Lucha Libre: A Bilingual Cuento: the Man in the Silver Mask

LuchaLibreCarlitos attends his first lucha libre match in Mexico City. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador — the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil — los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss! In the end, though, the Man in the Silver Mask triumphs and, in the process, gains a lifelong fan.

Awards:
2005 América’s Award Honor Book

Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid

CharroClausSanta’s newest helper is his cousin Pancho, a farmer in South Texas. Back in the day, Pancho was a mariachi singer with a whole lot of style and a fancy sombrero, but as the years passed, Pancho got a little older and a little wider. Then one night his primo Santa Claus showed up looking for help along the US/Mexico border. All Christmas Eve, Pancho delivers toys to the boys and girls on the border.

The Parliament of Blood

George Archer, Liz Oldfield, and Eddie Hopkins have made a rather unfortunate discovery: vampires actually exist, and they really do feed on human blood. Using an underground labyrinth of tunnels beneath Victorian London, these sinister creatures intend on destroying the human race, and they’ll start by taking over the most powerful place in London: the House of Parliament. Through their research on ancient mysteries and a secret London Gentlemen’s Club, George, Liz and Eddie come up with a plan to beat the vampires at their own game. And they better do it soon, before they become the vampires’ next meal . . .

Vermonia #1: Quest for the Silver Tiger

On a distant Blue Star, Mel, Jim, Naomi, and Doug — friends obsessed with their garage band — don’t seem that different from any of the other twelve-year-old skateboarders at Union Middle School. But everything changes when Mel is kidnapped and imprisoned in a world called the Turtle Realm. As her friends rush to save her, guided by the magical squelp Satorin, they find a world terrorized by a conquering army, a land whose villagers’ only hope is an ancient prophecy foretelling the arrival of four heroes.

Spellbound

An innocent summer holiday turns out to be anything but for Athene and her younger brother, Zach, when they find themselves caught up in a skirmish between two groups of gnome-like creatures: The Humble Gloam live above ground and get along with humans; the Low Gloam live below ground and despise everyone. But when Zach stumbles into Low Gloam territory, Athene disguises herself to rescue him—and discovers a secret that could bring the two Gloam tribes together—if it doesn’t tear them apart, first.

The Snow Show

Tune into The Snow Show to see Chef Kelvin and his trusty sous-chefs, Snow White and Jack Frost, investigate evaporation, condensation, and precipitation—all while cooking up the lightest, fluffiest batch of snow ever to fall from the sky. The critics agree: This is one snowy science-filled cooking extravaganza that’ll make kids wish every day were a snow day! Includes an author’s note with additional information about snow, suggested reading, and a link to the author’s website, which features an exciting animation of snow-crystal formation and a free activity kit.

Hamlet

The Dane as never seen before — in a daring, dazzling, sexy prose retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy by best-selling author John Marsden.Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, but Hamlet can’t be sure what’s causing the stench. His rage at his mother’s infidelities — together with his greed for the sensual Ophelia and his dead father’s call to revenge a “murder most foul” — have his mind in chaos, and he wants to scatter his traitorous uncle’s insides across the fields. But was it really his father’s ghost that night on the ramparts, or a hell-fiend sent to trick him? “Action is hot,” he tells Ophelia, who lives shut up in a tower with her longings and lust. “Action is courage, and reflection is cowardly. Picking up the knife has the colors of truth. As soon as I hesitate. . . .” In this dark, erotically charged, beautifully crafted novel, John Marsden brings one of Shakespeare’s most riveting characters to full-blooded life in a narrative of intense psychological complexity.

Little By Little

Otto is an otter who can do many things. But there’s one thing he can’t do: swim. Little by little, and with a some help from his big sister, Otto gets the courage–and the practice– to splash and tumble in the water with his friends.

The story and illustrations will encourage kids, showing them that if they take it step-by-step, any new skill is within their reach!

DarkIsle

IT’S A MAGICAL world if you know where to look. . . .For 10-year-old Morag, that magical world is no farther than the cellar of her cruel foster parents’ home. That’s where she’s shocked to meet Aldiss, a talking rat, and his resourceful companion, Bertie the dodo bird. Morag jumps at the chance to escape a life of drudgery and join them on their quest to save their homeland from an evil warlock named Devlish, who is intent on destroying it. But first, Bertie and Aldiss will need to stop bickering long enough to free the only guide who knows where to find Devlish: Shona, a dragon who’s been turned to stone. Together, these four friends begin their journey to a mysterious island beyond the horizon, where danger and glory await—along with clues to the disappearance of Morag’s parents, whose destiny seems somehow linked to her own.