74 books
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Marci Kay Monson (2025)
**This retelling of Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train is the second book in the Mini Mysteries series of interactive picture book mysteries for children.** The Mystery of the Blue Train is one of Agatha Christie’s early detective novels (a cozy mystery—no violence or gore), and where she continues to use the fictional detective Hercule Poirot as a major character. The story, set on a train bound for the French Riviera, is a true who-done-it full of mysterious characters, missing jewels, and teasing clues. Monson’s retelling of the original book captures the plot and distills it in a way that is fun for children, gently ushering them into the literary world of Christie’s mysteries. Along with the story, there are activities, games, and puzzles throughout to help with children’s engagement, and might just foster a few budding detectives. There is also a glossary of terms and French words.
Lirien and Her Friends Save the Magic Forest by Unknown (2023)
**Lirien and Her Friends Save the Magic Forest** by William Bold **A Fantasy Adventure for Children** Step into the Enchanted Magic Forest ! The Story: Lirien and Her Friends Save the Magic Forest Embark on an enchanted journey through the Magic Forest with Lirien and her friends in this spellbinding children's fantasy adventure. The Magic Forest is a place where colorful flowers bloom, playful animals frolic and mischievous elves play. But when a mysterious poisonous rain threatens to destroy the forest, Lirien, Nym, and Eleri must come together to uncover the source of the toxic rain and save their beloved home. Join Lirien and her friends as they embark on an adventure to save their beloved forest and learn valuable lessons about friendship, determination, and the power of working together. **The Lessons:** Discover the Power of Teamwork, Perseverance and Creativity As they navigate through the dangers of Rascal's castle and discover the importance of environmental protection, children will learn valuable lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and creativity, all with the goal of making the world a better place for future generations. **The Illustrations**: Bring the Magic Forest to Life The book is beautifully illustrated with detailed and vibrant drawings that will transport children to the magical forest and bring the story to life. The illustrations are a delight to the eyes and will captivate children's imagination. **Target Audience**: for children aged 5-12 who love fantasy and adventure Written by the talented William Bold, "Lirien and Her Friends Save the Magic Forest" is a must-read that will inspire, educate and entertain young readers. Don't miss out on this magical tale, order your copy today!
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (2017)
When Ada's clubfoot is surgically fixed at last, she knows for certain that she's not what her mother said she was--damaged, deranged, crippled mentally as well as physically. She's not a daughter anymore, either. What is she? World War II continues, and Ada and her brother, Jamie, are living with their loving legal guardian, Susan, in a borrowed cottage on the estate of the formidable Lady Thorton--along with Lady Thorton herself and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded cottage is tense enough, and then, quite suddenly, Ruth, a Jewish girl from Germany, moves in. A German? The occupants of the house are horrified. But other impacts of the war become far more frightening. As death creeps closer to their door, life and morality during wartime grow more complex. Who is Ada now? How can she keep fighting? And who will she struggle to save?
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (2011)
He was a boy on a farm and a kid with chickenpox. He was a soldier and a husband and a gardener, and most of all, an artist. Follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson through a garden where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. In his most enigmatic and beautiful work to date, noted picture book creator Lane Smith explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family history and love. By turns touching and whimsical, Grandpa Green opens the door to a garden of wonder for parents, grandparents, and children alike. - Jacket flap.
Little White Duck by Andrés Vera Martínez (2011)
A young girl describes her experiences growing up in China, beginning with the death of Chairman Mao in 1976.
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo (2010)
Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.
The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr (2017)
For the Hempsteads, two sisters who married two brothers and had three daughters each, summers were idyllic. The women would escape the city the moment school was out to gather at the family house on Lake Waseka. The lake was a magical place, a haven where they were happy and carefree. All of their problems drifted away as the days passed in sun-dappled contentment. Until the summer that changed everything. After an accidental drowning turned the lake house into a site of tragedy and grief, it was closed up. For good. Torn apart, none of the Hempstead women speak of what happened that summer, and relationships between them are uneasy at best to hurtful at worst. But in the face of new challenges, one woman is determined to draw her family together again, and the only way that can happen is to return to the lake and face the truth.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (2007)
Elijah has to go find this former slave that stole a friends money who was planning on buying his family back out of slavery. What happens along the way is terrifying to even think about, friends getting shot, dying, and freeing slaves.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood (2009)
Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies.But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?
Blue by Danielle Steel (2016)
When her husband and son are killed in a car accident days before Christmas, Ginny Carter tries to avoid her grief by becoming involved in human rights work in New York.
Blue water by A. Manette Ansay (2006)
From New York Times bestselling author A. Manette Ansay comes an unforgettable story of two families united by tragedy -- and one woman's deeply emotional journey toward a choice she'd never thought possible. On an ordinary morning in Fox Harbor, Wisconsin, Meg and Rex Van Dorn's lives are irrevocably altered when a drunk driver -- Meg's onetime best friend, Cindy Ann Kreisler -- slams into the Van Dorns' car, killing their six-year-old son, Evan. As Meg recovers from her own injuries, she and Rex are shocked when Cindy Ann receives a mere slap on the wrist. In their rage and grief, they buy a boat to sail around the world, hoping to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Cindy Ann. But when Meg returns to Fox Harbor for a family wedding, she's forced to face the complex ties that bind her to the woman who has destroyed her peace.
LaRose by Louise Erdrich (2016)
Landreaux Iron stalks a deer along the edge of the property bordering his own. He shoots with easy confidence -- but when the buck springs away, Landreaux realizes he's hit something else. When he staggers closer, he realizes he has killed his neighbor's five-year-old son, Dusty. The youngest child of his friend and neighbor, Peter Ravich, Dusty was best friends with Landreaux's five-year-old son, LaRose. The two families have always been close, sharing food, clothing, and rides into town; their children played together despite going to different schools; and Landreaux's wife, Emmaline, is half sister to Dusty's mother, Nola. Horrified at what he's done, the recovered alcoholic turns to an Ojibwe tribe tradition -- the sweat lodge -- for guidance, and finds a way forward. Following an ancient means of retribution, he and Emmaline will give LaRose to the grieving Peter and Nola. "Our son will be your son now," they tell them.
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (2015)
Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn't he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beautyand funin their routine and the world around them. This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share.
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (2013)
Whenever foreigners visit Paradise they always ask Darling and her friends to smile for the camera. Here are some of the things Darling and her friends have to smile about: stealing guavas, gifts from NGOs, singing Lady Gaga at the tops of their voices. But they all want to go to the real paradise in America or Britain.
The three by Sarah Lotz (2014)
When the three child survivors of unrelated plane crashes on different continents begin to exhibit increasingly disturbing behavior, a religious cult leader claims that they are harbingers of the apocalypse.
My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Pennypacker (2008)
Cyrla's neighbors have begun to whisper. Her cousin, Anneke, is pregnant and has passed the rigorous exams for admission to the Lebensborn, a maternity home for girls carrying German babies. But Anneke's soldier has disappeared, and Lebensborn babies are only ever released to their father's custody-- or taken away. A note is left under the mat. Someone knows that Cyrla, sent from Poland years before for safekeeping with her Dutch relatives, is Jewish. The Nazis are imposing more and more restrictions; she won't be safe there for long. And then in the space of an afternoon, life falls apart. Cyrla must choose between certain discovery in her cousin's home and taking Anneke's place in the Lebensborn--Cyrla and Anneke are nearly identical. If she takes refuge in the enemy's lair, can Cyrla fool the doctors, nurses, guards, and other mothers-to-be? Can she escape before they discover she is not who she claims? Mining a lost piece of history, Sara Young takes us deep into the lives of women living in the worst of times. Part love story and part elegy for the terrible choices we must often make to survive, MY ENEMY'S CRADLE keens for what we lose in war and sings for the hope we sometimes find.
Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's by Laura Lee Hope (2005)
From the book:"There! It's all done, so I guess we can get on and start off! All aboard! Toot! Toot!" Russ Bunker made a noise like a steam-boat whistle. "Get on!" he cried. "Oh, wait a minute! I forgot to put the broom in the corner," said Rose, his sister. "I was helping mother sweep, and I forgot to put the broom away. Wait for me, Russ! Don't let the boat start without me!" "I won't," promised the little boy, as he tossed back a lock of dark hair which had straggled down over his eyes. They were dark, too, and, just now, were shining in eagerness as he looked at a queer collection of a barrel, a box, some chairs, a stool and a few boards, piled together in the middle of the playroom floor.