Middle Grade Reader

For fans of The Thing About Jellyfish, Counting by 7s, and Fish in a Tree, a heartbreaking and hopeful story about a unique young girl on a journey to find home.

An amazing debut -- filled with heart, lyrical prose, and a heroine who soars! - Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys

December believes she is a bird. The scar on her back is where her wings will sprout, and one day soon, she will soar away. It will not matter that she has no permanent home. Her destiny is in the sky.

But then she's placed with foster mom Eleanor, a kind woman who volunteers at an animal rescue and has secrets of her own. December begins to see that her story could end a different way - but could she ever be happy down on the ground?

In her arresting debut, Sandy Stark-McGinnis offers an inspiring story about family, friendship, and finding where you belong.

Malala Yousafzai is known across the world for having the courage to stand up for what she believes in, even in the face of terrifying adversity. From playing in the Swat Valley in Pakistan to making speeches at the United Nations, Malala's story has become an inspiration for people all over the world who are fighting for justice.Discover what it took for one incredible girl to become the voice of so many, in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts to bring Malala's extraordinary story to life.

A bold new series for young readers focusing on the lives of inspirational historical and modern figures. From real-life narratives to timelines and facts, each book is a fully illustrated journey of discovery. Explore the childhood, the achievements, and the qualities of each figure - the very things that helped them have such an incredible impact on the world.

Discover the most outrageous aspects of the deep blue---from record-breaking depths to towering tsunamis, underwater giants to tiny sea creatures--along with ocean conservation challenges and what you can do to help.

Dive into a world of aquatic mystery in this action-packed combination of science and adventure. Famed National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle leads readers on an in-depth tour of life beneath the waves. Come face-to-face with whales and sharks, learn about the newest and most hi-tech ocean gear and gadgets, experiment with hands-on activities, and join Earle as she recounts her most daring dives. Packed with fascinating tidbits, animal profiles, and up-to-date science, each chapter combines stunning photography with fun, accessible text. Perfect for curious kids, ocean lovers, young explorers, and the classroom. Extreme Ocean reveals the mystery, majesty, danger, and--above all--the importance of our ocean.

Welcome to FACTopia!, a wonderland of crazily connected facts.

Choose your own path through this hilarious world of 400 facts, all of which are verified by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Every fact in the book is connected to the next in an ingenious trail of information.

Did you know that a squid has a brain shaped like a doughnut? Or that some butterflies drink turtle tears? Hop from topic to topic in unexpected and delightful ways, and discover what connects a giraffe with the Eiffel tower, or a slice of pizza with Cleopatra. On your awe-inspiring journey, you will find out extraordinary facts about space, bones, dinosaurs, spiders, sharks, robots, ancient Rome, and more.

And there's not just one trail through these pages: sometimes your path branches and you can choose to jump to a totally different, but still connected, part of the book. Who knows where your curiosity will take you!

This wittily illustrated book is the perfect gift to inspire and delight curious children.

This Chinese mythology-inspired middle-grade fantasy series continues as heroine Faryn Liu embarks on a quest to save her brother and defeat the demons--perfect for fans of the Aru Shah and Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond books.

Faryn Liu thought she was the Heaven Breaker, a warrior destined to wield the all-powerful spear Fenghuang, command dragons, and defeat demons. But a conniving goddess was manipulating her all along . . . and her beloved younger brother, Alex, has betrayed her and taken over as the Heaven Breaker instead. Alex never forgave the people who treated him and Faryn like outcasts, and now he wants to wipe out both the demons and most of humanity.

Determined to prevent a war and bring Alex back to her side, Faryn and her half-dragon friend Ren join the New Order, a group of warriors based out of Manhattan's Chinatown. She learns that one weapon can stand against Fenghuang--the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Only problem? It belongs to an infamous trickster, the Monkey King.

Faryn sets off on a daring quest to convince the Monkey King to join forces with her, one that will take her to new places--including Diyu, otherwise known as the underworld--where she'll run into new dangers and more than one familiar face. Can she complete her mission and save the brother she loves, no matter the cost?

This richly woven middle-grade fantasy series, full of humor, magic, and heart, will appeal to readers who love Roshani Chokshi and Sayantani DasGupta.

From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl's learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber, Cammie McGovern, and Kathryn Erskine.

No one can figure out what Gwendolyn Rogers's problem is--not her mom, or her teachers, or any of the many therapists she's seen. But Gwendolyn knows she doesn't have just one thing wrong with her: she has fifty-four.

At least, according to a confidential school report (that she read because she is #16. Sneaky, not to mention #13. Impulsive). So Gwendolyn needs a plan, because if she doesn't get these fifty-four things under control, she's not going to be able to go to horse camp this summer with her half-brother, Tyler.

But Tyler can't help her because there's only one thing "wrong" with him: ADHD.

And her best friend Hettie can't help her because there's nothing wrong with Hettie. She's perfect.

So Gwendolyn is hopeless until she remembers the one thing that helped her mother when her own life was out of control. Or actually, the twelve things. Can these Twelve Steps that cured her mother somehow cure Gwendolyn too?

From New York Times bestselling author and former NFL player Tim Green comes a gripping, deeply personal standalone football novel about a star middle school quarterback faced with a life-changing decision after his dad is diagnosed with ALS. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica!

With two all-star college football players for brothers and a former Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman for a father, it is only natural for sixth-grade quarterback Benjamin Redd to follow in their footsteps.

However, after his dad receives a heartbreaking ALS diagnosis--connected to all those hard hits and tackles he took on the field--Ben's mom becomes more determined than ever to get Ben to quit football.

Ben isn't playing just for himself though. This might be his dad's last chance to coach. And his teammates need a quarterback that can lead them to the championships. But as Ben watches the heavy toll ALS takes on his dad's body, he begins to question if this should be his final season after all.

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents J.C. Cervantes'fiery and fast-paced sequel to The Storm Runner.
Zane Obispo has an impossible choice to make: save other godborns like him from the angry gods, or rescue his father Hurakan from his eternal prison.
Zane Obispo's new life on a beautiful secluded tropical island, complete with his family and closest friends, should be perfect. But he can't control his newfound fire skills yet (inherited from his father, the Maya god Hurakan); there's a painful rift between him and his dog ever since she became a hell hound; and he doesn't know what to do with his feelings for Brooks.
One day he discovers that by writing the book about his misadventures with the Maya gods, he unintentionally put other godborn children at risk. Unless Zane can find the godborns before the gods do, they will be killed.
To make matters worse, Zane learns that Hurakan is scheduled to be executed. Zane knows he must rescue him, no matter the cost. Can he accomplish both tasks without the gods detecting him, or will he end up a permanent resident of the underworld?
In this cleverly plotted sequel to The Storm Runner, the gang is back together again with spirited new characters, sneaky gods, Aztec royalty, unlikely alliances, and secrets darker than Zane could ever have imagined. Secrets that will change him forever.

In this unforgettable seventh book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must let the past and present blur together, because the deadliest secrets are always the ones that get erased.

Sophie Foster doesn't know what--or whom--to believe. And in a game with this many players, the worst mistake can be focusing on the wrong threat.

But when the Neverseen prove that Sophie's far more vulnerable than she ever imagined, she realizes it's time to change the rules. Her powerful abilities can only protect her so far. To face down ruthless enemies, she must learn to fight.

Unfortunately, battle training can't help a beloved friend who's facing a whole different danger--where the only solution involves one of the biggest risks Sophie and her friends have ever taken. And the distraction might be exactly what the villains have been waiting for.

A hilarious, high-stakes adventure involving crooked casino boats, floating fish, toxic beaches, and one kid determined to get justice. This is Carl Hiaasen's Florida--where the creatures are wild and the people are wilder!

You know it's going to be a rough summer when you spend Father's Day visiting your dad in the local lockup.

Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor-which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can't prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. Right. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah's dad is stuck in the clink.

Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally . . . somehow. His allies may not add up to much-his sister Abbey, an unreformed childhood biter; Lice Peeking, a greedy sot with poor hygiene; Shelly, a bartender and a woman scorned; and a mysterious pirate-but Noah's got a plan to flush this crook out into the open. A plan that should sink the crooked little casino, once and for all.

Nelson wakes up on his birthday to discover that he has gained ninja powers overnight! This funny, heavily-illustrated series from Anh Do is action packed, with an appealingly grounded heart.

Nelson is a ninja. He's not the coolest. Or the bravest. But he is the world's nerdiest ninja!And now he has to stop an animal rampage and machines going crazy all over town! For that, he'll need his new jetpack... and some serious ninja skills!How will Nelson learn to fly when he's scared of heights?!