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Can the advice of a paper finger puppet of Yoda on weird Dwight’s hand provide the advice needed by Tommy and other 6th graders? Tommy makes his case in this fast, funny, and first of the Origami Yoda books.

With Dwight away, things are changing at McQuarrie Middle School especially when the Fortune Wookiee (what was once known as a “cootie catcher”) appears on the scene to answer the girls’ questions. This third installment in the Origami Yoda series is sure to please.

When his nemesis makes an origami Darth Vader, chaos ensues. Dwight gets kicked out of school and sent to a school for bad broods! Humor abounds in this silly but satisfying saga that combines parody of popular figures with comedy.

Meet Kelsey Green, extraordinary 3rd grade reader, maybe even the best. When her school begins a reading competition, Kelsey discovers what’s most important about reading and about readers. This is the first installment in a new series, “Franklin School Friends”.

Anna Hibiscus and her life in contemporary Africa come to life occasionally using authentic-sounding accents to create a strong sense of place.

Clementine is looking forward to the school field trip to Plimoth Plantation and other signs of spring her family’s Annual Spring Walk Through Boston Common. But things don’t always go the way the lively 3rd grader anticipates in the latest story about likeable, energetic Clementine.

Familiar subjects are presented in short poems by a range of writers. These easier-to read works are just right to encourage careful listening.

“A forced pen-pal exchange turns into an opportunity for real communication between Illinois sixth-grader Abby Carson and Sadeed Bayat, the best English-language student in his Afghan village. When Abby’s first letter arrives in Bahar-Lan, 11-year-old Sadeed is asked by the elders to compose his sister Amira’s reply; it isn’t proper for a boy and girl to correspond with one another. But soon Sadeed can’t resist telling Abby that it is he who has been writing to her. The third-person narrative alternates points of view, allowing for inclusion of intriguing details of both lives.” — School Library Journal

Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared. In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll Nasreen in a secret school for girls. Will a devoted teacher, a new friend, and the worlds she discovers in books be enough to draw Nasreen out of her shell of sadness? Based on a true story from Afghanistan, this inspiring book will touch readers deeply as it affirms both the life-changing power of education and the healing power of love.

Malcolm the rat narrates his adventures in Mr. Binney’s fifth-grade class. At night, the school comes alive with the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that protects the school. When the leader (an iguana named Aggy) goes missing, Malcolm sets out to find Aggy to ensure her safety and to clear his name.

Dyamonde Daniel is confident, perceptive and willing to figure out what is really bothering her friend Damaris. Lively language captures the angst and joys of 3rd grade, friendships, even and the feelings of a plausible character with juvenile diabetes.

Being a kid isn’t easy, especially if — like Greg — you feel teenage-hood creeping up. Over the summer Greg and his best buddy Rowley had a fight. Rowley’s new friend is older which is cool and the cool factor is critical. Spot-on observations add another laugh-out-loud installment.

Will Greg’s older brother, Rodrick, reveal Greg’s most embarrassing moment to the world? It’s a real possibility as the school year starts and Greg’s diary (aka journal) goes missing. Greg’s cartoon line drawings and journal entries reveal Greg’s (often self-made) disasters with deadpan humor.

Greg Heffley’s mom makes him keep a journal — NOT a diary! — Greg forcefully asserts. In his journal, Greg uses words and comics to recount life in middle school beginning at the end of summer school. Greg’s voice and stick figures ring true and set the tenor for tales told in other Wimpy Kid books.

Greg Heffley thinks kids who don’t celebrate Christmas have it much better; they don’t have to behave between Thanksgiving and the time Santa comes! Greg’s concerns about his conduct, his family’s traditions, and possible trouble at school make for a memorable tale.

A lot can happen when friends go to a Valentine’s Day dance together — and it’s not always expected! Greg’s diary entries and line drawings again present the angst of middle school and familiar problems of growing up.

Product Description: For María Isabel Salazar López, the hardest thing about being the new girl in school is that the teacher doesn’t call her by her real name. “We already have two Marías in this class,” says her teacher. “Why don’t we call you Mary instead?” But María Isabel has been named for her Papá’s mother and for Chabela, her beloved Puerto Rican grandmother. Can she find a way to make her teacher see that if she loses her name, she’s lost the most important part of herself?

“Nine-year-old América Soliz is an undocumented immigrant of Mexican-Indian heritage living in the violence-ravaged Pilsen barrio of Chicago. Feeling unwelcome in her new country, she yearns to return to her native Oaxaca. Then one day, a Puerto Rican poet visits America’s ESL class and tells the students that ‘There’s poetry in everyone…and poets belong to the whole world.’ Soon, America begins to express herself through poetry, eventually coming to realize that as a poet, she is a citizen of the world with a bright future ahead of her.” — School Library Journal

Julianita is excited to receive her very own caterpillar to raise at school! Yet when her caterpillar, Tiger, finally emerges from his chrysalis, Julianita doesn’t want to let him go. She worries that he will get lost on his way to Mexico. “Tiger knows the way to Mexico because it’s in his heart,” her Abuelito reassures her. She feels sad to see Tiger fly away, but Julianita knows that someday, she will follow him to back to her grandfather’s beloved homeland.

What happens when pirates and their parrots go to school? Aargh! They learn to follow rules (like cleaning up their messes and enjoying story time) just like the regular kids in class. Wacky, exaggerated illustrations combine with the rhyming tale for a funny romp and different take on a typical school day.

Children share Ollie’s school day beginning with getting dressed for school (will he wear a bathing suit? A space suit? A police officer’s uniform? Shirt and pants?) as well as everyday activities until the he gets home. Young listeners will laugh as they participate in this inviting, comical, and lively presentation.

Newly independent readers will figure out the riddles (culled from other books in the “I Spy” series) and enjoy locating the objects. Words and photographs on one side of each double page spread provide clues for decoding as well as what to look for in the more intricate photographic scene on the opposing page.

Upper and lowercase letters worry that Mr. Wright’s students no longer know when to use capitalization! A student letter to the principal about Teacher Appreciation Day is all wrong, prompting the small letters to send an SOS (Save Our Sentences). The kids (and readers) learn when to capitalize and a bit of letter history in this bright, humorous classroom tale.

Best friends, Jilli and Jim fret, when Jilli’s dog, Fiercely, digs under the fence and into another yard. The children muster their courage and some gummy bears to confront the witch but discover that she’s a trusted teacher who’s preparing for school. This gentle, easy-to-read story, provides readers with an important reminder.