Winters, Ben H.  UNDERGROUND AIRLINES
Boston : Mulholland Books, 2016
IL AD
ISBN 0316261246

Imagine if you will, an America where Abraham Lincoln never became president.  And that slavery was not illegal.  That is the what Winters is imagining in this alternative history fiction.  Lincoln was assassinated on his way to his inauguration and even in 2016, slavery is not illegal.  Sure most states have voted to be free states but there are still four states that allow slavery.  How would this change the course of our history?  Would our position in the world be changed?  In this story, a young African American former slave is now a bounty hunter paid to bring runaways back to their owners.  He is on the trail of an escaped slave and those who help them. Can he find his quarry?  And maybe bring down a link in the underground airline.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/bf88fkoREwCgs

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING OLYMPIC ATHLETE WILMA RUDOLPH

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING OLYMPIC ATHLETE WILMA RUDOLPH
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 3.0
ISBN 0766059782
Did you watch the Olympics on tv?  This is an amazing display of athletes from all around the world competing to be the best in the world. They all have stories to tell about how they spent years training for the competition. In 1956, a young girl from the United States won the first of her medals. What is amazing is that this girl had polio as a young girl and it could have caused her to lose her ability to walk. Her running is what kept her going.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/nHf5yu3Ccd2nm

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING CIVIL WAR NURSE CLARA BARTON

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING CIVIL WAR NURSE CLARA BARTON
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 2.9
ISBN 0766059774
Clara Barton was a nurse during the Civil War.  She was known as the Angel of the Battlefield.  She risked her own life to help those who were injured in the war.  And she also created the American Red Cross.  Find out about this amazing woman and her life.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/DDGzfCdbi6RoN

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING ARCTIC EXPLORER MATTHEW HENSON

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING ARCTIC EXPLORER MATTHEW HENSON
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 3.2
ISBN 076605974X

Matthew Henson was an explorer who wanted to be one of the first to reach the North Pole.  And he was.  But no one knew about him.  As an African American, he was not mentioned in the reports about this trip until many years later.  Find out about this amazing man.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/LariqmKMXdhnz

Tremayne, Peter. ABSOLUTION BY MURDER : A SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERY

Tremayne, Peter.  ABSOLUTION BY MURDER : A SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERY
New York : Signet, 1994
IL AD
ISBN 0451192990

The story takes place in medieval England in the seventh-century.  King Oswy of Northunbria has called an assembly of representatives from Ireland, Britain and Rome to determine which Church doctrine the Kingdom of Northumbria will follow. There is a divide between the Irish faction and the Roman faction.  But all this takes a new direction when one of the main speakers is murdered.  Sister Fidelma, an advocate of the courts of Ireland, is called upon to solve the murder.  Did the murder have anything to do with the assembly?  Or were there other motives involved? This is the first of a series about Sister Fidelma.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/dR9HUZLqt98lU

Stewart, Melissa. AMAZING EYES UP CLOSE

Stewart, Melissa. AMAZING EYES UP CLOSE
New York : Enslow, 2012
IL K-3, RL 2.2
ISBN 1464400806

Your eyes are pretty amazing, aren't they?  Did you know that many animals can use their eyes differently than you?  A honeybee has more than two eyes.  A squid has eyes that are bigger than a dinner plate.  Check out this book to find out how animals eyes are different from ours.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/IB6W3jkSJzMqK

Sperring, Mark. I'LL CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL

Sperring, Mark.  I'LL CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016
IL K-3, RL 2.0
ISBN 1481452061
Do you sometimes get nervous and wonder if you are safe?  The boy in this story is on a ship at night and wonders who will keep him safe.  He soon learns that there are many people around to keep him safe and make sure he gets home.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/SiJ2hFnZv9pgU

Sayres, Brianna Caplan. WHERE DO STEAM TRAINS SLEEP AT NIGHT?

Sayres, Brianna Caplan.  WHERE DO STEAM TRAINS SLEEP AT NIGHT?
New York : Random House, 2016
IL K-3, RL 3.2
ISBN  0553520989
For the train lover in all of us.  Do you ever wonder where the trains go at night?  Do they have mother trains that tuck them in just like children do?  Do they get to listen to bedtime stories or have hot cocoa?  Come along and find out.  But be quiet so you don't wake up the trains.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/pRwuVWq7rrpCP

Rhodes, Jewell Parker. NINTH WARD

Rhodes, Jewell Parker.  NINTH WARD
Boston : Little, Brown, 2010
IL 5-8, RL 3.7
ISBN 0316043079
Meet 12-year-old Lenesha.  She's living in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans with her grandmother.  Her mother died in childbirth so she has lived with Mama Ya-Ya all her life.  There isn't much money but there is a lot of love in their home.  The kids at school make fun of Lenesha because she supposedly has the "second sight".  But none of that will matter in the days to come.  At first the weather man talked about a hurricane out in the ocean.  As the days go by, the predictions get worse.  Finally, the Governor tells everyone in New Orleans to evacuate. But how do you do that when you are poor, have no car and no place to go?  


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/6HZm6kS3VHoVK

Poblocki, Dan. THE GATHERING

Poblocki, Dan. THE GATHERING
New York : Scholastic, 2015
IL 3-6, RL 5.8
ISBN 0545925509

If only there was just one day when Poppy could look in the mirror and not see the girl staring back.  The other kids think she's a bit crazy.  But she is stuck here all the same.  Until the letter arrives! A great-aunt she never knew existed writes and invites her to come live at Larkspur Academy. What she finds there will change everything.  The same day she arrives, more children show up.  Dylan and Dash who are TV stars, Marcus, a cellist, Azumi who is running away from the place her sister died.  As the kids settle in, strange things begin happening.  And the kids realize that they all have something in common in this scary book about haunted houses.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/qmzZl57N42RH0

Penfold, Alexandra. EAT, SLEEP, POOP

Penfold, Alexandra.  EAT, SLEEP, POOP
New York : Knopf, 2016
IL PK
ISBN 0385755031


The first few months of a baby's life are pretty routine.  There is so much they need to learn in this new life that having a routine is a good thing.  Sometimes they don't follow the routine but most of the time they do.  And can you guess what the routine is?  Just take a look at the title of the book and you get it.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/gZkP0Svbrkzwi

Young, Jessica. ALL PAWS ON DECK

Young, Jessica.  ALL PAWS ON DECK
New York : Scholastic, 2015
IL K-3, RL 1.8
ISBN 0545818869
Haggis, a Scottish terrier, is bored.  He can't wait for lunch and it seems forever away.  But along comes his friend Tank, a Great Dane.  The two decide to play pirates.  The two are off on a great adventure as they pretend to sail the seas and hunt for treasure.  Come along and join the pirate fun!


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/tVApPUZD6gqvf

Paraskevas, Michael. MR. MOON

Paraskevas, Michael.  MR. MOON
New York : Crown Books for Young Readers, 2016
IL K-3, RL 3.0
ISBN 0399549927

While you are sleeping, there is a lot of work being done to get the world ready for the new day.  There are clouds that need to be fluffed and stars to dance.  Mr. Moon helps light the way and keeps watch over everything.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/NQdwpei3NitOl

Moses, Will. FAIRY TALES FOR LITTLE FOLKS

Moses, Will.  FAIRY TALES FOR LITTLE FOLKS
New York : Viking, 2015
IL K-3, RL 4.7
ISBN 0451472837
Are you a big fan of fairy tales?  Or maybe you are just discovering them.  Here is a collection of some of favorite fairy tales for you to enjoy.  From Little Red Riding Hood to Puss in Boots, sit down and escape into the world of fairy tales.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/WdEDW6CZP9gkb

Moreillon, Judi. READY AND WAITING FOR YOU

Moreillon, Judi.  READY AND WAITING FOR YOU
Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2013
IL K-3, RL 4.7
ISBN 0802853552


The first day of school can be a scary time.  Especially if you don't know anyone.  How wonderful it would be if you are greeted by many of the people you will see all day. And that is what this book is all about.  From the bus driver, to the students, to the staff, they are all waiting for you.  So come on in.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/8WI5iNfgdEL1b

Martin, Emily Winfield. THE LITTLEST FAMILY'S BIG DAY

Martin, Emily Winfield.  THE LITTLEST FAMILY'S BIG DAY
New York : Random House, 2016
IL K-3
ISBN  0553511017
Meet the littlest family. They have just moved in to a new home in the forest.  They decide to go exploring their new surroundings.  What do you think they'll find?

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/uOJgSQ7NOVayU

MacLachlan, Patricia. THE MOON'S ALMOST HERE

MacLachlan, Patricia. THE MOON'S ALMOST HERE
New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2016
IL K-3, RL 1.5
ISBN 1481420623

The day is just about done and the moon is almost here.  As a parent and child slowly make their way home, they get to see lots of animals getting ready for the night.   There are birds and sheep and other animals settling down for the night.  Come along for the walk as the day winds down and the moon comes out.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/Pq4lsTgXTuhFf43

Sarn, Amelie. I LOVE I HATE I MISS MY SISTER

Sarn, Amelie.
I LOVE I HATE I MISS MY SISTER
New York : Delacorte Press, 2014
IL YA 
ISBN 0385743769

Two sisters are very different but very close.  Sohane is in her last year of high school and is very serious about her studies.  Her sister Djelila is a year younger and loves playing basketball, wearing tight jeans and makeup.  And her boyfriend.  The girls live in France in a housing project with many other Muslim refugees.  France has outlawed the wearing of head scarves by Muslim girls in school.  But Sohane decides that she wants to wear one and is expelled from school when she refuses to take it off.  On the other side of the issue, Djelila is being harassed by the boys in the housing complex for being too modern.  The two side of the issue lead to a tragic outcome.


Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/XEBdcQr8gR4Ip

Lampert, Diana Charlotte. SUITE FOR HUMAN NATURE

Lampert, Diana Charlotte.  SUITE FOR HUMAN NATURE
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016
IL K-3, RL 3.9
ISBN 9781416953739
Mother Nature had a job to do.  She tends the Earth and all the creatures in it.  She helps the plants, the animals and the humans.  She makes sure the seasons change when they are supposed to and everyone is happy.  Everyone except Mother Nature.   She longs for a child of her own so she created a little boy and called him Fear.  How do you think that turned out?

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/htSPoCcXx0hsu

Krasner, Barbara. THE MYSTERY OF AREA 51

Krasner, Barbara. THE MYSTERY OF AREA 51
Minneapolis, Minnesota : Abdo Publishing Company, 2016
IL 3-6, RL 6.6
ISBN  1680780220

Have you ever heard of Area 51?  It is a place in the state of Nevada that has had a very mysterious past.  It is a top secret site that has been known as an area where advanced airplanes have been developed for the military.  It is also believed to be the site of a UFO landing many years ago.  People believe that the UFO was captured along with its crew and have been held in secret.  What is the truth to all this?  See what you think.


Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/dUSMoJ2qphLWz