Every Friday night Dad drinks beer and gets boisterous with his friends. Then, later, he and mom argue. Their son, who tells the story, and his younger sister, Gracie, are embarrassed by Dad when he gets like this.
My Dad
Age
Catalog sorted by age group
A Troublesome Boy
Teddy can’t believe how fast his life has changed in just two years. When he was twelve, his father took off, and then his mother married Henry, a man Teddy despises. But Teddy has no control over his life, and adults make all the decisions, especially in 1959. Henry decides that Teddy should be sent to St. Ignatius Academy for Boys, an isolated boarding school run by the Catholic church.
St. Iggy’s, Teddy learns, is a cold, unforgiving place — something between a juvenile detention center and reform school. The other boys are mostly a cast of misfits and eccentrics, but Teddy quickly becomes best friends with Cooper, a wise-cracking, Wordsworth-loving kid with a history of neglect. Despite the priests’ ruthless efforts to crack down on the slightest hint of defiance or attitude, the boys get by for a while on their wits, humor and dreams of escape. But the beatings, humiliation and hours spent in the school’s infamous “time-out” rooms, and the institutionalized system of power and abuse that protects the priests’ authority, eventually take their toll, especially on the increasingly fragile Cooper.
Then one of the new priests, Father Prince, starts to summon Cooper to his room at night, and Teddy watches helplessly as his friend withdraws into his own private nightmare, even as Prince targets Teddy himself as his next victim.
Let’s Go See Papa!
The little girl in this story likes Sundays best of all — it’s the day her father calls. She hasn’t seen him for over a year because he works far away across the ocean in the United States. She writes in her notebook every day, keeping a record of everything that happens to share with him when she finally sees him again. And she thinks about the fun they used to have when he was home — taking their dog Kika to the park and buying freshly baked bread together. Then one Sunday her father asks if she and her mother would like to join him, and she’s surprised by her mixed feelings. It means leaving her grandmother, her friends . . . and Kika behind.
This is a powerful story from a young child’s perspective about what it’s like to have an absent parent and to have to leave your home, country and those you love for a new life.
Galileo’s Journal 1609-1610
This fictional journal is from the year in which Galileo constructed his own telescope and began to record his astronomical discoveries. Includes additional nonfiction biographical information.
Megan’s Year
Ten-year-old Megan Brady tells of her family’s lifestyle, spending summers traveling in a caravan through the Irish countryside getting work where they can, and winters in Dublin so the children can attend school.
Boy Vs. Girl
Farhana swallowed and reached for the hijab. But then she saw with absolute clarity the weird looks from the other girls at school, and the smirks from the guys. Did she dare? And then there was Malik… What should she do about him? Faraz was thinking about Skrooz and the lads. Soon he would finally have the respect of the other kids at school. But at what price? He heard Skrooz’s voice, sharp as a switchblade: “This thing is powerful, blud. But you have to earn it, see? Just a few more errands for me…” They’re twins, born 6 minutes apart. Both are in turmooil and both have life-changing choices to make, against the peaceful backdrop of Ramadan. Do Farhana and Faraz have enough courage to do the right thing? And can they help each other – or will one of them draw the other towards catastrophe? This powerful novel explores the idea of honour and what it means to different generations of Muslim families.
My Friend Mei Jing
Ever since Mei Jing came to Monifa’s school they’ve been best friends. They’re both artistic and like to create wild designs together. They love to play at each other’s houses; at Monifa’s they make a tent out of her mother’s African blanket, and at Mei Jing’s they play with her new puppy and dream of having a veterinary clinic when they grow up. On one visit to Mei Jing’s, Monifa notices that Mei Jing’s grandma spends a lot of time there. She speaks Chinese and calls her granddaughter Mui Mui. Mei Jing’s father shows Monifa how to use chopsticks, and Monifa tries food she’s never eaten before. At Chinese New Year the girls learn the Dragon Dance, and when Mei Jing’s parents give Monifa a red envelope, she’s surprised to discover it has real money in it! Like My Friend Jamal, My Friend Mei Jing is a story that demonstrates how friendship is the strongest bond among kids living in a diverse community.
Jonathan Cleaned Up — Then He Heard A Sound: Or Blackberry Subway Jam (Classic Munsch)
Jonathan’s efforts to keep his apartment clean are foiled when a subway unexpectedly stops in and unloads thousands of passengers. Jonathan sets out on a surprising adventure to solve this curious problem.
Kiss Me, I’m Perfect!
When Lacey reluctantly wears to school a shirt from her grandma that says “Kiss me, I’m perfect,” she is pleasantly surprised by what happens.
Lighthouse: A Story Of Remembrance (Lighthouse)
After her grandfather’s funeral, Sarah wakes her father in the middle of the night so they can go to the lighthouse her grandfather loved and remember other night-time visits there.