Basket of Beethoven by
Sam is fascinated by the new girl in his class. The daughter of a famous conductor, Helen seems angry and aloof - interested only in her book. When he tries to strike up a conversation with her after class, he only learns that her book is about Beethoven and she doesn't want to make friends. She doesn't seem to need anyone. But Pete and Troy love to tease. They had Sam to pick on last year, but the two boys recognize that Helen makes an even odder target. After they steal her book and toss it on the school roof, a frustrated Helen finds refuge in the auditorium, where she plays her heart out on the piano. Sam is bowled over. For the first time he experiences a powerful new language: one that speaks to him as words never have. He must find the key to this secret language so he can express his inner self. He must learn to play the piano too. There is no question of taking lessons. His mother can barely afford school supplies. And a piano? There isn't a hope. But Sam is determined. So he goes to Helen with a proposal. He'll keep Pete and Troy away from her if she gives him piano lessons. And he's thrilled when she reluctantly agrees. The only trouble is ... how is he going to get the better of Pete and Troy.
The Hungry Year by
2002 OLA Silverbirch Award Nominee Twelve-year-old Kate has always had to be more responsible than other girls her age. Since her mother's death and her family's flight to Canada, Kate's father has relied on her to keep house and look after her younger twin brothers. In a new place with poor shelter and no help, Kate must grow up even faster. It is 1787. After poor crops, with little food to spare, the winter is terribly harsh. Kate's father is forced farther and farther from their makeshift cabin to hunt for food. Then one day, he simply doesn't return. Can Kate fend off danger and protect her brothers? Can these three children survive the Hungry Year when thousands of others will die? Desperate, Kate prays for help. It finally comes from a most unlikely source - but is it in time??
If I Just Had Two Wings by
Thirteen-year-old Phoebe has always dreamed of leaving her life as a slave behind. She has heard about a secret path to freedom, and she has seen what can happen to those who take it and fail; but when she meets a strong young woman named Liney they form a plan to escape together.
In the Clear by
On her seventh birthday, Pauline rode across the lawns on her street followed by her best friend Henry, he on the blue wooden horse, she on the red. On the seventh lawn at the top of the street, she collapsed, becoming a sudden victim of the polio outbreak of the summer of 1954. Five years later, when In the Clearbegins, she has survived, but paid a heavy price. A brace on her left leg allows her to walk, but she confines herself to her house, humiliated at the notion of being seen. Terrified by what Pauline has already suffered, her mother watches over her, forbidding her to play hockey on the ice rink her father has created in the backyard. In the Clearalternates, chapter by chapter, between Pauline's horror-filled year in the hospital five years earlier and her struggles to adapt in the present of 1959 and 1960. At the end of the book, her triumphs in past and present come together and she is able to move forward with new friendships, a renewed bond with her mother and, most important, a new faith in herself.
Jesse's Star by
Jesse's project about his immigrant ancestors is due tomorrow and he hasn't started. In a last-ditch effort to find some information about his great-great grandfather, Yossi, Jesse rummages through the mess in the attic until he finds a little battered travel case, full of pictures, and something else--a Star of David. At first it looks plain and unimportant, but as he holds it in his hand, the star begins to glow. Jesse is in for the surprise, and adventure, of his life as he finds himself becoming the star's first owner, his own great-great grandfather.
King of the Castle by
By the prizewinning author of the classics Red is Best, The Bare Naked Bookand Big or Little,this chapter book is about a man who spends every day in a school but who cannot read. Mr. Elliot has a job he loves. He is the custodian in a primary school. He is so useful to everyone that sometimes he sees himself as the king of the castle. But Mr. Elliot has a secret. He can't read. Using many excuses like pretending not to have his glasses, he has hidden his inability to read all of his life. When he sees a child at the school being called stupid and falling into the traps he remembers so well himself, Mr. Elliot finally decides he must learn how to read. His granddaughter proves to be his perfect audience. Black and white illustrations enhance this novel's appeal for readers 7 to 10.
Mystery from History by
While exploring near an abandoned oceanfront mansion, Katie, Sheila and Rusty stumble across a long-buried mystery and a present-day crime. Seeing themselves as amateur detectives, the three friends take on a case the local police department seems determined to ignore and in the process they put their own lives in the utmost danger. Spanning more than a century and covering a large chunk of history of Victoria, the conspiracy reaches from Spanish pirates to the highest levels of the present-day police department. Intertwined with bloodthirsty pirates, native legends, stolen Gold rush bullion and a lost diary, Katie, Sheila and Rusty uncover an international ring of art thieves and smugglers who are tied to the past in the most unexpected way. Discounted by the police and eager to solve the case on their own, the amateur detectives have their lives threatened several times; they must use all their resources to outwit the thieves.
Nose for Adventure by
In this sequel to "The Nose from Jupiter," Alan is to take his first airplane ride. There are one or two snags, though and Norbert, the alien, is back.
The Virtual Zone by
Michael and Simon are off on a Virual Zone adventure - as messagers aboard the Titanic!
Waiting to Dive by
Carly is nine-going-on-ten and she loves to dive - dive from the rocks at her family's cabin in the Gulf Islands, dive from the boards at the pool where she and her friends belong to the Dolphins Diving Club. She loves the feeling of floating up into the air and then dropping cleanly into the water with hardly a splash. She loves the feeling that she gets when everything goes just right. Then Carly invites her best friend Montana to spend the weekend at the cabin. They play on the beach, build forts and explore the island, waiting for the tide to get high enough so that they can dive off the rocks. And then when it does, Montana dives too deeply and hits her head on a submerged log. And Carly's world suddenly changes. Waiting to Dive is a sensitive, amusing, realistic account of a child's attempt to deal with tragedy. Carly is given to much exaggeration, dislikes her step-brother and -sister, has not yet come to terms with her father's death, and wears her emotions on her sleeve - in short, she is a very real young girl. The story she tells will resonate with young readers.
If I Just Had Two Wings by
Thirteen-year-old Phoebe has always dreamed of leaving her life as a slave behind. She has heard about a secret path to freedom, and she has seen what can happen to those who take it and fail; but when she meets a strong young woman named Liney they form a plan to escape together.