Great Ball of Light

Author	Kimberly Willis Holt
ISBN	0805080228

It's 1948 in Rippling Creek, Louisiana, and Tate P. Ellerbee's new teacher has just given her class an assignment--learning the art of letter-writing. Luckily, Tate has the perfect pen pal in mind: Hank Williams, a country music singer whose star has just begun to rise. Tate and her great-aunt and -uncle...

Author

Emma Trevayne

Grave robbing is a messy business. A bad business.

And for Thomas Marsden, on what was an unremarkable spring night in London, it becomes a very spooky business. For lying in an unmarked grave and half covered with dirt is a boy the spitting image of Thomas himself.

This is only the first...

Author	Atinuke
ISBN	1935279742

Rarer than quality books. More elusive than good picture books for older readers. The goal, the gem, the one kind of book all children’s librarians seek but know are so difficult to find . . . . the really well written early chapter book. Now let’s say you’ve found one. It happens. Lots exist, to a...

Author	James Leck
ISBN	1771381108

Fifteen-year-old slacker Charlie Harker is stuck in the sleepy town of Rolling Hills for the summer, helping his mom renovate his great-grandfather's creaky old inn. It's not entirely dull, thanks to Charlie's new neighbor Miles Van Helsing, who insists there's paranormal activity happening in...

Author	Barbara Mariconda
ISBN	0062119931

The thrilling sequel to The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons, a book that Newbery-winning author Katherine Applegate called “a grand and adventurous tale, as magical and mysterious as the sea itself.”

Ever since Lucy’s parents drowned at sea, she’s been protected by special magic. That’s...

Author

Jo Whittemore

A mother-daughter duo take part in a bizarre family challenge in hopes of winning a fortune.

Tori Porter is best friends with her mom, and most of the time it's awesome. Not many girls have a mom who'd take them to a graveyard for hide-and-seek or fill the bathtub with ice cream for the world's biggest...

Author	Tess Hilmo
ISBN	0374302820

On the same day as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, 250 miles away in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, there was an even more devastating fire. Twelve-year-old Ailis and her younger brother, Quinn, survive, but their family does not. Ailis and Quinn are taken by a family acquaintance to live in a boarding house in...

Author	Amy Hest
ISBN	0763636959

The joys and trials of fourth grade - and of life with her father now that her mother is gone - play out in charming letters from Annie to her dog, Leo.

Annie Rossi never, ever thought her father would let her have a dog. But now that he’s finally given in, she’s found the perfect ear for the stories...

Author

J. Scott Savage

You hold in your hands a very dangerous record.

I have collected every side of the story and every piece of evidence on case number 13. Now, in this file, you will find all you need to follow the dark adventures of Nick, Carter, and Angelo, three boys who possess an unhealthy obsession with monsters,...

Author	Jenny Goebel
ISBN	0545519306

A stylish debut mystery with the perfect balance of sweetness and scares!

Thirteen-year-old Bernie's summer is looking pretty grim. It's hard to make friends when your family runs a monument company, and your backyard is littered with tombstones. It's even harder when your mother suddenly...

Author	Emma Shevah
ISBN	1492622508

My name is Amber Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto.
I have no idea why my parents gave me all those hideous names but they must have wanted to ruin my life, and you know what? They did an amazing job.As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with a ridiculous name, Amber’s not feeling molto bene (very...

Author	Mary E. Lambert
ISBN	0545931983

Annabelle has a secret . . . a secret so big she won't allow friends within five miles of her home. Her mom collects things. Their house is overflowing with stuff. It gives Annabelle's sister nightmares, her brother spends as much time as he can at friends' houses, and her dad buries himself in his work.

...

Author

Mitali Perkins

“One of the new tiger cubs has escaped from the reserve!”When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel’s island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub’s anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also...

Author	James Proimos Jr.
ISBN	1619634422

The end has come. The world is in shambles. Everyone is gone . . . except for the dogs!

Brownie and Apollo are two dogs living in bliss with a big, comfy couch to laze on. But unbeknownst to them and seemingly overnight, the world has turned to utter chaos. What they do know is their owners are MIA,...

Author	Kallie George
ISBN	1423183827

Despite her name, Clover has always felt decidedly unlucky. So when she stumbles upon a mysterious cottage in the Woods, she can hardly believe her good fortune. It's the Magical Animal Adoption Agency, and it houses creatures of all kinds. Fairy horses, unicorns, and a fiery young dragon are just...

Author	Bibi Belford
ISBN	1632204355

When Sandro Zapote finds out his little sister needs heart surgery, he is determined to help his parents raise the money they’ll need to help her get better. Sandro’s dad is in the states illegally and must work two jobs to support the family. For one, he picks up roadkill for the department of streets...

Author	Howard Whitehouse
ISBN	1770496084

Larry Mullet is your typical fourth grader. He's not the biggest kid or the smartest kid or the best looking kid. He rides his bike, plays baseball, takes the school bus, avoids cafeteria food, and--oh yeah, he's a zombie hunting expert. Larry was just doing his usual thing when Alex Bates from Ms Hoag's...

Author	Lev A.C. Rosen
ISBN	0316370789

Welcome to Woundabout, where routine rules and change is feared. But transformation is in the wind....

In the wake of tragedy, siblings Connor and Cordelia and their pet capybara are sent to the precariously perched town of Woundabout to live with their eccentric aunt. Woundabout is a place...

Author	Carol Weston
ISBN	1402288735

Ava desperately wants a pet for her eleventh birthday-but gets way more than she bargained for when she adopts T-A-C-O-C-A-T.

When Ava Wren hears about an injured yellow tabby with mismatched ears, she becomes obsessed and wants to rescue him. She even picks out a perfect palindromic name:...

Author	Jayne Lyons
ISBN	1416974741

Freddy Lupin is about to undergo his first transwolftation. It’s a rite of passage for every werewolf. For Freddy, however, it’s going to be the most embarrassing night of his life. Because Freddy is not going to turn into a wolf. He’s going to turn into a poodle. Thus begins a funny and fast-paced...

Author	Elise Gravel
ISBN	1596437413

It’s Jessie Elliot’s last summer as a child. In the fall, she’ll be going to Hochelaga High—where the cool kids smoke, have piercings, and make out in abandoned parking lots. Jessie wants to be cool, but it’s way more fun being uncool. That’s why this summer she’s going to get a high score...

Author	Tara Altebrando
ISBN	0762456817

Twelve-year-old Kate Marino thinks she is a real mastermind. At least when it comes to hatching a plan to dissuade potential buyers from purchasing Big Red, the old farmhouse that has been the only home Kate has ever known, and which her parents must sell in order to downsize.
Kate has not even moved...

Author	Daniel Blythe
ISBN	0545479797

Can she escape the shadows and face the truth before the darkness destroys her?

"If the enemy is a fire, the evil is its shadow, flickering upon the wall."

"That's very poetic, Miss Bellini. I just wish I knew what it meant."

Miranda's new home is a dull seaside town at the edge...

Author	Ann Cameron
ISBN	0374380007

Spunky the dog would be happy to share all of his secrets, if only his human family spoke his language. But no matter how hard he tries to talk, it's all "yerf!" to them. Through a series of unfortunate miscommunications, his family decides that Spunky wants a friend--specifically, a cat. Spunky can't...

Author	Nora Raleigh Baskin
ISBN	1442458070

An insightful exploration of middle school bullying from multiple perspectives, by the award-winning author of Anything But Typical.

Elizabeth Moon grew up around dogs. Her mom runs a boarding kennel out of their home, so she’s seen how dogs behave to determine pack order. Her experience...