Orphans Home

A brilliant puzzle of a book from the author of Chime and The Folk Keeper plunges us into the vulnerable psyche of one of the most memorable unreliable narrators in decades. The Robber Girl has a good dagger. Its voice in her head is as sharp as its two edges that taper down to a point. Today, the Robber Girl and her dagger will ride with Gentleman Jack into the Indigo Heart to claim the gold that’s rightfully his. But instead of gold, the Robber Girl finds a dollhouse cottage with doorknobs the size of apple seeds.

When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you: a) run, b) faint, c) say yes! For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C - that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula 'Royal Rouge', she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services.

The author uses his well-known style to ask young listeners serious questions that sharpen their critical thinking skills and lead to real understanding of complex issues. What Is a Family? tackles difficult questions regarding the fast-changing face of contemporary families. Values of an ideal family and the problems that occur in real families are all open for discussion.

Gruhit Brown’s life is a whirlwind of events. He and his two older siblings don’t currently live with their mom and have just moved into their eighth foster home. As if there wasn’t enough on his plate with getting used to the routine in his new foster parents’ big blue house, Gruhit also has to navigate a new school complete with a class bully and other children who don’t have the same color of skin as him.