Books in Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth series

Newbery Honor medalist Ann M. Martin explores the fragile bonds of family and once again proves to be one of our strongest literary voices."In 1963, Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman, was crowned the Bosetti Beauty at Mr. Bosetti's supermarket, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the Dingmans began to fall apart." So begins 11-yr-old Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman's story. Ellie, who is about to start 6th grade in the small town of Spectacle, NY, is the oldest child in her off-center family. Her father works construction jobs, while her mother, Doris, has only one dream - to become a rich and famous actress. But when that dream leads to Doris's abandonment of the family, it is Ellie who is called upon to take charge

"The Wynns are an unforgettable family. The details of their struggle to survive the Great Depression will linger long after the last page has been read."-Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the UniverseA stunning debut novel about the true meaning of homeSadie Wynn doesn't want a new life; her old one suits her just fine. But times are hard in drought-plagued Missouri, and Daddy thinks they'll be better off in Texas. Sadie hates this strange new place, where even children must work at the cannery to help make ends meet and people are rude to her disabled father.Yet when trouble comes, it is the kindness of these new neighbors that helps the family make it through. And no one helps more than Dollie, a red-headed chatterbox of a girl who just might become a good friend-if Sadie gives her half a chance. The Truth About Sparrows is a 2005 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way. Julie Fogliano's tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal. And Then It's Spring is one The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012.One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012

From the Children's Laureate of England, a stunning novel of the First World War, a boy who is on its front lines, and a childhood remembered."They've gone now, and I'm alone at last. I have the whole night ahead of me, and I won't waste a single moment of it . . . I want tonight to be long, as long as my life . . ." For young Private Peaceful, looking back over his childhood while he is on night watch in the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside: his mother, Charlie, Big Joe, and Molly -- the love of his life. Too young to be enlisted, Thomas has followed his brother to war and now, every moment he spends thinking about his life, means another moment closer to danger.

In the second century A.D., there was only one unstoppable power in the world--the Roman Army. The Roman Empire was one of the largest empires on history. Charged with controlling and protecting the empire's territory and subjects, the Roman army was a massive, disciplined, and fearsome fighting force. From the rise of the Roman Empire until its decline and fall, its vast holdings were conquered, absorbed, and ultimately defended by legions of professional paid soldiers. At the height of their power, no tribe, no nation could stand in their way. This is their story.