Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity... before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.

Maia’s father used to be THE royal seamstress. War, death and tragedy strike, leaving Maia’s father a drunk, unable to sew beautiful clothes and without a job. Maia’s family is pushed to the poorest community where she takes over her father’s shop.

When a royal messenger requests Maia’s dad to go back to the palace to enter into a competition for the new royal seamstress, Maia pulls a Mulan — she pretends to be her crippled brother and enter in his place. It’s no easy task once she gets there. She is sabotaged, bullied and quickly a problem presents itself. The royal mage (who is distractingly handsome) seems to be on to Maia’s secret.

To win the contest she must make the most beautiful dress which will contain laughter from the sun, tears from the moon, and blood of the stars. Will Maia be able to win the contest? Will the mage discover her secret and call her out on being a fraud? Find this book on Destiny Discover & Sora!

In this fantasy series, you’re either wanted or unwanted. If you’re “wanted” you get to stay in Quill if you’re “unwanted” you die — which destiny is your fate?!

When twin brothers Alex and Aaron find out their fate they’re devastated. Alex has been labeled an unwanted which means his life is over…but he doesn’t die, he wakes up in a magical land called Artime. 

Artime is for the dreamers, the actors and the creative folk whereas Quill is for the rigid, follow orders, stay in the lines folk. What Alex and Aaron soon come to find is that Quill and Artime are getting ready to go to war. Will these brothers be able to find a way to peace or will an all out war ensue…and who will win? Read this EPIC fantasy series pitting brother against brother in an all out battle!

This is a pretty scary fantasy story about a young boy Jacob who discovers timeless friends of his recently deceased grandfather.  These friends are hiding secrets though, secrets that could destroy our help Jacob.

When danger befalls Jacob and his friends, they must use find their wits, courage and magic, 

While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.

 Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks. Do they have the strength to survive? Read this book on Sora!

Follow your heart. Find your people.

Sixth grade is supposed to be perfect. Shannon’s got a sure spot in the in-crowd called The Group, and her best friend is their leader, Jen, the most popular girl in school.

But the rules are always changing, and Shannon has to scramble to keep up. She never knows which TV shows are cool, what songs to listen to, and who she’s allowed to talk to. Who makes these rules, anyway? And does Shannon have to follow them?

As you wrap up your 6th grade year, as you read this book, hopefully you can reflect back and laugh and think of both the embarrassing, bad, good and great times!

Not every dragonet wants a destiny...

Clay has grown up under the mountain, chosen along with four other dragonets to fulfill a mysterious prophecy and end the war between the dragon tribes of Pyrrhia. He's not so sure about the prophecy part, but Clay can't imagine not living with the other dragonets; they're his best friends.

So when one of the dragonets is threatened, all five spring into action. Together, they will choose freedom over fate, leave the mountain, and fulfill their destiny - on their own terms. 

These young dragons are only starting their journey in book 1 of the Wings of Fire series!

This is a graphic novel about the brave and courageous Aramininta Ross aka Harriet Tubman with this graphic novel biography (ooooh cross genres — how exciting)!

Hopefully many of you remember that Nathan Hale was one of the first known spies during the Revolutionary War. In this book, he helps narrate and the story and he also pops in to give reader insight and bring a little bit of humor to a dark and dangerous period of American History.

This book is a “sweet read” so all off 5th grade can read it at the same time! There are no limits as to how many people can be reading this book at the same time. Check it out on Sora!

Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates.

Rescued by a legendary master swordsman and brought under his wing, Jack begins the grueling physical and psychological training needed to become a samurai. Life at Samurai school is fraught with difficulty for Jack who is bullied and treated as an outcast.

With his friend the remarkable, beautiful Akiko at his side and all the courage he can muster, Jack has to prove himself. Will he be able to face deadly rivals and challenges that will test him to his very limits?

Three different kids. One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world…

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America…

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe…

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end. 

While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.

Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.

Three different kids.

One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world…

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America…

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe…

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.

When an ad in the newspaper invites “gifted” children to take a test, for special opportunities, dozen of kids show up, but only 4 children pass the test. 

You the reader gets to participate in the test as well as all of the mysterious mission that this crew is sent on.  Remember those breakout games we played in the library? That is a similar scenario that these 4 find themselves in — not only do they need to be smart, but they also have to be creative and if one of them knows morse code, even better! Remember morse code from our breakout game? Maybe you can solve the riddles in this book!

If you liked reading Escape From Mr. Lemencello’s Library you will definitely enjoy this fast paced book. This is a 3 book trilogy with a 4th extra add-on. 

It’s early summer and Harper Raine, 12, isn’t very happy about the family’s move to Washington, DC. Older sister Kelly thinks the move is all Harper’s fault because of starting a fire at school and then having a terrible accident at Briarly, a psychiatric hospital, that left her with both arms broken and two broken ribs. Harper, however, has absolutely no memory of either event

The new house is unbearably hot because of broken air conditioning, except for 4 year-old Michael’s room, which is unnaturally cold. And Michael claims to have made a new friend in his room named Billy that no one else can see. Slowly, Harper begins to see her brother change from a sweet, loving little boy to a mean, violent child who only wants to stay in his room with Billy.

When Harper mets Dayo, a Jamaican girl who lives a few blocks away, they become instant friends. Days knows some of the odd history of Harper’s new house, and tells her it has always been considered to be haunted.

As something evil and malicious takes over Michael more and more, Harper and Dayo research on the house’s history and discover some really frightening information. And it helps when Harper reconnects with her old friend Rose, a ghost who lives in a family mirror, and who can help figure things out. At the same time, Harper begins to remember more details about the fire and her accident at Briarly. And she is beginning to see glimpses of Billy, the boy possessing her brother. But what can two 12 year-old girls and a sweet ghost do in the face of such evil?

An amazing friendship mystery that spans 13 years! Two outcasts — Libby and May— become best friends in the 4th grade over drawings and story creating of a graphic novel called Princess X. Then one tragic night, one of the best friends is “killed” in a car crash.

Once upon a now, May returns to her hometown Seattle — she hasn’t been back since Libby and her mom died 3 years ago. As she walks around she finds a sticker of the heroine Princess X from her and Libby’s childhood drawings and is convinced that Libby is still alive. She befriends a hacker which leads her to an online comic of Princess X and pretty soon she’s seeing Princess X everywhere. The comics are part of the book— it’s a book with a mini graphic novel housed inside of it! Two books for the price of one!

May goes down a dark and dangerous path to prove that her friend is still alive. Is Libby really alive and trying to send May a message or is May just going crazy with grief?! Read Princess X to find out!

Three different kids.

One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world…

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America…

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe…

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Landlubbers can make a splash with these easy-to-make watercraft using simple, everyday items! You'll be surprised how you can use two soft drink cans and a rubber band to make a catamaran, a plastic bottle and baking soda to make a jet boat, and more! Get your materials together and see how these boats float and race.

Have some fun at home with your own DIY boats!

Classic stories and dazzling illustrations of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters come to life in a stunning tableau of Norse myths, including those of the thunder god Thor, the one-eyed god and Allfather Odin, and the trickster god Loki.

Read it on Sora!

At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco's rule.

oin Barton Seaver—master chef and National Geographic Explorer—on a year-round culinary adventure as he explores what it takes to create the ultimate dish. Barton provides mouthwatering recipes, the ins and outs of healthy eating, awesome crafts and activities, and food-focused challenges, proving once and for all that cooking can be a blast. Follow along as he teaches you to plant a kitchen garden, host a dinner party for your friends, and pack the perfect school lunch. Other highlights include ways to play with your food, festive holiday meals, snow day snacks, and family cooking competitions. With fascinating sidebars, profiles on real people, and cool facts, the National Geographic Kids Cookbook will have you ruling the kitchen in no time!

After a family tragedy results in the loss of both father and home, 12-year-old Nora lives with her mother in Manila's North Cemetery, which is the largest shanty town of its kind in the Philippines today.

When her mother disappears mysteriously one day, Nora is left alone.

With help from her best friend Jojo and the support of his kindhearted grandmother, Nora embarks on a journey riddled with danger in order to find her mom. Along the way she also rediscovers the compassion of the human spirit, the resilience of her community, and everlasting hope in the most unexpected places.

This is one of my favorite realistic fiction books because it’s an emotional rollercoaster. We’re laughing and then we’re sad and then we’re puzzled — this book takes you through the highs and lows of getting through middle school.

Chase is a bully — he’s loud, makes fun of people and has his “crew” but when he falls off the roof and gets amnesia…is he still a bully if he can’t remember he was a bully? 

And what if he doesn’t want to be a bully anymore? Can he redeem himself? Can the kids at his school give him a second chance to redefine himself? Is it more important to be a good person than to be popular? 

Read this book on Epic to find out how this story ends!

It’s not easy being Claire. (Really.)

Claire’s life is a joke…but she’s not laughing. While her friends seem to be leaping forward, she’s dancing in the same place. The mean girls at school are living up to their mean name, and there’s a boy, Ryder, who’s just as bad, if not worse. And at home, nobody’s really listening to her—if anything, they seem to be more in on the joke than she is.

Then into all of this (not-very-funny-to-Claire) comedy comes something intense and tragic—while her dad is talking to her at the kitchen table, he falls over with a medical emergency. Suddenly the joke has become very serious—and the only way Claire, her family, and her friends are going to get through it is if they can find a way to make it funny again.

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

Talking about boogers.

Stealing pocket change.

Skateboarding.

Wiping out.

Braving up.

Executing complicated handshakes.

Planning an escape.

Making jokes.

Lotioning up.

Finding comfort.

But mostly, too busy walking home.

Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness…

But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

They told him his uncle died in an accident. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt, they said. But when fourteen-year-old Alex finds his uncle's windshield riddled with bullet holes, he knows it was no accident. What he doesn't know yet is that his uncle was killed while on a top-secret mission. But he is about to, and once he does, there is no turning back. Finding himself in the middle of terrorists, Alex must outsmart the people who want him dead. The government has given him the technology, but only he can provide the courage. Should he fail, every child in England will be murdered in cold blood. 

Three different kids.

One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world…

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America…

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe…

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates.

Rescued by a legendary master swordsman and brought under his wing, Jack begins the grueling physical and psychological training needed to become a samurai. Life at Samurai school is fraught with difficulty for Jack who is bullied and treated as an outcast.

With his friend the remarkable, beautiful Akiko at his side and all the courage he can muster, Jack has to prove himself. Will he be able to face deadly rivals and challenges that will test him to his very limits?