Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

"In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, Elsie comes up with a plan to save her local synagogue."--

After 13-year-old Maddie tells Lucas she does not want to date him, a string of vandalism breaks out at her family's community pool. Worried it is her "admirer" getting even, Maddie and her friend Ez launch their own investigation.

What was the pandemic of the century like at the start? This swift, gripping novel captures not only the uncertainty and panic when COVID first emerged in Wuhan, but also how a community banded together. Weaving in the tastes and sounds of the historic city, Wuhan's comforting and distinctive cuisine comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who, through her love for cooking, makes a difference in her community. Written by an award-winning...

"A red oak tree and a crow help their human neighbors work out their differences"-- "Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree" -- people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say that Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone...

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.

A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies.

Twenty-one poems celebrate and chronicle the actions of real-life persons (and one dog) who have performed heroic acts in service of others.