Special Collections

Accelerated Reader (ATOS Level: 5.0-5.9)

Description: A collection of popular middle grades books that have quizzes on Accelerated Reader for levels 5.0- through 5.9. ATOS Book Levels are reported using the ATOS readability formula and represent the difficulty of the text. #kids #teachers


Showing 26 through 50 of 78 results
 
 

The Fences Between Us

by Kirby Larson

Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson brings us the first new Dear America diary in years, taking readers through the attack on Pearl Harbor, the start of World War II, and the Japanese incarceration.

With this sweeping tale of life on the World War II homefront, Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson brings her incredible talent to the Dear America series. When Pearl Harbor is attacked, America is finally unable to ignore the wars raging in Europe and Asia any longer. And one girl's entire life is about to change when everything she knows is turned on its head. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, where her brother, a navy sailor, is stationed, Piper Davis begins chronicling her compelling journey through one of history's most tragic and unforgettable eras.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.0

Award: AR POINTS: 8.0

The Emperor's Code

by Gordon Korman

Tensions run high in the explosive 8th book of 39 Clues, the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

As the race to find the 39 Clues builds to its explosive finish, Amy and Dan must explore an ancient culture and steal a Clue guarded by thousands of the world's best-trained soldiers. It's the most dangerous Clue search yet. As their enemies crowd in, Amy and Dan find themselves separated for the first time ever. The choice lies before them - find the next Clue, or find their way back to each other.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 6.0

The Wild Robot

by Peter Brown

This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive—and live—in the wilderness.  Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her. From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 5.0

Getting Near to Baby

by Audrey Couloumbis

Audrey Couloumbis's masterful debut novel brings to mind Karen Hesse, Katherine Paterson, and Betsy Byars's The Summer of the Swans—it is a story you will never forget.

Willa Jo and Little Sister are up on the roof at Aunt Patty’s house. Willa Jo went up to watch the sunrise, and Little Sister followed, like she always does. But by mid-morning, they are still up on that roof, and soon it’s clear it wasn’t just the sunrise that brought them there.

The trouble is, coming down would mean they’d have to explain, and they just can’t find the words.

This is a funny, sometimes heartbreaking, story about sisters, about grief, and about healing. Two girls must come to terms with the death of their baby sister, their mother’s unshakable depression, and the ridiculously controlling aunt who takes them in and means well but just doesn’t understand children. Willa Jo has to try and make things right in their new home, but she and Aunt Patty keep butting heads. Until the morning the two girls climb up to the roof of her house. Aunt Patty tries everything she can think of to get them down, but in the end, the solution is miraculously simple.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 6.0

My Secret War

by Mary Pope Osborne

Thirteen-year-old Madeline Beck's diaries, recorded through 1941 and 1942, reveal her experiences living on Long Island during World War II while her father is away in the Navy. B&W photos and illustrations.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.5

Award: AR POINTS: 4.0

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

by Lauren Tarshis

One of the darkest periods in history...In a Jewish ghetto, Max Rosen and his sister Zena struggle to live after their father is taken away by the Nazis. With barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from Nazi soldiers into the nearby forest.Max and Zena are brought to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. But soon, bombs are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 2.0

Story Thieves

by James Riley

A hilarious, action-packed series launches with a story-within-a-story, from the bestselling author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.

Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world's homework and chores. But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen--his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library.

It turns out Bethany's half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character. Bethany can't let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen's favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he'll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father... ...

Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany's secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot's final (very final) adventure.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 11.0

The Van Gogh Deception

by Deron R. Hicks

Dan Brown meets Jason Bourne in this riveting middle-grade mystery thriller.

When a young boy is discovered in Washington DC’s National Gallery without any recollection of who he is, so begins a high-stakes race to unravel the greatest mystery of all: his identity.

As the stakes continue to rise, the boy must piece together the disjointed clues of his origins while using his limited knowledge to stop one of the greatest art frauds ever attempted.

Digitally interactive, this breathtaking museum mystery offers QR codes woven throughout the book that bring renowned paintings to readers’ fingertips.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.4

Award: AR POINTS: 9.0

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

by Pablo Cartaya

Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud.

Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL? For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela’s restaurant. Maybe.

But this summer also includes Carmen, a cute poetry enthusiast who moves into Arturo’s apartment complex and turns his stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn’t notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to change it.

Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen, Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of José Martí.

Funny and poignant, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora is the vibrant story of a family, a striking portrait of a town, and one boy's quest to save both, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.0

Award: AR POINTS: 7.0

Esperanza Rising (Scholastic Gold)

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 6.0

A Long Way From Chicago

by Richard Peck

A summer they'll never forget.

Each summer Joey and his sister, Mary Alice—two city slickers from Chicago—visit Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town. Soon enough, they find that it's far from sleepy...and Grandma is far from your typical grandmother. From seeing their first corpse (and he isn't resting easy) to helping Grandma trespass, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry—all in one day—Joey and Mary Alice have nine summers they'll never forget!

A Newbery Honor Book

A National Book Award Finalist

An ALA Notable Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.0

Award: AR POINTS: 5.0

Misty of Chincoteague

by Marguerite Henry

A Newbery Honor Book Rediscover award-winning author Marguerite Henry&’s classic story about a wild horse&’s gentle colt with this faux leather–bound anniversary edition.On an island of Chincoteague off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her—until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and decide they can&’t live without her. The frenzied roundup that follows on the next &“Pony Penning Day&” does indeed bring Phantom into their lives…in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom will forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 4.0

The Land

by Mildred D. Taylor

The son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave, Paul-Edward Logan is unlike any other boy he knows. His white father has acknowledged him and raised him openly-something unusual in post-Civil War Georgia. But as he grows into a man he learns that life for someone like him is not easy. Black people distrust him because he looks white. White people discriminate against him when they learn of his black heritage. Even within his own family he faces betrayal and degradation. So at the age of fourteen, he sets out toward the only dream he has ever had: to find land every bit as good as his father's, and make it his own.

Once again inspired by her own history, Ms. Taylor brings truth and power to the newest addition to the award-winning Logan family stories.

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.0

Award: AR POINTS: 18.0

Heart of a Samurai

by Margi Preus

In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.

Manjiro, a fourteen-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives for some time in New England, and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the shogun to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.

2011 Newbery Honor Book

New York Times Bestseller

NPR Backseat Book Club pick

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.4

Award: AR POINTS: 8.0

Handbook for Dragon Slayers

by Merrie Haskell

Like Gail Carson Levine's books, Merrie Haskell's middle grade fantasy adventure Handbook for Dragon Slayers mixes magic, mythical creatures, thrilling action, and a wonderful cast of characters.Political upheaval sends Princess Tilda fleeing from her kingdom in the company of two hopeful dragon slayers. The princess never had any interest in chasing dragons. The pain from her crippled foot was too great, and her dream was to write a book. But the princess finds herself making friends with magical horses, facing the Wild Hunt, and pointing a sword at fire-breathing dragons. While doing things she never imagined, Tilda finds qualities in herself she never knew she possessed.Handbook for Dragon Slayers is a deeply satisfying coming-of-age tale wrapped in a magical adventure story.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.4

Award: AR POINTS: 10.0

A City Tossed and Broken

by Judy Blundell

From National Book Award-winning author Judy Blundell, a thrilling account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.When Minnie Bonner's father disappears after losing the Bonners' Philadelphia tavern, the wealthy gentleman Edward Sump, led by his avaricious wife, offers Minnie a chance to work as a lady's maid to support her family. The Sumps have grand plans, grander than the city of Philadelphia can offer, however, and decide to move to San Francisco -- the greatest city in the west. But when a powerful earthquake strikes, Minnie finds herself the sole survivor among them. After the dust settles, Minnie discovers a bag belonging to the Sumps filled with cash and papers that could drastically change her fortune. With no one else to claim it, Minnie has turned into an heiress overnight. Wealth comes at a price, though, and she is soon wrapped up in a deception that leads her down a dangerous path. As the aftermath of the earthquake ravages the city, Minnie continues to maintain her new identity. That is, until a mysterious but familiar stranger appears.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 6.0

Christmas after All

by Kathryn Lasky

Twelve-year-old Minnie Swift recounts living through one of the toughest times in American history, the Great Depression, through her diary that spans over one Christmas month. Reflecting both sadness and optimism that characterized the time, this is an intimate portrait of a Midwestern family's triumphs and losses. Photos.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.4

Award: AR POINTS: 5.0

The Borrowers Avenged

by Joe Krush and Beth Krush and Mary Norton

Pod, Homily, and Arrietty escape from the Platters' attic and set off to an old rectory to begin life anew.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 10.0

3 Below

by Patrick Carman

Charlie had his chocolate factory. Stanley Yelnats had his holes. Leo has the wacky, amazing Whippet Hotel.

Now that Leo has uncovered a few secrets behind the wacky Whippet Hotel, he'll have to save it!

Leo has explored the zany, wonderful Whippet Hotel from basement to top floor, with trains, flying goats, and mazes (among other things) in between. But even Leo doesn't know every secret of the Whippet - and when he discovers that there's more beneath the hotel than he'd thought, it doesn't take long for more adventures to unfold!

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 7.0

Red Scarf Girl

by Ji-Li Jiang and David Henry Hwang

When China's Communist Party detains Ji-Li's father, the 12-year-old is faced with a difficult choice.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.0

Award: AR POINTS: 8.0

The Big Dark

by Rodman Philbrick

In this page-turning adventure by Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick, a solar event knocks out our planet's electricity, and a boy must risk his life to save his sick mother.What would you do if every spark of electricity suddenly vanished, as if somebody had flipped a switch on the entire planet? Cars won't start, the heat shuts off, there's no water in your faucet, and your radio, TV, and flashlight go dark. Everyone in Charlie's small town is baffled. But as time passes, lawlessness erupts and takes an ugly turn. When the market and pharmacy are torched by an anti-Semitic arsonist, Charlie realizes his mother will die without her medicine. So he dons skis and heads off alone, seeking the nearest hospital. After traveling 50 miles through brutal ice and snow, Charlie encounters a burned-out, looted city of terrified citizens. Will he be able to save his mom?Heroic, eloquent, and unforgettable, The Big Dark raises timely questions about responsibility, tolerance, and love.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.1

Award: AR POINTS: 6.0

Chains

by Laurie Halse Anderson

From acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual.As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.2

Award: AR POINTS: 11.0

The Borrowers

by Mary Norton and Beth Krush and Joe Krush

The Borrowers--the Clock family: Homily, Pod, and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Arrietty, to be precise--are tiny people who live underneath the kitchen floor of an old English country manor.

All their minuscule home furnishings, from postage stamp paintings to champagne cork chairs, are "borrowed" from the "human beans" who tromp around loudly above them. All is well until Pod is spotted upstairs by a human boy! Can the Clocks stay nested safely in their beloved hidden home, or will they be forced to flee?

The British author Mary Norton won the Carnegie Medal for The Borrowers in 1952, the year it was first published in England.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.3

Award: AR POINTS: 5.0

The Diamond of Darkhold

by Jeanne Duprau

A modern-day classic. This highly acclaimed adventure series about two friends desperate to save their doomed city has captivated kids and teachers alike for almost fifteen years and has sold over 3.5 MILLION copies! Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and led their people to the town of Sparks. But they soon discover that winter is harsh aboveground. When Doon finds a book with torn pages that hints at a mysterious device from the Builders, it doesn't take much for him to convince Lina to join him for one last adventure in the city of Ember. But what--and who--will they find when they return? Praise for the City of Ember books: Nominated to 28 State Award Lists! An American Library Association Notable Children's Book A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection A Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice A Child Magazine Best Children's Book A Mark Twain Award Winner A William Allen White Children's Book Award Winner "A realistic post-apocalyptic world. DuPrau's book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of undiscovered country and readers wanting more." --USA Today "An electric debut." --Publishers Weekly, Starred "While Ember is colorless and dark, the book itself is rich with description." --VOYA, Starred "A harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.2

Award: AR POINTS: 10.0

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail

by Lesley M. M. Blume

Franny Hansen is a 10-year-old piano prodigy living in Rusty Nail, Minnesota. Once the Coot Capitol of the world, in 1953 it's just a run-of-the-mill town with one traffic light and a bizarre cast of characters. She's long exhausted the talents of the town's only piano teacher and seems destined to perform at church events and school assemblies, until a mysterious Russian woman arrives in Rusty Nail. Franny's neighbors are convinced the "Commie" is a threat to their American way of life, but Franny's not so sure. Could this stranger be her ticket out of Rusty Nail? Lesley M. M. Blume returns with the poignant and laugh-out-loud funny story of one girl's attempt to pursue the American dream in small town America. From the Hardcover edition.

Date Added: 04/13/2020


Category: ATOS LEVEL: 5.4

Award: AR POINTS: 9.0


Showing 26 through 50 of 78 results