NCW Libraries

When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood.

A stemless pumpkin that yearns to be a Halloween jack-o-lantern watches sadly as all of the other pumpkins in the shop are chosen.

A girl celebrates her own individuality, from her freckles to her wiggles.

Lowry's unforgettable tale introduces 12-year-old Jonas, who is singled out by the Community to be trained by The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of true pain and pleasure. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth.

Eleven-year-old Frances is an observer of both nature and people, just like her idol, the anthropologist Margaret Mead. She spends most of her time up on the rocks behind her house in her 'rock world,' as Alvin, her kindhearted and well-read school bus driver, calls it. It's the one place where Frances can truly be herself, and where she doesn't have to think about her older sister, Christinia, who is growing up and changing in ways that Frances can't...

Ernest's parents are worried because he never really smiles, but Ernest assures them that he is happy--he is just not the kind of guy who smiles.

Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider.

"Ella is excited for her first day at a new school. Glimmering pencil case? Check! Shimmering backpack? Check! Glittery ribbons in her hair? Check! She can't wait to meet the other kids and share her sparkly personality. But her first day doesn't go quite as planned: Her new classmates don't like her disco-ball shoes, her PB&J-with-sprinkles sandwich, or her rainbow-y unicorn painting. Ella decides to try to be less sparkly at school the next day...

Elijah wants the perfect Easter outfit, but feels discouraged after a failed shopping trip--until two community elders encourage him to create his own Easter masterpiece.

Tomorrow is Woolbur's first day of school. Woolbur can fix his own wool, write his name, and color outside the lines. And most important, he never follows the crowd. Woolbur is ready for school, but is school ready for Wilbur?