Kids
That's life!
Ame Dyckman
eBOOK
Kids, Picture Books
Life personified appears at a child's door and takes them on a journey in which they learn to have the time of their Life, that Life is full of surprises, and much more.
Wishtree
Katherine Applegate
eBOOK
Kids
An old red oak tree tells how he and his crow friend, Bongo, help their human neighbors get along after a threat against an immigrant family is carved into the tree's trunk.
Funny, deep, warm, and nuanced, Wishtree is Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Katherine Applegate at her very best—writing from the heart, and from a completely unexpected point of view. -Angie
The Wednesday wars
Gary D Schmidt
eBOOK
Kids
During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.
The best book I’ve read so far this quarantine. Maybe even the best kids book I’ve read this year! It’s just about some basic events in an average suburban kid’s life, but BAM! It hits you over and over again with BEAUTIFUL WRITING that sums up THE REASONS LIFE IS WORTH LIVING, in a subtle and casual way (not heavy-handed or overbearing). -Anne W
The cool bean
Jory John
eBOOK
Kids, Picture Books
Everyone knows the cool beans. They're sooooo cool. And then there's the uncool has-bean ... Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd--until one day the cool beans show him how it's done.
Another in the series of picture books that includes The Good Egg and The Bad Seed. Looking at what it means to be cool from very superficial aspects to truly meaningful ones. Well told with a very good message. -Paul
The one and only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
eBOOK
Kids
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
This is a story about animal treatment, friendship, integrity, and the power that comes with words and art. -Becky
Over and under the pond
Kate Messner
eBOOK
Kids
This is a great early nonfiction picture book that can spark all sorts of conversations about “the hidden world, beneath the pond” and the animals that make its waters their home. -Casey
The worst class trip ever
Dave Barry
eBOOK
Kids
When the eighth grade civics class of Miami's Culver Middle School goes on a trip to Washington, D.C., Wyatt Palmer finds himself in deep trouble before the plane even lands because his best friend, Matt, has decided the men sitting behind them are terrorists and it is up to the boys to stop them.
A funny and quite well paced action and misadventure tale of a group of eight graders during a class trip to Washington DC. Centered on Wyatt Palmer and his various personal anxieties, the tale follows him, his nerd buddies, and assorted other classmates as they deal with teacher chaperones, a pair of menacing and creepy strangers they meet during their plane ride, and a series of mostly bad and ill-informed choices made not only by Wyatt but others as well. Make no mistake, things get quite dangerous and potentially quite fatal for several of the characters along the way. -Paul
Pax
Sara Pennypacker
eBOOK
Kids
"After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back"--
This is a beautiful story about a twelve-year-old boy named Peter and his fox, Pax. With the onset of war, Peter is forced to leave home and release Pax back into the unfamiliar wild. That separation fills Peter with remorse, and he makes the decision to prepare for a journey to reunite with Pax. Chapters alternate between the viewpoints of Peter and Pax, and through their parallel adventures, you can see the power of friendship and devotion, as well as the power that comes from self-discovery, survival and peace. There are so many powerful messages to be gained through this story and I highly recommend it! -Becky
Pie
Sarah Weeks
eBOOK
Kids
After the death of Polly Portman, whose award-winning pies put the town of Ipswitch, Pennsylvania, on the map in the 1950s, her devoted niece Alice and Alice's friend Charlie investigate who is going to extremes to find Aunt Polly's secret pie crust recipe. Includes fourteen pie recipes.
In this historical mystery set in 1955, Alice’s beloved Aunt Polly dies suddenly, taking with her the secret recipe for her world-famous pie crust that has put tiny Ipswitch, Pennsylvania on the map and won her thirteen Blueberry Medals (for best pie in the nation) running. Polly operated PIE, a charming cafe where customers flock from near and far to partake in familiar favorites like buttermilk and apple pie as well as more creative concoctions like green tomato and Concord grape pie. After Polly’s death, Alice is told that Polly left the pie crust recipe to her cat, Lardo, and Lardo has been left to Alice. How does one leave a recipe to a cat? The whole town is desperate to uncover the recipe and win this year’s Blueberry Award - by any means necessary. It’s up to Alice and her new friend Charlie to piece together the mystery and keep their town intact. Bonus: there are twelve delectable pie recipes woven throughout, in case you feel inspired! -Anne W
The fourteenth goldfish
Jennifer L Holm
eBOOK
Kids
Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter.
This is an offbeat science fiction story in which 11-year-old Ellie’s scientist grandfather, Melvin, discovers how to reverse aging and becomes, essentially, a cranky elderly man trapped in the body of the 13-year-old boy. Melvin begins living with Ellie and attending her middle school, and, despite the deep weirdness of the arrangement, she loves getting to spend time with her grandfather. Ultimately, he teaches her about how possibility, wonder, observation, discovery, and persistence are important in science and in life. But will she be able to stop him when she thinks he’s gone too far? -Anne W
This brand new picture book by a new favorite author, Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld asks, Where will life take you? After Life literally knocks on their door, one kid discovers that Life is truly what you make it. It's weird and may not always cooperate, but Life's beauty becomes apparent when it's embraced for all of its quirks. This is a new twist on showing kids what life is all about. -Angie