Humor

Annie Barrows' Ivy & Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go will have kids jumping in their seats one instant and rolling on the floor laughing the next. While Bean is the loudest girl in her class, Ivy is the quietest, best-behaved second grader. So when Ivy scares the whole class silly by saying there's a ghost in the girls' bathroom, everyone is surprised!

Annie Barrows' infectiously fun Ivy & Bean Break the Fossil Record will have kids racing outside to shovel some dirt. Everyone in the second grade wants to set a world record. While other kids attempt to break records involving cartwheels and M&Ms, Ivy has a much neater idea. She and Bean will be the youngest people to ever unearth dinosaur fossils!

Annie Barrows' Ivy and Bean books star a pair of mismatched best friends who are nevertheless inseparable. The science fair is here, and everyone in Ivy and Bean's second-grade class couldn't be more excited. This year's theme is global warming, and all of the kids are working on their own projects and experiments. But what are Ivy and Bean up to?

Ramona's job is to be nice to fussy Mrs. Kemp, who watches her while her mother works. If Mrs. Quimby didn't work, Mr. Quimby couldn't return to college. On top of all that, third grade isn't turning out as Ramona expected, even though she enjoys her class's new reading program, D.E.A.R. Danny the Yard Ape teases her, and, on one horrible day, she throws up - at school.

Ramona's life changes the moment Howie Kemp's mysterious uncle arrives from Saudi Arabia. Howie and his sister, Willa Jean, talk only about Uncle Hobart. Ramona's mother makes secret phone calls and stops eating dessert, and Aunt Bea is hiding something, too. Whatever surprises are in store, Ramona is determined to be happy and helpful.

Big sister Beezus Quimby tries to be patient with her four-year-old little sister, Ramona, but it isn't easy, not when Ramona powders her nose with marshmallows and invites her nursery school class to a party without telling her family. Sometimes Beezus doesn't like Ramona, but the girls are sisters and that means they will always love each other - just not every single minute.

Ramona Quimby is thrilled to be starting kindergarten. She likes a little boy named Davy so much she wants to kiss him, and she loves Susan's beautiful curls so much she wants to pull them to see them boing. Her teacher even promises her a present just for sitting still! So how does Ramona get in trouble? Well, anyone who knows Ramona knows that she is never a pest on purpose.

Genuinely funny books for children are few and far between. So, when a story like Henry Huggins comes along, it comes to stay. Children everywhere see themselves in this irresistible boy's adventures.

Ramona feels this is the awkward age - too little to stay by herself after school when her mother is at work, but too big to enjoy playing with pesty Willa Jean at her sitter's house. These days, all Ramona really wants is to twitch her nose and be her mother's little rabbit like she used to be. Can't she be her mother's little girl forever?

Ramona is happy to have a new bedroom all to herself - during the day, at least. It's not as easy to be brave when there might be ghostly, boneless gorillas oozing under the door at night. Then there is the big, mean dog that steals Ramona's shoe on her way to school. Any other first grader might be frightened.

When Ralph and his pesky cousins accidentally make a mess at the Mountain View Inn, Ralph decides that he'd better take his motorcycle and leave. He persuades his young pal Ryan to take him to school, where Ralph is an instant hit with Ryan's classmates. But Ralph doesn't like being told what to do. Worse than that, his precious motorcycle gets broken. Is Ralph stuck at school forever?

The Best Year Ever!

When her father loses his job, Ramona decides to help out. Maybe she could earn a million dollars making a TV commercial, or get her father to stop smoking to save money (and his lungs). She is full of ideas. Some work, some don't. But when her father says he wouldn't trade her for a million dollars, Ramona knows all is right in her world.

Second grade is never dull with Harry in the classroom. He loves to do horrible things, like showing his pet snake to Song Lee and making her scream, or pinning Sidney to the ground and making him say, "I love girls". You never know what Harry will do next!

Horrible Harry has caused a lot of trouble at school, but this time, he's taken it to a new level. When Sid ruins an origami insect Song Lee made, Harry defends her - by targeting Sid for some serious revenge. No one knows when, where, or how, but Harry is determined to get back at Sid! Will it be on Pajama Day, when the kids wear their PJs to school? Will it happen in Room 3B?