Dogtown is a shelter for all dogs -- real and robot. Metal Head, a robot dog who is a longtime resident of Dogtown, yearns for a forever home. When a girl named Esme begins visiting Dogtown, Metal Head goes on a mission to get her to adopt him.But Esme doesn’t like robot dogs. She has her heart set on taking home a gangly wolfhound mix named Ghost with one blue eye and one yellow eye. Sadly Ghost’s former owner mistreated him, so he’s terrified of everyone. Can Esme, Metal Head, Mo...

River and Niko find their dad is missing, and they have no choice but to track him down. But when they discover the clues lead to a shady reptile dealer, they start to think they might have gotten in over their heads. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Noah has missed the first semester of middle school, while he and his anxious parents wait for signs his leukemia is in remission. On a night he can't sleep, he spies an unusual procession when he looks out his window: A T-rex pulling a wagon full of toys. Are his eyes decieving him?When he shares this news with his best friend, Jerad, he worries that Jerad will think he's making it all up. But Jerad remembers the T-rex, named Crusher, that used to stand in the local toy store. The...

An engaging adventure from a Newbery Honor-winning storyteller for readers who love the circus, and anyone who has dreamed of finding the perfect home.Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friendless Children. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing. No one knows why she doesn't speak anymore; silence is her protection.The orphans find work and new friends at a traveling circus. Lucy loves caring for the elephants, but she must be able to speak to them...

**Everyone will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank, a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn't come home, in this gripping story from Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko.“One of those rare and important books . . . Hank Hooperman may well be the most resourceful, courageous, and loving big brother in the history of children’s literature.”—Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only IvanA CALI...

The Newbery Honor Book and New York Times Bestseller that is historical fiction with a hint of mystery about living at Alcatraz not as a prisoner, but as a kid meeting some of the most famous criminals in our history. Al Capone Does My Shirts has become an instant classic for all kids to read!Today I moved to Alcatraz, a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There ...

**An Instant NEW YORK TIMES and Indie Bestseller!The not-to-be-missed companion to Dogtown, full of friendship and adventure!**Mouse lives in Dogtown, a shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, where the kibble is plentiful, and the rafters hide a secret community of mice. His unlikely best friend is Buster, a big-hearted real dog who attracts trouble like a burr to fur.Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse e...

A hilarious story that shows kids that they can get themselves to sleep at bedtime!Sam is never ready to go to sleep at bedtime. There are always more questions to ask Mama, more books to read . . . not to mention the monkeys! Sam’s rambunctious trio of toy monkeys would much rather jump on the bed and make up songs about ping pong than go to sleep.Eventually Sam wants to go to sleep. But how will he ever get the monkeys to settle down?This...

A funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt story from the Newbery Honor-winning author of the Al Capone series.Fifth grade is not for amateurs, according to Liam. Luckily, he knows that being more than one-third nerd is not cool. Liam lives in the Bay area near San Francisco with his mom and two younger sisters. Dakota is fascinated by science and has a big personality but struggles to make friends; Izzy, a child with Down syndrome, makes friends easily and notices things ...

A heartwarming father-son story about bravery and facing fears.Nicholas was afraid of the dark outside his door, the bushes where the giant bugs live, and the underside of manhole covers.His dad was not afraid of anything.Nicholas wants to be as brave as his dad, but he needs help. That’s why he needs a dinosaur. After all, dinosaurs like the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch (and everything unde...

The New York Times bestseller, Indie bestseller, and Amazon Best Children's Book from beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home in readers’ hearts.Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them.Chance, a real dog, has been i...

Living in a family with two perfect sisters and parents who just don't get her, Ant MacPherson finds it easier to lie. After all, the only one who appreciates her is her dog, Pistachio. But when a concerned teacher sees the truth behind Ant's lies, it seems as though she might be in for a change . . .