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Ballpark Mysteries #7: The San Francisco Splash
Mark Meyers, David A. Kelly
Time for a seventh-inning stretch! The San Francisco Splash is book #7 in our early chapter book mystery series, where each book is set in a different American ballpark! Splash! A hit soars over the walls of the San Francisco ballpark on the bay and drops into the water. But then Mike and Kate hear another, much larger splash nearby . . . and this time it's not a baseball. It's a man overboard! And when he's pulled from the water, the old-time ballplayer discovers his World Series ring is gone! Is it at the bottom of the bay? Or was it somehow stolen by a long-ago rival? The San Francisco Splash includes several pages of "Dugout Notes," fun facts about San Francisco's recently built ballpark.Cross Ron Roy's A to Z Mystery series with Matt Christopher's sports books and you get the Ballpark Mysteries: fun, puzzling whodunits aimed at the younger brothers and sisters of John Feinstein's fans.
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Crush
Gary Paulsen
Readers met the comical Kevin in Liar, Liar and Flat Broke. Kevin gets serious about Tina Zabinski, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Finally, finally, he's worked up his courage—he's going to ask her out. Or will his trademark scheming get in his way?
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Vote
Gary Paulsen
Kevin Spencer, the hero of Liar, Liar, Flat Broke, and Crush, has a knack for tackling big ideas and goofing up, so what's next? Politics, of course! He's running for office, and his campaign is truly unique.
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Chantress
Amy Butler Greenfield
Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England.“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness. When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion… Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.
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The Problem With Being Slightly Heroic
Uma Krishnaswami, Abigail Halpin
Dini is back from India—with Bollywood star Dolly in tow! But life in the States isn’t all rose petal milk shakes…Dini and Maddie, very best friends, are back in the same country at the same time! Better still, Dolly Singh, the starriest star in all of Bollywood, is in America too. Dini’s only just returned from India, and already life is shaping up to be as delicious as a rose petal milk shake. Perfect. Then why can’t she untie the knot in her stomach? Because so much can go wrong when a big star like Dolly is in town. All Dini has to do is make sure Dolly has everything she needs, from a rose petal milk shake to her lost passport to…a parade? And an elephant? Uh-oh… It’s time to think. What Would Dolly Do? If Dini can’t figure it out, Dolly might take matters into her own hands—and that will surely lead to the biggest mess of all! Uma Krishnaswami has concocted a delicious sequel to her multiple star-reviewed The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, which Kirkus Reviews called “a delightful romp.”
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The Thing About Luck
Julia Kuo, Cynthia Kadohata
The winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata. There is bad luck, good luck, and making your own luck--which is exactly what Summer must do to save her family.Summer knows that kouun means "good luck" in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan--right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills. The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brother, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss's cute son. But notice she does, and what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own. Having thoroughly disappointed her grandmother, Summer figures the bad luck must be finished--but then it gets worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family. Cynthia Kadohata's ode to the breadbasket of America has received six starred reviews. Awards:APALA Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title Booklinks Lasting Connections Booklist Editors' Choice Capitol Choices List (DC) Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Multicultural Books List Charlie May Simon Book Award ML (AR) Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List (VT) Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ) Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book Keystone to Reading Book Award Master List (PA) Land of Enchantment Children's Book Award (NM) National Book Award Winner Volunteer State Book Award Master List (TN)
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The Star Shards Chronicles
Six teens struggle to discover the source of their strange and horrific abilities in this first book of The Star Shards Chronicles.Dillon has the terrifying power to create massive amounts of destruction with the slightest tweak of his will. Deanna is so consumed by fear, it has become like a black hole, drawing to her the very things that terrify her. Then, when the glare of a supernova sixteen light-years away illuminates the night sky, they have a vision: There are six of them out there, all teenagers, and all suffering from supernatural afflictions that disfigure their bodies and souls. Only by finding one another will the six ever be strong enough to defeat these mysterious forces that, bit by bit, are devouring their souls from the inside out. Acclaimed author Neal Shusterman “combines personal quest, horror, and science fiction into an absorbing exploration of good and evil, guilt, forgiveness and personal responsibility” (VOYA) in this thrilling start to a riveting trilogy. Originally published by Tor Fantasy in 1995.
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Falcon in the Glass
Susan Fletcher
A boy risks his life to save some very special children in this fantasy adventure, set amidst the rich backdrop of Renaissance Venice.In Venice in 1487, the secrets of glassblowing are guarded jealously. Renzo, a twelve-year-old laborer in a glassworks, has just a few months to prepare for a test of his abilities, and no one to teach him. If he passes, he will qualify as a skilled glassblower. If he fails, he will be expelled from the glassworks. Becoming a glassblower is his murdered father’s dying wish for him, and the means of supporting his mother and sister. But Renzo desperately needs another pair of hands to help him turn the glass as he practices at night. One night he is disturbed by a bird—a small falcon—that seems to belong to a girl hiding in the glassworks. Soon Renzo learns about her and others like her—the bird people, who can communicate with birds and are condemned as witches. He tries to get her to help him and discovers that she comes with baggage: ten hungry bird-kenning children who desperately need his aid. Caught between devotion to his family and his art and protecting a group of outcast children, Renzo struggles for a solution that will keep everyone safe in this atmospheric adventure.
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The Kicks: Saving the Team
Alex Morgan
From star soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan comes the first book in an empowering, fun-filled middle grade series about believing in yourself and working as a team.Twelve-year-old Devin loves to play soccer. If she hadn’t just left Connecticut to move across the country, she would have been named seventh-grade captain on her school soccer team. But now that Devin is starting seventh grade in Kentville, California, all bets are off. After all, some of the best players on the US national team come from California. She’s sure to have stiff competition. Or so she thinks. When Devin shows up for tryouts, she discovers that the Kentville Kangaroos—otherwise known as the Kicks—are an absolute mess. Their coach couldn’t care less whether the girls win or lose. And Devin is easily one of the most talented players. The good news is, Devin quickly makes friends with funny, outgoing Jessi; shy but sweet Zoe; and klutzy Emma. Can Devin and her newfound friends pull together and save the team from itself?
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Worse Things Happen At Sea!
Alan Snow, Alan Snow
Set sail for adventure on the high seas in this rollicking tale of pirates, poison, and monsters from New York Times bestselling author Alan Snow.The kooky residents of Ratbridge are clamoring for the miracle medicine Black Jollop, but a shortage calls for action. The Nautical Laundry, the famed rat-pirate vessel, must journey afar to gather the medicine’s secret ingredient. But things aren’t what they seem…and soon the ship is under attack. Can young Arthur and his Ratbridge friends triumph and return with the cure for the towns ills? Illustrated throughout with hundreds of detailed and delightful black-and-white drawings, this imaginative novel will captivate young sea-faring scallywags and brave buccaneers who love a daring, humorous, and extraordinary adventure.