Special Collections
Scholastic Guided Reading Level U
Description: Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can read similar levels of texts. #Teachers
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Storm Runners
by Roland SmithThe first in a middle-grade action-adventure series from Roland Smith! Chase Masters and his father are "storm runners," racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would just sitting in a classroom. But when the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined.
The Adventures of Marco Polo
by Russell FreedmanWas he the worlds greatest explorer? Or was he the worlds biggest liar? Who was Marco Polo a heroic explorer or a charlatan? The author shares Marco Polos extraordinary tale with todays readers.
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara KerleySusy Clemens thought the world was wrong about her papa. They saw Mark Twain as "a humorist joking at everything." But he was so much more, and Susy was determined to set the record straight. In a journal she kept under her pillow, Susy documented her world-famous father-from his habits (good and bad!) to his writing routine to their family's colorful home life. Her frank, funny, tender biography (which came to be one of Twain's most prized possessions) gives rare insight and an unforgettable perspective on an American icon. Inserts with excerpts from Susy's actual journal give added appeal.
The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamilloWelcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. Winner of the 2000 Newbery award, and from the master storyteller who brought us Because of Winn-Dixie. This is another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters.
Winner of the 2000 Newbery award.
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Junior Award
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy
by Jenny NimmoThis semester at Bloor's Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student, Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have a strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova's secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy.
Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn't concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry. They promise to make Ollie visible again with the aid of his brother, Mr. Boldova.
Can Charlie and his friends save Ollie?
The Ruins of Gorlan
by John FlanaganThe Ruins of Gorlan is the first thrilling book in John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series – over eight million sold worldwide.They have always scared him in the past – the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practise magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . . .Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.
The Fairy-Tale Detectives
by Michael BuckleyThe Sisters Grimm take readers to a world where fairy tales are fact and not everyone is who they seem! In book one of this bestselling series, sisters Sabrina and Daphne are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. The sisters learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files. The girls are the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, and their new hometown is filled with Everafters (as magical folks like to be called)some good and some very, very bad. When a mysterious Everafter sets a giant loose on the town, it's up to the Sisters Grimm to save the day.
The BFG
by Roald DahlGiants are known for eating children. So when Sophie is snatched from her bed by the BFG, she fears for her life. But luckily he is far more jumbly than his disgusting neighbours. They become good friends and cook up a plan to rid the world of bad giants.
Flora And Ulysses
by K. G. Campbell and Kate DiCamilloWinner of the 2014 Newbery Medal. Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry -- and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.
Newbery Medal Winner
Creepy Creatures
by R. L. StineThree of Goosebumps' creepiest creature books ever!* Now in a cool, new GB Graphix anthology adapted and illustrated by acclaimed comic artists Scott Morse, Greg Ruth, and Gabriel Hernandez. Creepy creatures are howling, growling, and stalking through the artwork of the first Goosebumps Graphix anthology when three hot, talented comic artists adapt these bestselling Goosebumps books into a cool, new graphic novel format: SCOTT MORSE, creator of the popular comic, "The Magic Pickle," brings his quirky sense of humor and madcap illustrations to "The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena," where two kids encounter an unlikely monster in sunny California.
Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.
Fearless
by Elvira WoodruffAward-winning author Elvira Woodruff has written a harrowing novel about an eleven-year-old orphan boy on a stormy sea -- and the charming daredevil who befriends him in England in 1695. When a storm brings down his father's boat, Digory Beale is forced to leave home to discover his fate. For if Digory has been orphaned, he can never go home again. On his journey, Digory becomes the apprentice to Henry Winstanly, whose life's obsession is to save sailors' lives. Digory must face his fears of the sea to help Henry bring candles to the lighthouse he's built on a killer reef. But who could have known the force of a monster storm heading their way? In this poignant page-turner, Digory comes to understand the many facets of courage -- and what it means to be a true hero.
The Titanic Sinks! (Totally True Adventures)
by Thomas ConklinHere is the exciting true story about the "unsinkable" Titanic! Dramatic accounts, white-knuckle suspense, and fast-paced action of how the world's biggest, safest ship sank on its maiden voyage. Includes black-and-white photos and full-color underwater photos of the wreck. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Boys Who Rocked the World
by Michelle Roehm Mccann and David HahnMeet young men with grand goals in these profiles of forty-six movers and shakers who made their mark before they turned twenty.This engaging and thought-provoking collection of influential stories provides forty-six illustrated examples of strong, independent male role models, all of whom first impacted the world as teenagers or younger. This updated and expanded edition of Boys Who Rocked the World encompases a variety of achievements, interests, and backgrounds, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Steve Jobs to Crazy Horse and Stephen King--each with his own incredible story of how he created life-changing opportunities for himself and the world. Personal aspirations from today's young men are interspersed throughout the book, which also includes profiles of teenagers who are rocking the world right now--boys like John Collinson, the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits, and Alec Loorz, who founded the nonprofit organization Kids vs. Global Warming. It's never too soon to start making a difference, and this empowering collection of accomplished young men makes for ideal motivation.
Abe's Honest Words
by Doreen Rappaport and Gary Kelley and Kadir NelsonFrom the time he was a young boy roaming the forests of the unsettled Midwest, Abraham Lincoln knew in his heart that slavery was deeply wrong. A voracious reader, Lincoln spent every spare moment of his days filling his mind with knowledge, from history to literature to mathematics, preparing himself to one day lead the country he loved towards greater equality and prosperity. Despite the obstacles he faced as a self-educated man from the back woods, Lincoln persevered in his political career, and his compassion and honesty gradually earned him the trust of many Americans. As president, he guided the nation through a long and bitter civil war and penned the document that would lead to the end of slavery in the United States. The passion for humanity that defined Lincoln's life shines through in this momentous follow-up to Martin's Big Words and John's Secret Dreams. Told in Doreen Rappaport's accessible, absorbing prose, and brought to life in powerful illustrations by Kadir Nelson, Abe's Honest Words is an epic portrait of a truly great American president.
Prowling the Seas
by Pamela S. TurnerAn acclaimed science writer takes readers along with four underwater predators--a leatherback sea turtle, a bluefin tuna, a great white shark, and a Sooty Shearwater--on their remarkable journeys.
The Calder Game
by Blue BalliettCalder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England and is inexplicably drawn to a sculpture of Alexander Calder. Both the boy and the sculpture seem out of place.
Tangerine
by Edward BloorThough legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul--until his family moves to Tangerine.
In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school.
Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past--and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.
Includes a reader's guide and an afterword by the author.
Nothing But the Truth
by AviThis Newbery Honor Book by acclaimed author Avi is available again through Scholastic--in an After Words paperback edition!In this thought-provoking examination of freedom, patriotism, and respect, ninth-grader, Philip Malloy, is kept from joining the track team by his failing grades in English class. Convinced that the teacher just doesn't like him, Philip concocts a plan to get transferred out of her class. Breaking the school's policy of silence during the national anthem, he hums along, and ends up in a crisis at the center of the nation's attention.
Heaven
by Angela JohnsonA poignant novel of deception and self-discover from three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Angela Johnson.You never know what's gonna come down--in Heaven. At fourteen, Marley knows she has Momma's hands and Pops's love for ice cream, that her brother doesn't get on her nerves too much, and that Uncle Jack is a big mystery. But Marley doesn't know all she thinks she does, because she doesn't know the truth. And when the truth comes down with the rain one stormy summer afternoon, it changes everything. It turns Momma and Pops into liars. It makes her brother a stranger and Uncle Jack an even bigger mystery. All of a sudden, Marley doesn't know who she is anymore and can only turn to the family she no longer trusts to find out. Truth often brings change. Sometimes that change is for the good. Sometimes it isn't. Coretta Scott King award-winning author Angela Johnson writes a poignant novel of deception and self-discovery -- about finding the truth and knowing what to do when truth is at hand.
The Graduation of Jake Moon
by Barbara ParkFourteen-year-old Jake recalls how he has spent the last four years of his life watching his grandfather descend slowly but surely into the horrors of Alzheimer's disease.
Ginger Pye
by Eleanor EstesMeet the marvelous Pyes— There is Mrs. Pye, the youngest mother in town; Mr. Pye, a famous bird man, who handles all the nation&’s important bird problems; Rachel Pye, who is so reasonable she can make unreasonable ideas sound like good ones; Jerry Pye, who knows about rocks of all sorts and plans to grow up to be a rock man; Uncle Bennie, who is Jerry and Rachel&’s uncle—even though he&’s only three years old. Lastly is Ginger Pye, the &“intellectual dog,&” who Jerry bought for a hard-earned dollar. The most famous pup in all of Cranbury, Ginger knows tons of tricks, is as loyal as he is smart, and steals the hearts of everyone he meets . . . until someone steals him!
All of The Above
by Shelley PearsallBased on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four inner city students and their quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Weaving together the different personal stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about the math, life and good-tasting barbecue. Filled with unexpected humor, poignant characters and quiet brilliance, All of the Above is a surprising gem.
Wringer
by Jerry SpinelliNewbery Honor Book * ALA Notable Children's Book "Deeply felt. Presents a moral question with great care and sensitivity." —The New York Times"A spellbinding story about rites of passage." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)"A realistic story with the intensity of a fable." —The Horn Book (starred review)"Thought-provoking." —School Library Journal (starred review)In Palmer LaRue's hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy's life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to, but something to dread. Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in.Wringer is a powerful tour de force from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli.
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead GeorgeTerribly unhappy in his family's crowded New York City apartment, Sam Gribley runs away to the solitude--and danger--of the mountains, where he finds a side of himself he never knew.
Newbery Medal Honors book.
Ghost Hunt
by Cameron Dokey and Jason Hawes and Grant WilsonAn exciting new middle grade collection of spooky paranormal investigations based on REAL ghost hunts from stars of the TV show Ghost Hunters, the number one reality show on cable television! In a lush, thick volume, Ghost Hunt will feature multiple stories dramatized with cliff hangers and red herrings to heighten suspense and character interaction. Through the investigations, the reader will learn the ins and outs of ghost hunting, how to spot a hoax, and how to face their fear of the paranormal. The book will also have tips for ghost hunting at the end of the book, including guides to the technical equipment and how to set up your own traps for ghosts. Though presented as fiction, these stories are based on real cases, and the GHOSTS ARE REAL!