Book

Welcome to Rock Island, where time stands still.

The Fletchers are back on Rock Island, home of all their best summer memories. But from the first day of vacation, it's clear that this year, things have changed. And Sam, Jax, Eli, and Frog Fletcher can't quite believe their eyes.

FIRST, a giant fence is blocking their beloved lighthouse, which has always been open to the public. Why is it closed? And what is the For Sale sign doing there?

There was never anything calm about Vincent. Her sisters used to say that she had a bee chasing her. Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950), known as Vincent, was an acclaimed American poet who came to embody the modern, liberated woman of the Jazz Age. From the fiery energy of her youth to the excitement and acclaim of her early adulthood in New York and Paris, to the demands of living in the public eye, Vincent’s life was characterized by creativity, hard work, and passion.

Have you ever wondered how experts train a gorilla? Or what design features make a great gorilla habitat? Did you know that some gorillas can solve problems on giant touch-screen computers?

Filled with facts and photos, Gorillas Up Close takes us into the world of gorillas. Explore the differences between gorillas in zoos and in the wild with the gorilla family troop in Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Readers will delight in the similarities gorillas share with humans while finding out more about these incredible animals.

It's Rafe Khatchadorian's first day at Hills Village Middle School, and it's shaping up to be the worst year ever. He has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix, but luckily he's got an ace plan for the best year ever--if only he can pull it off. With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class--5,000 points! Running in the hallway--10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm--50,000 points!

It's summertime and everyone is heading off to camp. For kids with special Talents, the place to be is Camp Atropos, to sing songs by the campfire, practice for the Talent show, and take some nice long dips in the lake. But what the kids don't realize is that they've been gathered for a reason--one that the camp's director wants to keep hidden at all costs.

There is a ship, a navy ship. It is called the USS New York. It is big like other navy ships, and it sails like other navy ships, but there is something special about the USS New York.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, a steel beam from the World Trade Center towers was given to the United States Navy.

The beam was driven from New York to a foundry in Louisiana.

Metal workers heated the beam to a high, high temperature.

Chippers and grinders, painters and polishers worked on the beam for months.

In this enthralling book, Newbery Medalist Russell Freeman provides a succinct account of perhaps the most puzzling and controversial of America's wars. Describing how a superpower caught up in 1950s cold war politics became increasingly enmeshed in a conflict over 8,000 miles away, he then explains why twenty years later and exit was so difficult. In words and photographs, he chronicles the unfolding events in Vietnam and at home as increasing numbers of young men were sent into the jungles to fight.

Around the world, from US coastal towns to island nations of the Pacific and the deserts of Africa, people are in danger of losing their homes. Some have already fled. Others know they are running out of time. By 2050, at least 25 million people will be driven from their homes due to the effects of climate change.

On May 22, 2007, three veteran sailors set out on an epic voyage from Florida to France. But the trip of a lifetime soon turns into a nightmare when their forty-seven-foot sailboat disappears along the Gulf Stream in the throes of a calamitous storm. The three weary passengers are left behind and struggle to stay alive afloat a life raft in violent waves eighty feet tall.

"They came from around the world to live the American dream. Instead, they walked into the worst nightmare--the Civil War.

Catherine Burkhart, a 16-year-old immigrant from Germany. Mary Ryan, age 18, from Ireland. Kate Horan, a 25-year-old mother of four small children. They, along with hundreds of other poor girls and women, found work in the arsenals making small-arms cartridges. They toiled up to 72 hours a week making sure that the armies of the North and South never ran out of bullets.

Twelve-year-old Nella Sabatini’s life is changing too soon, too fast. Her best friend, Clem, doesn’t seem concerned; she’s busy figuring out the best way to spend the “leap second”—an extra second about to be added to the world’s official clock. The only person who might understand how Nella feels is Angela, but the two of them have gone from being “secret sisters” to not talking at all.

"'The lead role of Maria in The Sound of Music goes to ..."
I could practically hear her say "Dara Palmer." This was going to be my big break! But what really came out of my teacher's mouth was "Ella Moss-Daniels."
My heart went huuuuggggggghhhhht.

Dara Palmer longs for stardom-but when she isn't cast in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music, she get suspicious. It can't be because she's not the best. She was born to be a famous movie star. It must because she's adopted from Cambodia and doesn't look like a typical fraulein. (That's German for girl.)

Front door locked,
kitchen door locked,
living room windows closed.
Nobody in the closet,
nobody under the beds.

Still, Maggie is worried. Ever since she started middle school, she sees injustice and danger everywhere--on the news, in her textbooks, in her own neighborhood. Even her best friend seems to be changing.

Maggie believes it is up to her, and only her, to make everything all right. Can she come up with a plan to keep everyone safe?

MISSISSIPPI. 1966. On a hot June afternoon, a black man set out to walk across his home state of Mississippi. He walked to confront racial fears, discrimination, and hate. He walked to make a statement. But two days into his journey, James Meredith was shot and wounded in a roadside attack. Leaders of the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Stokely Carmichael, rushed to take up his cause. What started as one man's mission became the March Against Fear.

Sofarende is at war. For twelve-year-old Mathilde, it means food shortages, feuding neighbors, and bombings. Even so, as long as she and her best friend, Megs, are together, they’ll be all right.

But the army is recruiting children, and paying families well for their service. If Megs takes the test, Mathilde knows she will pass. Megs hopes the army is the way to save her family. Mathilde fears it might separate them forever.