For nearly a century, Victorian London relied on "climbing boys"—orphans owned by chimney sweeps—to clean flues and protect homes from fire. The work was hard, thankless, and brutally dangerous. Eleven-year-old Nan Sparrow is quite possibly the best climber who ever lived—and a girl. With her wits and will, she's managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again. But when Nan gets stuck in a deadly chimney fire, she fears her time has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature—a golem—made from ash and coal. This is the creature that saved her from the fire.Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a life—saving one another in the process. By one of today's most powerful storytellers, Sweep is a heartrending adventure about the everlasting gifts of friendship and hope.

When Sandro Zapote finds out his little sister needs heart surgery, he is determined to help his parents raise the money they'll need to help her get better. Sandro's dad is in the states illegally and must work two jobs to support the family. For one, he picks up roadkill for the department of streets and sanitation and gets paid by the carcass. For the other, he collects scrap metal to recycle for cash. Sandro helps his dad with some of the scrap metal heavy lifting, and one headboard, a weight bench, some gutters, and a few car parts later, Sandro has a brilliant idea: can collecting. Save the environment. Save his family. Maybe even save some spending money for the fabulous, fast new bike he's been coveting.Well-meaning and with funny inner monologue, Sandro is the kind of person you can't help but cheer for. He's a boy who loves drawing, soccer, and his little sister. And whether he's fishing a fuzzy, dust-coated turtle out from under his sister's bed or organizing a...

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila's fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny? Naila's conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila's vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and...

The ragtag Odds crew's useless gifts have gotten out of control. Farshad's thumbs are so strong that just trying to send a text will break his phone, and Cookie can now send mental directions instead of just listening in on them with her telepathy. To make matters worse, a bunch of their less-than-gifted classmates have become town celebrities thanks to their suspiciously good exam results. But Jay and Nick realize that all these whiz kids have parents who work for Auxano, so they race off to find out what's really going on. Fans won't want to miss the conclusion to the adventures of this motley group of heroes and their patchwork powers!

Gabriela's second novel picks up where her first left off. Her BFF may be going to another school, but Gabby is determined to make sixth grade the best year ever! She's even ready to stand up to confident and intimidating Aaliyah Reade-Johnson if she makes fun of Gabby for her stutter. What she isn't ready for is Sixth Grade Initiation—a series of pranks the older kids play on the sixth graders. Gabby could stop the tradition if she wins the school election . . . but Aaliyah is running, too, which means Gabby's chances for victory are slim. Can Gabby find the courage to stand on her own, speak out for change, and do what seems impossible?

Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: "he" is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender's body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection, or worse. Despite the risks, Grayson's true self itches to break free. Will new strength from an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher's wisdom be enough to help Grayson step into the spotlight she was born to inhabit? Debut author Ami Polonsky's moving, beautifully-written novel about identity, self-esteem, and friendship shines with the strength of a young person's spirit and the enduring power of acceptance

The next book in the thrilling, chilling New York Times bestselling series!With no way into the McMartin house's magical paintings, and its three guardian cats reluctant to help, Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door mentions a grimoire--a spellbook--Olive sees a glint of hope. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first. The house isn't the only one keeping secrets anymore . . .Review“Middle grade writing as it should be.”(Minneapolis Star Tribune )“A suspenseful read that leaves plenty of room for the next title in the series.”(School Library Journal )“A delightful tale filled with magic, adventure, danger and . . . [the] challenges of growing up.”(MonstersandCritics.com )“As Harry Potter fever takes over . . .The Books of Elsewhere is a great series for young readers who are interested in the world of spells, witches, potions and magic—plenty of fun, action and thrills.”(Examiner.com )“The Books of Elsewhere just blew me away.”(New Richmond News ) About the AuthorJacqueline West, a two-time Pushcart nominee for poetry, lives in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Good evening, Rob. Your first challenge follows.These challenges have nothing to do with impressing Destry Camberwick. They are all to do with Rob Fitzgerald impressing Rob Fitzgerald. Bear that in mind at all times.Challenge 1. You will enter the Milltown's Got Talent competition. This gives you over a fortnight to polish your act and work out strategies to overcome panic attacks. I would wish you luck but the point of this challenge is that you don't need it.Introducing Rob Fitzgerald: thirteen years old and determined to impress the new girl at school, but it's a difficult task for a super-shy kid who is prone to panic attacks that include vomiting, difficulty breathing and genuine terror that can last all day. An anonymous texter is sending Rob challenges and they might just help. Or not.Beautifully moving and full of heart and humour, A Song Only I Can Hear is a delightful novel about dreaming big, being brave and marching...

The New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Wonders series and of books in the 39 Clues series, Peter Lerangis, brings us the final installment of the thrilling Max Tilt trilogy. Max Tilt thinks his luck is finally changing, thanks to his great-great-great-grandfather Jules Verne's unfinished, unpublished manuscript, The Lost Treasures. Using the clues Verne left behind, Max and his cousin Alex were able to bottle the magical healing elements needed to cure his mother's illness just in the nick of time.But then Max and Alex discover that the vials were stolen by their former friend, Bitsy. She has plans to use them to save the world—but her plans might be much more deadly than they seem. And so now it's up to Max and Alex to stop her before it's too late.Working against the odds, the two kids glean clues from one of Verne's best-loved books, Journey to the Center of the Earth. In it, they...

In the tradition of Pitch Perfect, two best friends battle it out for a capella group supremacy in this hilarious M!X novel.Wylie Tennyson and Jada Emmett have been best friends forever. They have done everything together for so long that when Jada decides to try out for their middle school's spring musical production, it was only natural for Wylie to audition as well. After all, how fun would it be to be in the chorus together? The only problem is that Jada has her sights set on much more than the chorus—she's going after one of the lead parts, and wants Wylie to step aside to give her a better shot. Taking a cue from her new favorite television show, Non-Instrumental, Wylie decides to start her middle school's very first a cappella group. She wants to show Jada that it's much better to be part of a team's success than it is to stand under the spotlight alone. This is a great idea, in theory, until Wylie has trouble actually...

The year is 1867, the South has been defeated, and the American Civil War is over. But the conflict goes on. Yankees now patrol the streets of Richmond, Virginia, and its citizens, both black and white, are struggling to redefine their roles and relationships. By day, fourteen-year-old Shadrach apprentices with a tailor and sneaks off for reading lessons with Rachel, a freed slave, at her school for African-American children. By night he follows his older brother Jeremiah to the meetings of a group whose stated mission is to protect Confederate widows like their mother. But as the true murderous intentions of the group, now known as the Ku Klux Klan, are revealed, Shad finds himself trapped between old loyalties and what he knows is right. In this powerful and unflinching story of a family caught in the period of Reconstruction, A.B. Westrick provides a glimpse into the enormous social and political upheaval of the time.

The making of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, the outsize personalities who inspired it, and the vast changes it wrought on the literary world In the summer of 1925, Ernest Hemingway and a clique of raucous companions traveled to Pamplona, Spain, for the town's infamous running of the bulls. Then, over the next six weeks, he channeled that trip's maelstrom of drunken brawls, sexual rivalry, midnight betrayals, and midday hangovers into his groundbreaking novel The Sun Also Rises. This revolutionary work redefined modern literature as much as it did his peers, who would forever after be called the Lost Generation. But the full story of Hemingway's legendary rise has remained untold until now. Lesley Blume resurrects the explosive, restless landscape of 1920s Paris and Spain and reveals how Hemingway helped create his own legend. He made himself into a death-courting, bull-fighting aficionado; a hard-drinking, short-fused literary genius;...