ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

When she trips over her toys bumping into and spilling a pitcher of what looks like juice all over the couch, Lola is afraid of what might happen to her so she decides to hide at the library until she's grown. As she makes her way to the library, she encounters others who have also been in accidents and fear the consequences so one by one they all follow Lola to the library to hide.  

Upon entering the library, they encounter chaos inside but all will come to order when  bird helps Lola and the other runaways by explaining that they were accidents. Face them, clean them up and fix the problems.  

This book illustrates the lesson in a hilarious way without beating a child over the head with the message. With clear images and exaggerated expressions Andrea Tsurumi provides humor and understanding in Accident!

For preschoolers and up. 

DROWNING MEMORIES

Old Lower Grange was buried under water 12 years ago, the same day that Cassie's family rushed to the hospital because she came 2 months early.  Everyone in town says that New Lower Grange is better.  Cassie's not sure she agrees.  There is something about Old Lower Grange that she obsesses over.  As a child, she learned all about Atlantis, wondering if her town would become a lost world.  Her mother told her to stop obsessing.  That time moves on and progress calls.  The past was drowned and now it's time to look towards the future.  Cassie knows, though, that even though you drown things, not everything stays underwater where you want it to.

Join Cassie and her friend Liam as they solve the mystery of Lower Grange that no one knew even existed until the water started drying up and Old Lower Grange tried to meet New Lower Grange.  Below by Meg McKinlay is for kids in grades 4 and up.

EVER WONDER WHY RABBITS HAVE SHORT, FLUFFY TAILS?



Rabbit wants leaves and flower buds to munch on during the summertime, but he can't reach them.  Couldn't they just fall down? Or, better, yet, is there some other way Rabbit could get closer to the the branches of the tree?  His growing frustration to wait for these tasty treats to fall leads him to think of a clever plan that will get him high into the trees: a song and dance that will cause snow to fall down, even during the summer time!  After delivering an entertaining amount of song and dance, rabbit is in need of much needed rest.  When he awakens, he is involved in an accident and finds that his tail now matches the length of his patience. 

JAMES and JOSEPH BRUCHAC Iroquois tale, RABBIT'S SNOW DANCE will amuse readers and may find themselves humming Rabbit's tune throughout the day.  For Kinder thru 4th grade.  
                                   

ONE BAD APPLE IS ALL IT TAKES

Seamus was always a good kid.  He rarely got into trouble, and never for anything serious.  He was in trouble for things like not cleaning his room or trying to skip out of class 7 minutes early to be in line first for Fish Stick Tuesday.  But now, Seamus is a criminal.  It was all an accident.  He was trying to help when he threw the apple across the cafeteria at Miss Parsippany.  But now there's no bringing Miss Parsippany back, and there's no going back to the life he once knew when his parents drop him off at Kilter Academy, the best reform school in the country.

Little do Seamus' parents know, however, that Kilter doesn't punish trouble-making, they reward it, and in fact encourage and teach the trouble makers of the future.  Too bad Seamus isn't a natural-born trouble maker, despite being Kilter Academy's only Murderer.  Trouble just seems to find him.  To pass his classes though, Seamus must learn to become a trouble maker, and as he does so, he becomes Kilter's star pupil, along with is pyromaniac roommate and new best friend.  Together, they uncover and disrupt the secrets and staff at Kilter Academy in the first Merits of Mischief book, The Bad Apple by T.R. Burns.  This book is good for trouble-makers and aspiring trouble-makers in 6th grade and up.

HURRICANES AND CIRCUS ANIMALS!

It is the evening of a huge hurricane that's about to sweep through Florida. Chase's dad is a great predictor of where disaster will strike next and he's got his business to help people rebuild their lives after a natural disaster. When Chase goes to school the day of the hurricane, his principal is convinced the hurricane isn't going to hit anywhere near the school or the town in which they live. Boy, is she wrong! The storm sends Chase and his new friend Nicole on a wild dangerous adventure, that involves an escaped cheetah and a pregnant elephant! 

Roland Smith has written an excitement-packed trilogy of death-defying tales, starting with STORM RUNNERS, and followed by THE SURGE and ERUPTION. Once you pick up the first book, you'll be in a hurry to get the next! For grades 4-7.

THE LOVE OF A DOG

Dessa Dean lives with her father in a cabin. It's winter - the first winter since her mother died, and she's still not able to walk off the porch without fear clutching her inside and out. She becomes completely paralyzed. Then one day, a dog limps out of the snowy forest and into Dessa Dean's life. The dog comes to help Dessa Dean, bringing her out of her life of fear and closer to her father. THE LEANIN' DOG by K. A. Nuzum is a touching story about how time and a furry friend can help someone cope with a terrible loss. For 4th through 8th grades.

FAMILY SECRETS

WATCHING JIMMY by Nancy Hartry is about a young girl named Carolyn who's best friend Jimmy has been involved in a horrible accident that makes him brain damaged. Only Carolyn knows the truth to how Jimmy got that way, and she's not sure how to tell people. As the weight of this knowledge continues to press down on her, Carolyn learns what it means to "find her voice" when she is asked to audition for a local choir group AND perform an important speech on Canada's Remembrance Day. This is an easy-to-read story set in the late 1950's and does a great job of portraying that era from a non-stereotypical perspective. For grades 4 and up.

IF YOU LIKE A GOOD SCARE...

Moving back to his dad's hometown in Connecticut to get a new start was a great idea, or so Zach's family had thought. No one could have predicted the evil that would be unleashed on the town when lightning struck the tree at the crossroads of a fifty year old bus accident. All but one had died that night. And now the ghosts have all converged toward one boy who has the ability to change things.

If you like R. L. Stine or a good scare then read The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein, but not at night and definitely not under the covers by flashlight. For readers in 4th and up.

For readers in 4th and up.