Juvenile Fiction
The Perilous Case of the Zombie Potion
With time travel and mysteries that need solving, the Galactic Academy of Science (G.A.S.) series instructs readers on how to think like scientists. Under the guidance of a Dude or Dudette from the future, the middle school characters are faced with treacherous, present-day crimes that require a historical knowledge of science in order to be solved. From investigating problems to analyzing data and constructing explanations and solutions, this series blends elements of sci-fi with educational methods that distill the key thinking habits of scientists and engineers. Only the G.A.S. kids can stop an evil scientist who wants to enslave humans of the future When a corrupt Dude from the future threatens to harm Sam’s mother unless he steals a zombie potion from his scientist father, Clinton and Mae know they have to help. This time-traveling journey on the science and history of death takes the G.A.S. crew to China, Italy, Belgium, Haiti, New Guinea, Arizona, and Indonesia. Along the way, Sam faces his greatest fears and grows braver, but when disaster threatens his father’s research camp, can he figure out how to save his father, outwit the evil Dr. G, and turn the tables on the bullies who have been tormenting him?
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The Baffling Case of the Battered Brain
With time travel and mysteries that need solving, the Galactic Academy of Science (G.A.S.) series instructs readers on how to think like scientists. Under the guidance of a Dude or Dudette from the future, the middle school characters are faced with treacherous, present-day crimes that require a historical knowledge of science in order to be solved. From investigating problems to analyzing data and constructing explanations and solutions, this series blends elements of sci-fi with educational methods that distill the key thinking habits of scientists and engineers. Medical science combines with mystery in this G.A.S. adventure about concussions Is the awkward stranger taking bribes to throw games? When Clinton hits his head in the championship soccer game, the stranger gets him benched, and Clinton’s team loses. Determined to nail the bribe-taker, Clinton and Mae take on a new G.A.S. mission—a journey across three continents and 4,000 years to learn about concussion and the brain.
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Prairie Pictures
For twelve-year-old Sherri, moving is a way of life. Her family has lived in seven different places in as many years, three in the last year alone. But no place has ever been as strange as the ranching community of Gardin, where the Old West meets new industry and the community is divided between longtime residents and recent arrivals. Initially aligning herself with another outsider, Sherri realizes that she would rather look for friendships based on more than the arbitrary divisions that exist among her peers. But just as she starts to feel at home in Gardin, her parents announce plans to uproot the family once again.
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No Place for Kids
Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt end when their mother dies and their father, overcome with grief, loses his grip on his family. With nothing left to lose, the two sisters, aged ten and twelve, decide run away to their mother’s sister in Vancouver, setting out with very little money and no clear plan. Along the way, they must overcome fear, loneliness, illness, and the conflict inherent in their sibling relationship. This emotional story deals with mature themes, but is ultimately about the enduring bonds of family.
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History in the Faking
Life is getting more dismal by the minute in the tiny town of Sultana. The tourists are gone, business is slow, and if it gets any slower, Eric and Rachel’s family will be forced to move away. Luckily, Eric, Rachel, and their friend Cody have a plan to transform this sleepy town into a hotbed of activity. In an elaborate hoax that makes headlines and sends archaeologists and tourists flocking to Sultana, the kids orchestrate the discovery of an “ancient Egyptian” tablet in a local riverbed. But sometimes the best-laid plans work out a little too well. How are the three friends going to explain their way out of this one?
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Adventures with Waffles
Guy Puzey, Kate Forrester, Maria Parr
"Adventures with Waffles follows friends Trille and Lena as they share wonderful adventures and help each other through difficult times. A Norwegian story of family, friendship, and waffles that works well for kids starting to read early middle grade novels." - Seira Wilson, Amazon EditorLena is Trille’s best friend, even if she is a girl. And there is never an ordinary day when you’ve got a best friend like Lena.Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill—and sometimes an injury—to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.
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Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Eliza Wheeler, Tricia Springstubb
Middle-grade readers drawn to Judy Moody or Clementine will find a funny and charismatic companion in Cody, star of this delightful new series.For whimsical Cody, many things are beautiful, especially ants who say hello by rubbing feelers. But nothing is as beautiful as the first day of summer vacation, and Cody doesn’t want to waste one minute of it. Meanwhile, teenage brother Wyatt is moping over a girl, Mom is stressed about her new job as Head of Shoes, Dad is off hauling chairs in his long-distance truck, and even camp has been closed for the summer. What to do? Just when all seems lost, Cody bumps into a neighborhood boy named Spencer who is looking for a runaway cat. With a new friend and a soon-to-be-found cat, Cody is on her way to the fountain of happiness.
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Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?
From New York Times best-selling author Liz Kessler comes the magical tale of a (sometimes invisible) teen—and her truly super friends.Jessica Jenkins has always been a perfectly ordinary girl—until one day part of her arm vanishes in the middle of geography class! Jessica’s friends Izzy and Tom are determined to help her develop her newfound invisibility, though Jessica is more concerned with discovering where the ability came from. When it becomes apparent that there may be other kids developing strange powers of their own, Jessica marshals them into a slapdash band of “slightly superheroes.” But when an unscrupulous adult discovers the origin of their powers and kidnaps one of the team, the rest must put their heads—and all of their skills—together to avert disaster.
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Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of Room 11
Kate Hindley, N. Griffin
Who stole the hamster from Room 11? A once-happy class is set on edge in this humorous, highly relatable mystery perfect for middle-grade readers.The day the hamster disappears from Smashie McPerter’s class begins like any other. Well, except for the fact that the teacher is out sick and Smashie’s class is stuck with Mr. Carper, the worst substitute in the world. And except for the mysterious business with the glue. And except for the fact that Smashie is wrestling with a terrible problem, which only partly stems from her extreme aversion to hamster feet. As the peaceable and productive days of Room 11 turn into paranoia-fueled chaos, as natural suspects produce natural alibis and motives remain unmotivated, Smashie and her best friend, Dontel, are forced to the limits of their parlor-room detecting to set things right.
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Tandem
An ex-con. A tandem bicycle. And a bike trip through the mountains. Not exactly the ideal conditions for a father-son trip. Fourteen-year-old Zeke Taylor lives to race his BMX bike around a dirt track. Not pedal through the mountains from the back seat of a tandem. Especially when the guy in the captain’s seat is an ex-con. Zeke’s father, a.k.a. the druggie, spent the last seven years in prison. Now that he’s free, the druggie wants to make up for lost time. Zeke agrees to the tandem trip only to escape the alternative — his mother’s latest boyfriend, Cowboy. Father and son can barely bike two blocks without killing each other. Four days on a tandem will test their rocky relationship. Can the two put the past behind them? Or will the trip destroy any hope for reconciliation?
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