February: Fiction

The hilarious first book in an all-new illustrated middle-grade series starring young inventor Rube Goldberg On the first day of middle school, Principal Kim announces that the school is going to throw a Contraption Convention--the perfect opportunity for young inventor Rube Goldberg to show off his inventions and get out of his summer-long funk! But after a fight with his friends Pearl and Boob about where his priorities really lie, Rube's Con Con entry gets off to a rocky start--and then strange incidents begin to throw the town into disarray. Boob is convinced it's a ghost causing all of this chaos. Between Con Con, the ghostly mystery, and a new rival, Rube has his work cut out for him. But with the help of his friends, he might just get things back on track, get on top of his burgeoning anxieties, and come up with something brilliant before it's time to face the judging table.

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends! Mia Tang is going for her dreams! After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family -- to China! A total dream come true! Mia can't wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China's going through, Mia thinks about the changes in her own life, like . . . 1. Lupe's taking classes at the high school! And Mia's own plans to be a big writer are . . . stuck. 2. Something happened with Jason and Mia has no idea what to do about it. 3. New buildings are popping up all around the motel, and small businesses are disappearing. Can the Calivista survive? Buckle up! Mia is more determined than ever to get through the turbulence, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

The adventure continues as Cruz Coronado and his fellow explorers are jolted from their normal routines at Explorer Academy's classroom-at-sea and thrust into survival mode in the fifth book in the thrilling fiction series. On an island nation in the Indian Ocean, the explorers venture through a vast underwater world and take part in a friendly robotics competition. But the tides of good fortune change quickly. Suddenly, Team Cousteau jumps into action to rescue a faculty member from the brink of death. Meanwhile, the team follows the cipher's clues to a magnificent tomb and centre of spirituality precariously perched on the side of a cliff. There, Cruz is confronted by a familliar foe who's determined to stop him from completing his most important mission of all: Retrieving the final pieces of his mother's cipher. In this life-or-death showdown, Cruz experiences the ultimate sacrifice and uncovers a hidden message that makes him question his own mortality.

Counting by 7s meets See You in the Cosmos in this heartwarming coming-of-age story perfect for the budding geologists and those fascinated by the mysteries of the universe. Henry has always been fascinated by rocks. As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia (to help him identify the rocks he finds). So, when a meteorite falls in his family's field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast--with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course. But soon after the meteorite's arrival, the water in Henry's small Maine town starts drying up. It's not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry's family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself. Science and wonder abound in this middle-grade debut about an inquisitive boy and the massive rock that came down to Earth to reshape his life.

Counting by 7s meets See You in the Cosmos in this heartwarming coming-of-age story perfect for the budding geologists and those fascinated by the mysteries of the universe. Henry has always been fascinated by rocks. As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia (to help him identify the rocks he finds). So, when a meteorite falls in his family's field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast--with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course. But soon after the meteorite's arrival, the water in Henry's small Maine town starts drying up. It's not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry's family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself. Science and wonder abound in this middle-grade debut about an inquisitive boy and the massive rock that came down to Earth to reshape his life.

When school mishaps happen, five friends form the S.M.A.R.T. Squad and use their collective skills and the power of STEM to bring order to their school. Join Izzy Newton in the second adventure of this fun new fiction series, where science reigns supreme. With their first mystery solved and first-day jitters triumphantly behind them, Izzy and her pals start to settle in to the normal day-to-day at Atom Middle School. Izzy even works up the courage to try out for an all-boys sports team! Things are going well until a mysterious illness threatens to shut down the media centre-and maybe the entire school. The S.M.A.R.T. Squad is on the case in a race to figure out what ails them. But that's not all. A pop-up science fair causes excitement and tension for the Squad. And Izzy's failure to speak up in her speech class feels like an obstacle she can't overcome. Can the girls pull together to solve the media centre mystery? Will their STEM smarts help them rock the science fair? Or will Izzy Newton's flaws mean the end of the S.M.A.R.T. Squad? Plus, learn more about the real science behind the fiction and meet some amazing real-life scientists. Join award-winning author and American Girl series co-creator Valerie Tripp and the diverse, brilliantly brainy S.M.A.R.T. Squad gang in this charming second book in the series . And don't forget to check out the first book in the series, Izzy Newton and S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero (9781426373039).

Cruz, Sailor, Emmett, and the gang are on their way to Africa when Nebula misses their intended target and someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death. Secrets creep out from the shadows and leave Cruz with more questions than answers in this fourth title in the hit series. A major discovery forces the Explorer Academy into the limelight in The Star Dunes, but Cruz has much more on his mind than 15 minutes of fame. A new face on board the ship brings Cruz's worlds colliding, just as a major close call tears them apart. En route to Africa, Team Cousteau is now down a major player, and Cruz can't help but be preoccupied by the hole in his life. The discovery of his mum's next clue leads him to the most exotic location yet, a vast desert with no other information to lead the way, while an unlikely ally might be the clue to solving the next puzzle. Just as things seem like they might turn out all right, Dr. Fanchon Quills has a technological breakthrough which gives Cruz a glimpse into the past and reveals more about his future than he may really want to know.

From the lore of early adventurers to futuristic code breaking and augmented reality ... adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers. Puzzles and codes are embedded throughout. Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 20 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there's more at stake. As soon as he arrives he discovers his family's mysterious past with the Academy threatens his future. His mother had also attended the Academy and gone on to achieve groundbreaking success in a secret research division, before a tragic lab accident took her life. A near-fatal incident and a cryptic warning confirms his worst fear: His mother's death was no accident. Now, someone doesn't want him in the Academy either. In fact, someone doesn't even want him alive! With the help of his classmates, Cruz puts together pieces of a complicated puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself at the center of an international quest for a missing formula that only he can decode. By the time he boards the Academy's flagship Polaris for his semester at sea, the fate of his friends, and maybe even the world, are in his hands.

The mystery deepens and the action intensifies for 12-year-old Cruz Coronado and friends in the exciting third book in the Explorer Academy series. The adventure continues for Cruz, Emmett, Sailor, and Bryndis as they continue their studies at sea and travel to exotic locations around the world. A mysterious person alerts Cruz to impending danger while he and a few trusted pals explore ancient ruins in Petra, Jordan, and search for another piece of the puzzle his mother left behind. Worst of all, now his father has gone missing, which prompts Aunt Marisol, his #1 protector, to leave the ship in search of him. Who is the new professor who takes her place? How does the new technology he introduces help or hurt Cruz's quest? Why is Nebula determined to stop Cruz before he turns 13? The clock is ticking as his first teen birthday draws near ... a milestone that will change his life forever, one way or another.

Jada Jones is back for the fourth book of this popular, celebrated series perfect for STEM fans! "Readers who love Ivy and Bean or Katie Woo will want to meet Jada Jones." --School Library Journal When the student council decides to host a dance as their next fundraiser, Jada feels nervous and queasy. She's excited to give back, but she can't dance! Still, she's determined to help the cause and show she cares. She practices her moves, gets help from friends, and even does research at the library to prepare--but will it be enough to help her create change in her community? Praise for Jada Jones: Rock Star "Fast-paced, with supersimple vocabulary and a smattering of earth science to spark interest in young rock collectors everywhere." --Kirkus Reviews