Special Collections
Accelerated Reader Middle Grade Collection
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Touching Spirit Bear
by Ben MikaelsenWithin Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Alex Driscal in the, parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Alex may have permanent brain damage'and Cole is in the Biggest trouble of his life.Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays along. He says he wants to repent, but in his heart Cole blames his alcoholic mom his, abusive dad, wimpy Alex -- everyone but himself -- for his situation.Cole receives a one-year banishment to a remote Alaskan island. There, he is mauled by Mysterious white bear of Native American legend. Hideously injured, Cole waits for his death His thoughts shift from from Anger to humility. To survive, he must stop blaming others and take responsibility for his life. Rescuers arrive to save Cole's but it is the attack of the Spirit Bear that may save his soul. Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots without absolving solving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing
Kristina
by Carolyn MeyerMeyer offers a revealing look at Kristina, who was raised by the King and Queen of Sweden as a prince rather than a princess and assumed the throne as King at the age of 18.
Something in Between
by Melissa de la CruzShe had her whole life planned. She knew who she was and where she was going. Until the truth changed everything.
Jasmine de los Santos has always done what's expected of her. She's studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship to the school of her dreams.
And then everything shatters. Her parents are forced to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation.
As she's trying to make sense of who she is in this new reality, her world is turned upside down again by Royce Blakely. He's funny, caring and spontaneous--basically everything she's been looking for at the worst possible time--and now he's something else she may lose. Jasmine will stop at nothing to protect her relationships, family and future, all while figuring out what it means to be an immigrant in today's society.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
by Meg MedinaMerci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different.
For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition.
So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy.
Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing.
No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school.
In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Newbery Award Winner
The Lost Stone
by Jordan Quinn and Robert McphillipsWelcome to the Kingdom of Wrenly--a new chapter book series full of fantasy and adventure.Meet Lucas, the eight year-old prince, and Clara, the daughter of the queen's seamstress. Lucas is an only child who longs to make friends and go on adventures. Clara knows the kingdom well, so she and Lucas team up and explore the lands of Wrenly! In The Lost Stone, Lucas and Clara search for Queen Tasha's missing emerald. On their exciting adventure, they travel to all the main attractions of Wrenly: Primlox (the island of fairies), Burth (the island of trolls), Crestwood (the island of dragons), Hobsgrove (the island of wizards), and the beautiful Mermaid's Cove. King Caleb has promised to reward the person who finds the precious stone, and Lucas and Clara are determined to search the entire kingdom until they find it! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Kingdom of Wrenly chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Nzingha
by Patricia C. MckissackPresents the diary of thirteen-year-old Nzingha, a sixteenth-century West African princess who loves to hunt and hopes to lead her kingdom one day against the invasion of the Portuguese slave traders.
The Dark-Thirty
by Patricia C. Mckissack and Brian PinkneyIn that special half-hour of twilight--the dark-thirty--there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing, suspenseful, and breathtakingly original, these tales make up a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal
Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers
by Megan McdonaldFollow your nose to a hilarious Stink-fest no kid will want to miss! Gross Me Out! Stink-o! Skunksville! Stink Moody's class is going on a field trip to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum, and he can't wait to see the Vomit Machine, the Burp-O-Meter, and the Musical Farts.
Best of all, when he gets to the Everybody Stinks exhibit, Stink discovers that his very own nose has amazing sniffing abilities -- and he learns that some people have real jobs sniffing stuff for NASA!
Soon the junior olfactory wiz is engrossed in toilet water, corpse flowers, and all things smelly, and he and Sophie of the Elves are set to go toe-to-toe in a stinky sneaker contest. Will Stink's fetid footwear be foul enough to earn him a Golden Clothespin Award?
Stink's loyal fans will be holding their breath for his latest outrageous solo adventure.
Stink and the Shark Sleepover
by Megan McdonaldShark-tastic! Stink gets to sleep with the fishes after his parents win an aquarium sleepover.
When Stink and his friends get to sleep over at the aquarium, it's a science freak's dream come true. Stink loves the sea-creature scavenger hunt, the jellyfish light show, and the sand tiger sharks with razor-sharp teeth.
But after some spooky stories around the virtual campfire, can he manage to fall asleep thinking about Bloody Mary, the mutant Frankensquid that's supposed to be on the prowl?
Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker
by Megan McdonaldSpurred by a new found awareness of false advertising, Stink Moody becomes the proverbial kid in a candy store as his letter-writing campaign yields him heaps of free rewards.
When Stink buys a mammoth jawbreaker that doesn't break his jaw, he writes a letter of complaint to the manufacturer -- and receives a ten-pound box of 21,280 jawbreakers for his trouble!
This unexpected benefit of acing the art of letter-writing in school sure gets Stink thinking. Soon Stink is so preoccupied with getting free stuff sent to him that he overlooks a scribbly envelope in the mail pile -- until his best friend, Webster, starts acting standoffish and looks as mad as a hornet.
Stink And The Freaky Frog Freakout
by Megan McdonaldCroak! Squeenk! Ribbet! After a close encounter with a mutant amphibian makes him freaky for frogs, water-shy Stink becomes a swimming success.
Stink may be super smart, and Stink may be uber clever, but he’s been in the Polliwog swim class frog-ever and he still can’t bear to put his face in the water. Why would he want a geyser up his nose, on purpose?
But then something weird happens: Stink starts to see frogs everywhere — in the locker room, in his boot, in the bathtub. And when a freaky blue frog licks his arm, his froggy senses start tingling! He has an urge to slurp up raisins (that look like flies). He can’t wait to play in the rain and mud.
He’s a wiz at identifying frog calls. And he has become very interested in the local frog population.
Could it be that Stink is turning into . . . the amazing Stink-Frog, fighter of slime? Pree-eep! Craw-awk!
Stink
by Megan McdonaldShrink, shrank, shrunk! Every morning, Judy Moody measures Stink and it's always the same: three feet, eight inches tall. Stink feels like even the class newt is growing faster than he is. Then, one day, the ruler reads -- can it be? -- three feet, seven and three quarters inches! Is Stink shrinking?
He tries everything to look like he's growing, but wearing up-and-down stripes and spiking his hair aren't fooling anyone into thinking he's taller. If only he could ask James Madison -- Stink's hero, and the shortest person ever to serve as President of the United States.
In Stink's first solo adventure, his special style comes through loud and strong.
Judy Moody Was in a Mood. Not a Good Mood. A Bad Mood.
by Megan McdonaldThe mercurial Judy Moody will delight any kid who's known a bad mood or a bad day--and managed to laugh anyway. "Judy Moody A mad-faced mood. " To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine named Roger. And with her luck, she'll get stuck sitting in the first row, where Mr. Todd will notice every time she tries to pass a note to her best friend, Rocky. An aspiring doctor, Judy does have a little brother who comes in handy for practicing medicine, a cool new pet, and a huge Band-Aid collection. Judy also has an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns a very special class project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald's spirited text and Peter Reynolds's wry illustrations combine in a feisty, funny first chapter book for every kid who has ever felt a little out of sorts.
Judy Moody Saves the World!
by Megan McdonaldThe mercurial Judy returns - and she's in a mood to take on the world! Get ready for the newest installment in the hilarious Judy Moody series. Rare! Judy Moody did not set out to save the world. She set out to win a contest. A Band-Aid contest. It all started with the Crazy-Strip contest - and the dream that she, Judy Moody, might one day see her very own adhesive-bandage design covering the scraped knees of thousands. But when her "Heal the World" motif merits only an honorable mention, Judy Moody realizes it's time to set her sights on something bigger. Class 3T is studying the environment, and Judy is amazed to learn about the destruction of the rain forest, the endangered species (not) in her own backyard, and her own family's crummy recycling habits. Now she's in a mood to whip the planet into shape - or her name isn't Judy Monarch Moody!
Judy Moody Predicts the Future
by Megan Mcdonald"This is a great choice for first-chapter-book readers, especially those already acquainted with Judy. "--Booklist. Judy Moody ate one, two, three bowls of cereal. No prize. She poured four, five, six bowls of cereal. Nothing. Seven. Out fell the Mystery Prize. Judy definitely has a mood for every occasion. And now she has a mood ring to prove it! The mood ring's Extra Special Powers have put Judy in a predicting mood, and her outrageous predictions have everyone wondering if Judy really is psychic. According to "Madame M" (for Moody), the Toad Pee Club's long-lost mascot will reappear, Judy will earn the coveted Thomas Jefferson tricorn-hat sticker for "Great Job, Good Thinking"--and love may be the real reason behind her teacher's new eyeglasses. Will Judy's fortune-telling adventures put kids in a very Judy Moody mood? (Signs point to yes!)
Judy Moody, M.D.
by Megan McdonaldJudy Moody is an inquisitive youngster with the nack of getting into funny situations. This is a very entertaining book for young people. From the publisher: tickle your humerus (aka funny bone) and put you in a very Judy Moody mood! She took her own temperature. With the fancy thermometer that beeped. It was not normal. It was not 98.6. Judy's temperature was 188.8! Judy's temperature was 00.0! Judy's temperature was beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. She, Judy Moody, had the temperature of an outer-space alien! Judy Moody has a mood for every occasion, and now, she, Judy Moody, is in a medical mood! It's no secret that Judy wants to be like Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor, when she grows up. So when Class 3T starts to study the Amazing Human Body, Judy can hardly wait to begin her better-than-best-ever third-grade projects: show-and-tell with something way rarer than a scab, a real-live ooey-gooey operation, and a cloning experiment that may create double trouble for Judy and her friends. RARE!
Judy Moody, Girl Detective
by Megan McdonaldIt's an honest-to-jeepers mystery! Agent Judy Drewdy sets out to solve the case of the missing puppy when a canine-cop-in-training vanishes into thin air. Judy Moody is in a mood. A sleuthing, Nancy Drew kind of mood. So what's a WBMS (world's best mystery solver) to do? Go find a mystery, that's what! And she doesn't have to snoop for long: when Mr. Chips, a beloved crime-dog-in-training, goes missing, Judy Drewdy and her chums, agents Dills Pickle (Frank), Spuds Houdini (Rocky), and James Madagascar (Stink) find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a reallife, scare-your-pants-off whodunit. Was Mr. Chips stolen by dirty dognappers? And why are chocolate-chip cookies disappearing all over town? Watch out for red herrings--along with clever references to classic Nancy Drew mysteries--as Eagle Eye Moody and company are hot on the case!
Judy Moody Gets Famous!
by Megan McdonaldGood moods, bad moods, can't-stand-Jessica-Finch moods. Judy Moody is back with her many hilarious moods. Fans of Judy Moody already know that Judy has a mood for every occasion--and this time Judy is in a jealous mood. Jealous of classmate Jessica Finch, that is, who gets her picture on the front page of the newspaper. When Judy sets off in pursuit of her own fame and happiness, watch out! She's so determined, she just might find it, or she might merely become more INFAMOUS than ever. Her latest adventures are sure to put readers in a very Judy Moody mood!
Judy Moody Declares Independence
by Megan McdonaldWhen a visit to Boston spurs Judy's interest in Revolutionary heroes and heroines, she's soon on a quest for more independence in this hilarious new episode from Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds. Huzzah! She, Judy Moody, would hereby, this day, make the Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. With alien rights and her own Purse of Happiness and everything. Hear ye! Hear ye! Everyone knows that Judy Moody has a mood for every occasion, and now a visit to Boston has put our famous third grader in a revolutionary mood. When Judy meets an English girl named Tori at the Tea Party ship, she is gobsmacked to learn how many liberties her British friend enjoys -- her very own phone, private loo, and pounds of allowance. When a day of cheerfully doing her chores doesn't earn Judy Moody more rights, and staging a revolt in the form of a tea-throwing Boston Tub Party has her dad reading the riot act, Judy is forced into temporary retreat. Who would guess that a real-life crisis involving her brother, Stink, would finally give Judy a chance to show her courageous quick thinking - -and prove her independence, once and for all?
Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer
by Megan McdonaldJudy's big plans for the summer seem ruined when two of her best friends go away, and then her parents leave her and Stink with Aunt Opal, but a new "thrill-a-delic" plan has her racing toward fun.
Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm
by Megan Mcdonald and Peter H. ReynoldsJudy has very good luck with a special penny, until her luck turns bad. The story involves her family and friends, a spelling bee and a potbellied pig named PeeGee WeeGee, or P.G. for short. The many illustrations are described. For middle elementary school readers. Note: this book does not use standard American spelling or punctuation.
Judy Moody
by Megan McdonaldJudy Moody cannot believe her ears. There at the lunch table, a girl called Amy Namey is interviewing Judy's best friends. Even worse, Amy is dressed like Nellie Bly, daredevil woman reporter. Is this girl with the rhyming name destined to be Judy Moody's new best enemy --- or new best friend? Judy finds some unexpected potholes on the path to friendship as Class 3T takes a tour of the globe, exploring everything from tooth-brushing sticks in Yemen to an Italian "spider dance" along the way. Fans will cheer as Judy masters the challenge of making new friends and keeping the old, for sure and absolute POSITIVO!
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar and Adam MccauleyBestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Louis Sachar knows how to make readers laugh. And there are laughs galore in perennial favorite Sideways Stories from Wayside School, now available for the first time in ebook format!
Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor.
That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president, ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat. More than nine millions readers have laughed at the wacky stories of Wayside School. So what are you waiting for? Come visit Wayside School!