Shining Night

Lena's overnight fame as an actress, after being cast in a lead role in a film, continues to pull her into the spotlight, while teaching her what it means to shine for God. And now she's faced with her biggest challenge yet. When Lena's favorite music artist, Mallory Winston, sends her a gift box filled with photos and memories of their time on tour together, she finds out that new friends from the children's hospital they visited need help, including a little girl she became very fond of. The hospital is closing and the little girl's parents can't afford the ongoing care she needs.Now, Lena wants to find a way to help. Rallying the support of her school, friends, and family pulls together a huge concert to raise funds that features Mallory Winston. What she doesn't realize is that coordinating such a big event is harder than it looks. Lena must face the challenge of taking on a responsibility that sometimes seems too big for her to handle, and convincing others she won't...
Views: 22

Crow

The summer of 1898 is filled with and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He's growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He's teaching his grandmother how to read. For the first time she's sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of power they've earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo.One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community--enfranchised and emancipated--suddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn of the century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only successful coup d'etat in US...
Views: 22

Amal Unbound

"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."—Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewThe compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when—as the eldest daughter—she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens—after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt. Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal—especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila....
Views: 21

OCDaniel

From the author of Incredible Space Raiders from Space! comes a brand-new coming-of-age story about a boy whose life revolves around hiding his obsessive compulsive disorder—until he gets a mysterious note that changes everything.Daniel is the back-up punter for the Erie Hills Elephants. Which really means he's the water boy. He spends football practice perfectly arranging water cups—and hoping no one notices. Actually, he spends most of his time hoping no one notices his strange habits—he calls them Zaps: avoiding writing the number four, for example, or flipping a light switch on and off dozens of times over. He hopes no one notices that he's crazy, especially his best friend Max, and Raya, the prettiest girl in school. His life gets weirder when another girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time. She doesn't just notice him: she seems to peer through him. Then Daniel gets a note: "I need your help,"...
Views: 20

Witch Switch

Tiga Whicabim is settling in to the witchy, glitzy world of Ritzy City. Peggy is Top Witch, and Tiga is enjoying life at the Brews' house with Fluffanora. But when Fran the Fabulous Fairy visits Linden House and finds Peggy has gone – leaving behind only a note to say she is 'AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES' and has left the evil Felicity Bat in charge – the girls realise something is very wrong. And then witches all across town start to disappear. Tiga and Fluffanora set out to investigate and discover an old, unsolved Sinkville mystery that might just be the key to it all.The second glitzy adventure in the Witch Wars series is perfect for fans of The Worst Witch, Eva Ibbotson's hilarious Which Witch, and Witchworld.
Views: 20

A World Below

"A swift-paced survival tale that's a cool blend of Lord of the Flies and Journey to the Center of the Earth." —School Library Journal "This richly imaginative field trip gone bad or amazing—depending on how you look at it—is a sharp meditation on the seemingly universal difficulties of being young, smart, and uncertain." —BCCB A class field trips turns into an underground quest for survival in the latest middle grade novel from the author of Edgar Award winner OCDaniel.Mr. Baker's eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. But when an earthquake hits, their field trip takes a terrifying turn. The students are plunged into an underground lake...and their teacher goes missing. They have no choice but to try and make their way back above ground, even though no one can agree on the best course of action. The darkness...
Views: 19

Witch Tricks

Felicity Bat's cool big sister, Idabelle, is always up to no good, but when Tiga and Fluffanora are invited to join her secret clique, The Points, they can't resist. But soon they realise that Idabelle doesn't really want to make friends. She's using them – and a bit of magic – to bring back the infamous outlaw witch gang, the Ritzy Six!Tiga and Fluffanora are going to need all the help they can get to magic history's most mischievous witches back to the past. Unfortunately, Felicity Bat is furious with them and Fran is just a teensy bit busy starring in the TV wrestling event of the century ... FAIRY FIGHTZ!Join all your favourite Witch Wars witches on their sixth adventure!
Views: 19

Plunge

Cade's dad thinks triathlons are for wimps. He doesn't think it's a real sport and wishes Cade would play football instead, like his older brother, Trent. So Cade trains in secret and qualifies to compete in the provincial championship in Sylvan Lake. The night before the event, Cade's coach suddenly can't go, and Cade is forced to ask his dad for a ride there. He only agrees because Trent has a football game nearby. The road trip takes a nasty turn when his dad swerves to avoid a deer and their car hurtles into an ice-cold river. It's up to Cade to use his skills to save his entire family.
Views: 19

A Croc Called Capone

A free trip to the Northern Territory! Sounds good, thinks Marcus ('Mucus' to his sister Rose). But when his best friend Dylan joins the family holiday, mayhem is not far away. Fast-paced comedy-adventure from award-winning author Barry Jonsberg.Blacky the farting dog has a mission that Marcus and Dylan can't refuse. Trouble is, this mission involves a monstrous saltwater crocodile who would much rather chomp on a human for dinner than have a civilised conversation.Of course, there's also the small matter of a giant big-game hunter on a collision course with our heroes. And will Marcus be any match for his mean older sister Rose and her light-sabre-wielding best friend Cy Ob Han?Blacky the master of disguise is back, full of attitude and smelly as ever.
Views: 19

Emma Moves In

Three girls. Two families. One incredible friendship pact. Emma has always loved spending time with her cousins, twin sisters Sofia and Zoe. Even though Emma lives 3,000 miles away, when they're together, it's like no time has passed. At a family reunion, the girls' parents have a big announcement: Emma's family is moving back to town—the three girls will finally live in the same place after all these years! Their parents are turning an old family home into a charming bed and breakfast. Sofa and Zoe are thrilled. Emma is looking forward to the move, but is secretly worried that her whole life is about to change in a big way. And it is. But the changes about to happen are both more wonderful and more challenging than any of the girls are expecting!
Views: 18

Don't Wear Polka-Dot Underwear with White Pants: (And Other Lessons I've Learned)

Eight-year-old Mandy Berr learns life lessons with patriotic pizazz in the first adventure of a new chapter book series.Eight-year-old Mandy Berr has a lot going on. She has to share her parents? attention with her newborn twin siblings, who are always crying, and her little brother, Timmy, who is constantly in her way. And she also has to find a way to deal with her nemesis, Dennis, who has a knack for getting under her skin. At least Mandy has the upcoming Presidential Pageant to look forward to at school. She is determined to be President George Washington?she is perfect for the lead part, after all. But when Mandy?s teacher makes a surprising choice, it looks like Mandy will have to keep sharing the spotlight. Can she find her own way to shine? Mandy has some valuable life lessons to learns in this adorable chapter book?including the fact that white pants and polka dot underwear are never a good combination.
Views: 18

Dragons vs. Drones

A young computer genius is chased by sleek, high-tech drones into a land populated by Godzilla-size dragons, setting off a war that only he can stop. Part Eragon, part Transformers, with a magical beating heart at its center. Marcus Brimley was just four years old when his CIA analyst father went missing and the world branded him a traitor. Eight years later, searching for clues to find his father and prove his innocence, Marcus breaks a complex code that sends him shooting through a storm into an alternate realm . . . but he didn't travel alone. When Marcus lands in this new world, Dracone, he finds that he has been followed by government drones. And they're out to destroy Marcus and all of Dracone. While fleeing the drones, Marcus meets Dree, a 12-year-old Draconian girl who comes from a family of dragon riders. Dree explains to Marcus that while humans and dragons used to be friends, Dracone's new prime minister has turned them into...
Views: 18

My Life As an Alphabet

Candice Phee wants to bring light and laughter to those around her, and somehow she succeeds despite the bizarre mix-ups and the confusion she effortlessly creates. An uplifting comedy-drama from award-winning author, Barry Jonsberg.This isn't just about me. It's also about the other people in my life - my mother, my father, my dead sister Sky, my penpal Denille, Rich Uncle Brian, Earth-Pig Fish and Douglas Benson From Another Dimension. These are people [with the exception of Earth-Pig Fish, who is a fish] who have shaped me, made me what I am. I cannot recount my life without recounting elements of theirs. This is a big task, but I am confident I am up to it.Introducing Candice Phee: twelve years old, hilariously honest and a little ... odd. But she has a big heart, the very best of intentions and an unwavering determination to ensure everyone is happy. So she sets about trying to 'fix' all the problems of all the people [and pets] in her life.Laugh-out-loud...
Views: 18

Witch Watch

Tiga Whicabim loves her new life in the witchy, glitzy, black and white world of Sinkville. Now, suddenly, colour has started seeping back into Ritzy City ? first there was a green apple in the middle of the road, and then Miss Heks reappeared in a garish orange dress. Tiga is very suspicious. But Miss Heks is only the tip of a very witchy iceberg. As Tiga, Peggy and Fluffanora soon discover, all the Big Exit witches are back! And they want to destroy Sinkville once and for all.As Aggie Hoof hides in a cupboard, Tiga, Fluffanora and Peggy race to save Sinkville and end up finding an unlikely ally in Felicity Bat, whose irritatingly excellent witchcraft is exactly what they need. The third glitzy adventure in the Witch Wars series, Witch Watch is perfect for fans of The Worst Witch, Eva Ibbotson's hilarious Which Witch?, and Witchworld.
Views: 18