Reading Library

Adapted from the New York Times best seller by Random House's longtime copy chief, this informative and witty guide to writing and grammar, written especially for a younger audience, entertains as well as instructs.

Partly a how-to guide on the nitty-gritty of writing, partly a collection of inspiration to set (and meet) ambitious goals, Brave the Page is the go-to resource for middle-grade writers. Narrated in a fun, refreshingly kid-friendly voice, it champions NaNoWriMo's central mission that everyone's stories deserve to be told. The volume includes chapters on character, plot, setting, and the like; motivating essays from popular authors; advice on how to commit to your goals; a detailed plan for writing a novel or story in a month; and more!

A top literary historian illuminates how books were used in war across the twentieth century—both as weapons and as agents for peace We tend not to talk about books and war in the same breath—one ranks among humanity’s greatest inventions, the other among its most terrible. But as...

"Viviani Joffre Fedeler is full of spunk and pizzazz, thanks to the craft of narrator Brittany Pressley. She weaves Tubb's story masterfully, bringing alive Viviani's wild imagination and exciting tales about what goes on in the New York Public Library." — AudioFile Magazine The Story...

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 Book, Joe, Sam, and Fred are back in the Stone Age, where there aren't any math problems. But there's a tribe of hostile cavewomen, a hungry-looking saber-toothed tiger, a bone-rattling earthquake, and a woolly mammoth who wants to turn them into toe jam. Worst of all, Joe, Sam, and Fred have discovered that writing hasn't been invented yet - so how can The Book get them back home?

K is for Kidnapped! Someone has kidnapped the king and queen of Socotra. For safety's sake, their son is staying with Dink until they are safe. But then the prince is kidnapped, too! Can Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose unmask the royals' enemies before it's too late? Or is the royal family of Socotra gone forever?

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?

Nine-year-old Willis Wilbur is beyond excited to go back to school. Now that he has discovered his destiny as a life coach, he's looking forward to signing on more clients (preferably human ones, not just guinea pigs).

Aly and AJ are off on a whirlwind concert tour, and their first stop is New York City! Before their big show, the sisters will be guest stars at the opening of Girls Rock Academy, a school for girls who love to rock. But when the school’s equipment disappears on the day of the opening, Aly and AJ are on the case. Can the girls solve the mystery of the missing guitars in time for the school’s opening?

Henk was hidden on the farm when he was young and the Nazi soldiers came. But the war is over now, and Henk finds out that the people he lives with, the people he loves, are not his real family. He doesn't remember his real parents, and now a new life in the city lies ahead of him. Will things ever be the same?

When the wild geese migrate over the little pond with its pink flamingos and clipped grass, Skylar and the others watch with envy. They like their pond, but there is something elegant and brave about being a real wild goose. But they've never flown before, and besides, there's never been a reason to go. Then a lost heron wants the pond geese to take him to Lost Pond, and Skylar thinks it's time for this motley crew to spread their wings and try out the great blue yonder. Adventure awaits...but, as they'll soon find out, so does great danger.

Meet Gracie Wei—a go-getting fourth grader who's determined to win it all at her school’s spelling bee competition! A charming new chapter book series for fans of Ivy and Bean or Dory Fantasmagory. Gracie Wei wants nothing more than to make it onto the Wei’s Special Wall, which displays...

From the three-time Coretta Scott King Honor winning author of The Skin I'm In comes a poignant story about a southern girl far from home at an elite girls boarding school in the north, who must find the courage to be herself and to dream of a brighter future, set against the backdrop of the...

Everyone's favorite fourth grader, Gracie Wei, is back for her second chapter book adventure, and she's determined to have the most AWESOME summer ever—if only she can work up the nerve to get back on her bike—for fans of Ivy and Bean and Dory Fantasmagory. Gracie Wei is the boss and she has...

Celebrating 100 years of one of the most beloved icons of children's literature, Winnie-the-Pooh! A delightful new collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, told in the style of A. A. Milne. Seven brand-new tales take readers back to much loved settings in the Hundred Acre Wood, like Eeyore’s...

In the twelfth book of the Capital Mysteries—an early chapter book mystery series featuring fun facts and famous sites from Washington, D.C.—a legend says that on a dead president's birthday, his ghost haunts the famous retreat, Camp David. KC and Marshall are going there on October 14, President Eisenhower's birthday. They aren't worried, until strange things start happening. How did a bat get trapped in their cabin? Why is there blood-red dirt in the trunk by the couch? And what is making the weird thumping noise? It's not Eisenhower's ghost...is it?

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.

Did you know that our word Thursday comes from the Viking god Thor...as in Thor's Day? Neither did the Time Warp Trio. Did you know that if you say "Thursday" over and over again too close to a certain magic book, you will get sucked back 2,000 years to the time of the Vikings? Neither did the Time Warp Trio. Can our trusty heroes, Joe, Sam, and Fred, survive a wild ride with Leif Eriksson, match wits with his evil cousin, and get back home in one piece?