Young Kid Fiction

Funny Business is based around the theme of - what else - humor, and if you’re familiar with Jon and Guys Read, you already know what you’re in store for: an hilarious story.

Everyone in Peter Powers' family has super awesome superpowers. His dad controls fire with his mind, and his mom can fly. His big brother makes copies of himself, and his little sister is super-strong. And his baby brother even turns invisible! But all Peter can do is - this is really embarrassing - make ice cubes with his fingertips. That's why Peter's been working hard to improve his ice talents and is more powerful than ever. But when a group of sky pirates come to town, they steal everyone's abilities - including Peter's.

When a vicious murder rocks the Guilder Boarding School, Aria and her friends find themselves on shaky ground. When everyone has motive, everyone's a suspect. And thanks to a public brawl with the victim, Aria Wardell was seen to have more motive than most. While fending off accusations from both the students and the faculty alike, Aria struggles to find balance in her life amidst the shocking development of some new powers.

When the news hits that E.T.: The Musical wasn’t nominated for a single Tony Award - not one! - the show closes, leaving Nate both out of luck and out of a job. And while Nate’s cast mates are eager to move on, Nate knows it’s back to square one, also known as Jankburg, Pennsylvania. Where horror (read: high school) awaits. Desperate to turn his life from flop to fabulous, Nate takes on a huge freshman English project with his BFF, Libby: He’s going to make a musical out of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. What could possibly go...right?

Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He started out life so far behind the pack that the finish line seems nearly unreachable. He's a white boy living and playing in a world where he doesn't seem to belong. But Sticky can ball. And basketball might just be his ticket out, if he can only realize that he doesn't have to be the person everyone else expects him to be.

Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit neatly into her predefined categories. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday. Ellen only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, to help navigate social situations at their private Georgia middle school. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends and cancelling more weekend plans with Ellen than she keeps.

Shakespeare for Kids adapts and abridges Shakespeare's classic plays presenting them in shorter versions in plain English, in this case our abridged adaptation of The Merchant of Venice runs just under 20 minutes. Short enough to retain the interest of a younger audience. The Merchant Of Venice is considered a romantic comedy, though has its share of dramatic scenes. A young nobleman wishes to borrow money to spend on a wealthy heiress, but falls foul of an unethical moneylender.

When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch. With the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman.

Aidan Thomas is miserable. And it's much more than the strange nightmares he's been having. Just when life seemed to be coming together for Aidan, his parents suddenly move the family across the country to take care of his wheelchair-bound grandfather. When strange events begin to occur, Aidan is drawn into his grandfather's basement where he discovers three ancient scrolls and an invitation to another world. No longer confined to the realm of his own imagination, Aidan embarks on an adventure where he joins them in the struggle between good and evil.

Stories from the old neighborhood, from when we were children back in the '60s. These were our growing-up years. Childhood was simple; all we had to do was follow a few rules and keep out of trouble...well okay, that may have been asking too much.

Amelia Bedelia is sure she will love everything about Valentine's Day: The sweet surprises, cards to give and receive, a party at school, and a big, long family hug. Amelia Bedelia can't wait. What could be better? Hooray for Valentine's Day!

Millions of Africans were enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade, but few recorded their personal experiences. Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is perhaps the most well known of the autobiographies that exist. Using this narrative as a primary source text, authors Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge share Equiano's life story in "found verse," supplemented with annotations to give listeners historical context.

Turn back the clocks! Your sweet child has morphed into a teen. And it's no longer just a messy bedroom or an attitude with a capital "A" causing concern. There's a whole new range of issues on the horizon. What if your daughter texts a naked picture to a "boyfriend" ...which he then forwards to the entire class? What if your son becomes increasingly withdrawn...Or your child is being bullied online? Would you know what to do? You could read a whole book on teen psychology - but who has the time!

Walking corpses, dancing bones, knife-wielding madmen, and narrow escapes from death - they're all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories, collected and retold by folklorist Alvin Schwartz. Brought to spine-tingling, flesh-crawling life by acclaimed Broadway actor (and master ghoul) George S. Irving, these horrific tales are guaranteed to raise goosebumps. Let the faint of heart beware.

Olive Little loves making things ... but she’s still working out how to make friends. After she spies some other kids checking out crafting books from the school library, Olive gets a brilliant idea: She’ll start a crafting club! With a super-extraordinarily crafty invitation, everyone will surely want to join Olive's new club. And she knows just the invitation to make. All she needs is a perfect poem, some colorful confetti, a dozen eggshells, and some crafty know-how. Easy peasy! Until Olive discovers a local skunk has made its home in her family’s backyard henhouse!

When the 13th Classroom is struck by purple lightning, something strange happens - all of the students get superpowers! You might think this was superb, but it was not. (It was sorta silly.) With great gifts comes wild weather, giant roaches, atomic farts, and other tricky troubles. As the students of Classroom 13 are about to learn, getting superpowers is not always super.

The Sugar Creek Gang's school gets a new teacher - a man. And that spells trouble. When their old teacher shows up to surprise them with a midday sleigh ride, things start looking up for the boys - until Bill Collins throws a snowball that accidently hits Mr. Black, the new teacher. Learn the importance of self-sacrifice as Little Jim offers to take Bill's punishment, even though he doesn't deserve it.

Now on the run, Eva is desperate for answers about her transformation and her true heritage. Along with Aketo, a small contingent of guards, and the sister she could not kill, Eva flees Ternain in hopes of finding friends and allies to the north - not to mention Baccha - to help her decide what to do next. Princess Isa is a difficult, unremorseful captive, and Eva knows better than to trust her sister, but she wants to. Despite their history, Eva is convinced that to survive the growing unrest in the queendom, she and her sister must make peace.

Puberty is one of the first signs that you’re growing up - and that’s something to be celebrated. If you’re looking for body-positive puberty books for girls but aren’t sure where to start - Celebrate Your Body 2 provides the support needed to navigate this whole puberty thing with confidence. From bras and braces to budding romantic feelings, this guide stands out among puberty books for girls as you become an expert on everything from pimples to peer pressure.

Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco have a story to tell. It begins with the death of Vic's father. It ends with the murder of Mad's uncle. The Hackensack Police Department would very much like to hear it. But in order to tell their story, Vic and Mad must focus on all the chapters in between.