THE BLUE SHOE: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes
written by Roderick Townley
illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375856006
Ages 8-12
272 pages

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Hap Barlo is in a cell, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. The blue shoe was ruined, the girl he’d been trying to help was missing, and he’d been branded a thief --- again! He would be banished to the far side of Mount Xexnax in the morning.

On the bright side, now he might be able to rescue his father, who had been banished last year. No one has ever returned from Xexnax, so perhaps Hap is a tad optimistic to be dreaming of rescue. Then again, perhaps a dreamer, a doer and a thief is just the kind of boy who could challenge this mountain --- and win!

THE DOOM MACHINE
written and illustrated by Mark Teague
The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780545151429
Ages 9-12
320 pages

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When a spaceship lands in Vern Hollow, Jack's hometown, he and his no-account inventor-uncle Bud are busy trying to fix a car driven by Dr. Shumway and her daughter, Isadora. Although Uncle Bud secretly knows the aliens are after one of his inventions, everyone is surprised when the space aliens capture seven of Vern Hollow's residents and take them into outer space on a wild adventure. After a series of twists and turns, all of them are taken to Skreepia, the aliens' planet, where they have to defeat the Skreep queen before she can use Uncle Bud's invention to take over planet Earth.

RUNAWAY TWIN
Peg Kehret
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525421771
Ages 10-up
192 pages

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Sunny Skyland longs to be reunited with her twin sister, Starr. With only an old photograph, taken a few days before the girls were separated at age three, to guide her, Sunny begins the cross-country journey that she has dreamed of during her 10 years in various foster homes. Sunny manages to locate her twin, only to be faced with a whole new challenge.

43 Old Cemetery Road

OVER MY DEAD BODY: 43 Old Cemetery Road, Book Two
written by Kate Klise
illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780152057343
Ages 8-12
128 pages

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The International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY) dictates that Seymour cannot live in the mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road "without the benefit of parents." Ignatius B. Grumply tries to explain to Dick Tater, the head of IMSPOOKY, that he and Seymour are in a lovely living (and publishing!) arrangement with the ghost of Olive C. Spence. Dick Tater is not convinced. But this clever trio can’t be broken up as easily as he imagines…
 
This companion to DYING TO MEET YOU, the first book in the 43 Old Cemetery Road series, is another spooky tale told in letters, drawings, newspaper articles and television scripts.

Alcatraz

ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE KNIGHTS OF CRYSTALLIA
Brandon Sanderson
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780439925556
Ages 9-12
336 pages

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When Alcatraz and Grandpa Smedry make a pilgrimage to the Free Kingdom city of Crystallia, the Smedry home base, Alcatraz is shocked to see that he is, in fact, a legend. When he was a baby he was stolen by the Evil Librarians, and his mother, a Librarian herself, was behind the whole scheme. Now, with his estranged father, who is acting indeed strange, Bastille, who has been stripped of her armor, and Grandpa Smedry, who is, as always, late to everything (that's his Talent), Alcatraz tries to save a city under siege. From who? Why, the Librarians of course!

Chet Gecko

DIAL M FOR MONGOOSE: A Chet Gecko Mystery
Bruce Hale
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780152054946
Ages 8-12
128 pages

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Chet finally gets a case that throws him for a loop. People he thinks are the salt of the earth turn out to be the scum of the pond. And lowdown punks turn out to be nice guys. Then there's a deadly, school-wide stink bomb and a classroom fire that almost spells the end for Chet. It's enough to make a gecko give up detecting and turn to knitting doilies. But he toughs it out. And why? Loyalty. Someone's trying to put his mongoose janitor pal, Maureen DeBree, on ice. A true-blue P.I. doesn't take that kind of monkey business lying down. Oh, no, Chet Gecko keeps digging for truth like a mole after an earthworm sandwich. When you want your floors waxed, dial "M" for mongoose. When you want danger, deception and trouble galore, dial "G" for Gecko.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS
Jeff Kinney
Amulet/Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780810983915
Ages 9-12
224 pages

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It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn. Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer --- one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.” Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?

Dyamonde Daniel

RICH: A Dyamonde Daniel Book
written by Nikki Grimes
illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN: 9780399251764
Ages 7-9
96 pages

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Dyamonde Daniel is excited about the local library’s poetry contest, and so is her friend Free. The prize is $100 --- just think what they could buy with that much money! But when they find out that Damaris, one of their classmates, has been living in a homeless shelter, their ideas about what it means to be rich or poor start to change. And when they get to know Damaris, they realize the one who could use the prize money the most also happens to be the best poet in class.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PRISONER’S DILEMMA
Trenton Lee Stewart
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316045520
Ages 8-12
400 pages

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Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.

Oggie Cooder

OGGIE COODER, PARTY ANIMAL!
Sarah Weeks
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780439927925
Ages 7-10
176 pages

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Oggie Cooder has never set foot (or swim fin) in his neighbor Donnica Perfecto's swimming pool. But now he has his chance --- it's Donnica's birthday, and her mom has forced her to invite Oggie to the pool party! Donnica, though, isn't about to let this happen. She has a plan to keep Oggie away. But what she doesn't count on is the power of Oggie's charving, an unexpected visit from a local rock band, a creative use of a cherry picker, a dog that tweets like a bird, and a boy in a bear suit whose identity will change everything when it's revealed.

Peter and the Starcatchers

PETER AND THE SWORD OF MERCY
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423121343
Ages 10-up
528 pages

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The year is 1901 --- it's been 23 years since Peter and the Lost Boys returned from Rundoon. Since then, nobody on the island has grown a day older, and the Lost Boys continue their friendship with the Mollusk tribe, and their rivalry with Captain Hook. Meanwhile in London, Molly has married George Darling and is raising three children: Wendy, Michael and John.
 
One night a visitor appears at her door; it's James, one of Peter's original Lost Boys. He is now working for Scotland Yard and suspects that the heir to England's throne, Prince Albert Edward, is under the influence of shadow creatures. These shadow creatures are determined to find a secret cache of startstuff that fell to London many centuries ago. The starstuff is hidden in an underground vault that has only one key: the Sword of Mercy, a legendary weapon kept with the Crown Jewels. 
 
Molly is determined to help, but when she suddenly goes missing, it is up to her 11-year-old daughter, Wendy, to keep the starstuff out of the Others' clutches. She has heard her mother's stories of a flying boy named Peter Pan, and he may be her only hope in saving the world from a shadowy doom.

Sassy

SASSY: THE BIRTHDAY STORM
Sharon M. Draper
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545071529
Ages 7-10
112 pages

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The time is summer vacation. Sassy and her family head to Florida by airplane to visit Grammy. It's Grammy's birthday and a huge celebration is planned at her beach house. Weather reports have indicated that a possible hurricane is swirling in the Atlantic, but it is not supposed to be a threat. The family lands during beautiful, sunny weather and the summer vacation begins with no problem. But the weather soon takes a turn, and the hurricane changes course, heading right toward Grammy's town. Houses are boarded up and local people stock up on food, water and ice.

Sea of Trolls Trilogy

THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED
Nancy Farmer
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
ISBN: 9781416907374
Ages 10-14
496 pages

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The final volume in Nancy Farmer’s trilogy that started with THE SEA OF TROLLS and continued with THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES begins with a tornado (Odin on a Wild Hunt, as the young berserker Thorgil sees it). The fields of Jack’s village are devastated, the winter is bleak, and a monster invades the forest outside of town. Jack, Thorgil and the Bard must confront the malevolent spirit of someone whose death was caused by Father Severus. The quest to right this wrong casts us among the 10 fen folk of Notland. Unfortunately for the adventurers, Notland is not always there.

Skeleton Creek

SKELETON CREEK #2: GHOST IN THE MACHINE
Patrick Carman
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545075701
Ages 10-up
192 pages

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Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek --- and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secret• Read a Review
s buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series.
 
In this groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts --- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.

Companion to THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER and WINNIE-THE-POOH

RETURN TO THE HUNDRED ACRE WOOD
written by David Benedictus
illustrated by Mark Burgess
Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 9780525421603
All ages
160 pages

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It was 80 years ago, on the publication of THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER, when Christopher Robin said good-bye to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Now they are all back in new adventures, for the first time approved by the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne --- a worthy sequel to THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER and WINNIE-THE-POOH.

CROW CALL
written by Lois Lowry
illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545030359
Ages 7-10
32 pages

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This is the story of young Liz, her father and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly.

JANUARY’S SPARROW
written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399250774
Ages 8-up
96 pages

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In the middle of the night, The Crosswhites --- including young Sadie --- must flee the Kentucky plantation they work on. Dear January has been beaten and killed by the plantation master, and they fear who may be next. But Sadie must leave behind her most valuable possession, the wooden sparrow carved for her by January. Through the Underground Railroad, the Crosswhites make the slow and arduous journey to Marshall, Michigan, where they finally live in freedom. And there they stay, happily, until the day a mysterious package shows up on their doorsteps. It is January’s sparrow, with a note that reads, “I found you.”

TESTING THE ICE: A True Story about Jackie Robinson
written by Sharon Robinson
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545052511
Ages 7-10
40 pages

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When Jackie Robinson retires from baseball and moves his family to Connecticut, the beautiful lake on their property is the center of everyone's fun. The neighborhood children join the Robinson kids for swimming and boating. But oddly, Jackie never goes near the water.
 
In a dramatic episode that first winter, the children beg to go ice skating on the lake. Jackie says they can go --- but only after he tests the ice to make sure it's safe. The children prod and push to get Jackie outside, until hesitantly, he finally goes. Jackie taps on the ice's surface, when suddenly howling and roaring sounds come out of the lake. It is only then that Sharon realizes why she's never seen her father in the water --- Jackie doesn't know how to swim! But her horror changes to relief as Jackie bravely taps his way to the middle of the lake --- and declares it safe.