Black Caucus of the American Library Association BCALA, 2020 Best of the Best Booklist A heartwarming story about finding your place, in the ropes and out. When eleven-year-old Jayla finds out that her mother used to be a Double Dutch champion, she's stunned. Her mom, who’s on doctor’s orders to lower her blood pressure, could move like that?!? Jayla decides to follow in her mom’s footsteps, thinking that maybe double Dutch can make her stand out in her big, quirky family. As she puts together a team at school and prepares to compete, Jayla finds that Double Dutch is about a lot more than jumping rope—and it just might change her life in ways she never imagined. Full of hilarious family dynamics and plenty of jump rope action, Jayla Jumps In follows one girl’s quest to get her mom healthy and find her place in her community.
STARRED REVIEW! "Scaletta deftly weaves worry, optimism, and determination together...The tight focus on the emotional lives of his protagonists in these connecting narratives inspires genuine feeling for each. Full of heart and hope."—Kirkus Reviews starred review Maya is worried about the fate of the world—especially the bee population—but she finds new hope when she starts to follow the career of a baseball player from the Dominican Republic named Rafael Rosales, who years before struggled to pursue his own dreams. Rafael has dreams to someday play Major League Baseball. Maya has worries, especially about the bees that are dying all over the world. Follow Rafael and Maya in a story that shifts back and forth in time and place, from Minnesota to the Dominican Republic. In their own ways, Maya and Rafael search for hope, face difficult choices, and learn a secret—the same secret—that forever changes how they see the world.
Can you change your fate—and the fate of those you love—if you return to the past? Journey to 1939 Harlem in this time-travel adventure with an inspiring message about believing in yourself. Eleven-year-old Ailey Benjamin Lane can dance—so he’s certain that he'll land the role of the Scarecrow in his school’s production of The Wiz. Unfortunately, a talented classmate and a serious attack of nerves derail his audition: he just stands there, frozen. Deflated and defeated, Ailey confides in his Grampa that he’s ready to quit. But Grampa believes in Ailey, and, to encourage him, shares a childhood story. As a boy, Grampa dreamed of becoming a tap dancer; he was so good that the Hollywood star and unofficial Mayor of Harlem, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, even gave him a special pair of tap shoes. Curious, Ailey finds the shoes, tries them on, taps his toes, and makes a wish. In the blink of an eye, he finds himself somewhere that if most definitely no place like home! Featuring an all-African-American cast of characters, and infused with references to black culture and history, this work of magical realism is sure to captivate and inspire readers.
Book Features: • Ages 5-8, Grades K-3, Guided Reading Level I, Lexile 390L • 32 pages, 6 inches x 9 inches • Early reader chapter book • Large type with full-color illustrations • Glossary, post-reading activity, and discussion questions included Good Sportsmanship in Action: Ava Kane, In the Lane engages kids with a fun story about swimming. Ava is a good swimmer and a good teammate. Her teammate Alonso is afraid of the water. Ava jumps into action to help Alonso have fun in the pool. Entertaining and Educational: This 32-page book features an engaging story about friendship, and it includes an activity-based picture glossary, post-reading discussion questions, and a fun extension activity to encourage reading comprehension. Beginning Readers: This level 1 chapter book features high-frequency words, basic sentences, an engaging story, and colorful illustrations to help kindergarteners through third graders build reading fluency and confidence. Sports Books For Kids: Part of the Good Sports series, this book will help your kid learn about what it means to show good sportsmanship and be a true team player. Children are sure to be entertained throughout this engaging and humorous story. Why Rourke Educational Media: Since 1980, Rourke Publishing Company has specialized in publishing engaging and diverse non-fiction and fiction books for children in a wide range of subjects that support reading success on a level that has no limits.
Ten years ago, Cat's volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother’s house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary’s as possible. When Cat’s grandmother dies, she’s forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that’s not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary’s mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother’s breakdown, she fears she is experiencing her own. Ever since she arrived in New Orleans, she’s been haunted by strangely familiar visitors—in dreams and on the streets of the French Quarter—who know more than they should. Unsure if she can rebuild her relationship with her mother, Cat is realizing she must confront her past, her future, and herself in the fight to try.
For anyone who has ever felt like a potato in middle school, this hilarious story about a boy forced to become the dorkiest school mascot ever will have readers cheering! "A grade A, spudtastic (not to mention FUNNY) debut. Arianne Costner sure knows middle school and middle schoolers!" --Chris Grabenstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library Ben Hardy believes he's cursed by potatoes. And now he's moved to Idaho, where the school's mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good. After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he's the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn't want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it's him under the potato suit . . . right? Life as a potato is all about not getting mashed! With laugh-out-loud illustrations throughout, hand to fans of James Patterson, Gordan Korman, Jeff Kinney, and Chris Grabenstein! "A hilarious, relatable story for any kid who has ever felt out of place." --Stacy McAnulty, author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
2016-2017 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Master List 2016 Best Children's Book of the Year—Historical Fiction List, Bank Street College 2016 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Grades 4-6 2017-2018 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Master List Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2016—CBC/NCSS 2018-2019 Volunteer State Book Award Middle School List STARRED REVIEW! "Kidd writes with insight and restraint, creating a richly layered opus that hits every note to perfection...Beautifully written and earnestly delivered, the novel rolls to an inexorable, stunning conclusion readers won't soon forget."—Kirkus Reviews starred review STARRED REVIEW! "Along the way, Billie comes to grips with her own prejudices, inherited from her parents, in a way that is both lyrical and honest. In a year in which news events have made it clear that the civil rights movement is far from over, titles like Kidd's have special resonance. His focus on a lesser-known historical event provides a window into the past..."—Booklist starred review Thirteen-year-old Billie Sims doesn't think her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, should be segregated, but few of the town's residents share her opinion. As equality spreads across the country and the Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum, Billie can't help but feel stuck—and helpless—in a stubborn town too set in its ways to realize that the world is passing it by. So when Billie learns that the Freedom Riders, a group of peace activists riding interstate buses to protest segregation, will be traveling through Anniston on their way to Montgomery, she thinks that maybe change is finally coming and her quiet little town will shed itself of its antiquated views. But what starts as a series of angry grumbles soon turns to brutality as Anniston residents show just how deep their racism runs. The Freedom Riders will resume their ride to Montgomery, and Billie is now faced with a choice: stand idly by in silence or take a stand for what she believes in. Through her own decisions and actions and a few unlikely friendships, Billie is about to come to grips with the deep-seated prejudice of those she once thought she knew, and with her own inherent racism that she didn't even know she had.
I have a secret. I know where the body is buried--I helped do it myself. And somehow... He knows I know. And he's going to torment me until I tell... But that's because he doesn't understand that the truth could destroy me. Or maybe he does. Maybe he just doesn't care. Maybe he wants to finish the job--but I'm not going to make it easy on him. I was chosen as Ashwood Institute's Sineater, and I'll give him a fight he'll never forget... Even if it means ripping my own heart out in the end. He won't win unless he jumps in the fire with me. No one can know...About that hidden grave. About my hidden heart. About the fire he lights in my soul. No one can know. This dark paranormal romance introduces us to a world of secret societies, witches and betrayed love... Jake and Raven grew up together in the small town of Ashwood, but a mysterious death destroyed their bond. Her betrayal pushes him over the edge, and Jake becomes a classic bully with Raven as his favorite target. Now, years after he began tormenting her, Raven must work with Jake to solve the mystery and finally free herself from her past--but these sworn enemies have one obstacle they just can't seem to work around: love. Circumstances entwine them, and their twisted dynamic finds a new place to exert itself... In the bedroom. Dark, erotic, devious and addicting, the Legends of the Ashwood Series begins here, with Jake and Raven. Author Note: This book is NOT meant for a young adult audience--it is meant for adults and contains content for adults. It is the first in a series and is NOT a stand-alone; if you hate cliff-hangers, this is NOT the book for you. It overlaps with the following genres: paranormal, dark, bully, contemporary, and college/new adult romance and romantic suspense/thriller/mystery.
This illustrated children’s book celebrates the extraordinary potential of ordinary deeds—showing how one child’s act of kindness can change the world One ordinary day, Ordinary Mary stumbles upon some ordinary blueberries. When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, her thoughtful act starts a chain reaction that multiplies around the world. Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four others—one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then helps five different people with their luggage—one of whom is Maria, who then helps five other people—and so on, until the deed comes back to Mary.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis. “Picoult at her fearless best . . . Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate.”—The Washington Post The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard. Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day. One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding. Praise for A Spark of Light “This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it.”—People “Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.”—Us Weekly
