STAT: Standing Tall and Talented-- A slam-dunk new fiction series from NBA superstar Amar'e Stoudemire
Eleven-year-old Amar'e Stoudemire has finally realized that out of all his hobbies, basketball is his true passion. Amar'e starts competing in tournaments with his two best friends, Deuce and Mike, and they are winning. While they play great together as a team, the real reason for their success is Amar'e's incredible abilities. He's carrying them. After a few big wins, Amar'e starts getting attention from some of the older, more elite players in Lake Wales. They all want him to join their squads. Amar'e wants to elevate his game and the only way to do that is to move on but his friends feel like he's leaving them behind. Without Amar'e they're barely contenders plus he never seems to have time for them anymore.
Based on the life of All-Star NBA sensation, Amar'e Stoudemire, who overcame many obstacles to become one of the most popular figures in sports today.

A dog's-eye view of the "Mayflower" voyage and the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony
English springer spaniel Dash and his furry friend Mercy--a mastiff--travel with their master, John Goodman, in search of the New World. Taken from the pages of history, this Dog Diary follows the story of the colonists whom we now call Pilgrims, from their sixty-six-day voyage at sea to the celebration of their first harvest with the Wampanoag Indians who become their friends and advisors. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell and an appendix including information about the "Mayflower, " Plymouth Colony, springer spaniels, and the primary sources on which the book is based, this is historical fiction that dog-loving middle graders--and educators--can be truly thankful for

Small, feisty Siberian husky Togo--the overlooked sled-dog hero of the 1925 serum run to Nome--sets the record straight in Dog Diaries #4 When a diptheria epidemic breaks out in isolated Nome, Alaska, in January 1925, the only way to get life-saving serum to the town is by using dog-sled relay teams. Twenty teams participate, and the dog who inevitably gets credit for saving the town is Balto, lead dog on the final team which delivered the serum. But few people have ever heard of 12-year-old Togo and his musher Leonard Seppala, who carried the serum for almost double the length of any other team, and twice violated warnings to avoid perilous Norton Sound and instead ran straight over the frozen ice With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell--plus an appendix with information about Siberian huskies, sled dogs, mushers, and more--Togo's tale is perfect for middle-grade readers who love a spunky underdog

Young Amar'e Stoudemire is back in the all-star basketball adventure--STAT: Standing Tall and Talented
Eleven-year-old Amar'e Stoudemire has had a lot of success playing in tournaments and street ball. But now it's time to try out for his school's team. Amar'e is good enough to play with the older kids, and should probably be a starter. But the players that have been there the longest, generally get the most playing time. Amar'e must deal with helping his team in a different way than he's used to.
Based on the life of All-Star NBA sensation Amar'e Stoudemire, who overcame many obstacles to become one of the most popular figures in sports today.

For anyone who has ever wanted a puppy, the DOG DIARIES series tells a dog's story in a new way--from a dog's point of view Focusing on a different breed for each book, starting with a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd, these stories are based on true dog stories or on true-to-life situations. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by renowned illustrator Tim Jessel and an factual appendix, dog-loving early chapter book readers will "beg" for more
A German shepherd--the first dog trained at Dorothy Eustis's famous Seeing Eye guide-dog school for the blind--looks back at her life. Chosen for her intelligence, obedience, and willingness to learn, Kiss knows there is more to life than chasing balls and chewing bones. She is a Noble Creature and Great Things await her. But after spending months learing to take care of her beloved trainer Jack, why does he suddenly want her to take care of Morris--a strange, clumsy man who wants to wants to change her name to Buddy? Could it be that Morris needs Kiss to take care of him even more than Jack did?
Based on a true story, the appendix has facts about German shepherds, the history and training of guide dogs, hosting guide-dog puppies, and much more.

If your beginning reader clamors for Harry Potter but isn't quite ready, satisfy his appetite for magic with the first book in The Secrets of Droon series. Full of spells, enchantments, and mystical creatures, this adventure welcomes your child to chapter books with simple language and characters. When three kids chase a ball through the basement, they enter a whole new world...

Charles Dickens's Havanese sheds light on the writing of A Christmas Carol in this Dog Diaries Special Edition!

Like the Spirit of Christmas Past, Timber--aka Tiny Tim--journeys from Victorian England to the present to reveal what life was like for the man who "invented" Christmas! Given as a gift to Dickens during a book tour, small, shaggy, "ridiculous" Timber became the great writer's constant companion. And whether sitting at Dickens's feet while the author acted out his stories before writing them down, or entertaining Dickens's vast litter of ten children before a blazing Yule log, Tiny Tim tells a tale as lively as a holiday jig!

Featuring an embossed cover with gold foil trim, plus sixteen pages of Dickens-inspired crafts and recipes, this Dog Diaries Special Edition makes the perfect Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. With realistic black-and-white illustrations throughout and a fact-filled appendix, this is the kind of historical fiction that reluctant middle-grade readers beg for!

STAT: Standing Tall And Talented-- A slam-dunk new fiction series from NBA superstar Amar'e Stoudemire
Eleven-year-old Amar'e Stoudemire has a lot going on. He loves to go skateboarding in the park. He takes his school work very seriously. He helps out with his dad's landscaping company. And he likes to play basketball with his best friends-but just for fun.
When a group of older kids start disrespecting his boys on their neighborhood basketball court, there is only one solution. Amar'e must step in and use his athletic ability and intelligence to save the day. This experience leads Amar'e to realize that basketball is his true passion.
Based on the life of All-Star NBA sensation Amar'e Stoudemire, who overcame many obstacles to become one of the most popular figures in sports today.
Amar'e is just as versatile in his off the court life as he is on. He is devoted to several charities. He promotes literacy and education. He is a media darling. And he has an amazing story to tell in this heartfelt, accessible middle-grade series.

Barry der Menschenretter--a.k.a. Barry--the most famous St. Bernard dog in history, tells the story of his life for the first time. Eight-thousand feet above sea level, in the treacherous pass in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland, the monks of the hospice of St. Bernard have, since the 11th century, kept dogs to help them rescue travelers lost in the snow. In time, these dogs became a breed unto themselves, named for the hospice. They are responsible for helping over 2,000 travelers who might otherwise have frozen to death. With great modesty, Barry tells not just about his own heroic exploits (saving over 40 lives, including that of a 12-year-old boy frozen in a cave), but about his daily life in the hospice, his close relationship with the brothers who train him, and about the other hospice hounds with whom he teams up to guide lost travelers and save lives. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell--plus an appendix with information about St. Bernards, the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and much, more--Barry's tale is perfect for dog-crazy middle-grade readers

ANDREW HAS grown up near the Plymouth docks hearing the sailors talk about America. Knowing that Andrew's heart is set on going to the new world, his father sends him up to London to serve as page in the house of Walter Raleigh. In Queen Elizabeth's court, Raleigh's the strongest voice in favor of fighting with Spain for a position in the New World, and everyone knows that it's just a matter of time before Her Majesty agrees to an expedition. Can Andrew prove himself fit to go on an expedition to the New World?
Meticulously researched and brilliantly crafted, combining fictional characters with historical, Andrew's tale offers up a vivid look at the cloakand- dagger politics of the time and a genuine feel for what it must have been like for the first Europeans to set foot on the beautiful, bountiful, savage shores of America.

"From the Hardcover edition."

A dachshund loses a leg and finds his life's calling as a therapy dog!

Scrappy dachshund Rolf von Noodle may be missing a hind leg, but he's got attitude and can-do spirit to spare! If anything, his tripod status gives him something special: real empathy for people overcoming physical challenges. And as his owner Mindy discovers, it makes him an ideal choice to become a therapy dog. With realistic black-and-white illustrations and an appendix that includes photographs and information about the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen program, therapy dog training, tripod dogs, and more, this is the kind of fact-based fiction reluctant middle grade readers sit up and beg for!