Kids look up to him, and all the teachers let him get away with anything -- all the teachers except the chorus director, Mr. Meinert. When Hart's errant rubber band hits Mr. Meinert on the neck during chorus practice, it's the last straw for the chorus director, who's just learned he's about to lose his job due to budget cuts. So he tells the class they can produce the big holiday concert on their own. Or not. It's all up to them. And who gets elected to run the show? The popular Mr. Hart Evans. Hart soon discovers there's a big difference between popularity and leadership, and to his surprise, discovers something else as well -- it's really important to him that this be the best holiday concert ever, and even more important, that it not be the last.

      Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.   So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?   This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making.

    "The legend is true, El Blanco, the white one, has come at last, and brought rain to our dry valley." But the wild-horse hunters have also come... the white colt is in danger. Can the old man save him?

    Her mother is terrified of them. Her dad left because of them. And all Emily wants is to ride them. But that isn’t going to happen any time soon unless Emily takes matters into her own hands and she’s been doing just that for the last year. The only trouble is that secrets are made to be broken and Emily has the biggest one of all. She works at Sand Hill Stables to pay for riding lessons and now she has the chance to prove herself at the prestigious Fox Run Farm show. With her best friend Mickey as her partner in crime, can she make it to show day without her mom finding out? And why do the girls who ride at Fox Run want to make sure that Sand Hill closes its doors once and for all?

    Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one — neighbors, parents, teachers — is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?

    Friendships are quickly made, but with rivalries hotting up inside AND outside the arena, who will stay focused and outshine the competition?With all the glitz and glamour of international eventing and the daily dramas of high school life, ‘Pony Club Rivals’ is a sure-fire hit!

    He is, in fact, abusive. Will poor Blitz ever be well-treated again?

    This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams.Little House in the Big Woods takes place in 1871 and introduces us to four-year-old Laura, who lives in a log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. She shares the cabin with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their lovable dog, Jack.Pioneer life isn’t easy for the Ingalls family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But they make the best of every tough situation. They celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do their spring planting, bring in the harvest in the fall, and make their first trip into town. And every night, safe and warm in their little house, the sound of Pa’s fiddle lulls Laura and her sisters into sleep.The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer, and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.

    Gaylan soon discovers that the entire kingdom is on the brink of civil war, and must enlist help to define "delicious" and save the country.

    She's not exactly welcomed with open arms. One group of girls in particular is used to being the best, the brightest, and the prettiest on the team, and when Sasha shows her skills in the arena, the girls' claws come out. Sasha is determined to prove that she belongs at Canterwood. Will she rise to the occasion and make the advanced riding team by the end of her first semester? Or will the pressure send Sasha packing?

    Perfect for fans of the author’s other middle grade novels: Liesl & Po and the Curiosity House series.Looking across the breakfast table one morning, twelve-year-old Liza feels dread wash over her. Although her younger brother, Patrick, appears the same, Liza knows that he is actually quite different. She is certain that the spindlers—evil, spiderlike beings—came during the night and stole his soul. And Liza is also certain that she is the only one who can rescue him.Armed with little more than her wits and a huge talking rat for a guide, Liza descends into the dark and ominous underground to save Patrick's soul. Her quest is far from easy: she must brave tree-snakes, the Court of Stones, and shape-shifting scawgs before facing her greatest challenge in the spindlers' lair, where more than just Patrick's soul is at stake.

    Before long, something must be done before they eat the Poppers out of house and home!A classic of American humor, this story of a gentle housepainter and his high stepping penguins has delighted children for generations.

    Surrounded by her beloved family, including her gentle sister, Doe, and protected by her father, the band stallion, Blue lives a life both harsh and beautiful in the rugged terrain of their undiscovered habitat. That all changes, though, when Blue and Doe are suddenly captured by rogue cowboys, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens the very survival of their hidden herd.

    Nevertheless, thousands of fans left behind their troubles that day to gather at the Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, to cheer on Seabiscuit, the horse from the West�the people's horse with the oversized head and the stubby little legs. Seabiscuit was competing against War Admiral, winner of the Triple Crown, the three greatest races in the Thoroughbred world. Exploding from the start, by the far turn of the track the two champions were running neck and neck, neither giving an inch. Then Seabiscuit looked War Admiral squarely in the eye, snorted his trademark challenge, and powered away from the eastern victor...Seabiscuit was an unlikely hero. Considered lazy by his trainer, he was overraced, broken down, and in the lowest ranks of racehorses by the age of two. Then in 1936, old-time cowboy trainer Tom Smith�who saw something in Seabiscuit, despite the colt's reputation�convinced businessman Charles Howard to buy the horse. Howard did, for practically nothing, and hired jockey Jack "Red" Pollard to ride him. Smith and Pollard were as down-and-out as Seabiscuit at the time, but together the threesome made history!With great courage and stamina, and an even greater heart, Seabiscuit overcame injuries in the course of his career that would have killed a lesser horse, and in his four years of racing topped the Thoroughbred earnings record of his time. The story of Seabiscuit's life�now a major motion picture starring Tobey Maguire�is in turn thrilling, heartbreaking and incredibly inspiring.Ralph Moody, the second of six children, was born on December 16, 1898, in East Rochester, New Hampshire. In 1950, when he was fifty-two years old, Ralph enrolled in a short-story writing class. Encouraged by his teacher, he turned a class paper into a book, Little Britches, describing his childhood days living on a ranch in Colorado. Ralph wrote nineteen books, all based on his life. He died at age eighty-three in New England, at the home of his sister Elizabeth.Robert Riger was born in Manhattan in 1924 and graduated from Pratt Art Institute. His distinctive sepia sketches appeared in the first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1954 and became a regular and familiar feature in the magazine for many years afterward. In 1963 Robert joined ABC's Wide World of Sports, where he became a producer/director of many groundbreaking and award-winning programs. Among his prizes are nine Emmy Awards. Other children's titles illustrated by Robert include Ralph Moody's Riders of the Pony Express; Sequoyah: Leader of the Cherokees by Alice Marriott; and Wren by Marie Killilea. He died in 1995 in Huntington Beach, California.

    But when a student disappears, it's up to Thea and five of her students to find out what happened. A nail-biting mystery ensues, complete with secret passages, underground tunnels, and more than a few surprises along the way. Readers will love following the clues to help Thea and her new friends through their first adventure together!