Eva's pet bat, Baxter, is missing in the sixth installment of this New York Times bestselling series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! In book 6, a famous author is coming to Treetopolis! Eva and her classmates each have to write a story to share with the author. Eva's excited! But then something terrible happens: Her pet bat, Baxter, goes missing! Eva can't think of anything to write about -- except how much she misses Baxter! With help from her friends, Eva looks everywhere for Baxter. She even hangs up MISSING posters! Where could Baxter be? And will Eva finish her story in time for the author's visit? Continue this book series with “Eva the Owlet,” an Apple TV+ original series!

A famous author is coming to Treetopolis! Eva and her classmates each have to write a story to share with the author. Eva's excited! But then something terrible happens: Her pet bat, Baxter, goes missing! Eva can't think of anything to write about --

In 1942 corporal John Baxter, a royal engineer, was captured by the Japanese in Indonesia. For the next three years he was held as their prisoner, during which time he was starved; beaten; and contracted malaria, dysentry, and diphtheria, for which he received no treatment. He spent the last two years of the war working in the hard labor mines in Kyushu, from where he witnessed the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki 40 miles away, and felt the scorching wind from the blast. Remarkably Baxter survived these experiences, made it back to Britain, and in February 2009 he celebrated his 90th birthday. Having written up his diaries from this time, he has now decided to tell his story. It is a story not just of survival but of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and quiet heroism. Using his training as a heating engineer, he found numerous ways of helping to disrupt the Japanese war effort, for example by sabotaging rifles the guards gave him to repair. For other prisoners he built radios, cooking and lighting equipment, and artificial limbs. The book also offers revealing insights into the complex relationships between the prisoners and their guards, overturning many of the stereotypes we are often presented with—for example John managed to befriend a guards, who risked his life to bring him extra food rations.

“Magisterial and uplifting . . . A brilliant, grandscale sampling of sixty-five million years of human evolution . . . It shows the sweep and grandeur of life in its unrelenting course.” —The Denver Post Stretching from the distant past into the remote future, from primordial Earth to the stars, Evolution is a soaring symphony of struggle, extinction, and survival; a dazzling epic that combines a dozen scientific disciplines and a cast of unforgettable characters to convey the grand drama of evolution in all its awesome majesty and rigorous beauty. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius. From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. Why should humanity escape this fate? Praise for Evolution “Spectacular.”—The New York Times Book Review “Strong imagination, a capacity for awe, and the ability to think rigorously about vast and final things abound in the work of Stephen Baxter. . . . [Evolution] leaves the reader with a haunting portrayal of the distant future.”—Times Literary Supplement “A breath of fresh air . . . The miracle of Evolution is that it makes the triumph of life, which is its story, sound like the real story.”—The Washington Post Book World

Eva can't wait to get a new pet! But she can't decide what kind of pet to get. Her pet needs to be cute, cuddly, friendly ... and, of course, get along with her bat, Baxter. Eva's friend Lucy has a great idea: They will pet-sit for all their friends

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a life-changing holiday tale of love and hope after heartbreak. Two years after the car accident that took Erin Baxter’s life, her father, John Baxter, still lives in constant grief. John’s heartbreak prompts him to invite Kendra Bryant, the transplant recipient who now has Erin’s heart, to Christmas Eve dinner despite protests from his remaining children. Ashley and Luke want to protect their ten-year-old niece­ who is the only surviving child of Erin’s, but John remains determined and believes that meeting this woman is something his deceased daughter would want. Meanwhile, Kendra Bryant is struggling to come to terms with the tragedy that gave her a second chance. It is only when she witnesses the Baxter’s unwavering faith in God that she begins to heal and allow peace and happiness back into her life. At the same time, Maddie West, the eighteen-year-old daughter of Brooke Baxter West, continues to pray for meaning this Christmas. When she discovers a newfound friendship with a boy she never expected to see again, she begins to believe in miracles, especially around Christmastime. A Baxter Family Christmas is a heartwarming story that brings together two families in the midst of tragedy and loss, all with the help one very special child.

Eva Wingdale is getting a new pet, in this New York Times bestselling early chapter book series just-right for emerging readers! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Eva can't wait to get a new pet! But she can't decide what kind of pet to get. Her pet needs to be cute, cuddly, friendly... and, of course, get along with her bat, Baxter. Eva's friend Lucy has a great idea: They will pet-sit for all their friends to find out which animal is right for Eva! Chaos breaks out as they look after a bumblebee, a tortoise, a goldfish, and more. Will Baxter be able to help Eva discover which pet is just-right for their family? Rebecca Elliott's sweet text and full-color artwork on every page bring this story to life for young readers! Continue this book series with “Eva the Owlet,” an Apple TV+ original series!

This heartwarming adventure for dog lovers everywhere is a great match for fans of books such as The Fourteenth Goldfish and A Snicker of Magic. Eleven-year-old Jordie Marie Wallace has been waiting forever for someone to move in next door, so she is thrilled when Professor Reece arrives: she has a laboratory in her basement and an extraordinary dog named Baxter—who seems to understand everything Jordie says. Jordie and her younger brother T.J. begin walking Baxter and helping Professor Reece in the lab. But being lab assistants ends up being more than Jordie and T.J. bargained for and leads them to a secret neither of them expected. When Professor Reece goes missing, it's up to Jordie and T.J. to use their smarts and Baxter’s magical powers to find her. Will they be able to save Professor Reece before it’s too late? From award-winning author Barbara Kerley comes a sweet and funny story about a young girl, a quirky professor, and a magical dog. A Bank Street Book of the Year! Praise for the award-winning Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley: “Marvelous.” —New York Times “Stunning.” —Kirkus (starred review) “[Kerley] suffuses her text with a contagious sense of wonder and amazement.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In the eighth installment of this New York Times bestselling series a big storm is coming to Treetopolis! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! In the eighth book in this New York Times bestselling series, a big storm is coming to Treetopolis! Eva and her classmates are also getting ready to take their very important Owl Oath -- a promise to protect the other animals in the forest by being brave and wise and kind. Eva needs to come up with a project that proves she is ready to take the oath. When the storm hits, Eva tries to help a lost pony. But it's so rainy and windy that she gets caught in the storm, too! Will Eva be brave and wise and kind enough to save the day? Continue this book series with “Eva the Owlet,” an Apple TV+ original series!

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • A timely and unsettling novel about the people drawn to—and unmoored by—a local activist group more dangerous than it appears. From the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and “one of our most gifted writers” (Chicago Tribune). Once a promising actor, Tim Brettigan has gone missing. His father thinks he may have seen him among some homeless people. And though she knows he left on purpose, his mother has been searching for him all over their home city of Minneapolis. She checks the usual places— churches, storefronts, benches—and stumbles upon a local community group with lofty goals and an enigmatic leader. Christina, a young woman rapidly becoming addicted to a boutique drug that gives her a feeling of blessedness, is inexplicably drawn to the same collective by a man who’s convinced he may start a revolution. A vision of modern American society and the specters of the consumerism, fanaticism, and fear that haunt it, The Sun Collective captures both the mystery and the violence that punctuate our daily lives.