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"Hard as we work for nothing, there must be some way we can change things...There must be something else."

In the tradition of Sharon Creech and Wendy Mass, Corey Ann Haydu's sparkling middle grade debut is a sister story with a twist of magic, a swirl of darkness, and a whole lot of hope.

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him?

Steve just wants to save his baby brother—but what will he lose in the bargain? Kenneth Oppel’s (Silverwing, The Boundless) haunting gothic tale for fans of Coraline, is one of the most acclaimed books of the year, receiving six starred reviews. Illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.

Acclaimed author/illustrator Vera Williams tells of a young girl, who along with her waitress mother, saves coins in a big jar in hopes that they can someday buy a big, new, comfortable chair for their apartment, the kind of chair her mother deserves after being on her feet all day in the Blue Tile Diner. Into the jar also goes the money Grandma saves whenever she gets a bargain at the market.

R. R. Pottle the Third has a truly wonderful, extra-extraordinary collection of hats. But happiness eludes him. He is lonely and dreams of meeting a perfect wife ' who will, of course, be wearing a perfect hat.

One day, a day so bad that R. R. Pottle wears not one, not two, but three hats at once, his dream comes true in the best possible way.

This warm, comical story by talented new author Laura Geringer is crowned with full-color illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Arnold Lobel.

Notable Children's Books of 1985 (ALA)
A Reading Rainbow Featured Selection

The corn is ripe...and the raccoons are hungry. As the moon rises a mother raccoon and her two young begin an all night feast in a cornfield. Acclaimed nature artist Jim Arnosky gives young children an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.

In this warm, poignant story, a little girl hears how, long ago, another little red-haired girl--her grandmother--sailed across the sea with her older brother to join their immigrant parents in a strange new land called America.

Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understands the machine better than anyone else and writes the world's first computer program in order to demonstrate its capabilities.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . . ."

When it comes to animal rescue, the rescuer is often a human rescuing an animal. But it can also involve an animal rescuing a human. This book tells true stories from both sides amazing feats of courage, kindness, and love:
-Tossed out on the side of the road, Lucky was one unlucky cat until Jen adopted him. One stormy night, Lucky gets the chance to show his devotion when an escaped prisoner crashes through the front door and attacks Jen.
-A toothless old dog named Poochie puts herself in the direct path of a charging alligator in order to protect her friend.

How do some people accomplish so much with their lives? Is it that they're just lucky? Or amazingly smart? Or is it that they are ordinary people who have learned to motivate themselves, even when the going gets tough? Read about real-life people who have faced real-life obstacles--maybe some of the same obstacles that stand between you and the achievement of your dreams. Despite their problems, all have found ways to motivate themselves to succeed. Here are four of the people you'll meet in this book:

When her mother died in a fire, eight-year-old Jerri thought life couldn't get worse. She was wrong. Sent to live with people who didn't want her, Jerri was powerless to stop her once-happy childhood from becoming a nightmare of cruelty and neglect. Only a stubborn belief in her own worth and a fierce will to live allowed her to reach adulthood physically and emotionally intact. This is a book that will inspire not only those who have been orphans or foster children, but anyone who has known the pain of being unwanted.

....Is a hero simply someone who has achieved great financial and popular success? Is heroism just about money and fame? If so, any rich celebrity could qualify as a hero.

Or does being a hero have to do with the quality of a person's character? is it more about courage, determination, and a kind of inner fire that keeps a person going in the face of all kinds of difficulties?

Eleven-year-old Perry T. Cook shouldn't be living in a prison; he has committed no crime.

Perry was born and raised at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C. So far, Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. Anyone who knows about the arrangement is quietly okay with it. But when Perry is discovered by the new, ambitious district attorney, Thomas VanLeer, everything changes.