Tag Archives: juvenile fiction

Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House Series, Book 5), by Mary Pope Osborne:

Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series–the Magic Tree House!

Have you ever met a real live ninja?

Jack and Annie do when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Japan, where they find themselves in the cave of a ninja master. Will they learn the secrets of the ninja? Or will the evil samurai warriors get them first?

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

A Wrinkle in Time (audiobook), by Madeleine L’Engle:

It was a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl:

A little magic can take you a long way.

After James Henry Trotter’s parents are tragically eaten by a rhinoceros, he goes to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Life there is no fun, until James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it’s as big as a house. Inside, James meets a bunch of oversized friends—Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins!

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

Half Magic, by Edward Eager:

Edward Eager’s tales, mixing magic and reality, have been delighting young readers for six decades.  Half Magic, the most popular of his tales about four children who encounter magical coins, time-travel herb gardens, and other unlikely devices, is a warm, funny, original adventure.  The “half magic” of the title refers to a coin that the children find.  Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic.  Well, it’s not totally magic–it’s only (you guessed it) half magic.  That means there’s a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome.  Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: “half” invisible, “half” rescued, “half” everything!  Half Magic is never too cute, and with just enough emotion to complement the magic, this book is sure to hold a special place in any child’s library.  (The publisher suggests the book for kids ages 9-12, but it’s fun enough to read aloud to those slightly younger and clever enough for kids who are a bit older. )

Since Half Magic first hit bookshelves in 1954, Edward Eager’s tales of magic have become beloved classics.  Now the story about vacationing cousins who stumble into magical doings and whimsical adventures is available in ebook format.  The original lively illustrations by N. M. Bodecker have been retained, but eye-catching new cover art by Quentin Blake gives these classics a fresh, contemporary look for a whole new generation.  (From the Amazon review)

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo:

Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell.

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio

I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid–but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder, a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” –indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at
http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!

Museum of Thieves (The Keepers Trilogy, Book 1), by Lian Tanner:

Part dystopia, part fantasy, this is the first book in a fun new middle grade series.

Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime. Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day.

When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.  It’s just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum — plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him…

Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up — until now.  (From the book description)

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Every Friday, we highlight an eBook from our collection at http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com.  Let us know what you think of these selections, and tell us about eBooks you’ve enjoyed – we may feature them here!