On the Other Side of the Bridge

Lon Chaney Rodriguez is a typical thirteen-year-old until his mother, a security guard, is shot and killed and he becomes haunted by the feeling that he is letting her down by getting bad grades, skipping church, lying, and goofing off while worrying that he and his alcoholic, unemployed father will wind up homeless.

Jumped In

In the two years since his mother left him with his grandparents in Des Moines, Washington, Sam has avoided making friends and perfected the art of being a slacker, but being paired with a frightening new student for a slam poetry unit transforms his life.

Let’s Save The Animals

Bold illustrations, big flaps, and an ingenious die-cut design invite young readers to peek at the lives of endangered animals — and learn how to help.Did you know that a giant panda likes to do somersaults? That a black rhinoceros can run faster than an Olympic sprinter? That a monarch butterfly flies up to eighty miles a day? All of these animals — and many more, from tigers to elephants to polar bears, orangutans to dolphins, penguins to sea turtles — are disappearing, threatened by deforestation, poaching, fishing nets, global warming, and more. After enjoying the book’s eye-catching, dramatic format, kids can follow the simple suggestions offered to help save the animals.

Shattered

As bullets ring and bombs are dropped, children watch—mostly from the sidelines, but occasionally in the direct line of fire. Unaware of the political issues or power struggles behind the battle, all they know are the human, emotional consequences of this thing called war. This collection examines all of war’s implications for young people—from those caught in the line of fire to the children of the veterans of wars long past.Critically acclaimed author Jennifer Armstrong brings together 12 powerful voices in young people’s literature to explore the realities of war from a child’s perspective. The settings vary widely—the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an attempted coup in Venezuela, the American Civil War, crisis in the Middle East—but the effects are largely the same. In war, no life is ever left untouched. In war, lives are shattered.

Granpa

Adorable Granpa gamely nurses his granddaughter’s dolls, eats her pretend strawberry-flavored ice cream, takes her tobogganing in the snow, and falls in step with her imaginary plans to captain a ship to Africa—like all good grandfathers should. Winner of the Kate Maschler Award, this poignant tale of friendship and loss is one children will long remember.

Mouse Mansion

Best friends Julia and Sam are mice who live in the Mouse Mansion. When they’re together they find all sorts of adventures—and all kinds of trouble. Come with them as they discover a secret hiding place, greet the ragman, and learn to make pancakes. There is a shop that sells everything and a box full of treasure. And there might even be a rat! The Mouse Mansion is always full of surprises.