First Library

When fifth grader Penny Lowry and her friends learn they will be attending an after-school etiquette class, it brings up a whole new wave of worries for Penny: who knew there were so many ways to make a bed improperly? Or to pass the bread the wrong way at dinner? Yikes!

On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the US Olympic teams boarded the SS Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 players representing the first-ever US Olympic basketball team. This is the incredible true story of basketball, from its invention by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, to the sport's Olympic debut in Berlin and the eclectic mix of people, events, and propaganda on both sides of the Atlantic that made it all possible.

Historians still agree about the date of Columbus' voyage. But did this European adventurer discover America? We now know that certain explorers from other parts of the globe set foot on American shores long before 1492: and that others may have done so. And "discovery" takes on a different meaning when the new land already has people living in it.

The library is supposed to be a quiet place, a place for reading, for learning. I work here, and it's my job to help people find what they're looking for in all the books I take care of. But the last thing I'd ever expected was to be taught something completely new, and by a total stranger.

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different - except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other. The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream.

Welcome to the most magical bakery -- Witchycakes! Little Blue, a witch-in-training, uses magic to make everything perfect. . . well, sort of. Cozy up with this sweet chapter book with irresisitible full-color art on every page! In a magical bakery called Witchycakes there's a young witch-to-be...

Tinker Bell is supposed to be the best there is at fixing pots and pans, but when she loses her hammer, her talent goes with it. Tink is desperate to reclaim her skill. But does she have the courage to face up to her past?...

Thanks to the magic of The Book, Joe, Sam, and Fred are back in the wild, wild West - and it's proving to be way too wild. They're almost stampeded by a herd of crazed cattle and nearly suffocated by foul cow fumes! Then they meet a friendly Indian chief, but why do his warriors keep staring at their scalps?

After the first day of first grade, Henry's not sure how he feels about it. The teacher isn't like his kindergarten teacher, and the fifth-graders hog the monkey bars. But as Henry tells his mother about a new friend who likes soccer and about how he'll learn to read books, he begins to realize that maybe first grade won't be so bad after all.

Born in the British West Indies, Hamilton arrived in New York as an "outsider". He fought in the Revolution and became Washington's most valuable aide-de-camp. He was there with Washington, Madison, and the others writing the Constitution. He was the first secretary of the treasury as the country struggled to become unified and independent.

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven board book offers clear, concrete language that young children can grasp and adults can leverage for further discussion.

I still don't quite understand what happened. One minute I was arguing with a complete stranger, trying to convince him that no woman would just allow a stranger to have her. Yeah, that's what I was saying. Then he kissed me, and I have no idea why I didn't tell him to stop. It was crazy, insane even. Before long I was bent over the table and he was taking my ass! It all happened in the library, and anyone could have stepped from around the shelves and seen us!

In just 100 days, Harry will learn how to overcome first-day jitters, what a "family circle" is, why guinea pigs aren't scary after all, what a silent "e" is about, how to count to 100 in tons of different ways, and much more. He'll make great friends, celebrate lots of holidays, and learn how to use his words. In other words, he will become an expert first-grader. Made up of 100 short chapters, this is a chapter book all first-graders will relate to - one that captures all the joys and sorrows of the first hundred days of school.

Second-grader Keena Ford loves writing in her journal. One day, Keena accidentally leaves her journal in the apartment of her mean classmate Tiffany Harris. The next day, Tiffany informs Keena that she's read the journal and is going to tell all of Keena's secrets! Well, unless Keena does everything Tiffany says, of course. With a little help from her brother, some classic fables, and a visiting author, Keena discovers what she must do to stand up to Tiffany and apologize to her friends.

Keena Ford is so excited to go on a field trip to the United States Capitol with her second-grade class! At school, she is running for a spot on the student council, and on the field trip she's going to meet a real live U.S. representative. The only trouble is, mean Tiffany Harris keeps teasing Keena and taking the best place in line. Keena doesn't mean to get into trouble, but trouble seems to find her anyway!

Philip Ardagh's Unlikely Exploits chart the extraordinary changes in fortune of the downtrodden McNally family beginning with The Fall of Fergal. The setting is an unidentified country suffering from an unexpected breakout of large holes.

The wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King was a civil rights leader in her own right, playing a prominent role in the African American struggle for racial equality in the 1960s. Here's a gripping portrait of a smart, remarkable woman. Growing up in Alabama, Coretta Scott King graduated valedictorian from her high school before becoming one of the first African-American students at Antioch College in Ohio. It was there that she became politically active, joining the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

When Joe's sister, Anna, accidentally opens The Book, Joe, Sam, and Fred suddenly find themselves in ancient Egypt. Soon, the Time Warpers are dodging crocodiles on the Nile, outwitting the evil high priest, and searching for an escape route from the mummy-making chamber.

Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina.

Valentine’s Day was so much more fun when they were little. Then they each start getting messages and clues from a secret admirer! Can the kids figure out who wants to be their Valentine?