Sess 1 (7/3 - 7/14)

G9 - 12:  Julius Caesar ($7.00)
Shakespeare may have written Julius Caesar as the first of his plays to be performed at the Globe, in 1599. For it, he turned to a key event in Roman history: Caesar’s death at the hands of friends and fellow politicians. Renaissance writers disagreed over the assassination, seeing Brutus, a leading conspirator, as either hero or villain. Shakespeare’s play keeps this debate alive.

"Dracula," by Bram Stoker ($4.00)
“Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own will!” He made no motion of stepping to meet me, but stood like a statue, as though his gesture of welcome had fixed him into stone. The instant, however, that I had stepped over the threshold, he moved impulsively forward, and holding out his hand grasped mine with a strength which made me wince, an effect which was not lessened by the fact that it seemed as cold as ice―more like the hand of a dead than a living man.

Lord of the Flies ($6.00)
At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

G5 - G8

Thirst by Varsha Bajaj ($9.00)
This amazing book follows the experiences of a young girl growing up in the slums of Mumbai, India. As the story opens, Minni and her beloved older brother Sanjay are sitting on a hill overlooking the Arabian Sea, admiring a bridge and talking about their dreams for when they grow up. Despite living in a poor neighborhood where the small homes are built almost on top of one another, and despite having the gather water each day from the local tap, Minni and her brother maintain a hopeful outlook. Minni hopes to finish school and get a good job to help support her family. Sanjay currently works at a restaurant, but hopes to eventually become a chef. But a dangerous encounter with the water mafia puts Sanjay's dreams on hold as he has to flee the neighborhood for safety. And Minni's school dreams take a dive when her mother gets sick and she has to fill in at her job cleaning for a rich family. And even winning a scholarship to attend a computer class doesn't make things any easier. Just when Minni rediscovers her hopes and dreams, she runs into a water thief. She is left wondering what the right thing to do is?

G7-G8

My Family and Other Animals ($10.00)
My Family and Other Animals is Gerald Durrell's hilarious account of five years in his childhood spent living with his family on the island of Corfu. With snakes, scorpions, toads, owls and geckos competing for space with one bookworm brother and another who's gun-mad, as well as an obsessive sister, young Gerald has an awful lot of natural history to observe. This richly detailed, informative and riotously funny memoir of eccentric family life is a twentieth-century classic.

G5 - G6

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ($7.50)
When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort-she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because be was a miser and would have money.

G3 - 4

Hello, Universe: A Newbery Award Winner ($7.50)
“A charming, intriguingly plotted novel.”

Three Times Lucky (Mo & Dale Mysteries)

The Year of Billy Miller ($8.00)

The Year of Billy Miller includes black-and-white art by Kevin Henkes and is perfect for fans of the Ramona books; Frindle, by Andrew Clements; and the Clementine series. The New York Times declared: "Henkes's delightful story is restrained and vivid . . . forgoing the overdramatic or zany, it shows the substance, warmth and adaptability of beautifully common family love." When Billy Miller has a mishap at the statue of the Jolly Green Giant at the end of summer vacation, he ends up with a big lump on his head. What a way to start second grade!

G1 - 2

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ($7.00)
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

The Lemon War ($8.00)
Here is a clever blend of humor, math wizardry, and business know-how. As it captures the one-of-a-kind bond between brother and sister, this poignant novel also subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone’s intent.