Special Collections
Accelerated Reader (ATOS Level: 4.0-4.9)
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Timmy Failure
by Stephan PastisBanishment from his life’s calling can’t keep a comically overconfident detective down in the latest episode by New York Times bestseller Stephan Pastis.
This book was never meant to exist. No one needs to know the details. Just know this: there’s a Merry, a Larry, a missing tooth, and a teachers’ strike that is crippling Timmy Failure’s academic future.
Worst of all, Timmy is banned from detective work. It’s a conspiracy of buffoons. He recorded everything in his private notebook, but then the manuscript was stolen.
If this book gets out, he will be grounded for life. Or maybe longer. And will Timmy’s mom really marry Doorman Dave?
Catwings Return
by Ursula K. Le GuinWishing to visit their mother, two winged cats leave their new country home to return to the city, where they discover a winged kitten in a building about to be demolished. Book 2 in the Catwings series.
Deep-Sea Disaster
by Aaron Blecha and Davy OceanDive into the world of Harry Hammer, a hammerhead shark with a penchant for (mis)adventure in this fin-tastic start to a chapter book series.
Harry Hammer is a hammerhead shark, although he'd rather be a great white shark, or a tiger shark--anything but himself. But when a class trip to a famous shipwreck almost ends in disaster for Harry and his pals, he realizes the importance of being exactly who he is!
Cat Burglar Caper
by Carolyn Keene and Macky PamintuanEight-year-old Nancy Drew solves cases with her friends in new Clue Crew adventures!
Rain Reign
by Ann M. MartinWinner of the Schneider Family 2015 Middle School Award
Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose's obsessions, her rules, and the other things that make her different - not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father.
When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, the roads are flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.
Hearts will break and spirits will soar for this powerful story, brilliantly told from Rose's point of view.
Catwings
by Ursula K. Le Guin and Ken GeistThe bestselling Catwings series!
Mrs. Jane Tabby can't explain why her four precious kittens were born with wings, but she's grateful that they are able to use their flying skills to soar away from the dangerous city slums where they were born. However, once the kittens escape the big city, they learn that country life can be just as difficult!
Trouble According to Humphrey
by Betty G. BirneyHumphrey loves to solve problems for his classmates in Room 26, but he never meant to create one!
Golden-Miranda, one of his favorite students, gets blamed when Humphrey is caught outside of his cage while she's in charge.
Since no one knows about his lock-that-doesn't-lock, he can't exactly squeak up to defend her.
Humphrey really has his paws full when Don't-Complain- Mandy-Payne and her family stir up more big trouble.
Humphrey manages to help Pay-Attention-Art and Sit-Still-Seth and even survives a trip to the vet, but can he clear Miranda's name without giving up his freedom forever?
Summer According to Humphrey
by Betty G. BirneyIn his sixth adventure, Humphrey heads off for the great outdoors.
When Humphrey hears that school is ending, he panics. School ends? What's a classroom hamster to do if he's not in school?
But as it turns out, there's something thrilling in store for Humphrey and Og the frog: going to Camp Happy Hollow with Ms. Mac and lots of the kids from Room 26!
Camper Humphrey meets a friendly wild mouse, tracks down Og when he gets lost by the lake, and uses his wily charm to help kids adjust to cabin life and make new friends.
There are many fun things to do at the end of the story. Everyone's favorite classroom pet keeps entertaining kids across the nation, and his books have won eight state awards and were nominated for fourteen others.
My Heart Is On the Ground
by Ann Rinaldi"My under-where is itching me all this time. I feel silly in my citizens' clothes. I trip on the skirts when I walk. I am angry. Then Mrs. Camp Bell told me not to be dis-re-spect-ful. And to pick a name. So I did, for Mrs. Camp Bell. So now I am Nannie Little Rose. And now I am here. And I have learned to wear this citizens' clothes and write their words. But I will never forget my past."
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception
by Wendelin Van DraanenSammy Keyes has a lot of nerve, turning up in sneakers to a fancy art gallery reception and asking why a framed orange splat is worth $10,000. Eyebrows raise. Noses are turned up. But then Sammy tackles a thief who tries to break up the soiree with a stick-up. Now the patrons of the arts are glad she has a lot of nerve. Or are they?
Sammy may have stopped a criminal, but the real crime has yet to be discovered. The real crime is more subtle, more artful than anything Sammy has ever seen. Who would have thought art could be so dangerous?
Love Double Dutch!
by Doreen Spicer-DannellyFrom the creator of the popular Disney Channel original movie, Jump In! comes a double Dutch novel perfect for fans of stories about sports, summer, and friendship.Brooklyn middle-schooler MaKayla can only think about one thing--taking her double Dutch team all the way to the National Jump-off at Madison Square Garden. That is, until her mother breaks the news. Kayla has to spend the summer at her aunt's house in North Carolina while her parents work out their problems . . . or decide to call it quits.Kayla does not feel at home in the South, and she certainly doesn't get along with her snooty cousin Sally. It looks like her Jump-off dreams are over.Hold the phone! Turns out, double Dutch is huge in the South. She and Sally just need to find two more kids for a team. And a routine. And the confidence to stand up to the double Dutch divas who used to be Sally's BFFs. Time to show those Southern belles some Brooklyn attitude!
La Línea
by Ann JaramilloMiguel has dreamed of joining his parents in California since the day they left him behind in Mexico six years, eleven months, and twelve days ago. On the morning of his fifteenth birthday, Miguel's wait is over. Or so he thinks.
The trip north to the border - la línea- is fraught with dangers. Thieves. Border guards. And a grueling, two-day trek across the desert. It would be hard enough to survive alone. But it's almost impossible with his tagalong sister in tow. Their money gone and their hopes nearly dashed, Miguel and his sister have no choice but to hop the infamous mata genteas it races toward the border. As they cling to the roof of the speeding train, they hold onto each other, and to their dreams. But they quickly learn that you can't always count on dreams - even the ones that come true.
This is the story of many undocumented immigranted to the USA, especially teenagers in search of their parents.
Now Is the Time for Running
by Michael WilliamsJust down the road from their families, Deo and his friends play soccer in the dusty fields of Zimbabwe, cheered on by Deo's older brother, Innocent.
It is a day like any other . . . until the soldiers arrive and Deo and Innocent are forced to run for their lives, fleeing the wreckage of their village for the distant promise of safe haven.
Along the way, they face the prejudice and poverty that await refugees everywhere, and must rely on the kindness of people they meet to make it through. But when tragedy strikes, Deo's love of soccer is all he has left. Can he use that gift to find hope once more?
Relevant, timely, and accessibly written, Now Is the Time For Running is a staggering story of survival that follows Deo and his mentally handicapped older brother on a transformative journey that will stick with readers long after the last page.
The Land of Forgotten Girls
by Erin Entrada KellyErin Entrada Kelly, the author of the acclaimed Blackbird Fly, writes with grace, imagination, and deepest heart about family, sisters, and friendship, and about finding and holding on to hope in difficult times.
Two sisters from the Philippines, abandoned by their father and living with their stepmother in Louisiana, fight to make their lives better in this remarkable story for readers of Cynthia Kadohata and Rita Williams-Garcia, and for anyone searching for the true meaning of family.
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
by Lauren Tarshis and Scott Dawson70 years later, the bombing of Pearl Harbor comes to life for a new generation of readers!
History's most terrifying moments are brought vividly to life in the action-packed fictional I SURVIVED series! Do you have what it takes to survive ... the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
Eleven-year-old Danny Crane is alone on his favorite beach in Hawaii when the world is torn apart and World War II officially hits the United States. Does he have what it takes to find his way home in the midst of the bombs, the smoke, and the destruction of the day that will live in infamy?
Miss Daisy Is Crazy!
by Dan Gutman and Jim PaillotNever before has school been this mixed up-or this much fun! Miss Daisy, who teaches second grade, doesn't know how to add or subtract. Not only that, she doesn't know how to read or write, either. She is the dumbest teacher in the history of the world!
The Maze of Bones
by Rick RiordanThe first book in the #1 bestselling phenomenon sends readers around the world on the hunt for the 39 Clues!Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.
Niagara Falls, or Does It?
by Henry Winkler and Lin OliverHank Zipzer wants to do well in fourth grade.
He's smart, creative and funny but writing a five paragraph essay about what he did last summer sounds impossible because he's not so good at writing, spelling or other school subjects. Since he can't write about Niagara Falls, he decides to build it. The idea sounds great and his friends are helping. To his amazement, his project doesn't go over at all well in school and now he may not be able to be in the magic show he and his pals Frankie and Ashley have cooked up.
As hard as Hank tries to do school assignments like other kids, he spends all of his energy trying to stay out of trouble because he can't do the work. Then he winds up in trouble anyway. Finally a teacher he meets while in detention has an idea that might help him in school and his parents begin to understand he actually has talents! Search for the author, Henry Winkler and find more funny books about Henry Zipzer in the Bookshare collection.
Niagara Falls, Or Does It?
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver and Tim HeitzFor Hank, fourth grade does not start out on the right foot. First of all, he gets called to the principal's office on the very first day of school.
Then the first assignment his teacher gives him is to write five paragraphs on "What You Did This Summer." Hank is terrified-writing one good sentence is hard for him, so how in the world is he going to write five whole paragraphs? Hank comes up with a plan: instead of writing what he did on vacation, he'll show what he did. But when Hank's "living essay" becomes a living disaster, he finds himself in detention. Strangely enough, however, detention ends up becoming a turning point in his life
Lexile Level: 610L
Scorpions
by Walter Dean MyersBad Trouble
Lately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack.
All the gang jive--Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal...
The story of twelve-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.
Newbery Honor book
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
by Wendell Minor and Harriette Gillem RobinetMaybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself. Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the family of friends they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own.
Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own family farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives. Coming alive in plain, vibrant language is this story of the Reconstruction, after the Civil War.
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Flora And Ulysses
by K. G. Campbell and Kate DiCamilloWinner of the 2014 Newbery Medal. Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry -- and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.
Newbery Medal Winner
Ticket Trouble
by Carolyn Keene and Macky PamintuanWhat fun is a fair with no tickets?
River Heights Elementary is throwing a fall festival! It promises to be full of fun games, great food, and amazing amusement park rides -- even a roller coaster! All of the kids in River Heights, including Nancy, George, and Bess, are very excited and have been working hard to earn extra money for festival tickets.
So when Nancy's friend Ned claims someone stole his hard-earned tickets, the Clue Crew jumps into action. The girls are in a race against time to find Ned's tickets. And it turns out the culprit might have a very different reason for needing them....
The Boy Who Cried Shark
by Aaron Blecha and Davy OceanWhen Harry Hammer accidentally sounds the great white shark alarm a few times too many, he ends up in dangerous waters in this fourth Shark School (mis)adventure.
Harry Hammer's all-time hero is the great white shark Gregor the Gnasher. Gregor is a famous action movie-star and the Underwater Wrestling Champion of the World. But not all great whites are like Gregor--most are fierce creatures of the deep. So when Harry sees one near Shark Point, he sounds the alarm and everyone panics!
Turns out it's just an old basking shark, and now everyone is furious. After a couple more minnow-sized mistakes, Harry sees a REAL great white...and it's very hungry. Will anyone believe him this time?
Bunnicula
by James Howe and Deborah Howe and Alan DanielThis book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.Since its first appearance in 1979, Bunnicula has been a hit with kids and their parents everywhere, selling over 8 million copies and winning numerous awards.