Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Maddigan’s Fantasia

When twelve-year-old Garland Maddigan asks Timon and Eden where they have come from, she is overwhelmed by their answer: the future.In a post-apocalyptic time, Garland’s family’s traveling circus troop, Maddigan’s Fantasia, leaves the city of Solis once a year to perform and earn a living. However, this year Solis has given the Fantasia the crucial task of obtaining a new solar converter, the only power source in Solis, because the old one is failing. Misfortune finds the Fantasia in their travels, and Garland’s father dies in an attack by Road Rats. Then suddenly two mysterious boys, Timon and Eden, appear with their baby sister, claiming to be from the future — a world in which the Fantasia has failed in its mission and the evil Nennog has taken power. The boys have come to help the Fantasia, but danger has followed them across time. Can the Fantasia protect Timon and Eden, and succeed in their quest to save their world? Internationally renowned author Margaret Mahy spins a vivid tale of time travel, adventure, and magic that no reader will soon forget.

The Black Canary

Twelve-year-old biracial James has grown up in a musical family. Not only are both of his parents musicians, but his four grandparents are as well. Everyone assumes that James will pursue music, yet he would rather become a newspaper reporter…or an astronomer…or a cook…anything that will let him leave music behind and be his own self. Everything changes when, on a family visit to London, James discovers a portal that leads to London in the year 1600, then finds himself unable to return to the point in time he had left behind. James is forced to join the Children of the Chapel Royal, a group that performs for the queen of England, and the musical talents he denied are now put to the test and pushed to their limits. In this alternate world James comes to realize that he cannot survive and get back to the twenty-first century without recognizing, understanding, and making the most of his musical gifts. Jane Louise Curry brings Elizabethan London to life in this remarkable story about music, family, and finding one’s place in the world.

Celebrations of Light

Long ago, people found a way to light the darkness. They built fires to keep warm and cook their food. They lit torches to drive away danger. To help them see at night, they learned to make candles and lanterns. Light was so important in their lives that they came to use it in worship and in celebrations. From a Brazilian New Year’s celebration to the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, Celebrations of Light circles the year and the globe. The text and paintings highlight twelve festivals, showing the diverse ways in which people around the world use light as a major part of their celebrations. In each of these holidays, light plays a significant role, marking and brightening special days.

Little Fur: A Fox Called Sorrow

In a Fox Called Sorrow, the adventures continue for Little Fur, the half elf, half troll girl who heals animals in a magical grove in the heart of a big city. When Little Fur discovers that the Troll King is plotting against the earth spirit that binds all living things, she sets off on a new adventure with a set of unlikely companions: the faithful cat Ginger, a reluctant rat, a pair of ferrets, and a mysterious fox called Sorrow who believes their quest is doomed.

Pippi Longstocking

In 1950, Viking published the original English version of Pippi Longstocking, the story of an irrepressible red-haired, freckle-faced girl who lived with a monkey and a horse, slept with her feet on the pillow, and found her way into the hearts of children all over the world. Now, Astrid Lindgren’s best-selling book has been given a sparkling new translation by the awardwinning Tiina Nunnally and delightful full-color illustrations by the critically acclaimed Lauren Child. This large-format gift book is sure to become the definitive edition of a favorite classic.

Bindi Babes

Amber, Jazz, and Geena Dhillon, a.k.a. the Bindi Babes, are three fabulous sisters with a reputation for being the coolest, best-dressed girls at their school. But their classmates don’t know that the sisters miss their mom, who died a year ago. An interfering auntie from India invites herself into their household to cramp their style and soon the sisters’ pushover dad is saying no to designer clothes and expensive sneakers. There’s only one way to be rid of Auntie: marry her off to some unsuspecting guy. Will Amber, Jazz, and Geena find a man who can put up with Auntie before she completely ruins their lives? Or are Auntie’s new rules doomed to make the fabulous Dhillon sisters just average?

In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry

On August 4, 1940, an unassuming American journalist named Varian Fry made his way to Marseilles, France, carrying in his pockets the names of approximately two hundred artists and intellectuals – all enemies of the new Nazi regime. As a volunteer for the Emergency Rescue Committee, Fry’s mission was to help these refugees flee to safety, then return home two weeks later. As more and more people came to him for assistance, however, he realized the situation was far worse than anyone in America had suspected – and his role far greater than he had imagined. He remained in France for over a year, refusing to leave until he was forcibly evicted. At a time when most Americans ignored the atrocities in Europe, Varian Fry engaged in covert operations, putting himself in great danger, to save strangers in a foreign land. He was instrumental in the rescue of over two thousand refugees, including the novelist Heinrich Mann and the artist Marc Chagall.

Voyage of Slaves

Adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, Ben falls captive to a band of slave traders and their leader Al Misurata. With his faithful dog Ned at his side, Ben must plot escape as the ship of scoundrels sails up the Libyan coastline toward Italy, where a trap awaits. Ruthless enemies and hard times appear around every bend, but Ben and Ned have quick wits to rely on and, just as important, one another.

The Buddha’s Diamonds

After a storm engulfs his village, a Vietnamese boy has glimmers of a new calling. Every day, Tinh heads out to sea with his father to catch fish for their family and the market. While he sometimes misses flying kites with other children on the beach, Tinh is proud to work alongside Ba. Then a fierce storm strikes, and Ba entrusts Tinh to secure the family vessel, but the boy panics and runs away. It will take courage and faith to salvage the bamboo boat, win back Ba’s confidence, and return to sea. This graceful tale narrates a young Vietnamese boy’s literal and spiritual coming-of-age.