Family Reader

In this heartwarming follow-up to Laurel Snyder's award-winning beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers prepare to celebrate one very special birthday: their mom's! Follow along as they choose the best pancakes, hunt for presents, decorate with snakes, and more. Things don't go exactly as planned...but with plenty of humor and heart, Charlie and Mouse prove that sometimes when things aren't perfect, what they turn out to be is even better.

Juana’s life is just about perfect. She lives in the beautiful city of Bogotá with her two most favorite people in the world: her mami and her dog, Lucas. Lately, though, things have become a little less perfect. Mami has a new hairdo and a new amigo named Luis with whom she has been spending a LOT of time. He is kind and teaches Juana about things like photography and jazz music, but sometimes Juana can’t help wishing things would go back to the way they were before.

In this heartwarming sequel to Laurel Snyder's beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers enjoy a special visit from their grandpa, Grumpy. Follow along as they discuss being medium, pounce each other, sing the wrong songs, build blanket forts, and more. This touching, funny celebration of imagination and bonding will enchant listeners young and old.

When Posey's grandpa announces that he's marrying Posey's neighbor, Mrs. Romero, Posey is thrilled! She loves Mrs. Romero and she's going to be the flower girl! But then she learns that Mrs. Romero will be moving away, and her dog Hero, too. That is just about the worst news ever and Posey wants nothing to do with the wedding. Now no one is happy. Then Mrs. Romero has an idea - what if Hero stays with Posey? Posey jumps at the idea, but it turns out that makes Hero even more miserable than she was.

Timmy is a pine tree. His one goal is to become someone's Christmas tree. Every year, he sees other trees picked, but not him. People don't seem to notice that Timmy is special, until a little girl finds Timmy and insists that he is the only Christmas tree for their family. A fun, family Christmas story.

Nick and Teresa live on the beautiful garden island of Kaua'i. One particular day, the children's parents take them to the beach for a day of fun. They build a sandcastle and Nick decides to pretend that he is a king…in fact, king of the whole beach. His little sister, Teresa, uses her imagination to help his pretending seem more real. A story of imagination and cooperation.

The award winning King of the Beach is joined in this compilation by 4 other stories by Mark Huff: The Sheltering Place, Bernard the St. Bernard, Timmy the Tiny Christmas Tree, and The Toy. Five great stories for kids in one package...stories of sharing, cooperation and imagination and family values.

Nick and Teresa from King of the Beach are back. When their father builds them a play house in the backyard and the children fight over it, Dad feels the kids need a lesson in sharing, so he tells them a story about 3 animals that live in a beautiful valley in the middle of their garden island of Kaua'i. Dad's story is about Pua'a the Pig, Kao the Goat and Moa the Rooster…and how they solved their selfishness problem. A story of sharing and the importance of friends and family.

This story is a gem representing the delightful stories from the Indian subcontinent which capture the simple essence of everyday life in India. The simple pleasures of life indicate a time gone by before the advent of cellphones and Facebook, a time which almost stood still, a time when children could revel in the rain, make paper boats and race them down a drain, play marbles and generally pass time.

Cam Jansen and her friend Eric are spending the day at the amusement park. They take Cam’s aunt and uncle with them through the scary haunted house. Plastic skeletons hang from the ceiling. A large black form jumps out of the shadows of a dark room. Everyone has a wonderful time until they get hungry and thirsty. When Cam’s aunt tries to pay for some snacks, she discovers her wallet is no longer in her purse. Will Cam be able to solve the mystery of the missing wallet with her amazing photographic memory?

Luke and Lucy's parents threaten to sell their golden retriever, Pistachio, since they don't take care of her as they promised. As soon as their parents' car is out of sight, Luke, Lucy and Pistachio go into the garage. Luke begins painting big white letters on a piece of dark cardboard: Parents for Sale.

This is the charming story of a small girl and the family members she lives with, as she playfully charts them just the way a child learning to count might do.

This story is a gem representing the delightful stories from the Indian subcontinent which capture the simple essence of everyday life in India. The simple pleasures of life indicate a time gone by before the advent of cellphones and Facebook, a time which almost stood still, a time when children could revel in the rain, make paper boats and race them down a drain, play marbles and generally pass time.

Popular author Katherine Applegate has won a devoted following for her Roscoe Riley Rules series, which features a loveable youngster who has his own guidelines for getting by in life. Roscoe has already learned not to glue his friends to chairs, not to steal from bullies, and not to swap his sweaters for dogs. But when his class plans a field trip to an apple orchard, he gets himself into his stickiest situation yet—and learns a new rule in the process.

Nick and Teresa's family are getting boxes out of the attic as they get ready to decorate for Christmas. They find an old, dusty box that no one remembers… until they open it and Dad remembers one of his childhood Christmases. The surprise in the box and the song that goes along with it make for very special holiday as Dad shares his favorite childhood toy with his children. A story of family and Christmas wonder.

Josh Higgins has an alien gizmo that lets him think his way to other planets - and he does not want to use it. But his sister Maggie won't stop bugging him, so he agrees to an off-world vacation. Josh dreams up a planet full of blue oceans, white beaches, and sunny weather. And he prepares for everything...well, almost. A parade of cranky creatures soon spoil Josh and Maggie's perfect getaway - including a one-horned beast, a sharp-toothed sea princess, and a two-tailed monkey.

Josh Higgins and his sister, Maggie, have vowed not to use the alien gizmo that lets them visit other worlds. But when Josh's favorite writer comes to town, the temptation is too much. Along with famous author P. L. Cuthbertson, Josh and Maggie prepare to visit the land of Cuthbertson's books: Wyrd World. As soon as the crew arrives, some of Wyrd World's thuggish locals mistake P. L. for a wizard - and that's not a good thing. Josh and Maggie begin a rescue mission, sneaking through fortresses and dungeons.

Josh Higgins loves to make up stories about other planets. At least he thought he was making them up. After Josh publishes his first book, sinister blue aliens visit Earth! Josh quickly learns that the worlds he wrote about in his stories are way too real. The outer space thugs take Josh and his kid sister, Maggie, all the way to the desert planet Yastol. And when Josh and Maggie refuse to aid the blue guys, a chase begins across Yastol's harsh landscape. Will the help of the planet's brave Prince Izor be enough to save Yastol from the bad blue aliens?

Head lice have invaded Edith B. Sugarman Elementary School, and George wants nothing more than to remain scotch-free from the vermin. Well, that and he wants his dad's booth at Career Day to be infinitely more popular than his enemy Louis Farley's dad's booth. He even bet his skull ring for Louis' wheelie sneakers to prove his dad's job is cooler. But when it comes to the day of the event, George isn't so confident he will win the bet or stay lice free!

The Aldens discover there’s nothing more fun than a drive-in theater, where they can eat popcorn in the car and watch movies under the stars! But pranks and other odd things keep happening at the Diamond Drive-In, and late at night, a ghost is seen walking around the empty lot. Is the old theater really haunted?