Book picks similar to
Shadow of a Doubt by Skylar James


fiction
first-reads
morgan
giveaway-wins

8th Grade Fugitive


Richard Clark - 2017
     "A highly addictive read, which will keep many on the edge of their seats." "A well-written, heart-pumping, action-packed read." Readers' Favorite 5★ review “Hey, it’s me, Brian. Brian Ryan. I’m 14… well, next July I am. And I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not just some skateboard freak. Sure, I wipe out a lot, but I’m into the physics of the stunts and all. I even design my own stunts… which don’t always work out… but that’s why God invented band-aids, right?” Join Brian on his craziest day ever! Accused of a serious crime, he zips around the mean streets of his suburban middle school, staying one step ahead of the cops. On the day of the Xtreme Dream Games, will Brian be able to catch the real culprit and clear his name? If you like your middle grade fiction with a twist of James Bond, Zac Power and Secret Agent 6th Grader, you'll love 8th Grade Fugitive! From the writer of My Best Friend Is a Secret Agent, this mystery thriller chapter book is a fun adventure full of action and excitement for any reader - children, tweens, teens... and beyond! This funny who-done-it is the first in a series, so if you like it, there's more to come! (Don't forget to look for the surprise after Chapter 1!)

Part Star Part Dust


L.M. Valiram - 2017
    A plane crash. In this poignant and unforgettable debut novel three destinies are linked for eternity in a tale narrated by Time. Meet Radha. She was left in a dumpster on the side streets of Mumbai to die as she was born; premature and undernourished. Meet Mira. At sixteen she is to marry a man she has never met before. On her wedding day, she carries a knife. And Gaurav. People say love is more important than money. But what happens when having one means you can’t have the other? Scattered across India, these three are intertwined in unlikely ways: the flower shop owned by Mira’s husband employs Radha’s boyfriend, Mira and Gaurav become partners in business and most importantly, an ill-fated trip to Delhi links them all in death and life. Set in the sensuous worlds of Bombay and Delhi, Valiram’s dazzling novel explores the deep meanings of love, family, and time.

The Boy Who Ate Stars


Alfred A. Yuson - 1991
    In return, he asks permission to cut trees from their mountains. One child gets his wish to eat all the lovely looking stars. What happens when all the stars and all the trees are gone?

Hugo The Happy Starfish: The Secret to Happiness


Suzy Liebermann - 2011
    He finds his life dull. Tired of feeling sad, one day he sets off to find happiness. After much searching, he discovers something that makes his heart do a somersault! Sharing with others is the only thing that makes him truly happy.Adults strive to teach children to share with their communities. Encouraging children to give teaches them empathy, as well as a sense of social responsibility. Children can feel empowered by giving and sharing with others.This book is a great way to teach EMPATHY and the CALENDAR.Meet HUGO – a little starfish with a BIG HEART. His passion is to make others happy but he still has a lot to learn. Luckily he does not only have a big heart but also a CURIOUS MIND.Through his adventures, Hugo learns many valuable lessons of character, life skills, and ecological alertness – all amid the backdrop of a magical underwater world and mystical islands.In Hugo, children, parents, and educators will discover a lovable and engaging role model with whom they can identify.Suzy Liebermann has written this charming series of children’s books to help educate children about their feelings, their attitude, their choices, and the consequences that follow.Each book offers a themed vocabulary to introduce the Spanish language to the reader. Each book also comes with a number of worksheets which are downloadable at no cost on our website. We are sure you’ll agree that life skills and character traits are two of the most important lessons to teach the young. Age-appropriate children’s books are crucial to child development and well-written books that contain a message can expand not only a child’s cognitive abilities, but also their emotional, moral, and spiritual capacities. The key theme behind the HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH series is that building character based on a positive attitude leads to a happy, self-confident and successful human being. We believe this distinctive way of sharing a “message” through the medium of an exciting narrative is what has given the books their charm. The stories support the different learner profiles and attitudes of the IB PYP curriculum.

Coco: The Junior Novelization (Disney/Pixar Coco)


Angela Cervantes - 2017
    Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael Garcia Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University), and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3), Disney/Pixar's Coco opens in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2017.

Tovi the Penguin Goes to London


Janina Rossiter - 2015
    How about going to London? Will they have a good time? Let's find out ... Tovi books are designed in a simple animated way to give young readers the impression of watching a short film where Tovi and his friends play out their adventures. The books are aimed at children aged 2-6, who hopefully will join Tovi in his mini-adventures, and learn something about life and the world around them. As the lovable characters in these books share a whole range of experiences, they learn about sharing, about helping each other, and most important... for more information:www.tovithepenguin.com

Paddington 2: The Story of the Movie: Movie tie-in


Anna Wilson - 2017
    Bigger and better than ever, the story of the new Paddington movie is both hilarious and heart-warming. Guaranteed to capture the hearts of fans, old and new!

The Lost Thumb


Orla Owen - 2019
     That evening goes horribly wrong. After Luella wakes up in hospital, she’s kept prisoner at home with her mother acting as her warden. Lara is sent to school to keep up the pretence that she is fine, her sister is fine, and the world is fine. Except they aren’t. The local storekeeper, sensing that something’s wrong, pushes her son to befriend Lara but the results of her meddling are deadly...

A Taste Of Heaven


Meg Tilly - 2013
    When Madison takes Alyssa under her wing, the two girls quickly bond over chocolate-chip cookies and become best friends. Amazingly, Alyssa doesn't even mind Madison's bratty sister!But there are some things Alyssa still won't share. Why won't she talk about her family? And why is she so reluctant to have Madison over to her house? She's harbouring a secret that could put their treasured friendship in jeopardy—and when Madison finds out by accident, Alyssa makes Madison promise not to tell anyone, not even Madison's parents.But should Madison tell them anyway? When is it all right to tell a little white lie... and when should you come clean with the truth?

The Palomino Pony Comes Home


Olivia Tuffin - 2014
    The week she spends away from them in Wales is almost unbearable, until she finds a beautiful but mistreated palomino pony on a windswept mountainside. Georgia feels an instant bond with Lily and knows she must help her escape from her cruel owner, whatever the cost…This is a pony book with all the classic ingredients: K M Peyton for a new generation.

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket


John Boyne - 2012
    Normal, respectable, and proud of it, they turn up their noses at anyone strange or different. But from the moment Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he's anything but ordinary. To his parents’ horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and floats.Desperate to please his parents, Barnaby does his best to keep both feet on the ground – but he just can't do it. One fateful day, the Brockets decide enough is enough. They never asked for a weird, abnormal, floating child. Barnaby has to go . . .Betrayed, frightened and alone, Barnaby floats into the path of a very special hot air balloon – and so begins a magical journey around the world, with a cast of extraordinary new friends.

Between the Raven and the Dove


Sophia Kingshill - 2017
    As far back as she can remember, thirteen-year-old Mag has lived with her father at a home for the mentally ill.The patients are all clearly mad, so when the usually silent Grace claims that she’s Mag’s real mother – and also a witch – Mag’s world is turned upside down.As things take a turn for the weird, and Mag sees things that others can’t, it may just be that she is a witch after all.In this new world, Mag discovers that the difference between good and evil isn’t exactly black and white…

In the Window Room


Steven J. Carroll - 2011
    And even though that girl, Mattie, had said something dreadful about her father, she knew that she should not have fought with her. Though one can never rewind history to change the past, and so this would be her punishment: to live alone in the old abandoned Greyford house on the outskirts of the Mayfield School for Girls -- a place with its covered furniture, and rooms leading to other unexpected rooms, and she would be completely, and purposefully, alone... or so she thought. Yet there was more to this house than first met the eye: there were secret passages, and hidden treasures, lost and forgotten with the passing time, and a room... a fantastic and otherworldly sort of room, which she had decided to call "the Window Room". This is a story about the dangerous and mysterious adventures she found there. This is a story about friends made from enemies, about a kingdom in peril, and a wrongly accused prince who would need saving. These are the sorts of things Delany found -- In the Window Room.

The Other Facts of Life


Morris Gleitzman - 1994
    His unwilling father is sent to explain the facts of life to him - only to find the questions Ben asks are far tougher than he expected, and he doesn't have the answers. Ben mounts an inspired crusade that is both deadly serious - and very funny.

The Paint Horse (White Cloud Station)


Trudy Nicholson - 2015
    But Paintbox was taken from her by his spiteful former owners and there was nothing Lucy could do. Despite having Hope, Lucy never got over losing Paintbox. The worst part was, she had no idea what became of him until, one day, a mysterious letter arrives…. www.whitecloudstation.com A White Cloud Station short story.