Lights! Camera! Action! Arthur Bean is ready to have the best year any eighth grader has ever had. The awesome zombie movie he's writing with BFF Robbie Zack is definitely going to be a blockbuster. He even has a girlfriend. Yes, that's right, a GIRLFRIEND! With everything lined up so nicely, he's sure his teachers will start to appreciate his true genius this year. Except for the little problem of the movie camera Arthur and Robbie "borrowed" to film their upcoming blockbuster movie. And then Arthur's girlfriend gets jealous of his friendship with Kennedy. And there's the actual co-writing, producing, and directing of their film...Drama is definitely on the menu for this year. Arthur would just prefer it stay confined to his script. Praise for A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius: Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts (NCBLA) Indie Next Pick Junior Library Guild Pick

A new year, a new controversy, and another way to make Kennedy mad . . . Arthur Bean is back! With Robbie in another city (thank goodness for texting) and Kennedy as his co-editor of the school newspaper, Arthur's final year at Terry Fox Jr. High is off to a rocky start. A chance to produce his own play gives him visions of fame and (finally!) the respect he is sure he deserves, but that's all dashed when the new principal challenges the content of Arthur's play. Never one to take no for an answer, Arthur uses his wit (and his own column in the school paper) to skewer censorship . . . He so irks the principal that now the grad prom is in danger of being cancelled --much to Kennedy's dismay. In typical fashion, Arthur won't back down, even when Kennedy pleads with him. Torn between the wishes of his fellow students and his own best chance for fame, what will Arthur decide?

A touching "riches to rags" story set during the second-worst disaster in the history of Atlantic Canada. Eleven-year-old Triffie is the middle daughter of a well-to-do merchant. Triffie knows nothing about what it means to be poor — until the disastrous fire of 1892 burns down most of St. John's, Newfoundland, leaving Triffie's family and 15,000 others homeless. The fire claimed everything but their underwear, Mother's best china . . . and Triffie's journal. With no other options, Triffie's family moves into a filthy warehouse while they attempt to rebuild their lives from the ground up. The aftermath of the fire teaches Triffie a lot about what it means to survive. More importantly, she comes face to face with her own prejudices, and begins to develop a much greater appreciation for how the less fortunate live.

A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius is a humorously heartbreaking tale of a boy coming to grips with the death of his mother, and a father who just can't cope. Arthur Bean is a genius—it's just that no one else realizes this quite yet. He's going to be a world-famous author, and the first step is to win this year's story-writing contest. What he writes is pretty funny, but it gets him into trouble too. Like with his English teacher. And the school newspaper advisor. And cool girl Kennedy. And Arthur's number one nemesis, Robbie Zack. But all great authors spark controversy, so Arthur's not too concerned. Through letters, email exchanges, "SEE ME" notes and doodles, enter the funny, touching, and often mixed-up mind of Arthur Bean, creative genius.

Strangest genius

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

A family mystery full of humour and heart! Twelve-year-old Cooper believes that his grandfather - who is living in a locked Alzheimer's ward - is actually D. B. Cooper, the famous (real) skyjacker who secured a small fortune and vanished in 1971. Cooper sets out to prove his grandfather's true identity and uncover one of the biggest secrets in modern history. What begins as a distraction for a mystery-loving kid becomes a way of proving himself at school and maybe even trying to fix the deepening conflict in his parents' relationship as they all try to cope with the emotional and financial strain of caring for an aging relative. Full of human insight and humour, this is a fast-paced book with an intriguing mystery at its core. With Matson's deft touch, it's also a witty and touching story about family and what we find when we have to face losing those we love.