Kids Library

In 1692, a few paranoid Puritans accused their neighbors of being witches sending the town flying off the (broomstick) handle. Before it was all over, dozens of women in Salem, Massachusetts were executed—burned at the stake. RIGHT? WRONG! There was some serious witch worry, but no one in the United States was put on a pyre (though the truth isn't much better). And women weren’t the only ones caught in crossfire…maybe don’t tell your dog about this one.

When fifth grader Penny Lowry and her classmates get invited to go to New York City for a weekend hosted by Billy J. Plumberry, the famous author her school is named for, Penny finds a lot to worry about. After all, isn't the city full of aggressive bike messengers ready to run kids over? And what if she gets stuck in an elevator for life? Not to mention all the pianos falling out of windows everywhere! On the other hand, what if it might actually be fun to explore an exciting new place with some of her best friends?

Bear can't wait to go to her first day of school. But she and a few of her friends are also feeling a little anxious. Luckily, Owl has the perfect words for them all to say to calm the jitters and help them recognize the similarities we share under the trappings of our uniqueness.

With their trip to Kroon behind them, Mateo, Tina, Booker, and Jennica are back on Earth, Elvis the dog is no longer missing, and all is safe and sound...right? Wrong! Hot on their tails are Grunthar and his motley alien crew. NoWay and Clorox have made their way to Earth, too, ready to help the kids against whatever Grunthar is planning. Tina is determined to be the hero this time, but will she be able to figure out what the alien inventor is up to before it’s too late?

It’s another ordinary Friday night in the suburbs for the Garcia-Jackson family: Mateo and Valentina’s favorite show is on TV. Mateo’s best friend, Booker, is over. And their babysitter, Jennica, is definitely keeping an eye on them and not playing with her phone. But when Elvis, the family’s dog, bolts out of the house, barking uncontrollably at someone—or something—in the backyard, the kids go investigate…only to watch Elvis disappear through a mysterious portal!

Zoe is back in Ambler after living with her mom in Los Angeles, and she doesn't know what to feel about it. It's fun to be back with the Vet Volunteers, but Zoe misses her mom, who is filming a movie in Canada. Meanwhile, there seems to be a rash of animals being poisoned by antifreeze across the town, and Zoe fears that David's new adopted cat, Rover, might be one of them. So the gang works to raise awareness about antifreeze poisoning, and Zoe's mom has a special surprise in store for everyone.

Humans live longer now than they ever have in their more than three hundred thousand years of existence on earth. And most (if not all) of the advances that have permitted the human lifespan to double have happened in living memory. Extra Life looks at vaccines, seat belts, pesticides, and more, and how each of our scientific advancements have prolonged human life.

The kids of Cooperstown made it to the World Series! Technically, Mike and Kate are just there to support their friend, Colin, and his teammates as they play for the championship. But the competition gets tricky when someone starts trying to sabotage Cooperstown's team - they punch holes in the tires of their bus, and the team's equipment goes missing! Can Mike and Kate find the trickster before it's too late? Or will these shenanigans cost Cooperstown the series?

Thar she blows! Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are on an Alaskan whale watching adventure. On their first day, they see a mother orca and her calf. But the next day, the baby orca is missing! The calf needs its mother’s milk. Can the kids solve this whale of a mystery?

Two food trucks staffed by sworn enemies: ducks vs. geese. Before you can say "curly fries", these two rivals are in an epic food truck face-off. "Battle on! At dawn, we ride!" But soon, Goose becomes overwhelmed by hangry crowds. He sure could use some extra wings to help out! Will these foes find a solution and become feathered friends?

Most things are easy-peasy, regular-pegular for Bibsy Cross. She loves her parents, her cat, her best friend, Natia. She loves school and the library. And she loves to lend a helping hand. For their class project, Bibsy and her group must create a self-sustaining pickle-jar terrarium. That means the plants and bugs will live in a harmonious balance. But when things go a little off-kilter in the pickle jar, will Bibsy's instinct to help out truly do good?

Pizza and Taco are serving up more awesomeness with a cool new club! They can't wait to talk about all their favorite interests...including making comic books. Lots of people signed up, so they know it's going to be popular! Then why does everyone go to Cheeseburger's video game club instead?! Pizza and Taco have no choice but to check it out. They just might learn that kids want to make comics just as much as they want to play video games!

Susan the duck has the worst luck. Her rollerskates are two sizes too big. She's lost her favorite marble. And she's run out of pickles. But with each unfortunate discovery, Wolf shows up with a gift she's won. Her luck has turned around . . . hasn't it? Come see just how lucky Susan is, in this slyly funny story about finding luck when you least expect it.

Tomie has his own diary with a lock and a key—now he can write down all his secrets and no one will be able to read them. All through the year, exciting things happen and Tomie writes about them in his diary. Sledding down the steep hill on his new Junior Flexible Flyer, being a pirate in the dance recital, and starting second grade with real art lessons at last! Then one Sunday morning Tomie's family hears news on the radio that changes everything. Master storyteller Tomie dePaola takes us back to 1941 and lets us experience what life was like growing up in the dePaola household.

When Leda wakes up by falling out of bed, she knows that gravity is in a very bad mood. Again. Sure enough, she struggles with stumbles and bumbles at home, trips and blips on the bus, and bashes and crashes in the classroom. But a lesson on gravity helps her understand what’s really going on. And after a visit to a science center, Leda's mood is lifted...just in time for her to tumble—happily!—into bed. With a very funny text from award-winner Wendelin Van Draanen, Gravity is Bringing Me Down makes it hilariously clear how this science concept impacts kids' lives every day.

Laila knows how clever, kind, and funny her Mama and Baba are—but sometimes they need her help translating things from English. With English classes being too expensive, Laila decides to become her parents’ teacher, even though she’s just learning the language too. There’s lots that Laila knows (like you don’t pronounce the t in ballet) but there’s so much she doesn’t know too. Together, they embrace the joy and struggles of learning a new language.

Rockhopper penguin Freya has always craved - and feared - adventure. When she hears about Captain Salomon August Andrée's hot-air balloon expedition to the North Pole, Freya packs her copy of Hints to Lady Travellers and hops on board. Only moments after leaving land, Freya discovers a fellow stowaway! Meet Zoose, the scrappy, uncouth mouse whose endless wisecracks and despicable manners make him a less-than-ideal travel companion. When the hot-air balloon is forced to land in the Arctic, these polar opposites must learn how to get along. Their very survival depends on it.

When Eleanor Roosevelt time travels to Nolan and Olive's house in modern-day Illinois, the kids don't know who she is at first. After all, she's old and wearing a hairnet. But the First Lady of the United States - some 80 years ago, that is - isn't a mystery for long when she starts spouting things like, "You must do the things you think you cannot do." Fresh off a visit from Ben Franklin, Nolan and Olive know what they're in for with this latest guest: an adventure.

It’s picture day at school! Lots of people are dressed up, and Bea is even wearing a fluffy dress, which she’s not exactly excited about. When she tells Buddy that he should take his glasses off for the photo, he listens. Everything will be blurry without them, but he decides he won’t take them off for long. Except then his glasses go missing. Are they lost? Did someone take them? Bea volunteers to help track them down, though her “help” isn’t always helpful.

French bulldog Billy the Kid was born with an ear for music. And not just any music. He loves barking to the beat of country music! So Billy sets out to Nashville to sing his heart out. But when he meets some big bullies at the Battle of the Bow-wows, Billy worries he's barking up the wrong tree. He'll need his favorite songs ("Jowlene" and "I Will Pawlways Love You," of course), a group of scrappy new friends, and his favorite country music star to regain self-confidence and be the star he always knew he could be.