Trueit, Trudi Strain. MY TOP SECRET DARES & DON'TS

Trueit, Trudi Strain.  
MY TOP SECRET DARES & DON'TS

New York : Aladdin, 2017
IL 5-8, RL 5.7
ISBN 1481469053


Kestral is on her way to British Columbia.  Her grandfather has passed away and now Kestral, her mother and her brother will be spending the summer at the lodge to help out.  Kestral discovers that there is something going on at the lodge and she tries to get her family to listen to her.  But when you are only 12, sometimes you don't always make your point.  As the summer progresses, it become clear that something is going on and Kestral wants to help her grandmother keep the lodge.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/Ou6wnBqZD4yUc

Telgemeier, Raina. GHOSTS

Telgemeier, Raina.
GHOSTS

New York : Graphix, 2016

IL 3-6, RL 2.6
ISBN 0545540615


Catrina doesn't want to move to a new town.  Away from her home, her friends, her school.  But she is trying to be brave.  They are moving for her sister.  Maya has cystic fibrosis which makes it hard for her to breathe.  The air in the new town is supposedly better for her lungs so Cat will do all she can to make the move work. But when they arrive in Bahia de la Luna, all the people want to do is talk about all the ghosts that are in the town.  The last thing Cat wants to think about is ghosts and death.  She doesn't want to lose her little sister.  When her sister has a setback after encountering ghosts and lands in the hospital, Cat wants to protect her. Will she be able to do that?


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/w4apqiqoSnW2R

Rusch, Elizabeth. THE MUSIC OF LIFE : BARTOLOMEO CHRISTOFORI AND THE INVENTION OF THE PIANO

Rusch, Elizabeth.  
THE MUSIC OF LIFE : BARTOLOMEO CHRISTOFORI AND THE INVENTION OF THE PIANO
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017
IL K-3, RL 4.6

ISBN 1481444840


Have you ever wondered how -- and why -- the piano was invented? They are everywhere now and many people can play these instruments in varying abilities.  But what is the history of the piano?  Way back in the 1600s in Italy, a young man named Bartolomeo Christofori was a talented harpsicord maker.  His instruments were talked about around the country.  He was even invited by the Prince to come to the palace and work for the court.  This was great but Bartomoleo wanted to create an instrument that had more range than the harpsicord or the clavicord.  He worked tirelessly year after year and finally came up with the pianoforte.  Now the musician could play loud or soft and really control the music.  And can you believe this?  People hated it.  Musicians couldn't figure out how to play it.  Poor Bartomaleo.  All his work and no one liked it.  Why do you think it is so popular today?

For those of you who wonder how an author finds information while writing a book, Rusch given us details of how she discovered the facts for this book.  


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/6YIXror5YNaQg

Rooney, Anne. YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT INSECTS!

Rooney, Anne.  
YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT INSECTS!
New York : Franklin Watts, 2015
IL 3-6, RL  5.7

ISBN 0531213625

Insects!  Yuck, what a pain. Did you know that insects have been around a lot longer than people? Actually, they were the first type of animal to come out of the water and live on land about 450 million years ago.  And did you know that there are about 6-10 million species of insect? They account for about 90 % of all life forms on Earth, not counting bacteria. Although some insects spread diseases like malaria and the plague, there are a lot of beneficial insects.  Insects that are good for us? Come along and find out.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/biM9UnLj33XCP

Paul, Miranda. ONE PLASTIC BAG : ISATOU CEESAY AND THE RECYCLING WOMEN OF GAMBIA

Paul, Miranda. 
ONE PLASTIC BAG : ISATOU CEESAY AND THE RECYCLING WOMEN OF GAMBIA

New York : Millbrook Press, 2015
IL K-3, RL 3.0
ISBN 1467716081
Isatou Ceesay livedd in Gambia in Africa.  When she droped a basket of fruit, she looked for another way to carry the fruit.  She found a plastic bag.  She didn't know what it was but it certainly would hold the fruit.  Many of the people in the village began using plastic bags. But when they found that the bags broke quickly, they threw them away.  But all the trash caused problems in the village.  Isatou and her friends knew they had to do something to keep the bags out of the trash.  Can you think of a way to reuse plastic bags?   


Podccast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/8fEuOGElKDcSo

Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin. WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES

Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin.  
WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES
New York : Ember, 2016
IL YAISBN 0553496891


Told in alternate perspectives, we meet Stewart and Ashley and their families as they try to come together and merge into one.  Stewart is 13 and he is a socially clueless genius.  He is still mourning his mother's death but willing to try to make the new arrangement work. He has had to leave his school, Little Genius Academy and transfer to public school. But he has been put in 9th grade in the high school. Ashley is rather vapid and only concerned with appearances. She is popular with the other kids but not good with academics. She is still reeling from her parent's breakup. Not only did they not get along, it turns out her father is gay. She just can't accept that. .  Appearance is everything. And her father is now living in the small house out back.  And she won't accept that her mother has moved on and brought this geeky kid into their home.  So now we have two families who are very different trying to blend. Both funny and moving, this is a book full of molecules colliding.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/wxL0qWgV3Jesq

Maciejewski, Mark. I AM FARTACUS

Maciejewski, Mark.  
I AM FARTACUS 
New York : Aladdin, 2017

IL 5-8, RL 5.6
ISBN 1481464205


Maciek Trzebiatowski (pronounced Maw-check Chub-a-tess-key) is better known as Chub to his friends.  Not that he has very many.  It is pretty much just Moby now.  But everyone certainly knows Chub.  There aren't many bald immigrants in the middle school.  He used to be best friends with the Arch back in 2nd grade but they are now enemies.  And Chub will do any mean trick he can think of to bring the Arch down.  When the Arch becomes captain of the track team and class president,         the rivalry intensifies.  

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/1CSKbSNTe8j2Y

Grigson, Natalie. THE FANTASTIC FABLE OF PETER ABLE

Grigson, Natalie.  
THE FANTASTIC FABLE OF PETER ABLE
Kindle Press, 2015
IL YA


Peter is a boy wizard.  He is the hero of his own series of books. He lives in the land of Fiction and he is dependent on his Real World Author to keep him going.  But now the author has decided to end the series. Peter is now free of plotlines and can do what he wants. He is even free to appear in other books.  But what is freedom?  Will Peter be able to find a life without a plot line?

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/4pd5oQympj2Wm

Dowd, Siobhan. THE PAVEE AND THE BUFFER GIRL

Dowd, Siobhan.
THE PAVEE AND THE BUFFER GIRL
Edinburgh : The Bucket List, 2017
IL YA

ISBN 018172832

Jim and his family are Travellers living in Ireland.  Jim doesn't want to go to school where the kids call him a tinker or dirty gyp or worse.  But the law is the law and the Irish government has dictated that the Travellers must send their children to school.  Now Jim has to spend time with the buffers or settled children.  And he knows the taunts and beatings will begin.  What he doesn't expect is that there is one buffer girl who is kind to him.  Is that enough to get him through this?

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/ksD2snIVjo1yb

Cass, Kiera. THE SIREN

Cass, Kiera.  
THE SIREN

HarperTeen, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 0062391992

Even though it has been 80 years, Kahlen still has trouble living the life of a siren.  She loves the ocean and her sister sirens, but she just can't stand their mission.  They sing and cause disasters at sea.  Each time the ocean tells them to sing, Kahlen dreads their mission.  In between singings, they live very nice lives. The only stipulation is that they can't talk to humans.  Their voices cause humans to drown so they live lives as mutes.  And they have no human friends.  When Kahlen meets a wonderful young man, she knows she can't be involved with him. But there is just something about him that keeps her coming back.
Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/1FUJDXWWchWA1

Callaghan Cindy. SYDNEY MACKENZIE KNOCKS 'EM DEAD

Callaghan Cindy.  
SYDNEY MACKENZIE KNOCKS 'EM DEAD
New York : Aladdin, 2017

IL 5-8, RL 4.2
ISBN  1481465694


Life is good for Sydney Mackenzie.  She is a real California girl.  Her life revolves around the beach, her friends and clothes.  But then her father drops a bomb shell on her.  They are selling everything and moving to Delaware.  Is that even a place?  OK, Sydney devises a plan to become the most popular kid in school.  After all, she is from California and has met actual stars.  She dreams of her new life and how great it is going to be.  But when they arrive in Delaware, she finds out that they have inherited a spooky old Victorian house in a cemetery.  Her Dad is now the in charge of a cemetery!!  Can this get worse? You know it can.

Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/1ucRAcpwalYhO

Dee, Barbara. STAR-CROSSED

Dee, Barbara.  
STAR-CROSSED
New York : Aladdin, 2017

IL 5-8, RL 4.0
ISBN 1481478486
Mattie is a good student and English is her favorite class.  This year the 8th grade play will be Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  Mattie is so happy.  She loves Shakespeare.  She gets the part of Paris and is happy that it is not a major part.  Gemma gets the part of Juliet.  And she is great in the role.  But the boy who plays Romeo doesn't really get the play.  Mattie works with him to help him understand but he just doesn't  When he is forced to drop out, Mr. Torres asks Mattie to play Romeo since she knows all the lines and really understands the part.  She is a bit hesitant since she will have to play opposite of Gemma.  And she is finding herself trying to figure out the feelings she has towards Gemma.  And Gemma seems to have those same feelings for Mattie.  What is going on?

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/fDOdx8dRPVXsU

Castroman, Nicole. BLACKSOULS

Castroman, Nicole.  

BLACKSOULS
New York : Simon Pulse, 2017

IL YA
ISBN 1481491059

In the second volume of the series, we find Anne and Teach each crossing the ocean to Nassau on separate ships.  Neither of them have an easy passage.  Anne is on a ship where the crew is as dangerous as the voyage.  Fortunately, another passenger keeps her safe.  Teach's ship is attacked by pirates and the captain is totally unable to deal with the situation.  This leads Teach to mutiny to save the ship.  This leads to all sorts of problems when they get to Nassau.  As much as Anne and Teach want to be together and make a new life in Nassau, things are getting worse.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/hxig1fqF7YzeR

Byrne, Michael. LOTTERY BOY

Byrne, Michael. 

LOTTERY BOY
Somerville : Candlewick, 2016
IL YA
ISBN  0763679968

Bully is a 12 year old street kid.  His mum has died and he ran away from his step-dad.  It isn't easy living on the street but he has his dog to keep him company.  And he has the memories of his mum.  His prized possession is a birthday card that she recorded.  He tries not to play it too often since he doesn't want the battery to run out.  But he can't help it.  He just needs to hear her voice again. This time he finds something hidden in the card.  It is a lottery ticket. He actually bought it for her but she must have tucked it into the card for him.  Thinking that he might have won a few pounds, he stops into a shop and has it run through the machine.  Turns out he has won the big one.  The whole thing. Millions. But he only has 5 days to claim his prize. And he has to be over 16. Bully has to come up with a plan to get to the claims office and find someone who is at least 16 that he can trust to cash the ticket. And when the word gets out that he has the ticket, all sorts of bad people are out to take it away from him.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/HqjmuS76EJ3RL

Riordan, Rick. THE SWORD OF SUMMER

Riordan, Rick.  
THE SWORD OF SUMMER
Orlando : Disney Hyperion, 2015

IL 5-8, RL 4.8
ISBN 1423160916
Magnus Chase is just a street kid trying to get by.  He has been homeless for two years now.  He never knew his father and his mother was killed when he was fourteen.  Now he hears that his uncle has been looking for him.  Now why would he suddenly want to find Magnus?  When he breaks into his uncle's house trying to figure out what is going on, little could he know that he is descended from a Norse god. And they are preparing for war.  But when he tries to help, he is killed!  Not a good start to this new series.  But worry not, Magnus is now in Vahalla, the Norse afterlife, where his learns that his best friends are really part of this realm and that it is up to him to find a way to stop the end from coming.
Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/b9QBoDOUQb8d4

Napoli, Donna Jo. FISH GIRL

Napoli, Donna Jo.  
FISH GIRL
New York : Clarion, 2017

IL 5-8 RL 2.7
ISBN 0544815122


Fish Girl lives in an aquarium.  She doesn't remember too much of her life before this.  But now she has a job to do.  As "Neptune" wows the crowd with tales of exotic creatures and how he controls the sea, he tells them that a mermaid lives in the aquarium.  Fish Girl's job is to swim around in the tanks and tease the audience but never to let them really see her.  When one girl goes behind the scenes and discovers Fish Girl, will things be ruined forever?  Will they really just want to cut her up and experiment on her?  Or will the girl help her keep her secret?


Podcast : https://spark.adobe.com/video/zwlfzD3Avyhqo

Pla, Sally J. THE SOMEDAY BIRDS

Pla, Sally J.  
THE SOMEDAY BIRDS
New York : HarperCollins, 2017

IL 5-8, RL 4.7
ISBN 0062445766

Charlie is 12 and he has autism.  And OCD that forces him to wash his hands over and over again.  His mom has passed away and his father has suffered brain damage overseas.  He lives with his sister, his twin brothers and his grandmother.  But now the doctors have some promising news.  There is a doctor in Virginia who thinks he has a way to make Dad better.  So his grandmother and Dad leave for the hospital and the kids will be traveling across the country to meet up with them.  When Ludmila is hired to drive them, the trip becomes a journey of hope and self discovery. 

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/MKYEESEqg0Q7l

Oh, Ellen. FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES

Oh, Ellen.  
FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES

New York : Crown, 2017
IL 3-6, RL 4.5
ISBN 110193459X

Tiny baby Lingsi was sold to the Li family only after Mrs Li promised the baby’s mother to teach Lingsi to read upon her sixth birthday. Lingsi served the Li family as she grew. On Lingsi’s sixth birthday the promise had to be honored or the Li family would suffer a curse from the broken promise. So it came to be that Lingsi would be tutored alongside the Li’s son FuDing. For six years Lingsi was tutored with the treacherous and cruel FuDing. All studies ceased when the Li family began to make preparations for their son’s marriage. But who would marry FuDing? Why was Lingsi really bought? Was her purpose really more than just a servant? The answers to these questions and more can be discovered in The Difficult Path by Grace Lin. This is just one story in a collaboration of ten award winning authors in a dynamic collection of short stories. Some told in verse, some in diary form, all gripping from the beginning. A brief bio is included on each of the contributing writers: Kwame Alexander, Kelly J. Bapstist, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pena, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Meyers, Ellen Oh, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson   (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award nominee, 2018) 
Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/imxL4ta5hcaTw

Wolk, Lauren. WOLF HOLLOW

Wolk, Lauren.  
WOLF HOLLOW Dutton Children's Books, 2016
 Life in the countryside of Pennsylvania was quiet and mostly uncomplicated for eleven year old Annabelle until Betty Glengarry came to town. The year is 1943 and the fighting of World War II rages on far away from the rural life of Wolf Hollow. It was said Betty was sent away from the city to live with her grandparents because she was “incorrigible”, an impossibly long word Annabelle has to look up in the dictionary at school. Incorrigible means delinquent, not manageable, and unruly. Betty soon shows herself to be a mean-spirited bully. Along with Annabelle, others become the object of Betty’s attacks. Annabelle’s story will grip you with the intensity of action and stark contrasts of kindness and cruelty. Reading this book could very well change your life.   (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award nominee, 2018)

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/JJS6yAJwCmHvj

Griffin, Paul. WHEN FRIENDSHIP FOLLOWED ME HOME

Griffin, Paul.  
WHEN FRIENDSHIP FOLLOWED ME HOME

Dial, 2016
 Ben Coffin knows better than to get too close with people. As a former foster kid, he knows people leave. He prefers to spend his time with the people in science fiction books, reading each afternoon down at the Coney Island library. He’s such a regular, the librarian there even sets aside new books she thinks he’ll like without his asking. Then in one afternoon, Ben finds a lost dog he names Flip, and meets Halley (like the comet), a rainbow-hued girl at the library. Halley is the librarian’s daughter, but he has missed meeting her because she’s been busy with cancer treatments, now mercifully over. Ben suddenly finds himself with two excellent companions, and with their help, sets out to begin a Reading Dogs program at the library. But just as everything is beginning to go right for once, Ben faces a tragedy at home, leading him face to face with violence and homelessness. His ties to Halley and her family seem more important and yet more fragile than ever. But with Flip by his side and more people behind him than he realizes, Ben is able to face each challenge as it comes, and come out on top.  (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award nominee, 2018)

Padcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/hdC1augbQw0Ls

Mabbitt, Will. THE UNLIKELY ADVENTURES OF MABEL JONES

Mabbitt, Will.  
THE UNLIKELY ADVENTURES OF MABEL JONES

New York : Viking, 2015
IL 3-6, RL 5.4
ISBN 0451471962

Have you ever been kidnapped right out of your own bed by a crew of scurvy pirates? A sack pulled over your head, and next, you’re thrown over a shoulder and dragged out of this world into a world where wolves, pigs, goats, and even a silent loris sail the seas in search of ill-gotten treasure??? No???? Ah! Then you must never have committed The Deed. The sacred Deed which shows you are a pirate in the making… Unfortunately for Mabel Jones, she did commit the deed---unlike all of you clean, healthy, and innocent children, Mabel Jones is guilty. Yes, she picked her nose…and then she ate it!!!! Ewwwwww! Pulled out of her bedroom onto the pirate ship The Feroshus Maggot, Mabel must serve its terrifying captain, (the cruel and selfish wolf, Idryys Ebenezer Split) so that she can stay alive long enough to find her way home. Can she survive the Greasy Pole of Certain Death? The Cadaverous Lobster Tavern? The Unremitting Drip? All of this while still dressed in pajamas??? Mabel is brave, smart, and she has a talent which the pirates lack…she can read. Come along with Mabel Jones, and find out if she can make her way back to her own bedroom!   (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award nominee, 2018) 
Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/BjAH6ZvTSnWx2

Van Draanen, Wendelin. THE SECRET LIFE OF LINCOLN JONES

Van Draanen, Wendelin.  
THE SECRET LIFE OF LINCOLN JONES
New York : Knopf, 2015
IL 3-6, RL 4.3
ISBN  1101940409
Sixth-grader Lincoln Jones is new to town. His mom finally found the strength to get out of an abusive relationship and they’ve moved north and into a dive apartment in the not-so-great part of town. That wouldn’t be so bad, but his mom won’t let him stay home alone after school. So every weekday, Lincoln walks the twelve blocks to Brookside where she works. And Lincoln will do anything to keep his after school time at Brookside secret from his classmates. He’s already got enough troubles being the new kid with a southern accent, imagine what they’d say if they found out he was spending his afternoons with elderly memory-care patients like the naked, dancing Ruby Hobbs and Debbie, who shouts across the room to ask his name every day. While his mother works as a caregiver, Lincoln does his schoolwork and writes stories in his ever-present notebook. But when a nosy classmate by the name of Kandi Kane seems to be stalking him, Lincoln begins to worry. What he learns is that other people have secrets of their own. Tough subjects about aging and fitting in are handled with humor and compassion.  (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award nominee, 2018) Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/Q5QkItFDtdQVW