"The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Inga Moore, Candlewick, 279 pages

Read aloud: age 6 and older

Read yourself: age 8, 9 and older

Nine-year-old orphan Mary Lennox arrives to live with her uncle in Misselthwaite Manor, an enormous house surrounded by beautiful gardens in rural England. Mary's uncle is rarely at home, and the only other people at the manor are the servants. Mary tries to busy herself outdoors, and she comes upon a door that leads to a secret garden. Having befriended a Yorkshire boy, Dickon, the two work privately to restore the secret garden to its original beauty. Then, Mary discovers one more occupant of the manor - her withered bed-ridden cousin, Colin.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Wheeler Library, 101 Main St., North Stonington

Library Director: Amy Kennedy

Children's Services: Larae Fowler

Choices this week: "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges; "Memoirs of a Goldfish" by Devin Scillian; "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"Little Cub" by Olivier Dunrea, Philomel, 2012, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 3 and older

Read yourself: age 6 and 7

Little Cub lives all alone near the forest. He doesn't like being alone, and sometimes he wishes he had someone who could teach him things, such as how to fish so he won't be hungry. Little Cub also wishes he had someone to keep him company.

Old Bear lives all alone in the forest. He doesn't like being alone, doesn't like the dark nights, and wishes he had someone to share his fish with. Being alone made Old Bear grumpy. One miraculous day Old Bear hears a curious cry and discovers Little Cub, and in the magic of their meeting, both realize how very colorless their lives had been before they met.

"Road Trip" by Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen, Wendy Lamb Books, 2013, 114 pages, $12.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 9 and older

Read yourself: age 10 and older

Fourteen-year-old Ben is looking forward to summer vacation and hockey camp. But just as vacation starts, Ben's father has him up before dawn for a two-day road trip with their dog, Atticus, to rescue a border collie pup. Ben's father is like that-adventurous, enthusiastic, and a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy. Dad assures Ben this will be a great way for them to spend quality time together. But moments into the trip, Ben learns a few things he is totally not happy about: his father has quit his job, wants to flip houses for a living, and until he becomes successful at that, money will be tight and hockey camp is not an option this year. Things start to look up for Ben as an odd assortment of characters join them on their road trip.

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