Growing Library

Mordicai Gerstein's portrayal of Philippe Petit's high-wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, won the 2004 Caldecott Medal and was among the most admired books of the year. Now comes a memorable new work, a novel of singular insight and imagination that transports readers to the Old Country.

Gabriel King is afraid of everything: spiders, the rope swing over the lake, and most of all, going to fifth grade. Frita Wilson, his best friend, decides Gabriel needs some liberating from his fears, so they make a list and plan to tackle each one. But one of the reasons Frita is so determined to help Gabe is that she needs his help too. Hollowell, Georgia, in 1976 isn't exactly the most integrated place, and Frita's the only Black student in school in a town with an active Ku Klux Klan.

Amen "Amie" McBee, the youngest of five sisters, gobbles up words the way other children gobble up sweets. She couldn't be more different from her elder twin sisters Arabella and Annabella, called the Bellas. The mischievous Bellas constantly frighten Amen with stories of Mr. Tominski, the old recluse who lives in the woods nearby and mysteriously tends to a flock of doves.

Ophie Peeler has always considered herself to be a Dorothy type, a girl destined for a glamorous adventure, someday, somehow, somewhere. And her life in fun and sunny California seemed to have an Oz-like magic. She was in every play, she sang "Over the Rainbow" to a packed school auditorium, and she had Lizzy, the best best friend ever.

I'm Lucy Rose and here's the thing about me: I am eight and according to my grandfather I have the kind of life that is called eventful, which means NOT boring. According to my mom and my grandmother I'm what they call a handful. And according to my dad I am one smart cookie.

There are two files on Sahara Jones. The one the school counselor keeps is evidence that she is a fifth grader who needs special education. The other is the book Sahara is secretly writing, her Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures.

Becky, the new girl in class 3A, is a great big copycat! She copies everything Suzanne does. Suzanne can't stand Becky! Then the magic turns Katie into Becky. Will Suzanne change her mind about the new girl? Will Katie turn back into herself without causing too much trouble?

Katie Carew is fed up. Everything keeps going wrong. If only she could be anyone but herself! But Katie has to be careful what she wishes for...it just might come true!

Wilma Sturtz is invisible and miserable at school. So when an old lady on the subway offers her a wish, Wilma immediately asks for popularity in fact, she asks to be the most popular kid at school. Suddenly, Wilma has more friends than she can keep track of, forty dates to the Grad Night Dance, and a secret admirer writing her love poems. Everything is great, until she realizes there's a loophole in her wish, and her time in the spotlight has almost run out

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.

Judd Travers is physically on the mend from the truck accident that nearly took his life in Shiloh Season. But is he healing inside too? Can Marty Preston, his family, and the community trust that Judd will not return to his evil ways? Marty's parents tell him that every person deserves a second chance. Most people in the surrounding community, however, are quick to assume the opposite and find ways to place Judd at the center of any trouble - even murder.

In this eagerly awaited sequel to A House Called Awful End, Eddie Dickens narrowly avoids being blown up, trampled by horses, hit by a hot-air balloon, and arrested...only to find himself falling head over heels for a girl with a face like a camel's and into the hands of a murderous gang of escaped convicts, up on the misty moors, who have a "little job" for him to do.

Mr. Chickee, the genial blind man in the neighborhood, gives nine-year-old Steven a mysterious bill with 15 zeros on it and the image of a familiar but startling face. Could it be a quadrillion dollar bill? Could it be real? Well, Agent Fondoo of the U.S. Treasury Department and his team of Secret Government Agents are determined to get that money back! But Steven and his best friends, Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, are more than a match for the Feds.

Tiger Ann Parker is smart in school and good at baseball, but she's forever teased about her family by the girls in class. Tiger Ann knows her folks are different from others. They are mentally slow, and Tiger Ann keeps her pain and embarrassment hidden as long as her strong and smart Granny runs the household. Then Granny dies suddenly and Aunt Dorie Kay arrives, offering Tiger Ann a way out. Now Tiger Ann must make the most important decision of her life.

In this, the second Unlikely Exploit, Fergal McNally's brain, last seen in a pickling jar in the basement of the Sacred Heart Hospital, is stolen, and the remaining McNally children are mysteriously drawn to Fishbone Forest and the forgotten crumbling mansion which lies at its heart.

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.

Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators - including Renee Watson (Piecing Me Together), Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), Meg Medina (Merci Suarez Changes Gears), and Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale) - engage young people in frank discussions about racism, identity, and self-esteem. Featuring stories filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is an inspiring anthology and must-have resource published in partnership with Just Us Books.

When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma's house to Aunt Linda's house to Cousin Alice's house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed: Lydia's mom took her to a new place - not a house but a big building with stone columns and tall tall steps. The library. In the library, Lydia found her special spot across from the sunny window at a round desk. For behind that desk was her new friend, the librarian.

Animals inspire their little ones to chase their dreams and reach for the stars in this modern classic-in-the-making from New York Times-bestselling author Beth Ferry and Caldecott honoree Molly Idle.

Cow was in a nasty mood. When Duck came along Cow kicked mud in her face. “Why’d you do that?” asked Duck. “I felt like it,” said Cow. “And I’m not sorry.” Little did Cow know that her bad mood would spread to the whole farm. But it does when Cow passes her anger along to Duck who takes it out on Frog who is mean to Bird who upsets Goat who bothers Pig. Until goodhearted Dog turns things around by showing kindness to Pig, turning not sorry into sorry (really sorry).