Ashley Reads

The Candymakers

2012-01-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

By Wendy Mass

Four twelve-year-olds, including the candymaker's son, Logan, are selected as contestants in the Confectionary Association's candymaker contest. Each contestant tries to create the tastiest candy in the competition. Told from different viewpoints, the reader gets to know each of the four characters, as well as their secrets. Spies, espionage, adventure, tales of the afterlife and much more, eventually leads them into the sweetest success of all, friendship.

Too Much Kissing

2011-11-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Set to the tune of well known songs, the poems in this hysterical poetry book about parents will keep the reader begging for more. From the creators of Take Me Out of the Bathtub, readers will enjoy funny verses about parents on cell phones, crazy kids' schedules, rushing through bedtime, watching parents exercise, and of course kissing parents! Reading them or singing them, will definately bring a smile to your face.

Spot the Plot

2010-09-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

By J. Patrick Lewis

An illustrated collection of thirteen poems, each of which poses a riddle about a familiar story. Read each riddle to see if you can guess the story or "Spot the Plot!"

Watch Out for Wolfgang

2010-09-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

By Paul Carrick

When an old mother robot sends her three sons out into the world to make their own way, the outcome is not what anyone expects.

This remix of the three little pigs is sure to make you laugh and surprise you!

Half-Minute Horrors

2010-04-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

An anthology of very short, scary stories by an assortment of authors and illustrators including R.L. Stine, Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, Erin Hunter, and Jon Scieszka.

Scoop! : an exclusive by Monty Molenski

2009-10-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

By John Kelly

Reporter Monty Molenski, trying to find his first front page story, decides to investigate his co-workers who he believes are behaving strangely, and in the process accidently snaps some amazing news photographs.

The London Eye

2009-09-25T10:07:00.001-07:00

By Siobhan Dowd

When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-04-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

By J.K. Rowling

Contains five illustrated moral tales for children from the world of Harry Potter, reportedly discovered and translated by young witch Hermione Granger, with an introduction and commentary from Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The wizard and the hopping pot

The Fountain of Fair Fortune

The warlock's hairy heart

Babbitty Rabbitty and her cackling stump

The tale of the three brothers

Heartland

2009-03-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

By Lauren Brooke.

Heartland is a horse sanctuary nestled in the hills of Virginia, but it's much more than that. Heartland is like no other place - it's a place where frightened and abused horses learn to trust again.

Come experience life on this great farm with Amy. Healing horses, healing hearts...

Island

2009-01-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

By Gordan Korman

Book One: Shipwrecked

Six kids - None of them want to be on a boat with a group of complete strangers. But, after they are shipwrecked during a storm, they have to work together so everyone won’t drown in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Book Two: Survival

Book Three: Escape

Chet Gecko

2009-01-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

By Bruce Hale

Meet Chet Gecko, fourth grade gumshoe: a private eye with a nose for trouble, a taste for stinkbug pie, and a detachable tail--all of which come into play in this hardboiled series.

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles

2008-12-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

By Tony Diterlizzi

Fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles, rejoice! The saga continues...

Book 1 The Nixie's Song

Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas's life is turned upside-down when his father remarries and moves him and his new family to Florida; but when an expedition to a nearby lake turns up a little nixie, Nick, his brother Julian, and step-sister Laurie have to figure out a way to stop a horde of rampaging giants.

Book 2 A Giant Problem

As giants start waking up and destroying everything around their Florida neighborhood, Nick, Laurie, Jules and Cindy work frantically to find a solution.

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot

2008-11-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

By Margot Theis Raven

The true story of a young German girl, Mercedes Simon, and of the American pilot, Gail Halvorsen, who shared hope and joy with the children of West Berlin by dropping candy-filled parachutes during the Airlift.

Into the Mist

2008-10-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

By Patrick Carman

Captain Roland Warvold tells Alexa and Yipes about the adventures he shared with his brother Thomas in Elyon, before the wall went up and divided the world in two. Talking animals, mazes, giants, and the unexplained markings will amaze you as you enter the Land of Elyon.

The Willoughbys

2008-10-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

By Lois Lowy

A tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, in which the four Willoughby children set out to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

Lisa Yee

2008-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Lisa Yee unfolds the same story from the view point of three different characters. Experience and explore the events anew with each book.

Millicent Min-Girl Genius

In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min records her struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure, and make friends over the course of a tumultuous summer.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time

After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer-school class, keep his failure a secret from his friends, and satisy his academically demanding father.

So Totally Emily Ebers

In a series of letters to her absent father, twelve-year-old Emily Ebers deals with moving cross-country, her parents' divorce, a new friendship, and her first serious crush.

The Westing Game

2008-09-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

By Ellen Raskin

The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.

Gabriel's Horse

2008-09-10T10:37:00.001-07:00

By Alison Hart

In Kentucky, during the Civil War, the twelve-year-old slave Gabriel, contends with a cruel new horse trainer and skirmishes with Confederate soldiers as he pursues his dream of becoming a jockey.

Year of the Dog

2008-09-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

By Grace Lin

Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

2008-09-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

By Brandon Sanderson

On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand which is immediately stolen by the evil Librarians who are trying to take over the world, and Alcatraz is introduced to his grandfather and his own special talent, and told that he must use it to save civilization.

Welcome to Camden Falls

2008-08-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

By Ann M. Martin

Sisters Flora and Ruby move to Camden Falls after the death of their parents to live with their grandmother who owns a sewing shop; and the girls find it easy to make friends and feel at home.

Snow Spider

2008-08-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

By Jenny Nimmo

Gifts from Gwyn's grandmother on his ninth birthday open up a whole new world to him, as he discovers he has magical powers that help him heal the breach with his father that has existed ever since his sister's mysterious disappearance four years before.

Way Down Deep

2008-08-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

By Ruth White

In the West Virginia town of Way Down Deep in the 1950s, a foundling called Ruby June is happily living with Miss Arbutus at the local boarding house when suddenly, after the arrival of a family of outsiders, the mystery of Ruby's past begins to unravel. This is a 2008 Bluebonnet nominated book.