Friendship First

Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion.

Allie Velasco wants to be a trailblazer. A trendsetter. A winner. Everyone in her family is special in some way—her younger sister is a rising TV star; her brother is a soccer prodigy; her great-grandfather is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. With a family like this, Allie knows she has to make her mark or risk being left behind. When a prestigious school contest is announced, Allie has the perfect opportunity. There's just one small snag: her biggest competition is also her ex-best friend, Sara. Can Allie take top prize and win back a friend, or is she destined to lose it all?

Sal has been looking forward to first grade for a long time. But her excitement quickly turns to disappointment when she learns that her best friend, Griff, is in the other first-grade classroom and has the most popular teacher. Then Sal’s name is spelled wrong on her name tag, she trips in front of the cool fifth graders, and her self-portrait doesn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. In fact, everything about school is an absolute disaster. Poor Sal!

Nell and Charlie feel a spark when they meet by chance in a café. But they don’t trade numbers, or surnames, so there’s no way they’ll meet again. But the next day, Nell’s phone rings at work. Somehow, impossibly, Charlie is on the other end. And he needs her help. Nell is about to save a life, fall in love...and risk everything for a perfect stranger.

From high up in the sky, the Moon has spent her whole life watching Earth and hoping for someone to visit. Dinosaurs roam, pyramids are built, and boats are made, but still, no one comes. Will friends ever come to visit her? One day a spaceship soars from Earth...and so does her heart.

When Danny Constantino asks his old-friend-turned-Hollywood-movie-star, Natalie Flores Griffin, to his local school dance and homecoming parade, she surprises him...by saying yes! Unfortunately, now everyone in Cuper Cove has something to say about Danny's love life - especially since Natalie is the hometown hero. Throw in herds of TV reporters and NFG groupies, his mom using Natalie's arrival for free publicity, and a pep rally gone horribly, horribly awry, and Danny's left absolutely clueless in this new world of crushes and becoming (kind of) famous.

Oh. No. This can't be happening. Me and Sean Reed? Trust Partners for the entire counselors-in-training program? Sean may have deep blue eyes that make my heart flutter whenever he looks at me, but he's always been a troublemaker. Being thrown together all summer? That is so not going to work. Even if he does have a really, really nice smile. Trust me on this.

Italy, the mid-90s. Fifteen-year-old bookish tomboy Leda is dating the bad boy of her dreams. Is it love? Is she ready for her first time? Leda discovers at her own expense that life is not a fairy tale and she finds her own way to make sense of darkness, love, and friendship. Authentic, emotional, and gripping, this novel denounces the hypocrisy of a society that would rather see pregnant teens than having an honest conversation about sex.

No hay atajos para navegar el primer día de clases en una nueva escuela – no se arregla con cinta gafer como lo harías con tu par de tenis Chuck Taylor. La adolecente Malú, (María Luisa, si quieres irritarla), logra molestar a la chica mandamás de Posada Middle School, romper el código de vestimenta con su vestido punk rock, y decepcionar a su madre, quien es profesora universitaria. Y todo esto en su primer día de escuela intermedia. Su padre, quien ahora vive a miles de millas de distancia, le dice que las cosas mejorarán siempre y cuando nunca olvide la primera regla del punk: ser tú mismo.

Historians still agree about the date of Columbus' voyage. But did this European adventurer discover America? We now know that certain explorers from other parts of the globe set foot on American shores long before 1492: and that others may have done so. And "discovery" takes on a different meaning when the new land already has people living in it.

Amelia Albright dreams about going to Florida for spring break like everyone else in her class, but her father - a cranky and stubborn English professor - has decided Florida is too much adventure. Now, Amelia is stuck at home. The week ahead promises to be boring, until Amelia meets Casey at her neighborhood art studio. Amelia has never been friends with a boy before, and the experience is both fraught and thrilling. When Casey claims to see the spirit of Amelia’s mother (who died 10 years before), the pair embarks on an altogether different journey in their attempt to find her.

Told from the perspective of a student, The New Kid Welcome (or Welcome the New Kid when flipped) presents listeners with two versions of what happens when a "new kid" joins the protagonist's school. In the first half of the book, the student tells us that they don’t want to be nice to the new kid or welcome them into their group simply because they seem different. In the second half, the same lines of the story are placed in reverse order. When heard this way, the student encourages us to say hello to someone new, saying they will share their table and snacks.

Mya is a bright little girl. She loves to learn and explore, but most of all, she loves meeting new friends. Could the school be the place for her? Follow Mya as she discovers what it's like to be a preschooler.

It’s Kiki’s first day of school, and she’s ready to go! Her backpack is full, and she’s picked the perfect bow to wear. Even better? Her brothers, Nicky and Ricky, are going to be with her all day! But wait a minute—why are Nicky and Ricky going to another classroom? Kiki’s excitement rapidly turns to nerves, but as her different classmates begin to share their favorite things, Kiki learns that as long as she’s herself, she can always make new friends.

Miles has been waiting forever to be part of a city-wide science competition. Now his dream is finally coming true, and he's even part of an all-star team that includes his good friend, Jada. He should be in his element, so he can't seem to figure out why he feels like the weak link instead. While everyone else is rocking the project, Miles keeps messing up, and the team bickers and loses momentum. Miles is filled with self-doubt, and he has to wonder: Is he really a whiz at science, or is he actually a flop?

Noi and his father live in a house by the sea, his father works hard as a fisherman and Noi often has only their six cats for company. So when, one day, he finds a baby whale washed up on the beach after a storm, Noi is excited and takes it home to care for it. He tries to keep his new friend a secret, but there's only so long you can keep a whale in the bath without your dad finding out. Noi is eventually persuaded that the whale has to go back to the sea where it belongs.

Victor Spoil realizes he's not cut out for life as a supervillain and instead decides to be...a librarian. Little does he know that librarians are a kick-butt secret society who will stop at nothing to control - and shush - the world!

Katie's best friend Jeremy and the other boys from Class 3A have decided that all girls have cooties. But when Katie finds herself in one of Jeremy's shoes (literally), she tries to reunite the boys and the girls. Will Katie's plan work? Or will it just be one big mess?

As Christmas approaches, most of the toys in the toyshop are excited to be going to new homes. But Bunny, the littlest one, is worried. He can't imagine life outside the shop or without his best friend, the sailor doll. When Bunny is selected as a present to be given away at a Boxing Day party, he hopes desperately to go to kind children. Luckily, a happy surprise is in store for him!

Making friends the first day at school a great experience. Young children often experience fear or anxiety about going to school for the first time. Many experience anxiety when starting a new class, even though they may have gone to school before. Although these fears may appear small and transitory to parents and other adults, they could be very real to the young children who experience them. These fears could sometime masquerade as stomach aches and headaches and can prevent the appropriate adjustment of young children to the school environment.