Service Alert
Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 161 - 180 of 278 items
By Matt Cosgrove. 2024
The humor of Captain Underpants meets the blockbuster format of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in this laugh-out-loud series about…
Justin Chase, who is having the Worst. Week. EVER!Have you ever had a bad week? Justin Chase sure has and THIS is it!His mom has just married a vampire. His dad is driving a giant toilet on wheels. His cat has probably been abducted by aliens. A bully is making his first day at a new school miserable. And right now, he's hanging off the edge of a 30-foot-tall diving board in front of his entire class wearing nothing but rapidly disappearing crocheted swim trunks!And it's only...MONDAY!The first book in the new laugh-out-loud hilarious seven-part middle-grade book series based loosely off this husband and wife team’s own family!By Erin Soderberg Downing. 2024
Wild meets Gilmore Girls on the trail in this story of resilience and the healing and restorative power of the…
nature."A fun, heartfelt tale of adventure, family, and determination that will make you just keep reading." -- Dan Gemeinhart, award-winning author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote SunriseTwo years after her parents’ surprising and painful split, twelve-year-old Jo and her mom find themselves on the 100-mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior’s north shore—a journey that Jo had always looked forward to hiking with her dad. It’s not a situation that either of them ever predicted they’d find themselves in, yet here they are in the wilderness with their entire lives stuffed into a pair of thirty-pound packs.Along the trail, they’ll suffer through endless aches and pains, scorching heat, and crippling self-doubt. They’ll encounter bears, moose, and other wildlife and meet and collect an assortment of unlikely friends. Day after day, Jo will battle the incessant thoughts that come in and out of her head. But as one obstacle after the next continue to test her strength and ultimate survival, Jo will have to confront her greatest fears head on and learn how to be alone.What begins as a journey to prove to her father that she and her mom can make it on their own turns into a quest to rediscover their strength, build resilience, and prove that they can survive—both for themselves and for each other.By Anna Rose Johnson. 2024
Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family…
of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor&’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she&’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior. The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake?Although life at the lighthouse isn&’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major advantage: It&’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything. If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won&’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit? But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry is a timelessly sweet tale of found family from rising Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, author of NPR Best Book of the Year The Star That Always Stays. Perfect for fans of L.M. Montgomery and Karina Yan Glaser!"Lucy Landry is a charming and fanciful heroine reminiscent of Anne Shirley, who reminds us that even in dark times, we can be a light for others."—Alyssa Colman, author of Bank Street Best Book of the Year The Gilded GirlBy Imapla. 2024
In this Spanish edition of Come Closer, Tatita, a young girl&’s five senses take her on a heartfelt journey through…
sweet memories of her tatita, her grandmother.This moving tale introduces the youngest picture book audience to a girl who misses her grandmother—whom she calls Tata or Tatita, as is traditional in many Spanish-speaking cultures—and yearns to spend time with her. But Tatita is not here any more. The spare, striking illustrations make it ambiguous whether the girl misses her tata because she lives in a faraway place, is ill, or has passed on. Yet this gorgeous, deceptively simple book&’s ending makes it clear that no matter what, your tatita lives in your heart, and you can always hold her in your memory.By Andrea Wang. 2024
From Newbery Honor–winning author Andrea Wang, a new middle grade novel about a Chinese American tween who attends a Boston-based Chinese cultural…
overnight camp—and the many ways it transforms her.Phoenny Fang plans to have the best summer ever. She&’s returning to Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience (SCCWEE for short and &“Squee&” to campers in the know), and this year she&’s a senior camper. That means she; her best friend, Lyrica Chu; and her whole Squad will have the most influence. It almost doesn&’t matter that her brother is a CIT (counselor-in-training) and that her mom and auntie are the camp directors. Time spent at Squee is sacred, glorious, and free.On the day Phoenny arrives, though, she learns that the Squad has been split up, and there&’s an influx of new campers this year. Phoenny is determined to be welcoming and to share all the things she loves about camp—who doesn&’t love spending hours talking about and engaging in cultural activities? But she quickly learns how out of touch she is with others&’ experiences, particularly of the campers who are adoptees. The same things that make her feel connected to her culture and community make some of the other campers feel excluded.Summer at Squee turns out to be even more transformative than Phoenny could&’ve imagined, with new friendships, her first crush, an epic show, and a bigger love for and understanding of her community.By Mylène Goupil. 2024
Mélie doesn’t know how to relate to her father, a political prisoner in another country whom she has never met,…
when he is released and immigrates to join her family in Montreal. “Where I come from, you have to say the same things as everyone else or keep quiet,” Mélie’s mother tells her. “And your father is not someone who knows how to keep quiet. Or say the same thing as everyone else. So that got him in trouble.” However, ever since he came into Mélie’s life, keeping quiet is the only thing her father has done. Partly because Sami doesn’t speak the same language as his daughter, and partly because he doesn’t know how to live as a free man anymore. Mélie has to tame him, like the kitten that she just found, and like Mr. Xavier and his partner seem to be doing with Mei-Li, the little girl they recently adopted. Things that are worthwhile aren’t always easy. Key Text Features chapters;dialogue Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and toneBy Dorothy Ellen Palmer. 2024
Melanie and Melvin may be twins, but they couldn’t be more different. Melanie is LOUD and Melvin is quiet. Melvin…
likes frogs and Melanie loves MOTORCYCLES! When the twins learn that they will get their very own mobility scooters, Melanie is excited to race to school, but Melvin is worried he’ll fall — and that people will stare. And there’s a problem: Grandma can’t afford the scooters without selling one of Mom’s treasured paintings, one of the only things the twins have left to remember their parents. In the process of getting their scooters, Melanie and Melvin have to navigate challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis: rudeness from a store clerk and products that aren’t made with kids in mind. But in the end, Melanie and Melvin choose scooters that are just right for them and make moving through their neighborhood a new adventure. Written by disability advocate and mobility scooter user Dorothy Ellen Palmer, and illustrated by Maria Sweeney, The Scooter Twins is an #ownvoices story that shares the joys and challenges of disabled childhood, and offers many kids who get new wheels the opportunity to find themselves in the pages of a book. Key Text Features illustrations Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).By Jack Cheng. 2017
&“I haven't read anything that has moved me this much since Wonder.&” —Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright PlacesA space-obsessed boy…
and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel for fans of Counting by 7s, Walk Two Moons, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. 11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he&’ll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew. Jack Cheng&’s debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time."Stellar." —Entertainment Weekly&“Life-embracing.&” —The Wall Street Journal"Works beautifully." —The New York Times Book Review &“Irresistible.&” —The Chicago Tribune&“The best I've read in a long, long time.&” —Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of Counting by 7s&“Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.&” —Kirkus, starred review&“A propulsive stream-of-conscious dive.&” —Publishers Weekly, starred review &“A gift—a miracle.&” —Paul Griffin, author When Friendship Followed Me Home &“Exuberant.&” —Booklist "Full of the real kind of magic." —Ally Condie, author of Matched "Absorbing, irresistible." —Common Sense Media&“Incredible.&” —BookRiot "Full of innocence and unwavering optimism." —SLC "Inspiring." —Time for Kids&“Powerfully affirms our human capacity for grace and love and understanding.&” —Gary D. Schmidt, author of Okay for NowBy Zohreh Ghahremani. 2024
A lively afternoon together in Nana’s garden is full of laughter, discovery, and connection. In lyrical text that blends past…
and present, Memory Garden takes us to the places we leave behind but never forget. Written and illustrated by a loving mother daughter duo, the nostalgic text and vibrant illustrations invite us to enjoy the beauty of Iranian gardens – and culture - in an adventure that will resonate with readers of all backgrounds.Godwin BooksBy Shelley Tougas. 2024
Mommy's New Friend is a heartfelt, lyrical story about accepting a new family member, even if it’s not easy at…
first.When That Guy comes over and makes homemade pizza for dinner, it’s not the same as before, when Daddy and Mommy and I would all eat together.But That Guy takes care of Mommy when she’s sick, and That Guy laughs at my jokes.Maybe, That Guy isn’t that bad, after all.Shelley Tougas and award-winning illustrator Sara Palacios' Mommy's New Friend is a gentle and uplifting tale about growing up, learning new perspectives, and accepting how blended families can evolve and expand.By Marguerite Henry. 2007
An orphaned Chincoteague colt restores happiness to his new owners in this beloved horse story from Newbery Award–winning author Marguerite…
Henry.Movie men have come to Chincoteague to film the annual Pony Penning, and Paul and Maureen are thrilled—until they learn that the producers want to buy their beloved Misty. Reluctantly, they agree to sell in order to send their uncle to college. But how will they ever fill the lonely place that Misty leaves behind?Finding an orphaned colt helps Paul and Maureen deal with their loss, and they soon discover that little Sea Star needs them just as much as they need him.By James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein. 2012
#1 bestselling author James Patterson doles out the laughs in the first book in the hit series! Middle-schooler Jamie Grimm…
faces bullies and self-doubt as he chases his dream of becoming the world&’s greatest comedian Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn't let his situation get him down. When his Uncle Frankie mentions a contest called The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic, Jamie knows he has to enter. But are the judges only rewarding him out of pity because of his wheelchair, like Stevie suggests? Will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past instead of hiding behind his comedy act? Prepare to laugh and cheer along with Jamie in this highly-illustrated, heartfelt middle school story.By James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein. 2014
The sequel to James Patterson's Treasure Hunters is another hilarious, hair-raising and highly-illustrated adventure for the First Family of Action!…
Bick Kidd and his globe-trotting siblings Beck, Storm and Tommy may have completed their first treasure hunt after their father was lost at sea, but their kidnapped mother is still in the hands of nasty pirates. Their search for a rescue plan takes them down the Nile river in Africa, where they'll have to navigate everything from Egyptian pyramids in the desert to wet-and-wild jungles—not to mention life-threatening encounters with wilderness diseases, angry hippos and some seriously bad guys—in order to find the treasure and save the day.By Kristi Wientge. 2019
Twelve-year-old Flor faces a bittersweet summer with a pageant, a frenemy, and a hive full of honey in this &“sweet…
and satisfying read about friendship, sisterhood, and change&” (Kirkus Reviews).It&’s the summer before eighth grade and Flor is stuck at home and working at her family&’s mattress store, while her best friend goes off to band camp (probably to make new friends). It becomes even worse when she&’s asked to compete in the local honey pageant. This means Flor has to spend the summer practicing her talent (recorder) and volunteering (helping a recluse bee-keeper) with Candice, her former friend who&’s still bitter about losing the pageant crown to Flor when they were in second grade. And she can&’t say no.Then there&’s the possibility that Flor and her family are leaving to move in with her mom&’s family in New Jersey. And with how much her mom and dad have been fighting lately, is it possible that her dad may not join them? Flor can&’t let that happen. She has a lot of work to do.By Cynthia Kadohata. 2007
kira-kira (kee' ra kee' ra): glittering; shining Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is…
kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering -- kira-kira -- in the future. Luminous in its persistence of love and hope, Kira-Kira is Cynthia Kadohata's stunning debut in middle-grade fiction.By Lea Wait. 1839
WHAT CAN YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE TWELVE YEARS OLD AND YOUR WORLD IS FALLING APART?It's 1838. Jake's father has lost…
his job and his savings. Hearing of work in Maine, the family leaves their large home in Boston and heads north, taking with them a few furnishings—and a deep family secret. In Maine they find only a dirty, isolated farmhouse, and a job for Father that takes him away from home."I'll have to depend on you," Jake's mother tells him. But how can Jake find food? How can he prepare for the dangerous cold of a Maine winter? How can he protect his mother—and his family's secret?Slowly, Jake learns the ways to survive, catching game and storing food for the long winter months. Nabby McCord, whose family also has a secret, helps him. So does Granny McPherson, who may be a witch. But when it comes to earning the money they need, Jake knows he's on his own. He shows his determination as the winter approaches, but does he have what it takes to bring his family together to face the future—and their past?Finest Kind is the powerful story of a boy who is forced to become a man and to learn the truth about courage, friendship, and secrets.By Cynthia Kadohata. 2018
&“Kadohata&’s slapshot is the heart-swelling narrative of a father and son…Truly powerful.&” —Jason Reynolds&“A deeply poignant story about a boy…
sorting out his priorities.&” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) &“A vivid, memorable portrayal of a boy within his family, his sport, and his gradually broadening world.&” —Booklist (starred review) From Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata comes a brilliantly-realized novel about a hockey player who must discover who he is without the sport that defines him.Hockey is Conor&’s life. His whole life. He&’ll say it himself, he&’s a hockey beast. It&’s his dad&’s whole life too—and Conor is sure that&’s why his stepmom, Jenny, left. There are very few things Conor and his dad love more than the game, and one of those things is their Doberman, Sinbad. When Sinbad is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad&’s chemotherapy.But without hockey to distract him, Conor begins to notice more. Like his dad&’s crying bouts, and his friend&’s difficult family life. And then Conor notices one more thing: Without hockey, the one thing that makes him feel special, is he really special at all?By D. Anne Love. 2006
It's the middle of summer in Mirabeau, Texas, but already Garnet Hubbard looks forward to fall -- to entering seventh…
grade and becoming a teenager at last. With Opal, her beautiful and popular fourteen-year-old sister, as her guide, Garnet is sure to have a great year. But everything changes when their mother, Melanie, packs them up and heads for Nashville, determined to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a country singer. Almost before they know it, Melanie drops the girls at her sister's house in Oklahoma, assuring them she'll be back just as soon as she's settled in Tennessee. But when a few days turn into a few weeks and beyond, with no Melanie in sight, the girls begin to realize what has happened. While Opal soon becomes one of the most popular girls in school, her younger sister struggles. For Garnet, getting used to her new life means trying to figure out how to have pride in herself when it seems she has little to offer the world and the odds are stacked against her. With only each other to lean on, Melanie's "precious gems" must learn to live with the hand they've been dealt and to accept the changing face of their family. Set in the early 1960s and beautifully told by D. Anne Love, Semiprecious is a powerful, poignant, and often funny coming-of-age novel that will stay with readers long after the turn of the final page.By Brian Eames. 2013
Kitto’s adventure continues in the suspenseful sequel to The Dagger Quick, which School Library Journal called a “quest perfect for…
landlubbers and pirate aficionados alike.”On the high seas of the Caribbean in the 1600s, a twelve-year-old boy, Kitto, stands wrongly accused of his father’s murder and is forced into adulthood too quickly as he tries to prove his innocence. After a brutal shark attack, Kitto must take refuge on a forsaken island that holds a store of valuable nutmeg, with its power to make men as rich as kings.When he encounters the notorious Alexandre Exquemelin, known as X, he discovers a dark secret about his own past and identity. Will the events of Kitto’s past determine his fate, or will he have the courage to forge his own destiny?A tale of friends and fiends, good and evil, pirates and predators, and the thrill of the high seas, The Dagger X is an exciting adventure and classic story of the search for manhood and identity.By Belle Payton. 2015
Alex makes an unpopular decision and Ava deals with an unwanted crush in the fifth book of the It Takes…
Two series!Sporty, shy Ava is finally starting to feel like the guys on the Ashland Middle School football team are accepting her as a player, despite the fact that she’s a girl. But then the star wide receiver, Owen, keeps missing his passes, and his teammates are blaming it on a crush—on Ava! When he awkwardly gives Ava a gift that’s way too expensive, she realizes they’re right. Can she find a way to let Owen down easy and still stay on the team’s good side?Meanwhile, class president Alex has to choose how to spend some student council funds. The football team is scheduled to get a new scoreboard, but the drama department desperately needs new sets and costumes. Alex decides it’s fair to give some money to the arts for a change, but the football fans of Ashland don’t necessarily think so…and it may take a natural disaster for Alex to prove she’s not a football-hater!