Life in the year 2020 may be rough, especially now when schools are closed and the libraries are closed too. But one of the things we can be grateful for is that we have access to millions of reading materials at the touch of a finger.
However, even eBooks can come with limitations. Just like the regular library model of lending physical books, you can’t always find the one you want when you want it. It might be checked out.
So what I’m going to do is create a weekly list of eBooks that are currently available and recommended. I hope this list might help!
The descriptions of the books are taken from the databases where they were found.

eBooks available through Cloud Library:

Use your Pasadena library card and PIN. Call us at 626-744-4066 if you have trouble remembering your PIN.
These books may have a waitlist, but at this writing they are available (April 13, 7:30 PM).

Elementary School Fiction:

Welcome back to Wayside School! Your favorite students and teachers are all here. That includes Sharie, who loves her striped-and-spotted umbrella more than anything; Kathy, who has a bad case of oppositosis; Jason, who has to read the longest book in the world; and the rest of Mrs. Jewls’s class on the thirtieth floor, who are busily collecting toenail clippings.

Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the all-important Ultimate Test, but meanwhile, there is a mysterious Cloud of Doom looming above them…

Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

Let me tell you a secret about the Knights of the Round Table: they don’t have much to do. The realm is at peace and dragons are few and far between. So Merlin decides to send the knights out on a real adventure to a world filled with the most terrible lizards of all: DINOSAURS!

Knights vs. Dinosaurs is a highly illustrated, fast-paced adventure full of uproarious knightly hijinks, surprising secrets, and terrifying dinosaurs. With art on nearly every page, including an epic fight scene depicted in several graphic-novel style spreads, this engaging story is Monty Python for young middle school readers.

 

Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood

What do REAL PIGEONS do? They fight crime, of course! Wait, what? You didn’t know your town is protected by a secret squad of crime-fighting feathered friends? Well, you are about to get schooled. REAL PIGEONS solve mysteries! REAL PIGEONS fight bad guys! And REAL PIGEONS won’t stop until your neighborhood is safe and the questions are all answered: Like, why have all the breadcrumbs disappeared? And which food truck smells the best?

Middle School Fiction:

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong’s prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.

Nok, the prison warden’s perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family’s good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, Christina Soontornvat’s twist on Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice — and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark.

Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy

Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm receive devastating news: their famous explorer father has died in a failed attempt to reach South Polaris. To make matters worse, the Lontown Geographical Society finds Ernest Brightstorm guilty of sabotaging the expedition of his competitor, Eudora Vane. But a mysterious clue leads the twins to question the story they’ve been told—and to uncover the truth, they must undertake the journey of a lifetime.

Joining the ragtag crew of a homemade sky-ship captained by the intrepid Harriet Culpepper, Arthur and Maudie race to South Polaris to salvage their family’s reputation and find out what really happened on their father’s doomed expedition. Brightstorm is a propulsive and compelling fantasy adventure set among the vibrant landscapes and dynamic characters of Vashti Hardy’s vividly imagined world.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman—or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved. But Efrén worries about his parents; although he’s American-born, his parents are undocumented. His worst nightmare comes true one day when Amá doesn’t return from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, México. Now more than ever, Efrén must channel his inner Soperboy to help take care of and try to reunite his family.

 

Nonfiction:

Have you ever wondered how to make a volcano explode? Or why dropping dry ice in soap bubbles forms neon brains? With 25 kid-friendly science experiments, and stunning full-color photographs, Kate the Chemist’s big book of experiments, shows kids just how fun–and easy–it is to be a scientist. Learn how to make slime, fake tattoos, edible snot, and more! Experiments include step-by-step instructions, an ingredients list, full color photographs, a messiness factor rating, and a note from Kate.Create future engineers, scientists, and inventors, and introduce your child to the world of STEM with Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments!
Who Got Game? Baseball by Derrick Barnes and John Bajet
Celebrate the unheralded people and stories that helped shape the game of baseball!
Meet unsung pioneers, like John “Bud” Fowler, William Edward White, and brothers Moses Fleetwood Walker and Weld Walker, four African Americans who integrated white teams decades before Jackie Robinson.
Discover unforgettable moments, like the time a 17-year old girl named Jackie Mtchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Marvel at records. Did you know that Japanese superstar Sadaharu Oh has a whopping 113 more career homers than Hank Aaron?
And that’s just for starters! This lively illustrated collection of shiny nuggets of baseball lore will transform you into a superfan who knows the game better than anyone else. Someone who’s got game.
In the 1960s, locked in a heated race to launch the first human into space, the United States selected seven superstar test pilots and former military air fighters to NASA’s astronaut class — the Mercury 7. The men endured grueling training and constant media attention for the honor of becoming America’s first space heroes. But a group of 13 women — accomplished air racers, test pilots, and flight instructors — were enduring those same astronaut tests in secret, hoping to defy social norms and earn a spot among the stars.
With thrilling stories of aviation feats, frustrating tales of the fight against sexism, and historical photos, To Fly Among the Stars recounts an incredible era of US innovation, and the audacious hope of the women who took their fight for space flight all the way to Washington, DC.

eBooks available through the Internet Archive:

Create a free account on Internet Archive and you can check out up to 10 books at a time.
Waitlists for these books have been suspended while the National Emergency continues. So you will always find these books available!

Elementary School Fiction:

Author/illustrator Nick Bruel tries to explain to the reader how to write a story, but Bad Kitty is not at all happy about the plot, which has her going on a turnip diet to lose weight. Includes a recipe for roasted turnips.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
The adventures and misadventures of Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third are chronicled.

Middle School Fiction:

El Deafo by Cece Bell
Starting a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest. At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in the school — in the hallway … in the teacher’s lounge … in the bathroom! This is power, maybe even superpower. Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, listener for all. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different … and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?
The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence by Stan Lee, Stuart Moore and Andie Tong
Follows the experiences of a Chinese-American teen who is thrown into the middle of an epic global chase involving the release of twelve magical superpowers.
Lost by S.A. Bodeen
Sarah Robinson and her family are shipwrecked on a remote and mysterious island. Their food is running out, and their fear is escalating as there is no sign of rescue. The mysterious girl they found unconscious at the beach is healing, and what she tells them about the strange island and especially about someone called the Keeper has the family on edge. When Sarah’s dad and Marco’s younger brother go missing, the mystery becomes dangerous. Now, it’s a matter of life and death.

Nonfiction:

Shark Attack by Cathy East Dubowski
Describes the nearly disastrous encounter of a spear-fisherman with a shark off the coast of Australia.
Shipwreck by Caryn Jenner

Presents general information about shipwrecks and related topics, covering historic shipwrecks, oceans, ships, weather at sea, sea survival, and shipwreck exploration.

Marina and Jason embark on a cruise ship around the Bahamas with their Dad, but the ocean turns stormy and the ship smashes into a submerged island. Floating on a life-craft and separated from their Dad, the children begin a dramatic and heart-racing ocean adventure.

As you read these pages, you’ll speed through the 13.7 billion years that went into making the incredible, life-sustaining, one-in-a-billion planet we call home. You’ll also learn about some of the amazing stuff that came about along the way: exploding supergiant stars, gassy planet burps, massive millipedes, ferocious dinosaurs and even a meteoric extinction. Are your ready? Let’s get cooking!