Special Collections
Teacher Recommended Reading: Grades 6-8
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The Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David WyssThe beloved adventure story of a family marooned on a deserted island and making a new home in the jungle wilderness Off the coast of New Guinea a storm rages for seven days, violently tossing the passenger vessel holding a family of six about the sea. Left behind by the crew and other passengers of their wrecked ship, the family has no choice but to go it alone. They fill tubs with tools and provisions they may need to survive, and set off for a nearby island--devoid of people but teeming with lush natural life. Once on the island, they build themselves a home, complete with livestock, a small farm, and a sturdy tree house for shelter. In no time, the four boys and their steadfast parents learn to thrive on the jungle island, learning just how much can be accomplished through hard work, cooperation, curiosity, and perseverance. First published in 1812, The Swiss Family Robinson is a rip-roaring adventure tale and an engrossing novel about self-sufficiency, responsibility, and the uses and wonders of the natural world. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 4-5 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Shadow of a Bull
by Alvin Smith and Maia WojciechowskaManolo was only three when his father, the great bullfighter Juan Olivar, died. But Juan is never far from Manolo's consciousness--how could he be, with the entire town of Arcangel waiting for the day Manolo will fulfill his father's legacy?
But Manolo has a secret he dares to share with no one--he is a coward, without the love of the sport that enables a bullfighter to rise above his fear and face a raging bull. As the day when he must enter the ring approaches, Manolo finds himself questioning which requires more courage: to follow in his father's legendary footsteps or to pursue his own destiny?
Newbery Medal winner
Forbidden City
by William BellHistorical fiction of the great events that swept China in the spring of 1989, after the Tian An Men Square uprising.
The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories
by O. HenryHere are sixteen of the best stories by one of America's most popular storytellers. For nearly a century, the work of O. Henry has delighted readers with its humor, irony and colorful, real-life settings. The writer's own life had more than a touch of color and irony. Born William Sidney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862, he worked on a Texas ranch, then as a bank teller in Austin, then as a reporter for the Houston "Post." Adversity struck, however, when he was indicted for embezzlement of bank funds. Porter fled to New Orleans, then to Honduras before he was tried, convicted and imprisoned for the crime in 1898. In prison he began writing stories of Central America and the American Southwest that soon became popular with magazine readers. After his release Porter moved to New York City, where he continued writing stories under the pen name O. HenryThough his work earned him an avid readership, O. Henry died in poverty and oblivion scarcely eight years after his arrival in New York. But in the treasury of stories he left behind are such classics of the genre as "The Gift of the Magi," "The Last Leaf," "The Ransom of Red Chief," "The Voice of the City" and "The Cop and the Anthem" — all included in this choice selection. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The River
by Gary Paulsen"We want you to do it again."These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for 54 days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived.Now the government wants him to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive. Soon the project backfires, though, leaving Brian with a wounded partner and a long river to navigate. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport the injured man a hundred miles downstream to a trading post--if the map he has is accurate.From the Paperback edition.
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths
by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'AulaireHere are the stories of the gods, goddesses, and legendary figures of ancient Greece!
Child of the Owl
by Laurence YepA young girl is sent to live with her grandmother in Chinatown and finds her Chinese heritage for the first time.
Will's Choice
by Joan Lowery NixonIt's 1866, and twelve-year-old Will Scott is not happy to be riding the orphan train. That's because Will's not really an orphan. He has a father -- Jesse, a circus performer. But Jess tells Will that he'll have a better life with a new family out west. Will is placed with the kindly Dr. and Mrs. Wallace. Will assists Dr. Wallace on his rounds of the local farms and finds that he's really good at helping people who are sick or hurt. Still, Will misses his father terribly. Then one night Jesse's circus comes to town, and Will has to make a big decision.
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
by Margaret CravenA novel about the clash of the ancient culture versus the modern culture of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest.
Homesick
by Jean FritzThis heartwarming fictionalized autobiography tells the story of what it is like for a little girl to be growing up in an unfamiliar place.
While other girls her age were enjoying childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. During this time, foreigners were becoming more and more unpopular, and evacuation at a moment's notice was imminent. Although Jean appreciated the beauty of China - the mountains, the countryside, the sea - she knew she belonged in America and longed to make her home there.
Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the National Book Award
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie and Minalima Ltd.Let your imagination take flight as you journey with Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the Darling children to the magical island of Neverland in this beautiful new unabridged gift edition of J.M. Barrie's classic story.
All-new original illustrations and ten exclusive interactive elements from the award-winning design studio MinaLima create an enchanted adventure for readers of all ages--all you need is to think lovely thoughts and use a little bit of fairy dust.
The Outcasts of Poker Flat and Other Stories
by Bret Harte14 short stories by Harte, with an introduction by Wallace Stegner, a selected bibliography, and notes on the text.
The Call of the Wild
by Jack LondonFirst published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London's masterpiece. Based on London's experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao LordA young Chinese girl in 1947 comes to Brooklyn and discovers her love for baseball while adjusting to new life in America.
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis StevensonClassic tale of the sea, a hunt for buried treasure, pirates and adventures. Features Long John Silver, one of Stevenson's most enduring characters.
That Was Then, This Is Now
by S. E. HintonAnother classic by S.E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders
Companion to The Outsiders, That Was Then, This is Now is S. E. Hinton's moving portrait of the bond between best friends Bryon and Mark and the tensions that develop between them as they begin to grow up and grow apart. This latest edition features bonus material, and, like The Outsiders, will also maintain the same pagination as the previous edition, making it ideal for continued classroom use.
My Brother Sam Is Dead
by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher CollierThe classic story of one family torn apart by the Revolutionary War
All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave -- and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British -- including Tim and Sam's father.
With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice -- between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats... and between his brother and his father.
Newbery Medal Honor book
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor Book
The Giver
by Lois LowryThis haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.
Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
Newbery Medal Winner
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Senior Award
The Pigman
by Paul ZindelNow, I don't like school, which you might say is one of the factors that got us involved with this old guy we nicknamed the Pigman. Actually, I hate school, but then again most of the time I hate everything. I used to really hate school when I first started at Franklin High. I hated it so much the first year they called me the Bathroom Bomber. Other kids got elected G.O. President and class secretary and lab-squad captain, but I got elected the Bathroom Bomber.
The Hundred Penny Box
by Sharon Bell MathisMichael loves his great-great-aunt Dew, even if she can't always remember his name. He especially loves to spend time with her and her beloved hundred penny box, listening to stories about each of the hundred years of her life. Michael's mother wants to throw out the battered old box that holds the pennies, but Michael understands that the box itself is as important to Aunt Dew as the memories it contains.
Newbery Medal Honor book
Call It Courage
by Armstrong SperryMaftu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided tha sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered-- so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.
Newbery Medal winner
The Double Life of Pocahontas
by Jean FritzPocahontas was the special favorite of her father, the great chief Pawhatan. And when the English settlers came to Virginia, she became a "sister" to Captain John Smith, who was "adopted" into her tribe. She was permitted to move freely between the Indian and white worlds, and her life seemed perfect. But soon there was trouble. Pocahontas was kidnapped by the settlers, who forced her to live like a white woman. She yearned for her father to meet the colonists' demands so all would be well again. But before Pocahontas made peace, she would be asked to turn her back on everything she loved-and to leave her Indian world behind forever. Highly acclaimed and winner of multiple awards, this book is recommended for Grades 4 and up.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by AviAvi's treasured Newbery Honor Book now in expanded After Words edition!Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is excited to return home from her school in England to her family in Rhode Island in the summer of 1832. But when the two families she was supposed to travel with mysteriously cancel their trips, Charlotte finds herself the lone passenger on a long sea voyage with a cruel captain and a mutinous crew. Worse yet, soon after stepping aboard the ship, she becomes enmeshed in a conflict between them! What begins as an eagerly anticipated ocean crossing turns into a harrowing journey, where Charlotte gains a villainous enemy . . . and is put on trial for murder!After Words material includes author Q & A, journal writing tips, and other activities that bring Charlotte's world to life!