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The Upstairs Room
by Johanna ReissA Life in Hiding
When the German army occupied Holland, Annie de Leeuw was eight years old. Because she was Jewish, the occupation put her in grave danger-she knew that to stay alive she would have to hide. Fortunately, a Gentile family, the Oostervelds, offered to help. For two years they hid Annie and her sister, Sini, in the cramped upstairs room of their farmhouse.
Most people thought the war wouldn't last long. But for Annie and Sini -- separated from their family and confined to one tiny room -- the war seemed to go on forever.
In the part of the marketplace where flowers had been sold twice a week-tulips in the spring, roses in the summer-stood German tanks and German soldiers. Annie de Leeuw was eight years old in 1940 when the Germans attacked Holland and marched into the town of Winterswijk where she lived. Annie was ten when, because she was Jewish and in great danger of being captured by the invaders, she and her sister Sini had to leave their father, mother, and older sister Rachel to go into hiding in the upstairs room of a remote farmhouse.
Johanna de Leeuw Reiss has written a remarkably fresh and moving account of her own experiences as a young girl during World War II. Like many adults she was innocent of the German plans for Jews, and she might have gone to a labor camp as scores of families did. "It won't be for long and the Germans have told us we'll be treated well," those families said. "What can happen?" They did not know, and they could not imagine.... But millions of Jews found out.
Mrs. Reiss's picture of the Oosterveld family with whom she lived, and of Annie and Sini, reflects a deep spirit of optimism, a faith in the ingenuity, backbone, and even humor with which ordinary human beings meet extraordinary challenges. In the steady, matter-of-fact, day-by-day courage they all showed lies a profound strength that transcends the horrors of the long and frightening war. Here is a memorable book, one that will be read and reread for years to come.
Newbery Medal Honor book
Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor Book
Sugar
by Jewell Parker RhodesTen-year-old Sugar lives on the River Road sugar plantation along the banks of the Mississippi. Slavery is over, but laboring in the fields all day doesn't make her feel very free.
Thankfully, Sugar has a knack for finding her own fun, especially when she joins forces with forbidden friend Billy, the white plantation owner's son.
Sugar has always yearned to learn more about the world, and she sees her chance when Chinese workers are brought in to help harvest the cane.
The older River Road folks feel threatened, but Sugar is fascinated. As she befriends young Beau and elder Master Liu, they introduce her to the traditions of their culture, and she, in turn, shares the ways of plantation life.
Sugar soon realizes that she must be the one to bridge the cultural gap and bring the community together.
Here is a story of unlikely friendships and how they can change our lives forever.
From Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ninth Ward (a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a Today show Al's Book Club for Kids pick), here's another tale of a strong, spirited young girl who rises beyond her circumstances and inspires others to work toward a brighter future.
Whatever After #7
by Sarah MlynowskiThe magical seventh installment in this NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!
This time, the magic mirror sucks Abby and Jonah into the story of Beauty and the Beast. When Jonah angers the Beast by picking flowers from his garden, he becomes the Beast's prisoner! Abby has to save her brother by finding Beauty, whom the Beast will surely fall in love with, right? NOPE.
The Beast doesn't like Beauty, so it's up to Abby and her brother to match-make this reluctant pair and fix this fractured fairy tale before things get pretty ugly!
How I Learned to Fly
by R. L. StineWilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark.
Trying to hide from Wilson. But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. It's called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.
Poor jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary...
Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.
How I Learned to Fly
by R. L. StineWilson Schlame loves to make Jack Johnson feel like a total loser. And Jack's had it. That's how he ended up down at the beach. In a creepy, old abandoned house. In the dark. Trying to hide from Wilson.But everything is about to change. Because Jack just dug up the coolest book. Its called Flying Lessons. It tells how humans can learn to fly.Poor Jack. He wanted to get back at Wilson. But now that Jack's learned how to fly, things down on earth are getting really scary...
Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.
Caleb's Story
by Patricia MaclachlanThe stranger lurking on the Witting family prairie farm turns out to be their long-lost grandfather whose presence along with some prodding from Caleb forces Jacob to deal with his past. Sequel to Sarah Plain and Tall.
Calvin Coconut
by Graham SalisburyCalvin Coconut needs to fix things with Stella—and fast! Stella from Texas is now officially a member of the Coconut household.
As if getting a bossy babysitter isn’t bad enough for Calvin, Stella teases him mercilessly. What’s a nine-year-old boy to do? Calvin decides to “fix” her, and he dumps his neighbor’s cat Zippy on Stella’s bed, knowing she’s allergic.
But when Stella breaks out in hives and misses her first big date, Calvin realizes his “zippy fix” went too far. He’s got to make it up to her, and decides to give her a birthday present. But he has no money. Along with the help of his loyal friends and little sister, Darci, Calvin works hard, and comes up with enough cash to give Stella the best birthday gift ever.
Graham Salisbury’s voice perfectly captures the inner workings of Calvin’s mind, and Jacqueline Rogers’ delightful pictures add zest and humor toThe Zippy Fix.
Calvin Coconut
by Graham Salisbury and Jacqueline RogersCalvin Coconut's fourth grade class meets Benni Obi, a weird and likable new kid. Benny brags about knowing kung fu, wears mirrored sunglasses, eats worms, crickets, and chocolate-covered scorpions, and says all the wrong things to bully Tito. Uh-oh.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood kids and pets clear the road--Calvin's babysitter Stella is learning how to drive. She's got a lead foot. Readers will enjoy the humor in Kung Fooey as Calvin's smarts and courage help him learn something new about standing up for friends, and facing a bully.
Calvin Coconut
by Graham Salisbury and Jacqueline RogersFourth-grader Calvin lives near the beach in Oahu with his mom and little sister. Mom says: “You’re the man of the house. ” But Calvin’s not great at being the man of the house, or taking care of his responsibilities. He’s too busy having fun with his pals, and avoiding Tito, the bully. Trouble Magnetis the first book in a new series for younger readers full of all the fun of growing up in Hawaii. It introduces a wonderful multicultural cast of characters, including Mr. Purdy, who calls his fourth-grade class Boot Camp; Uncle Scoop, who runs the lunch wagon at the beach; Ledward, Mom’s 6'7" boyfriend; and gorgeous, intimidating, 15-year-old Stella-from-Texas, who arrives to be the live-in babysitter—and to step all over Calvin’s turf. From the Hardcover edition.
Calvin Coconut
by Graham Salisbury and Jacqueline RogersCalvin's dad is a famous pop singer, and he's going to be in a concert on the island! Everyone wants to go.
Dad gave Calvin's mom 10 tickets, and Calvin has to decide who gets the last ticket: teacher's pet Shayla, who has a crush on him (ick!) or Tito the bully?
But much more important: Calvin hasn't seen his dad in four years. And he's never met Dad's new wife. Will Dad still like Calvin now?
The Curse of Camp Cold Lake
by R. L. StineCamp is supposed to be fun, but Sarah hates Camp Cold Lake. The lake is gross and slimy. And she's having a little trouble with her bunkmates. They hate her.
So Sarah comes up with a plan. She'll pretend to drown - then everyone will feel sorry for her.
But things don't go exactly the way Sarah planned. Because down by the cold, dark lake someone is watching her. Stalking her. Someone with pale blue eyes. And a see-through body...
The Barking Ghost
by R. L. StineEveryone thinks Cooper Holmes is a scaredy-cat. But when he moves into a new house deep in the woods, scary things really do start to happen.
Junie B., First Grader
by Barbara Park and Denise BrunkusIt's Thanksgiving time and Room Nine is getting ready for their very own Thanksgiving feast! There's even a contest to see which room can write the best thankful list. The winners will get a pumpkin pie!
Only it turns out being thankful is harder than it looks. Because Junie B. is not actually thankful for Tattletale May. Or squash. Or scratchy pilgrim costumes. And pumpkin pie makes her vomit, anyway. (But Junie B. is thankful for yummy cranberry sauce that's shaped like a can. And biscuits that explode from their can. And nipsy doodles!)
Will Room 9 win the disgusting pie? Can May and Junie B. find common ground? Or will this Thanksgiving feast turn into a Turkey Day Disaster?
How to Kill a Monster
by R. L. StineGretchen and her stepbrother, Clark, hate staying at their grandparents' house. Grandpa Eddie is totally deaf. And Grandma Rose is obsessed with baking. Plus, they live in the middle of a dark, muddy swamp. Things couldn't get any worse, right? WRONG.
Because there's something really weird about Grandma and Grandpa's house. Something odd about that room upstairs. The one that's locked. The one with the strange noises coming from it. Strange growling noises...
Deep Trouble II
by R. L. StineBilly Deep and his sister Sheena are spending another summer in the Caribbean on their uncle's totally cool floating lab. The weather is beautiful. And there are lots of neat places to go swimming and snorkeling.
Billy and Sheena are great swimmers. But even great swimmers get into trouble--especially this year. This year there's something really scary going on under the sea. The fish all seem to be growing. Bigger and bigger. With monster-sized appetites...
Deep Trouble II
by R. L. StineThe fish are biting . . . everyone!Billy Deep and his sister Sheena are spending another summer in the Caribbean on their uncle's totally cool floating lab. The weather is beautiful. And there are lots of neat places to go swimming and snorkeling.Billy and Sheena are great swimmers. But even great swimmers get into trouble -- especially this year. This year there's something really scary going on under the sea. The fish all seem to be growing. Bigger and bigger. Into monster-sized sea creatures. With monster-sized appetites...
Fourth Grade Rats
by Jerry SpinelliA fast, fun, friendship read from the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.
Fourth graders are tough. They aren't afraid of spiders. They say no to their moms. They push first graders off the swings. And they never, ever cry.
Suds knows that now that he's in fourth grade, he's supposed to be a rat. But whenever he tries to act like one, something goes wrong. Can Suds's friend Joey teach him to toughen up...or will Suds remain a fourth grade wimp?
The Beast from the East
by R. L. StineGinger Wald and her identical twin brothers, Nat and Pat, are lost in the woods. No problem. After all, Ginger did go to that stupid nature camp.
Still, there's something odd about this part of the woods. The grass is yellow. The bushes are purple. And the trees are like skyscrapers.Then Ginger and her brothers meet the beasts. They're big blue furry creatures. And they want to play a game.
But in this game, the winners get to live. The losers get eaten...
Song Lee and the Leech Man
by Suzy KlineHarry plots revenge against Sidney, the class tattletale, when Miss Mackle's second graders go on a field trip to the pond. Independent readers will enjoy this chapter book, which is written in short, simple, chatty sentences. --Booklist
Horrible Harry and the Drop of Doom
by Suzy KlineIt's the last day of second grade for the kids in Room 2B! Everyone's excited about Song Lee's end-of-the-year party at Mountainside Park. Harry can't wait for the scary rides, so when Sidney dares him to go on the newest one he quickly accepts. But then he realizes that this ride has the one and only horrible thing he hates. Will Sidney show everyone Harry's a yellow canary? And will Harry have to live through third grade at Sid's mercy? As always, Harry's appeal is that he's both gross and vulnerable.
Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime
by Barbara Park and Denise BrunkusIt's a mushy gushy mystery!
Hurray! February 14--Valentime's Day, as June B. calls it--is just around the corner. Junie B. can't wait to see all the valentimes she'll get. But she never expected a big, mushy card from a secret admirer! Who is this secret mystery guy, anyway? Junie B. is determined to find out!
Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket
by Barbara Park and Denise BrunkusIntroducing Junie B. Jones, that lovable, mischievous kindergartner, in her hilarious first book, as she tells all about how she gets locked in school on her very first day!
More Perfect than the Moon
by Patricia MaclachlanThe beloved story of Sarah, Plain and Tall continues.
Cassie is an observer, a writer, a storyteller. And for her, life is as it should be. But change is inevitable, even on the prairie.
Something new is expected, and Sarah says it will be the perfect gift. Cassie isn't so sure. But just like life changes, people change too, and Cassie learns that unexpected surprises can bring great joy.
More Perfect than the Moon invites us back to the Witting family farm, first visited in the Newbery Medal-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. With her lyrical prose Patricia MacLachlan writes about a family's boundless capacity for love.