There's a Spider in My Shoe!


Michael Yu - 2013
    No, no. The reason that spiders are the worst is because...Read along in this humorous rhyme to find out why this kid dislikes spiders.Another quality children picture book from the father and daughter team of Michael and Rachel Yu.Fully illustrated eBook, for ages 2 years and up.<h2> ** Amazon Prime Members can download this book for FREE! ** </h2>

Shooting the Moon


V.M. Jones - 1958
    But under the surface new currents are stirring — forces that threaten everything he believes indestructible. As events spiral out of control, Pip is brought face to face with a dramatic choice that changes his life forever as he learns what it means to confront issues of life and death alone. And in the face of ultimate loss, what matters most of all?

Confessions of a Closet Catholic


Sarah Darer Littman - 2005
    So she's decided to give up being Jewish instead.  Eleven-year-old Justine pours her heart out to her teddy bear, "Father Ted," in a homemade closet confessional. But when Justine's beloved Bubbe suffers a stroke, Justine worries that her religious exploration is responsible. Worse, she must suddenly contemplate life without Bubbe. Ultimately, it's Bubbe's quiet understanding of Justine's search for identity that helps Justine to find faith in the most important place of all-within herself.

Because of Thursday


Patricia Polacco - 2016
    She was born on a Thursday. She won her first cooking contest at the age of eight on a Thursday. She met the love of her life, Mario, on a Thursday. They were married on a bright Thursday afternoon and their two children were both born on a Thursday. Annie is known far and wide for her Poke Pasta Salad and has the most popular restaurant for miles around. When Mario suddenly passes away, Annie’s joy and love of cooking disappears. Before too long, a little kitty appears and Annie takes the kitty in, and, of course, calls it Thursday. Annie is back making Poke Salad in no time. Thursday the cat is known for amazing twirls and tricks and one day his twirls land him in Annie’s draining rigatoni, causing the pot of hot oil, garlic, and peppers to spill into the pasta! Then the entire container of Parmesan cheese overturned into the mix. The customers were horrified until they noticed that what looked like a big mess had the most amazing aroma and turned out to be the most delicious pasta dish ever created! Ugly Pasta—the dish that would make Annie famous for miles around—was born. And of course it was a Thursday!

I Have Lived a Thousand Years


Livia Bitton-Jackson - 1997
    It wasn't long ago that Elli led a normal life; a life rich and full that included family, friends, school, and thoughts about boys. A life in which Elli could lie and daydream for hours that she was a beautiful and elegant celebrated poet.But these adolescent daydreams quickly darken in March 1944, when the Nazis invade Hungary. First Elli can no longer attend school, have possessions, or talk to her neighbors. Then she and her family are forced to leave their house behind to move into a crowded ghetto, where privacy becomes a luxury of the past and food becomes a scarcity. Her strong will and faith allow Elli to manage and adjust somehow, but what Elli doesn't know is that this is only the beginning and the worst is yet to come....A remarkable memoir. I Have Lived a Thousand Years is a story of cruelty and suffering, but at the same time a story of hope, faith, perseverance and love.

Turned Away: The World War II Diary of Devorah Bernstein


Carol Matas - 2005
    Devorah learns that 5,000 Jewish children in France have visas to leave the country, but the Canadian government will not let them in, leading Devorah to desperately lobby the government to change its policies. Turned Away illustrates the restrictions on the life of Jews in Paris via letters from Sarah who is living in German-occupied France. It also reveals Canada's dismal record on Jewish immigration during World War II and depicts the impact of the war in Canada. In Winnipeg, one intriguing response to the war was "If Day," when local people posed as Nazis and staged a mock invasion to illustrate what it would be like if the city was occupied. Also included are fascinating period documents and photographs, many from the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The historical consultants for Turned Away were Dr. Irving Abella, co-author of the ground-breaking book None is Too Many, and Terry Copp, author of the remarkable book No Price Too High.

Lunatic Soup


Andrew Fraser - 2008
    After being convicted and disbarred, Fraser became the confidant of one of Australia’s most notorious serial killers, Peter Dupas. What he learned made him the Homicide Squad’s secret weapon. Angry at his treatment in jail and his excessive sentence, the long–time defence lawyer enjoyed the irony of his situation: the authorities who destroyed his career now needed his cooperation. There was never any doubt that Andrew would give evidence, even though he knew that the defence would try to destroy his credibility by bringing up the past he desperately wanted to forget. Fraser paints a vivid picture of the grim, terrifying, and futile reality of maximum security prison life and of his time spent with the murderers, psychopaths, and paedophiles. Lunatic Soup relates his harrowing experiences of the justice system as a prisoner and on the stand as a witness in a murder trial.

The Chosen


Chaim Potok - 1966
    And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again. . . .

The Ugly Duckling


Jim Lawrence - 1987
    An ugly duckling spends an unhappy year ostracized by the other animals in the barnyard before he grows into a beautiful swan.

Fancy Nancy's Marvelous Mother's Day Brunch


Jane O'Connor - 2011
    Nancy plans the perfect Mother's Day in this fancy new lift-the-flap book!Nancy pulls out all the stops to give her mom the best Mother's Day celebration of all time—but will everything go according to plan? This book includes thirteen flaps that open to reveal hidden surprises that will delight all Fancy Nancy fans!

Gandhari: A Mother Blinded By Love


Gayatri Madan Dutt - 1980
    Gandhari's hundred Kaurava sons, however, were more of a curse. Did they become evil by some divine plan or was it because she was proudly blind to their faults? Helpless as they heaped dishonour on the family, she was furious with Lord Krishna for abetting in her son's eventual slaughter. Unfortunately, her grief was overpowering, and threatened to wreak further havoc...

The Mozart Question


Michael Morpurgo - 2007
    Paolo has finally realised he must reveal the truth.

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story


Lila Perl - 1996
    “The writing is direct, devastating, with no rhetoric or exploitation. The truth is in what’s said and in what is left out.”—ALA Booklist (starred review)Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s unforgettable and acclaimed memoir recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood. Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family—father, mother, Marion, and her brother, Albert—were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps, including Westerbork in Holland and Bergen-Belsen in Germany, before finally making it to the United States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage, hope, and the will to survive.Four Perfect Pebbles features forty archival photographs, including several new to this edition, an epilogue, a bibliography, a map, a reading group guide, an index, and a new afterword by the author. First published in 1996, the book was an ALA Notable Book, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and IRA Young Adults’ Choice, and a Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and the recipient of many other honors. “A harrowing and often moving account.”—School Library Journal

The Diary of Anne Frank: And Related Readings


Frances Goodrich - 1955
    There are 10 reading parts.

One Fat Summer


Robert Lipsyte - 1977
    It's the time when most people are happy to take off their heavy jackets and long pants. But for Bobby, who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes, spending the summer at Rumson Lake is pure torture.This particular summer promises to be worse than usual. His mom and dad can't stop fighting. His best friend, Joanie, goes home to New York City unexpectedly and won't tell him why. Dr. Kahn, the rich, stingy estate owner who hires him to manage the lawn, is trying to work Bobby to death before he can earn a single dime. And the local guy who worked for Dr. Kahn last summer is lurking around every corner, itching for a chance to catch Bobby alone, to pay him back for stealing the job.But there's more to Bobby Marks than his 200 pounds. He's about to find out just how terrifying and exhilarating, how dangerous and wonderful, one fat summer can be.