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Ari’s life is filled with pretty run-of the-mill stuff: school, video games, and his pet turtle, Fred But not anywhere near run-of-the-mill is Ari’s mom, who’s a mad scientist. That’s right, a MAD scientist. Sure, she strives to make people’s lives better with her inventions, especially at home. But all of Mom’s inventions seem to go just the slightest bit off kilter. And when she devises a time portal to help deal with the massive mounds of dirty laundry that have taken over their house, she creates a MUCH bigger problem than just stinky clothes, and it’s up to Ari to get them out of a prehistoric mess.
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A rich girl from New York City, Effie Starr Zook isn’t afraid of much. When her parents go on a dangerous round-the-world adventure in a solar airplane, she’s packed off to her aunt and uncle’s farm for the summer. Expecting boredom, she runs smack dab into a family secret. Why does the neighbor kid want to avoid her? What are her aunt and uncle so worried about? And what does “bad blood” mean, anyway?
Effie’s got a brand-new bicycle, time on her hands, and an unlimited capacity for asking questions. With these, she sets out to uncover whatever it is the grownups are hiding. Along the way, she’ll contend with crackpot politics, serve coffee in a bookstore café, and learn more than she bargained for about her famous great-grandfather, the inventor of the barf bag.
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Button Pusher by Tyler PageTyler’s brain is different. Unlike his friends, he has a hard time paying attention in class. He acts out in goofy, over-the-top ways. Sometimes, he even does dangerous things―like cut up a bus seat with a pocketknife or hang out of an attic window.
To the adults in his life, Tyler seems like a troublemaker. But he knows that he’s not. Tyler is curious and creative. He’s the best artist in his grade, and when he can focus, he gets great grades. He doesn’t want to cause trouble, but sometimes he just feels like he can’t control himself.
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Dragons with Drizzles by Gina KammerZuli Cloud doesn’t make friends easily. The young Storm Watcher girl is a skilled tinkerer. She sometimes helps students at the International School of Dragon Training with their magical gem gadgets. But otherwise, she usually gets along better with dragons than people. One day, Zuli’s sea serpent, Rainbow, and the other sea serpents become sick with the drizzles, a condition that causes their magic to go haywire. Zuli manages to discover the cause of the sickness and a cure for the disease. However, she needs help to cure all the sick dragons. Will Zuli convince her fellow students to help before a powerful storm forces the school to close? |
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The Power of the Parasiteby Jennifer L. HolmWhen his plans for a super summer of fun at camp are challenged by his inability to swim and his new friendship with a paralyzing hydra, Squish the amoeba struggles to overcome his fears while investigating questions about Pod and black holes. Read more in the Squish series. |
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The Best Worst Summer by Elizabeth EulbergThis is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She's lonely. She's bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting.
Back in 1989, it's going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they're even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl's family secret starts to unravel, it's clear things may not go exactly as planned.
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Long Distance by Whitney GardnerVega’s summer vacation is not going well.
When her parents decide it’s time to pack up and leave her hometown of Portland, Oregon, behind for boring Seattle, Washington, Vega is more than upset—she’s downright miserable. Forced to leave her one and only best friend, Halley, behind, Vega is convinced she’ll never make another friend again.
To help her settle into her new life in Seattle, her parents send Vega off to summer camp to make new friends. Except Vega is determined to get her old life back. But when her cellphone unexpectedly calls it quits and things at camp start getting stranger and stranger, Vega has no choice but to team up with her bunkmates to figure out what’s going on!
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Delve deep into the undergrowth and meet the ridiculous residents of Gary's backyard. It's full of the silliest creatures you'll ever meet. The worms think they're caterpillars, the caterpillars think they're acrobats, the spiders are conducting orchestras, the birds are raiding the house for snacks, and the squirrel has lost his nuts! And that's not even half of it!
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Bullet Train Disaster by Jack Heath You are strapped tightly into your seat on the bullet train. As it accelerates to top speed, a passenger slips out of his seat and begins to fall towards the back of the train. Do you unstrap yourself to save him, or do you stay in your seat? Choose your own ending! Choose wrong and risk being: bitten by monster ticks, buried in an avalanche, transported into the past, run over by bandits, locked in a room by secret ops, zapped by a giant transformer, eaten by a bear, trapped in a sealed-off cave, or squashed by a train (among other unpleasant ends).
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The Secret Cookie Club members Grace, Emma, Olivia, and Lucy are excited to be back at Moonlight Ranch summer camp with their beloved counselor, Hannah. But when a mysterious letter arrives, Hannah is plunged into despair. Secret Cookie Club to the rescue!
After puzzling out the contents of the letter, they make a plan to fix Hannah’s life—a plan that requires a magic spell, a daring mission to the boys camp, and a big batch of campfire cookies. What could possibly go wrong? With a dash of romance, a pinch of mystery, and a heaping tablespoon of fun, this camp adventure is as satisfying as a warm chocolate chip cookie.
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Northwind by Gary PaulsenWhen a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea.
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Third-grader Max is heading off on a road trip with Mom. With miles to travel, cousins to meet, and a tall roller coaster to ride (maybe), it will be an adventure! But Max always spends weekends with Dad; will Dad be okay if he’s left behind? And will Max be brave enough for all the new explorations ahead of him?
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