Special Collections

Accelerated Reader (ATOS Level: 4.0-4.9)

Description: A collection of popular middle grades books that have quizzes on Accelerated Reader for levels 4.0- through 4.9. ATOS Book Levels are reported using the ATOS readability formula and represent the difficulty of the text. #kids #teachers


Showing 26 through 50 of 145 results
 
 

The Milk of Birds

by Sylvia Whitman

This timely, heartrending novel tells the moving story of a friendship between two girls: one an American teen, one a victim of the crisis in Darfur.

Know that there are many words behind the few on this paper...

Fifteen-year-old Nawra lives in Darfur, Sudan, in a camp for refugees displaced by the Janjaweed's trail of murder and destruction. Nawra cannot read or write, but when a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs her with an American donor, Nawra dictates her thank-you letters.

Putting her experiences into words begins to free her from her devastating past--and to brighten the path to her future. K.C. is an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, who hates reading and writing--or anything that smacks of school. But as Nawra pours grief and joy into her letters, she inspires K.C. to see beyond her own struggles. And as K.C. opens her heart in her responses to Nawra, she becomes both a dedicated friend and a passionate activist for Darfur.

In this poetic tale of unlikely sisterhood, debut author Sylvia Whitman captures the friendship between two girls who teach each other compassion and share a remarkable bond that bridges two continents.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.9

Award: AR POINTS: 12.0

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

by Nancy Farmer

In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to search for them.

Newbery Medal Honor book

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.7

Award: AR POINTS: 12.0

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by Kelly Barnhill

Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal The New York Times Bestseller An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016 An Amazon Top 20 Best Book of 2016 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016 A School Library Journal Best Book of 2016 Named to KirkusReviews’ Best Books of 2016 2017 Booklist Youth Editors’ Choice Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . . The Newbery Medal winner from the author of the highly acclaimed novel The Witch’s Boy.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.8

Award: AR POINTS: 12.0

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by Kelly Barnhill

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

The Newbery Medal winner from the author of the highly acclaimed novel The Witch’s Boy.

Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal
The New York Times Bestseller
An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016
An Amazon Top 20 Best Book of 2016
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2016
Named to KirkusReviews’ Best Books of 2016
2017 Booklist Youth Editors’ Choice

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.8

Award: AR POINTS: 12.0

The Parker Inheritance

by Varian Johnson

When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 12.0

Echo

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

2016 Newbery Honor BookNew York Times BestsellerAn impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force from a treasured storyteller!Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo. Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, Echo pushes the boundaries of genre, form, and storytelling innovation to create a wholly original novel that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.9

Award: AR POINTS: 13.0

Something in Between

by Melissa de la Cruz

She 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.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.4

Award: AR POINTS: 16.0

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871

by Lauren Tarshis

In a national contest, readers voted and decided that the next I SURVIVED topic will be the Great Chicago Fire, 1871!

In the next book of the I SURVIVED series, one boy will struggle to stay alive as the great city of Chicago burns.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.8

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

The Littles and the Surprise Thanksgiving Guests (The Littles )

by Joel Peterson

The Little family are small people with long tails, so small they live behind the walls of a house and are never noticed by the people who live there, though they have made friends with the old house cat. It's all Tom and Lucy, the Little children, can do to carry a turkey leg between them. This year they've planned a very special Thanksgiving with aunts and uncles and two tiny families from the country coming to visit. But now they have a very big problem—dangerous mice are about to spoil the fun. Can the Littles save their lives and home by driving the mice away and keeping them out? Bookshare has many more books in the Littles series.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.5

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Mall Madness

by Macky Pamintuan and Carolyn Keene

Back-to-school shopping spree!

The Clue Crew is headed to the mall! They are ready to shop till they drop for new school supplies. First stop: the Pencil Box for glittery notebooks. But right away it looks like the girls have a back-to-school mystery on their hands.

Money is missing from the Pencil Box's cash register, and all fingers point to the clerk, Rodger. Rodger is Nancy's neighbor, and she doesn't believe he's a thief. But she'll need to examine the facts first. Good thing she bought a new notebook!

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.5

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Happy New Year, Mallory!

by Laurie Friedman

New Year's Eve is just around the corner and Mallory's camp friends are coming to Fern Falls for a reunion. She can't wait! Mallory and Mary Ann have planned out every last detail for the perfect reunion, but Mallory doesn't count on having a bad stomachache that turns out to be appendicitis. Poor Mallory has to go to the hospital and misses out on the reunion and the New Year's Eve Party. Is this the beginning of the worst year ever, or will her friends find a way to save the day?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.1

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Mallory Goes Green

by Laurie Friedman

MALLORY McDONALD IS GOING GREEN! As an official member of the Fern Falls Elementary Environmental Committee, Mallory is super excited to make her school and home more environmentally friendly. She's even selected to be class representative for the all-school Green Fair. But the minute Mallory goes green, everything goes wrong. No one wants her "expert" opinion on how to help the environment. Her classmates don't want to participate in the Green Fair project she's created. And worst of all, by the time the fair rolls around, many of them aren't even speaking to Mallory. Can Mallory find a way to save the planet and her friendships?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.4

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Bunnicula

by James Howe and Deborah Howe and Alan Daniel

This book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.Since its first appearance in 1979, Bunnicula has been a hit with kids and their parents everywhere, selling over 8 million copies and winning numerous awards.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

A Fin-tastic Finish

by Aaron Blecha and Davy Ocean

Harry Hammer wants to befriend a tiger shark and become a sports legend at Shark Point Scout Camp in this fifth Shark School (mis)adventure.

Harry Hammer has a new hero: Turbo Tex, a gold-medal-winning tiger shark. Maybe Harry can be just like him at Shark Point Scout Camp! Tony, another tiger shark, joins the group right in time for their annual sports camp, and Harry is over the moon.

But Tony doesn't seem to want to be friends. How can Harry change Tony's mind and make his sporting dreams come true?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue

by Paula Danziger

Amber Brown has a big decision to make: spend Thanksgiving with Mom in Walla Walla, Washington, or with Dad in New York. Amber doesn't want to choose, but the grown-ups are leaving it up to her.

Things only get worse when she goes to school and meets the new girl, Kelly Green. No one in the class has ever had a two-color name like Amber Brown. Home. School. Nothing is going right! Amber Brown is most definitely feeling blue.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.0

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Nighty-Nightmare

by James Howe

An overnight camping trip! Not Harold's idea of fun. Too many mosquitoes, ticks and cockleburs. But when the Monroe family set out, their faithful dog Harold was with them, mostly because he remembered that camping could also bring s'mores and toasted marshmallows. Howie, the other family dog, and Chester the cat were also included in the trip. Only Chester thought the idea was completely insane. The woods, he informed Harold, were not only full of cockleburs and ticks, but of spirits, evil spirits who prey on the innocent. And on this, the worst night of the year -- St. George's Eve, when all spirits are set loose -- who knew what could happen.What Harold knew was that Chester was a well read, over-stimulated cat, full of weird ideas. He did not take Chester's worries too seriously. He had s'more to think about. But then, the Monroes set up camp near two strange men and their even stranger dog, and things began to happen that made even Harold wonder. Could Chester be right?This begins a long night, full of terrors and alarms, full of Chester's horrifying tale of how Bunnicula, the vampire bunny, was born and came to America, full of storms and a total sense of danger; and at the end came surprises that even Chester could not have predicted.Once again, the Monroe family may be the victims of evil forces or only of Chester's strange imagination. But whichever, the result is suspenseful and very, very funny.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

The Celery Stalks at Midnight

by James Howe

CHESTER, the cat, Harold, the dog, Bunnicula, the vampire (?) rabbit, and Howie, the wirehaired dachshund puppy, return in this sequel to Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery and Howliday Inn to ask the question: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of lettuce?Chester has just finished retelling the tale of Bunnicula to Howie, who has just joined the Monroe family, when he discovers that Bunnicula is missing from his cage. Chester stays up all night worrying. What becomes of the vegetables Bunnicula attacks (for he is after all a vegetarian vampire)? Do they become vampire veggies serving their master's evil ways? Certain that the town is crawling with killer parsnips and homicidal heads of lettuce, Chester sets out with Harold and Howie and a box of toothpicks for spearing the little devils through the heart.En route to finding Bunnicula, driving tiny stakes through whatever white vegetables lie in their paths and thereby saving the town of Centerville, the threesome have more than their share of adventures, including an encounter with an ill-tempered white cat named Snowball and an unexpected trip to the town dump.Finally the strange actions of everyone in town, including Toby and Pete Monroe, convince Chester that he may be too late, that Bunnicula and his minion vegetables may have taken over the town. Chester and his merry band race to save what souls they can. But, of course, Chester has been known to be wrong before.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.0

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Clementine, Friend of the Week

by Sara Pennypacker and Marla Frazee

It's Clementine's turn to be "Friend of the Week"! She gets to be line leader, collect the lunch money, and feed the fish. Even better, the other kids will make her a booklet, full of the things they value about having her in the class. After reading her friend Margaret's booklet, Clementine begins to get nervous and a little jealous --she has to get a great booklet now. Fortunately, she has a lot of astoundishing ideas for getting the kids to write great stuff about her. Unfortunately, just as she's working on the best one, something terrible happens to her beloved kitten Moisturizer. Worst of all, exactly when she needs a friend the most, Margaret lets her down. Or does she. . . ?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Breaking Stalin's Nose

by Eugene Yelchin

One of Horn Book's Best Fiction Books of 2011. Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six: The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism. A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience. A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings. But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has awaited for so long, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway. And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested just last night. This moving story of a ten-year-old boy's world shattering is masterful in its simplicity, powerful in its message, and heartbreaking in its plausibility.

Newbery Medal Honor book

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.6

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863

by Lauren Tarshis

Does Henry have what it takes to survive the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil? The Civil War comes to life for I SURVIVED readers!

The bloodiest battle in American history is about to begin. . .

It's 1863, and Thomas and his father are slaves in South Carolina. But in the chaos of the Civil War, they manage to break free and head north.

Through the Underground Railroad they make their way to Pennsylvania. But they can't escape the war -- and soon Thomas finds himself in the middle of a harrowing battle.

He's come so far . . . but does he have what it takes to survive Gettysburg?

Does he have what it takes to survive the Battle of Gettysburg?

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.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.6

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

by Lauren Tarshis

The battlefield was soaked in blood. Screams of injured soldiers rang through the air. Eleven-year-old Nathaniel Knox knelt behind a rock, his gun clutched in his shaking hands. Nate had been heading to New York City to find his father. But now he was trapped in a terrible gunfight between American and British troops. This Revolutionary War had started as a thrilling fight for freedom. The 13 American colonies were breaking apart from England, away from King George III. The colonies would band together to become a brand-new country: The United States of America! But King George was like a snake with America gripped in his fangs - and he didn't want to let go. So now it was war - brutal, bloody war. And America was being crushed by the mighty British army. Thousands of American troops were either dead or dying in filthy British prison ships. General George Washington's army was in tatters. All Nate wanted was to find his father...and to get out of here alive.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.6

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011

by Lauren Tarshis

The disaster felt around the world . . .

Visiting his dad's hometown in Japan four months after his father's death would be hard enough for Ben. But one morning the pain turns to fear: first, a massive earthquake rocks the quiet coastal village, nearly toppling his uncle's house. Then the ocean waters rise and Ben and his family are swept away-and pulled apart-by a terrible tsunami.

Now Ben is alone, stranded in a strange country a million miles from home. Can he fight hard enough to survive one of the most epic disasters of all time?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.6

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

The Littles and the Terrible Tiny Kid

by John Peterson

[from the back cover] "The Littles are in for some big trouble! The bedroom is a mess.... The strings on the old tin can elevator are tangled.... Henry Biggs' parakeet is loose.... And someone has knocked over the honey jar.... "Oh, no!" Mr. Little says. "It looks like we have a terrible tiny kid on our hands." Pictures are described. RL3, Ages 7-10 Bookshare has many more books about the Littles family. They are shorter than six inches tall, use thimbles for wastebaskets and wear finger puppets on cereal boxes for costumes. Some of the Little's books are: The Littles, The Littles Take a Trip, The Littles and the Surprise Thanksgiving Guests, The Littles to the Rescue, Tom Little's Halloween Scare, The Littles and the Trash Tinies, The Littles Go to School, The Littles Get Trapped, The Littles and the Big Storm, The Littles Have a Happy Valentine's Day, The Littles Give a Party and The Littles and the Missing Cat.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.2

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980

by Lauren Tarshis

It was one the most beautiful mountains in America, Mount St. Helens, in Washington State. But what many didn't know was that this peaceful mountain had an explosive past. For more than a century, it had been quiet. But below ground, pressure had been building, and soon, Kaboom! Mount St. Helens would erupt with terrifying fury. Eleven-year-old Jessie Marlowe knew the mountain well, and like many, she never imagined that this serene wilderness could turn deadly. But on May 10th, 1980, Jessie finds herself in the middle of the deadliest volcanic eruption in U.S. history. Trapped on the mountain, she must escape clouds of poisonous gas, boiling rivers, and landslides of rock, glacial ice, and white-hot debris. The newest book in the I Survived series will take readers into one of the most environmentally devastating events in recent U.S. history.

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.4

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

by Lauren Tarshis and Scott Dawson

70 years later, the bombing of Pearl Harbor comes to life for a new generation of readers!

History's most terrifying moments are brought vividly to life in the action-packed fictional I SURVIVED series! Do you have what it takes to survive ... the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

Eleven-year-old Danny Crane is alone on his favorite beach in Hawaii when the world is torn apart and World War II officially hits the United States. Does he have what it takes to find his way home in the midst of the bombs, the smoke, and the destruction of the day that will live in infamy?

Date Added: 04/10/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 4.3

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0


Showing 26 through 50 of 145 results