Life hasn't been great for Jeff. He was forced to leave his school, St. Catherines, for public school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend Tom Bender because of that girl Jessica. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better. When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years--how will they pay the rent? Will his absentee dad step up and save the day? Will his mom get the help she needs? And ultimately, where will they live? Told from the point of view of the bully in the modern classic Firegirl, The Great Jeff is a powerful look at a troubled boy who finds his life spiraling out of control, and his world sliding into homelessness.

From the moment Jessica arrives, life is never quite the same for Tom and his seventh grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and will be attending St. Catherine's while getting medical treatment. Despite her startling appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes his life. FIREGIRL is a powerful book that will show readers that even the smallest of gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life.

Bestselling author Tony Abbott's epic new middle grade series, the Copernicus Legacy, begins with The Forbidden Stone, a thrilling adventure packed with puzzles, intrigue, and action. Fans of Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson will love this first book in an exciting series that takes the reader all over the globe in a race to find pieces of a mysterious hidden past--before it's too late.

Wade, Lily, Darrell, and Becca fly from Texas to Germany for the funeral of an old family friend. But instead of just paying their respects, they wind up on a dangerous, mind-blowing quest to unlock an ancient, guarded secret that could destroy the fate of the world.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

Bobby and his family are visiting Civil War battlefields on the eve of the war's centenary, while inside their car, quiet battles rage. When an accident cuts their trip short, they return home on a bus and witness an incident that threatens to deny a black family seats. What they don't know is the reason for the family's desperation to be on that bus: a few towns away, their child is missing.

"Lunch-Box Dream" presents Jim Crow, racism, and segregation from multiple perspectives. In this story of witnessing without understanding, a naively prejudiced boy, in brief flashes of insight, starts to identify and question his assumptions about race.

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...