The perfect next step for kids who love the Magic Tree House series, time travel, mystery, and adventure! Almost everybody who has grown up in Chicago knows about the Thorne Rooms. Housed in the deep inside the Chicago Art Institute, they are a collection of 68 exquisitely crafted miniature rooms. Each room is set in a different historic period, and every detail is perfect. Some might even say, the rooms are magic. But what if on a field trip, you discovered a key that allowed you to shrink so that you could sneak inside and explore the rooms' secrets? What if you discovered that others had done so before you? . . . And that someone had left something important behind? Eleven-year-olds Jack and Ruthie are about to find out!  "Irresistible."—The New York Times "Marianne Malone has tapped into a fantasy that is . . . completely universal."—Chicago Tribune "A solid story. Recommend this book to fans of Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer."—School Library Journal

Best friends Jeff and Wiley are legends. There is practically no one in their school who hasn't been nicknamed by the duo. They've dubbed their own underachieving class "The Dim Bulbs"; their pop-eyed principal is better known as "Deer in Headlights"; and their enormous new English teacher, Mr. Hughes, is "Mr. Huge." But now some of the nicknames that Jeff and Wiley have invented are backfiring on them. Will the nicknamers be able to get it together before it's too late? *A New York Public Library Best Book for Reading and Sharing *A Bank Street Best Book of the Year * "A fast-paced novel with lots of laughs . . ." -School Library Journal(starred review) "Captures the ambience of sixth grade with humor and empathy." -Booklist "Korman is at his amusing best here. . . ." -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Nin had never liked Wednesdays, but this one took the cake. On this Wednesday she woke up to find that it was raining buckets and that her little brother had ceased to exist." Nin Redfern wakes up one Wednesday to discover that her little brother, Toby, has vanished and no one -- not her mother, not her grandparents -- can remember him. Only Nin can, and she's going to get him back. But when Bogeyman Skerridge (who always gets his child) comes for Nin too, she realizes that finding Toby is going to be a lot harder then she thought. Toby is trapped in the House of Strood, which is located in another land called The Drift, and Skerridge can't -- or won't -- help her find him. Left with no choice, Nin heads into The Drift with her new friend Jonas. The Drift is filled with the fabulous and the terrible, but a plague is slowly killing all the magical things. The Seven Sorcerers who ruled there might have been able to prevent it, but in the end, even they have succumbed. Can Nin find Toby before he falls victim to a terrible fate in the House of Strood and before the plague makes it impossible for them to get home? Can she and Jonas avoid the tombfolk, mud men, and various creatures who want to stop them? And what is the secret of the Seven Sorcerers?

The day after 12-year-old Jack McKinley is told he has only months to live, he awakens on a mysterious island where a secret organization promises to save his life—with one condition: he and his three friends must retrieve seven long-lost magical orbs from amid the ruins of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and only when they are combined can the friends' lives be saved. First stop: The Colossus of Rhodes. 150,000 first printing.

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Times bestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! Lost in Babylon is the second book in a seven-book series by master storyteller Peter Lerangis. This sequel to the bestselling The Colossus Rises chronicles Jack McKinley and his friends as they carry on their mission to save their lives—and the world—by locating seven magic orbs called Loculi, which are hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After defeating the Colossus of Rhodes and capturing the first of the Loculi, their friend Marco has disappeared. With no leads, no clues, and no one else to turn to, the kids have no choice but to trust Professor Bhegad and the Karai Institute again as they head off to Babylon. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, praised Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises as "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!"

Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Times bestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders! The Tomb of Shadows is the third book in a seven-book series by master storyteller Peter Lerangis. This sequel to the bestselling Lost in Babylon and The Colossus Rises chronicles the adventures of Jack McKinley and his friends in a life-or-death race to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. In the rubble of this Wonder of the Ancient World, they have to face down their own demons and engage in an epic battle with foes long gone. But when promises are broken, blood is spilled—and the Select are left with no choice but to destroy the one thing that might have saved them all. Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, praised Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises as "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!"

Life in Sassafras Springs has always been predictable, boring even, but one afternoon that changes when Eben McAllister's pa challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras that rival the real Seven Wonders of the World. The reward? An adventure that Eben's been craving -- a trip to Colorado. Even doesn't think he'll have any luck -- he can't think of one single thing that could be considered wondrous in Sassafras -- but he's willing to try. Little does he know that the Wonders he'll discover among his neighbors, friends, relatives, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without ever leaving his home.

In 2299, seventh-grader Jack and his classmates find themselves in hostile alien territory after Jack accidentally launches their rickety public schoolship light years away from home.

This “luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews) story of anger and art, loss and redemption will appeal to fans of Lisa Graff’s Lost in the Sun and Vince Vawter’s Paperboy. NOMINATED FOR 16 STATE AWARDS! AN ALA NOTABLE BOOK AN ILA TEACHERS CHOICE A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR   Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie forever. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service . . . working for him.   Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine. . . .   Inspired by the work of folk artist James Hampton, Shelley Pearsall has crafted an affecting and redemptive novel about discovering what shines within us all, even when life seems full of darkness.   “A moving exploration of how there is often so much more than meets the eye.” —Booklist, starred review   “There are so many things to love about this book. Remarkable.” —The Christian Science Monitor

Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the bar . . . SUNSHINE STATE AWARD FINALIST!

Ever since his mom left, Riley has been a mess. He feels nervous all the time. His heart pounds, his neck is tight, and he can't seem to turn off his brain. His dad signs him up for aikido, hoping it will help. In the dojo, Riley meets boys who are much rougher than he is and a girl who is tougher than all the rest of them put together. For Wafaa, aikido is not her first choice. She was disqualified from competing in judo for wearing a hijab. From the first time she steps on the mat, it's clear she is far more skilled than anyone expected. Through the teachings of their sensei, Riley and his classmates come to understand that aikido is not about winning or losing or about being perfect. Sensei shows them how to tap into their inner strength and find their place in the universe.

Fans of Percy Jackson will devour this first book in Dianne K. Salerni's time-bending series that combines exciting magic and pulse-pounding suspense. In this riveting fantasy adventure, thirteen-year-old Jax Aubrey discovers a secret eighth day with roots tracing back to Arthurian legend. When Jax wakes up to a world without any people in it, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the eighth day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day. And there's a reason Evangeline's hiding. She is a descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, and there is a group of people who wish to use her in order to destroy the normal seven-day world and all who live in it. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the entire human race from complete destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out. Stay tuned for The Inquisitor's Mark, the spellbinding second novel in the Eighth Day series!