personal essays, Fiza recalls important phases of her life, along with the books she was reading at the time and where she read them. Revealed along the way are Fiza’s personal struggles, from the father who didn’t want a girl child to the years she believed she wanted to be a nun to the college friends who shamed her for gaining weight. Her greatest victories are found here as well, among them the publication...

Eva and her identical twin sister, Miriam, had a mostly happy childhood. Theirs was the only Jewish family in their small village in the Transylvanian mountains, but they didn't think much of it until anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in their school. Then, in 1944, ten-year-old Eva and her family were deported to Auschwitz. At its gates, Eva and Miriam were separated from their parents and other siblings, selected as subjects for Dr. Mengele's infamous medical experiments.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author Malala Yousafzai introduces some of the people behind the statistics and news stories we read or hear every day about the millions of people displaced worldwide.

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?

Lali's first mother was an elephant. When she was found and taken in by a hunter as a baby, her elephant mother joined the family, too. Years later, the beautiful animal catches the eye of the queen. Lali fears that she will lose her elephant.

Are Amelia Bedelia and her friends barking up the wrong tree? Recess just got super exciting. Amelia Bedelia and her friends are on the playground when they hear a strange noise coming from a nearby tree. It’s a tiny kitten stuck on a high branch! It’s up to Amelia Bedelia and her friends to figure out how to rescue the kitten and, once they do, to find the little cat a purr-fect new home!

When the Boxcar Children help out in a local garden, they dig up one strange thing after another! First, the tomato plants seem to move every day. How can that be? Then the Aldens follow the clues to an unsolved bank robbery, and it's clear that a very big mystery is growing in Greenfield.

Ever since Grandma Lou gave her that squished penny, Judy can’t stop winning - at bowling, at spelling, at everything! For sure and absolute positive, she’ll ride that wave of good fortune all the way to the nation’s capital. Watch out, D.C. Here comes Judy Moody, the luckiest kid ever! Luckiest, that is, until her lucky penny has an unlucky accident. Suddenly it’s good-bye, Lucky Duck! Hello, C-A-L-A-M-I-T-Y! Has Judy’s luck gone down the toilet for good?

You could have a Harvard degree or a lifetime’s experience as a librarian, and you still wouldn’t have come across some of the facts found in Interesting Facts for Smart Kids. But after a few rounds of listening to some of the most bizarre things you’ll ever learn about the world, you’ll have a family of experts in, well, everything!

Valentine's Day is Abby's least favorite holiday. Mushy stuff like valentines, red hearts, and a school dance turn her into a Valentine's Scrooge. When Ross Brown, a perfectly nice guy in Abby's English class, invites her to the dance, Abby tries to set him up with her twin sister, Anna.

Amelia Bedelia and her friends are studying all about the Middle Ages in school. They’re building catapults, creating illuminated manuscripts, and visiting a medieval fair - in costume! Plus, there’s a class-wide competition to see who can be the most chivalrous student. Amelia Bedelia really wants to win! But when she discovers that one of her friends is the kindest and most helpful of them all, can she somehow help her friend win the competition?

Baby Lincoln's older sister, Eugenia, is very fond of telling Baby what to do, and Baby usually responds by saying, "Yes, Sister." But one day Baby has had enough. She decides to depart on a Necessary Journey, even though she has never gone anywhere without Eugenia telling her what to take and where to go. And in fact Baby doesn't know where she is headed - only that she was entirely happy in the previous night's dream, sitting aboard a train with a view of shooting stars.