Life Skills For Kids

Twelve-year-old Charlie Nebraska wants two things he can't get: to make the local baseball team and to have life return to the way it was before his father died two years earlier in the Korean War. When Charlie meets Luther Peale, a stranger who quietly and mysteriously arrives in Charlie's small Iowa town, the two strike up a friendship. Luther is a former Negro Baseball League player, and he agrees to coach Charlie's fledgling neighborhood baseball team. But many of the town's white residents are suspicious of Luther because of his skin color.

Parker Nelson can’t wait for summer camp. She’ll have fun and make amazing memories, far away from the bullies who made seventh grade unbearable. But then something terrible happens: The mean girl who made life a living nightmare is in Parker’s cabin. Soon all the other girls turn on Parker, too—no one wants to be her friend. Except Jenny. Jenny’s the only one who is willing to listen. The only one who understands. The only one who feels the same way Parker does: that there's a deep, dark secret to making friends and she’s the only one who doesn't know it.

For all parents, caretakers, teachers and mentors of young black girls, Positive Affirmations for Young Melanated Queens, Volume 2 is a collection of 50 empowering and confidence-boosting statements for them to listen and repeat out loud or by writing them down. These emboldening statements give young black girls tools to take charge of their mindset and, through repetition, feel the truth in these words. Words that celebrate their skin, hair, potential, brilliance, compassion, and leadership.

David Aguilar was born missing part of one arm, a small detail that seemed to define his life and limit people’s ideas of who he was and who he could be. But in this funny and heartfelt memoir, David proves that he can throw out the rulebook and people’s expectations and maybe even make a difference in the world—and all with a sense of humor.

Meet Whisper, Frannie, Sophie, Gemma, and Zuzu, five friends who tell eerie tales by night and navigate middle school drama by day. In Misery Falls, Oregon, it is the 100th anniversary of the electrocution of the town’s most infamous killer, Silas Hoke, and the town is abuzz. When a mysterious text message leads the girls to the cemetery—where Silas Hoke is buried!—life can’t get any creepier. Except, yes, it can, thanks to the surprise storyteller who meets them at the cemetery.

Clover O'Reilly is super psyched to run for class president. As the second oldest of five sisters, she struggles to be heard in her ginormous family. But when you are president of the seventh grade, everyone has listen to you! Comedy magician Mike the Unusual feels confident onstage. Offstage, life can be tricky. It's okay that his classmates don't understand him, but it bugs him when his dad suggests he needs more friends. Is he willing to give up his passion to win friends...and votes? Clover and Mike compete to rule their school in this uproariously funny sequel.

Cody Parker may be overweight (he prefers the word "burly"), but he plays third base like a dream. Too bad no one knows it yet, because he’s new to Baltimore, where he’s a target - okay, a big target - for brutal teasing. Even worse, he’s competing for the starting job on the Orioles of the Dulaney Babe Ruth League against budding hoodlum Dante Rizzo, who vows to squeeze Cody’s head like a grape if Cody beats him out. Life gets even more complicated when York Middle School is beset by a rash of mysterious thefts, a crime wave that threatens to sideline Cody....

September, 1939. When Jimmy is evacuated to a small village in Wales, it couldn’t be more different from London. Green, quiet and full of strangers, he instantly feels out of place. But then he finds a skull hidden in a tree, and suddenly the valley is more frightening than the war. Who can Jimmy trust? His brother is too little; his best friend has changed. Finding an ally in someone he never expects, they set out together to uncover the secrets that lie with the skull. What they discover will change Jimmy - and the village - forever.

In this fun, relatable, and inspiring story, Amber and her sisters, Ashton and Ansley, head to Christian summer camp at Camp Caracara. With high hopes, the twins meet their cabinmates Gio - an old friend from back home in Texas - and Maxine, a new friend with some challenges to overcome. Amber will have to work hard to practice kindness and patience as she handles teasing from her own sisters and her old and new friends while navigating camp.

In this fun, relatable, and inspirational story, Ansley and her family move to a new city to seek a fresh start after the death of their mother. Once there, Ansley finds comfort in things she loves - family, friends, gymnastics, and most of all baking! She even gets the chance to enter a bake-off at the fair. But her dreams of taking home the trophy and being on TV are threatened by strong competition: Taylor, a mean girl from her new school.

Billy is an ordinary boy from an ordinary family, but when something unusual happens to him, he becomes quite extraordinary. He finds that he has incredible abilities that take him on a journey all the way to the Olympic Games. The listener is on the edge of their seat, every step of the way, to find out what happens.

Something fishy is going on in Crooked Creek Woods. Does it have anything to do with the weird lights coming from Ruthie’s neighbor’s yard? Or are the kids’ imaginations running away with them? After all, Jack and Ellison have been hard at work writing a mystery. The Tree Street Kids decide to investigate. Not only do they discover what’s been hidden for centuries in the woods, they also learn about placing their trust in the adults who love and care for them...but not before placing themselves in peril.

If getting tackled is the best way to make new friends, that’s okay with Jack. After all, starting fifth grade at a new school is even rougher than peewee football. But how can he join the Lions and help Ellison build the Most Epic Bookmobile Bike Ever? Jack devises the perfect game plan—until he fumbles it with the most epic bike crash ever and a game day disaster.

The year is 2068. Scientists at Space Command must learn how children manage in space without adults. They advertise for a leader for the first-ever child-only mission. Sophie Williams struggles to fit in at her new secondary school. She misses her dad and would do anything to make him proud. The Space Command advert sends shivers down her spine. Maybe this is her chance. The selection process pushes Sophie to her limits, but eventually, she finds herself strapped into the enormous spaceship and leading her team on a journey of discovery.

Suitable for children age 12+, this audiobook contains relatable and practical examples of typical decisions kids encounter, with helpful tips and strategies for making good choices, including social decisions, problem solving, peer pressure, ethical choices, and impulsive decision-making.

Niya Moto is the only one-legged samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. None of the samurai schools will teach crippled Niya, until an offer arrives from the legendary samurai warrior Ki-Yaga, sensei of the Cockroach Ryu. Niya and the other Cockroaches must defeat the fierce samurai students from the Dragon Ryu at the Samurai Trainee Games. Though they seem to be at a terrible disadvantage, it’s not long before they learn that if they stick together, there is no journey that they cannot complete, no fear that they cannot face....

Across the valley, a drumbeat echoes. For ten days, the drum will call the mountain ryus to war, including the samurai kids from the Cockroach Ryu. Only Japan’s feudal emperor can stop the war, so Niya and Sensei Ki-Yaga set off on a grueling journey with all the Cockroaches, whose firm friendship and unusual skills must be put to the test in order to beg the Emperor to maintain peace. Sensei Ki-Yaga is respected and wise, but unfortunately, the last time he encountered the Emperor, the Emperor threatened to cut off his head.

There's no one more blunt, more opinionated, or more outspoken than the average teen. Except, of course, Bill O'Reilly, veteran star journalist, anchor of the most watched cable news program on TV, New York Times best-selling author, husband, father of two, and former teacher.

Shermy is excited to start second grade. He has styled his hair with gel. He is making friends with the kids who play soccer at recess. And he’s being a good helper to his new teacher, Mr. Craig, who often loses track of things. When his out-of-town friend, Shake, shows up, things seem to be going even better! That is, until Shermy realizes that Shake is stealing the spotlight. But Shake’s mom and stepdad are looking to buy a house in Shermy’s neighborhood, which means these two long-distance friends will now be no-distance friends.

Jamaican breezes are calling, and one hardworking BSG definitely deserves a getaway! But Katani's Caribbean dream trip may not be all soft sand and warm surf. When Grandma Ruby learns that the family's famous banana bread bakery is in serious danger, Katani's business savvy is put to the ultimate test. Spooky stories, dolphins, horseback rides on the beach, a mysterious old lady, and a lost heirloom add up to plenty of colorful island adventure for Katani and her family.