Best Children's Chapter Books of 2012

Darker than her previous novels, Susin peoples this novel about the ultimate cost of bullying with a cast of fabulous characters, dark humour, and a lovable, difficult protagonist struggling to come to terms with the horrible crime his brother has committed.

Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Times bestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendships. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated novel is told from the point-of-view of Ivan himself.

Having spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

The One and Only Ivan was hailed as a best book of the year by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Amazon, demonstrating it is a true classic in the making. In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. An author's note depicts the differences between the fictional story and true events.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

The most dangerous road trip in history continues in the wacky third book of Dan Gutman's New York Times bestselling The Genius Files series, following twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald as they dodge nefarious villains all the way to Graceland. With the real-kid humor that has earned him millions of readers around the world, and featuring all new weird-but-true locations around America, this third book in the New York Times bestselling Genius Files series is one wild ride!

The genius twins Coke and Pepsi have narrowly escaped a vat of a Spam, a pit of boiling fry oil, and a score of crazed adults all bent on killing them. But just when they thought they were safe, their arch nemesis Dr. Herman Warsaw reappeared, engaged to their Aunt Judy! Whoa—didn't he die already?! Now, as the twins continue their family road trip from Washington D.C. through the South, it will take every bit of their genius abilities to outwit their wacky enemies. It doesn't help that their parents remain totally oblivious! When they finally get to Graceland, Elvis's home in Memphis, Tennessee, Coke and Pepsi come to an explosive conclusion you'll have to read to believe!

Coke and Pepsi McDonald never asked to be geniuses.

They never asked to get lowered into a basket of boiling French fries, either. And they certainly never asked to be frozen in soft-serve ice cream, stampeded in a wild stadium riot, or kidnapped on a high-speed roller coaster. But that's what happens when a red-haired villain named Archie Clone is chasing you across America. This just might be the most dangerous road trip in history—and the most awesome!

Want to join in the fun? Fire up the old Google Maps and follow the McDonald twins as they get chased from the National Mustard Museum to the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. And whatever you do: never say genius!

Don't miss the first action-packed book!