Monster

Monster

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

FADE IN: INTERIOR: Early morning in CELL BLOCK D, MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER.Steve (Voice-Over)Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady prosecutor called me ... Monster.
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The Harlem Hellfighters

The Harlem Hellfighters

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and renowned filmmaker Bill Miles deftly tell the true story of the unsung American heroes of the 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I in The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage.At a time of widespread bigotry and racism, the African American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment put their lives on the line in the name of democracy.The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage is a portrait of bravery and honor.Supports the Common Core State Standards
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The Journal of Biddy Owens, the Negro Leagues, Birmingham, Alabama, 1948

The Journal of Biddy Owens, the Negro Leagues, Birmingham, Alabama, 1948

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Newbery and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's baseball story THE JOURNAL OF BIDDY OWENS is now available in paperback, with an exciting repackaging!Seventeen-year-old Biddy Owens is part of the Birmingham Black Barons baseball team and dreams of becoming a major league baseball player. However, in 1948 most black players can only play for the Negro Leagues. Jackie Robinson has just recently integrated and is playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the white owners are reluctant to add too many blacks to their rosters. The Birmingham Black Barons are some of the best players in the league. But as they travel around playing ball, Biddy realizes that not everyone is ready for blacks and whites to play on the same team. Can Biddy prove he's good enough to be part of the game his loves, no matter what color his skin is?
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Street Love

Street Love

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Your first love is totally wrong for you.Do you follow your heart?Or do you run away?JuniceWhat am I doing? He'll take one quick lookAnd wish he was anywhere else but hereI'm already ashamed of what I thinkHe will think of me, of the life I leadDamienYes, she is the fruit that willSustain me and yes, she bringsA rain that I know can chillBut it is a rain so sweet and singsA song my soul insistsThat I follow, if I would existAs more than I have ever, ever beenIf my mother calls it evil, then I embrace the sin
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Juba!

Juba!

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

In New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers's last novel, he delivers a gripping story based on the life of a real dancer known as Master Juba, who lived in the nineteenth century.This engaging historical novel is based on the true story of the meteoric rise of an immensely talented young black dancer, William Henry Lane, who influenced today's tap, jazz, and step dancing. With meticulous and intensive research, Walter Dean Myers has brought to life Juba's story.The novel includes photographs, maps, and other images from Juba's time and an afterword from Walter Dean Myers's wife about the writing process of Juba!
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Sunrise Over Fallujah

Sunrise Over Fallujah

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

From Walter Dean Myers comes a powerful and timely novel about the heroics and horror of war—-a gripping companion to FALLEN ANGELS.Robin "Birdy" Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it:WAR
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Slam!

Slam!

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover. Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up. Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.
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Game

Game

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren't. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick. Coach's new offense has made another player a star, and Drew won't let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It's all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.
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Fallen Angels

Fallen Angels

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all.
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Darnell Rock Reporting

Darnell Rock Reporting

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

DARNELL ROCK IS not the kind of kid who volunteers to write for the newspaper--it sounds too much like homework. But this is Darnell's last chance to pull himself together and make a positive contribution to his school. At first, Darnell would rather be hanging out with his sister and his friends. But soon he gets interested in the Oakdale Gazette. Much to his surprise, Darnell discovers that people pay attention to the words he writes. Before he knows it, Darnell changes from a kid who can't do anything right to a person who can make a difference.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Oh, Snap!

Oh, Snap!

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Walter Dean Myers's Cruisers series keeps going strong!The Cruisers are in trouble — again. The freedom of expression they've enjoyed by publishing their own school newspaper, THE CRUISER, has spread all the way to England, where kids from a school "across the pond" are now contributors to their own school's most talked-about publication. When photos start to go alongside the articles written by kids, things get suspicious. Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, Bobbi — and a bunch of students from Harlem's DaVinci Academy and London's Phoenix School — come to learn that words and pictures in a newspaper don't always tell the whole story.With his signature on-point pacing and whip-smart characters, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers delivers another awesome book about the Cruisers, a group of middle-school misfits who are becoming the coolest kids in the city.
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Invasion

Invasion

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Walter Dean Myers brilliantly renders the realities of World War II.Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere.One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever.It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack,...
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Bad Boy

Bad Boy

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

In a memoir that is gripping, funny, and ultimately unforgettable, New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers travels back to his roots in the magical world of Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. Here is the story of one of the most distinguished writers of young people's literature today.As a boy, Myers was quick-tempered and physically strong, always ready for a fight. He also read voraciously--he would check out books from the library and carry them home, hidden in brown paper bags in order to avoid other boys' teasing. He aspired to be a writer. But while growing up in a poor family in Harlem, his hope for a successful future diminished as he came to realize fully the class and racial struggles that surrounded him. He began to doubt himself and the values that he had always relied on, attending high school less and less, turning to the streets and to his books for comfort.Supports the Common Core State Standards.
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A Star is Born

A Star is Born

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Bestselling award-winning author Walter Dean Myers is back with a new book in his acclaimed Cruisers series.The Cruiser, an alternative newspaper published by Zander and his crew of middle school misfits, is alive and well. And now there's plenty to report on when LaShonda, one of the Cruisers, steps into the spotlight with her costume designs for an upcoming play. LaShonda's designs get rave reviews, but she soon learns that show business is filled with challenges and choices. LaShonda is forced to consider what's more important—fame, or loyalty to her autistic brother. Whether she gets a standing ovation or the curtain pulled down on her is up to LaShonda. And she can't help but wonder if the Cruisers have got her back and will be there for her whether she's center stage or waiting in the wings.With signature humor and thought-provoking questions, Walter Dean Myers once again delivers a Cruisers novel that will keep readers at the edge of their seats, and have...
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Darius & Twig

Darius & Twig

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

New York Times bestselling author and Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers once again connects with teenagers everywhere in Darius & Twig, a novel about friendship and needing to live your own dream.Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that Harlem life throws at them.The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever in this touching and raw new teen novel from Walter Dean Myers, award-winning author of Monster, Kick, We Are America, Bad Boy, and many other celebrated literary works for children and teens.
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Dope Sick

Dope Sick

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

The itch starts when things get too heavy for Lil J. Skin popping or stealing pain pills from his mom help him relax. But Lil J's focus is wandering because money is short, and his man Rico knows a way to make some quick cash. It's supposed to be an easy deal, but it isn't so simple when the buyer is an undercover cop.With a gunshot wound to the arm, Rico in jail, and a police officer clinging to life, Lil J is starting to get dope sick. He'd do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned crack house, it actually might be possible. . . .Walter Dean Myers weaves elements of magical realism into a harrowing story about drug use, violence, alternate perceptions of reality, and second chances.
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Tags

Tags

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

From Walter Dean Myers, the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, comes an all-new 20-page one-act play. Tags is a look at life and death in New York City, complete with a shocking end.Four New York City teens are shot down in the prime of life. They move through limbo, re-creating their distinctive tags in a Harlem walk-up so that they can "live" forever. But what's the point? How can you think of living forever if you're already dead?Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling author, the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a Newbery Honoree, and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. He is considered a preeminent writer for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas, with new releases the first Tuesday of each month.
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The Cruisers

The Cruisers

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Eighth grade is hard enough, but when you're a Cruiser, you're really put to the test. The launch of a new middle-grade series from bestselling award-winner Walter Dean Myers.Zander and his friends, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi start their own newspaper, The Cruiser, as a means for speaking out, keeping the peace, and expressing what they believe. When the school launches a mock Civil War, Zander and his friends are forced to consider the true meaning of democracy and what it costs to stand up for a cause. The result is nothing they could have expected, and everything they could have hoped for.
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The Outside Shot

The Outside Shot

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

New Ebook Bonus Content:-Book Group Discussion Questions-Q&A with screenwriter John Ballard-Excerpt from Hoops-Excerpt from 145th Street-Excerpt from On a Clear DayWhen Lonnie Jackson leaves Harlem to take a basketball scholarship at a midwestern college, he knows he must keep his head straight and his record clean. That's the only way he'll have a chance of making it to the pros someday.But his street smarts haven't prepared him for the pressures of tough classes, high-stakes college ball, and the temptation to fix games for local gamblers. Everyone plays by a whole new set of rules -- including Sherry, who's determined to be a track star. Her independence attracts Lonnie, but their on-again, off-again relationship is driving him crazy.Lonnie has one year to learn how to make it as a "college man." It's his outside shot at a bright future. Does he have what it takes?
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The Dream Bearer

The Dream Bearer

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

David Curry doesn't know what to make of his father, Reuben, whose violent out bursts and chilling nightmares torment his family. His older brother, Tyrone, says Reuben is crazy. But lately, even Tyrone isn't acting like himself.Then David meets the mysterious Mr. Moses, who tells him that dreams might be the only things we have that are real. And it is Mr. Moses's gift of dreams that gives David a new way to see inside his father's troubled heart.
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All the Right Stuff

All the Right Stuff

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

A provocative new novel from the national ambassador for young people's literature and the New York Times bestselling author of MonsterWho's on top of the social food chain? How do you get ahead? Who makes the rules? Who needs to follow them?Paul DuPree is working at a soup kitchen in Harlem the summer his father dies, just trying to get by. But Elijah, the soup man, won't stop talking about the social contract and asking Paul questions about heavy-duty things. Paul has never thought about this stuff. He'd rather hang out with Keisha, an unwed teen mom whose basketball skills rival his own.Then Sly, a notorious Harlem big shot, shows up. Paul is both intrigued and intimidated by Sly and his conspiracy theories, and for once he starts contemplating how you really get ahead in life. As the talk of what-ifs turns into reality, Paul realizes his summer is about more than getting by—it's about taking charge of your life.
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Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff

Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Stuff doesn't know anyone when he first moves to 116th Street. But all of that changes when he meets Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Gloria. Stuff and the gang grow close that eventful year, and nothing is ever like it again. That's the year modern science gets them all in jail; Stuff falls in love and is unfaithful; and Cool Clyde and Fast Sam win the dance contest-almost.
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Checkmate

Checkmate

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

In the second book of the CRUISERS series, Walter Dean Myers explores the world of competitive chess as seen through the eyes of a group of middle school misfits.Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pressure the young players. Sidney loves and wants to play chess, but dislikes the constant spotlight. He thinks that if he appears to be involved in drugs he'll be excused from playing on the school's team. In this book Zander and his creware back, using the Cruiser school newspaper express their frustrations and triumphs.
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Kick

Kick

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

For the very first time in his decades-long career writing for teens, acclaimed and beloved author Walter Dean Myers writes with a teen, Ross Workman.Kevin Johnson is thirteen years old. And heading for juvie. He's a good kid, a great friend, and a star striker for his Highland, New Jersey, soccer team. His team is competing for the State Cup, and he wants to prove he has more than just star-player potential. Kevin's never been in any serious trouble . . . until the night he ends up in jail. Enter Sergeant Brown, a cop assigned to be Kevin's mentor. If Kevin and Brown can learn to trust each other, they might be able to turn things around before it's too late.
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The Get Over

The Get Over

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

From Walter Dean Myers, the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, comes an all-new short story! This original 20-page short story serves as a prequel to Monster, which has been read and loved by millions of readers.Word on the street is that a robbery is about to go down in Harlem, and Steve Harmon is right in the middle of it. Everyone is trying to prove who's the toughest. Steve gets caught up in the talk and wonders about the difference between right and wrong. Should he turn these guys in? Stay quiet? What choice will Steve make?Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling author, the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a Newbery Honoree, and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. He is considered a preeminent writer for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas,...
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Magic in the Mix

Magic in the Mix

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

Molly and Miri Gill are twins. They look the same, act the same, sometimes even think the same. But they weren't always twins...Molly used to live in 1935, until Miri traveled back in time to save her from the clutches of Molly's evil adoptive family. Only they know about the magic, and its power to set things right. So when home repairs unleash more unexpected magic from their very special...very magical old house, the girls set off on another time-traveling adventure to the Civil War where they race against the clock to save two unusual soldiers and come to terms with the truth about Molly's real past.Brimming with lovable characters and spine-tingling magic, this long-awaited sequel will bring a whole new batch of readers to Annie Barrows' highly acclaimed, wonderfully popular world of twin-inspired magic.
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Nothing

Nothing

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

From Annie Barrows, the acclaimed #1 New York Times–bestselling coauthor of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the author of the award-winning and bestselling Ivy + Bean books, this teen debut tells the story of Charlotte and Frankie, two high school students and best friends who don't have magical powers, fight aliens, crash their cars, get pierced, or discover they are royal. They just go to school. And live at home. With their parents. A great read for fans of Becky Albertalli, Louise Rennison, and Adi Alsaid.Nothing ever happens to Charlotte and Frankie. Their lives are nothing like the lives of the girls they read about in their YA novels. They don't have flowing red hair, and hot romantic encounters never happen—let alone meeting a true soul mate.They just go to high school and live at home with their parents, who are pretty normal, all things considered. But when Charlotte decides to write down everything that happens during...
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The Truth According to Us

The Truth According to Us

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

From the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society comes a wise, witty, and exuberant novel, perfect for fans of Lee Smith, that illuminates the power of loyalty and forgiveness, memory and truth, and the courage it takes to do what's right. Annie Barrows once again evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town filled with extraordinary characters. Her new novel, The Truth According to Us, brings to life an inquisitive young girl, her beloved aunt, and the alluring visitor who changes the course of their destiny forever. In the summer of 1938, Layla Beck's father, a United States senator, cuts off her allowance and demands that she find employment on the Federal Writers' Project, a New Deal jobs program. Within days, Layla finds herself far from her accustomed social whirl, assigned to cover the history of the remote mill town of Macedonia, West Virginia, and destined, in her own opinion, to go completely mad with...
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Ivy and Bean Make the Rules

Ivy and Bean Make the Rules

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

Bean's older sister, Nancy, is going to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp, where she will do Crafts and Music and First Aid and other secret things that Bean will never know about because girls have to be eleven to go to Girl Power 4-Ever Camp. Bean doesn't care. She doesn't want to go to camp. She wouldn't go even if they begged her. So ha. So ha ha. So- wait a second! Bean and Ivy can make their own camp, their own better camp: Camp Flaming Arrow, where counselors Ivy and Bean will give a whole new meaning to Crafts, Music, First Aid, and hands-on learning!
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Annie Barrows

Annie Barrows

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

From BooklistWhen Bean's teacher introduces The Amazing Book of World Records, everyone in the second grade vows to set new records. Bean tries stuffing her mouth full of straws, speed washing dishes, and screaming (with predictably disastrous results); finally, Ivy involves her friend in digging for dinosaur bones so they can become the world's youngest paleontologists. Barrows' dynamic duo is as appealing here as in the first two books, and emergent readers will identify with their outrageous antics. Also intriguing are Bean's sister, Nancy (who never misses an opportunity to put down her sibling), and her ever-supportive dad, whose banana bread fixes almost any problem. Weisman, Kay ReviewBest friends Ivy and Bean return for a very welcome third outing. When Bean's desperate boredom forces her to the pages of The Amazing Book of World Records, she determines to break one herself, no matter what. But after her attempt to stuff 257 straws in her mouth falls short by some 217 straws, and her loudest scream fails to shatter her sister's glass octopus, she combines her newfound interest in one-of-a-kind stunts with Ivy's fascination with paleontology to purse dreams of fame in her backyard. Barrows balances the two girls' personalities perfectly, Ivy's quiet studiousness the steady counterpoint to Bean's restless ebullience. The odd happy piece of information "It took [Mary Anning] a whole year to get the whole [ichthyosaur] out. . . . Chip, chip, chip, a tiny bit at a time" is conveyed effortlessly without impinging on the terrifically childlike voice "Lookit! I got one." Blackall's black-and-white spot illustrations share equal billing with the text, punctuating the written narrative with wry, spiky visuals that capture the kids' personalities beautifully. The resolution deflates Ivy and Bean's ambitions but leaves both dignity and enthusiasm intact other record attempts can wait till tomorrow. Just right. -Kirkus Reviews When Bean's teacher introduces The Amazing Book of World Records, everyone in the second grade vows to set new records. Bean tries stuffing her mouth full of straws, speed washing dishes, and screaming (with predictably disastrous results); finally, Ivy involves her friend in digging for dinosaur bones so they can become the world's youngest paleontologists. Barrows' dynamic duo is as appealing here as in the first two books, and emergent readers willidentify with their outrageous antics. Also intriguing are Bean's sister, Nancy (who never misses an opportunity to put down her sibling), and her ever-supportive dad, whose banana bread fixes almost any problem. -Booklist Rambunctious second-grader Bean and her more conservative friend, Ivy, are back for another easy-chapter-book adventure. This time, a book of world records gets the class thinking of feats they can accomplish. Bean unsuccessfully (and hilariously) tries to break some records, then decides to be the youngest person to discover dinosaur bones and starts digging in the backyard. Ivy has read a book about Mary Anning, who found a dinosaur skeleton at the age of 12. Anning is held up as a model of patience and perseverance, two qualities from which Bean would benefit. Her father is home during the day, and readers see their wonderful, positive relationship. He supports their efforts and agrees that the bones they ve discovered are mysterious. It's not a terribly original story idea, but Barrows has a fine touch. Blackall's humorous drawings add to the fun. This is a great chapter book for students who have recently crossed the independent reader bridge. -School Library Journal
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Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance

Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance

Annie Barrows

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

From School Library JournalGrade 2–3—Second-graders Ivy and Bean return to their mischievous ways as they beg their parents for ballet lessons. They get what they want, but class isn't exactly what they expected. Instead of the "kicking" and sword they saw in a picture of the ballet Giselle, they are disappointed to be learning positions, pliés, and how to be butterflies. When they are cast as squids in their first recital, they come up with several ideas for how to get out of performing without breaking their promise not to drop out of class. The story is solidly written, and the expressive black-and-white illustrations, some full page, add to the humor. Early chapter-book readers will appreciate and relate to the friends' dilemma.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistFriends Ivy and Bean are opposites, but in this installment of the series, they agree on one thing. They want to take ballet lessons. Their parents, having been through their enthusiasms before, insist the girls must not quit and must not complain. This is easier said than done when, after the girls realize ballet is not all spins and tutus, they are cast as friendly squid in the underwater-themed recital. Another pleasing adventure, engagingly illustrated and fun for new readers. Grades 2-4. --Ilene Cooper
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Devil on My Heels

Devil on My Heels

Joyce McDonald

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

It's 1959 in Benevolence, Florida, and life is as sweet as a Valencia orange for 15-year-old Dove Alderman. Whether she's sipping cherry Cokes with her girlfriends and listening to the Everly Brothers, eating key lime pie made by her housekeeper, Delia, or cruising around town with the coolest boy in school in his silver-blue T-bird convertible, Dove's days are as smooth and warm as the soft sand in her father's orange groves.But there's trouble brewing among the local migrant workers. Mysterious fires have broken out, and rumors are spreading that disgruntled pickers are to blame. Suddenly, black and white become a muddy shade of gray, and whispers of the KKK drift through the Southern air like sighs. The Klan could never exist in a place like Benevolence, Dove tells herself. Or could it?From the Hardcover edition.
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Shades of Simon Gray

Shades of Simon Gray

Joyce McDonald

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

Simon Gray is the ideal teenager -- smart, reliable, hardworking, trustworthy. Or is he? After Simon crashes his car into The Liberty Tree, another portrait starts to emerge. Soon an investigation has begun into computer hacking at Simon's high school, for it seems tests are being printed out before they are given. Could Simon be involved?Simon, meanwhile, is in a coma -- but is this another appearance that may be deceiving? For inside his own head, Simon can walk around and talk to some people. He even seems to be having a curious conversation with a man who was hung for murder 200 years ago, in the branches of the same tree Simon crashed into. What can a 200-year-old murder have to do with Simon's accident? And how do we know who is really innocent and who is really guilty?
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Swallowing Stones

Swallowing Stones

Joyce McDonald

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

It begins with a free and joyful act--but from then on, Michael finds it impossible even to remember what it felt like to be free and joyful. When he fires his new rifle into the air on his seventeenth birthday, he never imagines that the bullet will end up killing someone. But a mile away, a man is killed by that bullet as he innocently repairs his roof. And Michael keeps desperately silent while he watches his world crumble.Meanwhile Jenna, the dead man's daughter, copes with desperation of her own. Through her grief, she tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams.Suspenseful and powerfully moving, this is the unforgettable story of an accidental crime and its haunting web of repercussions.
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The Magic Trap

The Magic Trap

Jacqueline Davies

Realistic Fiction / Fiction / Childrens

Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial,unmasked a bell thief, and stood at opposite ends over the right to keep secrets. Now they are creating a magic show—a professional magic show, in their own backyard! They practice, they study, and they practice some more. And who shows up? Their father, who has done such a good job of disappearing over the past few years. Just as Evan and Jessie took on running a business in The Lemonade War and a court of law in The Lemonade Crime, in this fifth novel of the bestselling Lemonade War series, they take on the challenges of magic and illusion all while discovering some hidden truths about their own family. Another fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel by the author whom Books for Kids calls, "one of the best writers for the middle grades around."
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