Newbery Honor Book * ALA Notable Children's Book "Deeply felt. Presents a moral question with great care and sensitivity." —The New York Times "A spellbinding story about rites of passage." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A realistic story with the intensity of a fable." —The Horn Book (starred review) "Thought-provoking." —School Library Journal (starred review) In Palmer LaRue's hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy's life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to, but something to dread. Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in. Wringer is a powerful tour de force from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli.

On November 16, 1910, in a little white bungalow on the edge of Garza, Texas, Doctor Taylor delivered a blue-eyed baby boy who was happy to be the newest member of Americas greatest generation. In his memoirwritten during the year he turned one hundredTom Robb shares the details of his fascinating journey through the flavor and follies of twentieth century American life. Tom Robbs life began in a world where cars were few and far between and flying machines were astonishing. Only eighteen months old when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, Tom narrates a captivating story of what his life was like as major world events played out around him. As World War I ended, Prohibition, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression followedsending the nation plunging into some of its darkest times. An optimist by nature, Tom details how he learned to live his life fully as he discovered love, found a job, married, served in World War II, and eventually marched confidently into the achievement of his own American dream. Zero to 100 in a Lifetime shares a delightful glimpse into one mans unforgettable journey from a Tom Sawyer-like existence into modern America.

When Ward Degler graduated from journalism school, his mother speculated he would become a world-famous war correspondent or, at the very least, editor-in-chief of an influential newspaper. He did neither. Instead, he became a columnist, giving him the opportunity to write about subjects that interested him while avoiding everything that didn't. In The Dark Ages of My Youth, Degler shares a selected collection of the weekly columns written for the Times Sentinel in Zionsville, Indiana, from 1993 to 2010. The essays explore the way things were, where we've been, and where we are going. He reveals the challenges of an eight-year building project that was supposed to be completed in three months. He narrates his bafflement in dealing with the world's most headstrong dog. With humor, he details the foibles and dilemmas of everyday living. And, he profiles the special people who have altered and enriched his life. From the simple to the complex, from the sublime to the silly, The Dark Ages of My Youth takes a charming walk through both the past and present.

When their Ukrainian grandmother is lost on a trans-Atlantic Flight, two sisters are swept into a quest across eastern Europe to find the woman who had always told more tales than truths. From Poland to Slovakia to Hungary and beyond, Larissa and Ira navigate the steps of Ukrainian folk dance, the cliff-side paths of Slovak Paradise National Park, and the stark realities of war, folktales, and feminism, all for the sake of chasing who they're starting to believe is a true Baba Yaga. Understanding their family's roots has never been more clear. The setting's mythic properties drift like ghosts in the humid air, hinting of the folktales the sisters whisper like codes of bravery. The nesting dolls they discover reveal how each woman becomes stronger when tucked one, within another, within another-forgetting lies and truths to seize upon history, love, and the familial traditions that have shaped them into who they are together. Author and professional editor Kris Spisak has been spotlighted in Writer's Digest and The Huffington Post for her work to helping other writers. Her previous non-fiction books include Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook. Spisak's background and her own family experience in the Ukrainian diaspora add weight to her fiction debut.

The lives of four young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books. Four humorous, poignant stories about how books changed the lives of several youngsters.