School of Fear


Gitty Daneshvari - 1999
    Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water. With very few options left, the parents of these four twelve year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.

Nelson Beats The Odds


Ronnie Sidney II - 2015
    When Nelson learns that he has been placed in Special Education, he fears being teased. Consequently, he keeps his learning disability and ADHD diagnosis a secret. With the encouragement of his parents and assistance from Mrs. T., his Special Education teacher, Nelson pushes the boundaries and discovers his potential. ”Nelson Beats The Odds” is an inspiring story that celebrates friendship, resilience and empowerment. The striking illustrations give life to ”Nelson Beats The Odds”, while the author’s story is perfect for students diagnosed with learning disabilities or mental health disorders.

Travel Team


Mike Lupica - 2004
    Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.For fans of The Bad News Bears, Hoosiers, the Mighty Ducks, and Mike Lupica's other New York Times bestselling novels Heat, The Underdogs, and Million-Dollar Throw, here is a book that proves that when the game knocks you down, champions stand tall.

Who Is J.K. Rowling?


Pam Pollack - 2012
    Now kids can learn about Harry's creator! In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as compelling as the world of Hogwarts that she created. This biography details not only Rowling's life and her love of literature but the story behind the creation of a modern classic.

Three Tales of My Father's Dragon


Ruth Stiles Gannett - 1987
    A compilation of three tales which relate the fantastic adventures of Elmer Elevator and a baby flying dragon named Boris.

My Life in Pink & Green


Lisa Greenwald - 2009
    After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family's struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won't help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again, a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy's family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader?This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it's great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.

The Elevator Family


Douglas Evans - 2001
    BECAUSE FOR THREE DAYS, THEY LIVE IN AN ELEVATOR. For the Wilson family, only the best will do! So when they arrive at the San Francisco Hotel and discover that there are no available rooms, they decide to stay in the place that suits them best of all: a room that has its ups . . . and its downs—a room called Otis, the hotel elevator.   Staying in the elevator is absolutely “fantabulous!” After all, where else would Mr. Walter Wilson, Mrs. Winona Wilson, 10-year-old Winslow Wilson, and his twin sister, Whitney Wilson get to meet: ·         A weary traveling salesman of kids' fads ·         A British rock group with a funny name ·         A lovesick bellhop ·         A society lady and her pampered poodle ·         And a slew of other surprising visitors!   For fans of middle-grade giants like Andrew Clements, Jerry Spinelli, Louis Sachar, and Judy Blume, The Elevator Family is a funny and heartwarming story about an eccentric family who’ll be remembered long after they check out of Otis. Drop in on them for an elevator ride filled with adventure and zany humor!

The Berenstain Bears and the Mansion Mystery


Stan Berenstain - 2015
    The butler answers the door, announcing the arrival of Papa, Brother, Sister, and the cubs’ visiting cousin, Freddy. The disappearance of Lady Grizzly’s priceless antiques soon throws the household into chaos. Papa, who thinks he’s an expert on everything, vows to solve the case with the assistance of Freddy’s sniffer hound, Snuff. But the biggest vanishing act is yet to come. Can the Bear Family solve the case and restore harmony to Grizzly Mansion?

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes


Jonathan Auxier - 2011
    One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.Be sure to read the companion book, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard.

The Cupcake Queen


Heather Hepler - 2009
    When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny's life isn't what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn't talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there's Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog's Hollow, like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life's unexpected turns.

It's the First Day of School...Forever!


R.L. Stine - 2011
    Hard. He tells his mom he’s dizzy and she says:“You’re just worried about your first day in a new school.” At breakfast, his little brother, Eddie, splashes syrup in his hair, and there’s no time to wash it. Artie has to go to school with syrup-hair. And then, on the way there, he gets splashed by a puddle that makes him look like he wet his pants. It’s not just the first day of school; it’s the worst day of school. On the second day of school, Artie falls out of bed and hits his head. Hard. He tells his mom he’s dizzy and she says:“You’re just worried about your first day in a new school.” Huh? Today is just like the day before. Can Artie find a way to change it, before it’s the first day of school…forever?

Bad Kitty Does Not Like Dogs


Nick Bruel - 2015
    Kitty always wants to take a nap. But Puppy wants to play! Can Kitty convince Puppy that sleeping is far more fun than playing? Find out in this riotous story featuring your favorite cranky cat and his slobbery nemesis-complete with a full page of stickers, perfect for you to stick all over your pals as they sleep.

Magic Marks the Spot


Caroline Carlson - 2013
    “My dear,” he said, “let me be clear: You are a young lady. You will not tell silly tales and you will never be a pirate.”Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors. She particularly enjoys defying authority, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.Girls belong at Miss Pimm’s Finishing School for Delicate Ladies, learning to waltz, faint, and cursty. But Hilary and her dearest friend, the gargoyle, have no use for such frivolous lessons—they are pirates! (Or very nearly.)To escape from a life of petticoats and politeness, Hilary answers a curious advertisement for a pirate crew and suddenly finds herself swept up in a seafaring adventure that may or may not involve a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a rogue governess who insists on propriety, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.Will Hilary find the treasure in time? Will she become a true pirate after all? And what will become of the gargoyle?

Eight Keys


Suzanne LaFleur - 2011
    Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn...

Princess Ellie to the Rescue


Diana Kimpton - 2004
    When her pony Sundance goes missing, Ellie is convinced that the stranger has something to do with it. It is up to Ellie to figure out who the stranger is and rescue Sundance before it is too late.