12 and up

The Swines: Anecdotes of a Piggly Family
“Eclectic, eccentric, and original. Fast-paced. Absurd. Whimsical.” ─ Suidae Gazette“Cheeky, original, and witty. Wickedly fun!” ─ Bacon Daily NewsSam is a twelve-year-old boy from a family of pigs. His mom is a prize sow, a British Lop of very high breeding. His dad is a warthog, the pedigree, no one is quite sure. Sam's parents are swine, but he's perfectly normal.Sam and his family live in a medium sized town called Suidae Valley somewhere in the middle of California between Porterville and Salinas. His mom enjoys gardening and mud baths. His dad is a booming, retired plumber. He's a little rough around the edges. The family is piggly, but they fit right in with everyone in town, who call themselves Suids.Told in first person, episodic format, Sam is a precocious kid with a talent for imagination, observation, and occasionally, even curious profundity. The narrative is eccentric, novel, and original, ranging from the orthodox to stream of consciousness and reverse chronology.The Swines ─ Anecdotes Of A Piggly Family, is at times thoughtful, at times absurd, but most of the time compelling, as the author takes readers on a journey into an unconventional world at the intersection of humans, pigs, and boy.Praise for The Swines:• “Irreverent, precocious, and self-mocking, the Swines are compelling, and Suidae Valley's native son sparkles with humor.” ─ Suidae Valley Times• “Written in the first person, twelve-year-old Sam dazzles with inquisitive observations and keen philosophical meanderings sure to delight adults and precocious kids of every age. A page-turner.” ─ Porcine Book Review• “A crossover novel that will appeal to everyone regardless of age, sex, background or genus.” ─ Bovine Society• “Satirical, ludicrous and bold. Animal Farm meets Aesop's Fables. An incisive lesson in every chapter.” ─ Weekly Porker• “Politically incorrect. Genius!” ─ Young Hogs• “A smorgasbord of subjects, from Law of Attraction to North Korea. A topical tour de force!” ─ Suidae Globe• “Page after page of non-stop chortles . . .” ─ The Boarish Post• “Cache of lexical brilliance!” ─ Sus Semantic Academy
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The Fantastic Adventures of Hoagie the Hog & Shadow
This fairytale illuminates the role of groundhogs in American Folklore, telling the story of Hoagie Prophecy, a groundhog with special powers. As a relative of Punxsutawney Phil, he knows when the winter will end. As a member of the Prophecy clan, he protects eternity for the wilderness. However, the men in the Groundhog Club want control of the groundhog clan's shadows, the secret to their lifespan. The Groundhog Club will not stop until they absorb the shadow of every forest animal, for possessing shadows enables them to live in The Underworld like eternal monsters. Hoagie and his ragtag gang of friends embark on a mysterious quest to restore the wilderness and reclaim the groundhog's duty to protect eternity. Sam, a boy at home in a nearby cabin, must help discover The Underworld and defeat the Groundhog Club. If the adventure is unsuccessful, the forest is doomed.
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The Web Paige Chronicles
PRAISE FOR THE WEB PAIGE CHRONICLES: "Web Paige Chronicles offers a refreshing and empowering role model for young adults. By eschewing this iGeneration’s stereotypical malaise in favor of positive curiosity with technology, Iasiello folds practical cybersecurity guidance into a relatable story." -Scott Schober, author of Hacked Again Emilio Iasiello is a cyber-security expert who has written a modern and realistic coming-of-age book that either boys or girls will enjoy. It helps them learn to deal with such modern problems as cyber bullying, hacking, sexting, online predators and more. Though the main characters are junior high aged, older readers will enjoy this quick read, and learn a great deal about safely negotiating modern technology. Highly recommended for schools and parents to share with their tweens and teens--or their cyber-leery friends. Wilhelmina Evangeline Beatriz Paige is better known as “Web” to her friends because of her seemingly endless knowledge of computers. Always eager to lend a hand, she takes pride in helping the “technically-challenged” in her neighborhood as part of her “pay-it-forward” philosophy. But when her closest friends become the targets of cyber bullying and online predators, Web realizes that safely navigating the Internet is more than just using strong passwords and antivirus protection. By helping those who can’t help themselves, Web embarks on a journey through which she learns things from not only her friends, but also strangers, adults, and most importantly, herself.
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The Life of Frederick Douglass
Marissa Louise, David F. Walker, Damon Smyth
A graphic novel biography of the escaped slave, abolitionist, public speaker, and most photographed man of the nineteenth century, based on his autobiographical writings and speeches, spotlighting the key events and people that shaped the life of this great American.Recently returned to the cultural spotlight, Frederick Douglass's impact on American history is felt even in today's current events. Comic book writer and filmmaker David F. Walker joins with the art team of Damon Smyth and Marissa Louise to bring the long, exciting, and influential life of Douglass to life in comic book form. Taking you from Douglass's life as a young slave through his forbidden education to his escape and growing prominence as a speaker, abolitionist, and influential cultural figure during the Civil War and beyond, The Life of Frederick Douglass presents a complete illustrated portrait of the man who stood up and spoke out for freedom and equality. Along the way, special features provide additional background on the history of slavery in the United States, the development of photography (which would play a key role in the spread of Douglass's image and influence), and the Civil War. Told from Douglass's point of view and based on his own writings, The Life of Frederick Douglass provides an up-close-and-personal look at a history-making American who was larger than life.
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It Wasn't Me
Dana Alison Levy
THE BREAKFAST CLUB meets middle school with a prank twist in this hilarious and heartwarming story about six very different seventh graders who are forced to band together after a vandalism incident.When Theo's photography project is mysteriously vandalized at school there are five suspected students who all say "it wasn't me." Theo just wants to forget about the humiliating incident but his favorite teacher is determined to get to the bottom of it and has the six of them come into school over vacation to talk. She calls it "Justice Circle." The six students—the Nerd, the Princess, the Jock, the Screw Up, the Weirdo, and the Nobody—think of it as detention. AKA their worst nightmare. That is until they realize they might get along after all, despite their differences. But what is everyone hiding and will school ever be the same?*PW Best Books of 2018 *Winter 2018-2019 Kids' Indie Next List * JLG selection * Three starred reviews"Every reader will find some piece of themselves in Levy's sharp, humorous, and heartfelt novel. A twisty mystery with quirky, unforgettable characters and a positive message to boot."—JOHN DAVID ANDERSON, the critically acclaimed author of Ms. Bixby’s Last Day and Posted"What at first seems like a novel solely about bullying becomes a story about six kids who find their way to true friendship and fierce loyalty, and why restorative justice is worth the time and effort it takes." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "A timely, introspective whodunit with a lot of heart." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Levy writes in an easy style with laugh-out-loud humor, offering characters that slowly reveal deeper complexity." —School Library Journal, starred review
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Better You Than Me
Jessica Brody
It's Freaky Friday meets Hannah Montana when two twelve-year-old girls--one a famous TV star, the other an obsessive fan--switch bodies with hilarious and disastrous results.Ruby Rivera is a twelve-year-old superstar with millions of followers. Skylar Welshman is a seventh grader who wants to be cool--and she's Ruby's biggest fan. When Skylar and Ruby meet on the set of Ruby's hit show, Ruby of the Lamp, and wish they could switch places . . . it happens! Now Ruby is living Skylar's life--going to a normal school, eating fro-yo, sleeping in, texting boys . . . it's amazing. And being Ruby is even better than Skylar imagined--her fancy closet is huge, everyone wants to be her friend, and she gets to spend every day with Ryder Vance, her dreamy costar. Life is a blast!But when Ruby finds herself dealing with mean girls and Skylar discovers that being a celebrity isn't all red-carpet glamour, the girls start to wonder if being yourself isn't so bad after all. Can they swap bodies again? Or are they stuck being each other forever?
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Never Evers
Tom Ellen, Lucy Ivison
For fans of Jacky Ha-Ha and Disney Channel's Girl Meets World, this hilarious, tween-friendly story about a middle school ski trip is full of friendship, crushes, and the mishaps and misunderstandings that are bound to occur in seventh grade!An Amazon Best Book of December 2018!Thirteen-year-old Mouse is pretty sure her life is totally over. Now that she's been kicked out of ballet school, she has to go on her new school's ski trip basically knowing no one. Well, except too-cool-for-school Keira and Crazy Connie-May (and her adorable hamster, Mr. Jambon).Meanwhile, Jack's life is just about to begin. He's on the way to the slopes with his school too, and all he can think about is how to successfully get his first kiss.But with new friends by her side, Mouse has more fun skiing and building igloos than she expected. And when Jack catches Mouse's eye in the at the ski resort, he's smitten. All's well--that is, until mega pop star Roland arrives on the scene and sets his sights on Mouse, too! A week in the snow is about to get complicated. . . ."The entwined stories are brilliantly paced...[and] riotously funny...under, around, and through the laughs, there are questions (and answers!) about friendship, image, and forgiveness, for others and for oneself." --Booklist (starred review)"Filled with awkward misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and missed opportunities...this is adolescent drama at its best." --Kirkus Reviews
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Fourteen-year-old Ben Mason has known for some time he’s a little bit different than other people. It isn’t until traveling back to Australia from a holiday in the United States he discovers just how true that is. Ben and his friends are flying home when their airplane crashes on a remote island. Guided by the captain, the passengers try to stay alive and safe until rescue arrives. But Ben feels strange things happening. Soon he meets a boy named Noke who saves Ben from drowning and a swarm of killer bees. Then, twenty-six days into their ordeal, Ben meets Goldevere, a prisoner of the dragon, Black Knight. Goldevere tells Ben he has the gift that can help both of their people and that he needs to find his wife Silver for help. They must work quickly to save the world from the angry black dragon.
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When she was a child, Joey Kinkaid, assigned as a boy at birth—wearing Mom’s purple sundress and an imaginary crown—ruled the Baker Street neighborhood with a flair and imagination that kept the other kids captivated. Day after day, she led them on fantastic after-school adventures, but those innocent childhood days are over, and the magic is gone. The princess is alone.Even Eric Sinclair, the Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel, has turned his back on his former friend, watching in silence as Joey is tormented at school. Eric isn’t proud of it, but their enchanted youth is over, and they’ve been thrust into a dog-eat-dog world where those who conform survive and those who don’t… well, they don’t. Eric has enough to deal with at home, where his mother has abandoned him to live in isolation and poverty.But Eric can’t stay on the sidelines forever. When Joey finally accepts her female gender and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies readily take the opportunity she hands them, driving Joey to attempt suicide and leaving Eric at a crossroads—one that will influence both their lives in not just the present, but the future.Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?