Grade: 3

L is for Lucky… And that’s just how Lucky O’Leary feels when the lottery ticket his grandfather sends him for Christmas turns out to be a million-dollar winner! But before Lucky can cash it in, someone sneaks into his house and steals it. Now it’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to track down the thief and return the ticket… before Lucky loses out!

This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth’s gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked “Which,” Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the “impossible” mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom.

Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On christmas morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.

A generous quiltmaker and a covetous king go head-to-head in this tale of good versus greed. When a can’t-have-enough king demands that a seamstress sew him a quilt, she refuses because she only makes them for the poor. Time after time, the king tries to intimidate her into making him a quilt — but she doesn’t budge a stitch! Instead she tells him that for each possession he gives away, she’ll sew him a patch of a quilt. The king finally receives his own priceless quilt and discovers the joy of giving. Readers will enjoy this quintessential quilt tale and the swatches of material, patterns, and directions for making quilts that are included.

Sometimes a rainy day is not wonderful. Clouds darken a sunny day and bring out people’s cloudy dispositions. With humor in both text and art, Shannon’s picture book captures how a change in the weather affects the mood of an entire neighborhood!

A thrilling follow-up to DiTerlizzi and Black’s first Spiderwick Chronicles book, The Seeing Stone has Jared and Mallory rescuing Simon from a band of goblins. When the young boy is kidnapped, Thimbletack leads Jared to a stone that allows him to have “the sight,” or the ability to see magical creatures. Soon, the brother and sister are outfoxing a hungry troll, working with a helpful goblin named Hogsqueal to thwart the other goblins, and taking care of a wounded griffin. With more enchanted action than the first book and a suspenseful ending, this second installment will have kids chomping at the bit for more.

At just 12 years old, Matt must face serious challenges in the Maine wilderness while awaiting his father’s return to their cabin. When he is saved from a terrifying bee swarm attack by an Indian chief and his grandson Attean, Matt gains a valuable friend in the young Indian boy. As the boys become closer and learn new skills from each other, Matt must face a heart-wrenching decision when the tribe decides to move north. Is it time for Matt to move on with Attean’s tribe and give up hope of his family ever returning?

Here are more trickster tales. Uncle Remus narrates these entertaining stories about a wily rabbit, who tries to outsmart every big and little critter around. Lester adds just enough dialect to keep in touch with the spirit of these adventures which feature Brer Rabbit, his friends–and enemies.