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