Even though her Dad calls her “Bruiser,” eleven-year-old Joy isn’t as strong as she looks. With Dad gone and Mom depressed, it’s up to Joy to care for the house and her younger brother Ian. Struggling with old clothes in sizes too small now and Ian's constant hunger, Joy fears the school counselor might call Child Protective Services. When a baby bird falls from its nest, Joy recalls her Dad's warning, “You don’t know your own strength.”
Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year. Ruby Bean, a 12-year-old Accidental Expert on Missing Mothers, embarks on a cross-country journey with her aunt to find her missing mother who suffers from mental illness and addiction. Along the way, Ruby discovers that sometimes the worst events can bring the best surprises into one's life.
The Manatees, led by new captain Luis, find joy this baseball season. Embracing teamwork, they welcome troubled players Ty and Savannah for a second chance. Can they all work together to beat the league's best, the Dragons?
Emma is eager to see her friends Lily and Amelia when third grade begins. But her friends’ interests have changed: Lily became a ballerina, Amelia lost interest in science. And, as third grade unfolds more differences among them are revealed.
Some of his new teammates--including "loud and obnoxious" home-run slugger Jimmie--are mean to him or to each other. His new coach doesn't tell the players everything to do like his old coach did. And some of the Manatees seem more interested in goofing off than in sportsmanship or working hard. Then Luis is surprisingly named captain of his new team, and he finds himself with a whole new set of problems. How will he get this odd-ball group of teammates to work together?
Even though her family calls her Emma Bemma, Emma knows she is really just a dilEmma because she is just medium. That’s because she’s the middle kid between her two brothers, who everyone calls Big and Little. Big thinks he's the coolest kid on the planet now that he's 10. That means he doesn’t want to play with LEGOs, or play anything with Emma anymore. And everyone thinks Little is just adorable even when he picks his nose and eats it! Ugh! What’s a middle child to do? What if she could get out of being the middle by taking on a new role? What if she acted BIG? Or even bigger than that? Will things go as planned? Or will she have another huge dilemma?
Managing the daily influence of technology, including knowing when to ‘unplug,’ allows kids to bring balance to their lives. This leads to deeper friendships, more focus at home and school, and higher success in learning.
Growing plants and vegetables and studying food sources can help children make good food choices, which is likely to result in overall healthier lives. Readers will learn skills for choosing food wisely.
Being in the present moment, aware of what’s going on right now, helps kids be more focused, more patient, and likely to make better decisions for themselves. Readers will learn basic skils for being self-aware.
Thirteen-year-old Hannah Higgins is convinced her summer is ruined when she is forced to travel to Africa and work in a remote village in Kenya with her mom and uncle. Never having been to a developing country, she finds the food challenging and the community filthy. She has to live without electricity or running water. Then she is told she must attend school. Just when she thinks nothing could make this trip any worse, she learns people there are dying of hunger and preventable disease. Hannah becomes frustrated and wants to help, but when poverty threatens the lives of people she loves, all she wants to do is go home.
