Showing titles in Growing Up & Facts of Life

When Hank's class takes a field trip to the zoo, he quickly gets lost after his partner (and nemesis) ditches him. Unable to read the map, Hank wanders and finds himself locked in a habitat with Elsie, an elephant recently rescued and kept isolated. He begins a game of soccer with her, and they become fast friends. But when Hank notices how lonely Elsie is, he's determined to help her find her own animal friends.

On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas. So what if her relatives all think she's destined to turn out as a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wants - pirate, explorer or even detective. Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunit.

When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy - the god who drowned the world - come again to cause untold chaos. Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent. But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever. To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is - even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret....

In Friends Forever?, third in Tina Wells’s delightful middle-grade series, Zee and the rest of her class from the Brookdale Academy are off on a camping trip to compete in an environmental scavenger hunt. Zee is extra psyched because her best friend, Ally, is visiting from Paris. It should be fabulous having all her friends in one place, but for some reason everyone is fighting!

The breathtakingly beautiful story of one little girl and her five paper dolls. A string of paper dolls go on a fantastical adventure through the house and out into the garden. They soon escape the clutches of the toy dinosaur and the snapping jaws of the oven-glove crocodile, but then a very real pair of scissors threatens. A stunning, rhythmical story of childhood, memory and the power of imagination from the author of The Gruffalo.

The Princess in Black: Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when...Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! Stopping monsters is no job for prim and perfect Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret: She’s also the Princess in Black! Can Princess Magnolia sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret?

When Judy Moody and her friends overhear a fifth-grade rumor, Judy is determined to prove it wrong. All she needs is one loose tooth. Open wide, Stink! But what if the real Tooth Fairy is a no-show? Judy Moody to the rescue! Judy Moody fans will happily sink their teeth into this cavity-free caper full of surprises! 

For Hart Evans, being the most popular fifth grader has its advantages: kids look up to him and teachers let him get away with everything. But during one choir practice, Hart zones out too far, accidentally flinging a rubber band at his teacher. Mr. Meinert realizes that if Hart is ever going to discover his musical potential, his punishment must march to a different drummer.

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.

Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went. Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication.

Runaway Bunny, The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant, and Goodnight Moon are national treasures and many of us remember them from our childhoods. Catherine Zeta-Jones narrates The Runaway Bunny in a new piano-trio version composed by GPR Records artistic director and four-time Emmy Award Winner, Glen Roven. This piece premiered at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony. Runaway Bunny was written in 1942 and has been published continuously since that time - it's a wonderful timeless story of free thinking and creativity.

Barbie and her sisters Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea are travelling to a tropical island for Chelsea to compete in a dance competition, and of course they have all brought their loyal puppies with them. Upon their arrival Barbie has a special surprise for her sisters. At first, they are hesitant to join in the fun, afraid that they will miss the competition, but she convinces them there will be time. Occupied by the entertaining surprise the sisters fail to notice that the puppies have left their side and are now nowhere to be found!

Bea's parents think she can accomplish absolutely anything—and she's determined to prove them right. But at the end of seventh grade, on the same day she makes a gutsy play to send her softball team to the league championships and Xander, the boy she likes, makes it clear that he likes her too, a scandal shakes up her world. Bea's dad made a big mistake, taking money that belonged to a client. He's now suspended from practicing law, and another lawyer spread the news online. To make matters worse, that other lawyer is Xander's dad.

When Crab finds a new shell, he doesn’t want to share it with anyone - especially not a blobby purple anemone and a tickly bristleworm. But life in the rock pool proves tougher than Crab thinks and he soon finds he needs his new housemates. Sharing a Shell is a charming underwater tale of friendship and fun from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard. With brilliant rhythmic verse, charmingly read by Julian Clary, this is a firm favourite with children and parents alike.

Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, read by Janet Streatfeild. 'I wonder...if other girls had to be one of us, which of us they'd choose to be?' Pauline longs to be an actress. Petrova is happiest playing with cars and engines. And if she could...Posy would dance all day! But when their benefactor Great-Uncle Matthew disappears, the Fossil girls share a future of a dazzling life onstage, where their dreams and fears will soon come true....

Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of this, Louisa May Alcott's most popular and enduring novel. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy - united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

Plum's adventure continues in the fourth installment of the Legends of Lotus Island series. Lotus Island is in grave danger, and the powers of the Guardians are weakening. Plum must gather all her strength in order to fulfill her destiny and save her friends.

Now that Rory is 12-years-old there is a long list of things that she is finally allowed to do. But she soon finds out that being twelve might not be all she thought it was cracked up to be.

It’s been three months since Ollie made a daring deal with the smiling man to save those she loved, and then vanished without a trace. The smiling man promised Coco, Brian and Phil, that they’d have a chance to save her, but as time goes by, they begin to worry that the smiling man has lied to them and Ollie is gone forever. But finally, a clue surfaces. A boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears at the town swimming hole, terrified and rambling. He tells anyone who'll listen about the mysterious man who took him.

The dreams, pranks, misfortunes, and courtships of the March girls form a charming family portrait.