Family life

Middle (X) - Family life (X)

Penny from Heaven (Unabridged)

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It's 1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and baseball. But nothing's that easy in Penny's family. For starters, she can't go swimming because her mother's afraid she'll catch polio at the pool. To make matters worse, her favorite uncle is living in a car. Her Nonny cries every time her father's name is mentioned.

Grade Level: 
Lexile: 
730L
Length: 
05:35
Penny from Heaven (Unabridged)

Our Only May Amelia (Unabridged)

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It isn't easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899 - particularly when you are the only girl ever born to the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can't seem to abide her family's insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady.

Grade Level: 
Lexile: 
900L
Length: 
04:38
Our Only May Amelia (Unabridged)

The Pepins and their Problems (Unabridged)

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Whether it's waking up to find toads in their shoes, becoming trapped on the roof, or searching for cheese when their cow only makes lemonade, the Pepin family always seems to get into the most bizarre scrapes. Lucky for them, they have an author with large psychic antennae and great problem-solving listeners who can join the Pepins on their hilarious adventures.

Author: 
Grade Level: 
Lexile: 
920L
Length: 
02:57
The Pepins and their Problems (Unabridged)

Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception (Unabridged)

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Kevin has a big talent. Some might call it compulsive lying. He calls it common sense.

Author: 
Grade Level: 
Lexile: 
940L
Length: 
02:16
Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception (Unabridged)

Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys' Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys (Unabridged)

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This fast-paced, high-energy collection of short works features today's most popular writers and illustrators writing about what it means to be a guy. Contributors include Chris Crutcher, Stephen King, Matt Groening, Daniel Pinkwater, Neil Gaiman, and many more.

Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys' Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys (Unabridged)

Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes (Unabridged)

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In her most dangerous mystery to date, Sammy runs into a strange girl trying to escape from a scary looking guy at the mall. When the girl asks Sammy to watch her shopping bag and then flees, Sammy is alarmed to discover that inside the bag is a baby!

Grade Level: 
Lexile: 
650L
Length: 
06:43
Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes (Unabridged)

Wringer

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Copies: 4

He was not aware that he ever stopped crying.In his sleep a voice echoed down the long dark barrel of a cannon: You have run out of birthdays. In the morning he awoke suddenly to a flutter of wings.

Birthdays are an obsession where Palmer comes from, but if turning a year older means initiation into a violent practice he despises, he'd rather not. Unfortunately, Palmer cannot stop time any more than he can change tradition. So as this next and most important birthday approaches, Palmer knows that it's now or never. Something must be done.

Lexile: 
690L
Wringer

Crash

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Copies: 4

Crash Coogan, a seventh-grade football star, has been an aggressive person from the time he was very young; sometimes, he is too aggressive. He enjoys his rough, macho behavior until he meets an unusual neighbor who forces him to think about his life and his way of treating others.

A rare glimpse into the life of a bully in an unforgettable story about stereotypes and surprises.

Author: 
Lexile: 
270L
Crash

As Simple as It Seems

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Copies: 8

Moving and funny, this heartwarming and memorable novel follows one girl's discovery that life is not always as simple as it seems.

Author: 
Lexile: 
910L
As Simple as It Seems

Looking for Me

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Copies: 7

One of twelve siblings growing up in Depression-era Baltimore, Edith isn’t quite sure of who she is. Between working at her father’s diner, taking care of her younger siblings, and living in the shadow of her more mature sisters, she feels lost in a sea of siblings. When a kind teacher encourages Edith to be a teacher herself one day, Edith sees prospects for a future all her own. Full of joy, pain, humor, and sadness, this novel in verse is an enduring portrait of one family’s pursuit of the American dream.

Lexile: 
1130L
Looking for Me

The Trouble with May Amelia

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Copies: 7

In this sequel to the Newbery Honor Book Our Only May Amelia, May Amelia Jackson is living with her seven brothers on a muddy farm on the banks of the Nasel River in Washington State — and she still can't act the part of a Proper Young Lady. So when her father proclaims that "girls are useless," May Amelia is determined to prove him wrong!

Lexile: 
690L
The Trouble with May Amelia

Applewhites at Wit's End

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Copies: 7

Jack Semple and E.D. Applewhite are back, in this middle-grade sequel to Stephanie S. Tolan’s Newbery Honor Book Surviving the Applewhites.

Teenager E.D., the not so artistic, not at all eccentric member of the unconventional Applewhite clan, can't believe the plan her father has hatched to save the family from financial disaster. He’s decided to transform their rural North Carolina farm into a summer camp for creative children.

Lexile: 
840L
Applewhites at Wit's End

Little House in the Big Woods

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Copies: 5

The book that started it all! Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's treasured Little House series, which was based on her life growing up as an American pioneer. This edition features Garth Williams' interior art in vibrant full color.

Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack.

Lexile: 
930L
Little House in the Big Woods

Little House on the Prairie

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Copies: 5

Laura Ingalls likes her little house in the big woods, which she shares with Ma and Pa, and her two, sisters Mary and Carrie. Winter is coming, and their log house is snug and warm. But the big woods are becoming crowded. Everyday, they hear the thud of an axe on a tree, and Pa wants to leave. In fact, he wants to move the entire family west, to Indian country. The family prepares a covered wagon and Laura leaves her home in the woods forever.

Lexile: 
760L
Little House on the Prairie

On the Banks of Plum Creek

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Copies: 5

The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they leave their little house on the prairie and travel in their covered wagon to Minnesota. Here they settle in a little house made of sod beside the banks of beautiful Plum Creek. Soon Pa builds a wonderful new little house with real glass windows and a hinged door. Laura and her sister Mary go to school, help with the chores, and fish in the creek. At night everyone listens to the merry music of Pa's fiddle.

Lexile: 
720L
On the Banks of Plum Creek

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