I Am So Strong

In I am So Strong, the incorrigible wolf saunters through the forest asking everyone he meets - including Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs: Tell me, who is the strongest of all? He gets his comeuppance most unexpectedly and satisfactorily.

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Check out our school break programs

Art on the Cart Tuesday, December 27 from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Midweek Movie Marathon! “Toy Story” Wednesday, December 28 @ 10:00, 12:00, & 2:00

Spoon Man Wednesday, December 28 at 6:30 PM

Mr. Magicman Thursday, December 29 at 6:30 PM

Baby & Me Friday, December 30 from 9:30–11:00 AM



Check out the full descriptions at
http://www.colonie.org/library/Nov-Dec%202011Happeningsweb.pdf

Ellray jakes is a Rock Star

Everyone has something to brag about in EllRay's third-grade class. Corey's on the swim team, Kevin is super tall, Jared's dad has an ATV (with flames!). But what about EllRay? He isn't about to gloat about how his geologist dad collects rocks. Boring! Or is it? The crystals in his dad's office are really cool looking. And if EllRay just "borrows" them to show his classmates, he knows they be impressed. He'll be a rock star-literally! And his dad will never have to know. It's a fail-safe plan . . . until everything doesn't go according to plan.
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Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afganistan

"Stunning photos reveal an Afghanistan we rarely see. "
Award-winning photographer Rafal Gerszak spent a year embedded with the American military in Afghanistan, where he used his camera to document everyday life in the war-torn country. While there, he developed a deep affection for the land and its people, and he later returned on his own. Despite the dangers around him, he continued taking photos, exposing the plight of that besieged country.
Framed by journal entries that relate his experiences on two levels -- as a foreigner looking for a deeper connection to a country that has stirred him and as a journalist looking for another side to the story -- "Beyond Bullets" addresses the volatile situation in Afghanistan with sensitivity and profound insight. Through Gerszak's lens, readers can see the shattered aftermath of military attacks and dismal hospitals and refugee camps, but they can also experience the vibrant activity of life in the markets, at home and on the Muslim day of rest.
Featuring more than 40 of Gerszak's photographs and at once harrowing and heartrending, "Beyond Bullets" is as illuminating as it is riveting.


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Fetching

Olivia has just about had it with the popular kids at school. She and her friends have done nothing to deserve humiliating pranks and mean name-calling, but that doesn't stop queen bee Brynne from tormenting them. If only Olivia's classmates were more like the dogs she helps her grandmother train--poorly behaved, but improvable. Then Olivia hatches a brilliant plan: she and her friends will modify their tormentors' behavior with the same kind of training that works on dogs. Using cues and responses, distractions and rewards, gets better results than anyone could have guessed. Soon, Olivia and her friends have replaced Brynne as alpha-dogs. But will popularity get Olivia what she really wants?

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Wonderstruck

Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey.
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mothers room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.
Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

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Big Nate on a Roll

Big Nate is on a roll!
Nate's a big deal in his scout troop . . . until Artur--aka Mr. Perfect--joins up. Now Nate's stuck in second place. And Artur means business.
Will Nate take the grand prize? Or wipe out, big time?

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The Unwanteds

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret--behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.
In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.
But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

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The Apothecary

It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.
Together with Ian Schoenherr's breathtaking illustrations, this is a truly stunning package from cover to cover.

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The Challengers ( Galaxy Games #01 )

Things are looking up for Tyler Sato (literally!) as he and his friends scan the night sky for a star named for him by his Tokyo cousins in honor of his eleventh birthday. Ordinary stars tend to stay in one place, but Ty's seems to be streaking directly toward Earth at an alarming rate. Soon the whole world is talking about TY SATO, the doomsday asteroid, and life is turned upside down for Ty Sato, the boy, who would rather be playing hoops in his best friend's driveway.

Meanwhile, aboard a silver spaceship heading for Earth, M'Frozza, a girl with three eyes and five nose holes, is on a secret mission. M'Frozza is the captain of planet Mrendaria's Galaxy Games team, and she is desperate to save her world from a dishonorable performance in the biggest sporting event in the universe.

What will happen when Ty meets M'Frozza? Get ready for the most important event in human history--it's off the backboard, around the rim, and out of this world!

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Better Than You

Jake's bragging is really starting to get to his neighbor Tyler. Tyler can't show Jake a basketball move, a school assignment, or a new toy without Jake saying he can do better. Tyler starts to wonder: Is something wrong with him? Is he really such a loser? Is Jake really better than him at everything? Or is Jake the one with the problem? With the help of his uncle Kevin, Tyler begins to understand that Jake's bragging has nothing to do with Tyler's own abilities and that puffing yourself up leaves little room for friends.

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Ghost Hunt 2: More Chilling Tales of the Unknown

Ghost Hunt 2 has more ghosts, more cases, and more chills!
Is Alcatraz prison really haunted by ghostly inmates--or is something in the air causing hallucinations? Can the ocean be haunted? Are glowing red eyes in the woods just an animal--or something more sinister? Unlock these mysteries and many more in this chilling collection of terrifying tales based on real cases from The Atlantic Paranormal Society.
Find more details and tips on ghost hunting than ever before!

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Chasing the Nightbird

Fourteen-year-old Lucky Valera is a seasoned sailor about to join the crew of the whaling ship, Nightbird. But when his estranged older brother suddenly kidnaps him and forces him into servitude as a mule spinner at the mill, his life takes a dramatic turn for the worse. Determined to escape, Lucky links up with some unlikely allies: Daniel, a fugitive slave who works alongside him at the mill, and Emmeline, a Quaker ship captain s daughter. Emmeline offers Lucky passage on her father s ship in exchange for his help leading escaped slaves through the Underground Railroad, but Lucky knows getting out from under his brother won t be easy. When their plans go awry and Daniel is threatened by ruthless slave catchers, Lucky discovers that true freedom requires self-sacrifice, and he comes eventually to realize he is part of a larger movement from which he cannot run away.

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The White City: Book 3 of the Clockwork Dark

In "The Nine Pound Hammer, " John Bemis introduced middle-grade readers to a whole new approach to epic fantasy, founded on characters and themes from American mythology and lore, including the legend of John Henry. Now in the third and final book, the heroes come together at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago for a final confrontation with a businessman and tycoon who is in fact an ageless evil known as the Gog. With his Dark Machine, he intends to bend the world to his ruthless vision of progress and efficiency. It's man versus machine all over again, fighting for the soul of humanity in front of Ferris's Wheel. For fans of adventure fantasy like Percy Jackson and "Peter and the Starcatchers."

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Scary Science: 24 Creepy Experiments

Afraid of things that go bump in the night? Not when YOU'RE the mad scientist!Create your own SHRUNKEN HEADS!
Bend BONES and make EYEBALLS bounce!
Mix up festering OOZE and bubbling ALIEN BLOOD!
Here are 25 spooky experiments to get kids howling with laughter while learning some scientific facts. They'll also find out real-life stories behind deadly spiders, zombie worms, and exploding snakes with "Strange . . . but true!" facts throughout. All of these terrifyingly fun experiments include step-by-step instructions, cute and creepy illustrations, and easy-to-find ingredients, so there's no excuse not to try them!

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Kids Everything Monsters Book

Whether they're standing in the dark corners of the basement, hiding behind gravestones in the cemetery, or lurking in the trees of a nearby forest, monsters have a way of creeping into the imagination! The Everything "RM" Kids' Monsters Book brings these creatures to life in this timely new addition to the Everything "RM" Kids' series.
Covering a wide range of ancient legends of vampires, mummies, ghosts, werewolves, gremlins, zombies, and other frightening creatures, The Everything "RM" Kids' Monsters Book will have kids telling stories and scaring their friends into the wee hours of the night. Kids are invited to visit the deep dark places where monsters live, and learn of their origins -- and even the evidence of their existence.
The Everything "RM" Kids' Monsters Book includes fun-filled information on:
-- Loch Ness Monster
-- Bigfoot
-- The Jersey Devil
-- El Chupacabra
-- The Manticore
Packed with puzzles, games, trivia, and other fun-filled, interactive activities, The Everything "RM" Kids' Monsters Book is guaranteed to keep kids entertained all year round!
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The Summer of Hammers and Angels

Most folks have never seen an angel.I know, because I've asked them.I asked Miss Martha at the post office."Maybe someday, Delia, God willing."God does a lot of willing in Tucker's Ferry, West Virginia.Delia's summer is getting off to a terrible start. First, an inspector shows up at the house and threatens to condemn it. Then lightning strikes, literally, and Mama ends up in the hospital. To make matters even worse, with no other family to speak of, Delia is forced to move in with her nemesis, Tommy "as-dense-as-a-stump" Parker. Not one to sit around doing nothing, Delia huddles with her best friend, Mae, and reluctantly recruits Tommy, to help. The three of them resolve to tackle the long list of repairs, one by one. But Delia quickly discovers that it takes more than energy and willingness to handle some problems. When things go from bad to worse, Delia has to take another tack, one that starts with admitting she just can't do what needs to be done without a lot more help. The Summer of Hammers and Angels is the story of an amazing summer in a girl's life, a summer of surprises and challenges, of shocks and recovery, of discoveries and friendship, and of loneliness and community.

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Pirates Go to School

A funny rhyming story about the silly things pirates do when they go to school.
Pirates and their parrots go to school, and it's time to hang up their swords and have fun. They learn reading and math, and they bring pirate treasure for show-and-tell. For pirates, going to school is as much fun as a game of "walk the plank"!

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Astonishing Animal ABC

A is for absolutely adorable animals. B is for best-selling illustrator. And C is for the award-winning Charles Fuge, whose irresistible artwork makes this one of the most charming ABC books ever.
Fuge has created a delightful menagerie of creatures, from an ARTY AARDVARK and BOUNCING BEAR to a vet-visiting VULTURE and sweetly WORRIED WALRUS. Playful rhyming text and a fun final tableau will have little ones learning their letters in no time!

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Riparia's River

When Gretchen, Jason, Mark, and Daphne find their favorite swimming hole filled with green slime, they are horrified. A mysterious, almost magical naturalist named Riparia helps the children understand why the water became polluted and together they figure out what they can do to bring clean water back to the river they all love. This lively story about non-point source pollution is filled with both information and action. Realistic, lush illustrations by Olga Pastuchiv illuminate the children's passion for their river and the ecosystem it supports.

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The Absolute Value of Mike

Mike tries so hard to please his father, but the only language his dad seems to speak is calculus. And for a boy with a math learning disability, nothing could be more difficult. When his dad sends him to live with distant relatives in rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project, Mike figures this is his big chance to buckle down and prove himself. But when he gets there, nothing is what he thought it would be. The project has nothing at all to do with engineering, and he finds himself working alongside his wacky eighty-something- year-old aunt, a homeless man, and a punk rock girl as part of a town-wide project to adopt a boy from Romania. Mike may not learn anything about engineering, but what he does learn is far more valuable.

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Daisy Dawson and the Big Freeze

Cozy up to this enticing new adventure starring Daisy Dawson, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary gift: she can talk to and understand animals!
It's snowing! And Daisy Dawson couldn't be happier enjoying the winter weather with all of her animal friends. There are even newborn lambs to meet, including Woolverton, whose curiosity about the world beyond the farmer's field soon gets him into trouble. When Daisy hears that Woolverton is lost in the woods, she bundles up and, with the farm dog Boom at her side, sets out to find him. In her third adventure, Daisy finds out that no matter how far she travels, she'll always find her way home. Steve Voake's gentle tale and Jessica Meserve's winning illustrations make this a perfect story for a snug winter's day.

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My Weird School Daze #11: Mr. Tony Is Full of Baloney!

The weirdness never stops!
Oh no! A.J.'s mom just got a job, so he has to go to After School Kids' Kare. And Mr. Tony, the guy who runs it, is crazy. He wants to get into the "Guinness Book of World Records" by making the world's largest pizza! Will A.J. and the gang be able to tunnel out of the child-care room and escape to freedom? Run for your lives!

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Al Pha's Bet

Wonderful things are being invented every day in Al Pha's world-fire, the wheel, even shadows! His big chance to be part of history comes when the King announces that the twenty-six recently invented letters need to be put in order. Al makes a bet with himself that he's the man for the job. Through a series of funny events, he eventually finds the perfect order for the letters, and the king rewards him by naming his creation the "Alphabet."
Sure to entertain and engage young readers, this book turns the ABC's inside out. Kids will laugh at the quirky illustrations and clever wordplay, while wondering where the alphabet really did get its order.

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A Family of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature

Two of the most trusted reviewers in the field join with top authors, illustrators, and critics in a definitive guide to choosing books for children—and nurturing their love of reading.

A FAMILY OF READERS is the definitive resource for parents interested in enriching the reading lives of their children. It’s divided into four sections:
1. Reading to Them:
Choosing and sharing board books and picture books with babies and very young children.
2. Reading with Them:
Launching the new reader with easy readers and chapter books.
3. Reading on Their Own:
Exploring what children read—and how they read—by genre and gender.
4. Leaving Them Alone:
Respecting the reading privacy of the young adult.
Roger Sutton knows how and why children read. He must, as the editor in chief of THE HORN BOOK, which since 1924 has been America’s best source for reviews of books for young readers. But for many parents, selecting books for their children can make them feel lost. Now, in this essential resource, Roger Sutton and Martha V. Parravano, executive editor at the magazine, offer thoughtful essays that consider how books are read to (and then by) young people. They invite such leading authors and artists as Maurice Sendak, Katherine Paterson, Margaret Mahy, and Jon Scieszka, as well as a selection of top critics, to add their voices about the genres they know best. The result is an indispensable readers’ companion to everything from wordless board books to the most complex and daring young adult novels.

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Sliding Into the New Year

Thrill-loving fifth grader Ellie "YaYa" Silver has been waiting all summer to visit the brand new indoor water park in town. She is ecstatic when her best friend, Megan, invites her to go-that is until her twin brother, Joel (YoYo), points out that Megan is going on Rosh Hashanah. Sure, Rosh Hashanah is a big deal, but so is Splash World! What will Ellie do?

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The Dagger Quick

A stirring tale of rousing old-fashioned adventure, THE DAGGER QUICK is the story of twelve-year-old Christopher, a boy with a clubfoot seemingly doomed to follow in the boring footsteps of his father as a cooper in 17th century England. That is, until he meets his uncle- William Quick, infamous pirate, and the only man ever crazy enough to steal from the infamous Governor of Jamaica. With his mother kidnapped, his father murdered, and Christopher unjustly blamed for the crime, he has no choice but to set off on a dangerous seafaring adventure with bounty hunters on his trail and his only ally an uncle he hardly knows.

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Sean Griswold's Head

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.
The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.
In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

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When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew: Tales of Ti-Jean

In these three imaginative stories, Jan Andrews introduces us to Quebec's traditional folktale hero, Ti-Jean. He's an endearing character who is both wise and foolish, and though he does find himself in hard situations (often of his own making), in the end, he somehow manages to do what needs to be done. In "Ti-Jean and the Princess of Tomboso" he eventually outwits a greedy princess; in "Ti-Jean the Marble Player" he gets the best of a pint-sized scoundrel; and in "How Ti-Jean Became a Fiddler" he turns the tables on a too-clever-for-her-own-good seigneur's daughter, and finds true love in the process.
Jan Andrews' simple, no-nonsense text and Dusan Petricic's sly and witty illustrations bring contemporary energy to the traditional folktale genre. There's nothing old fashioned about these New World tales, which are funny, witty and wise at the same time.


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How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. "How They Croaked" relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost. For example: It is believed that Henry VIII's remains exploded within his coffin while lying in state.
Doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost 80 ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket.
Right before Beethoven wrote his last notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without any pain medication.
Readers will be interested well past the final curtain, and feel lucky to live in a world with painkillers, X-rays, soap, and 911.

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Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh

In this fourth book in the series, Theodosia sets off to Egypt to return the Emerald Tablet--embedded with the knowledge of some of the ancient world's most guarded secrets. Accompanied by her cat, Isis (smuggled along in a basket), Theo plans to return the artifact, then explore the mysteries surrounding her own birth and oh, yes-- help her mother dig up treasures on her archeological expedition. But nothing ever works out as planned, especially when a precious treasure appears suddenly, and then just as suddenly "disappears ." . . When the Serpents of Chaos get involved, Theo finds she's digging up a lot more than she expected!

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Chicken, Chicken, Duck!

Duck and his barnyard friends are up to something. One by one we meet them, and then hear their familiar sounds.  But that Duck always has the last QUACK! In close-up images, the animals seem to be climbing upon each other. At the very end, we see the hilarious finale. Young readers will delight in making the animal sounds, noticing the funny expressions, and picking out surprising details in the illustrations.

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A Boy Named FDR: How Franklin D. Roosevelt Grew Up to Change America

Franklin D. Roosevelt was born into one of the wealthiest families in America, yet this ultimate rich kid grew up to do more for ordinary Americans than any other president. This appealing picture book biography shows how, from childhood on, FDR  was compassionate, cheerful, determined, and enormously likable. Though he had private tutors as a young boy and later attended an elite boys' school, he played pranks and had down-to-earth fun just like any boy today. 

Kathleen Krull's animated picture book biography focuses on FDR's childhood years through his entry as a young man into politics and his battle with polio. A summary of his achievements as president and a chronology of his life are included. The well-researched text and the evocative illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher provide an inspiring introduction to one of our greatest presidents

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Nora and the Texas Terror

Nora is trying to be a good sport about having cousin Ellie's family as long-term guests now that her uncle has lost his job. However, her brash cousin Ellie, the Texas Terror, is taking over Nora's life. Nora not only has to share her room with Ellie and Fuzzy, her frightening pet tarantula, but Nora ends up having to share her desk at her overcrowded school as well. It isn't until a dangerous storm and a school project about family history brings the girls together that Nora learns how to see things from Ellie's perspective. This warmhearted chapter book about families doubling up during hard times is timely and engaging.

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The Unforgettable Season: The Story of Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams and the Record-Setting Summer of '41

At the start of the 1941 baseball season, neither Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees nor Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox were beloved by baseball fans. But that all changed when Joe started a 56-game hitting streak and Ted's batting average rose to over .400. Despite numerous challenges along the way-Joe had his bat stolen by an overeager fan and Ted's batting average dipped to .3995 on the last day of the season-the records set by "Joltin' Joe" and "The Splendid Splinter" have yet to be broken.
"New York Times" bestselling author of the Sluggers series (with Loren Long), Phil Bildner has written an accessible tribute to two of baseball's greatest heroes. Packed with fun facts and statistics for eager fans to pore over, this book is sure to be a home run!

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A Prayer in Spring

An exquisitely illustrated edition of a timeless poem. Robert Frost’s realistic depictions of rural life, especially of New England in the early twentieth century, are beautifully paired with the art created by Grandma Moses, the artist who epitomizes contemporary folk art. The result is a treasure to be enjoyed the whole year long. In spring, we give thanks for the natural and spiritual joys of the season. Moses’s illustrations complement Frost’s descriptions of the flowers, trees, bees, and other sights and sounds, which evoke a time of renewal and rebirth with illustrations that depict a place of quiet contemplation and endless possibility. A Prayer in Spring is a wonderful gift for lovers of Frost, Moses, poetry, and folk art, as well as for Easter baskets, birthdays, new babies, or for children and adults who can’t wait for the season.
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You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together

Mary Ann Hoberman and Michael Emberley have added Aesop's fables to their bestselling and award-winning series! Rediscover familiar tales and find new favorites in this irresistible fifth You Read to Me collaboration. These stories of classic characters-from wise ants and kind mice to sly foxes and hungry wolves-are fables as you've never seen them before!

With clear, color-coded typography and clever illustrations, this book "in two voices" uses traditional reading teaching techniques-alliteration, rhyme, and repetition-to invite young children to read along with peers or with an adult.

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Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids

What if you got outside every day, and what if you could get your kids to come along? It sounds modest, but the effects, as dynamic outdoor spokesperson Rebecca Cohen herself can testify, are profound. This inspiring collection of activities gives families an idea for every day of the year, requiring little planning, no expertise and relatively little resources (time, cash, or patience!), no matter where they live. Simple and inspiring, this book is bursting with hundreds of easy ways to get your family out into nature a little bit every day.

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Nana Cracks the Case!

Nana is not your ordinary grandma. She never wears cloppy shoes, drinks prune juice, or worries about slippery surfaces. Eufala and Bog's nana would much rather join the circus, work as a backhoe operator, or maybe become a detective. Which is exactly what happens in this very funny chapter book. When Nana answers an ad in the local newspaper for a detective, she arrives at the police department just in time to investigate the theft of one entire case of delicious Yumdums candy. Can one little old lady find a way to save the day and stop the candy thief from striking again?
Look for more adventures starring Nana, Eufala, and Bog coming soon!

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ourney Through Fire ( Sisters of the Sword (Cloth) #03 )

Sometimes a samurai's most dangerous opponent is herself.
Ever since their father's murder, Kimi and Hana have honed their fighting skills and prepared for vengeance against their vicious uncle Hidehira. They have become true warriors with the hearts of samurai.
Now their fight has become more than just a personal vendetta. As Hidehira's quest for power continues, he is destroying the province and is poised to invade the rest of the kingdom. After both girls are nearly killed in a fire while fighting their uncle's soldiers, their mother insists on attempting to enlist the support of the Shogun.
But at the Shogun's court, the sisters are torn apart by their differences, especially when they rediscover an old friend with a shrouded past. Danger lurks in the most elegant circumstances—behind the smiling face of an aristocrat as well as behind the mask of a ninja—and true peril awaits the sisters where they least expect it. . . .

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Mission Unstoppable

In eight days, Coke and Pepsi McDonald are going to turn thirteen.
Before then, they'll jump off a cliff, get trapped in the locked basement of their burning school, chased cross-country by murderous lunatics, left for dead in the pit of a sand dune, forced to decipher mysterious coded messages, thrown into a giant vat of SPAM, and visit the world's largest . . . ball of twine!
There's more, but if we told you here, we'd have to kill you.
Megapopular author Dan Gutman brings on the excitement with an action-packed new series that's nothing short of dynamite. Join Coke and Pep on their quest to uncover just what it means to be part of The Genius Files . . . if you dare!

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Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,

come smell your way among the trees,

come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:

Welcome to the night.

 

Welcome to the night, where mice stir and furry moths flutter. Where snails spiral into shells as orb spiders circle in silk. Where the roots of oak trees recover and repair from their time in the light. Where the porcupette eats delicacies—raspberry leaves!—and coos and sings.

 

Come out to the cool, night wood, and buzz and hoot and howl—but do beware of the great horned owl—for it’s wild and it’s windy way out in the woods! 

 

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Gossip from the Girls' Room: A Blogtastic! Novel

Gossip from the Girls' Room fills readers in on all there is to learn about middle school life at Middlebrooke, where Sofia has her very own blog and discusses all the juicy gossip that comes out of the Girls' room; read along to find out just what happens when class is not in session.@lt;br@gt; @lt;br@gt;@lt;br@gt;In Sofia's words . . . @lt;br@gt;Mia St. Claire is only @lt;i@gt;the@lt;/i@gt; most popular girl in all of Middlebrooke Middle School. For three very obvious reasons: @lt;br@gt;1. She's very rich.@lt;br@gt;2. She has tons of money.@lt;br@gt;3. She can buy anything and everything she wants. And she does.@lt;br@gt;I'm sure people like her for other reasons too, but none of those reasons are obvious enough for me to really know. Or care about, for that matter.

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Gunner, Football Hero

Gunner is rounder than most football players. Although he is third-string quarterback on his Pee Wee Football team, he gets a chance to play in the championship game in this unusual story about sportsmanship.

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Mouse's First Snow

One cold day Mouse and Poppa venture into the clear white world. From sledding down hills, to skating across the ice, to meeting fluffy angels, Mouse finds that wintertime is full of surprises. And before it's time to go ome, Mouse just might have time to "make" a special new friend!

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One Square Inch

Cooper’s grandfather gives him and his little sister, Carly, deeds to square inches of land in the Yukon. Carly uses them to invent her own imaginary kingdom of Inchland—far away from the silence of their home, where their single mother stays in bed all day. When their mom comes out of her season of sadness bursting with sometimes-frightening energy, Carly retreats into Inchland while sixth-grader Cooper tries to control the chaos. But can Cooper really keep Carly—and himself—safe?

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Moon Over Manifest wins the 2011 Newberry Medal

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

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A Sick Day for Amos McGee wins the 2011 Caldecott medal

THE BEST SICK DAY EVER and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut.

 

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

 

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The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic

Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge leads (much to her chagrin) a very dull life on the Island at the Center of Everything . . . until the night she overhears a life-changing secret. It seems that Mount Majestic, the rising and falling mountain in the center of the island, is not a mountain at all it is the belly of a sleeping giant, moving as the giant breathes. Now Persimmony and her new friend Worvil the Worrier have to convince all the islands other quarreling inhabitants including the silly Rumblebumps, the impeccably mannered Leafeaters, and the stubborn young king that a giant is sleeping in their midst, and must not be woken.

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The Chicken Thief

In this wordless story that is both funny and sweet, a fox steals a hen away from her home. Bear, rabbit, and rooster give chase, but in a twist on the usual children's story, this fox is not a villain. Rather, he tenderly holds hen as he runs into the night. A funny and life-affirming story, The Chicken Thief defies expectations, enlivening the mind with its cleverness while going straight for the heart. This intelligent and charming book is great for all ages. A love story, a road movie, and a playful speculation on stereotypes and misconceptions, The Chicken Thief makes for an unforgettable reading experience!

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