GRADE 1 & 2 BOOK CLUB

How does a cookie-baking Rat named Bob save his tail from being gobbled by two hungry cats? By serving them cookies and telling them fantastic fairy tales about his family, of course. There's the story about great-grand uncle Mustard who upgrades his family to a lovely three-bedroom brick house. (All's well until some wolves with snout-warts show up.) And there's the one about how starving Grandma Lois was forced to take a job spinning straw into gold. (Impossible to do . . . until a hairy chimney troll comes along.)

With allusions to classic fairy tales, plus a storytelling rat to rival Scheherazade, this book—which also includes black-and-white illustrations, a family tree, and a map of Bob's neighborhood—is sure to hold both cats and kids captive.

Meet Jake Drake.
He's not the toughest kid in fourth grade or the fastest kid or the funniest. But he's got ideas -- big ideas, and boy, does he have stories to tell about what really goes on in school. Like bullies, for instance. Jake wants to know "if everybody who works at school is so smart, how come they can't get rid of the bullies?...Because every year, it's the same thing. Bullies."

So it's up to Jake Drake to take matters into his own hands when Link Baxter, SuperBully, moves into the neighborhood. Link's reign of terror must be stopped...if only Jake can figure out how.
In this new series by the bestselling author of Frindle, The Landry News, and The Janitor's Boy, Jake Drake confronts the problems of school life and finds some surprising solutions!

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Tag along with the Timekeepers in these history-themed adventure stories for 7 to 9 years olds that will help readers discover the amazing people and events that shaped our world. With a collection of adventures that span all of history, The Timekeepers series is perfect for any adventure lover.

Meet the Timekeepers, a secret organization of kids who keep the course of history on track – and history needs them! A villain called DeLay is set on causing chaos. When the hands on their special watches start to spin backwards, the Timekeepers know that DeLay has been up to no good, and it’s up to them to put things right. 

The first volume in this whimsical chapter-book mystery series is filled with hilarious misunderstandings, clever wordplay, and dynamic illustrations. The sleuthing sisters, who are inspired by the three witches from Macbeth (there's even a recipe for a witch's stew!), invite Covenly residents and readers to look past appearances and embrace people for who they are, weirdness and all.

A perfect STEM resource: This illustrated tour of our “leftover” body parts (like the appendix, or even goosebumps) introduces readers age 7-11 to the bizarre and fascinating science of evolution. 

Welcome to the weirdest museum you’ll ever explore—the one inside your body. 

Did you know your amazing, incredible body is a walking, talking museum of evolution? In The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers, tour guides Wisdom Tooth and Disappearing Kidney lead readers through a wacky museum dedicated to vestigial structures: body parts that were essential to our ancestors but are no longer useful to us—even though they’re still hanging around. 

From goosebumps and hiccups to exploding organs and monkey muscles, each room in the museum shows us that these parts have stories to tell us about our past. By the time we make it to the gift shop, we’ll understand that evolution is not only messy and imperfect, but also ongoing. Our bodies are constantly changing along with the environment we live in—and there’s so much that is still unknown, just waiting to be discovered. 

Engaging, hilarious, and a visual treat, The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers is a place you’ll want to visit again and again.

Young wolf Boris Greycoat is packed and ready for Scotland. But is Scotland ready for holidaying wolves? From spooky dungeons to angry millionaires, the Greycoats' first adventure is full of surprising discoveries.

Two very different creatures learn about the give-and-take of friendship in this warm and funny story set in the desert. AWARDS: Junior Fiction finalist, NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2010; Children's Choice Junior Fiction category winner, NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2010; Storylines Notable Books List 2010; LIANZA Children's Book Awards fiction finalist 2010 Snake is elegant and calm, and a little self-centred; Lizard is exuberant and irrepressible. With its wisdom, acceptance and good humour, Friends: Snake and Lizard captures the essence of friendship. The stories are beautifully illustrated by Gavin Bishop in warm and clear colours of the desert.

A dying king makes his son his heir — on one condition: the vain Prince Raphael must marry a woman who is his equal in beauty, intelligence, and wealth. A search throughout the kingdom appears to be fruitless until the lovely Rosamund appears at the palace. She is intelligent and wealthy, as well as beautiful — certainly his equal, Raphael thinks. But what does the mysterious Rosamund think?