Showing results by author "Avi" in All Categories

England, 1486. King Henry VII has recently snatched the English Crown and now sits on the throne, while young Prince Edward, who has a truer claim, has apparently disappeared. Meanwhile, a penniless kitchen boy named Lambert Simnel is slaving away at a tavern in Oxford - until a mysterious friar, Brother Simonds, buys Lambert from the tavern keeper and whisks him away in the dead of night. But this is nothing compared to the secret that the friar reveals: You, Lambert, are actually Prince Edward, the true King of England!

When teacher Roberta Allen walked into her middle school principal's office, she encountered sisters Valentina and Selena Diaz, who were to be removed from their mother's home once again by the Department of Families. The girls, after suffering years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother and sexual abuse by their mother's male friends, are soon to be placed in the care of newly approved foster parents, Roberta and Hal Allen.

As a young boy Frank Kovac Jr. fell deeply in love with stargazing, painting glow-in-the-dark constellations on his bedroom wall and inviting friends to an observatory he built in his Chicago backyard. As he reached adulthood, Kovac did not let go of his childhood dreams of reaching the stars. He began scheming to bring the universe home. While working at a paper mill as a young man, Kovac tirelessly built a 22-foot rotating globe planetarium in the woods.

For most of Tony Gilbert's life, he has thought of his uncle as "Weird Uncle Charlie". That is, until Uncle Charlie moves in with Tony and his family. Uncle Charlie is still odd, of course - talking about spirits and other supernatural stuff - but he and Tony become fast friends, and Tony ends up having a lot of fun with Uncle Charlie. When Uncle Charlie dies suddenly, Tony is devastated. Then he starts seeing Uncle Charlie everywhere!

Everyone loves Ted. The disadvantaged children he works with consider him a hero. The children's parents think he is the answer to their prayers. His boss, Stacy, adores him. But there is evil lurking behind Ted's dark sense of humor. Ted plans to marry Stacy; the only thing in his way is her husband. Will Stacy see him for what he really is before it's too late? Or will he continue to deceive her and everyone around him?

It's 1951, and 12-year-old Pete Collison is a regular kid in Brooklyn, New York, who loves Sam Spade detective books and radio crime dramas. But when an FBI agent shows up at Pete's doorstep, accusing Pete's father of being a Communist, Pete is caught in a real-life mystery. Could there really be Commies in Pete's family?

In this colonial adventure tale, set on the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border in 1768, Everett Shinn is enlisted in a search for two runaway indentured servants. Eager for adventure and to become a hero by capturing the runaways himself, 12-year-old Peter York, Shinn’s adopted son, volunteers to join the search. Peter assumes that the runaways are swarthy ruffians. When he discovers, however, that they are mistreated children seeking freedom in Pennsylvania, Peter’s purpose turns from capturing them to helping them escape. Will Shinn, a devout Quaker of few words, foil Peter’s plans, or will the young man receive help from an unexpected source?

Young listeners will be enchanted by this wondrous tale of magic and wizardry written by Newbery Medal-winning author Avi. When Morwenna is given the gift of wizardry, she must guard the five wishes she has been granted. She must protect herself and the peasants from vengeful King Ruthvin. Virginia Leishman’s spellbinding voice coupled with Avi’s mesmerizing story make this magical audiobook a must-listen.

Spending the summer with his grandparents in the Pennsylvania countryside is pure joy for young Jamie. There, he fills his days with looking up at the sky, watching the clouds make dragons and knights. There, it doesn't matter that he can't read. The special school he attends is far away. But one afternoon, when Jamie sees a man parachute down through the sky, the boy's fantasy world of clouds is shattered. The man is very real - and very dangerous. How can he convince his grandparents that the man is not part of his imagination?

Eve is haunted by her dead cats, Willie is not content to turn a blind eye to suffering, and Maria carries on lengthy conversations with a silent caller. Theirs are the odd, but strangely realistic stories you will find in this collection. Avi’s stories address real concerns in a way young people can relate to. Always entertaining, they broach difficult topics like divorce, teenage runaways, adolescent cruelty, and homelessness.

Benjamin was nine years old in the spring of 1855 when his father met with the accident that changed Benjamin’s life. Called home from boarding school, his first sight of his father lying nearly lifeless in the bed petrified him. Gone was the energetic man who had held the family together when Benjamin’s mother succumbed to diphtheria. With the courage and strength that had brought the family to the Oregon Territory, Benjamin and his siblings work to build the barn their father had been excitedly planning when he was struck down.

Kenny Huldorf is not happy when he learns that he and his family will be moving all the way across the country to Rhode Island, a state smaller than Los Angeles, the city he’s known his whole life. His new home, The Stillwell House, was built in 1789 and, like everything in Providence, it seems old-fashioned and somber. But things start to look a little brighter when Kenny’s mom shows him his new bedroom: a long, open attic with plenty of room and privacy.

The Old City lay dark and cold … It is night. And Edmund is alone. His mother is gone. His aunt, who went in search of her, is dead. His sister has disappeared. Edmund has no one. Except for a stranger of the night.

Punch is a young orphan boy, hungry and alone. When he is offered a job with a traveling medicine show, he takes it, although he has no idea what his work will be. But after he joins the troupe and sees the owner’s beautiful daughter, Judy, he no longer cares what he has to do, as long as he is near her. Soon the shady medicine show is on the run, just one step ahead of a sheriff who is determined to put them all in jail for peddling their bottles of elixirs. To save the day, Punch will have to take on the trickiest job of all: making people laugh.

The young orphan Crispin and his gentle, red-bearded protector Bear continue their adventures in 14th-century England. Crispin and Bear are finally free to live their lives as they choose. But they soon find that they are being hunted by members of a secret society who believe Bear is a spy. When Bear is severely wounded, Crispin must make some tough decisions, such as deciding who else to trust to help them escape their pursuers. The two make a perilous journey to Brittany - surely the edge of the world!

The radio culture of World War II America comes alive with this mischievous tale of two best friends who - inspired by the Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet, and the Shadow - set out to right the wrongs of the world. Jeff Woodman’s delightfully funny narration is reason enough to listen to this book!

Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though perhaps he is—and more than just a little.)

Newbery Medal-winning author Avi completes the Crispin saga with this third installment of the riveting trilogy. In 14th-century England, Crispin has embarked on one adventure after another since discovering that he, once known only as “Asta’s son,” has a much grander future than he ever could have imagined. Encountering such trustworthy souls as Bear during the course of his travels, Crispin teeters on the brink of fulfilling his destiny in this stunning tale of the Middle Ages.

The telephone rings. You just pick it up without thinking. It could be anyone. But this time it’s a killer and the killer’s got a name - and a victim. When Andy Zadinski picked up the phone that evening, he was cool. Just keep him talking. But when he called the police, they didn’t believe him. In fact, no one believed him, not even his father. After all, the whole thing was too weird to believe. Even Andy began to have doubts, until the killer started stalking him.

The South Orange River (S.O.R.) Middle School is famous for its winning sports teams. That is, until the seventh grade soccer squad comes along. Led by Ed Sitrow, who has never played soccer before, this amazing team of non-jocks sets new lows in team spirit and new highs in scoring - for the other team. When they lose their first game 32-0, they’re ready to call it quits. But the teachers insist that the team keep playing through the entire soccer season.