Synopsis: Quiet was the default setting in the teacher's lounge, and quiet was nice,
but a new and different kind of quiet had taken hold in the weeks since
school began. This quiet was not an absence of conversation, but a
conspiracy of silence. The distinction wasn't lost on Bixby's veteran
teachers who knew the difference. Something was lurking beneath the
surface that nobody seemed willing to talk about, though some were less
afraid than others.

Kids are disappearing at Bixby Elementary, and no one knows why. But that's only the second strangest thing happening inside the school.

Who's responsible? That's just what Drew and the rest of the Zero Avenue brats want to know, but are they ready for what they'll find? Because finding out means unraveling the threads of a conspiracy that blurs the line between myth and science, and between friends and enemies. Because finding out draws them into an adventure that tests their character, and their loyalties to each other.

Seeing Harley selected for the Vice-Principal's Special Studies program triggers Drew's suspicions--and his jealousy. Digging deeper, he traces the program's tangled roots to clandestine research carried out during WWII. Driven by their sense of loyalty, Drew and the rest of the brats follow the program's long shadow from the war's twilight, to the present day and the abandoned amusement park where their fight for the future might just heal their wounded past. 

Synopsis: What happens when society finds a wild boy alone in the woods and tries to civilize him? A true story from the author of The Fairy Ring.

One day in 1798, woodsmen in southern France returned from the forest having captured a naked boy. He had been running wild, digging for food, and was covered with scars. In the village square, people gathered around, gaping and jabbering in words the boy didn’t understand. And so began the curious public life of the boy known as the Savage of Aveyron, whose journey took him all the way to Paris. Though the wild boy’s world was forever changed, some things stayed the same: sometimes, when the mountain winds blew, “he looked up at the sky, made sounds deep in his throat, and gave great bursts of laughter.” In a moving work of narrative nonfiction that reads like a novel, Mary Losure invests another compelling story from history with vivid and arresting new life.
Back matter includes an author’s note, source notes, and a bibliography.

Synopsis: Winner of the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award

In Meg Medina’s compelling new novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school — and must discover resources she never knew she had.

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Synopsis: Jasmine Blade has tightly bottled her emotions for 18 years, but when one chance encounter with a wanna-be rock star ends up in a whirlwind journey across the globe, everything changes. With the invention of 'Emosphere's', Jasmine now has the power to control the emotions of others. Her destiny is to prove to the Council of Carriers, Framers and Readers that Emospherica is a phenomenon capable of controlling the masses - but at what cost? Her unfolding destiny is both dangerous and risky, especially when she has to put absolute trust in others. But Jasmine is determined to remain tenacious and tough until the end - whether it is in jubilant victory or gut wrenching defeat. She is fast learning why emotional warfare is a dangerous game, and that sometimes love doesn't conquer all, no matter what rock star you fall for.

Synopsis: However peculiar Ennis Whelan has been for the first six years of his life, not until the day he found the bird, did the degree of his strangeness become so tangible. 

Dr. Owen Whelan and his wife Sarah, both Irish immigrants, have been living the American dream, as well as raising seven bright and expressive children. Their youngest Ennis, however, has since birth, been a bit of a mystery. Ennis was always small, meek and frightfully odd but there is so much more to him than anyone could have imagined. His sister Teagan grows increasingly suspicious of his behavior but their mother dismisses her claims, until the day he starts healing people.When Ennis ultimately reveals the gift of sight, he questions his father about visions of his past, including his voyage to America in 1844. Owen prayed he'd never have to share those tragic memories but he will share them, when he realizes he has no choice. Ennis' life may depend on it.

Synopsis: What Every Girl Should Know About Boys and Relationships was originally written as a gift to five young girls by their favorite aunt. "I wanted to give my nieces some sort of guidebook for when they started dating," says Carroll. "The book contains 222 recommendations and suggestions on boys and relationships. They are simple and to the point. With any luck this book could prevent a broken heart or two. At the very least, I hope it puts a smile on your face". * Don't chase boys. They will come to you. * Chivalry is never outdated. * Respect yourself. * Sweet doesn't mean pushover. * Always mean what you say. * Everybody has baggage. What Every Girl Should Know About Boys and Relationships is the perfect gift for any girl.

Synopsis: Two tantalizing tales, magically intertwined, cross cultures and span centuries as three kids set out to save the lives of three others—who just happen to live in the Middle Ages!

A stone lion roars....
A sleek black cat speaks....
A faun leaps from the canvas of a painting....

When Jared, Shireen, and Miranda are each given one glittering gift from an old Venetian shopkeeper, they never fathom the powers they are now able to unleash; they never expect that their very reality is about to be utterly upended. And the adventure has hardly begun.

For in another time, centuries earlier, another trio—Rashid, Maria, and Francesca—have been thrown together under terrible circumstances: They have been kidnapped and, along with hundreds of other children, will be sold into child slavery. Unless, that is, they can find some way to save them all.

But all their fates lie in the hands of Jared, Shireen, and Miranda. The future—and the lives—of these three very modern children become entirely intertwined with those of the children from the past. Danger, it seems, has a way of spanning centuries.