by Gary D. Schmidt

4.7 stars – 348 reviews

Everyday price: $7.99

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Here’s the set-up:

2011 National Book Award Finalist

As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.

by Hayley Irvin, Rachel Bostick, Cassidy Reynolds

5.0 stars – 8 reviews

Lending: Enabled

Here’s the set-up:

What does Chameleon do when she loses her colors? She gets them back, of course! With a party coming up, there’s no time to spare. Join Chameleon on her journey through the jungle to learn how she goes from colorful to colorless and back again.