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Middle grade star author Chris Rylander brings his signature sense of humor, a compelling and original baseball story, and tons of heart to the story of the Hurricanes of Weakerville.All his life, Alex Weakerman has had one passion: baseball. Specifically, the Hurricanes of Weakerville, Iowa?the scrappy independent-league team owned by his Grandpa Ira.Even as team and the town have fallen on tough times, there's no place Alex would rather be than at the ballpark?a hot dog in one hand, a pencil and scorebook in the other, keeping track of each and every statistic. Alex has never been all that great at playing baseball, but that doesn't matter. For someone as painfully awkward as Alex, being a fan?and a wiz with baseball stats?is all he needs.When Grandpa Ira passes away, though, Alex is crushed. He's lost his best friend, and he doesn't see any way that the team will survive. But Ira, it seems, has one last trick up his sleeve: his will names Alex the new manager of the Hurricanes.Alex is as excited as he is terrified at the chance to finally put some of his fantasy baseball genius to use. But as he sets to work trying to win over the players, he soon learns that leading them to victory is about more than just stats. Will he be able to save his team, his hometown, and his family legacy?From the author of The Fourth Stall, a SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner and multiple state-award favorite, The Hurricanes of Weakerville is sure to appeal to middle grade readers looking for a funny book about real kids.

The thrilling conclusion to Christopher Healy's funny, action-packed, acclaimed alt-history adventure! It is 1884, and Molly and Cassandra Pepper, Emmett Lee, and Emmett's long-lost father are sailing back to New York following their death-defying adventure in Antarctica. Having discovered a subterranean world at the South Pole while saving the world from certain doom once again, surely their accomplishments will finally earn them the recognition they deserve. Unless, of course . . . well, you know by now. And so do the Peppers and Lees. They're used to having their deeds covered up by the government in order to protect powerful men, and frankly, they're sick of it. And when their return to New York doesn't go the way they'd planned, they decide that maybe it's best to go into hiding and accept that, perhaps, the forces aligned against them are just too great. As the 1884 presidential election approaches, however, our heroes discover a plot against leading candidate Thomas Edison that only they can stop. It'll be up to them to decide whether to come out of hiding, make the perilous journey to Washington, DC, and do the right thing one last time. Even if it means risking everything they have left.

The second book in this breakout series that's been called "charming and delectably sweet." (Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas series)Leonora Logroño has finally been introduced to her family's bakery bruja magic?but that doesn't mean everything is all sugar and spice. Her special power hasn't shown up yet, her family still won't let her perform her own spells, and they now act rude every time Caroline comes by to help Leo with her magic training.She knows that the family magic should be kept secret, but Caroline is her best friend, and she's been feeling lonely ever since her mom passed away. Why should Leo have to choose between being a good bruja and a good friend?In the midst of her confusion, Leo wakes up one morning to a startling sight: her dead grandmother, standing in her room, looking as alive as she ever was. Both Leo and her abuela realize this might mean trouble?especially once they discover that Abuela isn't the only person in town who has been pulled back to life from the other side.Spirits are popping up all over town, causing all sorts of trouble! Is this Leo's fault? And can she reverse the spell before it's too late?Anna Meriano's unforgettable family of brujas returns in a new story featuring a heaping helping of amor, azúcar, and magia.

A rip-roaring puzzle box of an adventure about grit, guts, and gold, from Elinor Teele, the acclaimed author of The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin.The small, run-down town of Eden is the only place Jenny Burns has ever called home. The roots of the trees are in her bones, the air of the mountains is in her breath, the lakes and rivers are in her blood. And that's why, when her father loses his job and tells Jenny that they may have to move on from Eden, she knows she can't let that happen.The fever of New Zealand's gold rush still runs in the veins of Eden, and everyone knows the legend of Doc Magee: how he found the largest gold nugget anyone had ever seen and hid it somewhere in the hills before he disappeared.Jenny and her best friend, Pandora, know that if they can find the gold, it'll solve all their problems. But the way is fraught with mysteries, riddles, and danger?and those are just the threats they know about. Before her quest is over, Jenny will have to face challenges from within as well as from without.

?Considering the fresh attention being paid to teaching a skeptical approach to information evaluation, this series opener couldn't be better timed. A brief but savvy guide to responsible research methods adds further luster to this crowd pleaser.? ?ALA Booklist (starred review)Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true?and asks readers to separate facts from fakes! Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower?a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn't live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest?Every story in this book is strange and astounding. But not all of them are real. Just like the old game in this book's title, two out of every three stories are completely true and one is an outright lie. Can you guess which? It's not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable. And they're all accompanied by dozens of photos, maps, and illustrations. Amaze yourself and trick your friends as you sort out the fakes from the facts!Acclaimed authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson have teamed up to create a series of sneaky stories about the natural world designed to amaze, disgust, and occasionally bamboozle you.

An engrossing fantasy, a high-seas adventure, an alternate history epic?this is the richly imagined and gorgeously realized third book in acclaimed author Barry Wolverton's Chronicles of the Black Tulip, perfect for fans of The Glass Sentence and the Books of Beginning series.After the harrowing and life-changing events at the Dragon's Gate, Bren wants nothing more than to make his way back to England. Finding the answers to the great mysteries he'd been chasing only found him questioning why he'd ever pursued them in the first place, and now he's lost his best friend, forever. There's nothing left for him but to return home and hope his father hasn't given up on him.But just because Bren is done with adventure does not mean adventure is done with him. On his way to escape from China, Bren is gifted a rare artifact, with a connection to a place no one has set foot upon. Soon he's fallen in with a mysterious Indian noblewoman bent on discovering an ancient power and leading her country against colonial rule.The only way home, it seems, is through helping her?and as Bren wonders what she's willing to sacrifice in order to return home a hero, he must ask himself the same questions.

An action-packed, funny, and unexpected middle grade fantasy-adventure from the acclaimed author of Sidekicked.The world is not a fair place, and Colm Candorly knows it. While his parents and eight sisters seem content living on a lowly cobbler's earnings, Colm can't help but feel that everyone has the right to a more comfortable life. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go to get it.In an effort to help make ends meet, Colm uses his natural gift for pickpocketing to pilfer a pile of gold from the richer residents of town, but his actions place him at the mercy of a mysterious man named Finn Argos, a gilded-toothed, smooth-tongued rogue who gives Colm a choice: he can be punished for his thievery or he can become a member of Thwodin's Legions, a guild of dungeoneers who take what they want and live as they will. Colm soon finds himself part of a family of warriors, mages, and hunters, learning to work together in a quest to survive and, perhaps, to find a bit of treasure along the way.

Does the Vanishing Island really exist? And if so, what treasure?or terrible secret?was hidden by its disappearance?It's 1599, the Age of Discovery in Europe. But for Bren Owen, growing up in the small town of Map on the coast of Britannia has meant anything but adventure. Enticed by the tales sailors have brought through Map's port, and inspired by the arcane maps his father creates as a cartographer for the cruel and charismatic map mogul named Rand McNally, Bren is convinced that fame and fortune await him elsewhere. That is, until his repeated attempts to run away land him a punishment worse than death?cleaning up the town vomitorium.It is there that Bren meets a dying sailor, who gives him a strange gift that hides a hidden message. Cracking the code could lead Bren to a fabled lost treasure that could change his life forever, and that of his widowed father. But to get there he will have to tie his fate to a mysterious Dutch admiral obsessed with a Chinese legend about an island that long ago disappeared from any map.Before long, Bren is in greater danger than he ever imagined, and he will need the help of an unusual friend named Mouse to survive. Barry Wolverton's thrilling adventure spans oceans and cultures, brings together the folklore of East and West, and proves that fortune is always a double-edged sword.

Vince Elgin is an orphan, having lost his mother and his father in a fire when he was young, but beyond that, his life hasn't been much of a fairy tale. With only a senile grandfather he barely knows to call family, Vince was interned in a group home, where he spun fantastical stories and dreamed that his father, whose body was never found, might one day return for him. But it's been a long time since the fire, a long time since Vince has told himself a story worth believing in.That's when a letter arrives, telling Vince his grandfather has passed away. Vince cannot explain it, but he's convinced that if his father is somehow still alive, he'll find him at the funeral. He strikes out for the small town of Dyerville carrying only one thing with him: his grandfather's journal. The journal tells a tale that could not possibly be true: the story of his grandfather's young life with witches, giants, magical books, and evil spirits. But as Vince reads on and gets closer to Dyerville, fact and fiction begin to intertwine, and Vince finds that his very real adventure may have more in common with his grandfather's than he ever could have known.M. P. Kozlowsky, author of Juniper Berry, has crafted a powerfully imaginative novel of the spaces in life where fantasy and reality intersect, and a touching story of the things we give up to recover the things we've lost.

From the Files of the Platypus Police SquadCase #1138Detectives of record: Rick Zengo and Corey O'MalleyCase brief: A local schoolteacher is missing, and the only thing fishier than the circumstances surrounding his disappearance is the smell coming from the bag he left behind. All clues point to billionaire businessman Frank Pandini Jr.?but why would Pandini get his paws into the illegal fish trade?

Heroes and Villains, the seventh volume in Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library of Great Reading, is chock-full of adventure featuring an array of characters?with and without capes.Featuring ten all-new, original stories that run the gamut from fantasy to comics to contemporary adventure to nonfiction, and featuring eleven of the most acclaimed, exciting writers for kids working today, this collection is the perfect book for you, whether you use your powers for good?or evil.Authors include Laurie Halse Anderson, Cathy Camper and Raúl Gonzalez, Sharon Creech, Jack Gantos, Christopher Healy, Deborah Hopkinson, Ingrid Law, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Lemony Snicket, and Eugene Yelchin, with illustrations by Jeff Stokely.

From Jarrett J. Krosoczka comes Never Say Narwhal, the final installment in the hilarious, high-action illustrated middle grade series featuring two platypus detectives, perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and Jarrett's own Lunch Lady series.Frank Pandini Jr. is the mayor of Kalamazoo City, and everyone is celebrating?everyone except for Zengo, O'Malley, and Cooper, who can't seem to close a single case. To make matters worse, a mysterious hulking shadow has appeared in waters around KC. Could this spell the end for the Platypus Police Squad?

Three starred reviewsA Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2019Anne Ursu, author of the National Book Award nominee The Real Boy, returns with a story of the power of fantasy, the limits of love, and the struggles inherent in growing up.When you're an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark.Iris has always been the grounded, capable, and rational one; Lark has been inventive, dreamy, and brilliant-and from their first moments in the world together, they've never left each other's side. Everyone around them realized early on what the two sisters already knew: they had better outcomes when they were together.When fifth grade arrives, however, it's decided that Iris and Lark should be split into different classrooms, and something breaks in them both.Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. And at the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them, things both great and small going missing without a trace.As Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it's up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.

?This book is a treasure?a touching story of friendship, loss, and finding beauty in the everyday, with characters who stay with you long after you've turned the final page. I absolutely loved it.??R. J. Palacio, New York Times bestselling author of WonderLaurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with another unforgettable story of the moments in which we find out who we are, and the life-altering friendships that show us what we can be.The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah's been adrift and alone.Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There's something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find.But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.

Anna Meriano's unforgettable family of brujas returns for one more serving of amor, azúcar, and magia, in this breakout series that's been called "charming and delectably sweet." (Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas series)It's spring break in Rose Hill, Texas, but Leo Logroño has a lot of work to do if she's going to become a full-fledged bruja like the rest of her family.She still hasn't discovered the true nature of her magical abilities, and that isn't the only bit of trouble in her life: Her family's baking heirlooms have begun to go missing, and a new bakery called Honeybees has opened across town, threatening to run Amor y Azúcar right out of business.What's more, everyone around her seems to have secrets, and none of them want to tell Leo what's going on.But the biggest secret of all comes when Leo is paid a very surprising visit?by her long-lost Abuelo Logroño. Abuelo promises answers to her most pressing questions and tells Leo he can teach her about her power, about what it takes to survive in a world where threats lurk in the shadows. But can she trust him?

A body on the tracksA teenage terroristA mysterious wish-granting machineThe world's worst private detectiveThe second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.