Deschutes Public Library

Alex Ko's moving autobiography will inspire tweens to dare to dream big.

Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story follows Alex's journey from small town Iowa to becoming a famous Broadway performer in New York City. Despite all the odds he had to overcome--facing his father's tragic death from cancer, financial difficulties, countless auditions, and serious injuries, Alex triumphantly lands the starring role in the musical Billy Elliot at age thirteen.

For theater fans who want an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the world of backstage Broadway to kids determined to achieve dreams of their own, Alex Ko's story, told in his own words, is powerful and personal.

A collection of black-and-white photos from both Billy Elliot productions and Alex's childhood brings his world vividly to life.

Alice-Miranda is thrilled to be back at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies, where the girls are rehearsing a play with the neighboring boys' school. But it's not all glamour and stage lights: there are rumors of a witch in the woods, and Alice-Miranda's friends, Jacinta and Millie, are clashing with Sloan Sykes, a rude new student whose pushy mother comes up with a get-rich scheme that could have disastrous results. When Alice-Miranda learns of the plot, she tries to set things right--and on the night of the big performance, no less!

Who's that eating a banana? Swinging from the shower curtain? Making faces in the mirror? Why, it looks like a monkey!

But not to Mommy. Mommy knows it's her own monkey boy, and even monkey boys need their sleep. But first, they need to clean up their room and take a bath. Then she'll read a story. "Good night, Monkey Boy . . . and no more bananas!"

"I believe I can just see you on the streets of that bright city."

Gran's gone now, but her words live on with Nicholas Dray, almost twelve, as he makes his way from the hot cotton fields to that Queen of Cities: San Francisco. Nick's on his own for the first time, with nowhere to turn. Then he meets jaunty, talkative Pat Patterson, owner of the most beautiful store--and the friendliest golden dog--in all the city. And for the first time in months, Nick feels safe. Safe in San Francisco.

But the year is 1906, the month is April, and early one morning the walls begin to shake. The floor begins to buckle. And the earth opens up. A devastating earthquake and then raging firestorms ravage the city, and Nick is right in the middle of it all. But for a young boy who's got few ties and nothing to lose, what's the right choice: escape to safety or stay--at deadly risk--to help others?

From acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson comes a suspenseful and carefully...

Kids love pasta! It's fun, easy to make, and good to eat. Noodlemania! serves up 50 great recipes to play with in the kitchen, from crazy-cute Super Stuffed Slugs and Ladybug Salad to savory Totally Tortellini Kabobs and Big Fat Cheesy Shells. It even has recipes for sweet desserts and snacks, like Sweet Ramen Trail Mix and Crunchy Cinnamon Noodle Ice Cream Sundaes.

Noodlemania! also teaches basic math skills and includes fun pasta trivia. How many thousands of years ago was the word noodle first used? What is the world record for the largest meatball ever? Let your kids have fun in the kitchen while sharpening their cooking skills with Noodlemania!

Fourth grader Odessa Green-Light lives with her mom and her toad of a little brother, Oliver. Her dad is getting remarried, which makes no sense according to Odessa. If the prefix "re" means "to do all over again," shouldn't he be remarrying Mom? Meanwhile, Odessa moves into the attic room of their new house. One day she gets mad and stomps across the attic floor. Then she feels as if she is falling and lands . . . on the attic floor. Turns out that Odessa has gone back in time a whole day! With this new power she can fix all sorts of things--embarrassing moments, big mistakes, and even help Oliver be less of a toad. Her biggest goal: reunite Mom and Dad.

Dark, scary, and magnificently illustrated, this is a new series not to be missed!The great walled city of Hangman's Hollow is at war with the forest outside. Into this war, one dreadful night, fate delivers a skinny, helpless boy. But maybe Pip isn't as helpless as he seems. Maybe he is the one who will defeat the wood witches and rescue the children of Hangman's Hollow.

Rita Williams-Garcia's much-anticipated middle-grade novel P.S. Be Eleven is the sequel to her New York Times bestseller One Crazy Summer, a Newbery Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award.

Eleven-year-old Brooklyn girl Delphine feels overwhelmed with worries and responsibilities. She's just started sixth grade and is self-conscious about being the tallest girl in the class, and nervous about her first school dance. She's supposed to be watching her sisters, but Fern and Vonetta are hard to control. Her uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam and seems different. And her pa has a girlfriend. At least Delphine can write to her mother in Oakland, California, for advice. But why does her mother tell her to "be eleven" when Delphine is now twelve?

The historical novel, set in the 1960s, features vivid characters, insight into family relationships, and a strong sense of place.

"Two-headed monsters, giant tentacles, angry demons--Lovecraft Middle School is great creepy fun!"
--Ransom Riggs, author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

DON'T BE FOOLED by his friendly smile, his perfect manners, or his shiny red apple. Student council president Howard Mergler is actually a sinister bug-monster in disguise--and he's summoning swarms of roaches, wasps, fleas, and head lice into the corridors of Lovecraft Middle School! Twelve-year-old Robert Arthur is the only student who can stop him--but he'll need help from his best friends: the school bully, the school ghost, and an extremely courageous two-headed rat.

This third novel in the Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Professor Gargoyle and The Slither Sisters ended--with more action, more adventure, and more outrageous monsters!

From the first orange glow on the water in the pond, to the last humans and animals running home from an evening rain shower, here is a day-in-the-life of a city park, and the playground within it. A rhythmic text and sweet, accessible images will immerse parents, toddlers, and young children in the summer season and the community within a park. Seasoned picture book readers may notice Emily Jenkins's classic inspirations for this book: Alvin Tresselt's Caldecott Medal-winning White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, and Charlotte Zolotow's The Park Book, illustrated by H. A. Rey.