Due to another huge lapse in judgment, Tara finds herself beholden to perhaps the strangest person of all: Angelina D’Angelo. If Tara can’t collect thirteen mysterious objects for the old woman in time for her rapidly approaching thirteenth birthday, the consequences will be REALLY BAD. Like losing-her- immortal-soul kind of bad. And that’s just for starters! Tara’s adventures take her and her new friends to places they’d never thought they’d find, some in the real world, and a lot deep inside themselves.

With a big dose of birthday magic, 13 Gifts will make readers laugh, think, and possibly even hum a show tune or two. Because, in Willow Falls, anything’s possible, and nothing is as it seems.

Here is a video of an interview with Wendy Mass:

There are more videos about her books at her website.

“I Hope I find a junonia this year.”

Alice thought it would be nice if everyone´s heads-except her own-had small windows built into them and she could see what was going on inside their brains. She imagined that her father was thinking about what they would have for dinner. She imagined that her mother was thinking about world peace or the glory of the ocean. Right now, Alice was thinking that she´d feel much better if she found a rare shell.

Watch a video of the author talking about Junonia:

Kevin Henkes has a lot of wonderful books, learn more about them at his website.

True: Brud Kinney wants to play basketball like nothing anybody’s ever seen. When the Boyds arrive, though, Brud meets someone who plays like nothing he’s ever seen.

True: Ferris Boyd isn’t like anyone Delly or Brud have ever met. Ferris is a real mysturiosity (an extremely curious mystery).

True: Katherine Hannigan’s first novel since her acclaimed Ida B is a compelling look at the ways friendships and truths are discovered.

It’s all true ( . . . sort of).

Read an excerpt, find activities, at HC webpage and at Katherine Hannigan website

Katherine Hannigan discusses about her book in this video:

Here they are:

The Black Death by George Capaccio

This book tells the story of the bubonic plague, and its social and historical consequences. It has a teacher´s guide, called: Teaching Strategies for Reading & Writing in the Content Areas for use with this title. (Sorry, there is no picture available).

Long Rifle: A Sniper´s Story in Iraq and Afghanistan by Joe LeBleu.

On September 11, 2001, standing in lower Manhattan, former U.S. Army Ranger Joe LeBleu knew what he had to to-return to active duty. By the time he received another honorable discharge in 2005-as a sergeant, paratrooper, and sniper team leader-he had become known as “Long Rifle” for shooting an Iraqi insurgent at 1,100 meters in Fallujah.  This book is the memoir of a U. S. Army sniper from the 9/11 generation and a stirring testament to the core values of American soldiers: integrity, honor, and courage.

The essential 55 by Ron Clark.

Make eye contact

Do not save seats

Be the best person you can be and many more inside the book!

Hear a sample of the audiobook, here or see Ron Clark videos in his website.

Little Ways to Say You Care: Showing the People You Love how Special They Are by Marbelle Young Stewart.

Little acts of love and kindness you can share with your beloved ones. The key concept is “show”. Sometimes is hard to find the right words to express your feelings. Sometimes you can find the right words, but it´s hard to say them. That´s when actions can speak louder than words.

The Underground Railroad by Barbara Brooks Simon.

Describes the Underground Railroad through stories written by fictional former slaves. Uses authentic photographs and illustrations to portray the living conditions of slaves on plantations, and describes the escape route from the American South to freedom in Canada. From Google Books.

How Writers Work by Ralph Fletcher.

There is no secret about writing, it is a process. If you like to write, there are definitive steps you can take to help you reach your goals. This book will show how writers work, how you can become a writer, and how you can find a process that works for you. Find more tips, here or in this video:

Shadow Art: How to Have Fun in the Dark by Sophie Collins.

Learn the art of shadow -casting. Made using only your hands and a flashlight or lamp, shadow animals have a charm that has lasted through the ages. So, if modern party games seem soulless, step out of the shadows with this book. Just a little practice will have you demonstrating the roar of a lion and the snap of a crocodile.

Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary by Seigo Nakao.

Designed for non-native speakers of Japanese, this book is perfect for travelers, business people, and students.

Magia Magnética by Paul Doherty & John Cassidy.

Scientific-magic activities exploring magnets science. Lots of tricks to impress your family and friends.

Chistes para chavitos

A collection of jokes in Spanish to share and spend a nice laughing time.

Crea tu propia revista by Barbara Taylor.

Ideas and facts about how to make you own magazine. Design, letters, interviews, styles and more!

Artie King and his pals Wayne and Percy have big plans to build a remote-controlled dragon and enter a dueling robot tournament. But when Joe and his Horde steal their robot design, the knights turn to Evo, a mysterious techno whiz kid they heard about at the arcade, for help.

Evo knows what to do, all right… There´s just one thing worrying Artie:

Is it the right thing to do?

Find it out by yourself by taking this book out!!

Play the dodge-a-rama, in this link.

Take a look through the table of contents, here.

Mal is a super kid genius and Chad is a talking dog, but no one knows it. What’s it like to be so extraordinary and yet so invisible? Not even Megan, Mal’s secret crush, has any idea that Mal is anything more than a dork. Fortunately, Mal and Chad are best friends with a penchant for adventure . . . even if the time-traveling does get them grounded by Mal’s mom. From Goodreads.

Visit Mal & Chad website to read more of its strips.

I can´t wait until May 22, release date of Squish 3, here a summary.

Kyla May Miss. Behaves as an international super spy

¨Perfect¨Bianca Boticelli & I have never been best-est friends, but things are like full-on TENSE right now. Her bracelet went missing and she´s totally accusing ME of stealing it!! Can you believe it?

The only good thing about becoming a detective is imagining life as a top-secret international super spy. come along as Fifi-Belle and I search for priceless missing diamonds and go undercover at Russia ´s most competitive dog show!

Kyla May Miss. Behaves around the world

OK, so I know I promised to pay more attention in school – but can I help it if geography class sends me around the world in my imagination? How can I learn all about the pyramids of Egypt without envisioning myself there -as Cleopatra the Queen!! Or learn about the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy without straightening it? Or study the ruins of Greece without imagining myself an all-powerful goddess?

The question is– will I be able to travel to all of these exciting locations in my mind – and still manage to stay out of trouble?

Kyla May Miss. Behaves live on stage

Tomorrow is the most exciting day of school ever… the talent show! Every year, “perfect” Bianca Boticelli wins, but not this time. She won´t be able to handle the competition… Me! At first, I wasn´t sure what to do (I have so many talents!), but I finally came up with the most fantabulous act ever! I´, going to show off my amazing singing voice with a song I wrote and become the pop star I´ve wanted to be.

Read Kyla May biography, here.

You may know which animals live in your local woods, you may even know which animals live on the African savanna, but do you know which creatures live on the wild grasslands of South America of the bleak tundra of northern Canada?

Our world is home to an astonishing variety of life -some swimming in lakes and rivers; others flying through the air or slithering, crawling, or running over the land. This book shows you not only where the world´s animals live but also why they live there.

More about the author and his books, in his website.