Betsy Byars
3) Tornado
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As they wait out a tornado in their storm cellar, a family listens to their farmhand tell stories about the dog that was blown into his life by another tornado when he was a boy. When a doghouse landed in the backyard during a tornado, the family wasn't really surprised. What did surprise them was that there was a dog inside, whom they named Tornado. Each chapter of this gently humorous book by award-winning author Betsy Byars tells a different adventure,...
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When Sammy must spend weeks alone with his grandfather, he learns that the old man isn’t quite as boring as he thought . . .
When his parents leave for Detroit, Sammy is left alone with his out-of-touch grandfather in a dull, creaky house. All Sammy wants to do is run away to rejoin his folks. But Grandpa’s world holds a few surprises, including a majestic crane found in the woods with a broken wing. Sammy finds himself seeing...
When his parents leave for Detroit, Sammy is left alone with his out-of-touch grandfather in a dull, creaky house. All Sammy wants to do is run away to rejoin his folks. But Grandpa’s world holds a few surprises, including a majestic crane found in the woods with a broken wing. Sammy finds himself seeing...
7) The Pinballs
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From Newbery-winning author Betsy Byars comes a story full of "poignancy, perception, and humor" (The Chicago Tribune), about three foster kids who learn what it takes to make a family.
You can't always decide where life will take you-especially when you're a kid.
Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon...
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When Boo brings home a dinosaur that only she can see, her brother Sammy, doesn't want to encourage her antics. Boo and her dinosaur are inseparable until Boo says good-bye to the dino quite suddenly.
When Sammy sees how sad his sister is, he understands Boo's need for her dinosaur more than he wants to admit. So much so that he almost believes it ... almost.
Betsy Byars has written many chapter books, including Little Horse and Little Horse on...
10) The Cartoonist
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Alfie only feels comfortable when he's drawing comics in the attic - but soon his safe haven will be off limits. Alfie is perfectly content to spend his time drawing alone in the attic. Nobody bothers him, and he has his door sealed tight against interruption. Up under the roof, he illustrates amazing cartoon strips about heroes and space adventures, from "Super Caterpillar" to "Super Bird" - even though his own life is anything but exciting. One...
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It is a time of ups and downs for the Blossoms. Maggie is thrilled to be on the rodeo circuit . . . until she witnesses Mom kissing a handsome stranger. Back at home, the family has weathered the worst flood in the state's history, and Vern and Michael can't wait to test their homemade raft down at the flooded Snake Creek. Suddenly, Pap hears screams and runs to the rescue, but a heart attack strikes. As Pap clings to life, the Blossoms must rely...
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Somehow Jimmie Little must overcome his belief that terrible things are always about to happen. Jimmie Little was always the sensible one in the family. The rest of his aunts, uncles, and cousins were always getting into ridiculous scrapes because of their bold, show-off attitudes. But when he loses his father to a mining accident and his Uncle Pete to a frozen river, everything changed. Jimmie is certain that everything he or anyone else in his family...
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Question one: How is it possible to fall in love with three girls in one day in a single English class? Bingo Brown is an average sixth grader with an unusually serious approach to the business of being twelve. He's got some "burning questions" - why does he get such wild crushes on girls? How can he avoid the school bully? Why is his favorite teacher acting so strangely? - and he's determined to figure them out. This first entry in Byars's acclaimed...
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Rama the cat has no home. He is the Gypsy Cat, and a life full of travel and adventure awaits him. When a gypsy woman found Rama as a kitten, she pierced his ear with a golden earring and named him after an exiled prince who wandered for years, having many adventures. Rama the cat lives up to his namesake when he strays from the wagon that was his home, and begins his own thrilling journey, discovering dangers on the wharf, in the forest, and by the...
15) Coast to Coast
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When Birch agreed to one last flight in her grandfather's Piper Cub, neither knew it would be a life-changing trip. Birch's grandfather, "Pop," wants to take his plane out for one more trip before moving into a retirement home. He wants to take Birch along with him, which sounds like a fine plan - until the two decide to turn the short flight into a cross-country adventure without telling Birch's parents. As grandfather and granddaughter soar westward...
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Bingo's ultimate guide to finding love might need a few more chapters when his long-distance girlfriend returns home. Bingo Brown is confident that he can write the definitive guidebook for middle-school boys trying to win over girls. With his baby brother, Jamie, in mind, he jots down notes about the lessons he's learned: Should you worry if the girl you like grows taller than you? (No.) What do you do when hauling your family's dirty clothes to...
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Junior Blossom has created the most spectacular invention of all time: a homemade UFO. The Green Phantom took all of the garbage bags and Day-Glo paint Junior could find, but now it requires one more very special ingredient. Although Junior needs help, his family seems too busy to notice. Then when Pap and his dog, Mud, don't come home from town, the Blossoms are pulled apart even farther. Are Pap and Mud in serious trouble? Can a Blossom promise...
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Retta, Johnny, and Roy have no parental rules to follow, so they've made up their own. After their mother passes away, Retta, Johnny, and Roy don't have much parenting in their lives. Their dad is a country singer who keeps them well fed but isn't around much. Older sister Retta takes control, leading her brothers on all sorts of unwise adventures and promising that one day they'll have money, safety, and a nice home. When their dad is away performing...
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Anna Bean goes to the roof in search of inspiration, and soon her family will follow her into a new world just a few floors above their home. The Bean children are not allowed to play on the roof of their apartment building. One evening Anna Bean goes up to the roof - not to play, but to be alone so she can write a poem for school. Her poetry writing fever is contagious; one by one, the rest of the Bean family visits the roof to write amongst pigeons...
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Can Bingo Brown live up to his reputation as the most romantic middle-schooler in town? Romance is never easy when your girlfriend lives in another state and your life savings consists of just over three dollars. Still, thirteen-year-old Bingo Brown is determined to make it work. His girlfriend, Melissa, may have moved to the middle of nowhere (okay, Oklahoma), but nothing will stop him from keeping the flames of passion alive. He tries to think of...