Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from a peach is not a funny-looking apple to keep your pants on in public---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
Tony and his big sister can go to the indoor camping event, Books and Buddies, if they are good--but being polite and helping each other for a whole day is difficult for this brother and sister.
Louie and Hector are best friends -- but when some funny secrets get revealed, their friendship is put to the test. Louie and Hector are the best friends in the universe. Get ready to laugh out loud as the two boys fall in and out and eventually back into their best friendship ever through a series of funny secrets that neither one was supposed to reveal. Each episode is told in a journal format in four parts: "Best Friends in the Universe," "Best Friends in the Universe Forever and Ever," "Worst Friends in the Universe," and finally "Worst Secret Keepers in the Universe But Still Best Friends Forever and Ever." And Louie and Hector's comical dialogue will have kids howling! Louie: "I'm going to make up an ugly dance move called the Horrible Hector."Hector: "I'm going to invent a disgusting, rotten drink called the Icky Louie."Both: "That's it! This book is canceled." But just like most friendships, Hector and Louie find a way to stay best friends forever -- but maybe not the most trusted secret keepers!
Everyone's favorite penguin--and the star of two best-selling readers in clubs and fairs--is back in another adorable adventure! Tony Baloney is excited. It's Pen Pal Month at school. Tony hopes he and his new pen pal Sam will become friends for life. It looks promising. The two have a lot in common: Sam rides a scooter, plays baseball, is a middle-child, and has a stuffed animal buddy, just like Tony! But when Sam's class comes to visit, Tony gets a big surprise: Sam is a girl! Can Tony be friends for life with a GIRL?
"The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark." As an English corset-maker's son, Thomas Paine was expected to spend his life sewing women's underwear. But as a teenager, Thomas dared to change his destiny, enduring years of struggle until a meeting with Benjamin Franklin brought Thomas to America in 1774-and into the American Revolution. Within fourteen months, Thomas would unleash the persuasive power of the written word in Common Sense-a brash wake-up call that rallied the American people to declare independence against the mightiest empire in the world. This fascinating and extensively researched biography, based on numerous primary sources, will immerse readers in Thomas Paine's inspiring journey of courage, failure, and resilience that led a penniless immigrant to change the world with his words.
A sheltered girl. A wild horse. An unforgettable journey. This riveting story from Newbery honoree and New York Times bestseller Pam Munoz Ryan is perfect for fans of Marguerite Henry, Sara Pennypacker, and Rosanne Parry. Maya lives like a captive. At Grandmother's house in California, everything is forbidden: friends, fun, even memories. And her life is built on lies-lies Grandmother tells about her dead mother, and lies Maya tells to impress or manipulate. But then she moves to the vast Wyoming wilderness where her mother's family awaits -- kind, rugged people who have no tolerance for lies. They challenge Maya to confront the truth about who she is. And a mysterious mustang called Artemisia waits, too. She holds the key to Maya's freedom. But to find it, Maya will have to risk everything. . . including her life.
As The Giving Tree turns fifty, this timeless classic is available for the first time ever in ebook format. This digital edition allows young readers and lifelong fans to continue the legacy and love of a classic that will now reach an even wider audience. "Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. This moving parable for all ages offers a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein's incomparable career as a bestselling children's book author and illustrator began with Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. He is also the creator of picture books including A Giraffe and a Half, Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, and the perennial favorite The Giving Tree, and of classic poetry collections such as Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, Every Thing On It, Don't Bump the Glump!, and Runny Babbit. And don't miss the other Shel Silverstein ebooks, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic!