Fourteen-year-old Blue Jasper takes his younger siblings, twins Indigo and Violet, out for a hike to give their mother a break. One moment the twins are scampering in the trees right ahead of him, and the next moment they are gone. As Blue frantically searches for them, a strange woman appears in the forest claiming to be the Faerie Queen Olea of Nearwood and the twins’ real mother. Now because of a magical pact, Blue's mother's life will be in danger if he can't find the twins before the next sunset. Blue must find his way into the magical forest known as the Crosswood and through the dangerous Faerie lands beyond it. Will he be able to find the twins in time? And will they be able to find their way out again? This is the first book in the Faerie Woods series.
Fourteen-year-old Blue (a human) should be upset that his new friends Salix (a Nixie) and Finola (a Faerie) have tricked him into going on another adventure into the Faerieland. But he's actually quite excited. Especially since their quest to find the way back to Salix's homeland takes them through the Wherewood, a magical region where lost things go. They encounter confused pets, misplaced homework assignments and mountains of odd socks. But when a misstep leads Blue into the forsaken Witherwood, he comes face to face with an old enemy. And Olea, the cursed former queen of Nearwood, will not let Blue go so easily this time. This is the second book in the Faerie Woods series, following The Crosswood.
For some kids, ways they can help eliminate racial injustice might be hard to see. After all, they are taught that people in society are all equal under the law. So why then does racial conflict still exist? And what can they as individuals do about it right now? One way is for white children to understand the unearned advantages they were born with based solely on the colour of their skin. This concept is called white privilege and this book will help children of all races understand it, see how it affects them and find ways to speak out and take real action against it.
White Privilege: Deal with It in All Fairness provides scenarios, quizzes and Q&As that develop readers’ understanding of the subject using situations that are realistic and that easily relate to their everyday lives. The topic is approached from three points of view: those who are “privileged,” those who identify as “racialized” and those who want to be allies.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes a poignant middle grade novel about courage, hope and resilience as an Asian American boy fights to keep his family together and stand up to racism during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus.
When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad, who has to stay for work.
At his new school in California, Knox struggles with being the new kid. His classmates think that because he’s from Asia, he must have brought over the virus. At home, Mom just got fired and is panicking over the loss of health insurance, and Dad doesn’t even know when he’ll see them again, since the flights have been cancelled. And everyone struggles with Knox’s blurting-things-out problem.
As racism skyrockets during COVID-19, Knox tries to stand up to hate, while finding his place in his new country. Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new? And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart? Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control, the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness.
Twelve-year-old Fishel (Fish) Rosner doesn’t like regular “boy” things. He hates sports and would prefer to read or do crafts instead of climbing trees or riding dirt bikes with his friends. He also loves to dance. But all his interests are considered “girly.” Fish doesn’t get why that’s a bad thing. He’s just interested in different things than other boys. When he asks his Bubby to teach him to knit, she tells him to go play outside. When he begs his mom to take him to Zumba, she enrolls him in water polo instead. Why does everyone else get to decide what Fish should or shouldn’t do?
A new middle grade novel from the author of the Michael L Printz Honor Book, The White Bicycle Harris Olson is a boy dealing with a load of guilt. Three years ago he was in a tragic car accident with his parents. He can't shake off the feeling of being responsible, though of course he was not. The memory returns from time to time —— until a crow comes tapping at his window one morning. A crow whom he lets into the house without intending to, a crow who somehow manages to cheer up not only Harris, but a lot of other people he cares about.
Being yourself isn’t always easy. When you’re new in school, all you want is to fit in. When eleven-year-old Warren and his family move to a new city, his twin brother, who has Down syndrome, attracts too much attention for Warren’s liking. Bennie’s different and doesn’t care about it. But while Bennie may be oblivious to those who are curious or uneasy with him, Warren notices every smirk, comment and sideways glance.
Warren is weary of flip-flopping between trying to be just like everyone else and being the protective brother of a boy with special needs. Sometimes he thinks his life would be easier if he had no brother. But what he really needs is to stop worrying about what other people think.
From New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a hilarious middle grade novel about a group of kids forced to “unplug” at a wellness camp—where they instead find intrigue, adventure and a whole lot of chaos. Perfect for fans of Korman’s The Unteachables, the Masterminds series, and Carl Hiaasen’s eco mysteries.
As the son of the world’s most famous tech billionaire, Jett Baranov has always gotten exactly what he wanted. So, when his father’s private jet drops him in the middle of Little Rock, Arkansas, at a wellness camp called the Oasis, Jett can’t believe it. He’s forced to hand over his cell phone, eat grainy veggie patties and participate in wholesome activities with the other kids.
At the Oasis, he meets Grace, who is his polar opposite. She thrives in the wellness atmosphere and resents Jett’s terrible attitude. Then there’s Tyrell, who suffers from a dizzying list of food allergies that render him constantly itchy. And also Brooklynne, a girl who definitely seems to be hiding something. As the weeks go on, Jett starts to get used to the unplugged life and even bonds with the other kids over their discovery of a baby lizard-turned-pet, Needles. But he can’t help noticing that the adults at the Oasis are acting really strange…
Jett is determined to get to the bottom of things, but can he convince the other kids that he is no longer just a spoiled brat making trouble?
Thirteen-year-old Sullivan Brewster's wavering self-esteem is as plain as the nose on his face, which is kind of a problem given that his nose is not where it should be at all. In fact, when Sully looks in the mirror on his first day of grade 9, his nose isn't the only thing that's out of place. With his eyes now clinging to either side of his chin, his lips on his forehead, and one of his ears squatting in the middle of his face, he looks like a frightened Picasso or deranged Mr. Potato Head.
Worse, Sully falls under the scrutiny of school thug Tank, who is about to choose a victim for his ritual Naked Niner hazing. Determined to fly under Tank's radar, Sully goes out of his way to avoid his supportive but oddball friends: intelligent, flamboyant and outspoken Blossom who tattoos vivid gardens all over her face and is obsessed with The Lady of Shalott, and relaxed and self-aware Morty who dresses all in black and insists on being called Morsixx. Preoccupied as he is with self-preservation, Sully fails to see that one of his friends is in far more serious trouble than he is and must ultimately choose between his own self-esteem and his friend's life.
Has Chris Dearing finally broken his family’s run of bad luck? Find out in this hilarious, high-stakes companion to Mine! Chris Dearing is positive his family’s long streak of bad luck is finally over. Sure, he’s thought that before, but this time is different. He’s reclaimed his grandfather’s land in the Yukon — the land his granddad swore was full of gold. Now Chris just has to wait for his father to get out of jail so they can start mining their family fortune.
But things get complicated quickly. His dad’s new “business partners” seem more like crooks. Child Protective Services is getting in the way. And then Chris learns that his grandfather may not have been 100 percent truthful about where his gold actually came from. With his best friend by his side and an angry guard goose hot on his tail, can Chris hatch a plan to break the Dearing curse once and for all?