Growing Life

Joe Stoshack has to write a report for school about a famous African-American who contributed to society. Joe chooses to write about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in the 1940s. But unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time.

It all begins when Soft Rain's teacher reads a letter stating that as of May 23, 1838, all Cherokee people are to leave their land and move to what many Cherokees called "the land of darkness"...the west. Soft Rain is confident that her family will not have to move, because they have just planted corn for the next harvest but soon thereafter, soldiers arrive to take nine-year-old Soft Rain and her mother to walk the Trail of Tears, leaving the rest of her family behind. On the journey, she is forced to eat the white man's food and sees many of her people die.

Lucy and her friends' time at Minecrafters Academy is coming to an end, and the entire school is preparing for graduation. But when an explosion shakes the campus and Lucy's old friend Steve appears with bad news from his village, all plans to celebrate come to a halt. The school is no longer under attack - it's being destroyed. And it's time for the students to use their training outside the safety of the Academy. Lucy, Jane, and Phoebe must use the skills they've honed in school to battle the evil force.

Sometimes, emotions like anger or jealousy or excitement can seem too big to keep inside. Me and My Feelings is here to tell you: It’s okay to have big feelings. And the good news is, you can calm down those strong emotions―so you won’t feel like you’re going to explode! This book shows you how to stay in control―by breathing deeply, saying positive things to yourself, talking about your feelings, and more. You’ll learn to deal with all kind of feelings, including the hard ones like sadness, anxiety, or even fear.

Abby Lovitt has been riding horses for as long as she can remember, but Daddy hasn't let her name a single one. He calls all their geldings George and their mares Jewel and warns her not to get attached. The horses are there on the ranch to be sold, plain and simple. But with all the stress at school (the Big Four - Linda, Mary A., Mary N., Joan - have turned against her) and home (nothing feels right with her brother, Danny, gone), Abby can't help but seek comfort in the Georges and the Jewels, who greet her every day with soft nickers.

If Austin picked a color to describe his life, it would be tumbleweed brown. Austin doesn't like standing out. He’s always the new kid, and there's no hiding his size. Plus, Austin has a secret: He struggles to read. Then Austin meets Bertie, who is razzmatazz. Everything about Bertie is bursting! But the best part of his newest school is the Safety Squad, with their laser lemon vests.

To 12-year-old Molly Nathans, perfect is: the number four; the tip of a newly sharpened No. 2 pencil; a crisp white pad of paper; her neatly aligned glass animal figurines. What's not perfect is Molly's mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are sometimes broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Poetry Slam Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with white tablecloths. Molly is sure her mother would never miss that. Right?

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for ourselves? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration for kids ages 10 and up to help them succeed on and off the court.

Grey logs into Battle Royale for the first time, but unlike before, he passes out and wakes up in the virtual lobby, and everything is as real as can be. Four others stand there with him as an admin tells them they are the "new meat" and that their game has been hacked. Their consciousness will be trapped in this version of Fortnite until they can become the top five players for a season. Grey struggles to figure out the tools as people come to kill him. He is eliminated quickly, much to his disappointment. Maybe this won't be as easy as he thought.

Blind since the age of three, young Louis Braille wanted to be able to read. He spent every spare moment punching holes in paper with a stylus until, by the age of 15, he had invented his own alphabet. This vivid biography, written by an award-winning author, allows young listeners the opportunity to identify with and to appreciate a real life hero.

Recently recruited and trained as a special agent by MI6, the British secret service, 14-year-old West Londoner Alex Rider is sent to infiltrate an ultra-private school where the rich and powerful send their uncontrollable, rebellious sons. What he discovers in the mountaintop fortress of the campus are enough armed guards to repel an invasion-and new classmates who have become eerie copies of each other in their compliant attitudes and actions. This fast-paced yarn delivers technological wizardry and James Bond-like action.

When Link Baxter and his family move in down the street, and Link joins Jake's class in school, Jake finds out right away that he's not just a bully--he's a Superbully! Link makes fun of Drake at every available opportunity and even gets Drake sent to the principle's office. What can Jake do to stop these attacks? Andrew Clements' tale is a great first chapter book for children, and its valuable lessons speak to anyone who has ever been targeted by a classmate.

Gooaal! Soccer fans everywhere will cheer on SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends in this funny soccer adventure.

The Big Rigs are working hard at the construction site when Little Excavator rolls up, eager to help. But Little Excavator isn't big enough to CHUG CHUG CHUG! like the Dump Truck as it loads dirt to lug or MOUND MOUND MOUND! like the 'Dozer as it pushes up the ground. Little Excavator wants to smooth out bumps and dig up dirt, but he is just too small. As Big Rigs around him WORK WORK WORK! they finally find a job that no other machine can do. Except for Little Excavator!

When Lise Santos stumbles into a bakery's midnight taste test, she meets a supercute boy. He's as sweet as the macarons they share, and Lise is totally smitten. She's pretty sure he is, too—but they never get a chance to exchange names. Now Lise has to find him again . . . When Lise finally discovers who her mystery guy is, he's not at all what she expected—and suddenly they don't get along anymore!

Katie's Cupcake Club friends all have other activities besides making cupcakes. Mia and Alexis are on the soccer team; Emma plays the flute. Katie sets out to find her extracurricular niche and soon she's dribbling, passing, and catching in an effort to find the right sport for her. Sure Katie can whip up a great cupcake but can she cook on the field too? When Katie tries out and makes the softball team it's batter up, but instead of swinging away she gets nervous during games. What if she makes a mistake? What if they lose? Is this the kind of batter she really wants to deal with?

Eight-year-old EllRay is down to one-and-a-half best friends, which leads his little sister to point out the obvious: He needs new friends. A spare, at least. For emergencies. So EllRay decides to audition other boys for the role of Spare Best Friend.

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

In Mixed Messages, fourth in the middle-grade Mackenzie Blue series, Zee and her friends from Brookdale Academy launch Bluetopia, a fab social media site--which is perfect, because Zee’s band, The Beans, is about to have its biggest show ever. Everyone is talking about it on Bluetopia. At least it would be perfect if a glitch in the Bluetopia system didn’t threaten to ruin the show--and Zee’s life!

Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. In this prequel to Newbery Medal winner The Crossover, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as listeners get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping basketball star his sons look up to. A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm listeners have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound will go back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck "Da Man" Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family's past.