Dee Romito

When best friends Skylar and Ella begin to drift apart, they try to fix their friendship by creating the ultimate BFF Summer Bucket List in this funny and heartfelt M!X novel. Skylar and Ella have been BFFs since kindergarten, and in Ella’s mind, nothing can change that bond. But when Skylar starts to act weird and distant, Ella is determined to bring them back together with a fun challenge the summer before high school: The BFF Bucket List. Ella creates a list of challenges—some wacky, some heartfelt—that they have to do together. At first, Skylar is totally game, but as they go through the list, each girl discovers that the unbreakable bond they once had might break more easily than they think. And when each girl develops a big secret that could threaten not only the list, but their entire relationship, will the list—and their friendship—fall apart?

The BFF Bucket List

This stunning picture book looks into the life of Georgia Gilmore, a hidden figure of history who played a critical role in the civil rights movement and used her passion for baking to help the Montgomery Bus Boycott achieve its goal. Georgia decided to help the best way she knew how. She worked together with a group of women and together they purchased the supplies they needed-bread, lettuce, and chickens. And off they went to cook. The women brought food to the mass meetings that followed at the church. They sold sandwiches. They sold dinners in their neighborhoods. As the boycotters walked and walked, Georgia cooked and cooked. Georgia Gilmore was a cook at the National Lunch Company in Montgomery, Alabama. When the bus boycotts broke out in Montgomery after Rosa Parks was arrested, Georgia knew just what to do. She organized a group of women who cooked and baked to fund-raise for gas and cars to help sustain the boycott. Called the Club from Nowhere, Georgia was the only person who knew who baked and bought the food, and she said the money came from "nowhere" to anyone who asked. When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for his role in the boycott, Georgia testified on his behalf, and her home became a meeting place for civil rights leaders. This picture book highlights a hidden figure of the civil rights movement who fueled the bus boycotts and demonstrated that one person can make a real change in her community and beyond. It also includes one of her delicious recipes for kids to try with the help of their parents!

Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Jen Malone

Alison Cherry

Ronni Arno

Stephanie Faris

Rachele Alpine

Gail Nall

Love Actually meets Adventures in Babysitting in this “fun, fresh” (Kirkus Reviews) novel written by seven authors about seven classmates who are preparing for a crazy night at their middle school dance. Lynnfield Middle School is prepped and ready for a dance to remember, including an awesome performance from Heart Grenade, the all-girl band who recently won a Battle of the Bands contest. Seven classmates—Carmen, Genevieve, Tess, Ryan, Ellie, Ashlyn, and Jade—intend to make the most of the night…or at least the five of them who are able to attend do. The other two would sacrifice almost anything to be there. One thing’s for sure—this entire crew is in for one epic night! Gail Nall, Dee Romito, Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, and Jen Malone have created a charming, hilarious, and relatable novel that’s perfect for anyone who can’t wait to dance the night away.

A Story Told from Seven Points of View

Best. Night. Ever.

Skylar and Ella have been best friends since kindergarten, but lately they?ve been drifting apart. In order to fix their friendship, Ella creates a BFF Bucket List full of fun and heartfelt challenges for the girls to complete together. Will this list bring the girls closer together or drive them further apart?

Learn how and why a useful, 5000-year-old invention has become a threat to our planet--and what you can do about it--in this history of the simple straw. From reeds used by ancient Sumerians to bendy straws in World War II hospitals, people have changed the straw to fit their needs for 5000 years. Today however, this useful tool is contributing to the plastic problem polluting our oceans. Once again, the simple straw needs a reinvention. With bright illustrations and well-researched text, children can read about the inventors behind the straw’s technological advancements, including primary sources like patents, as well as how disposable plastic harms the environment. See the newest solutions, from plastic straw alternatives to activism by real kids like Milo Cress who started the Be Straw Free campaign when he was 11 years old. Learn about what kids can do to reduce plastic waste. The backmatter includes more information on the movement to stop plastic waste, action items kids can do, a bibliography, and additional resources on plastic pollution. Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It

The Last Plastic Straw

Twelve-year-old Skyler is in for a summer of adventure in Venice, Italy, as she pursues a dream opportunity in this hilarious MIX novel that’s a companion to The BFF Bucket List. Skyler is about to go on the biggest adventure of her life. Her mother has been relocated to Venice, Italy, and there is the possibility it could be a permanent move. While there, Skyler will be blogging and writing about the city as part of an informal internship that could lead to bigger things for her if all goes well. One of her fellow interns, Logan is cool, cute, and Australian. But the other intern, Zara, isn’t quite as nice, and seems determined to sabotage all of Skyler’s suggestions. And with a big assignment coming up, Skyler is stumped as to what to write about. Skyler wishes she has someone to talk to, but the first person who comes to mind isn’t even on the same continent: her BFF, Ella. Skyler knows that Ella would probably have to solution to a lot of her problems, especially the writer’s block, but they didn’t leave on the best of terms after a bucket list went a little awry. Thanks to technology, Skyler and Ella slowly begin to talk like old times. But when one of Skyler’s blog posts gets replaced with one she never intended anyone to see, she isn’t sure if she can ever belong anywhere. With the help of some Italian magic and her oldest friend, can Skyler learn to love her new city?

Postcards from Venice

Kenzie Rhines doesn't have a home she has too many. Her dad s job keeps them flying around the country, which means home is whatever fancy hotel they're currently staying in and school takes place 30,000 feet in the air. And since it's just the two of them, she has no choice but to be his travel partner. Kenzie loves the constant adventures, but she wouldn't mind planting her feet in one place for longer than two seconds, having her own bed, and maybe even finding a best friend she can talk to.

No Place Like Home

Having to move a lot because of her father's job, Kenzie is happy when an extended assignment allows her to enroll in a Las Vegas middle school, where she takes risks by revealing her crush, auditioning for a play, and running for student council.

The enterprising kids of Fort Builders, Inc., are at it again. This time, the friends use their creativity and construction know-how to build a pet palace in the second story in the fun-to-read Aladdin QUIX chapter book series that’s perfect for emerging readers! Jax and his twin sisters are getting kittens! The new four-legged members of the family will be coming home any day. And Fort Builders, Inc., has a new project…pet forts! Together, they know they can come up with the purr-fect hangout for the tiny felines. But they hit a major snag in their testing phase. None of the forts they test out is quite right. Can the team manage to build the best pet palace imaginable in time for the kittens’ arrival?

Fort Builders Inc. 2

Happy Tails Lodge

On the night of a middle school dance, excitement yields to complications for seven students, some who perform with their rock band, some who attend, and some who have other obligations.

Dee Romito

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