Take the challenge! Stella Diaz takes the challenge on multiple levels. As a new fourth grader she must take on the challenge of more homework and social relationships – boy-girl dynamics and teamwork assignments. She also challenges herself in her two favorite areas – oceanography and art. But, oh my! Can she take the challenge of a new family dynamic? Can she fulfill her dreams?

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.

Ellie is a tough and brave orphan living in the fantastical island City ruled by cruel Inquisitors. One day she rescues a boy from the belly of a dying whale, and he has no memory. But the Inquisitors believe he is the Evil Enemy who drowned the world and insist on burning him at the stake. Against all odds she rescues the boy again and manages to hide him while trying to discover his true identit ...

Young Derek faces multiple end-of-year stresses at once. First, there are annual tests and standardized tests at school with results enhanced by a dare from an ace student. Then there is the pending loss of one of his best friends who is moving to China. And, of course, his Yankees are in the playoffs against the other best team of the league. Dealing with all the stress Derek must remind himself ...

Grant simply loves to run – around town, with his best bud, Jay, and as a winning member of the school track team. He pounds out the miles until one day he really does pound the pavement – he face-plants just before the finish line! Hurt and embarrassed Grant must rebuild his self-esteem, but his social-media-loving brother has the video and sends it viral across the internet. To regain his co ...

Lucy's frisky little puppy, Finn, gets into one scrape after another as Lucy and her family travel westward to Oregon by wagon train in 1843.

A compelling sequel to Good-bye Marianne.

The exciting historical setting of the Alaskan Gold Rush provides an intriguing background for this girl-and-dog adventure.

Who is the man called Sabura, the mysterious bandit who robs the rich and helps the poor? And what is his connection with Yosida, the harsh and ill- tempered master of feudal Japan's most famous puppet theater? Young Jiro, an apprentice to Yosida, is determined to find out, even at risk to his own life. Meamwhile, Jiro devotes himself to learning puppetry. Kinshi, the puppet master's son, tutors ...

When Pete was a young boy, a tornado struck his family farm, and brought with it a doghouse complete with a dog inside! Now another twister is on its way, and as a new family of farmers takes shelter from the howling winds, Pete passes the time with story after story about the amazing dog named Tornado.

A powerful look at an unforgettable era in history "If we take these children, we can never betray them, no matter what the Nazis do." During the German occupation of France, twenty French children were brought to a refuge in the mountains. One day a young man came to their school with a request: Could they take in, and hide, ten Jewish refugee children? Sister Gabriel spoke up. "The Nazis are l ...

An extraordinary journey of instinct and survival from the author of Gentle Ben When Andy Evans stumbles upon the snow-covered wreckage of a small plane, he's shocked to find a survivor. Should he put the gravely injured dog out of his misery? The look in the animal's eyes says he's not ready to die. It turns out that Kävik's a champion sled dog, and soon he makes a full recovery. When his rightf ...

When Becky is accused of stealing a rare book from the library, she and her twin brother set out to catch the real thief and prove her innocence. Soon, the twins realize that the soultion to the mystery leads to a secret treasure! Can they figure out the puzzle before the thief does?

In the midst of a backyard camp out, ten-year-old Matt and four other children find themselves transported back into the time of George Washington and the American Revolution, where they begin to live out American history firsthand and learn the sober realities of war.

On the first day of class at his new school, Cody tells his classmates that he's an ace on rollerblades. But when someone throws a skating party, Cody might be caught in his fib!

Erza's father cannot understand why his nine-year-old son would rather rot his brains watching men swing big wooden sticks than read a book or play chess. An unwanted car trip and a surprising chess victory may help father and son find a little common ground. Illustrations.

A gripping story told in a unique format.

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. When an escaped slave saves Caleb's life, he must decide if he can break the law and risk his life to repay the debt.