Middle Grade
Miguel is right in the middle, too young to get everything he wants, like his older brother Gabriel; too old to be happy with everything he he has, like little Pedro... This last great adventure of a boy and his first great adventure as a man has its own peculiar mystery, its own special enchantment, because it takes place away out there between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the gorge of the Rio Grande.
Awarded the 1954 Newbery Medal, ...And now Miguel is based on the film of the same title produced by the author for the U.S. State Department in 1953.
It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited---after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .
at 8thContinentBooks.com
When The Happy Orpheline was published, The Horn Book said, "Little girls will wish the book were longer! Garth Williams' strong pen-and-ink sketches, full of life and laughter, match the imagination and French flavor of the writing." Now there is more about the happy orphanage in France. The orphelines, still filled with zest and imagination, find a baby boy on their doorstep. Of course, they are utterly enchanted. The only question is how the twenty fond foster sisters are to manage to keep their new brother. Josine, the youngest, solves the problem in the most thoroughly satisfactory mannner. Once again Natalie Savage Carlson and Garth Williams have joined forces to give young readers a book they will treasure for years to come.
From the book jacket: "When the swan that was missing from the park is found in the orphelines' garden, the little girls reallize that they desperately need a pet. Madame Flattot obtains official permission, and trouble begins. For how can twenty girls decide on one animal?"
Abel's place in his familiar, mouse world has always been secure; he had an allowance from his mother, a comfortable home, and a lovely wife, Amanda. But one stormy August day, furious flood water carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness--he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones--Abel can't find a way to get back home.
Days, then weeks and months, pass. Slowly, his soft habits disappear as he forages for food, fashions a warm nest in a hollow log, models clay statues of his family for company, and continues to brood on the problem of how to get across the river--and home.
Abel's time on the island brings him a new understanding of the world he's separated from. Faced with the daily adventure of survival in his solitary, somewhat hostile domain, he is moved to reexamine the easy way of life he had always accepted and discovers skills and talents in himself that hold promise of a more meaningful life, if and when he should finally return to Mossville and his dear Amanda again.
Abel's Island is a 1976 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, and a 1977 Newbery Honor Book.
The Ninth was strong
and fought with might,
But lone Orannis
was put out of the light,
Broken in two
and buried under hill,
Forever to lie there,
wishing us ill.
So says the song. But Orannis, the Destroyer, is no longer buried under hill. It has been freed from its subterranean prison and now seeks to escape the silver hemispheres, the final barrier to the unleashing of its terrible powers.
Only Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping the Destroyer. She and her companions -- Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget -- have to take that chance. For the Destroyer is the enemy of all Life, and it must be stopped, though Lirael does not know how.
To make matters worse, Sam's best friend, Nick, is helping the Destroyer, as are the necromancer Hedge and the Greater Dead Chlorr, and there has been no word from the Abhorsen Sabriel or King Touchstone.
Everything depends upon Lirael. A heavy, perhaps even impossible burden for a young woman who just days ago was merely a Second Assistant Librarian. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the rather mixed help of her companions, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer.
Before it is too late. . . .
Why has a time gate opened and dropped Polly into a world that existed 3,000 years ago? Will she be able to get back to the present before the time gate closes -- and leaves her to face a group of people who believe in human sacrifice?
Here is a story of thirteenth-century England, so absorbing and lively that for all its authenticity it scarcely seems "historical." Although crammed with odd facts and lore about that time when "longen folke to goon on pilgrimages," its scraps of song and hymn and jongleur's tale of the period seem as newminted and fresh as the day they were devised, and Adam is a real boy inside his gay striped surcoat.
"Engaging and beautifully written."--Children's Literature From the Trade Paperback edition.
Translated from the German by Elsa H. Naumburg and illustrated by Kurt Szafranski.
The adventures of a doll after her little girl gets married.
By Margery Williams Bianco, illustrations by Leon Underwood.
Of all Mr. Timothy's horses on the old merry-go-round in the park, Arab was the most exciting. He seemed to go more swiftly and he easily jumped twice as high as the other carousel horses.
But Arab was not happy, and the only one who knew his secret was an old coach horse whose master, Mr. Bill, stopped each morning to chat with Mr. Timothy. Arab had had an adventurous life and now, though he loved the children, life was monotonous. He wanted to see new things. So -- well, the coach horse made a bargain with him and one day he slipped out of his harness and took the coach horse's place. What happend after that makes one of the jolliest and most unusual of stories.
The author's many illustrations in color add to the spontaneous gaiety of Arab's marvelous adventures.
Of all Mr. Timothy's horses on the old merry-go-round in the park, Arab was the most exciting. He seemed to go more swiftly and he easily jumped twice as high as the other carousel horses.
But Arab was not happy, and the only one who knew his secret was an old coach horse whose master, Mr. Bill, stopped each morning to chat with Mr. Timothy. Arab had had an adventurous life and now, though he loved the children, life was monotonous. He wanted to see new things. So -- well, the coach horse made a bargain with him and one day he slipped out of his harness and took the coach horse's place. What happend after that makes one of the jolliest and most unusual of stories.
The author's many illustrations in color add to the spontaneous gaiety of Arab's marvelous adventures.
Meet Ook and Gluk, the stars of this sensationally silly graphic novel from the creators of Captain Underpants! It's 500,001 BC, and Ook and Gluk's hometown of Caveland, Ohio, is under attack by an evil corporation from the future. When Ook, Gluk, and their little dinosaur pal Lily are pulled through a time portal to 2222, they discover a future world that's even more devastated than their own. Luckily, they find a friend in Master Wong, a martial arts instructor who trains them in the ways of kung fu. Now all they have to do is travel back in time 502,223 years and save the day!
The further adventures of the Three Bears after their first meeting with Goldilocks!
The jolly adventures of Michael's dogs, Rags, Tatters and Bill the Airedale, and their friend Mr. Binks the Scotty.
A classic for all ages, this official, unabridged edition of Anne of the Island features the unforgettable character of Anne Shirley and special memories, exclusively from L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter.
Leaving home for college is never easy. Yet being on her own and making new friends is more exciting than Anne Shirley every dreamed possible. Not only does she sell her first story, but she also gets a marriage proposal--from the last person she expects. There's never a dull moment when she moves into a cozy cottage with her girlfriends, gets adopted by a troublemaker of a cat, and helps her best friend Diana plan the most beautiful wedding Prince Edward Island has ever seen.
Just like Anne's friend Philippa says, something about Anne makes us "long to be better and wiser and stronger." It's no wonder she's a favorite character of everyone from Mark Twain to Duchess Kate and loved by generations of readers around the world.
Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
An instant bestseller upon its initial publication in 1908, The Wind in the Willows has become one of the beloved stories of all time. How could Ratty and Mole have known when they took to the river over one hundred years ago that they would begin a phenomenon that would produce one of the most oft-quoted lines in British literature, and inspire everyone from the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh to Pink Floyd? Drawing from more than a decade of research, Annie Gauger, one of the world's leading experts on Kenneth Grahame and The Wind in the Willows, now presents a fascinating new annotated edition that reintroduces readers to Otter, curmudgeonly Badger, and rollicking, boastful Toad, while revealing the secrets behind this treasured classic.
In The Annotated Wind in the Willows, readers will discover the sheer joy of the original text, restored to the original 1908 version, illustrated with hundreds of full-color images--including the beloved drawings by E. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham. This edition also includes Shepard's famous map of the Wild Wood and rarely seen images by illustrators Graham Robertson, Paul Bransom, Nancy Barnhart, and Wyndham Payne.
In an illuminating preface, Gauger explains how Grahame came to write the novel, which began as a bedtime story and then became a series of letters he wrote to his son, Alastair. This edition reproduces the original letters in their entirety and includes nearly a thousand delightful annotations on everything from automobiles (Toad drove an Armstrong Hardcastle Special Eight) and early motorcar etiquette to modern manifestations (Disneyland's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride). She reveals how William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the peculiar Fifth Duke of Portland, built an extensive network of underground tunnels, thus inspiring the character of Badger, and she puts Grahame's work in literary context, comparing him to Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, A. A. Milne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Finally, new to this edition, long buried in the Kenneth Grahame papers, are the notes, letters, and writings by Alastair Grahame and his governess, including several pieces by Kenneth Grahame himself that have never been published before.
With a stunning, lyrical tribute to Grahame by Brian Jacques, the internationally best-selling author of the Redwall series, The Annotated Wind in the Willows should prove a most beautiful and enduring tribute to Grahame's masterpiece.
"Ignatow's illustrations (attributed to Julie), humorous comments, and the story's sticky situations make this a gregarious addition to the series."
--Booklist
A must-read for generations of book lovers. This remarkable, and heart-warming prequel to the classic "Anne of Green Gables" was specially authorized by L.M. Montgomery's heirs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the original novel.
"Before Green Gables" is the story of Anne Shirley's life before her arrival at Green Gables-a heartwarming tale of a precocious child whose lively imagination and relentless spirit help her to overcome difficult circumstances and of a young girl's ability to love, learn, and above all, dream.
Published in 1908, L. M. Montgomery's coming-of-age classic "Anne of Green Gables" has enchanted generations of readers, both children and adults. The story of the spunky red-haired orphan from Prince Edward Island is known to millions, and copies of the eight titles in the series have never gone out of print.
But when readers first meet Anne, she is eleven, and has just been sent from an orphanage to meet her new family. No one ever learned the events of Anne's life before she arrived at Green Gables.
Until now.
For the millions of readers who devoured the Green Gables series, "Before Green Gables" is an irresistible treat; the account of how one of literature's most beloved heroines became the girl who captivated the world.
When her teacher assigns a report on animals, Ellie is stumped about what kind she wants to research. Then a neighbor goes on vacation and asks Ellie to pet-sit for her parrot, Alix. Perfect--exotic bird it will be! Unfortunately, Alix flies the coop...literally. But when Ellie can't lure him back on her own, it will take clever teamwork from a librarian, a zookeeper, some good friends, and Ellie's own pet-obsessed family to save the day.
Newbery and Caldecott Honor-winning children's author Rebecca Caudill tells the timeless and charming story of the special relationship between a girl and her doll in The Best-Loved Doll, featuring illustrations by Elliott Gilbert.
Betsy receives an invitation to a party requiring her to bring a guest--one of her dolls--for a chance to win a prize or two in several "best of" categories. But while many of her dolls are prettier to look at, wear fancier clothes, and are capable of doing things, Betsy cherishes Jennifer most of all. Her hair may be a bird's nest, she may wear drab, plain clothes, and her face may not have the most beautiful complexion, but Jennifer is Betsy's very best friend--the doll she loves the most.
