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Make Lemonade
by Virginia Euwer WolffLaVaughn needed a part-time job. Something she could do after school to help earn money for college. Jolly needed a babysitter. Someone she could trust with two kids while she worked the evening shift. It didn't matter that LaVaughn was fourteen-years-old-only three years younger than Jolly. It didn't matter that Jolly didn't have a husband-or a mom and dad. Because LaVaughn gives Jolly and her two babies more love and understanding than should be possible for a fourteen-year-old. Because if she doesn't, no one else will. LeVaughn describes the difficulties and triumphs of a teen mom raising two babies with insufficient money and support, and what it takes to survive and attempt to break the cycle of poverty.
How I Survived Being a Girl
by Wendelin Van DraanenDuring the summer before sixth grade, Carolyn struggles with being a girl. She likes digging forts in the yard, riding her bike, spying on the strange neighbours. She hates dolls, dresses, and ribbons in her hair. But Carolyn learns that there can be advantages to being a girl, and that she can make being a girl work to her advantage. Near Christmas, Caroline gets a gift that she wasn't even aware that she wanted.
Phoenix Rising
by Karen HesseNyle Sumner is an orphan. And in spite of the fact that she and her grandmother live a good life on a Vermont sheep farm, she cannot forget that her father abandoned her. She cannot forget that her mother died in the back room of the farmhouse when Nyle was six. And she cannot forget that her grandfather died in that same room, just a few years ago. When there's an explosion at a nearby nuclear plant, a woman and her fifteen-year-old son seek refuge in Nyle's house. Ezra Trent has been severely poisoned with radiation, and Nyle is sure that he will die in the back room, just like the others. She'd rather not get to know him; rather not let his death affect her. But somehow inside, Nyle knows she must try to help this person--that his life depends on it.
A Ballad of the Civil War
by Mary StolzTom and Jack are twins. They have been raised with an older slave boy to take care of them. On their ninth birthday, Aaron, their slave friend and babysitter is removed from their company and told not to have anything to do with them again. Tom is devastated by the loss of his friend. Jack seems completely unaffected. Tom thinks of the slaves as people. Jack thinks of them as property. When they become adults they fight on opposite sides in the civil war.
Help! I'm Trapped in My Sister's Body
by Todd Strasser<p>Jake is in a real jam this time. His online pen pal, Sumi, is coming for a visit and Jake has kind of led her to believe that he's a star athlete... total exaggeration of the truth. Sumi is expecting to see Jake Sherman, football hero. Not Jake Sherman, regular guy. <p>The situation seems hopeless until Jake gets the brilliant idea to switch bodies with someone who is great at sports. Unfortunately the only star athlete he knows is his sister, Jessica! But can a guy who bites his nails ever get used to polishing them? <p> <p><b>Lexile Level: 540L</b></p>
It Came from the Cafeteria
by Peter LerangisTHE LUNCH THAT WOULDN'T LEAVE. Can planetary life come from a bucket of slop? Ethan Krantz doesn't think so, no matter what his science teacher says. Then one day during science lab he cooks up a little science project of his own, a disgusting concoction of chemicals worse than anything ever served in the cafeteria. Its just a joke, of course. So when the goo accidentally on purpose makes its way into the lunch special of the day, Ethan never dreams that it could cause a new life-form. Now a hideous bloblike creature has sprung from the depths of the always gross but merely deadly spinach, garbanzo bean, and garlic Casserole. And it could turn into the lunch that stayed for dinner unless Ethan and his friends can find a way to turn it into compost. In a school for science geniuses Ethan is the only normal kid and it may be up to him to save the world.
Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library
by Eth CliffordMary Rose and Jo-Beth are sisters who hardly ever agree on anything, but they both feel as if this night will never end. First their car runs out of gas in an unfamiliar city and their father goes in search of a gas station. Then Jo-Beth makes Mary Rose go with her to find a bathroom and they stumble across a curious old library. And then, worst of all, they get locked in! But their troubles are just beginning. Is Jo-Beth right about the library being haunted by banshees? Or is there a logical explanation, as Mary Rose claims?
The Last Mall Rat
by Erik E. EsckilsenMitch Grant just wanted a job, and maybe a little respect, but at fifteen, he found both just beyond his reach. Too young to be legally employed, he knew that the only cash likely to come his way would have to pass "under the table"-through some discreet, off-the-books business arrangement. And that meant talking to the Chair, a shoe salesman at the mall famous for his skill in getting customers from "just looking" to the cash register. The Chair had hired Mitch once before for a temporary assignment--too temporary for the cash-strapped Mitch. When he goes to see the Chair this time, however, it's the super-slick salesman who desperately needs help. The Chair is finally cracking under the strain of all that service with a smile. So Mitch proposes a deal--a way for the Chair, and other beleaguered mall workers, to combat the endless humiliation they suffer at the feet of their customers, while helping Mitch with his cash shortage. The Chair agrees to the terms, and soon Mitch has recruited his friends Page, Marcus, and Jimmy to "staff" a bold-and brash-new venture. Demand for their services skyrockets and along with it, the authorities' alarm. Words like gang, Mall Mafia, and even terrorist start to fly. Mitch soon realizes that his small business has spiraled out of control--big time!
Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
by Eric Schlosser Charles WilsonKids love fast food. And the fast food industry definitely loves kids. It couldn't survive without them. Did you know that the biggest toy company in the world is McDonald's? It's true. In fact, one out of every three toys given to a child in the United States each year is from a fast food restaurant. Not only has fast food reached into the toy industry, it's moving into our schools. One out of every five public schools in the United States now serves brand name fast food. But do kids know what they're eating? Where do fast food hamburgers come from? And what makes those fries taste so good? When Eric Schlosser's best-selling book, Fast Food Nation, was published for adults in 2001, many called for his groundbreaking insight to be shared with young people. Now Schlosser, along with co-writer Charles Wilson, has investigated the subject further, uncovering new facts children need to know.In Chew On This, they share with kids the fascinating and sometimes frightening truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken "nugget" really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations.
Eye Contact
by Cammie McgovernA young girl has been murdered and the only witness is a child who cannot tell what he saw. In the woods of a small town, Adam, a nine-year-old autistic boy, is discovered hiding near to the body of his classmate. They both wandered off from the school playground several hours earlier, and now the police are relying on Adam as the only witness to an appalling crime. But he can't tell the police what he saw--or what he heard. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has retreated into a silent world that Cara, his mother, knows only too well. With her community in shock and her son unable to help with the police investigation, Cara tries to decode the puzzling events. Adam has never broken the rules before, so why did he disappear with the little girl during recess? As a single mother, Cara has devoted her life to opening paths of communication between her son and the outside world. Now, she must interpret the changes in Adam's behavior not only to help him through the trauma, but to help the police catch a killer. Cammie McGovern brings her own experience as the mother of an autistic child to articulate the struggles--and the victories--that consume the lives of parents raising children with special needs. A powerful story of the tangled emotional bond between mother and son, and a thrilling novel of psychological suspense, Eye Contact won't let you go. Lovers of Mystic River will be captivated by this fresh and fascinating journey into the world of a child in crisis and a mother who longs to bring him through unscathed.
The Christopher Killer (A Forensic Mystery #1)
by Alane FergusonTHE SLEEPY ROCKY MOUNTAIN town of Silverton, Colorado, hasn't seen a murder in years, according to Pat Mahoney, the county coroner. So when his teenage daughter, Cameryn, asks if she can be his assistant--as preparation for a career in forensic pathology--he figures it's a safe bet. But neither of them imagines that their first case will involve someone Cameryn knows... the fourth victim of a serial killer called the Christopher Killer. Attending her first autopsy is more difficult than Cameryn had ever expected, but she's determined to find her friend's murderer. Before long, Cameryn is plunged into a disturbing mystery, matching wits with everyone from the cantankerous medical examiner who doubts her abilities to the famous psychic who is predicting yet another death--soon.
The Angel of Death (A Forensic Mystery #2)
by Alane FergusonSeventeen-year-old high school senior Cameryn Mahoney uses skills learned as assistant to her coroner father to try to unravel the mystery of a local teacher's gruesome death, while also awaiting a possible reunion with her long-missing mother.
The Circle of Blood (A Forensic Mystery #3)
by Alane FergusonAs the assistant to her father, the county coroner of Silverton, Colorado, Cameryn Mahoney gets to witness all aspects of death, including the autopsy room. Yet somehow that feels easy, compared to her personal life. Now that her long-lost mother has made a surprise return, Cameryn's more confused than ever. Things only get worse when she and her mother pick up a mysterious young hitchhiker. Cameryn senses that the girl is running away from something, but before she can find out more, the girl is found dead-- a gun in her hand. Is it suicide? Or something even more sinister? Mixing forensic details and ripped-from-the-headlines themes, Alane Ferguson makes her readers' hearts pound yet again with this edge-of-your-seat forensic mystery!
In This House of Brede
by Rumer GoddenFrom the Book Jacket: Philippa Talbot is a successful London career woman turned forty when she feels the call of the religious life. I thought I was very well as I was," she told the Brede Sacristan later, "a human, balanced person with a reasonable record; with the luck of having money, friends, love. Only suddenly it wasn't enough." She is one of the most attractive and sympathetic characters in Rumer Godden's long and well-loved fictional roster. This, then, is a story of the life in an enclosed house of nuns and of the relevance of this contemplative existence to our changing world-a challenging theme. The novel unfolds chiefly through Philippa, from the day of her entrance, through one crisis of mind and heart to another, until she faces an ultimate and almost unbearable sacrifice. Woven with her personal story is a much larger one-the story of the House, its history, and the present inmates who have vowed to live and die within its walls. The nuns are English Benedictines whose House is centuries old in tradition, a stronghold of faith and prayer, yet they are up-to-date, alive, aware of the world-and matter of fact. In Rumer Godden's hands, they are fully realized individuals whom we come to know and care about, adding rich dimensions to the novel as they live out their vocations.
Relative Sins
by Cynthia VictorFrom the dust jacket: "Kailey Davids should have felt like the luckiest little girl in the world. Her Russian emigre parents own Radost, the most exclusive nightclub in Manhattan, and they've devoted their lives to their daughter's happiness. But even they can't convince her of her own beauty--that will require Cameron Hawkes. He makes her feel special in a way no one else ever has. When Cameron and Kailey marry and have a child, Kailey believes they make a perfect family--a sophisticated entrepreneur husband who is a rising star, and an adorable baby girl. Still, Kailey's parents worry that Cameron isn't the man they would have chosen for her. And indeed, he isn't. For when Cameron's carefully constructed mask slips, it reveals a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Kailey flees, and when she does, she loses her baby daughter--forever, she believes--in an accident her husband engineers. But unknown to Kailey, now a lifetime away from her husband's evil, her daughter is alive. For years, Susannah Holland will wish for one thing above all else--a real family. Growing up in a foster home where she was never loved, Susannah vows she'll escape--and never rely on anyone but herself. Yet unbeknownst to her, her mother still longs for the daughter she thought she'd never see again. Cameron, Kailey, and Susannah will live separate lives, continents apart, little dreaming of the forces of fate waiting to reunite them. From New York City to California to Rome to the camps of Thailand and back again, Relative Sins is a stunning, shocking story about how the past reaches out to hold us all, about the unbreakable bonds of love between mother and daughter. Told with the drive that marks a first-class storyteller, Relative Sins is a sensational novel by a writer with an unbeatable willingness to ride the rapids of the heart." Contains some descriptions of adult intimate relations.
Baby Blues
by Hope WurmfeldIF IT hadn't been for Jimmy, I don't KNOW HOW I WOULD'VE GOT THROUGH THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. By THE TIME POP DIED, I MISSED SO MUCH SCHOOL, I quit going. Jimmy was the only FRIEND I HAD TO TALK TO." Annie is working at Rosie's Deli since she quit school, spending time with Jimmy and his graffiti gang, and everything is okay-at first. But is Annie ready to handle everything she's getting into? Will she be able to tell Jimmy the secret he needs to know?
Secret Letters from 0 to 10
by Susie Morgenstern Gill RosnerTen-year-old Ernest Morlaisse has an unadventurous life. He comes home every day and eats the same boring snack, then sits down to do his homework. He lives with his grandmother, who hardly ever says a word, and they have neither a television nor a telephone. Enter Victoria de Montardent, the new girl in class. The moment Victoria lays eyes on Ernest, it's love at first sight: "I love Ernest. . . . We're getting married in thirteen years, eight months, and three days. This is an invitation to our wedding." And believe it or not, Victoria's bulldozer approach works! Ernest is conquered, and soon this quiet boy makes an interesting discovery: that thing beating inside his chest-is his heart. And he begins finding ways to use it: making friends with Victoria's crazy family, convincing his reclusive grandmother to join the living, and starting to search for the father who abandoned him when he was only one day old. In other words, Ernest does a lot of catching up.
The Trouble with Harriet (Ellie Haskell Mystery #9)
by Dorothy CannellEllie Haskell is in dire need of a vacation. Life has become increasingly hectic of late, with her busy work as an interior designer on top of taking care of the twins and baby Rose, and her husband Bentley's bustling cafe business. In fact, Ben and Ellie haven't had a holiday in years. But today their bags are packed for a long-awaited trip to France. With blissful daydreams of her romantic getaway dancing in her head, Ellie sets off to do some last-minute errands. Imagine her distress when she encounters a chain-smoking Gypsy who warns her, "Take that trip at your peril!" Trying to shake off her feelings of foreboding, Ellie returns home-but she is barely in the door when Ben stops her dead in her tracks: "Ellie. You have a surprise visitor." It is her prodigal father, Morley Simons, returning after many years. Far from greeting her with a face wreathed in smiles, Morley is sobbing into a hanky. And he soon chokingly reveals that he has more in his luggage than a spare set of underwear. Morley comes toting the ashes of his platinum blond lady love, Harriet-a femme fatale who has become a highway fatality. He's promised to return the urn containing her mortal remains to her relatives, who duly show up to receive the unwelcome news that Harriet has been temporarily misplaced. When another accident makes Morley a murder suspect, Ellie begins to question the urn's contents and must ask herself: Is he a pawn in a deadly game? Is this what the Gypsy had foreseen?Ellie can't even count on help from her usual assistants this time-it seems the whole town, Cousin Freddy and housekeeper Mrs. Malloy included, are too busy honing their acting skills for Kathleen Ambleforth's original production of Murder Most Fowl. So Ellie is on her own, and she soon discovers that love can be a very dangerous thing.
Poison In Paradise (The Secret World Of Alex Mack #9)
by Diana G. GallagherPoisoned Waters! When Raymond goes searching for a major scoop for the local newspaper, he and Alex accidentally discover that Paradise Valley Chemical is dumping barrels of toxic waste into a nearby lake. For the Native American reservation that borders the lake, the waste is an ecological time bomb just waiting to go off. But a legal loophole means the reservation can't do anything about it. Something has to be done, though, and soon! And whatever it is will probably require the use of Alex's powers-and the risk of exposure. Alex is stumped. Then a new friend from the reservation gives her an idea....
Zappy Holidays: The Secret World of Alex Mack Super Edition (The Secret World of Alex Mack #10)
by Diana G. GallagherHoliday spirit has hit an all-time low in Paradise Valley this year. Everyone is too worried about other things. The town can't afford to light the big tree in the park, and even worse, it looks like the annual toy drive for needy kids is off. Things aren't much better at the Mack house. Alex is the only one who seems to remember what the holiday season is all about. She's determined to inject some Christmas cheer back into the season. But it looks like it would take a miracle....
Frozen Stiff! (The Secret World Of Alex Mack #12)
by Diana G. GallagherWhen Alex took a job at the local grocery store to earn a little extra money, she thought it would be a piece of cake! But it turns out to be a cake (the one that Alex's mom has ordered as a surprise for George) that gets her into trouble. Now she's stuck-frozen like a popsicle-after morphing in the store's freezer to retrieve it. Worse, she's right next to the blocks of ice being stored there for a Paradise Valley Chemical Plant experiment. And the ice is about to be picked up by the plant! Alex needs help-and fast. Can Annie and Ray find her in time and thaw her out? Or will Alex end up on ice for good?
The Sign of Fear (Fear Street Sagas #4)
by R. L. StineFieran had been a young warrior driven by revenge. He created the Fear amulet and cursed the Fear family for all eternity. Christina is a young servant girl struggling for survival. She finds the Fear amulet centuries later. Now, she may be destroyed by its evil.
The Hidden Evil (Fear Street Sagas #5)
by R. L. StineTimothy has a dangerous story to tell. A story with powers to awaken the worst evil imaginable--the evil in the heart of a child. Come and listen to Timothy's story--if you dare.
Dance of Death (Fear Street Sagas #6)
by R. L. StineAfter falling in love with Justin Fier, Madeline is warned away from him by a young man no one else sees and an old woman everyone thinks is crazy. They tell her Justin is a man driven by an evil quest that destroys any woman who dares to love him. Is it too late? Can Madeline escape the curse of the Fears?
Cher's Furiously Fit Workout (Clueless Series)
by Randi Reisfeld Amy HeckerlingHere's an all-new novel based on the new ABC-TV prime-time series, and written by Randi Reisfeld, creator of the hit movie Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone.