This collection of true dog stories will fascinate young readers. Dox finds jewels, and criminals. Grip picks pockets, and Barry rescues people from the snow. Adventure, suspense, and animals are all here.

When James drops magic crystals by the peach tree, the toy peach starts growing. Before long, its as big as a house and contains a secret entranceway.

Little Charlie is but a 12-year-old sharecropper’s son. When his father dies, Charlie is bribed to join a cruel slave catcher on a mission to Dee-troit for two runaways. The journey is bitter, and the Cap’n he accompanies is evil, lying to everyone along the way. Charlie desperately needs the money but does not trust the Cap’n. On his journey Charlie learns of the brutal punishments for slav ...

Desperate tale of a family’s survival during the winter of 1944, a time the Dutch call Hongerwinter. Papa and older sister, Els, are away as resistance fighters, and Mamma has died. Alone, thirteen-year-old Dirk must safely transport himself and little sister Anna across NAZI-held countryside to rejoin their relatives. They meet many people, but they never know who is friend or who is foe.

Dallas and Florida, dubbed the "trouble twins," have been shuffled between foster families all their lives. Filled with humor and poignancy, this delightful book by the Newbery Medalist is about a special place where it's never too late to be loved.

It is circa 2600 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, and Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. Alone in a strange city, the siblings must put aside old resentments to survive.

Ambitious young entrepreneur Ernie runs a pet funeral business that explodes when he hires tomboy Swimming Pool, who's a great crier. Illustrations.

Precious little Jillian suffers from extreme shyness and will talk to only a few, select friends and never in class. Her loving grandmother has always encouraged her to open up to others, but Grandmother died last year. Jillian’s shyness has only worsened. Enter a bold, but sensitive 5th grade teacher! Only she can see Jillian’s intelligence and sensitivity. Throughout the year she brilliantly ...

Miriam and her Jewish family leave New York City for a new life in a small town upstate. Her parents have bought a sad, run-down motel and plan to turn it around, but Miriam is struggling to face the challenges this brings. Two friends come alongside to help her, Uncle Mordy who comes for repairs, and Maria, the housekeeper. Another eleven-year-old, Kate, makes friends with Miriam, and together th ...

Miriam and her Jewish family leave New York City for a new life in a small town upstate. Her parents have bought a sad, run-down motel and plan to turn it around, but Miriam is struggling to face the challenges this brings. Two friends come alongside to help her, Uncle Mordy who comes for repairs, and Maria, the housekeeper. Another eleven-year-old, Kate, makes friends with Miriam, and together th ...

Based on a true story, young Sadako faces the battle of her life when she is diagnosed with "atomic bomb disease" (leukemia). She turns to her native Japanese beliefs and makes one thousand paper cranes so the gods will grant her wish to be well.

The Great Depression hits close to home for 11-year-old Margo Bandini when the sheriff starts eviction procedures against her family. Her father has two weeks to pay the bank or they must leave their home forever. Margo is determined to find a way to help Papa save their home, in this debut novel based on the author's own experiences.

At fourteen Langston is uprooted from his home in rural Alabama to post-war inner-city Chicago. He is utterly lost with no friends or family for comfort and only his overworked father to help him through the difficulties of city living. But one day running from ever-present bullies, he accidentally finds his first oasis, a public library, where he begins to find himself.

Mary Rose and Jo-Beth are sisters who hardly ever agree on anything, but they both feel as if this night will never end. First their car runs out of gas in an unfamiliar city and their father goes in search of a gas station. Then Jo-Beth makes Mary Rose go with her to find a bathroom and they stumble across a curious old library. And then, worst of all, they get locked in! But their troubles are j ...

From bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Clements, a quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words that will have readers inventing their own words. Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up

Cara Landry has the worst teacher in the school, and tells everyone about Mr. Larson in her own fifth-grade classroom newspaper, "The Landry News". When the principal gets wind of the article and wants Mr. Larson fired, a town-wide debate on the First Amendment is sparked. B&W illustrations.

Twelve-year-old Natalie has written a story her best friend says is good enough to publish. But how can two sixth graders conquer the tough world of children's publishing? Illustrations.

Although he doesn't want to go camping with his fifth grade class, new kid Mark Chelmsley realizes he could prove himself to his science teacher Mr. Maxwell, who doesn't like rich kids. But soon, both teacher and student learn some lessons they'll never forget. Now in paperback.