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McTavish knew he’d chosen the right family to rescue when he met the Peachey family although the family thought that they had saved a shelter dog. With a little help from young Betty, McTavish straightens out the family after Mum quit being mum. Wry, understated humor in crisp prose from both human and canine perspectives is complemented by clever drawings.

When his classmates can’t sit still for a big performance at school, Roscoe Riley takes matters into his own hands with a liberal dose of Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue. Roscoe doesn’t mean to break the rules — he just can’t help himself! 

Polly is a list-maker, a word lover, and soon to be a big sister again. When she gets a magic book that not only writes back but makes things become real, well, she finds that magic can be unexpected. This is an engaging early chapter book and the first in a new series.

Jack and Annie are transported back in time to 1900. No one in Galveston, Texas, believes that a devastating hurricane is about to hit. What can be done to save the residents? This satisfying addition to the series may be enhanced with the Magic Tree House Fact Checker: Texas (opens in a new window).

In addition to his super speedy sneakers, Freddie now has acquired super hearing powers! But what you do with super hearing can have both good and bad results. The latest installment in the series is equally gentle and satisfying.

Poor but worthy Freddie Mole winds up with a circus job in an effort to help his struggling family. The story is fast and funny sprinkled with black/white drawings adding to the absurdity. The humor is likely to appeal to sophisticated readers and perhaps Roald Dahl fans.

Do classroom pets hear, see, and do what the children do in Ms. Maxwell’s class? You bet they do! And they even can help students out with a science project. Recognizable school activities and easy text make this just right for recently independent readers.

Short, episodic chapters are narrated by Barkus’ friend. She and her family take good of care of Barkus and his feline friend, Baby. Humorous illustrations and uncomplicated narration continue the familiar adventures of a girl and her animal friends first introduced in Barkus (opens in a new window).

Eugenia Lincoln is a practical person with no time for gee-gaws, whoop-de-whoops, or frivolity. When an unexpected package containing an accordion arrives at her house, she is determined to have nothing to do with it. But her plans to sell the accordion, destroy the accordion, and give the accordion away all end in frustration. How can Eugenia stop being tormented by this troublesome package? Might she discover that a bit of unforeseen frivolity could be surprisingly … joyous?

When Trey loses his lucky piece of sea glass, he’s convinced that his luck is gone, too. He goes into a slump in baseball, not certain that he can ever get his mojo back. Baseball fans will enjoy the baseball terms and jargon and just may figure out that lucky charms are not what create success on or off the baseball field.

Crisp, clear, full color photographs are carefully placed with text to present an overview of life in an Amazon rainforest. The book provides a map of the South American rainforest, and concludes with doable actions to preserve it.

Third grader, Jasmine Toguchi, wants to enter her school’s talent show, but what talent could she show? She knows though when she’s introduced to the traditional Japanese drums where Jasmine finds a skill – and a friend. Young readers will see themselves in Jasmine and her recognizable travails.

Lily and her mom miss their own garden. When they visit the public garden they find their neighbor preparing the soil. Soon Lily and her friends are helping Mr. Sam plant and tend a vegetable garden. A concluding activity for an easy home garden ends this informative, easier to read book.

Meet bowhead whales in this slim but fact-filled volume. Dramatic illustrations add detail and drama beginning on endpages. This brief, accessible introduction may inspire further examination of these fascinating sea mammals.

When Jack and Annie don the magic baseball hats given to them by Morgan, they find themselves back in 1947 as batboys. There they learn a lot about the game, a player named Jackie Robinson, and how history was made. Readers may also want to find out more in the accessible nonfiction companion, Baseball (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker) (opens in a new window) which introduces more about the people and players of the period.

Kayla loses a tooth but now can’t find it! Will the Tooth Fairy still visit her? Can her trusty canine, King, help solve the mystery of the missing tooth?  The latest installment is sure to delight fans and stands on its own as a recognizable, satisfying, everyday mystery just right for newly independent readers.

The winter sports season is here, and the Aldens are excited about all the snow activities — especially snowboarding. But soon they find themselves in the middle of a mystery surrounding a star athlete and a stolen snowboard.

Who’s the real pest eating up dog, donkey, sheep, and duck’s garden? Is it the groundhog or someone with feathers? Cartoon illustrations and repeating text create a silly tale sure to tickle multiple funny bones. The animal friends share another silly adventure in What Is Chasing Duck? (another story in the Giggle Gang series).

Baby Lincoln decides to go on a ‘necessary journey’ away from her bossy older sister, Eugenia. Baby returns with lots of stories and a sister who missed her. Fans or newcomers to the Deckawoo Drive series are sure to enjoy this charming, gentle, and very funny story.

Jasmine Toguchi (first introduced in Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen), uses her detective skills to find out why her best friend and older sister are no longer excited about the Japanese celebration of Girl’s Day. Characters and events are recognizable and engaging to cause a chuckle or two.

Charlie and Mouse enjoy a weekend with their grandfather known as Grumpy. The gentle family story of and older and younger brother enjoying each other and the company of an older relative is cozily illustrated and divided into short chapters, similar to the first story about these characters, Charlie & Mouse (opens in a new window).

Calpurnia Tate and her grandfather, both naturalists, travel on the San Marco River to observe nature in and around the river. When they rescue a sick owl from the water Callie and her grandfather must figure out what’s wrong with the owl before it’s too late to save it. This is a worthy addition to the Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet series.

The teacher in Classroom 13, Ms. Linda LaCrosse, is just plain unlucky. And it was an unlucky win of a 28 billion dollar lottery that helps her and her 27 students realize just how lucky they really are. Absurd events, sly humor, and a zany cast of characters create a fast-paced plot to a speedy (even if a bit seemingly unlucky) conclusion.

Spooky, traditional tales retold are presented again with new and mysterious illustrations (reminiscent of Edward Gorey). These stories, drawn from folklore, successfully create a deliciously eerie feeling while remaining perfectly safe. Sources for the tales are included in an afterward by the reteller.