Most Popular Books by Claudia Mills

Science-obsessed fourth grader Nora has ants all figured out—now she just has to try to understand her fellow humans! The trouble with ants is . . . . . . people think they’re boring. . . . they are not cuddly. . . . who would ever want them for a pet? Nora Alpers is using her new notebook to record the behavior of ants. Why? Because they are fascinating! Unfortunately, no one agrees with her. Her mom is not happy about them being in the house, and when Nora brings her ant farm to school for show and tell, her classmates are not very impressed. They are more interested in cat videos, basketball practice, or trying to set a Guinness World Record (although Nora wouldn’t mind that). Mostly they are distracted by the assignment their teacher Coach Joe has given them—to write a persuasive speech and change people’s minds about something. Will Nora convince her friends that ants are as interesting as she thinks they are? Or will everyone still think of ants as nothing but trouble? With real science facts, a classroom backdrop, an emphasis on friendship, and appealing black-and-white interior illustrations from artist Katie Kath, The Nora Notebooks is perfect for newly independent readers—especially budding scientists like Nora!—and adults who want to encourage awareness of STEM subjects in young readers.

Here''s the second entry in veteran author Claudia Mills'' charming middle-grade series, which finds the lovably sardonic title character starting the fourth grade, which he''s dreading: everyone in fourth grade is expected to join the school choir. And sing. In front of everyone. Mason can''t think of many things he enjoys less than singing. But performing in front of other people might come close; Mason devises a foolproof plan that will keep him out of the spotlight on concert night. Of course, in the world of Mason Dixon, there is no such thing as a foolproof plan. There is only disaster.

Gus must visit the hospital when his beloved Grandpa has a heart attack, and both are glad when Grandpa feels better and returns home to the family, in an easy-to-read addition to a popular series. Jr Lib Guild.

Cody Harmon doesn''t love reading, math, spelling, or really any of the subjects that Miss Molina teaches in her third-grade class. But he lives on a farm and he loves animals--he even has nine pets--so when the school holds a pet-show fund-raiser, it should be his time to shine. There''s a ten-dollar entrance fee per pet, though, and Cody can''t pay it for all nine pets. He''d love to take his pig, but what about the others? In the end, Cody figures out a way to lend out his pets so that every person in the class (and every pet) gets to participate in the show.

The final book in the Nora Notebooks series finds Nora trying to navigate the unscientific matter of making friends with someone you have nothing in common with. Nora Alpers, fourth-grade scientist, likes things to be just so. Her ant farm, her hobbies, her friends. So when Coach Joe, her teacher, informs the class that all the students have to try something new and write a report about it, Nora is not pleased. She is even less pleased when her classmate Emma seems to decide that befriending Nora will be her “new” thing. Does Emma really want to be friends or is this just an assignment for school? Nora, meanwhile, has to figure out her own new thing. Will she discover that she has interests outside of science or will all her efforts end up being nothing but trouble? Praise for the Nora Notebooks series: “Will resonate with children who have a passion for something out of the ordinary.” —Publishers Weekly, starred “Readers will be drawn into the story by the sincere and realistic characters Mills has created, as well as the pleasing and appealing illustrations found in every chapter.” —School Library Journal “Middle-grade readers will hope for more Nora Notebooks soon.” —Kirkus Reviews

Grace MacInnis - daughter of J.S. Woodsworth, founding mother of the New Democratic Party, BC''s first woman Member of Parliament, universally respected social democrat who fought tirelessly for the rights of women, consumers and low-income Canadians. MacInnis worked some sixty years as a social reformer, as BC MLA and MP and as indispensable behind-the-scenes policy worker for the CCF and NDP. Many of the causes she campaigned for were unpopular at the time: family planning in the 1930s, when providing information on birth control was illegal; income and unemployment insurance for homemakers in the 1940s, when 85% of Canadians thought women''s place was in the home; voting rights for Native Canadians and Doukhobors in the 1950s; abortion rights in the 1960s, when abortion was punishable by life in prison. S.P. Lewis was a radio news reporter in 1987 when she first met Grace MacInnis. She was so impressed that she went back for another visit, and another. During the last few years of MacInnis''s life, the two women spent many a long afternoon together while Lewis worked on this book.

Dynamite Dinah finds her feelings about sixth-grade classmate Nick Tribble changing when they share involvement in a school play, a debate, and a sock hop.

Dinah Seabrooke, now in her first year of middle school, struggles to become a big fish in what seems like an ocean--and in the process discovers the value of recycling and of friendship with the elderly.

Here''s the third entry in Claudia Mills''s charming middle-grade series. Mason Dixon survived the school choir. He survived adopting his now-beloved dog named, uh, Dog. But now he faces his biggest challenge yet: joining the local basketball team. Not by choice, of course. Not only do his parents encourage it, but his dad even volunteers to be his coach. Now, with his best pal Brody and a team of misfits even worse at basketball than him (if that''s possible), Mason must try to rally to beat his arch-rival, the school bully Dunk. Just another day-in-the-life of a disaster-prone fourth grader.

When her look-alike younger sister Lucy gets promoted into her fifth grade class, Cynthia feels that she must fight to retain her own individuality.

Talented Lucy Lopez finds her passion when she joins an after-school coding camp, but can her older sister come to terms with their shared hobby? Third-grader Lucy Lopez and her older sister Elena created the Let''s Have Fun Club, where they designed their own badges to put in a handbook and make up lists of things they have to do to earn each one. But now Elena is spending most of her time coding on the computer and Lucy feels left out. She decides to join the after-school coding camp in the hopes that Elena will want to add it to their Let''s Have Fun Club activities and it can be something they can do together. But when Lucy proves to be a natural, Elena is none too happy--why does Lucy have to do everything she does? Parents and kids on the hunt for a fun and informative book about coding need look no further. The series includes Lucy Lopez: Coding Star, Nixie Ness: Cooking Star, and Vera Vance: Comic Book Star in the After-School Superstars series. Perfect for fans of Judy Moody, Ivy and Bean, and Clementine, this new chapter book series features recurring characters, and each book highlights one activity they do at their after-school program. The books are illustrated in black and white and include a bonus activity that corresponds to the book''s plot. Lucy Lopez is being simultaneously released in Hardcover.

Gus enjoys basketball practice, but the noise and pace of real games bother him, until his grandpa gives him some good advice.

This fine monograph is the first all-color photo guide to the jellies, comb jellies, pelagic snails, salps and pyrosomes. This field guide covers animals that are found from Alaska to Baja California, many of which occur in most of the world''s seas. A total of 160 species are illustrated with a color photo-95 cnidarians, 28 ctenophers, 23 molluscs and 14 tunicates. The narrative for each species includes a detailed description, geographic range, and natural history. Also included are a glossary, selected references and an index.

Cuban, Catholic, and poor, 14-year-old Luisa Ruiz wants the American Dream and finds it the form of a young WASP with money and sophistication. To win his love, she lies about her background, and then discovers he''s not what she wants after all.

When he is assigned Teddy Roosevelt as his biography project in school, fourth-grader Riley finds himself inspired by Roosevelt''s tenacity and perseverance and resolves to find a way to get what he most wants--a saxophone and music lessons.

Se llama Heidi Patricia Ahlenslager y tiene diez a os. a veces piensa que ser contadora, otras que ser cart grafa o periodista. Pero antes de llegar a serlo deber terminar de cursar el quinto a o, y eso no parece tan f cil. No cuando al frente del sal n de clases se encuentre la temible se ora Richardson...

Als Betsy ihrer besten Freundin Lizard erzählt, dass ihre Mutter als Professorin an der Uni über vom Aussterben bedrohte Sprachen schreibt, ist Lizard sofort Feuer und Flamme. Was, wenn man nicht nur darüber schreiben, sondern tatsächlich eine bedrohte Sprache retten würde? Während Lizard sich immer begeisterter in das Projekt vertieft, beginnt Betsy sich langsam aus der Freundschaft zu lösen, die sie zunehmend als einengend empfindet. Und als etwas passiert, das Betsys Welt völlig durcheinanderbringt, ist es ausgerechnet Lizard, die sie im Stich lässt. Kann Betsy eine bedrohte Sprache und eine bedrohte Freundschaft retten?

The sixth book about this "perfect team." --School Library Journal Show-and-tell was a breeze in first grade, when Gus brought to school baseball cards and a plastic rattlesnake and a super-duper flashlight. Now, in second grade, he''s stumped. And wouldn''t you know it, rival Ryan Mason outshines him every time. When Gus brings a picture of a beaver lodge for his natural-habitat project, Ryan brings a huge, homemade model of a beaver lodge. When Gus brings a balloon for his solid, liquid, or gas, Ryan makes gas out of vinegar and baking soda. Will Ryan''s show-and-tell for Colorado history also be superior to Gus''s? No way -- not when Gus decides that his show-and-tell will be Grandpa, the best representative ever of Colorado history, and the best grandpa, bar none. Once again, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock reveal the riches of "one of the nicest intergenerational relationships" (The Horn Book).

Gus and Grandpa is "a witty, warm offering." --Publishers Weekly When the train passes Grandpa''s house, Gus is so excited that he runs outside to wave at the cars. He forgets all about Grandpa''s dog, and Skipper escapes through the open gate. It takes Grandpa to get him back. Then, when Grandpa decides to look for Daddy''s old toy train, Gus leaps into the act, and they are so absorbed that they both forget Skipper. Together, they find him. Later, Gus and Grandpa plan to ride a real train. But when they get on, they realize that they''re in trouble-- Grandpa has forgotten where he put the tickets (but not for long). In the third Gus and Grandpa book, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock evoke all the joy of trains--and of remembering.

"Ten-year-old scientist Nora Alpers struggles with becoming an aunt and competing in her school science fair."--

After Gus, who would rather play outside than practice music, does not do too well at his piano recital, his grandfather shows him how music can be fun.

It''s Halloween, and Gus doesn''t know what to wear. His mom won''t let him have a store-bought costume; his dad thinks any old thing will do. Ryan Mason is going to be a vampire, with a cape, fangs, and fake blood. Gus wishes he could be a vampire, too, but, unfortunately, his mother thinks gory store-bought costumes are the worst of all. Gus''s only hope is Grandpa''s house. Readers will delight in what Gus finds (a fabulous costume) and finds out (Grandma made it for Daddy when nothing else would do), as once again Gus and Grandpa prove what "a perfect team" they are. Credit for the "superb job of illuminating [Gus''s] emotions and thoughts" goes to Claudia Mills, and for the "expressive illustrations" to Catherine Stock (The Horn Book).

Third-grader Wilson struggles with his times-tables in order to beat the class deadline.

More than anyone, Clarisse admires her best friend Emily, who isn''t afraid of anything, even the old woman who keeps chickens at the back of the woods.

A thirteen-year-old girl in Baltimore is forced to come to grips with her dreams and the realities of the Depression in 1931.

7X9 = Trouble!

"Difficult" student Callie joins a philosophy club seeking the wisdom she needs to keep her beloved but equally difficult dog in this hilarious, heartfelt middle grade novel for underdogs and dog-lovers alike! Once Callie (Calliope Callisto Clark) starts saying something, it''s hard for her to stop. The opinion gets bigger and bigger, her voice gets louder and louder--and she gets in more and more trouble. She''s in trouble with her teacher, who likes order and not Callie. She''s in bigger trouble with her Grampy, who blames Callie and her dog (a.k.a. Best Ever Friend) Archie for his ever-rising blood pressure. Then there''s the biggest trouble of all... just one more strike, and Callie could lose her beloved Archie forever. When she turns to Greek philosophy for answers on how to solve her problems, she only gets more questions: What is justice? What isfairness? And as her problems get bigger, so do her questions: Is it Callie''s fault when Grampy has a stroke? Told in Callie''s endearing, energetic voice, Calliope Clark and the Search for Wisdom is sure to speak to any student who''s ever been called "disruptive." Acclaimed children''s book author and retired philosophy professor Claudia Mills delivers a heartfelt middle grade for misunderstood readers who feel like they''re living their own Greek tragedies.

While trying to decide on a science fair project, third-grader Wilson struggles with with fractions and, much to his embarrassment, his parents sign him up to work with a math tutor.

Ziggy does not do well on the school track and field day events, but he feels much better after his classmates recognize his drawing talent.

Nine-year-old Mason''s parents keep trying to get him a pet, but until he and his best friend Brody adopt a three-legged dog, he is not interested.