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The Trouble With Heroes by Kate MessnerFinn is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn is about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.
Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he's in big trouble for knocking down some dead old lady's headstone. Turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer: she'll drop all the charges if he agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in a single summer. And there's just one more thing--he has to bring along the dead woman's dog.
In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don't care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn's final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.
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Eleven-year-old Birdy and her younger brother, Mouse, have always looked out for each other. They make the perfect team: Birdy is realistic and practical, while Mouse is affable and trusting.
After their mother dies of cancer, Birdy and Mouse are forced to move out of the city to the country with relatives they’ve never met. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow’s house is full of organized chaos, and it takes Birdy time to adjust to having adults around. But the kitchen is always stocked, and both kids are allowed to play outside as often as they want. There’s only one problem: it’s all temporary. Their social worker has promised to find them a permanent home by the next school year, whether they want to leave or not. As the summer unfolds, Mouse starts to feel attached to their new life. But Birdy knows better—adults have never been reliable. When Birdy’s fears get the best of her, she makes a big mistake that could jeopardize their future.
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Bigfoot and the Wild Boys by Jenny PearsonTwo wild boys. No plan. One unforgettable adventure. Joe is tired of feeling invisible at school. When he hears that Bigfoot might have been spotted in the nearby woods, he spies his chance to become as legendary as the famous cryptid. Joe convinces his best friend Tiago to search for Bigfoot together, and they set off for the woods with two sandwiches, a tube of Pringles, and zero survival skills. What could possibly go wrong?
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| Rex Rocket: Cosmic Wiener Dog by John GallagherRex Rocket isn’t very strong...or organized...or smart. But sometimes, all you need to save the galaxy is to be an infinitely stretchy, baby blue wiener dog!
When the crotchety Commander Dill sends Rex and his crew on a critical mission to the planet Gratuvius 4, Rex thinks it’s the perfect chance to impress his boss. Little does he know that Dill is planning for Rex to fail! And no knows just how chaotic things on Gratuvius are about to get!
Why is there a giant monster running around trying to eat the planet’s king? Why does everyone on the planet seem so happy to be working all the time? Why can’t Rex accept that the mysteriously helpful voice on the S.S. Sagan isn’t just inside his head?! |
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This Could All Go Bad by Spencer HallIt's no secret that Jensen Chapman is a coward (though he prefers the term 'risk averse'). He's scared of dodgeball day in gym class, intimidated by his older sister (she's weirdly strong, alright?), nervous around his crush Leslie Chen, and freaked out about starting high school…just to name a few things. But on the night before his eighth-grade graduation, that's all about to change.
When Jensen's two best friends, Maleek and Cooper, show up to kidnap him (OK, recruit him) to compete against a group of girls-including Leslie Chen herself-in a series of escalating dares, Jensen knows it's now or never: face his fears once and for all, or face a life of spinelessness forever. The boys set out on an epic race against the clock that includes faulty skateboards, internet-famous ferrets, and a stolen golf cart. But when Jensen finds out that Maleek and Cooper have been keeping a huge secret from him, he'll need every scrap of his newfound bravery to save their friendship.
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Ain't It Funny by Margaret GurevichEleven-year-old Maya’s life is bit of a mess. Her dad just moved out to pursue his stand-up comedy dreams, her mom seems more preoccupied with running the family’s Russian deli than getting Dad back, and Maya’s anxiety and germ worries have only been heightening. Her grandma always tells her “slozi goryu ne pomozhet”—tears won’t help sorrow—but right now it’s hard to be strong.
So when her teacher Ms. Banta announces the sixth-grade talent show, Maya sees an opportunity. If she can perform stand-up comedy in the show, she can prove to her mom and dad that comedy has a place in all their lives and try to bring them together again. But conquering her fears amidst her family falling apart and a growing hot-hot-hot feeling inside is easier said than done.
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George, aka "Suds," is about to start the fifth grade, where he, his best friend Joey, and the rest of his classmates will be the top dogs of the whole school. They are ready to collect on the respect they now deserve and leave their lasting legacy at Gotwals Elementary . . . but that's easier said than done. Between bullies on the playground and a prankster sister, Suds is being undermined, ignored, and even challenged everywhere he turns. Suds knows this could finally be his year, if only he works on his walk, perfects his image, and his annoying little sister stays out of his way. He has been preparing to be a top dog his whole elementary school career. Does he now have what it takes? |
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Max, a Little Axolotlby Joey SpiottoIt's Max's first day at Coral Elementary school. The school is filled with marine animals, like dolphins, crabs, and octopus. But none of the other students have ever seen an axolotl before... and they have SO MANY QUESTIONS. Where did Max live before? Is it true he can regrow any of his limbs? What happened to his old friends? This is too much attention for Max! To make things worse, Max gets the hiccups when he's nervous. Can this little axolotl adjust to his new underwater school or will the pressure just be too much? |
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Answers to Dog by Pete HautmanEvan doesn’t seem to fit in at school or at home. He goes out of his way to avoid attention. He sits at the back of the bus, keeps his head down in class, and keeps to himself. But when a burr-covered border collie—a survivor with a gut instinct about the Boy—starts following him around and joining him on his runs, Evan’s simple duck-and-dodge existence becomes a lot more complicated . . . a lot more like life. Evolving from wary companions to steadfast friends, Evan and the dog run fast and far together, thwart an abusive dog breeder and the school bully, and find the courage to stand up for themselves and to open up to those who matter most.
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Beasties by Peter Lerangis On a field trip to Central Park, Riley and his classmates accidentally encounter a supernatural artifact that looks a lot like, well, honestly … a piece of poop. But one of them gets too close, there’s a blinding flash, and suddenly the five friends are turned into various critters. Riley’s sister’s a hawk, the school bully’s a raccoon, and Riley? He’s transformed into everyone’s least favorite animal, a New York City rat. Their once-dull morning quickly turns into a fight for survival. The kids have stayed alive long enough find a way to turn themselves back to normal. But as it turns out, they’re not the only humans-turned-into-animals on the loose in Central Park.… As it turns out, Riley and his friends have accidentally thrust themselves into the center of a dangerous Manhattan-wide plot. And now they must use all their animal abilities to stop the bad guys, find the cure, and get back home without, you know, getting eaten on the way. It’s a wild adventure of a lifetime―because if they fail, these beasties will stay beasts forever.
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