Child Friendship

Meet Ricky Ricotta, a little mouse with a big problem! Ricky Ricotta lives in Squeakyville with his mom and dad. Ricky has a hard time making friends at school, and the neighborhood bullies are always picking on him. If only Ricky could find someone to be his best buddy and keep those creepy bullies away! Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a mad scientist named Dr. Stinky McNasty has created a mighty robot who is as gentle as he is powerful. Dr. Stinky plans to make the robot destroy Squeakyville, but there's one little thing in his way: Ricky Ricotta!

Dead if he loses - damned if he wins. The time has finally come for Darren to face his arch enemy, Steve Leopard, and fight for control of the night. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows …and destroy the world.

Carl and his 15-year-old cousin stumble into a clearing to find the small tarpaper shack with the smoke coming out of the chimney. It may belong to a trapper. Or it could belong to a woodsy - a man who live in the woods because he can’t be with other people. But with night advancing quickly, the boys know they must find shelter from the coming storm - and fast. And that’s how they first meet the Foxman, a strange recluse with a face hideously deformed by a wartime injury. While Carl is just as glad to leave the shack after the storm, his cousin feels strangely drawn to the Foxman.

With winter break almost over and seventh grade spinning beyond their control, best friends Kaylan and Ari write a new list of 13 resolutions to make the New Year, middle school, and their friendship even more amazing before they go to separate camps next summer. But what happens when their bestie bucket list reveals issues in their friend group? Can they want totally different things and still be BFFs?

Esther is a middle child, in her own mind a pale reflection of siblings who are bright, shining stars. She’s content to go back to school, do her best, hang out with her friends, and let others take care of things. But her best friends aren’t at school when she gets there. Why didn’t they tell her they wouldn’t be coming back? But stuff like that happens. And it’s bad luck that her new teacher makes Esther the butt of all kinds of jokes. Mrs. Pollock is rumored to be an ogre - and maybe she is one. Could be. Then things go from unfortunate to outright dangerous.

Ridley Larsen is everything you want in a friend. She's tough as nails, she's fiercely loyal, and she's smart as a whip. But she can be a harsh critic, which has put her position with the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even as the threat of the group's longtime enemy Kalagan looms large. Ever since his recent appearance in Mineral Wells, the kids know that a showdown with the vicious magician is imminent.

Greg Rich should feel invincible. After all, he’s traveled through time, become one of the legendary Musketeers, and - most recently - prevented the Spanish army from attacking Paris. Instead, he and his friends are languishing in prison, having fallen into a trap set by Milady and the prince of Condé. But Greg didn’t come to the 17th century to sit in a jail cell and await execution. He, Aramis, Athos, and Porthos need to get to King Louis, who is in immediate danger of being overthrown by the scheming prince.

As the election for Grand Keeper looms closer, the villainous Audrian Keyes returns. He claims he has the secret to finding Navrashtya, the Legendary Beast of the Tundra who’s been missing for centuries. And so a team of specialized Lore Keepers must undertake a desperate mission: find her first, no matter the cost. But the uncharted regions of the Tundra hold countless dangers, from the monstrous Beasts to the brutal cold, yet far more chilling mysteries await them out on the ice caps. Like why Navrashtya went missing in the first place.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has purely obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush.

Stoneybrook has gone star-crazy! Derek Masters, an eight-year-old regular on a hit TV sitcom, has moved to town. Everyone's wondering what a real-live TV star will be like - will he drive to school in a limo? Jessi can't believe it, but even stars need baby-sitters, and she's the lucky club member to watch Derek Masters. Even though a lot of kids at school call Derek a spoiled brat, Jessi likes him immediately. He rides bikes and eats junk food like a normal kid, but he has exciting stories about Hollywood, too! Maybe Jessi would like to be a star, too!

In one of the strongest Babysitters Club books ever, the club must deal with a client who is abusive toward his children. Ann M. Martin addresses a difficult and important topic in her characteristic sensitive and informed style.

The hunters have become the hunted. Outnumbered, outsmarted, and desperate, the hunters are on the run, pursued by the vampaneze, the police, and an angry mob. With their enemies clamoring for blood, the vampires prepare for a deadly battle. Is this the end for Darren and his allies? This third and final installment in the Hunters trilogy finds Darren and his friends facing their longest night and most testing challenge yet.

When twin classmates are abducted from Bolton Prep, Tory and the Virals decide there’s no one better equipped than them to investigate. But the gang has other problems to face. Their powers are growing wilder, and becoming harder to control. Chance Claybourne is investigating the disastrous medical experiment that twisted their DNA. The bonds that unite them are weakening, threatening the future of the pack itself. The Virals must decipher the clues and track down a ruthless criminal before he strikes again, all while protecting their secret from prying eyes.

In 1863 the Civil War is raging throughout the country. Eleven-year-old Henry has been on the sidelines so far - but the events of a hot July week in Pennsylvania are about to change his life forever. Does he have what it takes to survive the Battle of Gettysburg?

It’s almost time for school to start again, and Nikki is a little worried—but, as always, she has her BFFS to help. Only, it turns out her friends need Nikki’s help. Nikki quickly gets overwhelmed and even starts feeling sick…which is when her little sister, Brianna, takes her chance to steal Nikki’s diary! How much damage can Brianna do before Nikki is back on her feet?

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

Glitches are appearing across the Minecraft server. Blocks are flickering unexpectedly and randomly disappearing. To make matters worse, villagers are claiming that their entire villages have mysteriously vanished, and they desperately need Gameknight999's help. What's causing the server to overload and glitch, and where have all the NPCs gone? The User-that-is-not-a-user suspects the two questions are related, and that somehow Herobrine's henchmen are responsible.

Naomi loves being a Glitter Dragon Girl. She can fly above treetops and roar glittery bursts of magic. Best of all, she and the other Glitter Dragons are keeping their beloved Magic Forest safe from the Shadow Sprites. But all is not as it seems in this special place. The Shadow Sprites' power is growing. . . and they may not be alone. Naomi must harness all the dragon magic she's learned to lead the Glitter Dragon Girls against this new threat.

Kristy finds herself in the middle of trouble between her friend and fellow baby-sitter, Shannon, and Shannon's two younger sisters, Tiffany and Maria. Kristy wants to help the sisters smooth out their problems, so that everyone will be happy.

It Had to Be You unveils the secrets behind the hot and sultry summer that a love triangle begins, why Serena really fled for boarding school, and how the legendary Gossip Girl column began.The prequel will undo some of the myths created in the eleven previous novels, so don't believe everything you've read thus far. After all, this is Gossip Girl.