National Network for Equitable Library Service

The #1 bestselling creator of "Otis "and "Little Tree" presents an homage to firefighters everywhere and to the many boys and girls who dream big of being heroes! On the farm where Otis the tractor lives, it hasn't rained in a long time and farmers all over the valley have grown anxious with water in such short supply. One hot afternoon, when Otis and his friends are resting beneath the shade of the apple tree, Otis spots something moving down in the valley: an orange tabby cat headed straight for the old barn. But then Otis sees something else that causes his engine to sputter ...

Pinky has gotten on the bad side of Kevin, the third grade bully. Kevin thinks Pinky is a sissy because he wears pink, rides a pink bike and plays with Rex-a girl. He even knocks Pinky off his bike. If that's not embarrassing enough, Mrs. Morgan-an old woman-has to rescue Pinky! Pinky is so upset, he decides to change his name to Billy and lets his sister Amanda take all his stuffed animals because they're all pink. Will Mrs. Morgan and Rex find a way for Pinky to be himself, or has he changed forever' James Howe's popular series is loved by children across the nation.

Best friends Pinky and Rex have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. It's the weekend they're going camping alone with their dads. Everything is ready: the station wagon is stuffed with sleeping bags, cartons of food, cooking equipment, and a brand-new tent. Now all they need is nice weather. However, when rain starts to fall right after they leave, their plans for camping and hiking in the woods are washed out.

A trip to the museum with Pinky's dad and his sister, Amanda, puts Pinky and Rex's friendship to the test. Will their friendship survive when both youngsters set their sights on the same stuffed animal at the museum gift shop?

For years war has touched the Cambodian village where 12-year-old Dara lives. Bombs have gradually destroyed the huts and temple. Recently, soldiers marched into town and burned all the rice seed. Now with nothing to eat, Dara and her family are walking to the border. They have heard of a refugee camp near Thailand, far away from danger. The camp is even better than Dara expected. She has all the food she wants and makes wonderful new friends. Most of all, she finally feels safe. But when fighting breaks out near the settlement, she becomes separated from her family.

Thirteen-year-old Tyler loves spending the summer in New York with his cousin. Each day, they play baseball in a Central Park league. Tyler is a sharp hitter, so he hopes to become an All-Star. But he has a temper that is quicker than his swing. If he can't control it, he will lose his place on the team. There's trouble off the diamond, too. An awful accident has turned Tyler's dad into a distracted stranger. People tell Tyler that time will heal his father's wounds, but what about the hurt Tyler feels? He just wants to bat it away.

Crash Coogan is a big jock. As long as he can remember, he has crashed through life, running over anyone or anything that stands in his way. So when the geeky pacifist kid Penn Webb moves onto his block, Crash immediately ridicules everything about him-including his friendship. Now a burly seventh grader, Crash scores spectacular touchdowns in each football game while Penn becomes a cheerleader. Crash saves money to buy the coolest pair of sneakers in the mall while Penn pickets a construction site to protest all shopping malls.

In Audrey Shafer's compelling debut novel, Gabe Pace remains trapped in Virginia's foster care system until a social worker finds his Uncle Vernon. As this crusty old Vietnam veteran connects with his nine-year-old nephew, Gabe grows to love his cantankerous but caring uncle. On his first day of sixth grade, however, Gabe discovers his uncle's dead body. Fearing a return to foster care, Gabe keeps Vernon's death a secret. But when he arrives home the next day, Gabe is shocked to find his uncle's body missing and a cryptic note in his mailbox: "I have a secret."

Baby Ruva lives with her giraffe family in a beautiful jungle. One sad day she is kidnapped and taken across the ocean to a horrible zoo. Thanks to four wise and magical friends she has met along the way, the baby giraffe is managing to survive, but time is running out. The zookeepers are going to kill her so they can use her cage for a new shipment of hyenas. Now she and her friends must outwit their evil captors and find their way back to "the warm place", which is their home in Africa.

Eleven-year-old Nhamo is running for her life. When the village witch finder decrees that she must marry a cruel stranger to propitiate an evil spirit, her only recourse is to steal a fishing boat and go looking for a father she has never met. Alone on the Musengezi River, Nhamo has meager resources to help her survive loneliness, hunger, wild animals, and even land mines. During the grueling months in her leaking boat and on a deserted island, she has only visions of her dead mother and other spirit ancestors to sustain her.