Here's a chapter book of contemporary fables about a rambunctious group of fourth graders and their amazing teacher—the globe-trotting, Mayan-ceremonial-robe-wearing Mr. Jupiter—that is sure to delight students and teachers alike. There's Calvin Tallywong, who wants to go back to kindergarten. But when he actually gets the chance, he's forced to do the squirrel dance and wear a school bus name tag. The moral of his story? Be careful what you wish for. Then there's Amisha Spelwadi, who can spell wildebeest, no problem. When Mr. Jupiter asks the class to spell cat, all Amisha can come up with is kat. The moral: Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Kids will laugh out loud as they learn tried-and-true lessons in this funny, fast-paced book. And don't miss the class's continued adventures in The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming.

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School

Here's a chapter book with all the kid appeal and absurd mayhem of Louis Sachar's classic Sideways Stories from Wayside School! These hilarious fables, complete with morals, will make you wish you went to Aesop Elementary. Welcome back to Mr. Jupiter's inimitable class in this companion to The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. His rambunctious, special students are fifth graders now . . . and they rule the school! Bernadette Braggadoccio stirs things up when her probing investigative reporting for the school's TV station reveals some scandalous stuff. But . . . don't believe everything you hear. Is that new art teacher really a crazy lady with zillions of cats, or could there be more to this story? So whether readers knew Mr. Jupiter's class back in fourth grade or are new to Aesop Elementary, they'll be chomping at the bit to join these fabled fifth graders for the zaniest school year ever.

The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School

"Positively tailor-made for reading—or reading aloud—by flashlight," declares Kirkus Reviews in a starred review. The phenomenally versatile, award-winning author Candace Fleming gives teen and older tween readers ten ghost stories sure to send chills up their spines. Set in White Cemetery, an actual graveyard outside Chicago, each story takes place during a different time period from the 1860s to the present, and ends with the narrator's death. Some teens die heroically, others ironically, but all due to supernatural causes. Readers will meet walking corpses and witness demonic posession, all against the backdrop of Chicago's rich history—the Great Depression, the World's Fair, Al Capone and his fellow gangsters.

On the Day I Died