Special Collections
Browse by Lexile: 500L - 590L
- Table View
- List View
Marvin Redpost
by Louis SacharMarvin is about to have a lesson in magic...Marvin Redpost is amazed when he finds out that Casey Happleton lives in an old firehouse. But that's not the only amazing thing about Casey.
She's also got a super-secret magic crystal that she's going to share with Marvin. Is it true? Or is Casey putting her own spell on Marvin?
Marvin tells his friends and family and classmates he doesn't like Casey. He likes eating snacks with her, talking to her, making wishes with her, laughing at the same things with her. When he wishes she would shut up and she shuts up for day after day Marvin isn't having as much fun anymore, not even with his best friends.
This is the last book in the Marvin Redpost series. It's another easy to read, funny story that kids can understand. Louis Sachar has written many more children's books that readers in middle grades will enjoy.
Marvin Redpost
by Louis SacharDoes anybody like being the new kid at school? The new kid, Joe Normal, doesn't, and since his parents are always moving, he is forced to be the new kid again and again. Joe tries to fit in, but the kids never like him. They talk about him behind his back for kissing the flagpole, they laugh out loud at him in class when he doesn't know what an elephant is because he says there aren't many of them in Chicago where he's from.
At recess they don't want to let him in line to play ball and after school they say if he goes home with them to play, their dog will bite him. Marvin agrees that a kid who shakes hands with everyone he meets is weird, but even if it means Marvin's friends will stop playing with him, Marvin decides to take Joe home. Marvin thinks it's hard being the new kid.
Strange things continue to happen when Joe and Marvin go home. Joe is wild about Jell-O, teaches the family to play a new game where they step on paper plates instead of slimy fish, and eats his pizza with a knife and fork, but everyone, even Marvin's teen aged brother, likes Joe. Marvin and Joe become best friends and suddenly the kids at school like Joe, too.
Then why does Joe come to Marvin's house in a big limo driven by soldiers? What does all of this have to do with a giant flying birthday cake with green frosting?
Alone in His Teacher's House
by Louis SacharThe good thing Marvin has going will take him by surprise and help him to grow up. His teacher has picked him as her most responsible student, the boy she can trust to feed and pay attention to her dog, Waldo, and walk him 3 times a day while she's out of town for a week. He'll earn $25.
Waldo is lovable, Marvin is proud of his first job, its cool looking around at his teacher's things, his older brother admires him, His parents support him, and little sister Lindsey loves playing with Waldo.
This job should be easy but Marvin has problems. Waldo doesn't want to eat; his special care makes Marvin late to school. The sub labels Marvin a trouble maker and picks on him. And Marvin's friends think he's stuck up because he won't let them play in his teacher's house. After he's done his very best, his teacher won't be happy when she gets home. She might even hate Marvin. He cries and can't sleep. No one can help him. He must face his teacher and tell her everything.
This is a quick reading chapter book. Marvin finds that being mature means making decisions by himself; should he let his friends inside their teacher's house to see what she has in there? Should he let them play with Waldo? Should he call his parents or the vet for help? Should he eat dog food? Listen to your child read these short chapters written on second grade level but of interest to kids up to 6th grade.
Enjoy the humor together and help your child understand Marvin's frustration when he learns that being trustworthy sometimes means making his friends mad and that there is joy, worry and sorrow in caring for an old, lovable, pet. 3 other delightful Marvin Redpost books are in the collection. The book also contains a long list of other popular high interest, low vocabulary stepping stone books.
Marvin Redpost
by Louis SacharIf you kiss yourself on the elbow, you'll turn into a girl.
When Marvin's lips touch his elbow, he suddenly finds himself acting very strange. Wishing he had pigtails like his sister, Linzy. Asking to play hopscotch at recess. Even dotting his i's with little hearts in class! Sure, he may have figured out the secret difference between girls and boys...but will Marvin Redpost ever return to normal?
Why Pick on Me?
by Louis SacharThis book will help children understand teasing and how to cope when they are being picked on. An argument over the score of a ball game on the playground ends with Marvin being accused of picking his nose.
By the next day all the kids say he's a nose picker, and won't touch anything that might have Marvin's boogers on it. His life gets worse when Marvin's best friends don't want to be seen with him, when his grades go down, and his teacher writes an embarrassing note right on his report card! Even the lunch lady and the principal get on Marvin's case.
Can it be that Marvin's four-year-old sister's very gross, very personal, question could be the key to a plan that can stop the teasing and end Marvin's loneliness? Kids will be amazed that a book this easy to read can be so hilarious! They may even decide to test their friends' and family's honesty and have some laughs with Marvin's little sister's rude, embarrassing, question. By the way, do you...?
Marvin Redpost
by Louis SacharMarvin Redpost suddenly figures out why he has red hair and blue eyes, when everyone else in his family has brown hair and brown eyes.
He's not really Marvin Redpost at all. He is Robert, the Lost Prince of Shampoon! Soon his friends are treating him like royalty. Now all he has to do is break the news to his "parents."
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 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 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 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
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.
Amber Brown Horses Around
by Paula Danziger and Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy and Anthony LewisThe most colorful chapter-book character is going to camp!
Amber Brown is one happy camper. She and her best friend, Justin, are spending the summer at Camp Cushetunk. Learning to ride Cinnamon, the sweetest horse ever, is so amazing that Amber doesn't even mind shoveling her poop.
Then Amber becomes the target of a series of pranks. Certain she knows who is behind them, Amber and her friends come up with the biggest prank ever to get revenge. But the outcome is not what they expect.
Turns out horsing around can lead to big trouble. But sometimes, Amber is surprised to learn, big trouble can lead to big changes for the better.
Amber Brown is Tickled Pink
by Paula Danziger and Bruce CovilleBeloved Amber Brown returns in a new book Amber cant wait to be Best Child when her mom and Max get married, but planning a wedding comes with lots of headaches. Amber cant find the right dress, her dad keeps making mean cracks about Max, and Mom and Max have very different ideas about how much this wedding should cost. Her mother even suggests they go to city hall and skip the party altogether Even though adults can be a lot of work, Amber is determined to be the best Best Child ever. She helps find the perfect location, makes her dad shape up, and, with the help of best friend Justin, gives the perfect wedding speech. Paula Danziger called Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy her best friend and her other best friend, and this close connection enabled them to lovingly capture Amber Browns voice, sense of humor, big-heartedness, and her fondness for puns.
The Case of the Missing Monkey
by Cynthia RylantWhile having breakfast at their favorite diner, two detectives, Bunny and Jack, solve a mystery that is not what it seems.
Arthur Loses a Friend
by Marc BrownBuster goes away for a month, and Arthur becomes sad and confused when he does not receive even one postcard from him.
Arthur Turns Green
by Marc BrownArthur is full of ideas when it comes to doing his part to save the planet. But is he actually turning green? Arthur comes home from school and begins sneaking around the house, taking notes and talking about a Big Green Machine. D.W. is suspicious of her brother's weird behavior, and when Arthur shows up late for dinner with green hands, she really gets the creeps! Will the Big Green Machine get her, too? Find out how Arthur's secret project convinces his entire family to turn green! Get to know your favorite aardvark all over again in the first new Arthur Adventure in nearly a decade!
Arthur and the Best Coach Ever
by Marc Brown and Stephen KrenskyWhen Muffy's father becomes the new soccer coach, the team is happy at first--everyone gets new uniforms and ice cream. But then the kids realize Mr. Crosswire isn't like the old coach, and they begin to wonder if he really cares. Can the players and Coach Crosswire figure out what being a team is all about? Picture descriptions present.
Arthur's Teacher Moves In
by Marc BrownArthur is overcome with dread when he hears that his teacher is coming to stay at the Reads' house. But soon Arthur discovers that Mr. Ratburn wears casual clothes like everyone else, loves cartoons, and actually knows how to have fun. Arthur thinks his problems are over, until he gets an A on his next test and his friends call him a teacher's pet. In the end the joke's on them, as Arthur and Mr. Ratburn set the record straight once and for all. Here's another Arthur Adventure that will tickle the funny bones of Arthur fans old and new.
D.W., Go to Your Room!
by Marc BrownWhen D.W. is sent to her room as punishment for making baby Kate cry, it is Kate who finally makes her feel better.
Arthur's Underwear
by Marc BrownNo matter how much Buster reassures him, Arthur keeps having nightmares that he'll forget to put his pants on before going to school. So he and Buster devise a number of schemes to keep him from falling asleep. After all, he can't have bad dreams if he doesn't go to sleep! Or can he? This hilarious twenty-fifth Arthur Adventure is sue to strike a chord with adults and children alike.
Arthur's First Sleepover
by Marc BrownChildren can read about Arthur's antics in his own backyard with Buster and the Brain.
Arthur Lost and Found
by Marc BrownArthur and Buster take the bus downtown together for the first time to go to Arthur's swimming lesson. During the ride, they fall asleep and miss their stop, winding up on the other side of town. Then they spend all their money on a snack of chocolate winkies and strawberry sodas. Will Arthur and Buster be able to put their heads together and find their way home? With characteristic humor, this Arthur Adventure will keep fans on the edge of their seats until Arthur and Buster make their way home safely.
Arthur's Computer Disaster
by Marc BrownArthur wants to play Deep, Dark Sea on the computer every chance he gets. He's hooked! When his mother leaves for work and asks him not to touch the computer, Arthur can't resist the temptation. Disobedience leads to disaster when Arthur and his friend Buster both reach for the mouse -- and the computer screen goes blank! Will Arthur be able to fix the computer before his mom gets home from work? Once again Arthur, D.W., and friends lead us on a hilarious adventure kids won't want to miss.