Gail Shalan

All science classrooms discuss animals that hibernate during winter months, but few know about animals that estivate, a prolonged sleep during hot or dry periods. Learn about the reasons estivating animals become dormant, whether it's because warm weather threatens food supply or to avoid increased body temperatures. From the ladybug to the salamander, from the lungfish to the desert hedgehog, twelve estivating animals and their habits, both when...

Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town. When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She's alone--left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated...

"When Sarah Taylor arrives at the exclusive St. Ambrose School, she's carrying more baggage than just what fits in her suitcase. She knows she's not like the other girls-if the shabby, all-black, non-designer clothes don't give that away, the bottle of lithium hidden in her desk drawer sure does. St. Ambrose's queen bee, Greta Stanhope, picks Sarah as a target from day one-the most popular, powerful, horrible girl at school is relentless in making...

Follows thirteen-year-old neurodivergent Maudie during an eventful summer in California with her father, where she struggles with whether to share a terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.

Twelve-year-old Autumn, the beastkeeper at Inglenook School for Magicians, befriends Cai Morrigan the young magician prophesied to destroy the dragon suspected of devouring Autumn's twin brother, and together they uncover the dark truth that lies at the heart of Inglenook School.

"Colin and Nevaeh are great at finding things. After all, they found each other and became best friends--even though their parents are business rivals. They also found hidden boxes of secret letters, which led them to unravel mysteries about kids from the 1970s. But when they started Mystery Solvers Inc., they didn't expect to be asked to find a ghost. Ree recruits them to investigate a series of old, spooky photos left behind in her family's new...

Twelve-year-old Lidia's life is forever changed by the Nazi occupation of Poland, leading her to join the resistance movement to fight against the Nazis and aid Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.

"It's Pairing Day in Terrafamiliar! Marina has been waiting for this moment--anxiously--for as long as she can remember. Because today's the day she gets to bond with her animal familiar for life, like every other ten-year-old in the land. Except after the ceremony ends, Marina doesn't have one. And she's not alone ... four other girls also didn't get their animal companions. The leaders of Terrafamiliar realize something special is happening: Marina...

"It's been eight weeks since Pairing Day when the Mythics—Kit, Marina, Hailey, Ember, and Pippa—learned that they are the only ones who can save Terrafamiliar. With Golden Jumpsuit tracking their every move, the Mythics are on edge, and now it's Kit's turn to find her Mythie. Kit has a hard time relying on others and she always expects the worst to happen. She's also never had a team like the Mythics to help her. Kit's search for her mythical...

"Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness. At school, there's a new girl who is immediately popular, but she's also not very nice to one person--Isabel. Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel...