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David Almond

Photo: Alex Telfer Photography

 

David Almond

David Almond is the winner of the 2001 Michael L. Printz Award for Kit's Wilderness , which has also been named best book of the year by School Library Journal, Booklist , and Publishers Weekly. His first book for young readers, Skellig, is a Printz Honor winner. David's newest novel, Raven Summer, is available November 10th!






Raven Summer

Raven Summer
David Almond

After Liam and his
best friend Max find
an abandoned baby girl in
the woods beyond his
house, his peaceful world
and idyllic childhood is
shaken as he is forced to
confront the existence of
human brutality: in the
world, in those who were
once his friends, and
within his own heart.

Click here for the Educators Guide!


Click here for more Teachers Guides



The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore)
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

When careless citizens pose a threat to Bear Country's environment, Brother and Sister Bear form the Earthsavers Club. Their spirited ecological efforts deliver a timely message about the urgent need to mend our polluting and wasteful ways.

Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!



The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

"When Mama Bear's efforts to improve her family's manners are unsuccessful, she devises a Politeness Plan--a chart listing a chore as a penalty for each act of rudeness. Basic etiquette is presented in a practical way. Berenstain illustrations add humor and understanding."-- School Library Journal.

Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!



The Berenstain Bears Go to School
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

A sympathetic story about Sister Bear, who conquers her fear of starting kindergarten.

Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!



The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

Too-Tall Grizzly and his gang dare Brother to steal a watermelon from Farmer Ben's patch, and when the gang runs away, Brother is caught. Fortunately, Farmer Ben is a good neighbor, and offers Brother advice about standing up for what is right.


Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!



The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest
by Stan Berenstain and
Jan Berenstain

When prankster Papa Bear plays ghost at the Bear Scouts' sleep-out in the Great Spooky Forest, he winds up scaring himself.

Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!




The Berenstain Bears and the In-Crowd
by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

Once there were two color kittens with green eyes, Brush and Hush . . .So goes the rollicking tale of two pouncy kittens who make all the colors in the world. First published more than 50 years ago, this much-requested title is now available as a Little Golden Book Classic, with its original cover!

Download the Berenstain Bears Activity Guide!





The Bear Essentials of Character Education

Welcome to the Preschool Booknook, an informative place invoking those book-filled, cozy corners in classrooms and libraries.

It's never too early to teach character education! Here are a few ideas for using the Berenstain Bears books . . .



   





IT'S






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Night Lights
Night Lights
by Susan Gal

Susan Gal tells the story of a child's evening routine through all the different kinds of lights that shine in the night. From the porch light by the front door, to the firelight (and firefly light!) of a backyard cookout, and the candles on a cake, everything seems to glow in this warm and cozy book. When the lightning of a sudden summer storm sends the action inside, there is light there too - a bedside light to read by, a flashlight to make shadows with, a night-light to keep you company, and the moonlight for sweet dreams.



How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Anniversary Edition
by Dr. Seuss

Inside this very special anniversary edition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, you'll find the complete, original text and illustrations by Dr. Seuss, along with 32 fascinating pages of commentary, footnotes and archival images - written and compiled by renowned collector and Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen.


A Library for Juana

A Library for Juana
by Pat Mora; illustrated by Beatriz Vidal

Juana Ines was just a little girl in a village in Mexico when she decided that the thing she wanted most in the world was her very own collection of books. When she found out that she could learn to read in school, she begged to go. And when she later discovered that only boys could attend university, she dressed like a boy to show her determination to attend. Word of her great intelligence soon spread, and eventually, Juana Ines was considered one of the best scholars in the Americas.

Celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month!


 

 

Zigazak! Zigazak!

by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Jon Goodell

On the first night of Hanukkah, two tricky devils arrive in the town of Brisk to cause mischief. They use a magic word - Zigazak! - to make dreidels dance and latkes fly. The good citizens of Brisk panic and appeal to their wise rabbi for help. He triumphs over the devils in a contest of wits, and soon sends them packing. But his real triumph is the ability to see the good in all things, even devils' tricks, helping the townsfolk enjoy their most magical Hanukkah ever.



Snow

Snow
by P.D. Eastman

"Joyful verse relates the many ways to enjoy snow. First graders will love it."-- Chicago Tribune.

Perfect for winter!



Rainbow Crow

Rainbow Crow
by Nancy Van Laan

Illus. in full color. This story of how the Rainbow Crow lost his sweet voice and brilliant colors by bringing the gift of fire to the other woodland animals is "a Native American legend that will be a fine read-aloud because of the smooth text and songs with repetitive chants. The illustrations, done in a primitive style, create a true sense of the Pennsylvania Lenape Indians and their winters."-- School Library Journal.

Celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month!


 

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Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club

Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat; illustrated by Jody Wheeler

Rosamond has started a book club called Rosamond's Ready Readers. But she claims there's an evil page monster on the loose. Nate the Great and his dog, Sludge, go to the next meeting of the book club . . . as undercover detectives. All the members are there. They are reading a book when one of Rosamond's Ready Readers discovers that a page is missing. Has the evil page monster struck again?


Visit the Nate the Great Classroom Club!



Shampoodle
Shampoodle
by Joan Holub; illustrated by Tim Bowers

It's picture day at the dog park. But before the first photo can be taken, an exuberant pack of pups needs a bit of grooming. So they're off to Shampoodle, the local pet salon, where the eager dogs simply cannot sit still. And when some curious cats stop by, things go from messy to mayhem.


Visit the Step into Reading site!


The Green Ghost

The Green Ghost
by Marion Dane Bauer; illustrated by Peter Ferguson

In 1938, a girl named Lillian knows that the most beautiful pine tree in the forest is the one thing that will make her Christmas special. In 2008, Kaye's family's car slides off the road in a Christmas Eve blizzard and they have to seek out shelter in the snowy woods. Seventy years separate them, but Lillian and Kaye's paths are ready to cross when Kaye looks out the car window and spots a ghostly face glowing brightly through the falling snow.

Visit the Step into Reading site!


 

 

 

 

There's No Place Like Space
There's No Place Like Space
by Tish Rabe illustrated by Aristides Ruiz

Au revoir, Pluto! In this newly revised, bestselling backlist title, beginning readers and budding astronomers are launched on a wild trip to visit the now eight planets in our solar system, along with the Cat in the Hat, Thing One, Thing Two, Dick, and Sally. It's a reading adventure that's out of this world!

Download the Educators Guide!



Horse Diaries #3: Koda

Horse Diaries #3: Koda
by Patricia Hermes; illustrated by Ruth Sanderson

Independence, Missouri, 1846.
Koda is a bay quarter horse with a white blaze. He loves to explore the countryside and run free with his human friend Jasmine nearby. But after Koda sets out with Jasmine's family on a long and dusty wagon train journey on the Oregon Trail, he finds out what is truly important to him. Here is Koda's story. . . in his own words.


Skating Shoes
Skating Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild

It's a stroke of great luck when Harriet Johnson's doctor prescribes skating after an illness that has left her feeling frail and listless. For on her very first day at the rink, Harriet meets orphaned Lalla Moore, who is being brought up by her wealthy aunt Claudia to be a skating champion. Although they have little in common, the girls form a fast friendship.But just as Lalla's interest in skating starts to fade, Harriet's natural talent begins to emerge. Suddenly Lalla and Harriet seem headed in two very different directions. Can their friendship survive?



 


Step into Reading
A trusted series offers books at five carefully developed skill levels, tailor-made for the emerging reader.

   


Stepping Stones
All kinds of books, for every kind of kid.

   


Landmark Books
For over half a century, Landmark Books have been an important part of children’s libraries.

   


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The Giant-Slayer

The Giant-Slayer
by Iain Lawrence

The spring of 1955 tests Laurie Valentine's gifts as a storyteller. After her friend Dickie contracts polio and finds himself confined to an iron lung, Laurie visits him in the hospital. There she meets Carolyn and Chip, two other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Laurie's first impulse is to flee, but Dickie begs her to tell them a story. And so Laurie begins her tale of Collosso, a rampaging giant, and Jimmy, a tiny boy whose destiny is to become a slayer of giants.


Kerka's Book

The Fairy Godmother Academy #2: Kerka's Book
by Jan Bozarth; illustrated by Andrea Burden

Kerka loves a challenge, but how can she find something that is invisible? In this second Fairy Godmother Academy book, Kerka begins the dangerous journey that will determine not only her future as a fairy godmother but also the fate of her sisters.

Visit the Fairy Godmother Academy!




Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Scary Things That Aren't As Scary

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't As Scary
by McSweeney's; edited by Ted Thompson and Eli Horowitz

A collection of stories for wise young people and immature old people, written by today’s best authors spinning new tales. Each story features fullcolor illustrations by artists including Barry Blitt, Lane Smith, David Heatley, and Marcel Dzama. The collection includes previously unpublished children's stories from Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), George Saunders (CivilWarLand in Bad Decline), Kell Link (Stranger Things Happen), and Jon Scieskza ( The Stinky Cheese Man).



 

A Faraway Island
A Faraway Island
by Annika Thor; translated by Linda Schenck

It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Vienna - 12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellie - are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden.

Download the Educators Guide!



The Ever Breath

The Ever Breath
by Julianna Baggott

In a world where locust fairies flutter and firebreathers burst from snowbanks, two children are having the adventure of their lives. Truman and his twin sister, Camille, have just met their grandmother . . . . and she's a little strange. She whispers a tale about something called the Ever Breath, an amber orb that maintains the balance between our world and a dreamy one of imagination - and evil.


Grk Smells a Rat
Grk Smells a Rat
by Joshua Doder

Tim Malt; his parents; his dog, Grk; and his friends Natascha and Max Raffifi have just arrived in India. They are all set to see the famous sights and watch Max compete in a tennis tournament. But after meeting a boy named Krishnan, they learn about the Blue Rat Gang, a group that enslaves children. Krishnan needs help to rescue his sister from a cruel life of forced labor, and Tim and Grk are up to the challenge. Racing against time, Tim and Grk are chased through dark alleys only to find themselves face-to-face with the infamous leader inside the Blue Rats' headquarters. Can they foil his evil plans before it's too late?




Stepping Stones
All kinds of books, for every kind of kid.

   













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Fallen
Fallen
by Lauren Kate

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Coming this December!


Sphinx's Princess

Sphinx's Princess
by Esther Friesner

Nefertiti may be the dutiful daughter of a commoner, but her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. But she is also extraordinarily beautiful. And news of her striking beauty and impulsive behavior attracts the attention of her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who sees Nefertiti as an ideal pawn in her desire for power.



Change-Up

Change-up: Mystery at the World Series
by John Feinstein

Bestselling author, journalist, and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back with another high-stakes sports mystery. Teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are covering baseball's World Series, and during the course of an interview with a new hot pitcher, they discover more than a few contradictions in his life story. What's he hiding? An embarrassing secret? A possible crime? Let the investigation begin!


Powerless

Powerless
by Matthew Cody

Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice -- but odd -- new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they're haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirteen, their abilities will disappear--along with any memory that they ever had them. Is a memory-stealing supervillain sapping their powers?


The Pricker Boy

The Pricker Boy
by Reade Scott Whinnem

He was human once, or so they say. The son of a fur trapper, he was taunted by his peers and tricked into one of his own father's traps. By the time anybody found it, the trap's vicious teeth were empty, pried open and overgrown. It was said the brambles themselves had reached out and taken pity on that boy; that his skin had hardened to bark as thorns grew over every inch of his body. Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't. But anyone who knows anything stays out of the woods beyond the Widow's Stone.


Scurvy Goonda

Scurvy Goonda
by Chris McCoy

In Book One of this two-part story, an endearing misfit embarks on an amazing adventure in search of his friend Scurvy Goonda, an outrageous invisible pirate with an insatiable love for bacon. Part friendship story, part madcap adventure, readers who love stories in which almost-ordinary kids travel to fantastical lands and become heroes will revel in the imaginative landscape and characters featured in this original debut.






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Raven Summer
Raven Summer
by David Almond

After Liam and his
best friend Max find
an abandoned baby girl in the woods beyond his
house, his peaceful world and idyllic childhood is shaken as he is forced to confront the existence of human brutality: in the world, in those who were once his friends, and within his own heart.


Download the Teachers Guide!



Legacy
Legacy
by Tom Sniegoski

What if you found out your deadbeat father is a superhero? Would you leave your small-town life to take up the mantle of a father you never knew? For 18-year-old Lucas, the choice is an easy one: he's not going to leave behind his mother and his comfortable life for a father who's never shown any interest in him. But his father--known officially as billionaire Clayton Hartwell, and secretly as the vigilante superhero The Raptor--tells Lucas that as he is dying, evil is growing, and the world needs Lucas to become the new Raptor.


Girl to the Core
Girl to the Core
by Stacey Goldblatt

Molly O'Keefe's boyfriend, Trevor, is moving too fast, but when she catches him kissing his ex, Molly thinks it might be her own fault. Despite Trevor's apologies and Vanessa's attempts to hook her up with rebound guys, Molly is utterly heartbroken. Then she finds comfort in a most unusual place: Girl Corps, a club Claire belongs to. As a fifteen-yearold, Molly hardly fits the Girl Corps profile. Still, she can't deny that being with the little girls in the group gives her a sense of confidence and identity.


 

 

Kit's Wilderness

Kit's Wilderness
Written Almond

The Watson family moves to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town, to care for Kit's recently widowed grandfather. When Kit meets John Askew, another boy whose family had both worked and died in the mines, Askew invites Kit to join him to play a game called Death. As Kit's grandfather provides stories of the mine's past and the history of the Watson family, the boys search the mines to find the childhood ghosts of their long-gone ancestors.

Check out the Readers Guide!


Anniversary/Printz Award Winner!



Rosie and Skate
Rosie and Skate
by Beth Ann Bauman


It's off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly in love, inseparable--until now, when Perry goes off to Rutgers. Rosie is shyer than Skate, but she's drawn to Nick, a boy in their Alateen group. What happens to Rosie and Skate in a few tumultuous weeks is deftly shaded, complex, and true.


Rage: A Love Story
Rage: A Love Story
by Julie Anne Peters

Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs--it can't give her Reeve Hartt. Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna's fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn't always reasonable, right?




 

 

 






A new way to bring you and your students together for great book club discussions!


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