Age

Catalog sorted by age group

The Circuit

“‘La frontera’…I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind.” So begins this honest and powerful account of a family’s journey to the fields of California — to a life of constant moving, from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks, from picking grapes to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. Seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and the right to call one palce home, this is a story of survival, faith, and hope. It is a journey that will open readers’ hearts and minds.

Who’s Scaring Alfie Atkins?

Alfie is not afraid of ghosts, but when it’s getting late, he is worried that ghosts would come. When he is alone or it is dark, he is scared of ghosts.

Hiromi’s Hands

Growing up in New York City, Hiromi Suzuki misses spending time with her father, a sushi chef who works long hours in the family’s Japanese restaurant. So one day when she is eight years old, Hiromi begs her father to take her to the Fulton Fish Market, where he buys fresh fish. Hiromi is fascinated by what she sees and learns; by the time she is thirteen, she is ready to take the next step. She asks her father to teach her to make sushi. Little does Hiromi realize that her request would lead her to the forefront of a minor culinary revolution, as women claimed their place in the once all-male world of sushi chefs. Hiromi’s Hands is the true story of a young girl’s determination to follow her dream, and a tribute to the loving family who supported her.

Stuff: The Life of a Cool Demented Dude

Stuff. My head’s full of it. I don’t even know where most of it comes from. I just seem to pick it up, like my brain emits a special sort of tractor beam that locks on to pointless information. But in the face of my problems, all the extra stuff is proving useless. What problems? you ask. I shall tell you. Problem 1: The invasion of my home. Dad’s new girlfriend moved in, and, even worse, she brought along her daughter, who has no sense of humor and no taste in music. Problem 2: My girlfriend, Delfine. Her brother would break both my arms if I broke up with her. Problem 3: The new girl at school. Stunning. Gorgeous. Willowy. My Destiny (but see Problem 2). Problem 4: My comic strip. At first it was cool to anonymously author the strip in the school paper, but now that everyone suspects who they are in the strip, I run the risk of getting my legs broken in addition to my arms (see above). Clearly, I need to plan The Great Escape! Part hilarious musings, part graphic novel, stuff is the quirky exposé of a fourteen-year-old boy who, let’s face it, could use a little help.

Touching Snow

‘”The best way to avoid being picked on by high school bullies is to kill someone.\”Karina has plenty to worry about on the last day of seventh grade: finding three Ds and a C on her report card again, getting laughed at by everyone again, being sent to the principal — again. She\’d like this to change, but with her and her sisters dodging their stepfather\’s fists every day after school, she doesn\’t have time to do much self-reflecting. Finally her stepfather is taken away on child abuse charges, and Karina thinks things might turn into something resembling normal. The problem is, he\’s not gone for good. And as Karina becomes closer with a girl at the community center where her stepfather is not showing up for his parenting classes, she starts to realize a couple things. First, for all the problems her family had tried to escape by immigrating from Haiti, they brought most of them along to upstate New York. And second, if anything is going to change for this family, it is going to be up to Karina and her sisters to make it happen.M. Sindy Felin\’s debut novel is the story of a young girl\’s coming-of-age amid the violent waters that run just beneath the surface of suburbia — a story that has the courage to ask: How far will you go to protect the ones you love?

Cute

Everyone says Toby is cute. But Toby is tired of being cute. He wants to change his image. He starts with a pair of cool shades but they don’t seem to do the trick. He will have to find other ways to look tough. When he nearly crashes his motorcycle right into the Zebra crossing, Toby is struck by love at first sight.

Her Mother’s Face

When Siobhan was just three years old, her mother died, leaving Siobhan and her father alone in their house in Dublin. They never talk about her, and now, at ten years old, Siobhan no longer remembers her mother’s face. One day, Siobhan meets a mysterious woman in the park who tells her that to remember her mother, she just needs to look in a mirror. As Siobhan grows older, she sees more and more of her mother’s face in her own reflection. With time, she and her father and her own daughter are able to remember Siobhan’s mother with joy and laughter instead of tears.

Linnea’s Windowsill Garden (Linnea Books)

Linnea loves plants. She grows them all over her room – in pots, and crates, even in glass jars.
In this book, she takes you on a tour of her indoor garden. She tells you about her orange tree (and plantable pits and seeds, including melons, tomatoes, and grapes); she shows you how to take a cutting from a Busy Lizzie and how to trim an avocado plant.

And she teaches you what keeps plants satisfied: the art of watering properly (plants don’t like standing with their feet in water) and fertilizing. And what to do when plants are attacked by whiteflies or other nasty bugs.

Linnea also makes garden-cress cheese (from homegrown cress, of course); discusses the pleasures and possible pitfalls of growing an amaryllis; and writes a plant newspaper, The Green Gazette.

Linnea’s Windowsill Garden will informs and inspire anyone who wants to grow an indoor garden of their own.

Good Night, Animals

A playful nighttime story for animal loversBubble and Pearl are going to sleep in a tent outdoors all night. How exciting! They each have a sleeping bag and a pillow, and Bubble has brought his flashlight. Good thing, too, as it’s getting dark. But what are those strange noises? Who is padding around outside the tent? Does someone want to come in?

Garden Of The Purple Dragon

In the time of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, a young orphan struggles with her new responsibility. Ping has survived her days as a slave at Huangling Palace, but new challenges await her in the desolate mountains of Tai Shan. The aged dragon Danzi is gone, and now it is up to Ping to take care of the baby dragon, Kai. She does her best, but food is scarce, and she must be constantly on the lookout for her enemies. Things seem to get better when fate leads her back to the Imperial Palace, to the Garden of the Purple Dragon. Yet even within these hallowed walls, Ping and Kai are not as safe as they believe.  This story of adventure, action, friendship, and loyalty will have readers cheering for Ping and the young dragon as they embark on their journey of faith and courage.