Summer Days Starry Nights

A famous rock star, a family secret and a boy with a great smile make for one unforgettable summer. It's 1962, and thirteen-year-old Reenie Starr comes alive the minute guests begin to arrive at her family's summer resort. She dreams of the day she can run Sandy Shores, and she spends her time helping out at the resort, swimming, climbing trees, and singing under the stars. One day, Reenie's mother announces that she thinks the resort could use some entertainment. She invites Gwen, her best friend's almost-grown daughter, to come and teach a dance class. Although Gwen seems sad and remote, Reenie's thrilled to have her there. As Reenie starts to learn more about the world beyond Sandy Shores, she comes up with a plan that could really put it on the map. She also finds herself caught between the simpler world of her childhood and all of the wonderful new discoveries (boys) and heartaches (boys) that growing up can bring. Reenie thought she wanted Sandy Shores to never change, but after this summer nothing will ever be the same again. With the same humour and insight that she brought to the acclaimed Words That Start With B, Vikki VanSickle expertly captures those lazy, hazy, crazy days of the last summer before high school. Though set in a different time, Summer Days, Starry Nights is sure to resonate with all young readers on the verge of adolescence.

Clarissa tries to find her happily-ever-after in this clever, heartfelt follow-up to Love Is a Four-Letter Word! One summer. That's all the time it takes to set your world spinning -- or so Clarissa learns. Feeling abandoned by Mattie (camp), Benji (drama school), and even Michael (babysitting), Clarissa feels even more alone when her mother tells her she's marrying Doug. This announcement gets Clarissa thinking about her father, and her search for answers leads to her stumbling upon information about the secret teenage life of her mother, and more importantly, about Bill, her absentee father. Things get complicated when she spots a man who looks a lot like Bill. Approaching him winds up revealing a whole world of surprises that threaten to shake her image of her mother forever. Will Clarissa be able to move beyond the past and take part in Annie's vision of the future? Happily ever after has never seemed so impossible.

In a world where the familiar has sinister undertones, two friends are torn apart just when they need one another most. Can they both survive? Marivic Stone lives in a small world, and that's fine with her. Home is with her beloved grandfather in a small town that just happens to be famous for a medical discovery that saved humankind — though not without significant repercussions. Marivic loves her best friend, Saren, and the two of them promise to stick together, through thick and thin, and especially through the uncertain winnowing procedure, a now inevitable — but dangerous — part of adolescence. But when tragedy separates the two friends, Marivic is thrust into a world of conspiracy, rebellion and revolution. For the first time in her life, Marivic is forced to think and act big. If she is going to avenge Saren and right a decade of wrongs, she will need to trust her own frightening new abilities, even when it meansturning her back on everything, and everyone, she's known and loved. A gripping exploration of growing up, love and loss, The Winnowing is a page-turning adventure that will have readers rooting for their new hero, Marivic Stone, as they unravel the horror and intrigue of a world at once familiar but with a chilling strangeness lurking beneath the everyday.

Wit and humour shine in this debut novel by a refreshing new voice in middle-grade fiction! Clarissa Delaney had a plan - this was going to be her year. But so far, grade seven sucks. First of all, her favourite teacher has gone on sabbatical, leaving her with Mr. Campbell, whose lame sense of humour is completely annoying. Everyone in class drives her crazy, except for her best friend, Benji, but even he is troubled these days. His gentle demeanour has made him the target of threats and some serious bullying. Mr. Campbell hasn't even noticed, which only feeds Clarissa's resentment. But the worst news comes at home. Her loving mom, who runs a hair salon out of their home, has always had a gift for lifting everyone's spirits when they're down. But an upsetting diagnosis takes her away temporarily, just when Clarissa needs her the most. Readers will laugh through their tears, as Clarissa finds her bravest self to get her through this year of surprises.

An intimate coming-of age novel for teens, told in verse with delicate line art, chronicling the beauty, magic and transformative power of summer camp, for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Judy Blume. After having her heart broken, seventeen-year-old Nora Nichols decides to escape her hometown and take a summer job as an arts and crafts counsellor at an all-girls' camp in the mountains of West Virginia. There, she meets girls and women from all walks of life with their own heartaches and triumphs. Immersed in this new camp experience, trying to form bonds with her fellow counselors while learning to be a trusted adviser for her campers, Nora distracts herself from her feelings, even during the intimate conversations around the nightly campfires. But when a letter from home comes bearing unexpected news, Nora finds inner strength in her devastation with the healing power of female friendship. Presented as Nora's camp journal, including Nora's sketches of camp life, scraps of letters, and spare poems, The Lightning Circle is an intimate coming-of-age portrait.

The teddy bears' picnic gets a modern twist in this warm and fuzzy picture book about a young teddy bear who learns that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Ollie is a regular bear with a regular job. He listens to his girl's stories about her days, he snuggles her to sleep and he is there waiting when she gets home from school. Just your typical teddy bear stuff. So when he is whisked away to the annual teddy bears' picnic, he feels insignificant compared to the other bears who do daring and daunting things: sleepovers, hospital stays--even a night in the lost and found! After small talk with a regional stuffing manager, a department of cuddling official and a stitchery inspector; a stop at the snack table; and even some team building activities, it's time for the teddy bear service awards . . . and Ollie feels even more small and unimportant. But he soon learns that it's not just the big things that matter, it's the little things too. While parents will love the tongue-in-cheek office-party details, kids and parents alike will fall in love with Ollie: a sweet bear who discovers that his love for his girl makes him very special indeed.

Minnie, Mickey, and their friends are on a journey to find the perfect place to stargaze in this paperback storybook with more than 40 stickers! Mickey, Minnie, and their friends watch a show at the planetarium but Minnie wants to see the real stars at night—not just a pretty presentation. Mickey tries to find the perfect place to watch the stars but nothing seems to work out. Join Mickey and his friends on an adventure that takes them to the beach, the forest, and then to a mountain town to find the perfect place to stargaze. Sometimes, however, it’s as easy as looking in your own backyard!

Sometimes one night can change everything. On this particular night, Wren and her three best friends are attending a black-tie party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate the opening of a major exhibit curated by her father. An enormous wind blasts through the city, making everyone feel that something unexpected and perhaps wonderful will happen. And for Wren, that something wonderful is Nolan. With his root-beer-brown Michelangelo eyes, Nolan changes the way Wren's heart beats. In Isabel Gillies's Starry Night, suddenly everything is different. Nothing makes sense except for this boy. What happens to your life when everything changes, even your heart? How much do you give up? How much do you keep?