The Archaeolojesters by
Life is getting more dismal by the minute in the small town of Sultana, Manitoba. Thanks to a dry season that nearly dried up the river, the campers aren't coming anymore. There aren't even enough tourists to keep the local restaurant busy, and if Cody's best friend's mom loses her job there, the family will have to move away. If Cody doesn't come up with a plan soon, he could be the only twelve-year-old left! He needs to put the spotlight on Sultana, and he needs to do it fast. So Cody, his best friend Eric and Eric's twin sister, Rachel, concoct an elaborate hoax that transforms this tiny town into a hotbed of activity. An "ancient Egyptian" tablet is discovered in Sultana, and suddenly archaeologists, reporters and tourists are rushing over to take a look...Business couldn't be better! But when one suspicious stranger starts trailing every move that Cody and his friends make, they realize that their hoax may have gone too far. This archaeological adventure is full of tricks, twists, and danger.
Branded by
The principal announces that the school is implementing uniforms, and Ian finds himself caught in a conflict. His friend Julia wants him to devise a plan to fight the decision, and the principal is determined to convince Ian the uniforms are a good idea. Ian wants nothing to do with the issue. While doing research for a social-justice class, he learns that the manufacturer of the uniforms is on the top-ten list for human-rights violations. When he tells the principal this, all he gets is a reminder that the penalty for refusing to wear the uniforms is suspension, and Ian finds himself caught in a whole new conflict--one with himself.
Dunces Anonymous by
Josh Johnson's mother wants him to run for class president. Josh just wants to run and hide. If only there were a club to help downtrodden eleven-year-olds escape their parents' ambitions! But since no such club exists, Josh has to invent one--he calls it Dunces Anonymous, and before he knows it, the membership is up to three. Magnolia and Wang help Josh lose the school presidential election, but that's just the beginning of the club's activities. Magnolia, pressured by her mom into trying out for the role of Juliet in the school's play, finds herself fending off the advances of an overly amorous Romeo. Wang's father has forced him to join the school chess club, but Wang desperately wants to take fencing lessons instead. As the three friends try to free Magnolia from the school play, liberate Wang from the chess club and get rid of horrible Stacey Hogarth, who has vowed to become the new president of Dunces Anonymous, they realize that they all have talents--if only their parents could see them.
The Giant-Slayer by
A girl’s imagination transports polio-afflicted kids into a fantastic world. The spring of 1955 tests Laurie Valentine’s gifts as a storyteller. After her friend Dickie contracts polio and finds himself confined to an iron lung, Laurie visits him in the hospital. There she meets Carolyn and Chip, two other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Laurie’s first impulse is to flee, but Dickie begs her to tell them a story. And so Laurie begins her tale of Collosso, a rampaging giant, and Jimmy, a tiny boy whose destiny is to become a slayer of giants. As Laurie embellishes her tale with gnomes, unicorns, gryphons, and other fanciful creatures, Dickie comes to believe that he is a character in her story. Little by little Carolyn, Chip, and other kids who come to listen, recognize counterparts as well. Laurie’s tale is so powerful that when she’s prevented from continuing it, Dickie, Carolyn, and Chip take turns as narrators. Each helps bring the story of Collosso and Jimmy to an end—changing the lives of those in the polio ward in startling ways.
Home Free by
Growing up in the 1960s, Lee Mets knows that it's not easy for a girl to be anything she wants. But she won't let that stop her from her dream of being a writer. Lee's favorite story of all time is Anne of Green Gables, so Lee is thrilled when a real-life orphan, by the name of Cassandra, moves in across the street. A summer with Cassandra leads to the girls performing Lee's play for the whole neighborhood. It also leads Lee to realize that being an orphan is not as romantic as she had thought. Sharon Jenningsis an editor and award-winning author, having written over sixty books for young people. As a girl Sharon enjoyed writing plays, just like Lee. Although, unlike Lee, she always cast herself in the starring role. Sharon lives in Toronto, Ontario.
The Hunchback Assignments by
There are rumors that a hunchback infant in a gypsy freakshow has the power to transform his appearance. This comes to the attention of Mr. Socrates, a member of the shadowy Permanent Association, who decides to take the boy back to England and raise him for his own purposes. Naming him Modo, Mr. Socrates keeps the boy indoors and never lets him see his deformity, while putting him through training to be a secret agent. When Modo turns 14, his education is complete. He is handed a mirror and confronts his image for the first time, horrified. Then, he is taken to foggy, polluted London and abandoned, penniless, to test his skills.
But Modo is resourceful, and he finds a way to get by, keeping to himself… until one day, when the beautiful Octavia Milkweed knocks on his door. soon, with the help of Mr. Socrates, they find themselves uncovering a sinister plot being carried out in the very sewers beneath their feet. Will they be able to stop the mad scientist Dr. Hyde and his even more terrifying associates before they unleash their monstrous plans upon unsuspecting Londoners?
The start of a fantastic series, in the hot new genre of steampunk, The Hunchback Assignments takes readers into the sewers and alleyways of an alternative Victorian London, in an unputdownable adventure.
Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders by
A delicious blend of mystery, history, and top-notch cuisine. Neil Flambé may be fourteen years old, but he's also a world-renowned chef. Patrons pay top dollar and wait months for reservations at his tiny boutique restaurant. But Neil is more than a fantastic cook--he solves crime too. Ever since he used his kitchen know-how and keen sense of smell to acquit a man of murder, he's been helping Police Inspector Sean Nakamura crack case after case But when some of the best chefs in town turn up dead, the crime scenes turn culinary. Police are stumped, and the only clues are the scents of mysterious spices and a journal that may have belonged to...Marco Polo? Neil must find a way to connect the past with the present and solve the murders--or he could end up as the prime suspect!
Ortega by
With a thick finger he slowly traced the path of a stray raindrop that had landed near the corner of his eye and trickled down his cheek. And he thought to himself that it was probably a very good thing that gorillas didn't know how to cry. Raised in a laboratory, Ortega might seem nearly human to his scientist-caregivers, but to the children at his new school, a talking gorilla is nothing but a freak. Unless he wants to spend the rest of his life locked in a cage, however, Ortega is going to have to change people's minds. More than a comic-adventure novel, Ortega asks the reader to reflect upon the limits of science, imagine how it feels to be profoundly different from those around you and, most of all, consider what it really means to be human.
The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy by
Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature Winner, 2010 On the 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books honor list 2010 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award Nominee On Resource Links Best Books of 2009 list 2010 OLA Best Bets -Children's Fiction Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award 2011 On VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2010 list Josette Frank Award nominee, by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education, 2011 The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy picks up the story where The Nine Lives of Travis Keating leaves off - but this time, from the perspective of Prinny, Travis's friend. An alcoholic mother, a distracted father, a best friend who spends all his time with his new "girlfriend", and three relentless schoolyard bullies: Prinny Murphy's past, present, and future certainly are "tense." Adding to her misery, she still can't read well enough to escape from remedial lessons with the dour Mrs.Dooks. But when a kindly substitute teacher introduces her to LaVaughn's inner-city world in the free verse novel, Make Lemonade, Prinny discovers that life can be full of possibilities - and poetry.
Zoobreak by
The sequel to Gordon Korman's SWINDLE---the Man With A Plan is back! When Griffin Bing's class goes to a floating zoo, they don't expect to see animals being treated so badly. They don't expect to find Cleo, Dog Whisperer Savannah's pet monkey who's been missing for weeks. And they really don't expect to have to hide the animals once they've rescued them! Hilarity ensues as Griffin's team once more pulls off a heist . . . trying to break the animals back into a (better) zoo!
Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders by
A delicious blend of mystery, history, and top-notch cuisine. Neil Flambé may be fourteen years old, but he's also a world-renowned chef. Patrons pay top dollar and wait months for reservations at his tiny boutique restaurant. But Neil is more than a fantastic cook--he solves crime too. Ever since he used his kitchen know-how and keen sense of smell to acquit a man of murder, he's been helping Police Inspector Sean Nakamura crack case after case But when some of the best chefs in town turn up dead, the crime scenes turn culinary. Police are stumped, and the only clues are the scents of mysterious spices and a journal that may have belonged to...Marco Polo? Neil must find a way to connect the past with the present and solve the murders--or he could end up as the prime suspect!