Y'Tin is brave. No one in his village denies that—his mother may wish that he’d spend more time on school work than on elephant training, but still she knows that it takes a great deal of courage and calm to deal with elephants the way that Y'Tin does. He is almost the best trainer in the village—and, at twelve-years old, he’s certainly the youngest. Maybe he’ll even open up his own school some day to teach other Montagnards how to train wild elephants? That was the plan anyway—back before American troops pulled out of the Vietnam War, back before his village became occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, back before Y'Tin watched his life change in a million terrible ways. Now, his bravery is truly put to the test: he can stay in his village, held captive by the Viet Cong or he can risk his life (and save his elephant’s) by fleeing into the jungle. The Montagnards know their surroundings well. After all, this is why Y'Tin’s village had become loyal US allies during the war, having been tapped by Special Forces for their tracking skills and familiarity with the jungle. But that also means that Y'Tin knows how unsafe it can be—and how much danger he is in if he chooses to head out with no destination in mind. At once heartbreaking and full of hope, Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata’s exploration into the depth of the jungle and the not-so-distant past brings us close to a world few people know about—and none will ever forget. Y'Tin’s story is one of lasting friendships, desperate choices and all that we lose when we are forced to change.

What if John Henry had a son?Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, whom Ray swears could speak to animals. Now an orphan, Ray jumps from a train going through the American South and falls in with a medicine show train and its stable of sideshow performers. The performers turn out to be heroes, defenders of the wild, including the son of John Henry. They are hiding the last of the mythical Swamp Sirens from an ancient evil known as the Gog. Why the Gog wants the Siren, they can’t be sure, but they know it has something to do with rebuilding a monstrous machine that John Henry gave his life destroying years before, a machine that will allow the Gog to control the will of men and spread darkness throughout the world.From the Hardcover edition.

From the author of the Project (Un)Popular series and Too Cool For This School, a fun middle school story about a girl determined to make the best of any situation.Imagine being Camille McPhee. She has low blood sugar, so she carries extra food in a cooler. Would you want to do that?Didn't think so.And you wouldn’t want to fall under the school bus. That happened to Camille too!Her cat, Checkers, is lost. And her best friend, Sally, moved to Japan.It would be hard to stay optimistic, right? But Camille is what her mom calls HOPEFUL. Because really? There are plenty of things to be positive about:gifted readinga nonsqueaky mattresseating banned foodsthe big blue butterflyEven making a new friend. Imagine that!"This book about friendship and loss kindly teaches that life is pretty much what one is willing to make of it." --School Library Journal, starred review"[A] touching debut." --Kirkus Reviews

.Forget readathons and swimathons, Robbie and his mates have invented a new challenge of their own for the coming term: a snogathon! Robbie's #1 target is Mel Bradshaw, but she's going to be a tough nut to crack. Mel's got a target of her own - new poetry teacher Dave Carmichael.It proves to be a term in which the characters learn a lot about love and emotions and poetry and snogging - but especially about themselves.---"A story remarkable for its insights into young teenage behaviour and an understanding of the female as well as the male sense of worth ... Conflicting feelings about school, learning, family relationships, love, real affection, loyalty, crushes and sexual exploitation are portrayed with a sympathetic humour while the outrageous Snogathon is full of funny incidents ... A very entertaining and positive novel - School Librarian, UK"It made me laugh and mid-way into the book I was totally hooked! You must read until the end as it has a strong conclusion." - Cool-reads"The best book I have read this year. It has a good beginning, a great middle and an even better end."; "A really enjoyable read, full of laughs and suspense"; "It was great to hear about life, school and girls from a boys' perspective ... I thought it was written by a teenager!" - all from Lancashire Awards Supplement"The dialogue was golden" - teen reviewer for the US print edition---The Snog Log was originally published in print form in the UK by Orchard Books and in the US by Marshall Cavendish.