Rhumus is a rat who can read and write. He lives under the streets of Paris, France with his mom and dad. One day, the rats experience a loud explosion that not only separates Rhumus from his parents but leaves him hard of hearing. How will Rhumus be able to find his parents if he can't hear? Will he venture alone into the streets of Paris? Can his special talent help him to find his family?

Matías is a typical 7-year-old boy. He is huge fan of the professional soccer teams in Europe, especially the teams in the Spanish league, La Liga. When Matías is not playing soccer, he is watching soccer videos on the iPad. He always looks the part, too, as he can mostly be found wearing uniforms of players on his favorite team, FC Barcelona. He focus on the ball continues as when he travels to Guatemala with his family on an annual trip where he meets Brayan. Brayan is a 6-year-old Guatemalan boy who also loves soccer. Like Matías he plays every chance he gets. Also like Matías, Brayan idolizes his favorite player on the Barça team, Lionel Messi, #10. He wants nothing more than to wear a jersey with the famous forward’s name and number, but those are difficult to find where he lives on Lake Atitlán. In this level 1 book, readers will learn about the culture of Guatemala and how a soccer jersey further connects two soccer-obsessed boys from two different countries.

Sandra is a very talented soccer player. She is enjoying her time playing for Boston College, a Division I university. She has always worked hard and her natural talent has brought her to play at the next level. But she has always wanted to be that female athlete who is not forgotten. She has always wanted to be a positive role model for other girls who are unsure if they can achieve their dreams of playing at the next level. As Sandra pursues her dream, her actions and hard work will prove to be critical to her success, but who will notice her talents and athletic ability? Will she be that female athlete who no one will forget?

It has been a week since Alice’s best friend Dominique disappeared. Since that day, Alice’s world has turned upside down, and her life has begun to spiral out of control. Will Alice see her best friend again? Did Alice pay enough attention to the details leading up to her friend's disappearance? Will an old Louisiana legend come to life? Will she discover a far greater mystery that has haunted the marshes of Louisiana for years?

Sofía has been training hard for a long time for an important competition coming up in a few months: the Special Olympics. Sofía is a weightlifter who spends three days a week (her favorite days!) training to compete in the events of squats, bench presses and deadlifts. She likes it because she’s good at it, but even more so, she loves going to the gym to spend time with all of her friends there. Yet one day, the easy lifting vibe in the gym is upset with the arrival of a new girl, Bleu. Bleu is definitely strong, which is great for fending off the bullies she has to deal with, but along with her brightly colored hair, she’s also sporting an enormous attitude - one that gets in her way of her moving forward on so many levels, and one that is a potential problem for the folks at the gym. Will the weight of the new dynamic at the gym affect Sofía’s progress? Will Bleu be able to lift herself out of her troubles?

Though it is a story that involves art, it is not typical in any way... After growing up in Senegal, Zeinixx decides that street art is her calling. As an artist, she finds a sense of peace in large-scale painting - graffiti. So, she decides to take on a new journey, a new lifestyle for herself that will allow her to express herself in a way that is empowering to women, practice her art, and be part of another community. Her story is one of strength, empowerment and the will to follow your heart. Senegal's first female graffiti artist, Zeinixx, defies gender stereotypes as one of the top graffiti artists in West Africa. Zeinixx uses both graffiti and slam poetry for social good and is passionate about promoting the rights of women and girls in Senegal.

At 17 years of age, Kobe Bryant was one of the first players ever drafted directly from high school into the NBA and well on his way to becoming one of the most famous basketball players of all time. His incredible talent and pure determination had a profound and lasting impact on the world of basketball, in the U.S. and beyond. But Kobe did not start as a basketball prodigy in the U.S. He spent his childhood in Italy, where soccer reigns and few of his peers played basketball; none of them with his skill and intensity. This story takes Kobe from shooting hoops in a church playground in Rieti to playing for the LA Lakers in the NBA.

As if teenaged friendships aren’t hard enough...Marissa and Jack have been best friends for as long as they can remember, only having troubles when Jack wasn’t always honest about himself. Despite their differences, their friendship endures. However, that friendship is challenged when a new student, Julio, moves to town and upsets the longstanding dynamic between Marissa and Jack.

One day Sebastiano is a soccer phenom, dancing his way around the ball up and down the pitch. The next day he isn’t. As if coming to terms with needing to use a wheelchair isn’t enough at 14 years old, Sebastiano also has to face more changes, and all at once. Switching schools because of the family’s move to a new neighborhood, and changes in the relationship with his father due to the sudden absence of soccer in their lives, causes way too much stress. This new reality is NOT a good time for Sebastiano. Antonio is struggling in his relationship with his dad, too, mostly because he thinks his father wants him to be something he’s not - or at least Antonio doesn’t think he is. Instead of practicing his guitar and trying to be as good as a musician as his father, Antonio just wants to be left alone to play video games with his friends. The two boys meet at Sebastiano’s new school, and, after a bit of a rocky start, the boys develop a friendship. Later, with the help of a professional hockey player, who is facing his own challenges, both Sebastiano and Antonio begin to realize that what they think is reality is not the same as what really is.

At 17 years of age, Kobe Bryant was one of the first players ever drafted directly from high school into the NBA and well on his way to becoming one of the most famous basketball players of all time. His incredible talent and pure determination had a profound and lasting impact on the world of basketball, in the U.S. and beyond. But Kobe did not start as a basketball prodigy in the U.S. He spent his childhood in Italy, where soccer reigns and few of his peers played basketball; none of them with his skill and intensity. This story takes Kobe from shooting hoops in a church playground in Rieti to playing for the LA Lakers in the NBA.

Alexis has a secret about herー...er, himself. Well, it’s not really a secret ー at least not outwardly ー but it hasn’t been expressed aloud to anyone else, except the therapist. He hasn’t told anyone yet, but plans on telling Marie first, mostly because she lives thousands of miles away in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Alexis and Marie have been pen pals since the 6th grade, and since they have never actually met IRL (in real life), Alexis feels more comfortable telling her first. Marie, too, has just learned of a secret that her parents have been keeping from her, one that upends her life and changes the way she thinks about everything. In a letter that Marie inadvertently finds in a desk drawer, she learns that her grand-parents ー her mother’s parents ー are not only not her biological grandparents, but who they are, and more importantly who they were, are in direct conflict with who Marie is and what she believes. While Alexis struggles with identity, so too does Marie. In this story, two virtual friends work together to solve their own mysteries, one intensely personal and the other with how she now relates to her own family as the secrets of the past ー the family’s and the country’s ー become even more real.

While Baie lies in the hospital after an accident she can’t stop thinking about her last conversation with her mom. Well...her last argument with her mom. Meanwhile, Baie's mom is frantic. True, she was less than pleased with her daughter after their last argument that morning, but her anger turns to pure worry when Baie doesn’t return any of her phone calls, nor does she return home. But it is a news broadcast that might be the only thing that will help reunite mother and daughter. Does Baie's mom figure out what happened? Will Baie figure out how to see eye to eye with her mom?