The Kid And The Keepers

The Kid and the Keepers: Dream Visions chronicles the fantastic adventures of its young, trumpet-playing protagonist, Jeru “the Kid” Johnstone. The action opens with Jeru petitioning his father for permission to quit his instrument during their weekly trip from his private lessons in Harlem. He struggles sorely to express his dissatisfaction and finds a welcomed diversion in a strange bird that distracts him so completely that he abandons his appeal. Later, the bird visits Jeru’s house, enters his open bedroom window, summons him with a wink, and hops into his trumpet’s bell. Seconds later, Jeru “falls through” his trumpet and comes to a stop at the New York’s A train of the 1940s. This train that inspired a jazz standard (“Take the A Train”) takes the two adventurers to Harlem where Jeru follows the bird and a small group of musicians to Minton’s Playhouse, the place where bebop jazz was created. While there, he befriends Dizzy Gillespie and gains insight and perspective about jazz musicians and their music. In addition, during various dream visions, he learns important things about himself. The most important lessons occur during his dream of a trip to a jazz Camelot, where he confronts and defeats the practice monster, the entity that chokes and feeds on the passion and ambition of jazz musicians until they become uninspired and abandon their art. Later he meets Buddy Bolden (the creator of jazz) and Louis Armstrong, among other prominent jazz musicians. Before his journey home, he recognizes and embraces his role as a keeper of not only jazz music but also of family history, roots music, faith, and other aspects of cultural heritage. His adventures, both those in present day Harlem and in Harlem of the 1940s, enable him to confront various fears and to become a more confident, learned, and ambitious character.

Experience the fantastic adventure filled with magical objects, secret sects, and life as we know it on the line! Mixing magic and physics, Ted Sanders has created an epic story that has the feel of classic fantasy but twists it into something new and innovative. From the moment Horace F. Andrews sees the sign from the bus—a sign with his own name on it—everything changes. The sighting leads him underground, to the House of Answers, a hidden warehouse full of mysterious objects. But there, he finds only questions. What is this curious place? Who are the strange, secretive people who entrust him with a rare and immensely powerful gift? And what is he to do with it? When Horace finds the Box of Promises in the curio shop, he quickly discovers that ordinary-looking objects can hold extraordinary power. From the enormous, sinister man shadowing him to the gradual mastery of his newfound abilities to his encounters with Chloe—a girl who has an astonishing talent of her own—Horace follows a path that puts the pair in the middle of a centuries-old conflict between two warring factions in which every decision they make could have disastrous consequences.

The Kid and the Keepers: Dream Visions chronicles the fantastic adventures of its young, trumpet-playing protagonist, Jeru "the Kid" Johnstone. The action opens with Jeru petitioning his father for permission to quit his instrument during their weekly trip from his private lessons in Harlem. He struggles sorely to express his dissatisfaction and finds a welcomed diversion in a strange bird that distracts him so completely that he abandons his appeal. Later, the bird visits Jeru's house, enters his open bedroom window, summons him with a wink, and hops into his trumpet's bell. Seconds later, Jeru "falls through" his trumpet and comes to a stop at the New York's A train of the 1940s. This train that inspired a jazz standard ("Take the A Train") takes the two adventurers to Harlem where Jeru follows the bird and a small group of musicians to Minton's Playhouse, the place where bebop jazz was created. While there, he befriends Dizzy Gillespie and gains insight and perspective about jazz musicians and their music. In addition, during various dream visions, he learns important things about himself. The most important lessons occur during his dream of a trip to a jazz Camelot, where he confronts and defeats the practice monster, the entity that chokes and feeds on the passion and ambition of jazz musicians until they become uninspired and abandon their art. Later he meets Buddy Bolden (the creator of jazz) and Louis Armstrong, among other prominent jazz musicians. Before his journey home, he recognizes and embraces his role as a keeper of not only jazz music but also of family history, roots music, faith, and other aspects of cultural heritage. His adventures, both those in present day Harlem and in Harlem of the 1940s, enable him to confront various fears and to become a more confident, learned, and ambitious character.

The Ghost of the Keepers Monk is part legend, part mystery. It holds two of three mysterious stones that control all magic. The war lord, Califae controls the third and most powerful stone. He’s using its magic to help him conquer all of Amerath. Daran, a teenager who calls himself Rat Boy to shield his true identity, unravels the ghost’s secrets, and is “adopted” by intelligence in the Monk’s two stones. The stones control events and pit an unwilling Daran against Califae. The stones’ first task for Daran’s alternate identity is a rescue. There’s a problem. The princess he’s sent to rescue, despises Rat Boy but dreams of marring Daran, not knowing they’re the same person. When Daran tries to sort things out, the magic further complicates his life, manipulating him into a third identity and deeper into the politics of the growing war. Daran wants to resume his quiet life as Rat Boy, but the magic stones of Amerath have other plans for him.

A New York Times bestselling series A USA TODAY bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal–winning series In this riveting series opener, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world before the wrong person finds the answer first. Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks… But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known. But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

When Reuben discovers an old pocket watch, he soon realizes it holds an incredible power: it can turn you invisible for fifteen minutes. And the watch's power is even more extraordinary than he knows. Soon, he's on the run from a despot determined to possess it for himself ...

The first in a six-book series, We the Children follows Ben, his tech-savvy friend, Jill, and the class know-it-all, Robert, as they uncover a remarkable history and use it to protect the school. Sixth grader Benjamin Pratt loves history, which makes going to the historic Duncan Oakes School a pretty cool thing. But a wave of commercialization is hitting the area and his beloved school is slated to be torn down to make room for an entertainment park. This would be most kids’ dream—except there’s more to the developers than meets the eye… and more to the school. Because weeks before the wrecking ball is due to strike, Ben finds an old leather pouch that contains a parchment scroll with a note three students wrote in 1791. The students call themselves the Keepers of the School, and it turns out they’re not the only secret group to have existed at Duncan Oakes.

A touching tale of a grandmother and her granddaughter exploring and cherishing the natural world. Words, the woods, and the world illuminate this quest to save the most important pieces of our language—by saving the very things they stand for. When Mimi finds out her favorite words—simple words, like apricot, blackberry, buttercup—are disappearing from the English language, she elects her granddaughter Brook as their Keeper. And did you know? The only way to save words is to know them. • With its focus on the power of language and social change, The Keeper of Wild Words is ideal for educators and librarians as well as young readers. • For any child who longs to get outside and learn more about nature and the environment • A loving portrait of the special relationship that grandparents have with their grandchildren For children who love such books as Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature, And Then It's Spring, and Finding Wild. Brooke Smith is a poet and children's book author. She lives in Bend, Oregon, at the end of a long cinder lane. Brooke writes daily from her studio, looking at the meadow and many of the wild words she cherishes. Madeline Kloepper is a Canadian artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Major in Illustration from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Her work is influenced by childhood, nostalgia, and the relationships we forge with nature. She lives in Prince George, British Columbia.