Special Collections

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

A young Chinese girl in 1947 comes to Brooklyn and discovers her love for baseball while adjusting to new life in America.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Hundred Penny Box

Michael loves his great-great-aunt Dew, even if she can't always remember his name. He especially loves to spend time with her and her beloved hundred penny box, listening to stories about each of the hundred years of her life. Michael's mother wants to throw out the battered old box that holds the pennies, but Michael understands that the box itself is as important to Aunt Dew as the memories it contains.

Newbery Medal Honor book

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The House of Dies Drear

Edgar Award Winner: A teenager and his family must uncover the haunting historical legacy of their Civil War–era house. Shortly after moving into an old, spooky home, thirteen-year-old Thomas Small and his family start hearing strange noises. The house has a past, and when Thomas discovers a hidden passageway that may have been part of the Underground Railroad, the family realizes the house has a history as well. To find out all there is to know about the House of Dies Drear, Thomas must explore secret rooms—and the secrets of lives lived centuries before, lives that tell the story of America&’s troubled early years.

Date Added: 03/15/2019

Homesick

This heartwarming fictionalized autobiography tells the story of what it is like for a little girl to be growing up in an unfamiliar place.

While other girls her age were enjoying childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. During this time, foreigners were becoming more and more unpopular, and evacuation at a moment's notice was imminent. Although Jean appreciated the beauty of China - the mountains, the countryside, the sea - she knew she belonged in America and longed to make her home there.

Newbery Honor Book

Winner of the National Book Award

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien's classic prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy...Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Hatchet

This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared--and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor.

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present--and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent's divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair--it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Harriet the Spy

Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together? From the Trade Paperback edition.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Great Brain

Tom is going away from home for the first time to the academy in Salt Lake city. But Tom has a "great brain" and this book details his adventures as he schemes and cons his way through school.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Girl From Yamhill

Told in her own words, A Girl from Yamhill is Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary’s heartfelt and relatable memoir.

Generations of children have read Beverly Cleary’s books. From Ramona Quimby to Henry Huggins, Ralph S. Mouse to Ellen Tebbits, she has created an evergreen body of work based on the humorous tales and heartfelt anxieties of middle graders. But in A Girl from Yamhill, Beverly Cleary tells a more personal story—her story—of what adolescence was like. In warm but honest detail, Beverly describes life in Oregon during the Great Depression, including her difficulties in learning to read, and offers a slew of anecdotes that were, perhaps, the inspiration for some of her beloved stories.

For everyone who has enjoyed the pranks and schemes, embarrassing moments, and all of the other poignant and colorful images of childhood brought to life in Beverly Cleary’s books, here is the fascinating true story of the remarkable woman who created them.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Freckle Juice

Nicky has freckles--they cover his face, his ears, and the whole back of his neck. Sitting behind him in class, Andrew once counted eighty-six of them, and that was just a start! If Andrew had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty.

One day after school, Andrew works up enough courage to ask Nicky where he got his freckles. When know-it-all Sharon overhears, she offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe--if he pays. Andrew is desperate and feels it's worth it. At home he carefully mixes the strange combination of ingredients. Then the unexpected happens...

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Egypt Game

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she’s not sure they have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Dragonwings

Moon Shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.

But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help, is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country, even the great earthquake, to make his dream come true.

Inspired by the account of a Chinese immigrant who made a flying machine in 1909, Laurence Yep's historical novel beautifully portrays the rich traditions of the Chinese community as it made its way in a hostile new world.

Newbery Honor Book

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor Book

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Double Life of Pocahontas

Pocahontas was the special favorite of her father, the great chief Pawhatan. And when the English settlers came to Virginia, she became a "sister" to Captain John Smith, who was "adopted" into her tribe. She was permitted to move freely between the Indian and white worlds, and her life seemed perfect. But soon there was trouble. Pocahontas was kidnapped by the settlers, who forced her to live like a white woman. She yearned for her father to meet the colonists' demands so all would be well again. But before Pocahontas made peace, she would be asked to turn her back on everything she loved-and to leave her Indian world behind forever. Highly acclaimed and winner of multiple awards, this book is recommended for Grades 4 and up.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Beverly Cleary's Newbery Medal-winning book explores the thoughts and emotions of a sixth-grade boy, Leigh Botts, in letter form as he writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw.

After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh's life forever.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Danny the Champion of the World

Can Danny and his father outsmart the villainous Mr. Hazell?Danny has a life any boy would love--his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be the champion of the world.

Date Added: 03/15/2019

The Clue of the Broken Locket

When Nancy Drew and her friends arrive at Misty Lake, they meet pretty, red-haired Cecily Curtis, who seeks Nancy's help in solving two mysteries.

One concerns Cecily's fiancé, Niko Van Dyke, a popular singer who believes that his record company is cheating him of royalty payments. The other invovles a family treasure hidden before the start of the Civil War; Cecily's only clue is half of a gold locket. Nancy's investigations lead her to Pudding Stone Lodge, where the sinister Driscoll family lives. Strange coincidences give Nancy plenty of opportunity to test her sleuthing skills. Braving a series of dangerous situations and discouraging developments, the alert young detective perseveres in her attempts to solve both mysteries and reveal the astounding secrets of Pudding Stone Lodge.

Date Added: 03/15/2019

Class President

A fifth-grade class election is full of surprises when Julio nominates his best friend but ends up becoming much more involved!

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Class Clown

Lucas Cott desires to be a good student while his classmates want him to be funny as the class clown!

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Child of the Owl

A young girl is sent to live with her grandmother in Chinatown and finds her Chinese heritage for the first time.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Charlotte's Web

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

This is a tender novel of friendship, family, and adventure that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.

Newbery Honor book

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Cay

Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed.

When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.”

But by the time the castaways arrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy.

· A New York Times Best Book of the Year

· A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

· A Horn Book Honor Book

· An American Library Association Notable Book

· A Publishers Weekly Children’s Book to Remember

· A Child Study Association’s Pick of Children’s Books of the Year

· Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

· Commonwealth Club of California: Literature Award

· Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People Award

· Woodward School Annual Book Award

· Friends of the Library Award, University of California at Irvine

· Jane Addams Book Award

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Catwings

Mrs. Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings. But it meant that her dreams for her kittens would someday come true. Thelma, Harriet, Roger, and James could fly away from the dangerous city slum and find a safer place to live. The day came. But who could have known what the four kittens would find in the woods?

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Bunnicula

This book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived. Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading. Since its first appearance in 1979, Bunnicula has been a hit with kids and their parents everywhere, selling over 8 million copies and winning numerous awards.

Date Added: 03/15/2019

Bridge to Terabithia

All summer, Jess pushed himself to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, and when the year's first school-yard race was run, he was going to win.

But his victory was stolen by a newcomer, by a girl, one who didn't even know enough to stay on the girls' side of the playground.

Then, unexpectedly, Jess finds himself sticking up for Leslie, for the girl who breaks rules and wins races.

The friendship between the two grows as Jess guides the city girl through the pitfalls of life in their small, rural town, and Leslie draws him into the world of imaginations world of magic and ceremony called Terabithia.

Here, Leslie and Jess rule supreme among the oaks and evergreens, safe from the bullies and ridicule of the mundane world. Safe until an unforeseen tragedy forces Jess to reign in Terabithia alone, and both worlds are forever changed.

In this poignant, beautifully rendered novel, Katherine Paterson weaves a powerful story of friendship and courage.

Newbery Medal Winner

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Book of Three

(From the Book Jacket) Blending rich elements of Welsh legend and universal mythology, Lloyd Alexander creates the imaginary kingdom of Prydain to tell a tale of enchantment, both good and evil, and of the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wants to become a hero...Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil. He meets adventures in which humor and high valor are blended in a way that will keep readers of many ages completely absorbed-for this is fantasy that is rooted in reality and truth. For, as Mr. Alexander says..."Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we believe we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart."

Date Added: 05/25/2017