Display: Dear Diary

Pippa Morgan's Diary
By Annie Kelsey

When Pippa tells a small lie to impress her best friend, she is entered into the school talent show even though she cannot sing at all.

Tales From a Not-So-Happily Ever After
By Rachel Renee Russell

A bump on the head suffered during gym class causes middle school drama queen Nikki Maxwell to have a crazy dream where all of her acquaintances assume the roles of familiar fairy tale characters.

Amelia's Notebook
By Marissa Moss

The hand-lettered contents of a nine-year-old girl's notebook, in which she records her thoughts and feelings about moving, starting school, and dealing with her older sister as well as keeping her old best friend and making a new one.

Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows
By Barry Denenberg

In her diary, twelve-year-old Amber describes moving to Hawaii in 1941 and experiencing the horror of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The Journal of Biddy Owens, The Negro Leagues
By Walter Dean Myers

Teenager Biddy Owens' 1948 journal about working for the Birmingham Black Barons includes the games and the players, racism the team faces from New Orleans to Chicago, and his family's resistance to his becoming a professional baseball player.

Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Without a Country
By Kathryn Lasky

Mary, the young Scottish queen, is sent a diary from her mother in which she records her experiences living at the court of France's King Henry II as she awaits her marriage to Henry's son, Francis.

Lady Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South
By Laurence Yep

In 531 A.D., a fifteen-year-old princess of the Hsien tribe in southern China keeps a diary which describes her role as liaison between her own people and the local Chinese colonists, in times of both peace and war.

Blood Diaries: Tales of a 6th-Grade Vampire
By Marissa Moss

Middle school is tough enough for normal humans, but when you're a vampire, it's even more challenging. Edgar rises to the occasion with wit, humor, and some help from his friends.

Secret at Mystic Lake
By Carolyn Keene

To celebrate her birthday, George is taking Nancy and Bess on a bike tour around Mystic Lake, but when their tour guide disappears and unknown adversaries steal their supplies and slash their tires, Nancy begins looking for clues.

Harriet the Spy
By Louise Fitzhugh

Eleven-year-old Harriet keeps notes on her classmates and neighbors in a secret notebook, but when some of the students read the notebook, they seek revenge.

Hatched
By Bruce Coville

Gerald the griffin isn't brave enough or fierce enough to fit in with the other griffins of the Enchanted Realm. When he runs away to the human world. he finds himself up to his beak in trouble, friendship, and fun!

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Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Five Faves: Board Books You Can Sing

Lots of kids LOVE to sing! Singing is especially fun with friends and caregivers, but it doesn't always feel natural to burst into song (well, for some of us). These board books are great because they take classic tunes and put them with fun illustrations and some of them put new words and themes to the music. The Llamas in the Field Written by Aly Fronis Illustrated by Luke Flowers New York: Little Bee Books, 2020. Board Book. Set to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus," this book is perfect for kids who love making animal sounds. At this farm, we get to sing about all different kinds of animals and what noises they make, and many of them we don't hear about all the time. Sure, we have the familiar cows, but also coyotes, alpacas, and of course llamas! I'm a Little Snowman Written by Hannah Eliot Illustrated by Anna Daviscourt New York: Little Simon, 2022. Board Book. Set to "I'm a Little Teapot," this book describes a fun winter's day with snow...

Review: Will's Race for Home

Willl's Race for Home By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages. Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable. This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...

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