Book picks similar to
#1: Ask Emma by Sheryl Berk
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Lulu the Broadway Mouse
Jenna Gavigan - 2018
Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse.When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, Jayne and Lulu learn that sometimes dreams turn out differently than we imagined; sometimes they come with terms and conditions (aka the company mean girl, Amanda). But sometimes, just when we've given up all hope, bigger and better dreams than we'd ever thought could come true, do.
What Comes Next
Rob Buyea - 2021
To Thea, it feels like running away. She lost her best friend, Charlie, in a tragic accident, and in the painful aftermath, she has gone mute. Her two younger sisters, however, are excited about moving, especially after their dad promises that the family will get a rescue puppy. This doesn't change Thea's mind, though, until Jack-Jack bounds into her life and makes it clear that he is no ordinary dog. As she bonds with Jack-Jack, and as the dog's mischievous ways steer her toward someone she can confide in, Thea opens up to the possibility of new friendships and forgiveness, and comes to believe in what cannot be fully explained.
Lights, Camera, Daddy! (Action Daddy, #1)
Kessily Lewel - 2021
Spy. And... Daddy?Hollywood hasn’t written a role Mitch James can’t play. But when he finds cute, quirky Olivia feeding the crew on the set of his latest movie, he sets out to snag his most important role yet. Olivia’s Daddy.But she has walls so high even Hollywood’s best stuntmen can’t scale them and if he wants to claim her, he’s going to have to pull out all the stops to prove that she can trust him with her Little side.
The Colossus of Roads
Christina Uss - 2020
And I've got to solve it!"Rick has been studying maps and traffic patterns for years, and devises solutions to improve Los Angeles' notoriously terrible traffic that he calls his Snarl Solutions. He has big ideas, but not enough resources-- until his artistic friend, Mila brings him to a Girl Scout meeting.Every week at Miss Diamond's art studio, the scouts paint recycled traffic signs with their own designs. The signs will be hung all over Los Angeles to beautify the city with art. But Rick, The Colossus of Roads, has ulterior motives . . . He will restore the signs to their original glory and find a way to install them strategically to rectify the traffic. Anything can be hung with duct tape!But of course, it's not that easy. SPLAT (Stop Poor LA Traffic), BLAM (Bike-Loving Amazing Mamas), and the TCD (Traffic Calming Division) have their own methods of curing the city's dilemma and will undermine Rick's efforts however they can.Will Rick be able to clear the notorious traffic problem on Sepulveda Pass in time for his parents to deliver Polish food to the movie studio and land the catering contract they need to keep their company afloat?Written by Christina Uss, the acclaimed author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the year.
Kingdom of Secrets
Christyne Morrell - 2021
She assists him by mending torn balloons, but she yearns to build and fly the complicated machines herself. One day, a waif named Abi steals Prissy’s only remaining memento of her deceased mother – a silk scarf – and promises to return it only if Prissy smuggles a mysterious box onto one of her father’s flights. Since balloon travel is strictly regulated in Oren, that single act of rebellion results in her father’s arrest and kicks off a spiraling series of events that will yank Prissy out of her predictable life.Along the way to free her father from jail, she’ll get caught up in a bar fight, nabbed by a sadistic schoolmistress, tossed into a home for unwanted children, schooled in the art of stealing, and thrust into the center of a brewing rebellion. On her journey through Oren – with its glitzy neighborhoods and its seedy underbelly – Prismena will uncover secrets that change the way she views her family, her kingdom, herself, and even her beloved hot air balloons. She’ll have to break a few rules – and even forge metal – to save the people she loves, but she may also get a chance to soar.
Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk
Liesl Shurtliff - 2015
But if that’s the case, how do you explain the huge, foot shaped pond in the yard, or the occurrence of strange and sudden storms in which the earth quakes and dirt rains from the sky? When his father is carried away in such a storm, Jack gives chase in the only logical way: by trading the family cow for some magic beans that will give him access to a land beyond the clouds. He arrives to find that the giants themselves have giant-sized troubles. With the help of an overachieving little sister, a magic goose and a chatty cook (who is not interested in grinding human bones into bread, thank you very much!) Jack sets out to save his dad and save the day.
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
Lincoln Peirce - 2010
REALLY big things.But life doesn't always go your way just because you're awesome.Trouble always seems to find him, but Nate keeps his cool no matter what.He knows he's great. A fortune cookie told him so.For fans of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series: Here comes BIG NATE, accidental mischief maker and definitely NOT the teacher's pet.
Hot Colorado Nights
Paige Yancey - 2018
Dating is the last thing on Maddie’s mind since she walked away from her first and only love. Her life is just the way she thinks she likes it until her sister is kidnapped. When she meets with the detective on the case, she’s surprised to come face to face with the only man who’d ever held her heart. Former Special Forces soldier, Derek Lewis, gave up Army life to raise his son as a single dad. He returned to his hometown, joined the police force and became a detective. Since he’d walked away from the only woman he’d ever loved, he never considered marrying, and now that he has a son, he puts all his energy into making a home for the boy. Until he’s called in to investigate the case of a missing woman, the sister of the girl he let get away. Together, Derek and Maddie work to find her sister and, in the process, they might have a shot at a second chance with love. Note: This book was previously published through Amazon Kindle World.
Horse Girl
Carrie Seim - 2021
But Amara, the Queen of the #HorseGirls, and her posse aren't going to let the certifiably dork-tagious Wills trot her way into their riding club so easily. Between learning the reins of horse riding, dealing with her Air Force pilot mom being stationed thousands of miles from home, and keeping it together in front of (gasp!) Horse Boys, Wills will learn that becoming a part of #HorseGirlWorld isn't easy. But with her horse, Clyde, at her side, it sure will be fun!
The Girls of Firefly Cabin
Cynthia Ellingsen - 2019
In the vein of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the story follows four tween girls, their individual struggles, and the bonds they forge during an unforgettable summer at camp. Publication is slated for spring 2019.
Just Harriet
Elana K. Arnold - 2022
She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball. She doesn't always tell the truth. She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year.Okay, maybe that last one isn't entirely the truth.Of course, there's nothing Harriet doesn't like about Marble Island, the small island off the coast of California where her nanu runs a cozy little bed and breakfast. And nobody doesn't love Moneypenny, Nanu's old basset hound. But Harriet doesn't like the fact that Dad made this decision without even asking her.When Harriet arrives on Marble Island, however, she discovers that it's full of surprises, and even a mystery. One that seems to involve her Dad, back when he was a young boy living on Marble Island. One that Harriet is absolutely going to solve. And that's the truth.
Down to Earth
Betty Culley - 2021
As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia to help him identify the rocks he finds. So, when a meteorite falls in his family's field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast--with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course. But soon after the meteorite's arrival, the water in Henry's small Maine town starts drying up. It's not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry's family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself.
The Game Master: Summer Schooled
Matt Zamolo - 2021
Instead of going to camp like she’d planned, she’s been stuck in summer school. But today is the day! She’s going to present her final science assignment—using her Nana’s borrowed vintage zoetrope—and then she’ll be free to have fun.But as Becca and her classmates wait for her teacher to arrive, a menacing voice comes over the intercom claiming to be the Game Master! The kids quickly discover that the Game Master has locked the doors, scared off the teachers, and made it clear that if Becca and her friends don’t solve the clues that have been left behind, they’ll never get back Becca’s irreplaceable zoetrope, never finish summer school, and never get to enjoy what’s left of their summer vacations.Becca doesn’t know who is behind this, but she won’t let the Game Master win. But will she and her classmates be able to work together to solve the puzzles and escape their school before time runs out? Join YouTube’s favorite mystery solving team as they go toe-to-toe with the Game Master in the first book of this action-packed series from beloved YouTube creators Rebecca Zamolo and Matt Yoakum aka MattySlays, stars of the hugely popular Game Master Network.Fans of StacyPlays’s Wild Rescuers series and Pat & Jen’s PopularMMOs Presents graphic novels will love this thrilling and engaging YouTube-inspired adventure.
What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon
Henry Clark - 2020
Turns out she has a secret manual of magic spells...but they only work sometimes. And they're the most boring spells ever:To Change the Color of a RoomTo Repair a ChimneyTo Walk With StiltsTo Untangle Yarn
Useless! But when Cal, his friend Drew, and his neighbor Modesty are suddenly transported to the world the spells come from -- a world that's about to lose its last dragon -- they'll have to find a way to use the oddly specific incantations to save the day, if only they can figure out when magic works.
An adventure about magic, friendship, a lookout tower come to life, a maze in the shape of a dragon, an actual dragon named Phlogiston, and lots and lots of popcorn.
The Homework Machine
Dan Gutman - 2006
Because the machine, code named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don't want when you are keeping a secret. Before long, members of the D Squad, as they are called at school are getting strange Instant Messages from a shady guy named Milner; their teacher, Miss Rasmussen, is calling private meetings with each of them and giving them pop tests that they are failing; and someone has leaked the possibility of a homework machine to the school newspaper. Just when the D Squad thinks things can't get any more out of control, Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Soon the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail...or worse!