Synopsis: Broken limbs heal in eight weeks. What happens when your brain gets busted? Jason’s best friend died the day of the bike accident. The guy who woke up from the coma is nothing like the old Logan. His memory has more holes than Swiss cheese, and he can’t count to ten. Doc explains the changes in Logan come from a traumatic brain injury. But words don’t make dealing with Logan or his condition any easier. He’s more impulsive than a toddler, and his black moods strain the boys’ friendship. To cope, Jason turns to his sketchbook. PB, Logan’s tutor, encourages Jason. Together, they help Logan face a painfully slow recovery. When circumstances threaten to tear the friends apart, PB offers a solution. The catch: Jason must train for BRAN, an organized bike ride, and Logan has to get on a bike again. Jason reluctantly agrees only to battle flat tires, bad weather, and road hazards. Logan struggles against his uncooperative brain and unresponsive body. Relearning to walk is challenge enough. How can he ever ride a bike? Will the two friends give up? Or will Jason and Logan let adversity take them on the ride of their lives? “. . . a spectacular read. A rare combination of an experience that must-be-told and a story that can’t-be-put down.” —Kathy Mackel, author of Can of Worms, Mad Cat, Boost

Synopsis: Lily and her little sister Ruby are having a picnic when Ruby spoils their game of checkers. Lily lashes out but soon gets absorbed in a wonderful book, the story of her great grandfather’s encounter with a strange looking frog-like creature called Anger. The precious old journal teaches Lily about Metta, a technique that has helped people transform anger into loving kindness for thousands of years.

With original watercolors by award-winning illustrator Youme Nguyen Ly, Peace, Bugs, and Understanding is an invaluable tool for parents and teachers, and will help children learn to understand the causes of their own strong emotions, while teaching them peaceful ways to resolve difficulties through mindfulness and meditation.

Synopsis: With Lance leading the way, the Knights of the Round Table have set out to convince the American people that amending the Constitution to protect children is long overdue. As the team travels from state to state, they are met with acceptance, indifference, and hostility. But Lance's popularity, coupled with his innate charm, gradually sways more of the populace to their cause. 

The journey becomes a rite of passage that propels the young people into adulthood and solidifies Lance's status as an iconic and influential figure. 

But he's uneasy. He knows Arthur is hiding something from him. After The Excalibur Incident in Las Vegas, Lance is certain the future will bring him great sorrow. 

Then comes the attack, sudden and brutal. 

Now the Round Table is in disarray, and Lance must confront a cold-blooded killer who's luring him into an obvious trap. If he refuses the challenge, more loved ones will die, and everything he's accomplished will die with them. Surrounded by the diverse young people who have become his family, Lance sets out for the final showdown with his enemy. 

The Lance Chronicles conclude... 

The Lance Chronicles: 
Children of the Knight (The Lance Chronicles Book 1) 
Running Through A Dark Place (The Lance Chronicles Book 2) 
There Is No Fear (The Lance Chronicles Book 3) 
And The Children Shall Lead (The Lance Chronicles Book 4) 
Once Upon A Time In America (The Lance Chronicles Book 5) 
Warrior Kids (standalone set within The Lance Chronicles universe)

Synopsis: "Evocative and hopeful," says Newbery Honor-Winner Rita Williams-Garcia of this intense survival story set during the Armenian genocide of 1915. 
 
It is 1914, and the Ottoman Empire is crumbling into violence.
     Beyond Anatolia, in the Armenian Highlands, Shahen Donabedian dreams of going to New York. Sosi, his twin sister, never wants to leave her home, especially now that she is in love. At first, only Papa, who counts Turks and Kurds among his closest friends, stands in Shahen's way. But when the Ottoman pashas set in motion their plans to eliminate all Armenians, neither twin has a choice.
     After a horrifying attack leaves them orphaned, they flee into the mountains, carrying their little sister, Mariam. But the children are not alone. An eagle watches over them as they run at night and hide each day, making their way across mountain ridges and rivers red with blood.     

A YALSA Best Fiction Nomination
A Notable Books for a Global Society Award Winner    
A CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book of the Year
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year with Outstanding Merit

“I have walked through the remnants of the Armenian civilization in Palu and Chunkush, I have stood on the banks of the Euphrates. And still I was unprepared for how deeply moved I would be by Dana Walrath’s poignant, unflinching evocation of the Armenian Genocide. Her beautiful poetry and deft storytelling stayed with me long after I had finished this powerful novel in verse.” —Chris Bohjalian, author of The Sandcastle Girls and Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

“A heartbreaking tale of familial love, blind trust, and the crushing of innocence. A fine and haunting work.” —Karen Hesse, Newbery Medal–winning author of Out of the Dust
 
“This eloquent verse novel brings one of history’s great tragedies to life.” —Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Surrender Tree

*"This beautiful, yet at times brutally vivid, historical verse novel will bring this horrifying, tragic period to life for astute, mature readers." —School Library Journal, Starred

"A powerful tale balancing the graphic reality of genocide with a shining spirit of hope and bravery in young refugees coming to terms with their world."—Booklist
 
“The emotional impact these events had on individuals will certainly resonate.”—Kirkus Reviews

Synopsis: THE OTHER WORLDS: where the realms of science-fiction and fantasy collide...

Connor is playing an online computer game, The Quest of Narrigh, when without warning he finds himself in another world. He played the game well on his brother’s laptop. He defeated his enemies with his acts of defiance and bravery. Narrigh is now a reality. It is a world governed by magic, filled with hostile races, warring factions and ferocious beasts.

In Narrigh, Connor is no ordinary boy. He discovers he possesses extraordinary powers, which he must learn to master if he wants to survive. But first, he must find his courage…

The scientist, Skelos Dorm, has been exiled to Narrigh from his home planet, Odisiris, for carrying out unlawful experiments. Forced to work for the Narrigh government, he holds in his possession a great artefact that if wielded could disrupt the balance between Narrigh and Odisiris, and ultimately lead to their destruction.

Skelos and Connor’s lives are about to become intertwined…

Synopsis: An illustrated travel journal exploring the food, fashion and culture of modern day Japan. The summer before she turned sixteen, author/illustrator Christine Inzer traveled solo to Tokyo to get reacquainted with her birthplace. Through charming illustrations, photos, and musings, Christine takes us on a journey through modern Japan: she explores the fashion hub of Harajuku; she hunts down geisha in Kyoto; she eats the best sushi of her life in Tsukiji; and she meets many interesting characters along the way. Halfway Home is an engaging—and often hilarious—look at a fascinating country and a girl rediscovering her roots.

Synopsis: To save her people, she must steal the face of a god. 
 
For two hundred years, Jala's people have survived by raiding the mainland. By shaping the reefs around the Five-and-One Islands into magical ships, they can cross the ocean, take what they want, and disappear.
 
Or so they have always believed. On the night after Jala becomes queen, a tide of magical fog sweeps over the islands, carrying ships from the mainland. Inside are a desperate people, driven half-mad by sorcery and looking for revenge.
 
Now Jala--caught between her family's unending ambitions, the politics of the islands thrown into turmoil, and her unexpected love for the king--must find a way to save them all if she can.
 
But there are greater powers at work, and the politics of gods are more terrifying than she could have imagined. To save the Five-and-One Islands she may have to leave them behind.