With insight and humor, Jennifer Richard Jacobson explores a common childhood anxiety and finds a quiet way to boost self-esteem, aided by Abby Carter’s expressive illustrations. Andy Shane did not want to be in school. He did not want to be at morning meeting. He did not want to sit up straight on the rug. Andy Shane would much rather be home catching bugs with Granny Webb than sitting in class with the likes of know-it-all Dolores Starbuckle. Any minute, Dolores is likely to shout out, 'Ms. Janice, someone's not sitting properly!" or "Ms. Janice, someone's misusing the math materials!" (meaning him, of course). At rhyme time, the words bug and rug get stuck in Andy's throat while Dolores yells out of turn, "Hullabaloo and Kalamazoo!" "I hate school," he blurts out at the end of the day to Granny Webb, who is sympathetic but firm. But when Granny makes a surprise visit to school with a monarch caterpillar, everyone is mesmerized and Andy remembers how much he knows about insects himself. Even Dolores Starbuckle can’t help but be impressed!

"Andy and Dolores tangle as they try to negotiate their bumpy friendship. . . .An upbeat volume for confident beginning readers." — The Horn Book The school Culture Fair is coming up, and Andy Shane has to pick an African country to learn about. Deciding isn’t easy for Andy, so he’s glad when Granny Webb gives him a scarab beetle, which he knows is a symbol of Egypt. But when Andy tries to tell Ms. Janice, Dolores Starbuckle springs up with her gold jewelry and glitter sandals and claims that she is the queen of Egypt. Dolores always gets her way — but this time Andy doesn’t feel like caving in. What will it take for him to share his project with the bossy queen? Fans of the endearing Andy Shane will be happy to see him holding his own in his new early-chapter-book adventure.

When a new girl comes to Andy's school, a jealous Dolores thinks he's in love — but Andy's thoughts are on a companion of the four-legged kind. On the day Ms. Janice introduces Lark Alice Bell to the class, Dolores is proud to be the new girl's helper at recess. But Dolores is not so glad to see her friend Andy scribbling LAB inside a heart in his notebook, and she's downright mad to find out that Lark has visited Andy at home. Luckily, when they all go back to Lark's house — and take a peek at the squirming puppies in her basement — Dolores figures out what has really been on Andy's mind all along. In his fourth engaging adventure, Andy Shane learns about the delicate balance of old friends and new, and the special joy of bringing home a dog of his own.

From beloved author Diana López comes an exciting middle grade story about three friends, a magic competition, and how far they'll go to succeed. Sixth graders Dominic, Loop, and Z stumble upon a new magic shop in town and can't wait to spend their summer mastering cool tricks to gain access to the Vault, a key holders-only back room bound to hold all kinds of secrets. And once they get in, they set their sights even higher: a huge competition at the end of the summer. They work on their card tricks, sleights, and vanishing acts, trying to come up with the most awesome routines possible....Problem is, the trip is expensive, and it's money that each guy's family just doesn't have. To make things worse, the shop-owners' daughter, Ariel (who just so happens to be last year's competition winner), will do anything to make sure the boys don't come out on top. Even pit them against one another. Will they make it to the competition? And if so, at what cost? Diana López, author of Confetti Girl and Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel, offers a story that's just the right mix of heart, high jinks, and a bit of magic.

George Brown's super burps are causing serious trouble for poor George again. And this time the trouble really stinks! The super burp strikes on Field Day during an outdoor class scavenger hunt. George vows to keep out of any mischief, but he winds up getting skunked.

When is a summer vacation not really a summer vacation? Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun -- it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It's full of . . . old people. Really old people.Luckily, Sunny isn't the only kid around. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comic books, and soon they're having adventures of their own: facing off against golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors. But the question remains -- why is Sunny down in Florida in the first place? The answer lies in a family secret that won't be secret to Sunny much longer. . .