Esperanza Rising
When tragedy shatters her privileged life in Mexico, Esperanza and Mama flee to California and settle in a farm labor camp. There, Esperanza must confront the challenges of hard labor and find acceptance among her people.
Mr. Impossible
The Christmas Pig
Jack Plank Tells Tales
Publisher Weekly Review: Starred Review. Billed as Babbitt's first novel in 25 years, this book is really a charming collection of linked stories about the gentler side of pirate life aboard the Avarice. The tale-teller, Jack Plank, understands that "plundering" is not his strong suit: "You have to yell and make faces and rattle your […]
Our Planet!
Owen & Mzee : the Language of Friendship
Publisher Weekly Review: Starred Review. Those who were captivated by Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship?about the bond between a baby hippo orphaned by the 2004 tsunami and an adult tortoise living in the same Kenyan sanctuary?will find this follow-up equally mesmerizing. Again, Greste's crisp color photographs reveal these inseparable animal […]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Washington Post Go read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the other main reason to love the series: their sheer comic exuberance even in the midst of high drama. Kids, of course, would mention this first. Jokes, gags and memorable put-downs pop up on nearly every page ? Sometimes it seems […]
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Publishers Weekly: Here is a true masterpiece?an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.Twelve-year-old orphan Hugo lives in the walls of a Paris train station at the turn of the 20th century, where he tends to the clocks and filches what he needs to survive. […]