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Before the barn can be razed on Merryhill Farm, Charlie and his grandfather restore the old dump truck that Charlie so loves. Not only does Dumpy the Dumptruck prove his worth, readers will appreciate that old isn’t always bad!

Despite the dry subtitle, this is actually a lively guide to poetry forms both familiar and obscure. In a picture-book format, Janeczko uses examples and informative language to illustrate a wide variety of poems.

The team who created A Kick in the Head (opens in a new window) presents another appealing collection of poems in varied forms and from different time periods. All these poems shout to be shared aloud while illustrations deserve multiple looks.

Isabel, an enslaved 13-year old, and her younger sister are set to be freed but instead are sold to a ruthless Loyalist at the start of the Revolutionary War. Life in New York City during the time comes vividly alive as do the complexities of the war. The first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy.

KC, the President’s daughter, and her friend Marshall solve the mystery of the broken thumb on the statue of Lincoln before the White House celebration of its sculptor begins. This easy novel presents a satisfying mystery.

Find out why joggers never smile, learn what happens when you mess with a mummy, and meet some frighteningly intelligent insects.

Thirty-five stories of laughter and terror to tickle your horror bone. Full of thirsty vampires, hungry insects, vengeful teachers, evil power tools, singing Girl Scouts, and other terrors.

Following their more traditional epistolary novel, P.S. Longer Letter Later, the authors re-team for another book, told in the immediacy of email rather than “snail mail.” All the usual tween subject matters (parents, siblings, friends, school) are on display, while the email format allows the characters to speak for themselves.

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, 12-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: he is a demigod, half human, half immortal. He’s a 21st century son of the ancient Greek god Poseidon on the biggest adventure of his young life — a quest to find out who stole Zeus’s lightening bolt! Together with his trusted friends, Percy travels through the United States, battling monsters and hunting the elusive title character. (Book 1 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series)

Moxy tends to put off things that she considers a chore — so writing thank you notes for Christmas presents is definitely something to avoid. Readers of all ages are likely to see themselves in this satisfying novel.

Set in the same world as the Fergus Crane and Corby Flood stories, this is the tale of a small boy, Hugo Pepper, and his amazing exploits. Raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, his parents eaten by polar bears when he was just a baby, Hugo discovers that the sled they arrived in has a very special compass—one that can be set to “Home.” And so Hugo arrives in Firefly Square—to discover a group of very special friends, and a dastardly enemy.

The second magical, funny, and fabulously illustrated story in the Far Flung Adventures from the authors of Fergus Crane and the Edge Chronicles. Corby Flood and her family are about to set sail on the rather ramshackle cruise ship, the S.S. Euphonia. Her boisterous brothers might not have noticed that anything is wrong, but Corby is highly observant and has a lot of time for note-taking and eavesdropping. Onboard, among the odd passengers and eccentric crew, there is a strange group of men in bowler-hats who call themselves The Brotherhood of Clowns.

Fergus Crane has an almost ordinary life—having lessons taught by rather odd teachers on the school ship Betty Jeanne and helping his mother in the bakery. But then a mysterious flying box appears at the window of his waterfront home and Fergus is plunged headlong into an exciting adventure! The box is followed by a winged mechanical horse that whisks him off to meet his long-lost uncle and his penguin helpers, Finn, Bill, and Jackson. Fergus finds out that his teachers are not quite what they seem— they’re actually pirates! Can Fergus and his winged horse save his schoolmates on the far-off Fire Island? And who else will he find there?

In the great floating city of Sanctaphrax, blizzards howl through the streets as the Edgeworld descends into an endless winter. Quint, the son of a sky pirate, has just begun his training at the Knights Academy—training that involves heading out over the Edge on tethers to develop his flying skills. But when Quint breaks the rules and heads out to Open Sky on his own, he runs into the great sky leviathans known as cloud-eaters and must use all his skill and ingenuity if catastrophe is not to strike the Edgeworld.

Fifty years after the floating city of Sanctaphrax was swept away, the Edgeworld has changed for the worse. Cruel shrykes control the great Mire Road, while slave labour is endemic. When a young apprentice knight-academic, Rook, sets out on a perilous journey through the Deepwoods, he meets a mysterious stranger living with the banderbears and is propelled right into the middle of a dangerous adventure in which a small group of fighters must challenge the dark might of the Guardians of the Night

Fleeing from the ruins of New Undertown, Rook Barkwater and his colleagues — the librarian knights, Felix Lodd and his banderbear friends — must lead the escaping population to a new life in the Free Glades. But perils aplenty are ahead for the crowd — not to mention some goblins with plans of their own. This is the dramatic and exciting conclusion to the Rook Barkwater sequence that takes the reader on a thrilling journey across the Edgeworld.

Quint, son of a sky pirate captain, and new apprentice to Linius Pallitax, the Most High Academe, has been set some highly important tasks. Just how important, Quint is about to find out as he and Linius’s only daughter, Maris, are plunged into a terrifying adventure that takes them deep within the rock upon which Sanctaphrax is built. Here, they unwittingly invoke an ancient curse — the curse of the gloamglozer…

In the second novel in the Rook Barkwater sequence, the young knight librarian attempts to stop the dark might of the Most High Academe. High in the crumbling Palace of Statues, oily Vox Verlix is brewing a terrible plot to take over power in Edgeworld once again. Can Rook foil Vox’s plan and save the lives of his librarian colleagues?

Far over the Edge, the Mother Storm is brewing—a storm more terrifying than any seen in the lifetime of any Edgelander. Sweeping in from the open sky, it must strike the source of the Edgewater River to bring new energy to the land. But in its way is Sanctaphrax, a magnificent city built on a floating rock and tethered to the land by a massive chain. Only one person can save the Edgelands from certain disaster: Twig, the young sky pirate captain who dared to sail over the Edge—and returned with his memory shattered and his crew flung far and wide. But to recover his memory and take action, Twig must first find his lost crew. And this means a journey back into the Deepwoods, and beyond.

Since his childhood in the DeepWoods, young Twig has always longed to soar above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a crew member on his father’s sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser, his dream seems fulfilled. But a much higher destiny awaits Twig. The lofty city of Sanctaphrax—built on a giant rock, floating high in the sky—is at the point of disaster. The city’s future is dependent on stormphrax—a valuable substance available only from the heart of a Great Storm. And only the Stormchaser, with Twig onboard, could risk entering a storm…

Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn’t one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, dangerous world beyond the Deepwoods. He meets a collection of odd companions, such as his wise guardian, the Caterbird; the Slaughterers, a peaceful race who butcher animals for their livelihood; and the vicious, bile-swilling Rotsucker. Always watching out for the horrible Gloamglozer, whose presence haunts the thoughts of all the inhabitants of The Edge, Twig steadfastly pursues his quest until he discovers his roots, not among the trees, but in the skies

Lewis Carroll’s classic story of Alice and her fantastic journey has been freshly illustrated. Gentle, full-color illustrations retain the original tone and make the story appealing and accessible for modern children.

Alice down the rabbit hole comes to life in this masterful, unabridged reading of the classic fantasy, bringing it to life all over again.

Early on, toddlers can discover princesses and like to be treated as royalty. This is definitely true for the round-faced baby who with her sparkly crown and shoes doesn’t understand why her loving parents call her silly names like cupcake. The humor is for the adults, the book is for young princesses everywhere.

A cheerful child gets ready for bed, playing and saying “Peekaboo! I see…” until at last, ready for bed, the child sees “you!” This companion to Peekaboo Morning (opens in a new window) features the same child but stands alone.