Booklists for Kids

“Told in a voice that is so real it reeks of filched peaches, this book is a home run.” —Amy Sarig King, Printz Award–winning author of Dig and The Year We Fell from Space

Sandlot meets Esperanza Rising in this lyrical middle grade novel set in the 1930s about a strong-willed girl who finds her voice in a tale of moxie, peaches, and determination to thrive despite the odds.

When the skies dried up, Gloria thought it was temporary. When the dust storms rolled in, she thought they would pass. But now the bank man’s come to take the family farm, and Pa’s decided to up and move to California in search of work. They’ll pick fruit, he says, until they can save up enough money to buy land of their own again.

There are only three rules at the Santa Ana Holdsten Peach Orchard:
No stealing product.
No drunkenness or gambling.
And absolutely no organizing.

Well, Gloria Mae Willard isn’t about to organize any peaches, no ma’am. She’s got more on her mind than that. Like the secret, all-boys baseball team she’s desperate to play for, if only they’d give her a chance. Or the way that wages keep going down. The way their company lodgings are dirty and smelly, and everyone seems intent on leaving her out of everything.

But Gloria has never been the type to wait around for permission. If the boys won’t let her play, she’ll find a way to make them. If the people around her are keeping secrets, then she’ll keep a few of her own. And if the boss men at the Santa Ana Holdsten Peach Orchard say she can’t organize peaches, then by golly she’ll organize a whole ball game.

Tobias Wilson has a secret. For the past two years, since attending a Choctaw Nation powwow with his family, he's been teaching himself how to hoop dance. But when his best buddy Declan discovers him dancing, it isn't long before his whole class knows. Once the secret is out, Tobias has the opportunity to share his dancing at the spring talent show, but he's not sure he wants that. Is he ready to share his Native dance with others or will he stop dancing altogether?

Michael has the speed to be a great wide receiver, but he struggles to consistently catch passes. The defensive coach sees potential in Michael's speed and has him try his hand at defensive back. Then the head coach puts Michael on special teams to return kicks. Michael is grateful for all of the opportunities to help his team win, but catching passes continues to trouble him. Can Michael improve his catching and become true triple threat?

Something fishy is going on in Gotham City Harbor! An ancient shark curse has taken a bite out of a whale-watching charity event, and it's up to Mystery Inc. and the Dynamic Duo to dive into danger. Can Scooby and his friends help Batman and Robin reel in an aquatic kingpin, or is the calamitous cruise doomed to the depths of the sea? Find out in this action-packed chapter book for fans of Batman and Scooby-Doo!

When an ancient Greek crypt at the Gotham City Museum of Natural History is opened unleashing mythological monsters, the Mystery Inc. gang team up with Batman and Batwoman to battle the creatures and uncover the super-criminal behind the mayhem.

When Scooby-Doo and the rest of Mystery Inc. are trapped in Gotham City's new monument to Rizzo the Clown, Batman comes to the rescue to help them find the creepy culprit.

When a wicked werecat plagues a big cat park on the outskirts of Gotham City, Mystery Inc. joins forces with Batman to crack the case. Little do they know, more than one crafty kitten is at play in the preserve. Can Scooby and his friends help the Dark Knight unmask the felonious feline trying to pull off the purr-fect crime? Find out in this action-packed chapter book for fans of Batman and Scooby-Doo!

In this interactive chapter book, YOU are a reporter for a top-ranked mystery podcast, and you're out to crack the biggest case yet: Do swamp monsters exist? To find out, you'll investigate some of history's greatest swamp monster mysteries, including the Lizard Man, the Australian Bunyip, and the Honey Island Swamp Monster of Louisiana. Will you catch a real-life monster or become part of the legend? It's up to YOU! With dozens of choices, you can follow the clues to the end. Which path will YOU CHOOSE to discover the truth?

Could you survive being lost in the mountains? Imagine facing down a grizzly bear in the Alaskan wilderness, a mountain lion in the Sierra Madres of Mexico, or a gorilla in Africa's Virunga Mountains. How far would you be willing to go to save your own life? Would it work? Flip through these pages to find out!