Family

Spanglish

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John Clasky (Adam Sandler) is a devoted dad whose skills as a chef have afforded his family (Tea Leoni, Cloris Leachman) a very upscale life, including a summer home in Malibu and a breathtaking new housekeeper, Flor (Paz Vega). She and her daughter have recently emigrated to L.A. from Mexico and are trying to find a better life. When they move in with the Claskys for the summer, Flor has to fight for her daughter's soul as she discovers that life in a new country is perilous...especially when you're being embraced by an affluent American family!

Director:

James L. Brooks

Grade Level:

High

Length:

02:11

Disappearing Act

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What do you do when your mother disappears and a strange man starts stalking you? If you're Kevin and Holly Kidd, you try to lose yourself in the wacky world of Venice Beach, California, where boardwalk entertainers do everything from juggling watermelons to telling fortunes as they try to make a living. Soon Kevin and Holly are making a new home among these larger-than-life characters. But just when Holly seems set to achieve her dream of starring in an opera, their stalker reappears, more menacing than ever. What is he after? And how can Kevin save the show—and his sister?

What I Call Life

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When Cal Lavender's mother has an unfortunate "episode" in the library, a police officer takes Cal to the "Pumpkin House"—a group home where Cal must stay until her mother is able to care for her again. Stranded with four hurt, troubled girls and an eccentric old woman known as "the Knitting Lady", Cal thinks this can't possibly be her real life. Or can it?

The Lovely Bones (Unabridged)

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Now read by the author, this edition also includes an interview with Alice Sebold and the first chapter of her new book, The Almost Moon. When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven.

Author:

Alice Sebold

Grade Level:

High

Lexile:

890L

Length:

10:55

The Shadow Catcher: Daughters of Eden Trilogy, Book 1 (Unabridged)

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'Eden - it's where your life began, Madeleine. It's a place where the current of life runs stronger than anywhere else. In Eden the sun shines more fiercely, the rain strikes harder, and the trees are so green that it hurts your eyes. Eden is beauty and ugliness and joy and madness and decay.

Author:

Michelle Paver

Grade Level:

High

Length:

14:44

The Shadow Catcher: Daughters of Eden Trilogy, Book 1 (Unabridged)

My Brother Sam Is Dead (Unabridged)

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This young adult novel, which successfully captures the pain of the Revolutionary War, is a fine example of historical fiction. The American Revolution was a war that divided families (English loyalists versus eager Patriots) and one of the families being torn apart is the Meeker family.

Author:

Christopher Collier & James Lincoln Collier

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Lexile:

770L

Length:

04:31

The Book Thief

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Based on the beloved best-selling book comes an "extremely moving" (Leonard Maltin, Indiewire) story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II Germany. When her mother can no longer care for her, Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush and OSCAR® Nominee Emily Watson). Although she arrives illiterate, Liesel is encouraged to learn to read by her adoptive father. When the couple then takes in Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jew hiding from Hitler's army, Liesel befriends him.

Director:

Brian Percival

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

02:11

14 Women: They're Women. They're Powerful. They're Senators. (2008)

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When the historic 109th Congress convened, the number of women in the Senate increased to an unprecedented 14. Now, their struggle to balance family and politics is chronicled in this heartwarming look at the most powerful women in America. A story of perseverance and poise, 14 Women will inspire and uplift audiences of all ages!

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

01:10

14 Women: They're Women. They're Powerful. They're Senators.

Tuck Everlasting

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Walt Disney Pictures' Tuck Everlasting, a timeless and enchanting adventure about one girl's magical summer, will captivate audiences of any age. Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper life and domineering mother, escapes into the woods only to get lost. Soon she happens upon Jesse Tuck—a boy full of life and adventure who's unlike anyone she's ever met—and falls in love. The Tucks, a kind and generous family, have a powerful secret — a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life.

Director:

Jay Russell

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

01:30

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14 Women: They're Women. They're Powerful. They're Senators. (2008)