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| Dragons in a Bag by Zetta ElliottIntroducing: nine-year-old Jax, who's not happy about spending a day with Ma, the grouchy old lady who raised his mom.
What happens: Ma turns out to be a witch, and soon Jax is joining her on a quest to transport three baby dragons from modern Brooklyn into the magical realm. Does he have what it takes to be a witch's apprentice? Series alert: Jax's fast-paced fantasy adventure continues -- dragons and all -- in 2019's The Dragon Thief. |
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| The Dreamway by Lisa PapademetriouWhat it's about: Stella's suspicions that something strange is happening to her twin brother Cole are confirmed when a talking mouse arrives in Stella's bedroom to take her to the dream world, where Cole's spirit is being held captive.
Read it for: true-to-life characters and an unusual, imaginative fantasy setting.
For fans of: Tahereh Mafi's Furthermore or Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. |
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| Henry & Eva and the Castle on the Cliff by Andrea PortesWhat it's about: Mourning the loss of their parents in a boating accident, siblings Eva and Henry are sent to live with their "jerk-face" uncle in his clifftop home. There, the ghosts of Henry and Eva's ancestors appear to warn them that their parents' deaths were not accidental, spurring the siblings to search for the killer themselves.
Who it's for: readers who like clever characters and mysteries that are spooky but not scary. |
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| Love Like Sky by Leslie C. YoungbloodWhat it's about: Ever since their parents got divorced, Georgie and her little sister Peaches have been close, but now that their mom is remarried, Georgie longs to get closer to her teenage stepsister, Tangie...even though Tangie doesn't want anything to do with her.
Why you might like it: It's easy to relate to Georgie's excitement and confusion as she gets used to her newly "blended-up" family in this honest, heartwarming story. |
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Focus on: Nannies & Babysitters
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| Mr. Gedrick and Me by Patrick CarmanWhat it's about: Ever since the death of their stay-at-home dad, Stanley and his family have been having a tough time. They decide to hire someone to help around the house, but they get much more than they bargained for in Mr. Gedrick, their colorfully dressed -- and possibly magical -- new nanny.
Why you might like it: Before you can say "supercalifragilistic," you'll be won over by Mr. Gedrick's Mary Poppins-style charm. |
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| Marge in Charge by Isla FisherWhat it's about: She's tiny, rainbow-haired, claims to be a duchess, and serves chocolate soup for dinner: Marge is definitely not your typical babysitter. How are siblings Jake and Jemima supposed to finish their mom's to-do list with Marge causing mayhem everywhere she goes?
Series alert: This fast-moving, mischievous 1st book in the Marge in Charge series (by actress and author Isla Fisher) is followed by Marge in Charge and the Stolen Treasure. |
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| Absolutely Almost by Lisa GraffStarring: ten-year-old Albie, who feels like he's not talented or smart enough to measure up to his family's expectations.
What happens: Kicked out of private school because he can't keep up in math and reading, Albie faces bullies at his new public school, but finds friendship with fellow outsider Betsy and free-spirited babysitter, Calista.
Is it for you? If you liked R.J. Palacio's Wonder or Jerry Spinelli's Loser, you'll enjoy this glimpse into the life of another caring but unpopular kid. |
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| Mrs. Noodlekugel by Daniel Manus Pinkwater; illustrated by Adam StowerWhat it's about: Sweet old Mrs. Noodlekugel, who lives in a cozy cottage with her talking, piano-playing cat and some unusually helpful mice, isn't just Nick and Martine's new neighbor -- she's also their new babysitter.
Is it for you? Short, offbeat, and 1st in a trilogy, Mrs. Noodlekugel might be a good fit if you're new to chapter books. |
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| Nanny X by Madelyn RosenbergWhat it's about: With her mirrored shades and diaper bag full of spy gadgets, Nanny X is more than a nanny -- she's also a special agent for NAP (Nanny Action Patrol), and her new charges, Ali and Jake, are swept up in her latest case.
Don't miss: the sequel, Nanny X Returns.
For fans of: the goofy gizmos, offbeat humor, and eccentric heroine in Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Lunch Lady series. |
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Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters
by Andrea Beaty
An aspiring young engineer who is wise enough to realize that her occasional failures are valuable learning experiences, Rosie Revere is enlisted by her aunt's team of talented World War II airplane engineers to design a painting contraption that will help them win a mural competition. By the author of Ada Twist, Scientist.
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Ada Lace and the impossible mission
by Emily Calandrelli
Eight-year-old Ada uses new skills she learned from Milton to see if he sabotaged the social studies project Nina and the two of them worked on together.
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Oddity
by Sarah Cannon
Fantasy. Aliens, zombie rabbits, scary puppets, and carnivorous dumpsters are all totally normal in the town of Oddity, New Mexico. What isn't normal is the disappearance of Ada Roundtree's twin sister, Pearl. You can follow along with determined Ada and her diverse friends as they search for Pearl in this delightfully weird mashup of horror and humor.
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The magic of Melwick Orchard
by Rebecca Caprara
Exploring the abandoned orchard behind her new home in spite of local rumors, Isa is saddened by misfortunes that challenge her troubled family and buries her outgrown sneakers only to discover a magical tree that is growing new shoes the next day.
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The Loch Ness Lock-In
by Matthew Cody
During the annual Strange Scouts Loch Ness Lock-In, Ben and the other Strange Scouts of Troop D try to foil a dastardly plot to frame the famous monster for destroying a wind farm.
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Journey of the pale bear
by Susan Fletcher
Twelve-year-old Arthur forms a bond with a polar bear given by King Haakon IV of Norway to King Henry III of England in 1252 while traveling as her handler. Includes historical notes.
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Forgotten city
by Michael Ford
Growing up in a world where a deadly virus has wiped out or mutated most of humanity, young Kobi embarks on a search for his missing father only to uncover a conspiracy more deadly than the plague itself.
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Lulu the Broadway mouse : Tiny Dream. Big Dream
by Jenna Gavigan
Wanting to be on Broadway more than anything in the world, a little mouse living in the Shubert Theatre becomes a guide to a young cast member who needs advice about understanding the theatrical world while pursuing one's dreams in unexpected ways.
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Undercover princess
by Connie Glynn
An everyday girl who longs for extraordinary experiences and a crown princess who wants nothing more than an ordinary life become roommates at an elite boarding school and impulsively swap identities, with unexpected consequences.
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The big game
by Tim Green
Danny Owens is dedicating his seventh-grade football season to his recently-deceased father, an NFL legend, but the pressure to succeed is magnified by his inability to read.
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Otherwood
by Pete Hautman
A boy reevaluates his late grandfather's beliefs about quantum physics, ghosts and hate when an unbelievable event occurs during a fateful afternoon in the woods with a best friend.
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Lifeboat 12 : based on a true story
by Susan Hood
In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed. Includes historical notes.
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Snazzy Cat Capers
by Deanna Kent
Life is short. Diamonds are fur-ever. Internationally famous cat burglar Ophelia von Hairball V adores jewels--the only thing she loves more is a challenge. She's never met a safe she couldn't crack. Now the Furry Feline Burglary Institute (FFBI) offers her the ultimate caper: steal the giant Himalayan diamond and win their top award! There's a catch! The FFBI sends an enthusiastic inventor to help Ophelia...but this cat works alone, and Oscar Fishgerald Gold smells fishy. Can the smartest, stealthiest, and snazziest of cats learn to work with a fintastic sidekick and prove she's still the world's most purr-fect burglar?
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A story like the wind
by Gill Lewis
As a group of refugees huddles together in a rubber dinghy, one of them uses his violin to weave their stories together and give them hope for freedom in the future.
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Clash of beasts
by Lisa McMann
Project Chimera scientists try to figure out a way to give Charlie Wilde and her friends new powers from the animal kingdom to use against Dr. Gray and his followers, who are bent on transforming humanity into a monstrous new species, subservient to them.
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A case for Buffy
by Ulf Nilsson
Detectives Gordon and Buffy take on the most important case ever investigated at their small police station, the disappearance of Buffys mother, which leads them beyond the edges of the forest to the mysterious Cave Island.
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Wonderland
by Barbara O'Connor
When her mother uproots them again to another home and takes a job as housekeeper, ten-year-old Mavis is determined to find a best friend in Landry, Alabama, where the summer also holds the promise of friendship and change for a sad man, a stray dog, and a timid girl.
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Genius ideas (mostly)
by Liz Pichon
Doodling Tom's attempt to gear up for sports day at school is complicated by his father's embarrassing cycling shorts, his band's unpreparedness for a talent show and the shock of seeing his sister for the first time without sunglasses.
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The Monster Detector
by Ellen Potter
Hugo, a young sasquatch, and his friend Gigi use a Monster Detector to find a Green Whistler, but when Hugo's human friend, Boone, joins in, surprises are in store.
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Take us to your sugar
by Jonathan Roth
When Beep and Bop learn that Halloween, their favorite holiday, is not celebrated at Astro Elementary, they decide to organize a secret club--SCARES (Scary Costumes Are the Right of Every Student, or, more truthfully, the Society of Candy Addicts who Rely on Energy From Sugar)--but as the club grows, a horde of aliens, attracted by the treats, invades the school and with everyone in costume, Beep and Bob must use their sugar-addled wits to save the school.
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Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald : The Original Screenplay
by J. K. Rowling
This screenplay in book form describes the dialogue and action of the film. After Newt Scamander helps to capture Gellert Grindelwald, the criminal soon escapes custody and begins gathering followers under his ideology of keeping magic for pure-blood wizards only. Albus Dumbledore, Grindelwald's truest friend, has no choice but to resist the charismatic leader and ask Newt to help thwart the plans for (wizarding) world domination.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!
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Jessamine County Public Library 600 South Main Street Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356 859-885-3523www.jesspublib.org |
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