(5)It's Valentine's Day! And Mr. Louie, the hippie crossing guard, put a love potion in the water fountain. Now teachers are flirting with each other! Girls are asking boys out on dates! Will A.J. have to kiss Andrea? Not if he can help it. Yuck!
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(7)"Twas the night before Easter, just before dawn, Not a creature was stirring out on the lawn" The Easter bunny takes center stage in this delightful spin on Clement C. Moore's beloved poem that will send families hopping to the bookstore for an Easter treat sweeter than any sugar plum! Read more
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A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa. "As always, the forms are sculptured, the perspectives as dazzling as they are audacious, the colors rich and elegant, the use of light and shadow masterly." -- Horn Book ALA Notable Book
Booklist Editors' Choice
Horn Book Fanfare Selection
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year
Reading Rainbow Review BookOne couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. And one couldn't ask for a more talented artist and writer to tell the story than Chris Van Allsburg. Allsburg, a sculptor who entered the genre nonchalantly when he created a children's book as a diversion from his sculpting, won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for this book, one of several award winners he's produced. The Polar Express rings with vitality and wonder.
Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Chris Van Allsburg
Recipes and Activities to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Polar Express
(Click on Images for the Recipe or Activity [PDF])
 Candy Cane Sugar Cookies |  Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares |  Christmas Snowball Cookies |  Hot Chocolate |
 A Polar Express Word Search |  A Polar Express Crossword |  A Polar Express Maze |  A Polar Express Drawing Sheet |
(24)The intrepid Jack and Annie are summoned once again to the fantasy realm of Camelot. There, Merlin the Magician tells them that the Stone of Destiny has been stolen. The answer to its disappearance lies within a haunted castle. With a young magician named Teddy, Jack and Annie take on the challenge in an adventure that takes them to new heights and places they couldn’t even imagine!
a Stepping Stone Book™
From the Hardcover edition.In the second of the "Merlin Missions"--hardback additions to Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series--plucky heroes Jack and Annie must once again must travel back in time to rescue Camelot from looming danger.
One wonders why Merlin can't handle this sort of thing himself, but then of course we wouldn't get a chance to see Jack and Annie have another seat-of-the-pants adventure, getting mixed up with shape-shifting magic, armies of birds, a puzzling gem of power, and all sorts of other trouble. With the help of their old pal Teddy (Morgan le Fay's apprentice, last seen in dog form in four earlier Tree House stories), the two "Master Librarians and Magicians of Everyday Magic" must solve the mystery behind a castle full of ghosts and a menacing army of ravens. Not surprisingly, half the trouble comes in unraveling Merlin's riddles and helping Teddy use his rhyming magic correctly.
Osborne doesn't challenge readers overmuch (including the constant restatement of plot elements, perhaps worried that kids might otherwise forget or lose interest) and many parts of the story barely convince (like Teddy's "period" dialogue, e.g., "'Tis cool indeed"), but fans of the Magic Tree House will no doubt love another installment. (Ages 6 to 9) --Paul Hughes Read more
(5)Becoming a Demons cheerleader was the last thing Harper Madison expected when she moved to the small town of Peachville. Now that she's an official member of the squad, her training can begin. Only, this is no normal group of cheerleaders. Harper isn't there to learn dances and cheers. She became a cheerleader in order to finally learn how to control the magic inside.
The Peachville Demons cheerleading squad is really a training ground for a powerful coven of witches called the Order of Shadows. The training opens up a new world for Harper. It's a world of beauty and magic beyond her wildest dreams, but also a world of pressure and impossible expectations.
A world where every secret hides an even darker secret.
Excerpt:
Lark smiled mischievously, like she had a secret.
“What?” I asked.
“Watch,” she said. She slid off the bed and sat down in the center of her floor on a square pink rug. She crossed her legs and set her hands palm up on her knees.
I felt a tingle of energy on the tiny hairs on my arm. I didn't know whether to sit down with her or back away.
Her eyes closed and her lips moved silently. There was movement in the air that lifted my hair slightly off my shoulders. Underneath where Lark was sitting, the pink rug slowly turned a color of teal as bright as pictures I'd seen of the Caribbean ocean. The color crept outward from her in a circular pattern, like a drop of water spreading on a napkin.
The dark wood furniture suddenly became shiny white. The polka-dot bedspread turned black with teal and white stripes, the color perfectly matching the newly teal rug on the floor. Other details of the room changed too. Like the lamp on her bedside table. I watched as it turned from a wooden base with a pink shade to a tall chrome base with a shimmery white shade. When the circle of color reached the edges of the room, a bright white paint climbed up the walls, replacing the pink that was already there. One wall became a teal accent wall.
Less than ten minutes after Lark sat down, the entire room transformed in front of my eyes. I stood, open-mouthed, staring at each changed detail.
“You like it?” She opened her eyes and stood, hand on one hip, surveying her work.
“Like it? This is incredible.” I walked over to the bedside table and touched the lamp to make sure it was real. The chrome base was cool to the touch and very much real chrome.
“How did you do that?”
“It's called a glamour,” she said. Read more
For the children of Harwick, Easter and the big egg hunt can’t come soon enough. But when Terence loses all the eggs in the countryside, it’s up to Thomas to deliver the children to Easter. This latest installment in the popular Thomas in Town series will be the perfect fit for young engineers’ Easter baskets. Read more
(2)A brand-new series by Ron Roy, spun off from A to Z Mysteries!
It's a Valentine's Day party! Bradley is passing out his class’s valentines, but one of them has no name on it. Inside, the card tells the class to look in the closet. When they open the closet door, the kids find a rabbit named Douglas in a cage! What mysterious “friend” left him there? And why? Then the bunny gets sick. It’s up to Bradley, Brian, Lucy, and Nate to track down his owner and figure out what is wrong with poor little Douglas. Read more
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Little ones will love lifting the large, sturdy flaps in this sweet, irresistible board book to find Baby's Easter eggs. Where could they be? Children will discover colorful springtime objects under each of the six sturdy flaps until... they find Baby's Easter eggs in a fold-out finale. Read more
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-Ideal for babies and toddlers.
-Stunning large format brings images to life.
-Helps to build a child's vocabulary.
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(4)The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.
The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.
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(3)The St. Patrick's Day parade is off to a very fine start.
The Leprechaun family is marching with lots of heart!
Share in their dancing, share in their fun.
You'll have the luck of the Irish when this day is done!
Top o' the morning! It's March 17th, and the Leprechauns are gathered for their favorite day of the year. Join them as they celebrate St. Patrick's Day with music, dancing, and a parade!
Teddy Slater's delightful rhyming story is accompanied by lively illustrations from Ethan Long.
(8)It's St. Patrick's Day, and Jack Mouse is visiting his cousin Sean in Ireland. Sean tells Jack about the myth of leprechauns, and Jack is determined to catch one for himself! Children will delight in learning about Irish folk tales and traditions and the customs of St. Patrick's Day in this brand-new Pictureback®. Read more
The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.
The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.
Read more
(12)Ruby and her friend Louise are decorating Easter eggs, but Max wants to have an Easter Parade. Big sister Ruby tells Max that the Easter Parade is tomorrow, but that he can help today by carrying all the decorated eggs to the Easter basket. But Max doesn’t want to just carry the eggs—he wants to march them in a parade! Read more
(10)Lonely and a long way from her Iowa home, twelve-year-old Jeri McKane reacts to boarding school the way most middle schoolers would. Even with close friends, she wonders whether her scholarship to prestigious Landmark School was worth it. She's tempted to give up when her Mom can't make parents' weekend, and the school bus carrying her roommate, Rosa, disappears. But this reporter for the sixth-grade newspaper has an eye like Nancy Drew and more faith and courage than she realizes. Jeri solves the mystery---and makes landmark decisions to trust God and his Word through circumstances and feelings that don't make sense. Read more
Months have passed since Horace departed for the eastern nation of Nihon-Ja on a vital mission. Having received no communication from him, his friends fear the worst. Unwilling to wait a second longer, Alyss, Evanlyn, and Will leave their homeland behind and venture into an exotic land in search of their missing friend.
When they finally catch up with him, they find Horace entangled in a military coup. Determined to protect the imperial throne, Will and his band of Araluens must piece together and train a force in order to fend off the master Senji warriors intent on overthrowing the emperor.
Suspense and pulse-pounding action abound in this final adventure in the worldwide phenomenon that is Ranger's Apprentice. Read more
(2)This Valentine's Day isn't so sweet!
Where's the love? Jack Frost and his goblins have stolen the magical objects that make Valentine's Day so special. Now sweethearts are sad, and friends and families are fighting! Even Rachel and Kirsty aren't getting along.
When Juliet the Valentine Fairy asks the girls for help, they can't say no. But can Rachel and Kirsty put aside their differences and bring the sparkle back to Valentine's Day?
Find the magical treats in all three stories inside this Rainbow Magic Special Edition and help save the Valentine magic!
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Happy Birthday! Today is somebody’s birthday, but Mickey can’t figure out whose it is. Could it be Daisy’s? Perhaps he should get her a new hair bow. Maybe it’s Pluto’s, and Mickey can get him a bone. Young readers will have great fun following Mickey on a birthday-themed treasure hunt, peeking below the book’s lift-the-flaps to uncover clues. Happy Birthday! introduces math concepts such as size-order, patterns, and counting, while inviting children to put their imagination and reasoning skills to the test as they follow Mickey on his quest to find the perfect present for the mysterious birthday party.
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(37)It's a mushy gushy mystery!
Hurray! February 14 -- Valentime's Day, Junie B. calls it -- is just around the corner. Junie B. can't wait to see all the valentimes she'll get. But she never expected a big, mushy card from a secret admirer! Who is this secret mystery guy, anyway? Junie B. is determined to find out! Read more
