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Dragonwings
by Laurence YepMoon Shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.
But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help, is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country, even the great earthquake, to make his dream come true.
Inspired by the account of a Chinese immigrant who made a flying machine in 1909, Laurence Yep's historical novel beautifully portrays the rich traditions of the Chinese community as it made its way in a hostile new world.
Newbery Honor Book
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor Book
A Girl Named Disaster
by Nancy FarmerOrchard Classics is a collectible hardcover line of Newbery award-winning titles from the Orchard backlist that have fresh, beautiful new designs and include author prefaces and discussion guides.A GIRL NAMED DISASTER is the humorous and heartwrenching story of young girl who discovers her own courage and strength when she makes the dangerous journey from Mozambique to Zimbabwe. Nhamo is a Shona girl living in a traditional village in Mozambique in 1981. When her family tries to force her into a marriage with a cruel man, she flees. What was supposed to have been a short boat trip across the border into Zimbabwe, where she hoped to find her father, turns into an adventure filled with challenges and danger that lasts a year.
Belle Prater's Boy
by Ruth WhiteWhen Belle Prater disappears, Belle’s boy, Woodrow, comes to live with his grandparents in Coal Station, Virginia. Woodrow’s cousin Gypsy is the town beauty, but she has hidden sorrows and secrets of her own. She wonders how Woodrow can accept his mother’s disappearance when she’s never gotten over her father’s death. That’s when Woodrow tells Gypsy the secret about his mother.
Newbery Medal Honor book
The Cow-tail Switch and Other West African Stories
by Harold Courlander and George HerzogThe Cow-tail Switch, based on a parable found by George Herzog in Liberia, is a type of story which has a special attraction for the West African audience, in that the audience itself participates in the working out of the solution.
Newbery Honor Book
Mountain Born
by Elizabeth YatesThere were boulders at the top and he picked his way carefully among them. Suddenly he stopped still, gripping a rock and flattening himself against it. Not ten paces from him was a gray wolf, and around her four well-grown cubs were playing--prettily, if anything that spelt such horror could be pretty. His hands felt like ice on the rock.
Wolves, weather, a black lamb, a trusty dog--all are part of Peter's life on a mountain farm. His best friend is Benj, a wise old shepherd, and Benj teaches him to care for the sprightly lamb that becomes his own special pet, his cosset. As Biddy grows into her place as leader of the flock, Peter grows too, learning the skills and joys of the shepherd's life
A Newbery Honor book
The Dark-Thirty
by Brian Pinkney and Patricia C. MckissackIn that special half-hour of twilight--the dark-thirty--there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing, suspenseful, and breathtakingly original, these tales make up a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
The Witches of Worm
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and Alton RaibleCats. Jessica's never liked them. Especially not a skinny, ugly kitten that looks like a worm. Worm. Jessica wishes she'd never brought Worm home with her, because now he's making her do terrible things. She's sure she isn't imagining the evil voice coming from the cat, telling her to play mean tricks on people. But how can she explain what's happening?
Witches. Jessica has read enough books to know that Worm must be a witch's cat. He's cast a spell on her, but whom can she turn to? After all, no one will believe that Worm has bewitched her...or worse!
Newbery Medal Honor book
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
by Padraic Colum and Willy PoganyEnter a world where harpies torment mortals, the Argonaut Orpheus sings, the mighty god Zeus wages war on the Titans, and Prometheus steals fire.
Author Padraic Colum weaves the tales of Jason and his Argonauts with classic Greek mythology to create this captivating epic about life, war, and astounding beings who lived in a time long past. Poetically written and wonderful for reading aloud, this collection of ancient stories will captivate modern readers.
Newbery Honor book
One Eyed Cat
by Paula FoxNed Wallis knows he's forbidden to touch the rifle in the attic. But he can't resist sneaking it out of the house, just once. Before he realizes it, Ned takes a shot at a dark shadow.
When Ned retums home, he's sure he sees a face looking down at him from the attic window. Who has seen and heard him?
Ned's feelings of guilt and fear only get worse when one day, while helping an elderly neighbor, he spots a wild cat with one eye missing. Could this be the thing Ned shot at that night? How can Ned bring himself to reveal his painful secret?
Newbery Medal Honor book
All Sail Set
by Armstrong SperryWho can love the spread of canvas and the bend of the oak and not thrill to the names of the great clippers built by Donald McKay? Great Republic, Sovereign of the Seas, Lightening, Star of the Empire, and Westward Ho these names ring from an era when the windships were the queens of the ocean and sail was king. But the most famous, the one that most securely captured the hearts and imaginations of the entire nation, was McKay's masterpiece, the Flying Cloud.
Here is the story of Enoch Thacher, a boy whose father lost his fortune at sea, who McKay takes on during the lofting, building, and rigging of the Cloud, and who finally ships out on her for her maiden, record-breaking trip around the Horn. This realistic and riveting narrative will keep even landlubbers pegged to their seats.
A Newbery Honor Book.
Hoot
by Carl HiaasenUnfortunately, Roy’s first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn’t been sinking his thumbs into Roy’s temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and–here’s the odd part–wore no shoes.
Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy’s trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida.
Newbery Honor Book
The Wanderer
by David Diaz and Sharon Creech"The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in."
Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination -- and its passengers search for their places in the world.
Newbery Honor Book
Enchantress from the Stars
by Sylvia EngdahlEnchantress from the Stars is an independent, 290 page science fantasy novel first published in 1970 and written by the highly acclaimed Sylvia Engdahl. This edition contains a forward by Lois Lowry. The combination of magic, technology, and psychic powers in the novel is based on Engdahl's theory that civilizations evolve through three stages of belief and morality. The survey force of the galactic government is dedicated to the shielding of planets that have fledgling human cultures from anything that might interfere with their natural development. Elana and her father are sent on a mission to save the magic believing inhabitants of Andrecia, who are protected, from the primitive colonizing efforts of a neighboring star system, whose race is also protected.
The summary by Penguin Books reads as follows:
Elana is a member of a supremely advanced intersteller civilization on a mission to the medieval planet Andrecia. To her shock, she becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion by an aggressive, space-faring "Youngling" species. How can she possibly help the Andrecians, who still believe in magic and superstition, without revealing her alien origins? Apprentice Medical Officer Jarel knows that the Imperial Exploration Corps doesn't consider the Andrecians to be human, and he has seen the atrocious treatment the natives get from his people. How can Jarel make a difference, when he alone regrets the destruction his people bring?
Georyn, son of an Andrecian woodcutter, knows only that there is a dragon on the other side of the enchanted forest, and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat it. To him, Elana is the Enchantress from the Stars who has come to test him, to prove he is worthy...
A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
WINNER OF THE PHOENIX AWARD
Elijah of Buxton
by Christopher Paul Curtis11-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit. Things change when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of slavery in the South. Elijah embarks on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the thief.
A Newbery Honor book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Loner
by Ester WierThe boy with no name doesn't remember his past; all he knows is that he has to survive. Staying with anyone who'll take him, he gives all his wages for food and a place to sleep. Then he finds a loving home and realizes he is not a loner.
Newbery Medal Honor book
The Gammage Cup
by Carol KendallA handful of Minnipins, a sober and sedate people, rise up against the Periods, the leading family of an isolated mountain valley, and are exiled to a mountain where they discover that the ancient enemies of their people are preparing to attack.
Newbery Medal Honor book
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. SchmidtIn this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a teenage boy’s mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967–68 school year in Long Island, New York.
Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.
The First State of Being
by Erin Entrada KellyWINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDALA FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER INDIE BESTSELLERChicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2024Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2024 for Kids and TeensBookPage Best Middle Grade of 2024Common Sense Media Best Books of 20242025 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable ListWhen twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever. From bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly, also the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this novel explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness. The First State of Being is for fans of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me.It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware, is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his sixteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere, Michael discovers there is more to life than stockpiling supplies and pining over Gibby.It turns out that Ridge is carefree, confident, and bold, things Michael wishes he could be. Unlike Michael, however, Ridge isn’t where he belongs. When Ridge reveals that he’s the world’s first time traveler, Michael and Gibby are stunned but curious. As Ridge immerses himself in 1999—fascinated by microwaves, basketballs, and malls—Michael discovers that his new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years, and his curiosity morphs into something else: focused determination. Michael wants—no, needs—to get his hands on that book. How else can he prepare for the future? But how far is he willing to go to get it?A story of time travel, friendship, found family, and first loves, this thematically rich novel is distinguished by its voice, character development, setting, and exploration of the issues that resonate with middle grade readers.Finalist for the National Book Award and Winner of the Newbery Medal.
The Eyes and the Impossible
by Dave EggersFrom the award-winning author of The Every and the illustrator behind the beloved picture book Her Right Foot comes an endearing and beautifully illustrated story of a dog who unwittingly becomes a hero to a park full of animals.
Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three ancient Bison. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance. But changes are afoot.
More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes’s view of the world.
A story about friendship, beauty, liberation, and running very, very fast, The Eyes and the Impossible will make readers of all ages see the world around them in a wholly new way.
New York Times Bestseller
Freewater
by Amina Luqman-DawsonWinner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical, accessible historical middle-grade novel about two enslaved children&’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom. After an entire young life of enslavement, twelve-year-old Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there&’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the recesses of the swamp. In this new, free society made up of escaped slaves and some born-free children, Homer cautiously embraces a set of spirited friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he hatches a plan to return to Southerland plantation, overcome his own cautious nature, and free his mother from enslavement. Loosely based on a little-mined but important piece of history, this is an inspiring and deeply empowering story of survival, love, and courage.
The Last Cuentista
by Donna Barba HigueraWinner of the John Newbery MedalWinner of the Pura Belpré AwardTIME's Best Books of the YearWall Street Journal's Best of the YearMinneapolis Star Tribune's Best of the YearBoston Globe's Best of the YearBookPage's Best of the YearPublishers Weekly's Best of the YearSchool Library Journal's Best of the YearKirkus Reviews' Best of the YearBank Street's Best of the YearChicago Public Library's Best of the BestNew York Public Library Best of the YearA Junior Library Guild SelectionCybils Award FinalistFrom Pura Belpré Award winner and Newbery Medalist, Donna Barba Higuera—a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human."Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes – truly a beautiful cuento."—New York Times"Clever and compelling … wonderfully subversive."—The Wall Street Journal★ "This tale packs a wallop. Exquisite."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)★ "Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic."—Publishers Weekly (starred)★ "A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others."—School Library Journal (starred)Había una vez . . . There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?
When You Trap a Tiger
by Tae KellerAn uplifting story of a girl discovering a secret family history when she makes a deal with a magical tiger from her grandmother's stories, the Korean version of "Once upon a time..."
Some stories refuse to stay bottled up...When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger.
Tae Keller, the award-winning author of The Science of Breakable Things, shares a sparkling tale about the power of stories and the magic of family.
A New York Times Bestseller
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
by Meg MedinaMerci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different.
For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition.
So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy.
Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing.
No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school.
In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Newbery Award Winner
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. TaylorWinner of the Newbery Medal, this remarkably moving novel has impressed the hearts and minds of millions of readers. Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story--Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.* "[A] vivid story.... Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence."--Booklist, starred review
Hello, Universe
by Erin Entrada Kelly and Isabel RoxasAcclaimed and award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly’s Hello, Universe is a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships.
Told from four intertwining points of view—two boys and two girls—the novel celebrates bravery, being different, and finding your inner bayani (hero), and it’s perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Thanhha Lai, and Rita Williams-Garcia. In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so that he can concentrate on basketball.
They aren’t friends, at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Sometimes four can do what one cannot. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.
The acclaimed author of Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls writes with an authentic, humorous, and irresistible tween voice that will appeal to fans of Thanhha Lai and Rita Williams-Garcia.
A New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Newberry Medal