There's a new gym teacher at school and a little boy imagines him to be a real monster until he sees him in person and realizes he is a regular, likeable person.

Fifth grader Jillian is a shy girl who doesn't usually speak up even when she knows the answer. When she promises her grandmother she'll try to speak up more at school, the annual academic competition at school seems like the perfect opportunity. It seems impossible to Jillian, but with the help of her loving parents, supportive teacher, and some surprising new friends, she finds her voice.

Dash Candoo's Monday is filled with adventure--during breakfast battling scallywags and the Devil Cat and then at school, confronted with Total Mayhem Situations involving an assortment of missing objects.

"Summer is almost over, and you know what that means--time to head back to school! But when a tropical storm ends A.J.'s vacation earlier than expected, he and his family have to stay at Andrea's house. Ugh, disgusting! When everyone in the house starts getting cabin fever, and even back-to-school shopping won't calm the kids down, Andrea and A.J. are sent to Camp Ockatollyquay. The catch? It's a camp to get kids ready for school! But not to worry--Andrea...

Antics ensue after Hank throws his report card into a meat grinder.

The weather outside is frightful! The temperature is dropping fast, and Rosie, Molly, and Simon are determined to come up with a way to keep their feet from freezing off on their walk to school.

When fourth-grader Benny Barrows's dad is in a serious accident that puts him in the hospital, Benny blames himself. It seems to the be icing on top of an already crummy year at school. Between that and his best friend moving away and his teacher acting strangely, he feels like he's lost control of his own happiness. In the midst of it all, he hopes that his mom's advice to focus on helping others will pull him out of the dumps.

Cousins Malia, Dante, and Ivan are looking for a portal to 13th Street. They need to help their new friend Mickey find his way home! But waiting for them are sharks that can shock them with an electric charge. Can the cousins reach Mickey before it's too late? Each story in this hilarious and safely spooky series from award-winning author David Bowles is designed to set independent readers up for success--with short, fast-paced chapters, art on every...

Elementary school student Henry draws a chalk dragon that escapes from the chalkboard, and becomes a threat to the entire town of Squashbuckle. It's up to Henry and his friends to save the day.

Time out! Simon got Max Brutus's prized World Cup soccer ball stuck in the tallest tree in Picasso Park! Now he's in more trouble than a tater tot in ketchup. Can his friends at Table 5 help him get the ball before the big game? Or has Simon's luck maxed out?