Family Reader

In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running around with her best friend Henry and cousin Myrna. But life is not always so sunny for Ella, who gets bullied for her light skin tone, and whose mother is away pursuing a jazz singer dream in Boston. So Ella is ecstatic when her mother invites her to visit for Christmas. Little does she expect the truths she will discover about her mother, the father she never knew, and her family's most unlikely history.

You could have a Harvard degree or a lifetime’s experience as a librarian, and you still wouldn’t have come across some of the facts found in Interesting Facts for Smart Kids. But after a few rounds of listening to some of the most bizarre things you’ll ever learn about the world, you’ll have a family of experts in, well, everything!

Spurred by a newfound awareness of false advertising, Stink Moody becomes the proverbial kid in a candy store as his letter-writing campaign yields him heaps of free rewards. When Stink buys a mammoth jawbreaker that doesn't break his jaw, he writes a letter of complaint to the manufacturer — and receives a ten-pound box of 21,280 jawbreakers for his trouble!

My naughty little sister is the naughtiest little girl in the world... she's always having adventures! She wins a prize in the Fancy Dress parade, and she goes to the hairdresser with Bad Harry to watch him have his golden curls chopped off. But she's a very stubborn girl at the photographer's shop - she won't say cheese!

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig, she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toast feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. BOOM! CRACK! Welcome to the wry and endearing world of Mercy Watson.

The Poky Little Puppy: A puppy loves to dig holes under the fence, despite what his mother, his brothers, and sisters say. But the poky little puppy digs one hole too many in this charming story and ends up missing dessert. (Also includes Scuffy the Tugboat, Tawny Scrawny Lion, and The Saggy Baggy Elephant.)

When Stink Moody's second grade class goes on a field trip to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum, he learns that his very own nose has amazing sniffing abilities - and that some people have real jobs sniffing stuff for NASA! Soon Stink is engrossed in toilet water, corpse flowers, and all things smelly. But is his fetid footwear foul enough to win a Golden Clothespin Award? Loyal fans will be holding their breath for Stink's latest outrageous solo adventure.

When the Moody family drops anchor on “Artichoke” Island, they are greeted by the mysterious Cap’n Weevil, a one-eyed buccaneer with a scraggly beard and a treasure map. Before you can say “Davy Jones’s Locker,” Stink and Judy are racing in search of gold. But they’re not the only salty dogs lookin’ for loot. Can Scurvy Stink and Mad Molly beat out their rivals? Not unless they can find the hidden clues, crack the secret codes, and solve the tricky puzzles - before time runs out! Aaarrr!

Things are changing in Bloomington for the Baxters. When Ashley’s teacher, Mr. Garrett, takes a month off work for the birth of his baby, the intimidating Ms. Stritch takes his place. Ashley tries but can’t seem to crack the new teacher’s tough exterior. Meanwhile, Brooke struggles when a popular girl excludes her at lunch, Erin adjusts to getting glasses, and when Kari is given a dance solo for the upcoming recital, she takes her success a little too seriously.

It feels as if it's going to be a long season for Arthur as he struggles to sharpen his baseball skills. But before it's all over, he learns an important lesson about teamwork.

One day after school, on the couch in the basement, Tori's uncle did something bad. Afterward, Tori tells her mom. Even though telling was a brave thing to do, her mom still doesn't believe her at first. Her grandma still takes his side. And Tori doesn't want anyone else - even her best friend - to know what happened. Now Tori finds herself battling mixed emotions - anger, shame, and sadness - as she deals with the trauma. But with the help of her mom, her little sister, her best friend, and others, can Tori find a way to have the last word?

Valentine's Day is Abby's least favorite holiday. Mushy stuff like valentines, red hearts, and a school dance turn her into a Valentine's Scrooge. When Ross Brown, a perfectly nice guy in Abby's English class, invites her to the dance, Abby tries to set him up with her twin sister, Anna.

Popular children's author Katherine Applegate presents this fun sequel to her instant hit, Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs. Though first grader Roscoe Riley always means well, he still has a lot to learn. So when his beloved stuffed pig Hamilton goes missing from school, he "jumps to a conclusion" and assumes that Wyatt, the meanest kid in the class, took Ham. And since Wyatt must be the pig-napper, it's only fair that Roscoe swipe the bully's teddy bear to get even, right?

Baby Lincoln's older sister, Eugenia, is very fond of telling Baby what to do, and Baby usually responds by saying, "Yes, Sister." But one day Baby has had enough. She decides to depart on a Necessary Journey, even though she has never gone anywhere without Eugenia telling her what to take and where to go. And in fact Baby doesn't know where she is headed - only that she was entirely happy in the previous night's dream, sitting aboard a train with a view of shooting stars.

It's not easy being the middle child, especially when your dad is a Navy chief. Meet Piper Reed, a spunky nine-year-old who has moved more times than she can count on one hand. From Texas to Guam, wherever Piper goes, adventure follows, inspired by her active imagination, free-wheeling spirit, and a bit of sister magic.

Nick Abbott and Trent Dawson have nothing in common but basketball. Or so it seems. But as the basketball season progresses, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined. In this story of an unlikely bond, award-winning author Carl Deuker explores that dark and confusing place between loneliness and friendship, between faithfulness and betrayal.

With a Burmese mother and a white American father, Alex Wagner grew up thinking of herself as a "futureface" - an example of what the mixed-race future of America would look like. When Alex learns that her ancestry might be more mysterious than she believed, she becomes obsessed with learning everything there is to know about her ethnic and racial history. Through a blend of history, science, and sociology, Alex tries to solve the mysteries of her family and what it means to be American.

Beloved award-winning children’s author Cynthia Rylant adds to the touching tale of the Lighthouse Family with The Turtle. Fog descends upon the lighthouse, and Seabold the dog uses the foghorn to warn oncoming ships. Then Seabold and the mouse children, Whistler and Lila, hear a cry for help! Can Pandora the cat figure out a way to save a stranded sea turtle from the cold northern waters?

It's summer at the shore, but someone wants to put a stop to all the fun! Who's ruining the rides at the amusement pier? The Aldens are on the case….

When Arthur finds Sue Ellen's lost diary at the library, he wonders whether or not to read it before he returns it to her.