Michael A. Sommers

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Louisiana

Discusses the life and work of this popular author, including his writing process and methods, inspirations, a critical discussion of his books, biographical timeline, and awards.

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Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

New York

Newbery Medal winner The Cross of Lead is "a page-turner from beginning to end... full of adventure, mystery, and action" (School Library Journal).



Sometimes I ran, sometimes all I could do was walk. All I knew was that if the steward overtook me, I'd not survive for long....



Crispin is a poor thirteen-year-old peasant in medieval England. Accused of a crime he did not commit, he has been declared a "wolf's head," meaning he may be killed on sight, by anyone. He flees his tiny village with nothing but his mother's cross of lead. 



In the English countryside, Crispin meets a man named Bear, who forces Crispin to become his servant yet encourages him to think for himself. But as Crispin's enemies draw ever closer, he is pulled right into the fortress of his foes, where he must find a way to save their very lives.



A master of breathtaking plot twists and vivid characters, award-winning author Avi brings the full force of his storytelling powers to the world of medieval England.
 
"Avi's plot is engineered for maximum thrills, with twists, turns, and treachery aplenty. . . . A page-turner to delight Avi's fans, it will leave readers hoping for a sequel."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
" . . . [T]he book is a page-turner from beginning to end . . . [A] meticulously crafted story, full of adventure, mystery, and action."

-School Library Journal (starred review)

"Historical fiction at its finest."-VOYA


 

Crispin: the Cross of Lead (Newbery Medal Winner)

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Utah

The Fighting Ground

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Mississippi

A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.

Nothing but the Truth

808a6cb9-53ca-4cd8-be8f-8faa443582da-1

Texas

A mouse has to do what a mouse has to do. Ragweed is determined to see the world. He leaves his family and cozy country home and sets off by train for the big city. What wonders await him: music, excitement, new friends...and cunning, carnivorous cats! Silversides is the purring president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents), a group dedicated to keeping cats on top, people in the middle, and mice on the bottom. Can Ragweed and his motley yet musical crew of city nice--Clutch, Dipstick, Lugnut, and Blinker--band together to fight their feline foe?

Ragweed

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Minnesota

The sixth book in the beloved Poppy series by Newbery Medal-winning author Avi, with illustrations from Caldecott Medal-winning artist Brian Floca

There's trouble at Gray House, the girlhood home that Poppy left long ago. Poppy's family has called her back to save them all--mother, father, sisters and brothers, and dozens and dozens of deer mouse cousins.

Poppy invites her rebellious son, Junior, to join her on the long trip across Dimwood Forest, hoping the journey will bring them closer together.

But with Junior's skunk pal, Mephitis, and Ereth, the cantankerous porcupine, in tow--sugared slug soup!--Poppy and Junior may be in for unexpected adventure.

Poppy's Return

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#paperback #youngadult #fiction #avi #oldlibrarybook

Nebraska

The Cross of Lead

Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.

Crispin

Florida

Nothing But the Truth (Vintage Mass Market) (1991)

Massachusetts

H "Avi's plot is engineered for maximum thrills, with twists, turns, and treachery aplenty. . . . A page-turner to delight Avi's fans, it will leave readers hoping for a sequel."-Publishers Weekly (starred review) H " . . . [T]he book is a page-turner from beginning to end . . . [A] meticulously crafted story, full of adventure, mystery, and action." -School Library Journal (starred review) "Historical fiction at its finest."-VOYA

Crispin: the Cross of Lead

Ohio

Maybe read once. I dont notice any damage.

A Fable of Medieval Magic

The Book Without Words appears to be a volume of blank parchment pages. But for a green-eyed reader filled with great desire, it may reveal the forgotten magical arts of making gold and achieving immortality. For generations, its magic has been protected from those who would exploit it. But on a terrible day of death and destruction, the Book Without Words falls into the hands of a desperate boy.

The Book Without Words

ac2e3a0a-cda4-425c-afda-5a958c747886-1

Mild sharpie bleedthrough and smudging/marking on cover, ex-classroom library

South Carolina

Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant)

Avon the snail and Edward, a take-charge ant, set off together on a journey to an undetermined destination in search of unspecified adventures.

The End of the Beginning

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Mild smudging on cover, ex-classroom library

The End of the Beginning (copy 2)

Tennessee

Five Tales of Transformation

Children become cats and birds, a once-invisible young woman pieces herself back together, and the identity of a mysterious baseball mascot is uncovered--all within this eclectic collection from master storyteller Avi. By turns chilling, ethereal, and surreal, these thought-provoking tales are sure to engage anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to become someone--or something--else.


Strange Happenings

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HC no dust jacket. Light rubbing to corners. Tight binding. Pages in very good condition.

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

California

For use in schools and libraries only. Accused of a crime he did not commit, Crispin has been declared a "wolf's head." That means he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village.

Pennsylvania

More than anything, Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. To do that, she must finish eighth grade, then go on to high school. But her dream falters when the one-room school in her remote Colorado town shuts down. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Ida can't be it. . . . Or can she?
In the spirit of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Newbery Medal winner Avi creates an inspiring story of a headstrong girl determined to control her own destiny.


The Secret School

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Like new, except stamped inside front cover. See photos. 

Michigan

In an effort to fulfill their dying father's last request, nine-year-old Ben and his brother and sister construct a barn on their land in the Oregon Territory.

Barn

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Virginia

Good used condition. No rips, tears, or stains. Ex library markings

Illinois

John Huffam is sure the tall man's beard is false. He's sure of little else in November 1849, the year he is fourteen, the year his father is sentenced to London's Whitecross Street Prison. Maybe the man following John -- who claims to be one Inspector Copperfield -- can explain why. Surely, Pa isn't prepared to reveal the truth, any more than the jovial bailiff, Mr. Tuckum, who knows something, but remains mum. Or the little Frenchman, Mr. Farquatt, who courts John's sister but seems most keen on Pa's work at the Naval Ordinance Office. Or Mr. O'Doul, the Irishman who insists Pa owes him the unimaginable sum of three hundred pounds. Or what of the one-legged, single-mindedly fierce Sergeant Muldspoon, John's teacher? What about the boy's great-great-aunt, Lady Euphemia Huffam, who could pay the debt but won't for reasons of her own? What about the secretive Mr. Snugsbe of All Hallows Church, who hides himself away in the City's most voluminous coat? Then there's Chief Inspector Ratchet of Scotland Yard, who is after somebody for some crime or other. True, John has a new friend and ally in Sary the Sneak...but what has even she got up her sleeve? What John learns on his own is that there's a traitor on the loose, somewhere. And he must uncover the villain -- no matter who it might be.

The Traitors' Gate

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Night after night, a ghost appears in the royal castle Pergamontio, terrifying the princess. Mangus the Magician doesn't believe in ghosts, but that doesn't stop him from being charged with finding this one. The King demands that Mangus free his daughter from the torment of the ghost...otherwise, the magician will pay with his life. Mangus's only hope is his faithful, street-smart servant boy, Fabrizio, who must solve the mystery of the ghost using logic and reason - and a bit of magic of his own.

Midnight Magic

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A vicious captain, a mutinous crew --
and a young girl caught in the middle

Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty. But I was just such a girl, and my story is worth relating even if it did happen years ago. Be warned, however: If strong ideas and action offend you, read no more. Find another companion to share your idle hours. For my part I intend to tell the truth as I lived it.

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

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Oklahoma

A Tale of the Revolution

Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery Medalist.

In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of General Clinton, the supreme commander of the British forces in America. Through her work she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. But the identity of the would-be traitor is so shocking that no one believes her, and so Sophia decides to stop the treacherous plot herself, at great personal peril: She's young, she's a girl, and she's running out of time. And if she fails, she's facing an execution of her own.

Master storyteller Avi shows exactly how personal politics can be in this "nail-biting thriller" (Publishers Weekly) that is rich in historical detail and rife with action.

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Michael A. Sommers

Avi

Avi

Crispin: the Cross of Lead (Newbery Medal Winner)

Avi

The Fighting Ground

Avi

Nothing but the Truth

Avi

Ragweed

Avi

Poppy's Return

Avi

Crispin

Avi

Nothing But the Truth (Vintage Mass Market) (1991)

Avi

Ragweed

Avi

Crispin: the Cross of Lead

Avi

Crispin: the Cross of Lead

Avi

The Book Without Words

Avi

The End of the Beginning

Avi

The End of the Beginning (copy 2)

Avi

Strange Happenings

Avi

Crispin

Avi

The Secret School

Avi

Barn

Avi

Crispin: the Cross of Lead

Avi

The Traitors' Gate

Avi

Midnight Magic

Avi

Ragweed

Avi

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Avi

Sophia's War