Welcome to the MEI Middle Library!!! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Taegen Burritt, and I am the librarian at MEI Middle. Please feel free to email me at: tburritt@meischools.com if you have any questions or need help with anything.

Summer Reading:

Some of you are coming back from last year and have borrowed books for the Summer Reading program. The books must be returned the first week of school.

Library Hours: The library is open between 8 am and 3:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Insignia Library Account: For a full tutorial on how to access your library account and place a book on Reserve, please click the Catalog and account info link on the left side of the The Beakling blog website: bit.ly/thebeakling

Once you have placed your books on Reserve, they will be available for pick up in the Library on the 2nd floor. I will send an email to your Office 365 account to notify you that your book(s) are ready, but you are welcome to come by and ask if it is available, too!

New books and magazines are added to the library all year so make sure to check out the Insignia Middle Library home page at: bit.ly/meimidlibrary Library items are signed out for two-week periods and can be renewed from home by logging into your library account. Students may also email or talk to me in person if they need help renewing their books. There is a 25 cent fine for overdue items (per day/per item) so please remember to check your library account. Information on accessing and managing library accounts can be found on this library blog along with announcements, book suggestions, an Office 365 tutorial, etc.

SORA eBooks & Audiobooks:

We have Audiobooks and eBooks!!! The SORA app will be accessible on student tablets, but parents are welcome to download the app to their smart phone to use. For more information, please go to bit.ly/thebeakling and click on SORA eBooks & Audiobooks.

Instagram: The library is on Instagram! Please go to @meimidlibrary if you want to keep up to date with what’s happening in the library!

Library Tip: If you need your password reset, please come to the library and Ms. Burritt will be happy to reset it for you.

Paintings in the Sky by Addison H. (7S)

Thunder crashes, lightning flashes

Sunshine and rain, happiness and pain.

The sky is a painting, some days dark some light,

All I really know is the weather’s quite a sight.

The weather is interesting and changes quick,

In seconds, the sun, blown out like a candle wick.

The sun tells me to get up and run,

While the rain falling down gives me a frown,

The sky is like a painting, some days some light,

All I really know is the weather is quite a sight.

Seasons by Armaan B. (7B)

The Earth blossoms when Spring is in the air

Smiling ear-to-ear without a single care.

Leaves changing colors

Dropping to the ground

Every color is poking around.

~

Summer has arrived.

The sun is blasting and casting its heat.

Everyone and anyone enjoying the weather together.

People eating ice cream is like a nice dream.

Vacation and finally no more education.

~

Harvest season is here…

Rakes and back aches from pushing leaves all day.

Pumpkins, costumes, candy,

Autumn is here and it is here to stay.

~

Magical white dust falling from the sky and landing on the eyes.

Santa Claus and his paws are breaking home invasion laws.

Peasants, present shopping.

Tree’s and Christmas DVD’s

Winters here and it is clear that the year will help everyone build skills like writing poems.

A Drop by Rachael A. (8H)

Today is rain

I know because I’m wet

Tomorrow it will snow

I know because I’m cold

Yesterday was fun

Was warm but now it’s done

A week from now again

the sun will come, my friend.

~

Today it was snow

I know because I’m cold

Yesterday was rain

but then it froze again

and in a couple of days

the sun again will raise.

~

Today was warm

I know because if the swarm

the noise, the light, the crowds

for me they’re all too loud.

Tomorrow is my day

and why do you think I know?

Not because of the weather

But because I’m all alone.

“There’s a golden rule in Phantom City: ‘No one about when the Zeppelin is out.’ Twelve-year-old Charlie Crane has feared the doomsday airship her whole life. But one night, she comes face-to-face with the Zeppelin, and instead of finding trouble, she is awakened to the reality that something is very wrong in Phantom City. Determined to find the truth in a city plagued with lies, Charlie works to free the people of Phantom City from the clutches of a shadowy villain. Helped by a mysterious Architect who only communicates over radio and telephone, Charlie and a quirky band of unlikely heroes must learn to trust a guide they cannot see as they piece together a citywide deception involving superheroes, surveillance, and slaves.” ~quote provided by publisher

Book 1: “Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, and the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident. As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into trouble. One day, it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm, where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, and discover the power of redemption.” ~quote provided by publisher

Book 2: “It’s been a month since 12-year-old Lily McKinley was whisked away to the Somnium Realm to rescue her father, and although she’s overjoyed to have him home, she can’t leave the magical world behind. The glowing stone pendant that transported her is now bringing strange creatures to life against her will, with her paper-mache pterodactyl and even scrambled eggs suddenly moving about on their own. Lily tries to pretend that everything is normal, but when her friend Cedric the dragon appears to tell her that an illness has taken over the kingdom, troubling questions haunt her. Where is Prince Pax? If he can save the Somnium Realm like he did before, why won’t he stop the blight? Lily and her friends must return to Castle Iridyll to find out.

In this sequel to The Dragon and the Stone, Kathryn Butler takes middle-grade readers on an unforgettable adventure that mixes fantasy with biblical concepts. As young readers join Lily’s exciting quest, they’ll explore what it means to trust in God’s faithfulness, even when he feels distant.” ~quote provided by publisher

Book 3: “Twelve-year-old dream keeper Lily McKinley is grieving the death of Prince Pax when, in an instant, he appears by his tomb with a message for her: “Whomever you meet, tell them about what you have seen and heard in this valley. Tell them about what I gave for them, and won for them.” Though she feels her powers weakening, she must embark on a dangerous journey through the Desert of the Forgotten to regain her ability to dream and spread Pax’s message.

This exciting novel, the third book of the Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn Butler, mixes fantasy with Christian themes, taking middle-grade readers on an adventure steeped in magic, mystery, and glimmers of hope.” ~quote provided by publisher

Book 1: “When their father goes missing after a mysterious train crash, Everett and his little sister Bea find a curious pen in his belongings, and its magical Ink begins to rewrite their once-ordinary lives. The Ink leads them to a world they never knew existed—one teeming with impossible magic, formidable allies, and villains who are determined to destroy everything they hold dear. Together, Everett and Bea embark on an adventure through secret tunnels in England and Scotland to find and protect the last Inkwell, and ultimately to save their father. But in order to do so, Everett must find a way to tap into the most magical power of all: his courage. Perfect for fans of The Silver Arrow, The Bookwanderers, and Inkheart, this classic battle of good and evil pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.” ~quote provided by publisher

Book 1: “Five friends. One moonlit summit. An unforgettable journey. Excitement hangs in the air as Marlee and her sisters join their friends on a daring hike up a Colorado mountain – in the middle of the night. When Sawyer first proposes the idea of a moonlit summit during the two families’ annual backpacking trip, Marlee is terrified but also hooked. Having grown up taking trips to the mountains, they’ve learned a thing or two about hiking, and Sawyer is confident they’ll be back by sunrise. But when disaster strikes, their knowledge, faith, and stamina will be put to the test. Digging out of the cemented snow is the first of many challenges in the coming days, and now Marlee has to trust Sawyer, who, by the way, was the brain behind the dilemma. Will their faith and friendship survive, or will they cave under pressure?” ~quote provided by publisher

Astral Alliance #2 The First Starborn: “A Mysterious Power After learning that her father is still alive, Megan Wills embarks on a rescue journey with her newly adoptive sisters, Crystal and Zoe. Their destination is Beta Four, a frozen prison planet, where he was exiled because of a false charge of space piracy. Megan is constantly chased by Camille Fairbanks, the widow of Admiral Fairbanks, who blames her for his death and, for some unknown reason, wants to capture her father as well. Megan must avoid deadly dangers on Beta Four and other planets as she zooms through space following clues that her father left for her. The trail leads Megan to Gamma Five, the mysterious planet that infuses the Starborn, children who have special abilities, with their amazing powers. There, she must follow the most dangerous path of all, an underground maze filled with perils, as she tries to locate the source of power and the identity of The First Starborn.” ~quote provided by publisher

“It’s the summer of 1914. Eight-year-old Bernice lives with her family in a lighthouse on Georgian Bay. Bernice doesn’t get to explore much farther than their island, but she has her books to fuel her imagination, including her favorite, Treasure Island. One day Bernice wakes up to find a stranger named Tom Thomson sleeping in their living room. When she overhears him talk about gold on a nearby island, Bernice is determined to find it. Inspired by her beloved Mother’s stories of their Metis family’s adventures and hardships, Bernice takes the treasure map the stranger left behind and sets out in a rowboat with nothing more than her two dogs for company and the dream of changing her family’s fortunes forever.” ~quote provided by publisher

Bravelands: Thunder on the Plains book 1: “As the water buffalo prepare for their yearly migration, a terrible accident leaves their leader unable to go on–and in his place, young Echo is chosen by the Great Spirit to lead his herd. But the older buffalo can’t believe such a young animal has been chosen–and refuse to follow his lead, threatening the migration that is necessary for the Great Spirit to bring the rains to the land. Meanwhile, Stride the cheetah is keeping secrets from his coalition that could get him killed for disloyalty. And young hyena Tailgrabber is desperate to find peace between her clan and the lions of Noblepride–even though a hyena seeking peace marks a betrayal of the hyenas’ longstanding allegiance to the Great Devourer.” ~quote provided by publisher

“Senior year at high school is going to be hard enough for Rooney Harris, desperate to get into a good college and away from her small town, but things get tougher when she ends up as the sole support for herself and her younger brother because of their mother’s obsession with the Next World Society, a cult that believes they will be whisked away to a new world paradise on November 17.” ~quote provided by publisher

“Twelve-year-old Maia’s parents say she’s lucky she noticed something as early as she did. Lucky to have smelled the smoke, lucky to have pulled her sister, Amelia, out of their burning house. But is it really “lucky” when Amelia’s stuck in the hospital, covered in burns? And is it “lucky” when Maia knows it was her candle, left unattended, that started the fire in the first place? As she begins to figure out how to face her guilt and paralyzing fears, she’ll discover there’s a fine line between fear and adventure. And when danger strikes again, Maia must summon all her bravery and overcome her self-doubt if she wants to save those she loves most.” ~quote provided by publisher

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #18: “In No Brainer, book 18 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, it’s up to Greg to save his crumbling school before it s shuttered for good. Up until now, middle school hasn’t exactly been a joyride for Greg Heffley. So when the town threatens to close the crumbling building, he’s not too broken up about it. But when Greg realizes this means he’s going to be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his tune. Can Greg and his classmates save their school before it’s shuttered for good? Or is this the start of a whole new chapter for Greg?” ~quote provided by publisher

I Survived book #23: “It was 1964 in the brand-new state of Alaska, a vast land of staggering beauty and heart-stopping dangers. Eleven-year-old Jack had grown up living happily with his parents in an off-the-grid cabin, miles from their closest neighbors. Grizzlies and wolves outnumbered people, and dark winter days were 30 degrees below zero. Jack had always thought of himself as strong–“Alaska tough”. But then the most powerful earthquake in American history–the Good Friday Earthquake–struck. The 9.2 magnitude quake lasted nearly five minutes, destroying downtown Anchorage and sending 30-foot tsunamis into coastal cities, wiping out entire communities. Its vibrations were felt around the world. In the end, it caused billions of dollars in damage and the death of 129 people. New York Times bestselling author Lauren Tarshis tells the story of the disaster that changed our understanding of earth science–and tested one boy in ways he never could have imagined. Includes a section of nonfiction backmatter with more facts and photos about the real-life event.” ~quote provided by publisher

“When a mysterious Little Free Library guarded by a large orange cat appears overnight, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change.” ~quote provided by publisher

Maze Cutter book 1: “73 years after THE MAZE RUNNER series, the descendants of dystopia have thrived on the island but must leave everything they know behind when a ship comes from the old world with news about how they are needed to save civilization. Sadina, Isaac, and Jackie all learned about the unkind history of the Gladers from The Book of Newt and tall tales from Old Man Frypan, but when a rusty old boat shows up one day with a woman bearing dark news of the mainland–everything changes. The group and their islander friends are forced to embark back to civilization where they find Cranks have evolved into a more violent, intelligent version of themselves. The islanders are hunted by the Godhead, the Remnant Nation, and scientists with secret agendas. When they cross paths with an orphan named Minho from the Remnant Nation, the dangers become real and they don’t know who they can trust. The islanders will have to survive long enough to figure out why they are being targeted, who is friend or foe, and what the Godhead has planned for the future of humanity.” ~quote provided by publisher (YA fiction)

“Mason and Ty were once the very best of friends, like two nerdy sides of the same coin… until seventh grade, when Ava Petrakis came along. Now Mason can trace everything bad in his life to that terrible fight they had over the new girl. The one thing he’d give anything for is a do-over. But that can’t happen in real life — can it? As a science kid, Mason knows do-overs are impossible, so he can’t believe it when he wakes up from a freak accident and finds himself magically transported back to seventh grade. His parents aren’t yet divorced and his beloved sheepdog is still alive. Best of all, he and Ty haven’t had their falling-out yet. It makes no logical sense, but Mason is determined to use this second chance to not only save his friendship (and his dog!) but do other things differently — like trying out for the football team and giving new friends a chance. There’s just one person he’ll be avoiding at all costs: Ava. But despite his best efforts, will he be able to stop the chain of events that made his previous life implode?” ~quote provided by publisher

“Sophie has spent her entire life behind the Berlin Wall, guarded by land mines, towers, and attack dogs. A science lover, Sophie dreams of becoming an inventor … but that’s unlikely in East Berlin, where the Stasi, the secret police, are always watching. Though she tries to avoid their notice, when her beloved neighbor is arrested, Sophie is called to her principal’s office. There, a young Stasi officer asks Sophie if she’ll spy on her neighbor after she is released. Sophie doesn’t want to agree, but in reality has no choice: The Stasi threaten to bring her mother, who has a disability from post-polio syndrome, to an institution if Sophie does not comply. Sophie is backed into a corner, until she finds out, for the first time, that she has family on the other side of the Wall, in the West. This could be what she needs to attempt an escape with her mother to freedom — if she can invent her way out.” ~quote provided by publisher

Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 6: “Percy Jackson’s hope for a normal senior year is shattered as the gods present him with three quests, beginning with the retrieval of Zeus’s goblet, in order to get the necessary three letters of recommendation for college.” ~quote provided by publisher (YA fiction)

“Several hundred years in the future, in a world where fossil fuels are no longer used as a power source, a thirteen-year-old boy named Keith joins a jet pack project that will give people the ability to fly.” ~quote provided by publisher

“Studious Prince Lir is next in line to become the Wolfhound King, but he can’t ride a horse, lift a sword, or summon the fabled wolfhounds. So his stepmother decrees that her own son will inherit the crown instead, sending Lir away on a seemingly impossible—and assuredly fatal—quest: to rescue the maiden Cethlenn from the once-fearsome dragon Lasvarg. Rather than wage battle, Lir insists that Lasvarg, now decidedly past his prime, honor tradition by setting him three tasks to perform—starting with tackling the mold encrusting the dragon’s cave (and his feet!). As Lir improves Lasvarg’s life, he also grows closer to Cethlenn . . . as well as the wolfhound puppy strangely devoted to her. In time, they learn more of the dark magic that may be making pawns of them all—and how Cethlenn herself could be the key to breaking a spell that clouds the entire kingdom.” ~quote provided by publisher

“When three children endure separate climate change disasters–a wildfire in the California woods, a close encounter with a hungry polar bear in Canada, and a massive hurricane in Florida–they emerge from their experiences committed to changing the world.” ~quote provided by publisher

“Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Valentina Salazar grew up as a monster protector until her father’s loss, but when a video of a mythical egg appears, Valentina convinces her older brother and sister to help her find and save it–all while avoiding the monster hunters who want to destroy it. Valentina Salazar grew up as a monster protector until her father was killed during a rescue mission gone wrong. Her mother moved the family to a boring little town in upstate New York so the family can “retire”, but Valentina still manages to stumble into trouble. Like, accidentally burning down the schoolyard while chasing a fire-breathing chipmunk. When a video of a mythical egg appears, Valentina convinces her older brother and sister to help her find and save it– all while avoiding the monster hunters who want to destroy it.” ~quote provided by publisher

Super Edition #16: “In this Super Edition, discover the origins of the first leader of RiverClan—a mysterious cat whose desire for peace would help shape the dawn of the warrior Clans. When a storm-tossed river sweeps Ripple away from the park he’s always known, he commits himself to the life of a peaceful loner. Still, as his new island home starts to become a sanctuary for other rogues, he can’t help but feel responsible for their safety, and for the community—and Clan—they are beginning to build. But when an old friend from the park resurfaces with terrible news just as the forest cats’ fights begin to escalate into bloodshed, the cat now known as Riverstar will have to decide which home he is truly committed to protecting: his new Clan or his old family.” ~quote provided by publisher

The Starless Clan series #2: “As a leaderless RiverClan faces disaster, its warriors and its young medicine cat apprentice are determined to protect their Clan and find its new leader-even if it means lying to the other Clans.” ~quote provided by publisher

Dear families,

Mark your calendars! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! Our school’s Scholastic Book Fair will take place on November 6th-8th 2023.

Your investment in your reader helps our whole school. All purchases earn Scholastic Dollars that can be redeemed for books and educational resources for our school’s classrooms and library. Parents are welcome to come to the Book Fair during the school day to browse books, and check out the Wish List for their child’s classroom. 

The countdown to more Book joy is on! See you at the Fair!

P.S. Parent helpers are needed! If you are free during the day, please contact Ms. Burritt at: tburritt@meischools.com

“Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Ani’s stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming along with medication will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most—and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat.” -quote provided by publisher

Battle Dragons #2 & #3 available!

City of Speed: “In a modern mega-city built around dragons, one boy gets caught up in the world of underground dragon battles and a high-stakes gang war that could tear his family apart. In the city of Drakopolis, dragons and humans have co-existed for centuries. Dragons burn the city’s garbage, taxi its busy citizens from place to place, and even compete in vicious underground battles for gang-like kins. But the dragons also compete in legal sports, like the spectacular aerial races that draw in cheering crowds by the tens of thousands. Abel is at just such a race when he witnesses the unthinkable. A long-shot competitor pulls off an impossible win — then flies into a destructive rage! Someone in the city is experimenting on dragons: hacking their DNA, rebuilding their bodies, and breaking their minds. Who could be driving the dragons berserk? Abel must find out who’s behind the experiments and put a stop to them, and to do so he’ll infiltrate the kins’ underground street races on a long-shot dragon of his own. But with his sister working for a kin, his brother serving the city’s secret police, and a bully at school racing for Abel’s worst enemies, will Abel find any safety past the finish line?” -quote provided by publisher

City of Secrets: “Banished from Drakopolis to the desolate frontier town of Glassblower’s Gulch, Abel and his family must face a harsh new reality: life without dragons. Far from the lights and lizards of the megacity, Abel’s new home effectively bans the great beasts. Anyone caught smuggling dragons is hauled away by the ruthless sheriff and her fearsome deputies. They have the only dragons in town, and they run the dreaded dragon rodeo, which pits those who fall afoul of the sheriff’s ‘justice’ against a wild dragon in a competition for their freedom. It’s dragon versus human and only one can win. Cut off from his friends and desperate to keep his fractious family together, Abel is determined not to break a single rule, even though the sheriff has it out for him. He’s going to be a model citizen. Then he discovers the baby wyvern. It’s a tiny, defenseless thing–and it definitely won’t survive without his help. Abel has made it his mission to aid any dragon that needs him. But what is he willing to risk for a baby wyvern in a town without mercy?” -quote provided by publisher

Young Adult

Sequel to: The Betrothed

“Can you follow your heart when it’s already broken? After fleeing Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved Silas behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life in Isolte. The Eastoffe family’s affection is a balm on her weary spirit, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distaste for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace she’s found. While tensions at home ratchet up, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching a fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat a tyrannical king–but only with Hollis’s help. Can a girl who’s lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?” -quote provided by publisher

“After losing almost everything in the Great Depression, Ellie’s family is forced to leave their home in town and start over in the untamed wilderness of nearby Echo Mountain. Ellie has found a welcome freedom, and a love of the natural world, in her new life on the mountain. But there is little joy after a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma. An accident unfairly blamed on Ellie. Ellie is a girl who takes matters into her own hands, and determined to help her father she will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as “the hag.” But the hag, and the mountain, still have many untold stories left to reveal.” -quote provided by publisher

“Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’s younger sister and self-declared finder of lost persons and things, is determined to find her friend, Lacy Cecily, a confused young Baronet’s daughter on the run from her father’s devious schemes.” -quote provided by publisher

“Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia’s London, Making — crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients — is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain. When Cordelia’s father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war. It’s up to Cordelia to find out who, and why…” -quote provided by publisher

“After Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021, she turned into an overnight sensation. People wanted to know who she was and how she’d achieved so much while so young. In this nonfiction book, Zaila shares the personal anecdotes that have shaped her life and extends advice to readers on living authentically. While Zaila is an exceptional and inspiring young woman, she has fears and anxieties just like everyone else; what makes her remarkable is the way she chooses to move through the obstacles in front of her. Zaila shares about her family, her accomplishments, her experience of being homeschooled, and so much more in order to motivate and uplift other kids who have small-, medium-, and even big-sized dreams.” -quote provided by publisher

“Bell is just like any other kid. He loves cats, eats all kinds of cake, and is curious about everything. Oh, and he lives on another planet! Living on Mars comes with a ton of rules. Like don’t go outside without a buddy. Always keep a glow stick in your pocket. And no contact with the kids in the other settlements. Ever. Then a virus breaks out among the grown-ups, and the children are the only ones who can help. Suddenly it’s up to Bell – a regular kid in a very different world – to uncover the truth and save his family … and possibly unite an entire planet.” -quote provided by publisher

Sequel to: Wolf Hollow

“Several months after the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, Annabelle McBride is struck by lightning during a powerful summer storm, leaving her with heightened senses that give her a new understanding of animals and help her learn about compassion and forgiveness.” -quote provided by publisher

“Ruby’s story picks up a few months after the events of The One and Only Bob. Now living in a wildlife sanctuary, Ruby’s caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa where she grew up is visiting. Seeing him again brings back a flood of memories both happy and sad of her life before the circus, and she recounts the time she spent in the African savannah to Ivan and Bob. In the timeless way that only Katherine Applegate could craft, this highly anticipated novel in verse is the perfect mix of heartfelt and humorous, poignant and sweet. Artist Patricia Castelao returns to the world of Ivan and his friends with gorgeous black-and-white interior illustrations to complete the story.” -quote provided by publisher

“Nearly two years ago Meg’s British father left their home in France to fight the Nazis, leaving some codes in a jar for her to decipher, and Meg and her French mother moved to the Perche, a region in France near Normandy known for its forests; now Meg watches the German soldiers in town, and sometimes carries messages for the French resistance–but suddenly things have gotten much more dangerous: there is a wounded British officer hiding in her grandmother’s barn, a family of German refugees who are trying to get to Spain, and the Nazis have arrived on the doorstop searching for the fugitives.” -quote provided by publisher

Sequel to: Last Gate of the Emperor

“Yared has traveled a long way to find his place in the universe. Light years, even. Though the battle of Addis Prime is over, the spacefaring Axum Empire is still fractured. The kingdom once gave their technology away free of charge, to better humankind. Now, having been missing for over a decade, they’re returning to the planet where their galaxy-spanning civilization began–Earth. But they find the planet in disarray. Old Earth’s atmosphere is a mess of junked shuttles and satellites. This is especially true of Debris Town, an orbital flotilla where poor spacefarers–left to rot by the Intergalactic Union that rose up in Axum’s place–have taken to piracy to survive. Yared is set to speak at the opening of the Royal Trials, a competition of the best exo pilots in the Sol System. But on the day of his speech, the pirates launch an attack! The siege sets off a chain of events that will lead Yared into the depths of Old Earth–and the jaws of a cruel betrayal. There’s more to the pirates–and Debris Town–than anyone saw coming.” -quote provided by publisher

“Centuries before the Clone Wars or the Empire, in the early days of the High Republic, it was an age of exploration in a galaxy far, far away…Daring pilots chart new routes through hyperspace, while Pathfinder teams make contact with frontier worlds to invite them to join the Republic. When a Pathfinder team’s communications droid is found drifting in space, damaged and bearing a cryptic message, Jedi Knight Silandra Sho and her Padawan, Rooper Nitani, are sent to find the missing team members. Their investigation leads them to the planet Gloam, a ravaged world said to be haunted by mythical monsters. Can the Jedi find the missing Pathfinders and unravel the mystery of the monsters? The answers lie in a hidden city beneath the planet’s surface.” -quote provided by publisher

“A trio of adventure-seekers set off to find the legendary Planet X and save the galaxy as they know it! Despite rumors of conflict between the Jedi and the Path of the Open Hand, two of the Republic’s most powerful prospecting families announce a contest to chart new hyperlanes. Under the guise of joining the competition, Dass Leffbruk and Sky Graf recruit Jedi padawan Rooper Nitani, only to reveal their real plan: find the mysterious and legendary Planet X. The trio’s quest takes an unexpected turn when they meet members of the Path of the Open Hand, forcing the heroes to put their goals aside to help the Jedi–and the galaxy–before it’s too late.” -quote provided by publisher