Finally! After begging their parents for ballet lessons, Ivy and Bean finally get what they want…well, not exactly. Much to their surprise, it turns out ballet lessons do not include karate chops and roundhouse kicks to the villain’s heart. The girls have no interest in learning how to dance gracefully, but they promised their parents they would finish the entire ballet course! When it comes time for Ivy and Bean to participate in the ocean-themed class recital, the girls must figure out a way to get out of it without breaking their promises.
friends
Celandine (David Fickling Books)
Set seventy years before The Various, the second book in the trilogy follows the adventures of young Celandine at the onset of the First World War. Having run away from her detested boarding school, Celandine is too afraid to go home in case she is sent back. As she seeks shelter in the Wild Wood near her home, little does she think she will encounter a world where loyalty and independence is fiercely guarded, and where danger lurks in the most unlikely of places. Celandine’s troubled character finds both refuge and purpose among the secret tribes of little people that she alone believes in.The novels of the Various trilogy are full of mystery, beauty and adventure; this second novel is both page-turning and life-affirming.
Ophelia
As Ophelia rushes to comfort her friend Kevin, who is suffering from butterflies in the stomach, she meets up with various friends who misunderstand the problem, each one adding a new ailment and cure to the growing list.
Arabella Miller’s Tiny Caterpillar
Keeping watch over a caterpillar leads to amazing surprises in a bright, buoyant read-aloud inspired by a children’s verse. When Arabella Miller finds a tiny caterpillar, she brings him home and feeds him lots and lots of leaves. Soon the not-so-tiny caterpillar sheds his skin and disappears inside his chrysalis. Arabella misses her friend, but when he finally emerges, she is filled with wonder at the beautiful creature he has become. Clare Jarrett’s sweet story and vibrant illustrations weave details about a caterpillar’s transformation into this elaboration on the song “Little Arabella Miller.”
Eye Of The Forest (Children Of The Lamp)
In their latest adventure, John and Philippa Gaunt find themselves tangled up in a spellbinding mystery that takes them deep into the heart of the Amazon jungle in book five of the NY TIMES bestselling Children of the Lamp series. When a collection of Incan artifacts goes missing, the Blue Djinn of Babylon dispatches the twins and Uncle Nimrod to recover them. Along the way, though, John and Philippa encounter their friend Dybbuk, who was drained of his djinn powers but is determined to get them back.
In a fury, he’s headed to an ancient Incan Empire where he believes he can regain his strength. Dybbuk will stop at nothing . . . even if it means destroying the rain forest, opening a cursed portal, and disturbing the enchanted kingdom of the Incas that has slept for thousands of years. Can the twins stop their friend before he destroys everything?
Linnea’s Almanac (Linnea Books)
Filled with fun projects and brimming with Linnea’s energy and enthusiasm, Linnea’s Almanac is guaranteed to teach everyone something new. Full-color illustrations.
Elliot’s Extraordinary Cookbook
Elliot describes how his neighbor Stella taught him about cooking, nutrition, and foods, and shares recipes for potatoes, dairy products, eggs, bread, vegetables, main dishes, desserts, and other dishes
Little Fish
Rosa is bored, but Grandmother is too busy making tortillas for the market to notice. But when a little fish leaps out of the water right into Rosa’s lap, well, there’s nothing boring about that. Especially when the little fish starts to become a great big one.
My Two Worlds
Contrasts the two worlds of an eight-year-old Dominican American girl who lives in New York City but speaks Spanish as her native language and frequently returns to her island home.
Singing to the Sun
Thorfinn’s father is obsessed with power while his mother cares only for wealth. When it is time to choose a bride, Thorfinn decides he must listen to his own heart. He seeks the wisdom and experience of his friends, the court jester and the old tabby cat. In which direction will they lead him? Will he chose the princess who promises him wealth, the princess who promises power, or the princess who is full of love and happiness? And, just as important, will that princess chose Thorfinn in return?