Best of
Young-Readers

2011

The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums


Trenton Lee Stewart - 2011
    Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates. Think you have what it takes to join the Mysterious Benedict Society? Open this book and find out!

Prayers for Prodigals: 90 Days of Prayer for Your Child


James Banks - 2011
    The book also includes fourteen brief meditations, which are drawn from Scripture and the writer’s and others’ personal experiences with prodigal children, such as Ruth and Billy Graham and Monica, the mother of Augustine. This unique book inspires parents in a sustained, daily prayer effort for their prodigal children.

The Sisters Grimm: A Very Grimm Guide


Michael Buckley - 2011
    There’s only one book left in the series, and this comprehensive guide provides the perfect refresher for fans looking to brush up before the dramatic final installment and is the perfect introduction for new readers. Featuring character profiles, maps of the town, found objects from life in Ferryport Landing, fairy-tale “facts,” and much more, this artfully designed guide supplements and enhances the beloved series. Even fan favorite Puck weighs in with his cheeky alternate take on all things Grimm. Praise for The Sisters Grimm: A Very Grimm Guide“Visually, the guide is stunning and showcases intriguing side characters.”–VOYA

A Stranger at Home


Christy Jordan-Fenton - 2011
    It’s been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers. Coming ashore, Margaret spots her family, but her mother barely recognizes her, screaming, “Not my girl.” Margaret realizes she is now marked as an outsider. And Margaret is an outsider: she has forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can’t even stomach the food her mother prepares. However, Margaret gradually relearns her language and her family’s way of living. Along the way, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people—and to herself. Highlighted by archival photos and striking artwork, this first-person account of a young girl’s struggle to find her place will inspire young readers to ask what it means to belong.

Hammerhead vs. Bull Shark


Jerry Pallotta - 2011
    Contains facts about hammerhead sharks and bull sharks, comparing such aspects as their sizes, brain structure, and abilities.

Grandma's Attic Treasury


Arleta Richardson - 2011
    A young girl’s discovery of her grandmother’s keepsakes inspires heartwarming tales of her grandmother’s childhood and the lessons learned on a nineteenth-century farm. The set includes: In Grandma’s Attic, More Stories From Grandma’s Attic, Still More Stories From Grandma’s Attic, and Treasures from Grandma’s Attic.

Star Trek Book of Opposites


David Borgenicht - 2011
    EXPLORE STRANGE NEW WORDS!WITH THE HELP OF Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and two dozen colorful pictures from across the galaxy, teach your children the meaning of big and little, hot and cold, apart and together, and much more!

Me & Jack


Danette Haworth - 2011
    But their newest home, in the mountains of Pennsylvania, feels special somehow. Josh has started to make a new friend, his dad has finally allowed him to get a dog, and Jack-with his strange glowing ears and the way he seems to understand Josh's feelings-is like no other dog Josh has ever seen. But in Vietnam-era America, conflict is never far away-even on the homefront. When a local boy is killed overseas, the town turns on the new army recruiter. And when a few late-night disturbances all point to Jack, it will be up to Josh to fight for his dog, his family, and his new home.

A Life of Death


Weston Kincade - 2011
     Ghosts are speaking to Alex, but can he bring them justice? Alex is a troubled teen with a checkered past, a broken home, and a surprising ability: psychometry. When he touches items murder victims held in their final moments, he relives the events in gruesome detail. But who will believe a troubled teen, especially when murders implicate the town’s founding family? If you like amazing supernatural stories that are intense, powerful, and fraught with emotion, then you'll love Weston Kincade's suspenseful coming-of-age trilogy, A Life of Death. Ghosts are speaking, and they want answers. Heed the call.

An Edmund Dulac Treasury: 116 Color Illustrations


Edmund Dulac - 2011
    Edmund Dulac, a prominent artist of the period, created them for books published between 1905 and 1928. Their moods range from the shadowy foreboding of Jane Eyre to the venturesome spirits of Treasure Island and the lighthearted fantasies of A Fairy Garland. Other featured titles include Shakespeare's The Tempest, The Arabian Nights, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, and the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.French-born Edmund Dulac arrived in London in 1904, when new advances in the printing process kindled a rage for picture books. Dulac's imaginative powers and technical skills assured the popularity of his book illustrations, many of which were sold separately as fine art paintings. After World War I, when the appetite for deluxe volumes waned, the artist turned his talents in many new directions, including portraiture, theatrical costume and set design, newspaper caricature, and stamp design. This retrospective of his early works is the only such anthology available, offering a singular tribute to an artist from a halcyon era of art inspired by literature.

Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste: More Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun


Steve Spangler - 2011
    The materials are easy to find and the directions are simple to follow, but the end result is guaranteed to produce lots of oohs and aahs. Steve Spangler takes his geek-chic approach to exposing some of the coolest science tricks that will surprise teachers and amaze your friends. Over 200 color photographs accompany the step-by-step instructions, and simple explanations uncover the how-to and why for each activity. You'll have a blast with these experiments: Floating Bowling Balls Pop Bottle Music Bouncing Smoke Bubbles Walking on Eggshells Balancing Nails Fireproof Balloon Skateboard Rocket Car Warning! Do not read the special, super-secret, teachers-only section that reveals a few of Steve Spangler's secrets for making science come alive in the classroom. If you're not a teacher and you don't want to miss out on twisting up a Fire Tornado or making a mountain of Exploding Toothpaste, just give this book to the coolest science teacher you know and ask him or her to help you create an unforgettable learning experience.

A Smart Girl's Guide to Knowing What to Say: Finding the Words to Fit Any Situation


Patti Kelley Criswell - 2011
    What do you say to her? You want to watch a TV show that's on past your bedtime. How do you ask your parents? You break your friend's favorite CD. How do you apologize? In American Girl's latest Smart Girl's Guide, you'll learn the exact words to say in these situations, plus more than 200 others!. Tell a friend that you're sorry for her loss. Ask a teacher for more help. Stand up to a bully. Let someone how much they mean to you. Inside this book, you'll find the tools, tips, techniques, (and actual words!) to help you untangle your tongue and speak out with confidence and grace.

The Chosen One


Nicole Storey - 2011
    Although he has always been happy with the safety and security of his family, he longs for a real friend and adventure - not just the ones he makes up in his head. Then, he meets Eve. Eve is a young witch from another world called Grimsley Hollow. It's where all magical beings live in safety and peace, but their world is in trouble. Gage is the only one who can help save them from an evil witch who has taken control. With Eve's help (along with a sarcastic pixy, a trouble-making werewolf, and a half-vampire), Gage travels to Grimsley Hollow. Together, they begin a journey that will change them all. It's a dangerous race against evil, where creatures unheard of stalk the land under a harvest moon and monsters that only exist in dreams become real. Gage wanted friends and adventure, but he had no idea they would come at such a dangerous price. Can one autistic boy defeat an evil witch and help save his new friends? Travel to Grimsley Hollow and find out!

LEGO Star Wars Mad Libs


Roger Price - 2011
    A Mad Libs featuring 21 original stories based on the classic Star Wars films and featuring the unique art that makes LEGO Star Wars so popular!

The Christmas Village


Melissa Ann Goodwin - 2011
    Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas village, where he imagines that life is perfect. Late one night, the village comes to life before his eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very real indeed. Jamie discovers that the village is called Canterbury, where the year is 1932. He becomes fast friends with Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, and is taken in by Ida, who runs the local boarding house. But he also makes a dangerous enemy of the mysterious and menacing Jim Gordon, whose return to town is nothing but trouble. As Jamie desperately races against time to find his way back home, he is suddenly faced with a terrifying choice: to go ahead with his plan to leave, or to stay and help his friends, at the risk of never going home again.

Marty McGuire


Kate Messner - 2011
    So when her teacher casts Marty as the princess in the class play, Marty's absolutely, positively sure that there's been a huge mistake. But after a special lesson in the art of improvisation, Marty comes up with her OWN plan to IMPROVE the play: Why use stuffed-animal frog onstage when a live one would be so much better? In the end, Marty's one-of-a-kind performance makes for an unforgettable show. Maybe Marty CAN live happily ever after, after all!

The Tricky Tooth (Katie Woo


Fran Manushkin - 2011
    Will she ever lose her tricky tooth?

And the Soldiers Sang


J. Patrick Lewis - 2011
    So said Kaiser Wilhelm II to his German army in August 1914. But World War I would rage for more than 4 years, taking the lives of nearly 10 million soldiers. Some of the most unrelenting combat was waged along the infamous Western Front, where, for one unforgettable Christmas in 1914, enemies set guns aside and came together in friendship. And the Soldiers Sang, written by J. Patrick Lewis, recounts this unlikely truce through the perspective of a young soldier named Owen Davies, who travels from the green country of Wales to the muddy battlefields of Belgium.

Dinosaurs


Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - 2011
    In this Level 1 reader, youngsters learn all about the terrifying giants that once roamed the Earth—maybe even as close as their own backyard! They'll be wowed by new information and eye-popping illustrations from National Geographic, a trusted source of children's nonfiction content.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

My Big Book of Beginner Books About Me


Dr. Seuss - 2011
    And now, consumers of all ages can indulge their curiosity about these beguiling body parts with six classic Beginner Books—The Foot Book, The Eye Book, and The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss, The Nose Book and The Ear Book by Al Perkins, and The Knee Book by Graham Tether—for less than the price of two! A perfect gift for holidays and happy occaisions of all kinds, My Big Book of Beginner Books About Me is not only a great value, it's a great "body" of work!

Not For Parents London: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know


Lonely Planet - 2011
    And it is definitely 'not-for-parents'. It is the real, inside story about one of the world's most famous cities - London. In this book you'll hear fascinating tales about famous and infamous people, creepy underground places, dark history and strange characters galore. Check out cool stories about graffiti artists, murdered princes and people from all over. You'll find royalty, punks and sleuths, and some amazingly weird food.Heard about the abseilers who wash a clockface for a living?Would you want to eat jellied eels?How could anyone be lucky to be beheaded?Whatever does 'this is my trouble and strife' mean?This book shows you a London your parents probably don't even know about.Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Klay LamprellAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, children's books, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel.TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013

Black and White: A Song That is a Story About Freedom to go to School Together: New Enhanced Digital Edition - 2014


David Arkin - 2011
    Until now. Black and White, like many little books, is enormous." - Ann Hood, bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE and other books "A simple, lovely, powerful book." - Tom Chapin, singer/songwriter Lyricist, graphic artist and teacher David Arkin (1906-1980) created the beautifully-illustrated childrens' book BLACK AND WHITE in 1966. Arkin based his volume on the song of the same name crafted years before by he and composer Earl Robinson (1910-1991) - a song meant to celebrate the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down segregation in public schools. Recorded by Pete Seeger in 1956 and Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957, "Black and White" was much later, in 1972, a Number 1 hit for the band Three Dog Night. Seeger - a longtime friend of both Arkin and Robinson, a multi-Grammy winning performer and composer, and a Kennedy Center honoree - has written an new Introduction for this edition.

When the Lights Go Out


Max Elliot Anderson - 2011
    His work is always top secret, which means he can't even discuss it with his own son. Nevertheless, Peyton idolized his father, who believes that after what happened on 9/11, somebody had to help keep the country safe. Now, Peyton, along with his family, find themselves stationed at a new army base, in the middle of nowhere. After his arrival, Peyton finds two friends, Gill and Dave. Together they decide to train like Rangers, and search for some kind of mission to accomplish on their own. Little did they know that a mission was about to put the boys right in the crosshairs of a dangerous terrorist plot, when a secret weapon would be delivered to the base on its way across the country. Will the terrorists find out who is trying to expose their evil plan? Will the boys be able to stop them? And what will happen to Peyton's father when the general finds out what the boys did? When the Lights go Out is a story for kids, and their parents, so we never forget 9/11.

Colores de la Vida: Mexican Folk Art Colors in English and Spanish


Cynthia Weill - 2011
    Especially new words. Colores de la Vida—the third in the highly successful series First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art—combines all these elements to teach early learners about color. Leggy red giraffes, pink cows, purple rabbits—the Oaxacan folk artists who contributed to this book unleashed their imaginations and went wild with color. Young children will delight in the bright colors of the Oaxacan rainbow while folk art collectors will marvel at the whimsical handcrafts.But the simplicity of a book like Colores de la Vida belies the years of research and thoughtful intercultural communication with third-world artists done by Cynthia Weill. As an art historian, she has always been interested in the crafts of developing nations. Weill's intention with Colores de la Vida—and its predecessors in the series, ABeCedarios and Opuestos—has been to find an educational purpose for the work of Oaxacan artisans. She hopes to open up a larger, more international market for their craft.Cynthia Weill is a professor and mentor to teachers at Columbia University's Teachers College. She also owns a business—Aid to Women Artisans—that promotes the craftwork of artisans from developing countries. Colores de la Vida is her third book in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series.

Red Yellow Blue: Colors in Art


Silke Vry - 2011
    As they read the book, children are invited to wander through a virtual art gallery where each room features a different color. Beginning with black and white, going through the primary colors, the mixed colors, and finishing with brown and gold, the book presents the evolution of pigment in art works from cave drawings to contemporary paintings. In addition, entertaining puzzles, quizzes and activities will spark children's creativity. Beautifully designed for reading alone or with an adult, Red Yellow Blue gives children access to the complex world of color in a language and style they will respond to and enjoy.