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ALI 2019-2020 Book ListSeptember 2019Dog Man by Dav Pilkey DOG MAN revisits the goofy comics created by Harold and George in the Captain Underpants series. This collection of four short stories begins by explaining how Dog Man was surgically created after a police officer and his canine companion were badly injured in an explosion. Subsequent chapters pit Dog Man against his nemesis, Petey the cat, as Petey participates in a nefarious plot to replace the police chief with a robot who'll follow the mayor's every command;?erases all the world's books and makes everyone insufferably dumb;?and tries to destroy all dogs while triggering the creation of an army of animated hot dogs. In each story, Dog Man's cleverness helps him cuff the cat.Ghost by Jason ReynoldsGHOST is Castle Cranshaw’s new nickname—he gave it to himself and it sticks when he challenges a track team’s best sprinter to a race.? Running is as easy for him as breathing, probably because he’s been doing it all his life. An emerging track star with a past, Ghost has to figure out why he runs—is it toward what his life could be or away from his past? Luckily, he has new friends on the team, his coach, and even his mom to help him figure it all out.I Am Malala (young readers edition)Love That Dog by Sharon CreechIn this free-verse journal Jack reluctantly comes to feel the power of poetry, and uses it to express his feelings about school, writing, poetry, Walter Dean Myers, and his late dog, Sky. Includes an appendix with most of the poems mentioned in the story.One For The Murphys by Lynda Mullaly HuntCarley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts they've given her have opened up a new future.Phineas L. MacGuire ….Erupts! The First Experiment by Frances O’Roark DowellHere's what you need to know about Phineas L. MacGuire, boy-scientist extraordinaire, aka Mac:?1. He's allergic to purple, telephone calls, and girls, and can prove it.?2. He's probably the world's expert on mold, including which has the highest stink potential.?3. He does not have a best friend. He does, however, have an un-best friend, who he does not -- repeat,?not?-- want to upgrade to best friend status.?But disaster strikes when his teacher pairs Mac and his un-best friend together for the upcoming science fair. Worse, this un-best friend wants the project to be on dinosaurs, which is so third grade. Worse still, it seems as though everyone else in his class finds the un-best friend as unlikeable as Mac does. But, being a boy-scientist, once Mac notices this, he just might have to do some investigating....Smile by Raina TelegameierLike many 12-year-olds, Raina is apprehensive about getting braces. But when she trips and knocks out her two front teeth, the fate of her teeth becomes even more traumatic. For the next four years, we follow Raina through many trips to the orthodontist, mouth surgeries, and a variety of dental contraptions. Meanwhile, Raina starts middle school, gets a crush on a boy who barely notices her, experiences the Loma Prieta Earthquake in San Francisco, and deals with friends who are not always supportive and are sometimes downright mean. As Raina's teeth go through extensive changes, Raina learns to stand up for herself and discovers that following her own interests, especially art, will lead to healthy friendships with people who like her for who she is.Spy School by Stuart GibbsNerdy, awkward Ben Ripley has just been recruited to a top secret spy school for future CIA operatives, but why? Is he a master cryptologist without even knowing it, or just a patsy who's decent in math? Unfortunately for him, there isn't much time to answer that question, or do much studying. Under the guidance of suave older spy Alexander, his new friend Murray the slacker, and the enigmatic and beautiful fellow student Erica, he'll face assassins, bullies, top secret projects, and a labyrinth of secret passages. Along the way, he'll have to learn who's for real, why he's really there, and how to get out alive.The One and Only Ivan by Katherine ApplegateBased on the true story of a gorilla who now lives happily in a lowland gorilla habitat at Zoo Atlanta but before that had spent 27 years in a cage in a shopping mall after being captured as a baby in Africa, THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN tells, from the gorilla's standpoint, of life in the circus mall, being gawked at by tourists, and how it all seems so normal. But the arrival of a baby elephant starts to trigger memories, and before long Ivan finds himself making promises he's not sure how he's going to keep.The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyIn London just before World War II, Ada doesn't know how old she is, her last name, or much of anything of life outside the room where her mother has?kept her in terrible conditions for as long as she can remember. Ada's mother is humiliated at the thought of people knowing she has a disabled?daughter (Ada was born with a clubfoot?and gets around by crawling), so Ada has no dealings with other people, except to wave from her window. Her younger brother, Jamie, who's about to start school, is more mobile?and sometimes steals food for his starving sister. Their mother beats them both regularly and often doesn't give them enough to eat.?Suddenly, as World War II and a possible German invasion loom, the kids are evacuated to the countryside,?where they're so filthy and lice-infested that nobody wants them. When a reclusive local spinster is forced to take them in, their lives change in unimaginable ways, including having clean clothes and regular meals. Also, there's a pony. As the kids experience love and kindness for the first time in their lives?and learn to pitch in with the war effort, Ada can't get away from her biggest terror: that their new happiness will last only until their mother finds it more convenient to take them back to their old life.October 2019Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff KinneyGreg Heffley gets a journal from his mom ("a JOURNAL, not a diary") and records a middle school year's worth of crazy kid schemes, brushes with bullies, bad units in gym class, bids for student government, school play humiliation, and more.El Deafo By?Cece BellA bout with meningitis at age 4 leaves Cece with impaired hearing. As she goes off to first grade, she wears the Phonic Ear, a giant hearing aid strapped to her chest. Although she can understand some conversations, she still misses a lot of what's being said by those around her. She wants nothing more than to have a best friend, but can the Phonic Ear provide a way to find one?How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’ConnorJi-so (Lee Re), is an eight-year-old Korean girl living with her mother and younger brother in a van, waiting for the return of the father who abandoned them.? Their desperation and embarrassment prompt Ji-so to come up with elaborate plans to raise money sufficient to buy a home.? She settles on stealing a rich person’s dog for a reward.Jurassic Poop by Jacob Berkowitz and Steve MackLeft by an animal long ago, this durable doo-doo survived the long journey through the ages. It started out stinky, but now it's frozen, dried or turned to rock. To a scientist, it's anything but gross --- it's a priceless artifact that can help piece together the puzzle of ancient life.Funny and informative, Jurassic Poop is flush with amazing facts, stories and activities. Learn how to spot ancient poop imposters. Meet dung detectives getting to the bottom of history's hind-end mysteries. Find out how poop gets preserved and discover what it can tell us about dinosaurs, humans and many other animals from long ago. So hold your nose and take a journey back in time to see what tales ancient poop has to tell.The Seventh Wish by Kate MessnerCharlie feels like she's always coming in last. From her Mom's new job to her sister's life away at college, everything else always seems to be more important than Charlie's upcoming dance competition or science project. Unsure of how to get her family's attention, Charlie comes across the surprise of her life one day while ice-fishing . . . in the form of a floppy, scaly fish offering to grant her a wish in exchange for its freedom.Charlie can't believe her luck until she realizes that this fish has a funny way of granting wishes, despite her best intentions. But when her family faces a challenge bigger than any they've ever experienced, Charlie wonders if some things might be too important to risk on a wish.Who Was Jackie Robinson? By Gail HermanAs a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball. It was tough being first- not only did "fans" send hate mail but some of his own teammates refused to accept him. Here is an inspiring sports biography, with black-and-white illustrations throughout.February 2020A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue ParkA LONG WALK TO WATER is two interlocking stories, taking place in Sudan more than 20 years apart. In the first, 11-year-old Salva?runs into the bush when his village is attacked during the civil war. He spends years walking to overcrowded refugee camps in bordering countries, seeing friends and family die at the hands of armed men as well as from attacks by a lion and crocodiles, wondering if he will ever see his parents or siblings again. In the other story, 11-year-old Nya spends her days collecting water for her family, often making two trips a day to a dirty pond. When strange men arrive in her village, they begin working on a project that could not only change her daily duties but also her life. ?Baseball Genius by Tim Green and Derek JetterAn average kid with an above average talent for predicting baseball pitches tries to help his favorite player out of a slump in this?New York Times?bestselling novel from authors Tim Green and Derek Jeter.Jalen DeLuca loves baseball. Unfortunately his dad can’t afford to keep him on the travel team. His dad runs a diner and makes enough to cover the bills, but there isn’t anything for extras. So Jalen decides to take matters into his own hands and he sneaks into the home of the New York Yankee’s star second baseman, James Yager, and steals a couple of balls from his personal batting cage. He knows that if he can sell them, he’ll be able to keep himself on the team.Captain Underpants by Dav PilkeyTwo silly pranksters use hypnosis to trick their principal into thinking he's the crime-fighting Captain Underpants. Dav Pilkey's wacky black-and-white illustrations on every page create a comic-book feel. The pictures enrich and expand the text, and often contain their own jokes. One whole chapter is a visual pun on "graphic violence." Readers use Flip-O-Rama to animate a cartoon battle by flipping the pages back and forth.Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly HuntAlly has always been good at drawing, but she has a secret: She never quite learned how to read. Instead, she came up with a series of clever stalls and distractions to get out of it. But now, she has a new teacher, Mr. Daniels, more attentive than most, who seems determined to meet her where she is and find an alternate path to learning. But with other kids such as Shay always bullying?and the lifelong shame Ally has felt about what she sees as her shortcomings, she's not sure if it's possible to ever "cure dumb."Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper In OUT OF MY MIND, narrator Melody, born with cerebral palsy, has never been able to communicate to her loving family all the thoughts that run through her mind. The story reveals Melody's inner thoughts and her frustration at not being able to control her body -- she has to have someone feed her and help her go to the bathroom -- despite the fact that she has a photographic memory. Melody reminisces about her childhood and takes us up to fifth grade, when she acquires a machine that helps her communicate better than she ever could before. When she gets on a school team with the "regular" kids that finally allows her to show off her intelligence, Melody thinks she's on the road to being accepted by them -- until she learns the heartbreaking truth that her differences will always set her apart. HYPERLINK "" \o "Pink Is For Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals (The World of Weird Animals)" Pink Is For Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals by?Jess Keating Some people think pink is a pretty color. A fluffy, sparkly, princess-y color. But it's so much more.Sure, pink is the color of princesses and bubblegum, but it's also the color of monster slugs and poisonous insects. Not to mention ultra-intelligent dolphins, naked mole rats and bizarre, bloated blobfish.Isn't it about time to rethink pink?Slip on your rose-colored glasses and take a walk on the wild side with zoologist Jess Keating, author of?How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied, and cartoonist David DeGrand.Wish by Barbara O’ConnerEleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite.But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is, until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.From award-winning author Barbara O'Connor comes a middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places.April 2020Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamilloWhen lonely India Opal Buloni takes home a stray dog she finds at the supermarket, her whole life changes in ways she couldn't have imagined. This soothing, poignant first novel, filled with the atmosphere of a dusty Southern town, is one of the best around.India Opal Buloni has just moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida, with her father, a preacher who "reminded me of a turtle hiding inside its shell." Her mother abandoned them years before, and Opal feels alone and abandoned in her new town.At the supermarket she rescues a stray dog who looks "like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain," and names him Winn-Dixie, after the market. She soon discovers that he is great at making friends, and because of Winn-Dixie, Opal is learning to see beyond people's surfaces.The ex-con who runs the pet shop plays music that mesmerizes animals. A woman rumored to be a witch is just an old lady who is half-blind, but can see with her heart. A pinched-faced girl harbors a tragic secret. And all are soon her friends.Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK RowlingHarry's magical parents were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort when he was just a baby. Miraculously, he survived?with only a lightning-bolt scar as a mysterious reminder. Harry is taken to live with his nasty relatives -- muggles, or non-wizards -- who hide the truth about his parents. Ten miserable years later, he gets a visit from a genial half-giant named Hagrid with an invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the school, Harry makes friends, fights trolls, learns how to play the fantastic aerial school sport, Quidditch, and uncovers a three-headed dog that guards a secret. Meanwhile, he must contend with Professor Snape, who hates him, and Draco Malfoy, a bratty student. When a mystery arises about the Sorcerer's Stone, which is supposed to possess the powers of immortality, Harry discovers that Voldemort is trying to steal it so he can regain his powers.Roller Girl by Victoria JamiesonIn the summer between fifth and sixth grades, Astrid's mother takes her and her best friend, Nicole, to see a roller-derby bout. Astrid is immediately fascinated by the strong, powerful athletes and their amazing moves on skates. When she discovers that the league offers a day camp for girls her age, Astrid immediately knows she wants to spend the summer as a ROLLER GIRL. But Nicole doesn't quite get it. Lately she's been more interested in boys, clothes, and her new snobby friend from ballet, Rachel. As Astrid deals with the pressure of training for her first bout in front of an audience, she and Nicole seem to be drifting in opposite directions. Is it time for them to go their separate ways, or can this lifelong friendship be saved?Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorWhen Marty hides a beagle from Judd Travers, the meanest man around, he thinks he's protecting the dog from abuse. But it means lying to his parents and sneaking around. Worse, Shiloh ends up in more danger than ever. Nothing is simple in this taut, unforgettable drama.The Crossover by Kwame AlexanderJosh and his twin brother, JB, are inseparable, on and off the court. With the support of their father, a famous basketball player, they're poised to have a great season, maybe even win the championship for their junior high. Then things start to change. JB starts to spend more time with girls than with Josh, their dad is hiding a health issue that could change all of their lives, and Josh begins to lose his way. One big mistake, and he's suspended from the team, estranged from his brother, and wondering how much time he has left with the brightest star in his world: his father.Wishtree by Katherine ApplegateWISHTREE is narrated by a stately oak tree, Red, which keeps watch over a community of modest homes and diverse families. Red's seen a lot in the 216 years it's been alive and is now inhabited by a host of animal families, whom we hear conversing. Red is nicknamed "the wishtree" because once a year, people come and tie wishes to its branches, including young Samar, who often visits Red?and wishes she had a friend. Conflict is stirred when a strange boy carves the word "LEAVE" into the tree bark, targeting Samar's Muslim family. Also, the woman who owns the property threatens to cut down Red, since the tree's roots are interfering with the plumbing. Will the neighbors?support Samar and her family? Will Samar make?a friend? Can?Red be spared? ................
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