8 - 12

How daring is Chiyo prepared to be to keep the American Friendship Doll safe? Inspired by a little-known historical event, this engaging companion to Ship of Dolls is told from a Japanese girl’s point of view.When eleven-year-old Chiyo Tamura is sent from her home in a small Japanese mountain village to a girls’ school in the city of Tsuchiura, she never imagines that she will soon be in Tokyo helping to welcome more than twelve thousand Friendship Dolls from America—including Emily Grace, a gift to her own school. Nor could she dream that she’d have an important role in the crafting of Miss Tokyo, one of fifty-eight Japanese dolls to be sent to America in return. But when an excited Chiyo is asked to be Emily Grace’s official protector, one jealous classmate will stop at nothing to see her fail. How can Chiyo reveal the truth—and restore her own good name? In another heartwarming historical novel, the author of Ship of Dolls revisits the 1926 Friendship Doll exchange, in which teacher-missionary Sidney Gulick organized American children to send thousands of dolls to Japan in hopes of avoiding a future war.
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Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen (series)
The average ten-year-old girl seldom travels far from home. She doesn't worry about being kidnapped by witches or imprisoned in medieval castles where children meet their unspeakable demise. She rarely gives thought to curses, potions and magic. She certainly isn't concerned about risking life and limb to decipher ancient rites and lost treasures....But Liberty Frye is about to discover that she is not just an average girl.When a cryptic note from long-lost relatives arrives, the news it brings flips Libby's small-town existence upside down. Soon, she finds herself lured to a foreign land where retired witches, talking bats and geriatric World War II pilots await. It's up to Libby to unravel the sinister plot that brought her there in the first place, but in so doing, she'll uncover a shocking secret that will change her life forever ... if she survives the challenge.
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From the Publisher

MaxHelsing and the Thirteenth Curse
Max is just your average kid growing up in Gallows Hill, a small town outside of Boston—well, except that he lives in a gothic mansion with an old former prizefighter, and his after-school job is carrying on the monster-hunting tradition of his family, the van Helsings. Despite the bloody legacy he’s inherited, Max always tries to be kind and fair to the ghouls, demons, and other creatures he encounters. So he’s confused when monsters start attacking him willy-nilly—even those he thought of as friends. Max discovers he’s been cursed by an evil Warlock who intends to reclaim the earth for the monsters. To save his life, Max must rely on his gearhead friend Syd, his boy-genius neighbor Wing, and his brand-new puppy for help. But time is running out, and if they can’t figure out how to break the Thirteenth Curse, Max—and the world as we know it—will be in deep, deep trouble…
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The Peddler's Road
Matthew Cody
“Explodes into a wild fantasy adventure. . . . Cody has begun what promises to be an epic trilogy.” —Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm It is said that in the thirteenth century, in a town called Hamelin, a piper lured all of the children away with his magical flute, and none of them were ever seen again. Today, tough, pink-haired Max and her little brother, Carter, are stuck in modern-day Hamelin with their father . . . until they are also led away by the Piper to a place called the Summer Isle. There they meet the original stolen children, who haven’t aged a day and who have formed their own town, vigilantly guarded from the many nightmarish beings that roam the land. No one knows why the Piper stole them, but Max and Carter may be the key to returning the lost children of Hamelin. Together they set out on the Peddler’s Road to find their way back to the real world. This swashbuckling journey is perfect for fans of Rump and A Tale Dark and Grimm. Don’t miss the second adventure in the series, The Magician’s Key!
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Ruffleclaw
Oliver Latsch, Cornelia Funke
The beloved and bestselling author of Inkheart returns with a chapter book full of mischief, heart, hilarious illustrations, and pet monsters! Goodbye, earthworms. Hello, chocolate cake! Ruffleclaw is a furry red monster who lives under a toolshed, and he’s sick of eating bugs. When he decides to move in with a family of humans, he climbs right into bed with a boy named Tommy. Tommy wants to keep Ruffleclaw as a pet, but it won’t be easy. Ruffleclaw makes huge messes—he spits, he drinks shampoo, and he eats everything in the fridge . . . along with the plates! Can Tommy teach his monster to behave? Cornelia Funke’s signature touch of imagination and humor delights young readers in her chapter books—Emma and the Blue Genie, The Pirate Pig, and Ruffleclaw.
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The Next Great Rock Star!
Ann Herrick
When Jason and his friends form a garage band, they call it "No Frills" because they want to keep it real—even when they enter a band contest and pressures to alter their image mount. Then one day, due to a close encounter with lightning, Jason's life changes in a big way—but is he magically cooler or is it just his perception? As he goes from blah to cool, his head swells as he takes his fifteen minutes of fame too seriously. His too-busy mother and fortune-telling grandmother don't get through to him. Even maybe-more-than-a-friend Layla is ready to give up on Jason, especially when he starts flirting with much-older Mindy. Only a rescued kitten keeps him even remotely grounded. It isn't until he loses the friendships with the band mates he once counted on that he realizes he has a major problem, and he worries it might be too late to fix it.
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Cheerful Ruby and her shy friend Eleanor couldn’t be more different. Ruby has lived her whole life in Paris, New Hampshire. Eleanor’s family is from Sri Lanka. But these best friends share one thing: they both have impossible dreams.Ruby and Eleanor live in the quaint town of Paris, New Hampshire, located at the base of Sugar Mountain, an exclusive ski resort in the White Mountains. Every winter, Paris comes alive with "Outers," wealthy families from out of town who own ski condos and wear designer clothes, luxuries that Ruby and Eleanor (and most of the year-round residents of Paris) cannot afford.One December day, Ruby and Eleanor stumble across Madame Magnifique, the "World’s Most Divine Psychic," who urges them to unlock their deepest dreams. Ruby’s has always been to mingle with Outers, and now, more than ever, she is determined to make that dream come true.As a chain of events unfolds over the winter months, both girls find themselves on a journey of self-discovery that starts with unlikely friendships, secret crushes, and newfound skills, and snowplows to an unexpected outcome.A relevant story in today’s world―exploring cross-cultural sensitivities and diversity within a classic New England microcosm―"The Sugar Mountain Snow Ball" questions the role of destiny and the ability we all have to achieve that which seems impossible.
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From the Publisher

Cooper & Packrat: Mystery of the Eagle's Nest
Trouble has returned to Wilder Family Campground. When Cooper and Packrat find their geocache box full of illegal eagle parts, their lazy summer is over. Someone wants those valuable parts back. And if they can’t get the parts back, they’ll settle for holding one of the rare Pine Lake eaglets hostage instead. Cooper, Packrat, and Roy must elude two goons, tolerate an annoying teenager, keep tabs on a shady new camper, and stake out the eagle’s nest—all without getting grounded. Tamra Wight has written an exciting follow-up to Mystery on Pine Lake, a tale ripe with adventure and natural history, but above all, one of compassion and friendship.
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Cooper & Packrat: Mystery on Pine Lake
Cooper thought living at a campground would be cool. But ever since his parents bought the lakeside campground, he's had more chores and less time to explore. And as if babysitting his little sister and cleaning the bathrooms weren't bad enough, his ex-friend Roy has chosen him as this summer's bullying target. Cooper's only bright spot this summer is his new friend, Packrat, a guy who carries the world in his coat pockets and leaves his troubles behind. But trouble has come to the Wilder Family Campground and Pine Lake, where a family of loons is building a nest. First, someone dams up the lake and floods the nest. Then, when Cooper and Packrat build a raft where the loons can make a new nest, it gets destroyed by someone with big footprints. It's up to the boys to figure out who, why, and how to stop the culprit”before it's too late.
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Dead Boy
Laurel Gale
Fans of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book will embrace this darkly funny novel!Crow isn't like the other kids. He stinks. He’s got maggots. His body parts fall off at inopportune moments. (His mom always sews them back on, though.) And he hasn’t been able to sleep in years. Not since waking up from death. But worse than the maggots is how lonely Crow feels. When Melody Plympton moves in next door, Crow can’t resist the chance to finally make a friend. With Melody around he may even have a shot at getting his life back from the mysterious wish-granting creature living in the park. But first there are tests to pass. And it will mean risking the only friend he’s had in years. Debut author Laurel Gale’s story about friendship fulfilled may be the most moving—and most macabre—yet. Praise for Dead Boy“A stinky, creepy tale for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider.” —Kirkus Reviews “Gale takes readers on a dark and surprisingly funny journey. . . . A great recommendation to middle grade fans of dark humor.” —School Library Journal