The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan is the story about a gorilla who lives in an enclosure (not a cage) in a shopping mall.  Ivan spends his day playing on his swing, talking with his friends, eating (a lot!) and trying to entertain the customers on the other side of the window.  But is it enough to make him happy?  He thinks everything is fine until a new animal is brought in to try to attract more business.  Ivan has to reevaluate his circumstances and wonders if there is a better way to live... It will make you wonder too whenever you see an animal living in a cage.

This book is the 2013 Newbery Medal winner!  It is also a nominee for the 2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award.

 

Title:  The One and Only Ivan
Author:  Katherine Applegate
Genre: Animal
Description:  When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

AR Level:3.6

Word Count: 26,263

Location:  Coming soon to the Westcreek Library!  (Check for it at the Fort Worth Public Library if you can't wait!)

Find more about The One and Only Ivan at http://theoneandonlyivan.com/

Potterwookiee

Do you stuff everything in your closet when you need to clean your room?  Be honest...!  Well, Rob did and now he's got a problem.  Weird creatures keep popping out of it and causing him problems.  This time it is Hairy Potterwookiee - a combination of Harry Potter and Chewbacca from Star Wars.  Now Rob has to deal with taking care of Hairy on top of avoiding a bully, impressing his crush, and winning a cooking contest. 

If you like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, you should definitely check this one out!

 

Title:  Potterwookiee
Author:  Obert Skye
Genre: Humor/ Graphic Novel
Description:  The latest creature to emerge from Rob's closet is a cross between Chewbacca and Harry Potter. Rob names him "Potterwookiee," and soon Rob finds himself treading water as he tries to figure out how to care for his mixed-up friend. Book #2

AR Level: 4.7

Word Count: 20,848

Location:  Look for Potterwookiee at the Scholastic Bookfair!

Find out more about the author Obert Skye and his other books at http://www.abituneven.com/ .

Closed for the Season

 

Title:  Closed for the Season
Author:  Mary Downing Hahn
Genre: Mystery
Description:  When thirteen-year-old Logan and his family move into a run-down old house in rural Virginia, he discovers that a woman was murdered there and becomes involved with his neighbor Arthur in a dangerous investigation to try to uncover the killer.

AR Level: 4.4

Word Count:43,034

Location:  Find Closed for the Season in the F (Fiction) Section under HAH (for Hahn)

Spellbound

 

Title:  Spellbound
Author:  Jacqueline West
Genre: Humor
Description:  Eleven-year-old Olive finds herself drawn to the book of spells of the witches who built her house and tries to use its spells to uncover the house's magic and control the talking cats, but the book is more wicked than it seems. Book #2

AR Level:  5.8

Word Count: 57,936

Location:  Find Spellbound in the F (Fiction) Section under WES (for West)

To explore Elsewhere click here http://www.thebooksofelsewhere.com/

Under Town

 

Title:  Under Town
Author:  Charles Ogden
Genre: Humor
Description:  Sinister twins, Edgar and Ellen, descend into Nod's Limbs' vast sewer system to uncover the mystery of a rival mischief-maker. Book #3

AR Level:  5.5 

Word Count:20,441

Location:  Find Under Town in the F (Fiction) Section under OGD (for Ogden)

All the Lovely Bad Ones

 

Title:  All the Lovely Bad Ones
Author:  Mary Downing Hahn
Genre: Scary
Description:  While spending the summer at their grandmother's Vermont inn, two prankster siblings awaken ghosts from the inn's distant past.

AR Level: 4.5

Word Count:43,252

Location:  Find All the Lovely Bad Ones  in the F (Fiction) Section under HAH (for Hahn)

The Lost Hero

 

Title:  The Lost Hero
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Description:  Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. Book #1

AR Level: 4.5

Word Count: 127,859

Location:  Find The Lost Hero  in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

For more information check out the website at http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/heroes-of-olympus/the-lost-hero.aspx

Crash

 

Title:  Crash
Author:  Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Description:  Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan is comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with a Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

AR Level:  3.6

Word Count:31,485

Location:  Find Crash  in the F (Fiction) Section under SPI (for Spinelli)

Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular

Title:  Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular
Author:  Kirk Scroggs
Genre: Humor/ Graphic Novel

Description:  When Grampa and Wiley sneak out of the house on a stormy Halloween night to attend Colonel Dracula’s Monster Truck Spectacular, they run into trouble from which only Gramma can save them. Book #1

AR Level:  4.6

Word Count:3,789

Location:  Find Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular  in the F (Fiction) Section under SCR (for Scroggs)

Chomp

 

Title:  Chomp
Author:  Carl Hiaasen
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Description:  When the star of the reality TV show EXPEDITION SURVIVAL disappears while filming in the Everglades with the assistance of Wahoo Crane's wildlife wrangler father, Wahoo and Tuna Gordon set out to find him while avoiding Tuna's gun-happy father.

AR Level:  5.2
Word Count: 61,057

Location:  Find Chomp  in the F (Fiction) Section under HIA (for Hiaasen)

Hamster Magic

Title:  Hamster Magic
Author:  Lynne Jonell
Genre: Fantasy
Description: 

When the Willows move into a new house, Celia, the youngest of four children, traps an enchanted hamster, who reluctantly agrees to grant the children one wish in exchange for his freedom. Book #1

AR Level:3.9

Word Count:11,072

Location:  Find Hamster Magic in the F (Fiction) Section under JON (for Jonell)

We Dine with Cannibals - An Accidental Adventure

Title:  We Dine with Cannibals - An Accidental Adventure
Author:  C. Alexander London
Genre: Adventure
Description:  Eleven-year-old twins Oliver and Celia travel to the forests of the Amazon, where they are forced to learn the proper etiquette for a cannibal feast and confront the strangest and most brutal rite of passage devised by humans--dodgeball. Book #2

AR Level: 4.7

Word Count: 57,268

Location:  Find We Dine with Cannibals - An Accidental Adventure in the F (Fiction) Section under LON (for London)

Check out C. Alexander London's website at  http://www.calexanderlondon.com/books/we-dine-cannibals

Mutiny in Time -The Infinity Ring

 

Title:  The Infinity Ring- A Mutiny in Time
Author:  James Dashner
Genre: Adventure
Description:  Time has gone wrong, and best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste, together with the young Hystorian Riq, must use the infinity ring to travel back to one of the Great Breaks, a mutiny on the "Santa María," to correct history and defeat the SQ. Book #1

AR Level:5.3

Word Count:43,432

Location:  Find The Infinity Ring - A Mutiny in Time in the F (Fiction) Section under DAS (for Dashner)

For more information about this exciting series go to  http://www.infinityring.com/books

100 Cupboards

 

Title:  100 Cupboards
Author:  N.D. Wilson
Genre: Fantasy
Description:  After his parents are kidnapped, twelve-year-old Henry leaves his sheltered Boston life and moves to small-town Kansas, where he and his cousin Henrietta discover and explore hidden doors in the attic room that seem to open onto other worlds. Book #1

AR Level: 4.2

Word Count: 59,764

Location:  Find 100 Cupboards in the F (Fiction) Section under WIL (for Wilson)

The Last Olympian

Title:  The Last Olympian
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Description:  Percy Jackson and his army of young demigods do battle with Kronos on the streets of Manhattan as Percy's sixteenth birthday approaches and his fate looms even closer. Book #5

AR Level: 4.3

Word Count: 89,02

Location:  Find The Last Olympian in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

The Battle of the Labyrinth

 

Title:  The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Description:  When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy hurries to Camp Half Blood, from where he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan Lord Kronos draws near. Book #4

AR Level: 4.1

Word Count: 85,079

Location:  Find The Battle of the Labyrinth in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

The Titan's Curse

 

Title:  The Titan's Curse
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Description:  When the goddess Artemis disappears while hunting an ancient monster, a group of her followers joins Percy and his friends in an attempt to find and rescue her before the winter solstice, when her influence is needed to sway the Olympian Council. Book #3

AR Level: 4.2

Word Count:72,955

Location:  Find The Titan's Curse in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

Sea of Monsters

 

Title:  Sea of Monsters
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Description:  After a summer spent trying to prevent a war among the Greek gods, Percy finds seventh-grade unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a mentally challenged, homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere. Book #2

AR Level: 4.6

Word Count: 63,976

Location:  Find Sea of Monsters in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

Spaceheadz 3

 

Title:  Spaceheadz 3
Author:  Jon Scieszka
Genre: Humor
Description:  With only one hundred more Spaceheadz to sign up, Michael K.'s friends start planning an Earth-saving party, but Michael fears the Brainwave might be used for a much more sinister purpose. Book #3

AR Level: 4.4

Word Count: 21,251

Location:  Find Spaceheadz 3 in the F (Fiction) Section under SCI (for Scieszka)

To become a Spaceheadz go to  http://spaceheadz.com/ .
To find out more about Jon Scieszka and his other books check out http://www.jsworldwide.com/ .

Mark of Athena

 

Title:  Mark of Athena
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Description:  The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea, and then sail together to Greece to find the Doors of Death. The plot contains violence. Book #3

AR Level: 4.8

Word Count:132,818

Location:  Find Mark of Athena in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

Chickens to the Rescue

 

Title:  Chickens to the Rescue
Author:  John Himmelman
Genre: Everybody
Description:  Six days a week the chickens help the Greenstalk family and their animals recover from mishaps that occur on the farm, but they need one day to rest.

AR Level:1.7

Word Count: 161

Location:  Find Chickens to the Rescue in the E (Everybody) Section under HIM (for Himmelman)

Beware of the Frog

 

Title:  Beware of the Frog
Author:  William Bee
Genre: Everybody
Description:  Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood but has a pet frog to protect her from greedy goblins, smelly trolls, and hungry ogres.

AR Level: 2.9

Word Count:549

Location:  Find Beware of the Frog in the E (Everybody) Section under BEE (for Bee)

The Lightning Thief

Title:  The Lightning Thief
Author:  Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Description:  Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods, where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods. Book #1

AR Level:  4.7

Word Count:87,223

Location:  Find The Lightning Thief in the F (Fiction) Section under RIO (for Riordan)

Scat

 

Title:  Scat
Author:  Carl Hiaasen
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Mystery
Description:  Nick and his friend Marta decide to investigate when a mysterious fire starts near a Florida wildlife preserve and an unpopular teacher goes missing.

AR Level:  5.5

Word Count: 79,109

Location:  Find Scat in the F (Fiction) Section under HIA (for Hiaasen)

Aliens on Vacation

 

Title:  Aliens on Vacation
Author:  Clete Barrett Smith
Genre: Science Fiction
Description:  Scrub discovers that his grandmother is running an inn for aliens, allowing them to vacation on Earth. The town sheriff is suspicious of Grandma, and with one wrong move, Scrub could blow her cover, forcing the B&B to shut down forever. Book #1

AR Level:  5.1

Word Count: 61,304

Location:  Find Aliens on Vacation in the F (Fiction) Section under SMI (for Smith)

Moon Over Manifest

 

Title:  Moon Over Manifest
Author:  Clare Vanderpool
Genre: Historical Fiction
Description:  Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up and where she hopes to find out some things about his past.

AR Level:  5.3

Word Count: 81,369

Location:  Find Moon Over Manifest in the F (Fiction) Section under VAN (for Vanderpool)

Ruby Holler

 

Title:  Ruby Holler
Author:  Sharon Creech
Genre: Historical Fiction
Description:  Thirteen-year-old fraternal twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage, but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler

AR Level:  4.3

Word Count:44,907

Location:  Find Ruby Holler in the F (Fiction) Section under CRE (for Creech)

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book

Title:  Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book
Author:  Lauren Child
Genre: Everybody

Description:  A boy who loves books but has not always treated them well falls asleep and finds himself in his book of fairy tales, where his interaction with everyone from Goldilocks to Cinderella wreaks havoc.

AR Level:  4.5

Word Count:1,812

Location:  Find Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book in the E (Everybody) Section under CHI (for Child)

Froggy Eats Out

Title:  Froggy Eats Out
Author:  Jonathan London
Genre: Everybody

Description:  After Froggy misbehaves at a fancy restaurant, his parents take him to a fast flies restaurant to celebrate their anniversary.

AR Level:  2.5

Word Count: 640

Location:  Find Froggy Eats Out  in the E (Everybody) Section under LON (for London)

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall

Title:  The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
Author:  Mary Downing Hahn Genre: Scary Stories

Description:  In the nineteenth century, ten-year-old Florence Crutchfield leaves a London orphanage to live with her great-uncle, great-aunt, and sickly cousin James. She soon realizes the home has another resident, who means to do her and James harm.

AR Level:  4.4

Word Count: 28,440

Location:  Find The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall  in the F (Fiction) Section under HAH (for Hahn)

Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister

Title:  Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister
Author:  Liz Kessler
Genre: Fantasy

Description:  Philippa is surprised when Daisy, the new girl at school, says she is her fairy godmother, or godsister, who is committed to grant 3 wishes, and she struggles to wish for something that will improve her life instead of making it more difficult. Book #1

AR Level:  7.0
Word Count: 49,313

Location:  Find Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister  in the F (Fiction) Section under KES (for Kessler)

Learn more about Liz Kessler at http://www.lizkessler.co.uk/