Special Collections
High Interest Y. A. Novels
Description: High Interest, Low Vocabulary books are for teenagers looking to advance their reading capabilities. Perfect for emerging teen readers. #teens
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Frankenstein (An Adapted Classic)
by Emily Hutchinson and Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyFrom the Book Jacket: AN EXCERPT FROM FRANKENSTEIN : Just then, I saw the figure of a man climbing toward me. He was moving with superhuman speed. As he came closer, I saw that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rage and horror. "Devil!" I exclaimed. "Do you dare approach me? Do you not fear my vengeance? Begone! Or rather, stay, so I may trample you to dust!" "I expected such a welcome," said the creature. "Yet you are my creator. It is your fault that I am so wretched. You are bound to me until death. You want to kill me? How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty to me and I will do mine to you." "Hated monster! Come closer so I may put out the spark of life I so foolishly gave you!" "I have no wish to harm you. I am your creature, and you owe me something. Oh, Frankenstein, everywhere I see happiness that I alone cannot have. I was good, but misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be good." ENJOY THESE OTHER ADAPTED CLASSICS FROM GLOBE FEARON: Gulliver's Travels Ethan Frome The Canterbury Tales Heart of Darkness Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The Call of the Wild . � The Red Badge of Courage A Christmas Carol Les Miserables Tom Sawyer Jane Eyre A Tale of Two Cities The Odyssey Treasure Island Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl An Edgar Allan Poe Reader Great Expectations The Scarlet Letter
Shut-Out!
by Camilla Reghelini RiversDavid dreams of soccer glory, and is willing to suffer hours of monotonous practice drills to achieve it. His asthma might slow him down a little, but he works every day to be a better player.
In a Flash
by Eric WaltersThe first flash mob Ian puts together himself is a sixty-plus person, four-minute pillow fight in a department store. His friend Oswald is thrilled with the event, but Julia, the one Ian really wants to impress, is still convinced that flash mobs are stupid. While Ian tries to prove Julia wrong by initiating flash mobs with political impact, Julia is busy waging war with the strict new principal at school. When Julia goes too far and gets herself suspended, Ian sees an opportunity for a relevant and persuasive flash mob.
Take A Hike
by Sherryl ClarkLeo starts the new school year in his new school. He has moved from the big city to a small town with a small school. Leo has problems with classmates, his teacher, and sports. He ends up running away via his bicycle.
Hit and Run
by Dawn Hunter and Karen HunterGlen aims to be the starting pitcher and best player on the East York Eagles baseball team. He works hard achieve this--maybe too hard. None of his teammates seem to measure up to Glen's impossibly high standards. His mother reminds him "there's no 'I' in 'team'," but his bad temper and narrow focus on winning threaten the Eagles' chances and his own future with the team. To avoid disaster, Glen is forced to face the problems that drive him, both on the diamond and off. Hit and Run is the story of a driven young athlete whose ambition finally teaches him the meaning of sportsmanship.
Who Owns Kelly Paddik?
by Beth GoobieKelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility because she is a "danger to herself," Kelly wants only to escape. But her painful past continues to haunt her until she is forced to face up to the most painful memory of all. A searing look at one girl's struggle for self respect.
The Three Musketeers (Adapted)
by Alexandre Dumas and Malvina G. VogelIn this series, literary masterworks have been adapted for young scholars. Large, easy-to-read type and charming pen-and-ink drawings enhance the text. Students are sure to enjoy becoming acquainted with traditional literature through these well-loved classics. [Proofreader's Note: Illustrations are described. Original copy printing errors are left intact.]
Manga Touch
by Jacqueline PearceDana is excited about her school trip to Japan despite the fact that she is surrounded by the Melly Mob, "in-crowd" kids who make fun of her. Dana is certain she will be less of an outsider in Japan, home of manga and anime. But she soon discovers that it's just as difficult to fit in with a foreign culture as it is to fit in at school. And the only other manga fan that she meets refuses to talk to her. As Dana learns to meet people halfway and gains some friends in Japan, Melissa, leader of the Melly Mob, makes every effort to remind her that she's still an outsider.
Junkyard Dog
by Monique PolakJustin is fascinated with the aged guard dog at the corner store. He names it Smokey and sneaks the dog treats. Smokey belongs to a company that supplies working dogs to local businesses. Justin is thrilled to get a job working for Smokey's company, until he learns about the mistreatment of the animals. When Justin can't shake his suspicion that someone in the company is involved in a rash of thefts, he tries to quit. But Justin knows too much, and his boss won't let him go.
Foul Play
by Beverly ScudamoreRemy and Alison were once best friends, before Alison took off to an elite soccer camp in England without a word. When Remy finds out Alison has a special plan to beat her team in the tournament, she can't help but suspect all of the terrible events befalling her teammates are a result of Alison's sabotage.
The Winning Edge
by Michele Martin BossleyJennie loves training at Richmond Skate, her Calgary figure skating club, but her Olympic dreams always seem impossibly far away. When her coach suggests she's got real talent, however, Jennie's ready to do what it takes to make her dreams real--or so she thinks. Soon she's trying again and again and again to land her double Axel, and sacrificing her social life for the rink. As the cost of skating success becomes higher and higher, Jennie starts to wonder if being a star is worth what she's losing along the way. The Winning Edge is an exciting, fast-moving story about a young skater whose ambitions force her to examine what she values most in life.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (An Adapted Classic)
by Mark TwainThe classic boy-hero of American literature. Impish, daring young Tom Sawyer is the bane of the old, the hero of the young. There were some in his dusty old Mississippi town who believed he would be President, if he escaped a hanging. For wherever there is mischief or adventure, Tom is at the heart of it. During one hot summer, Tom witnesses a murder, runs away to be a pirate, attends his own funeral, rescues an innocent man from the gallows, searches for treasure in a haunted house, foils a devilish plot and discovers a box of gold. But can he escape his nemesis, the villainous Injun Joe?
Ready to Run
by Beverly ScudamoreWhen wise-cracking Remy O'Sullivan takes up running, she thinks she's training to race. But when her close friend get involved with an internet chat-room pal who isn't all that he seems, Remy's running skills are put to whole other kind of test. Ready to Run is a fast-paced tale of personal growth set against the dark side of cyberspace.
My Time as Caz Hazard
by Tanya Lloyd KyiCaz thinks she has a pretty good reason when she punches her boyfriend in the face, but she gets expelled anyway. Moving to a new school, she is told she is dyslexic and sent to special education classes. Caz tries to fit in and get by while suffering the taunts and abuse that others throw at the students in her class. Her friendship with Amanda leads her into new territory—shoplifting and skipping school. Coupled with her parents' impending separation, her life is spiraling out of control. Also available in Spanish.
Blazer Drive
by Sigmund BrouwerWhen Josh Ellroy, left-winger for the Kamloops Blazers, and his dad find more than a dozen dead cattle on the family ranch, Josh has some serious decisions to make. On one hand, the Western Hockey League playoffs are ahead, plus a chance to play in the National Hockey League. On the other hand, there's a beautiful and interesting girl who believes more prize bulls will be killed. Josh is afraid of what will happen if he gets involved. As he learns more, he's afraid of what will happen if he doesn't.
The Shade
by K.L. DenmanSafira doesn't believe in ghosts, but the girl in her cabin at camp was not a living person, so what was she? Safira's friend Trinity is convinced Safira's seen a ghost and sets out to discover who the ghost girl is. Safira is too busy dealing with her family to help solve the mystery. Safira has never gotten along with her sister, Mya, and now that Mya's pending marriage dominates the family there seems to be no hope for friendship between them. But when Trinity discovers the death of a girl named Myra, Safira starts to wonder if the ghost-girl has an important message about her own sister. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Camp Wild
by Pam WithersWilf is convinced his parents want nothing to do with him. When he isn't in school, he is left to his own devices or shipped away to camp. But at fifteen, Wilf is adamant that he is too old for summer camp. When his parents ignore his protests and ship him off anyway, he knows how he will get their attention: He will escape from camp by canoe and spend the rest of his vacation alone in the woods, proving to his parents he deserves his independence. His plan begins to unravel when his cabin mate forces Wilf to take him along. Things go from bad to worse when a younger camper follows them and they all end up in a fight for their lives against the unforgiving river. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Sun Signs
by Shelley HrdlitschkaUnable to attend school while she battles cancer, fifteen-year-old Kaleigh Wyse tries to complete her classes online Developing a science project on astrology, Kaleigh enlists other online learners as study participants. What starts as a collaborative and supportive project based on the scientific method, slowly becomes unwieldy and then flawed when it is apparent that all the project participants are hiding vital clues about their identities. As Kaleigh struggles with the effects of chemotherapy and radiation, she is forced to examine the assumptions she has made about others and the manner in which she presents herself to the world. Sun Signs is a compelling story that examines the danger of blind faith in an electronic age and the ease with which our identities, in the absence of traditional clues, can shift and change.
The Warrior's Daughter
by Holly BennettLuaine is daughter to the greatest of Irish warriors, the legendary Cuchulainn. Although known throughout Ireland as the most fearsome of killers, to Luaine he is a loving playful father who amuses her with his exciting tales and marvelous feats. When the unthinkable happens -- Cuchulainn returns from war injured nearly to the death -- it is the first intimation of the hero's downfall, and Luaine's first painful step toward an adult life unlike anything she has imagined. As she faces loss, betrayal, suffering and fear, Luaine must find a strength that comes neither from the sword nor from her proud parentage, but from her own courageous spirit.
Curve Ball
by John DanakasTom Poulos is sure his baseball team, the Jarvis Badgers, will make the Toronto playoffs this year.He' s looking forward to a summer of playing little league and watching big league ball, until he' s sent to Winnipeg to stay with relatives he hasn't even met. Winnipeg doesn't have a major league team and his Uncle Nick, a first-generation migrant from Greece, is strange in an old-world kind of way. Tom soon finds, however, that a smaller field still offers plenty of challenges--to play and to learn. "Curve Ball" shows how unexpected changes--in sport and in life--offer opportunities to learn and to grow.
The Man in the Moonstone (Orca Books)
by Melanie JacksonWhen Dinah gets a part in the musical adaptation of Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone", she stumbles onto a plot to steal a priceless ring.
Bio-pirate
by Michele Martin BossleyTrevor, Robyn and Nick decide they have a mystery to solve when Trevor discovers a suspicious looking young man snooping around. They learn about missing research involving the use of carob beans to aid in cancer treatment-potentially valuable information. With a shady looking grad student, a bitter activist and an employee of a medical research firm to deal with, our amateur sleuths are faced with their greatest challenge yet.
Inferno
by Robin StevensonDante thinks high school is an earthly version of hell. She hates her new home in the suburbs, her best friend has moved away, her homeroom teacher mocks her and her mother is making her attend a social skills group for teenage girls. When a stranger shows up at school and hands Dante a flyer that reads: Woof, woof. You are not a dog. Why are you going to obedience school?, Dante thinks she's found a soul mate. Someone who understands. Someone else who wants to make real changes in the world. But there are all kinds of ways of bringing about change...and some are more dangerous than others.
When Elephants Fight
by Eric Walters and Adrian BradburyBased on the eyewitness accounts of five children experiencing wars around the world, each chapter in this powerful volume tells one victim’s personal story in detail, followed by a long discussion of the history and politics of the conflict. The narratives are in the third person, accompanied by occasional moving photos of the child before the war, of his or her home under fire, and a brief final “follow-up” note about where the child is now. Some young people are direct targets in cases of genocide, with child soldiers trained to dehumanize others. Some children bear the brunt of an attack, as so-called collateral damage, and suffer starvation, disease, and loss of shelter. They also lose out when there are no resources for health and education. Some are in refugee camps and army barracks. A few lucky ones are immigrants who escaped. One, Toma in Chad, remains an ongoing victim of war. The harrowing individual accounts humanize today’s news reports and statistics.
Thunderbird Spirit
by Sigmund BrouwerHockey stars Mike "Crazy" Keats and his new friend, Dakota, are caught in a web of violence which makes winning a championship the least of their concerns. Dakota Smith is in trouble. But Mike "Crazy" Keats doesn't care. He is new to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Dakota seems like a good guy to have for a friend. Unfortunately, not everyone accepts Dakota's Native North American heritage so easily.