That is the summer they find an unexploded bomb buried in the hill where they ride their bikes. Faced with the choice of whether or not to reveal their discovery, the boys take a blood oath that will change their lives forever. Set against a crisply realized backdrop of post-war Britain, this explosive story of boyhood camaraderie follows the four friends as they confront the issues that have set their country, their community, and their lives ablaze.

    

    A poor throwing arm and prejudice from one white boy keep a black junior high student from completely enjoying his position on the baseball team.

    Too bad for Andi and her brother Bruce, who love dogs -- and happen to meet a stray that needs help. Soon, Andi hatches a plan, turning the abandoned house down the block into a hotel for dogs. But as more and more tenants move in, the secret gets too big to keep. Can the kids save their canine castle? Or will the hotel have to close?

    The contests were held every four years and winning athletes brought honor and respect to their homelands.The tradition of the Olympic Games faded over time until 1896, when they were brought back to life. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, with over two hundred athletes from fourteen countries. Today, nearly three thousand years after the first Games, the Summer Olympics attract one hundred thousand top athletes from over two hundred countries. Billions of fans around the world cheer on their national teams to bring back the gold.

    When her chic cousin Rachel from Manhattan comes to stay for a month, Kanani can't wait to get to know her cousin and help Rachel feel at home. But a clash of cultures ensures, and Kanani feels ignored. She tries to extend hospitality but everything she does seems to make Rachel unhappy. How can she find a way to connect with her cousin and make things better? "Sometimes people who want help the least need it the most," her mother tells her. After a mixup with a diary leads to a fight, Kanani reaches out to Rachel in an openhearted spirit of caring and good will, and discovers that she has misjudged her cousin. In the process, Kanani learns the true meaning of Hawaii's "aloha spirit."

     Well, a pet and pierced ears and really long hair would be nice, too -- and most of all, Alice wishes she still had a mother. But starting third grade in a new school in a new town can be lonely, especially if the closest thing you have to a friend is weird Donald Sheavers from next door. But even making new friends can't solve all of Alice's problems. Somehow she manages to get into trouble for a stupid lie, and to get on the wrong side of a bullying crossing guard and three snooty girls whom Alice calls "the Terrible Triplets." Will Alice ever feel at home in Takoma Park?

    Includes space for readers to jot down their own ideas and solutions to the case!Snooty Deidre Shannon writes in her blog “Dishing with Deidre” that since eight is half of sixteen, she’s entitled to a Super Sweet Half-Sixteen party this year! And since the Shannons have a pool, she’s decided to make mermaids her theme. Nancy, Bess, and George are invited to the big bash, where all party guests must dress in under-the-sea-themed costumes.For her grand entrance, Deidre dresses as a mermaid and is carried out on a giant half-shell by six teenage “sea creatures.” The garden boasts hedges clipped into the shapes of various types of ocean life. Deidre’s father even booked “Queen Mermaid Marissa” to perform in their pool—fin and all.But when a squirmy snake is found swimming in the pool too, Queen Marissa leaves in a huff! Who would sabotage the mermaid pool performance? Nancy, Bess, and George intend to find out!

    . . and nine special charms.Walker, ever the class clown, reaches into a fountain on a school field trip and sees that the joke is on him when he finds himself in the middle of a training camp for soldiers, worlds away from his own. Niko wants to be a warrior, but his master insists he learn the ways of a philosopher. When he rebels against his master’s quiet ways, he finds the path to his destiny, but the price he must pay for becoming a hero is greater than he ever imagined.Aurora can do simple gypsy magic tricks, but even she doesn’t know the true depths of her power until a mysterious woman asks to have her cards read and begs Aurora to come to her aid.Drawn together by forces they don’t understand to combat an evil they can’t imagine, their only weapons are nine simple charms.

    She and her parents are spending five months at an archeological dig of ancient Maya ruins in the Central American country of Belize. It's Jess's first time out of the United States. It's her first time being home-schooled. And it's her first trip without her older brother and sister to keep her company. But Jess is excited to explore a new place all on her own. She's ready for adventure and anxious to discover just who Jess is. When Jess meets a new friend and is invited on an eco-adventure, she makes some real discoveries--about the dangers in the Belizean jungle, about the people who have lived there since long ago, and about herself. The True Story section at the back focuses on a real girl from Florida who spends every summer in Belize with her archeologist parents.

    Jessica can hardly wait for her party with Judy Moody and all their friends. But Judy Moody is acting like a pig-head, and Jessica UN-invites her from the party. To make matters worse, Jessica has snooped around the house and has found zero sign of a pig present. Could her birthday be any more of a disaster? Geared to newly independent readers, this story will have Judy Moody fans in pig heaven.

    They are available for the first time as Overlook paperbacks. Walter R. Brooks introduced Freddy the Pig in Freddy Goes to Florida. Freddy and his friends from Bean Farm migrate south for the winter, with every mile of the way a terrific adventure complete with bumbling robbers and a nasty bunch of alligators. This is vintage Freddy and the whole ensemble cast at their charming best.

    Porcine wonder. Fan of toast with a great deal of butter on it. Mercy Watson’s disarming personality and hilarious hijinks are captivating early chapter-book readers everywhere. Now it’s easy to jumpstart a Mercy Watson collection with this enticing boxed set combining the first three adventures of the series: MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE (an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book), MERCY WATSON GOES FOR A RIDE (winner of a 2007 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor), and MERCY WATSON FIGHTS CRIME.

    Four fantastic books about these much-loved sisters in one bumper editionBeezus and Ramona are sisters, and sisters are supposed to love each other - right? Wrong! Ramona thinks she's being helpful but as far as Beezus is concerned, she's just an embarrassing and annoying little pest.The Unstoppable Beezus and Ramona contains the second four Beezus and Ramona books in one edition.

    . . and destined to be friends to the end! Best friends Violet and Tigerlily can’t wait to start earning their merit badges. But their troop leader, Miss Poppy, is one strict rodent. And earning their first badge—planting a vegetable garden—is hard work. Will the troop drive unwanted pests from the garden and earn their Sow It and Grow It badge? And will they ever get Miss Poppy to smile?