Age

Catalog sorted by age group

Orchards

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother’s ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family’s mikan orange groves.Kana’s mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana’s father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume IV, Issue 4

The Quail Club

“A compelling sequel to THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS. . . . Handles a perennial topic with poignancy and grace.” — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. Oy lives in America now, but she loves learning traditional Thai dances almost as much as being in the Quail Club — five friends who meet after school to hatch and care for baby quail. When their teacher announces a talent show, Oy knows how proud her family would be to see her step onstage in her gold-threaded dress from Thailand. But bossy Liliandra vows to kick Oy out of the club if she won’t team up for a very different kind of dance. In this finely crafted novel, Carolyn Marsden explores what it takes to be a true friend and still be true to yourself.

Dog in Boots

After reading “Puss in Boots,” an adventurous dog sets out to find the perfect pair of shoes to suit his every need.

I Like You the Best

Dolly the pig and Jack Rabbit are the best friends in all the world. One afternoon while painting portraits, they hurt each other’s feelings in this heartwarming picture book about the ups and downs that come with being best friends.

Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow

Retells, in easy text, of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s plot to hold an archery contest in order to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but Robin and his band of merry men arrive in disguise with a plan of their own.

Last Song

Beautiful watercolor paintings add rich layers of mood and feeling to an old Scottish poem, depicting a squirrel family spending the day together—waking, playing, and nestling down to sleep under the eye of watchful parent.

Farmer Duck

Farmer Duck isn’t your average duck. This duck cooks and cleans, tends the fields, and cares for the other animals on the farm—all because the owner of the farm is too lazy to do these things himself. But when Farmer Duck finally collapses from exhaustion, the farmyard animals come to the rescue with a simple but heroic plan.