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Best Practices for Teaching Mathematics: What Award-Winning Classroom Teachers Do
by Randi B. StoneSpark students' interest in math with intriguing and winning strategies that include animated learning icons, money-based systems, human number lines, "sweet" solutions, and much more.
The Darkest Evening (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by William DurbinIn the 1930s, some 6,000 Finnish Americans traveled to Karelia, a province in northwestern Russia, hoping to leave the Depression behind and to establish a workers&’ paradise. Based on these true events, The Darkest Evening chronicles the story of Jake Maki, whose father, caught up in the socialist fervor washing over their Finnish mining community in Minnesota, moves their family to the Soviet Union. Instead of finding the utopia they were promised, Jake and his family encounter only disappointment and hardship. When Stalin&’s secret police begin targeting Americans for arrest, his worst fears are confirmed, and Jake leads his family on a daring midwinter escape attempt on cross-country skis, fleeing toward the Finnish border.
Through No Fault of My Own: A Girl’s Diary of Life on Summit Avenue in the Jazz Age (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Coco IrvineOn Christmas Day, 1926, twelve-year-old Clotilde &“Coco&” Irvine received a blank diary as a present. Coco loved to write—and to get into scrapes—and her new diary gave her the opportunity to explain her side of the messes she created: &“I&’m in deep trouble through no fault of my own,&” her entries frequently began. The daughter of a lumber baron, Coco grew up in a twenty-room mansion on fashionable Summit Avenue at the peak of the Jazz Age, a time when music, art, and women&’s social status were all in a state of flux and the economy was still flying high. Coco&’s diary carefully records her adventures, problems, and romances, written with a lively wit and a droll sense of humor. Whether sneaking out to a dance hall in her mother&’s clothes or getting in trouble for telling an off-color joke, Coco and her escapades will captivate and delight preteen readers as well as their mothers and grandmothers. Peg Meier&’s introduction describes St. Paul life in the 1920s and provides context for the privileged world that Coco inhabits, while an afterword tells what happens to Coco as an adult—and reveals surprises about some of the other characters in the diary.
Hakon of Rogen's Saga
by Erik Christian HaugaardAn American Library Association Notable Book and his first book for children, Erik Christian Haugaard&’s Hakon of Rogen&’s Saga is a remarkable novel that perfectly catches the mood of a harsh but heroic people. Set at the end of the Viking period, it tells of a young boy, Hakon, from the island of Rogen who, after his chieftain father is murdered, undertakes to reclaim his birthright from his treacherous uncle. The illustrations by renowned artists Leo and Diane Dillon make this captivating story come alive.
A Slave's Tale
by Erik Christian HaugaardA Slave&’s Tale, the sequel to Hakon of Rogen&’s Saga, is told from the point of view of a slave girl, Helga, who stows away on the longship when Hakon, the young Viking chieftain, sets sail for France on a voyage to return Rark, a freed slave, to his homeland. The voyagers&’ journey is perilous—they narrowly escape capture by an invading fleet, and their ship is severely damaged by a storm. Upon reaching France—where the Vikings are now hated, not feared—only tragedy ensues.
Moose Tracks: Moose Tracks (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Mary CasanovaTwelve-year-old Seth wants to prove to his stepfather, the game warden, that he is responsible enough to use his shotgun on his own. Without permission, he takes matters into his own hands and shoots his first rabbit. He is worried about what his father will say when he finds out—and Seth himself is unsure of how he feels about it—but before he can confess, Seth&’s life is turned upside down. In the woods near his house, he sees poachers slaughter a moose cow and injure her calf. Rather than tell his stepfather about the incident, Seth tries to save the calf, but the poachers know who he is and threaten his family. Can he rescue the moose and bring the poachers to justice? He has to try.
Wolf Shadows: Wolf Shadows (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Mary CasanovaIn this sequel to Mary Casanova&’s exciting Moose Tracks, twelve-year-old Seth is back for a new adventure. A debate is brewing in his northern Minnesota town over the growing wolf packs and the programs that are in place for their protection. Although he fears them, Seth can&’t help but want to see the wolves thrive.Seth&’s feelings put him at odds with those who want to hunt wolves again—including his best friend Matt, whose family believes that the wolf population poses a serious threat to their livestock. Torn between his love of animals and his best friend, Seth is unsure of what to do. When Matt commits a horrible act of violence, Seth angrily abandons him in the woods, unaware that a blizzard is on the way. Now Seth must try to rescue his friend—but will he be able to save their friendship?
Riot (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Mary CasanovaBased on actual events from 1989 in International Falls, Minnesota, Riot tells the story of sixth-grader Bryan, whose family becomes stressed when nonunion labor &“rats&” are hired by the local paper mill, leaving his father, a union worker, angry and out of a job. Tension erupts into daily fights at school and nightly acts of vandalism with no solution in sight. Already torn between his parents&’ opposing viewpoints on how to handle the escalating situation, Bryan&’s growing feelings for the daughter of a nonunion worker only complicate matters.Bryan tries to understand the turmoil affecting his home and his town, but it is becomes harder and harder to separate his friends from his enemies. And when he witnesses a violent act that implicates his father, he must wrestle with family loyalty and telling the truth.
Curse of a Winter Moon
by Mary CasanovaSix years ago, twelve-year-old Marius lost his mother during the birth of his brother, Jean-Pierre, and her dying wish was that he watch over his brother. But because Jean-Pierre was born on Christmas Eve, villagers believe he is marked with the curse of the loup garou—the werewolf. Protecting Jean-Pierre has been a never-ending struggle as townsfolk constantly eye the boy with dread and suspicion. To make matters worse, his country is swept up in a hysterical campaign to find and destroy enemies of the Church, and now the villagers have made Jean-Pierre their target. Marius must defy the ruling institutions of the time to save his brother&’s life—and his own.Winner of a 2001 Minnesota Book Award, Curse of a Winter Moon is a harrowing story of one boy&’s fierce devotion to his family as he battles against prejudice and fear.
Blackwater Ben (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by William DurbinAccording to thirteen-year-old Ben Ward&’s father, lumberjacks look forward to two things: mealtime and springtime. In the winter of 1898, Ben leaves school for a job as a cook&’s assistant to his father at the Blackwater Logging Camp. As Ben spends long hours peeling potatoes and frying flapjacks, he dreams of working in the woods with the other men, felling trees, driving a team, and skidding timber. While enduring a long, cold winter in a camp filled with outlandish characters, as well as an orphan boy named Nevers, Ben comes to understand himself and his family&’s past. Peppered throughout with heart and humor—and including a glossary and afterword with facts about logging—Blackwater Ben paints a vivid picture of the north woods of Minnesota at the end of the nineteenth century.
Stealing Thunder (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Mary CasanovaLibby wants a horse more than anything in the world. Since she is unable to have one of her own, she&’s been doing stable chores for her neighbors, the Porters, for the past three years in exchange for riding lessons from Jolene Porter. Libby forms a special bond with the Porters&’ prize Appaloosa, Thunder, but this arrangement comes crashing to an end when Jolene abruptly disappears. With Jolene gone, Mr. Porter refuses to let Libby visit Thunder any longer. Making matters worse, she soon discovers that he&’s taking out his anger on his animals. With the help of Griff, a new boy in town, Libby devises a daring plan to steal Thunder. But how long can they stay on the run and keep Thunder safe, when Mr. Porter holds all the power?
When Eagles Fall (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Mary CasanovaThings have not been easy for thirteen-year-old Alex lately. Recent events have taken their toll on her family, and when drinking at a party lands her in the hospital, things only get worse. Her mother decides to send her away to spend the summer working with her father, an esteemed eagle researcher, on the wild and remote shores of Rainy Lake in Minnesota. The bugs, the outhouse, the isolation—it&’s a whole different world from her home in California. The hardest part of Alex&’s exile is dealing with her father who is sure that he knows it all. When he chooses not to save a pair of baby eagles whose nest is in peril, Alex sneaks off to help them anyway. Her rescue effort, however, goes wrong, and one of the eaglets falls out of the nest, breaking a wing. Alex is alone with the helpless eagle, stranded and completely exposed to the elements. Facing hunger, injury, and a bear, she quickly realizes that it will take resources she never knew she had just to keep herself and the bird alive.
Enchantment Lake: A Northwoods Mystery
by Margi PreusMidwest Book Award Winner — Young Adult FictionA disturbing call from her great aunts Astrid and Jeannette sends seventeen-year-old Francie far from her new home in New York into a tangle of mysteries. Ditching an audition in a Manhattan theater, Francie travels to a remote lake in the northwoods where her aunts&’ neighbors are &“dropping like flies&” from strange accidents. But are they accidents? On the shores of Enchantment Lake in the woods of northern Minnesota, something ominous is afoot, and as Francie begins to investigate, the mysteries multiply: a poisoned hotdish, a puzzling confession, eerie noises in the bog, and a legendary treasure said to be under enchantment—or is that under Enchantment, as in under the lake? At the center of everything is a suddenly booming business in cabin sales and a road not everyone wants built. To a somewhat reluctant northwoods Nancy Drew, the intrigue proves irresistible, especially when it draws her closer to the mysteries at the heart of her own life. What happened to her father? Who and where is her mother? Who is she, and where does her heart lie—in the bustle of New York City or the deep woods of Minnesota? With its gripping story, romantic spirit, and a sly dash of modern-day trouble (including evil realtors and other invasive species), Enchantment Lake will fascinate readers, providing precisely the charm that Margi Preus&’s fans have come to expect.
Isabelle Day Refuses to Die of a Broken Heart
by Jane St. AnthonyIn Milwaukee, Isabelle Day had a house. And she had a father. This year, on Halloween, she has half of a house in Minneapolis, a mother at least as sad as she is, and a loss that&’s too hard to think—let alone talk—about. It&’s the Midwest in the early 1960s, and dads just don&’t die . . . like that. Hovering over Isabelle&’s new world are the duplex&’s too-attentive landladies, Miss Flora (&“a lovely dried flower&”) and her sister Miss Dora (&“grim as roadkill&”), who dwell in a sea of memories and doilies; the gleefully demonic Sister Mary Mercy, who rules a school awash in cigarette smoke; and classmates steady Margaret and edgy Grace, who hold out some hope of friendship. As Isabelle&’s first tentative steps carry her through unfamiliar territory—classroom debacles and misadventures at home and beyond, time trapped in a storm-tossed cemetery and investigating an inhospitable hospital—she begins to discover that, when it comes to pain and loss, she might actually be in good company. In light of the elderly sisters&’ lives, Grace and Margaret&’s friendship, and her father&’s memory, she just might find the heart and humor to save herself. With characteristic sensitivity and wit, Jane St. Anthony reveals how a girl&’s life clouded with grief can also hold a world of promise.
The Summer Sherman Loved Me (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Jane St. AnthonyA coming-of-age novel set in the early 1960s in Minneapolis, The Summer Sherman Loved Me is an honest look at the struggles of a twelve-year-old girl that transcends time. As Margaret tries to sort out her strained relationship with her mother and her feelings for her neighbor who claims to love her, readers join her in her journey discovering what it means to grow up.
Grace Above All (A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)
by Jane St. AnthonyThirteen-year-old Grace is not looking forward to her summer vacation. She&’ll have to fend for herself and take care of her siblings while her mom smokes the day away in the back bedroom of the cabin. But when an unexpected companion shows up in the middle of a crisis, she gains hope that maybe the summer won&’t be a disaster after all. In Grace Above All, readers will experience a young summer romance and join Grace in gaining a newfound appreciation of family.
Key Change: New Musicals for Young Audiences
by Children’s Theatre CompanyKey Change: New Musicals for Young Audiences presents four groundbreaking musicals developed by Children&’s Theatre Company, widely regarded as the leading theatre of its kind in North America. These works embody singular styles and sounds, yet all represent the robust spirit of unique people finding their way in the world. They are all sure to entertain, including the Broadway hit A Year with Frog and Toad. The quirky Tale of a West Texas Marsupial Girl, by Lisa D&’Amour, with music by Sxip Shirey, is set in a town unprepared to accept a girl born with a pouch. But eventually, with the help of her friend Sue, everyone comes to understand just how wonderful Marsupial Girl is. Madeline and the Gypsies—adapted by Barry Kornhauser from the popular book by Ludwig Bemelmans, with music by Michael Koerner—gives little Madeline and her friend Pepito a taste of circus life after they get lost at a carnival and Gypsies carry them away. In Buccaneers! (written by Liz Duffy Adams, with music by Ellen Maddow) a girl leads the young pirates who capture her toward a better life through her wits and tenacity. A Year with Frog and Toad chronicles the unlikely friendship of silly Toad and responsible Frog that endures all seasons. Based on the classic books by Arnold Lobel, adapted by Willie Reale, with music by Robert Reale, it made its mark on Broadway and was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.Each of these musicals guarantees a distinctive, delightful theatrical experience. Now teachers and children far and wide can read them in one volume and produce them in their own schools, theatres, and communities.
The Search for the Homestead Treasure: A Mystery
by Ann TreacyAunt Ida would boil him in the laundry cauldron if she knew where he was. On the long wagon ride to the old homestead, she warned them about the Gypsies they&’d encountered, and now here he was, ducking into a colorful caravan with Samson, a Gypsy boy he had met . . . underwater. And it was the best thing to happen since they&’d moved from Stillwater to this lonely, hard place to try to reclaim the decrepit family farm.Missing his friends and life as it was before his brother&’s accident and his mother&’s silent grief, fourteen-year-old Martin Gunnarsson is trying to hold his family together on the homestead where his ancestors died of diphtheria in 1865. The only one who had survived was his father, a baby found in the arms of his older sister Cora. But somehow rumors of a treasure on the farm survived, too, and when Martin discovers Aunt Cora&’s journal in a musty trunk in the hayloft, he thinks it might give him a clue. But what exactly is he looking for?Reading Cora's diary in secret, and just as stealthily becoming fast friends with Samson and his Roma family, Martin slowly begins to see his new surroundings, and himself, a little differently. But only when he recognizes that his small sister, for so long a mere pest, holds the true key does Martin start to understand where the real treasure might be found.
Sky Blue Water: Great Stories for Young Readers
by Collette A. Morgan Jay D. PetersonFrom the Dakota people who first inhabited the state to its generations of immigrants and today&’s residents, Minnesota has long had a vibrant and unique storytelling tradition. A rich and often under appreciated part of this tradition is youth storytelling—a movement of which Minnesota is a national forerunner. Here, for the first time, two of the state&’s beloved independent booksellers collect a wide array of short stories for young readers that pay homage to Minnesota's diverse cultures and stunning landscapes.Sky Blue Water celebrates young adult and intermediate fiction from some of Minnesota&’s most beloved and award-winning authors to emerging talents and many more. With each turn of the page, every young reader will find a poignant and relatable story: tales of discovering hidden truths about one&’s family, dealing with a difficult bully, and falling for the new kid who dresses like a cowboy, as well as settings from Rainy Lake to Lake Calhoun and time periods from Prohibition to the present day. Featuring primarily never-published stories, this anthology beautifully captures the essence of a Minnesota adolescence in twenty short stories and poems. Sky Blue Water features a Q&A between Minnesota classrooms and the contributing authors as well as curriculum materials for families, teachers, and students.This collection embodies passion for fostering literacy in young readers. A portion of the proceeds from Sky Blue Water will go to the Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute, a Twin Cities organization offering free tutoring and writing assistance for students ages six to eighteen. Contributors: William Alexander; Swati Avasthi; Kelly Barnhill; Mary Casanova; John Coy; Kirstin Cronn-Mills; Anika Fajardo; Shannon Gibney; Pete Hautman; Lynne Jonell; Kevin Kling; Margi Preus; Marcie Rendon; Kurtis Scaletta; Julie Schumacher; Joyce Sidman; Phuoc Thi Minh Tran; Anne Ursu; Sarah Warren; Stephanie Watson; Kao Kalia Yang.
Dead Man's Rapids
by William Durbin Barbara DurbinWhen 13-year-old Ben Ward left school to work with his Pa in a logging camp, a winter of peeling potatoes and setting tables wasn&’t the adventure he had in mind. Still, come spring, he signs up for the log drive with his friend Nevers, wishing the head cook on the wanigan (the floating cook shack) could be someone other than his crabby Pa. Fate, with a wink, complies, and Pa quits—only to be replaced by someone far worse: Pete Sardman, aka Old Sard, a cantankerous character complete with a greasy apron, an eye patch, one deaf ear, and plenty to say.Luckily, there&’s also the rest of the crew—a colorful, sometimes outrageous company of men. Together Ben and Nevers endure freezing weather, dangerous rapids, logjams, storms and floods, and a number of gripping tall tales, along the way learning about logging on the river and a whole lot more about life. Taking up where Blackwater Ben left off, Dead Man&’s Rapids returns to the north woods of Minnesota in the late nineteenth century, and with warmth, humor, and attention to historical detail engages readers both young and old.
The Clue in the Trees: An Enchantment Lake Mystery
by Margi PreusFrancie returns to Enchantment Lake looking for answers, only to get dragged into a murder mystery she might not survive Francie&’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It&’s a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn&’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she&’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.
The Silver Box: An Enchantment Lake Mystery
by Margi PreusIn the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie&’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter When she wakes in her aunts&’ cold cabin on the shore of Enchantment Lake, Francie remembers: everything about her life has changed. Or is about to. Or just might. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is. Francie, it turns out, has a lot to learn, and this time the lessons could be deadly. Her search for answers takes her and her best friends Raven and Jay as far afield as an abandoned ranch in Arizona and as close to home as a sketchy plant collector&’s conservatory and a musty old museum where shadows lurk around every display case. At the heart of it all is a crime that touches her own adopted North Woods: thieves dig up fragile lady&’s slippers, peel bark from birches, strip moss off trees, cut down entire forests of saplings to sell for home décor. But Francie is up against no ordinary plant theft. One ominous clue after another reveal that she possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When Francie&’s investigation leads her into the treacherously cold and snowy North Woods, she finds out that she too is being pursued.
Hush Hush, Forest
by Mary CasanovaLyrical words and elegant woodcuts capture the quiet beauty of the forest as day fades to night and autumn gives way to the North Woods winter While we are tucked in, snug in warm blankets as we listen to bedtime stories, the woods around us whisper another tale. As the golden leaves waft through the lengthening shadows, the loon sings one last lullaby, the whirring hummingbird takes one last sip, the industrious beaver saws one last branch for her lodge. Here, in enchanting words and woodcuts, is the magic of night falling and winter approaching in the North Woods. Hush Hush, Forest peers through twilight&’s window at the raccoon preening, the doe and fawn bedding down, the last bat of the season flitting away. The owl surveys, the rabbit scurries, the bear hunkers, readying her den.Marking the rhythm between the falling leaf and the falling snowflake, picturing the rituals of creatures big and small as they prepare for the long winter&’s sleep, this charming book captures a time of surpassing wonder for readers of all ages—and bids everyone in the hushed forest a peaceful good night.
Evvie at Sixteen (The Sebastian Sisters #1)
by Susan Beth PfefferThere&’s nothing wrong with lying—until the truth comes out For her sixteenth birthday, Evvie Sebastian got her own room—a room she doesn&’t have to share with her three sisters. There&’s only one problem: It&’s a dump, just like the rest of the family&’s new house. Evvie has hardly moved in when her dad, Nicky, asks her to spend the summer at the seaside with her great-aunt Grace, who&’s had a bad fall and needs cheering up—and who is snobbish, ill tempered, and very, very rich. Evvie reluctantly agrees. When she arrives at Eastgate, she finds Aunt Grace just as fierce as she remembered, but she has to admit that the place has some redeeming qualities. Like the handsome and charming Schyler Hughes . . . and Sam Steinmetz, who works in the town bookstore and makes smart jokes about the local culture of conformity. But it&’s not all romantic sailing trips and walks on the beach. Evvie soon finds that some people like to tell old stories and share old secrets a little too much—and some of those secrets may hit closer to home than Evvie expected.
Thea at Sixteen (The Sebastian Sisters)
by Susan Beth PfefferThea would do anything to make the people she loves happy . . . but how much can she give away and still be herself? The Sebastians have a tradition of falling in love at sixteen, and Thea is ready for it to happen to her, but so far she hasn&’t met anyone except the moving-van driver who deposited her and her family in their new home. As the sisters and their untraditional parents, Nicky and Megs, unpack yet again, Thea dreams of whispers, longing glances, and romance. But what she gets is a volunteer job at the local hospital. Thea figures she&’ll be fluffing pillows, playing with children, and reading books aloud, and it will help Nicky&’s chances of striking a business deal with community leaders. So she doesn&’t mind when she&’s matched up with Gina, a young leukemia patient. She minds even less when she meets Gina&’s big brother, Kip. Kip is devoted to his sister, and he and Thea are quickly drawn together by their fight for Gina&’s health and happiness. But their alliance is soon tested by illness, family, and a tragedy in Thea&’s life—one that will make demands of her heart that she never expected.