Rue, Ginger. ALECA ZAMM IS A WONDER

Rue, Ginger. 
ALECA ZAMM IS A WONDER
New York : Aladdin, 2017
IL 3-6
ISBN 1481470604

Aleca is excited about turning 10 but she still has to get through the school day.  Her teacher hates her and she is being bullied by some mean girls.  When one of them lies and tells the teacher that Aleca was talking when the teacher went out of the room, Aleca has had it. The teacher complains to the principal who is going to do something. When he asks Aleca her name, she replies "Aleca Zamm" and time stood still. For real. Everybody just stopped in their tracks. Animals too. This is very strange. Aleca decides to have some fun with this and pulls a few pranks while everyone is frozen. But then she gets serious. How in the world is she able to stop everyone just by saying her name? Maybe her great aunt can figure this out.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/x7XiJttTrjd6q

Roberts, Willo Davis. PAWNS

Roberts, Willo Davis.
PAWNS
New York : Simon Pulse, 2017
IL YA
ISBN 1481486209

Fourteen year old Teddi is trying to come to grips with her parents deaths just four months ago.  She doesn't know what she would be doing or who she would be living with if Mamie hadn't opened her home. Mamie was their next door neighbor and really helped Teddi through those horrible months when her mother was dying. Now Mamie has a new person showing up on her doorstep. Dora shows up with suitcases in hand and very pregnant.  She tells Mamie that she was married to Mamie's son Ricky who has been killed in a airplane accident. Mamie doesn't know what to think since she really hasn't heard much from Ricky after he moved to California.  So Dora is welcomed as the new baby when he is born.  But something is just not right.  And Teddi is going to find out what.
 Podast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/WULNw4ydt0Paq

Roberts, Willo Davis. MEGAN'S ISLAND

Roberts, Willo Davis.
MEGAN'S ISLAND
New York : Aladdin, 2016
IL 3-6, RL 5.0
ISBN 1481449087

Megan is looking forward to summer vacation.  She is going to spend time at her Grandfather's cabin on the lake. And her mother is letting her bring  her best friend Annie. But it all changes when her mother makes them pack up in the middle of the night and drive all night. They end up at the cabin but she isn't allowed to tell Annie where they are. This is the way it always is when they move. Pack up and leave everyone behind. No contact with anyone they know. This time, Megan's mother leaves them at the cabin and goes away saying she will be back.  It just feels different this time. Will Megan be able to figure out what is going on? And does she want to?

Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/KYtK0Jc6NtnMO

Priebe, Gigi. ADVENTURES OF HENRY WHISKERS

Priebe, Gigi.
ADVENTURES OF HENRY WHISKERS
New York : Aladdin, 2017
IL 3-6, RL 5.8
ISBN 1481465759
For 25 generations, Henry Whiskers' family have lived in the doll house. The house is gorgeous and was built for the Queen of England and now resides in Windsor Castle. The doll house is not played with so it is rather easy to live there. They must not been seen though since that could be disastrous. When the doll house is closed and items are stored, Henry's sister Isabel is trapped in one of the items taken out of the doll house, it is up to him to rescue her. Can he do it without being seen? And what of the rats who also live nearby?


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/GS0zw0XRGrO8z

Clarke, Cat. PANTS PROJECT

Clarke, Cat.  
PANTS PROJECT
New York : Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2017
IL 5-8, RL 4.7

ISBN 1492638099

Liv is a bit worried about going into middle school.  Liv's best friend will be there too so it won't be horrible.  Except for the school uniforms.  There is a strict dress code.  Both boys and girls wear shirts, ties and sweaters.  So far, so good.  But all the girls have to wear skirts.  This doesn't sit well with Liv.  Liv hates skirts and doesn't want to wear one.  Liv is actually transgender and dreads being stuck in a skirt every day. Liv tries everything to get out of wearing the uncomfortable skirt every day.  Add to that the class mean girl has targeted Liv for her abuse.  Things are just not looking great for Liv in the first month in the school.
Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/nRmHrDhzxiRVG

Charbonneau, Joelle. NEED

Charbonneau, Joelle.
NEED
New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015
IL YA

ISBN 0544416694


Do you know the difference between a "want" and a "need"? A "want" is a desire to possess or do something. A wish. A "need" is something required because it is essential. Something very important that you cannot live without. When the students of a small school in Wisconsin are invited to join a new social media site, the question is "What do you need?" Some students ask for new phones or new exercise equipment or good grades. The site, NEED, grants the requests with a demand that the students invite others at the school to join the network. Easy enough. When Kaylee joins, she asks for a new kidney for her brother who will die without one. NEED tells her it will be granted. She isn't required to invite any students. But once all the students are members, NEED requests the students perform certain tasks in order to be granted their need . They seem like pranks. Putting a box on a door step or delivering notes to people. But are these harmless pranks what they seem to be? Just who is behind  NEED? And why is it limited to students of Nottawa High School?
Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/TlbdkNwxS4UnF

Allbright, Lauren. EXIT STRATEGY

Allbright, Lauren.
EXIT STRATEGY
New York : Aladdin, 2017
IL 3-6, RL 5.2
ISBN 1481479121

It is another last day at school for Ross.  And it needs to be epic. Ross and his mom move a lot because of her job. She is in a touring orchestra and only spends a short time in each stop. So Ross is used to be the new kid. And he has had too many last days where he gathers his belongings and heads to the front of the class to say goodbye to kids he doesn't really know. A few moves ago, he accidentally knocked over two desks full of papers and they went flying.  It was epic.  Everyone will remember that one. So now when he leaves, he plans an epic exit strategy. The kids love it but not the teachers. So, now a new school. This feels different though. It is not for a new job. This time they are moving in to help his grandfather who has had an accident. Now there is no idea when it will be over. And Ross faces the fact that he might just have to try to fit in.

Pocast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/Na2zEIksaTeXm

Woollett, Laura A. BIG TOP BURNING : THE TRUE STORY OF AN ARSONIST, A MISSING GIRL, AND THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Woollett, Laura A. 
BIG TOP BURNING : THE TRUE STORY OF AN ARSONIST, A MISSING GIRL, AND THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
Chicago : Chicago Review Press, 2015
IL 5-8, RL 6.5

ISBN 1613731140


It was a beautiful day in Hartford, Connecticut.  In 1944, the country was involved in World War II.  There was not much extra money for entertainment.  But when the circus was coming to town, people saved their pennies and looked forward to the greatest show on  Earth.  The tent was crowded with excited families enjoying the show.  But then the unthinkable happened.  A fire broke out.  People scrambled to get out.  They pushed and shoved and tried desperately to get their children to safety.  What happened that day?  And who would make it out?   
Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/fdGgbSWkcyHN8

Winter, Jonah. THE SECRET PROJECT

Winter, Jonah.  

THE SECRET PROJECT
New York : Beach Lane Books, 2017
IL 3-6, RL 6.5
ISBN 1481469134

Way back in the 1940s, a very secret project was going on in the desert of New Mexico.  No one could know about it.  Not the people who lived in the area.  Not anyone not working on it. Even those people who were hired to work in the compound had no idea what the scientists were working on. Only the scientists knew what was going on.  And what they created changed the world forever.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/0E9lpiYfwnBsZ

Weatherford, Carole Boston. THE LEGENDARY MISS LENA HORNE

Weatherford, Carole Boston.  
THE LEGENDARY MISS LENA HORNE
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017

IL 3-6, RL 6.1
ISBN 1481468243


"You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way." Actress, singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne believed these words. When she entered show business in the 1930s, she was determined  to carry herself with dignity.  When she started acting in movies, she was determined not to portray just maids or nannies as most black actresses did.  Come along and learn more about this remarkable woman.  You may not know who she is now, but you will be glad you learned about her life.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/CTOonikbs4c56

Walters, Eric. WILL TO SURVIV3

Walters, Eric.  
WILL TO SURVIV3   
New York : Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2016

IL YA
ISBN 0374301816


It has been a few months since the world went dark.  All devices that were controlled by computers have failed.  The residents of Eden Mills have been doing better than most.  They have banded together and fortified their neighborhood.  Life isn't perfect, but they are doing OK.  Now it is time to look outward for more allies.  Some neighborhoods have things to trade and Herb, Adam and the rest of the community is out to find out what. It is not always safe to approach new people. But maybe the biggest threat they will face comes from within.

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

Walters, Eric. FIGHT FOR POW3R

Walters, Eric.  
FIGHT FOR POW3R
New York : Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2016
IL YA

ISBN 0374301794


It's been 66 days since the power went out and things are changing for those in the the Eden Mills neighborhood.  They have barricaded the neighborhood behind a wall and they are probably doing better than most.  But when you have a good thing, others are always trying to take it away.  They have been able to eliminate one major threat but they know that there are others out there who want to destroy them.  The neighborhood is being lead by Herb, an ex-spy, and they are lucky to have him.  Teenager Adam has proven his worth by piloting the ultralight that allows him to monitor the surrounding areas and look for danger.  A tent city has grown up around the walls that may mean danger as well.  Although Adam and his girlfriend Lori have befriended some of the people in the city, there isn't enough food in Eden Mills to welcome any more residents.  Tensions are mounting.  What will our survivors face as the blackout continues and the food runs out?   



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/1lDvhMf4xwfR0

Van Vleet, Carmella. ELIZA BING IS (NOT) A BIG, FAT QUITTER

Van Vleet, Carmella.  
ELIZA BING IS (NOT) A BIG, FAT QUITTER

New York : Holiday House, 2014
IL 3-6, RL 5.2
ISBN 082342944X
Eliza has her heart set on taking a cake decorating class this summer with her best friend.  The two just did a school project and they came up with a great idea for opening a pastry shop some day. But Eliza needs to learn more than she does now. And guess what?  A famous tv chef is coming to teach a class in town.  What could be better than that? Unfortunately, Eliza's dad has lost his job and money is tight and the class is very expensive. Not fair!!  Eliza overhears her parents talking about how she quits everything she tries and it is too much money just to have her quit. When her brother quits tae kwon do lessons, Eliza offers to take the classes so they don't lose the money.  She'll show them that she is not a quitter.  But she really doesn't like the class and really wants to quit.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/sq2lLJCqLFIrK