Embedded Files
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Pippa Park Raises Her Game
Pippa Park Raises Her Game
Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park. It seems like everyone, from her family to the other kids at school, has a plan for how her life should look. So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by following the “Rules of Cool.”
At Lakeview, Pippa juggles old and new friends, an unrequited crush, and the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates. But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful, anonymous messages via social media, her carefully built persona is threatened.
As things begin to spiral out of control, Pippa discovers the real reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate, or if she should even try.
The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
On a spring morning in 1986, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna.
In 1941 Rifka must flee Kiev before the Germans arrive. Her journey is harrowing and fraught with danger because Germans and Russians alike will revile her for her Jewish blood.
In both time periods, the girls must learn who to trust and how to have hope in the midst of horrible events.
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
The invasion begins--but not as you'd expect. It begins with rain. Rain that carries seeds. Seeds that sprout--overnight, everywhere. These new plants take over crop fields, twine up houses, and burrow below streets. They bloom--and release toxic pollens. They bloom--and form Venus flytrap-like pods that swallow animals and people. They bloom--everywhere, unstoppable.
Or are they? Three kids on a remote island seem immune to the toxic plants. Anaya, Petra, Seth. They each have strange allergies--and yet not to these plants. What's their secret? Can they somehow be the key to beating back this invasion? They'd better figure it out fast, because it's starting to rain again....
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do?
In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dreams of peace and unity. When she ends up harboring a wounded young American soldier, she and her entire family are put in mortal danger. But Reshmina also learns something surprising about the roots of this endless war. (Goodreads)
Squint by Chad Morris
Squint by Chad Morris
Flint, whose diminishing eyesight has earned him the nickname Squint, is working hard to finish his comic book before he goes blind. Often at the receiving end of cruel pranks, Flint finds himself alone and friendless, until McKell sits down with him at his lunch table. McKell is new at school and immediately fits in with the "popular kids." She doesn't like the way he is treated, but should she risk her own popularity to be friends with Squint? Or should she let him in on her own secrets?
The challenges on this site are inspired by McKell's brother, who encouraged others to be their best selves through the weekly challenges he offered.
Your Challenge: Write your own short story or comic book. Treat everyone with kindness. Who can you invite to your lunch table? Create your own challenges with friends to encourage each other to be kinder and better people.
Your Challenge: Write your own short story or comic book. Treat everyone with kindness. Who can you invite to your lunch table? Create your own challenges with friends to encourage each other to be kinder and better people.
Girl from Nowhere by Tiffany Rosenhan
Girl from Nowhere by Tiffany Rosenhan
Ninety-four countries. Thirty-one schools. Two bullets.
Now it’s over...or so she thinks.
Sophia arrives in Montana with the promise of a normal high school experience. But after a turbulent few years abroad with her diplomat parents, forgetting the past is easier said than done. After all, “normal” high schoolers aren’t trained in several forms of combat.
Then Sophia meets Aksel and finds herself opening up in ways she never thought she could. Except Sophia’s past is about to catch up with her, and she must confront who she really is, why she was betrayed, and what she is capable of in the name of love and survival.
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
Felix Knutsson is almost thirteen-years-old, has a knack for trivia, and a pet hamster named Horatio. But Felix is homeless. Keeping secrets is the last thing Felix wants to do; he just wants a warm bed and his own bathroom. Instead, Felix lives in a van with his mom while he tries to keep their world together. When the lies snowball into one big disaster, Felix isn't sure he can fix things on his own.
Felix shares his compelling story--a window we peer into to understand the plight of the homeless. You won't be able to put this book down. It will make you laugh and maybe even bring a tear to your eyes.
Listen here for the start of the first chapter: First Chapter
Your Challenge: Donate time or food to a food bank and help others in need. Partcipate in the school's canned food drive!
Your Challenge: Donate time or food to a food bank and help others in need. Partcipate in the school's canned food drive!
Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
When Emmy's dad's new job moves her away from everything she knows, Emmy has to start all over in a new city. Making new friends and finding a place to belong isn't easy. She loves music, but can't carry a tune. Instead, she discovers coding AND meets a new friend! Maybe things won't be so bad afterall. Written in free verse, this beautiful novel depicts the difficulties of being new and the difference one friend can make. You'll also learn a lot about coding!
Listen here for the start of the first chapter: Beginning of Book
Your Challenge: Try coding yourself!
Your Challenge: Try coding yourself!
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
Charlie Thorne is twelve-years-old...and she is a genius! She's been recruited by the CIA to help solve Albert Einstein's greatest puzzle. He's hidden an equation that could change the world--for better or worse, depending on whose hands it's in. It's up to Charlie to figure out the complex clues Enstein left behind before the diabolical Furies find it first. This is a fast-paced adventure packed with intrigue, humor, and drama. You won't want to put it down!
Listen here for the start of the first chapter: First Chapter
Your Challenge: Take a break from your phone and other technology and do a puzzle on paper! Stop by the library if you need one!
Your Challenge: Take a break from your phone and other technology and do a puzzle on paper! Stop by the library if you need one!
Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Zoey has a full schedule taking care of her younger siblings every day after school while her mom is at work. She feels like she needs eight arms to keep up with everything! They have very little, but thanks to Lenny, her mom's boyfriend, they have a nice, clean trailer to live in. But when Zoey joins the debate club and starts to see things from a new perspective, she has to decide the price of living with someone like Lenny and what she's willing to sacrifice. Listen here for the first chapter. First Chapter
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