Special Collections
Browse by Lexile: 800L - 890L
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Samir and Yonatan
by Daniella Carmi and Yael LotanSamir, a Palestinian boy, worries about entering a Jewish hospital in Israel for a knee operation because Jewish soldiers are the enemy who killed his older brother. His healing is more than physical. On the children's ward, Yonatan becomes Samir's friend and offers him new ways of thinking.
Somewhere Among
by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu and Sonia ChaghatzbanianA beautiful and haunting debut novel in verse about an American-Japanese girl struggling with the loneliness of being caught between two worlds when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes an ocean away.
Eleven-year-old Ema has always been of two worlds--her father's Japanese heritage and her mother's life in America. She's spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in Japan as they await the arrival of Ema's baby sibling.
Her mother's pregnancy has been tricky, putting everyone on edge, but Ema's heart is singing--finally, there will be someone else who will understand what it's like to belong and not belong at the same time. But Ema's good spirits are muffled by her grandmother who is cold, tightfisted, and quick to reprimand her for the slightest infraction.
Then, when their stay is extended and Ema must go to a new school, her worries of not belonging grow. And when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes, Ema, her parents, and the world watch as the twin towers fall...
As Ema watches her mother grieve for her country across the ocean--threatening the safety of her pregnancy--and her beloved grandfather falls ill, she feels more helpless and hopeless than ever.
And yet, surrounded by tragedy, Ema sees for the first time the tender side of her grandmother, and the reason for the penny-pinching and sternness make sense--her grandmother has been preparing so they could all survive the worst.
Dipping and soaring, Somewhere Among is the story of one girl's search for identity, inner peace, and how she discovers that hope can indeed rise from the ashes of disaster.
Ramona and Her Father
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayRamona just wants everyone to be happy. If only her father would smile and joke again, her mother would look less worried, her sister would be cheerful, and Picky-picky would eat his cat-food. But Ramona's father has lost his job, and nobody in the Quimby household is in a very good mood.
Ramona tries to cheer up the family as only Ramona can -- by rehearsing for life as a rich and famous star of television commercials, for instance -- but her best efforts only make things worse. Her sister, Beezus, calls her a, pest, her parents lose patience with her, and her teacher claims she's forgotten her- manners. But when her father admits he wouldn't trade her for a million dollars, Ramona knows everything is going to work out fine in the end.
Newbery Medal Honor Book
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Ramona and Her Mother
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayRamona Quimby is no longer seven, but not quite eight. She's "seven and a half right now," if you ask her! Not allowed to stay home alone, yet old enough to watch pesky Willa Jean, Ramona wonders when her mother will treat her like her older, more mature sister, Beezus.
But with her parents' unsettling quarrels and some spelling trouble at school, Ramona wonders if growing up is all it's cracked up to be. No matter what, she'll always be her mother's little girl...right?
This warm-hearted story of a mother's love for her spirited young daughter is told beautifully by Newbery Medal winning author Beverly Cleary.
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Ramona Forever
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayRamona is back! New and old friends alike will rejoice in Beverly Cleary's latest book about spunky Ramona and the whole Quimby family.
From the minute that Howie Kemp's "rich" Uncle Hobart arrives from Saudi Arabia, things are off to a rousing start. There are new beginnings and discoveries and two very special surprises -- one surprise is big and one is very little.
It's a time of change for all the Quimbys; a time of new joys and little sadnesses, too. There are new worries -- Mr Quimby is worried about finding a teaching job, Ramona is worried they may have to move if he does, and Beezus is worried about her teenage complexion.
And through it all Ramona, a grown up third-grader, remains a sometimes pesty, sometimes brave, sometimes blunderful, but always wonderful Ramona -- forever!
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary and Jacqueline RogersIn this special reissue of Ramona Quimby, Age 8, the timeless classic now features a special foreword written by actress, producer, and author Amy Poehler, as well as an exclusive interview with Beverly Cleary herself.
Ramona likes that she’s old enough to be counted on, but must everything depend on her? Mrs. Quimby has gone back to work so that Mr. Quimby can return to school, and Ramona is expected to be good for Mrs. Kemp while her parents are away, to be brave enough to ride the school bus by herself, and to put up with being teased by Danny the Yard Ape. In Ramona’s world, being eight isn’t easy, but it’s never dull!
Newbery Medal Honor book
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Ramona the Brave
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayIn this touching and funny story, the ebullient Ramona, feeling brave and grown-up, enters first grade. Quickly she finds that her new teacher, Mrs. Griggs, appears perplexed by pupils who like to be different. Since Ramona cannot help being different, clearly the two are incompatible.
Nevertheless, Ramona can be counted on to keep things lively. Enraged when Susan copies her wise old owl prepared for Parents' Night and receives praise for it, Ramona rebels. Overcome by guilt and no longer brave, she tries mightily thereafter to please her teacher, but still Mrs. Griggs infuriatingly reports home that Ramona lacks self-control. Only because she is a girl with spunk, to use her father's word, does Ramona's courage return, earning her at last an uneasy truce with the teacher.
Beverly Cleary draws here a portrait of a little girl discovering with astonishment that the way others see her is not always the way she sees herself. In the contrast lie moments of emerging self-knowledge for Ramona and of delicious hilarity for the reader.
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Ramona the Pest
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayRamona Quimby is excited to start kindergarten. No longer does she have to watch her older sister, Beezus, ride the bus to school with all the big kids. She's finally old enough to do it too!
Then she gets into trouble for pulling her classmate's boingy curls during recess. Even worse, her crush rejects her in front of everyone. Beezus says Ramona needs to quit being a pest, but how can she stop if she never was trying to be one in the first place?
Newbery Medal winning author Beverly Cleary expertly depicts the trials and triumphs of growing up through a relatable heroine in Ramona Quimby.
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
Fear Itself
by Andrew Clements and Adam StowerTime is ticking as the countdown to Ben Pratt's school's total demolition continues. Ben has been given a handful of clues that could help them save the school, but they are all written in maritime riddles.
"After five bells sound, time to sit down."
What the heck does that mean? It's hard to know where to begin when Ben and Jill don't even know what they are looking for.
All Lyman, the snake posing as the school janitor, needs to know, though, is that they are looking, and that could mean the end of the 30-million-dollar development deal that pays his salary. (Which, by the way, is MUCH larger than what a typical janitor makes.)
As Lyman lurks in the shadows--and sometimes not in the shadows--Ben and Jill have to add another to-do to their list of things to accomplish in the next twenty-one days: (1) Figure out the clues left by past Keepers of the School groups, (2) figure out how these clues will help them save the school, and (3) stay one step ahead of Lyman. That's the mission...which seems, at times, impossible.
The second book in this riveting and mysterious six-book series is as action-packed as the first one, culminating in a faceoff between Ben, Jill, and Lyman. "After five bells sound, time to sit down" makes for a good riddle, but Ben and Jill also knows when it's time to stand up...for Oakes School and for themselves.
Lexile: 800L
In Harm's Way
by Adam Stower and Andrew ClementsThe threat to the Keepers doubles in the fourth Keepers of the School adventure from Andrew Clements, the master of the school story.
Benjamin Pratt and his friends Jill and Robert are determined to save their school from destruction!
But just when it seems they've finally gotten the upper hand over that awful Janitor Lyman, they're caught completely off guard by his next move: Lyman has called in reinforcements, and suddenly Benjamin, Jill, and Robert find themselves dodging not one evil janitor, but two.
That's right: Lyman's got himself a partner. And it quickly becomes clear that Wally, the new guy, is even more corrupt and menacing than Lyman.
Luckily, Ben's team has been growing, too. Plus, thanks to the latest safeguard, they also have a secret fund of millions of dollars.
But all the money in Massachusetts isn't enough to stop Lyman and Wally, not when they've come this far, and not when they are just about to put the most harmful part of their plan into play.
Could the next safeguard give the Keepers what they need--or has their battle to save the school already been sunk?
Lexile: 880L
We the Children
by Andrew Clements and Adam StowerSixth grader Benjamin Pratt loves history, which makes going to the historic Duncan Oakes School a pretty cool thing.
But a wave of commercialization is hitting the area and his beloved school is slated to be torn down to make room for an entertainment park. This would be most kids' dream--except there's more to the developers than meets the eye... and more to the school.
Because weeks before the wrecking ball is due to strike, Ben finds an old leather pouch that contains a parchment scroll with a note three students wrote in 1791.
The students call themselves the Keepers of the School, and it turns out they're not the only secret group to have existed at Duncan Oakes.
The first in a six-book series, We the Children follows Ben, his tech-savvy friend, Jill, and the class know-it-all, Robert, as they uncover a remarkable history and use it to protect the school.
Lexile: 860L
The Whites of Their Eyes
by Andrew Clements and Adam StowerAndrew Clements delivers the latest in his adventure-filled school series. This could be the last great Memorial Day weekend on Barclay Bay, and Ben knows it.
This time next year, he might not be able to stand in the yard of the Oakes School and watch the harbor shake off winter--boats buzzing just beyond the bulkhead and families spreading picnics in the fields.
If the school gets torn down and replaced by an amusement park, the town will never be the same. But that's only if the school gets torn down. Ben and Jill are determined to keep that from happening.
And the evil janitor Lyman has taken note. He's following their every move--and undoing their progress along the way. Good thing Ben and Jill have a secret weapon. (Who knew that annoying Robert Gerritt would be such a spy wiz?)
But Lyman has a secret weapon as well: a vicious guard dog.
These kids are smart, but can they outsmart Lyman--and his beast--as the clock tick, tick, ticks toward total demolition?
Lexile: 810L
12 Again
by Sue CorbettIn this captivating novel, wife and mother of three Bernadette McBride makes a wish she never expects to have granted—to be young again. When she awakens—transformed into a twelve-year-old—on what should be the morning of her fortieth birthday, she is at first jubilant, and then quickly realizes how complex life has suddenly become. She enrolls in her son’s seventh-grade computer class in hopes of enlisting his help, but it’s not that easy....
Patrick, Bernadette’s oldest son, has no idea what happened to his mother, but he refuses to give up hope. Unless he can get her back, he faces a life of waiting on his brothers. Can Patrick do the impossible? Can he rescue his mother... and return his family’s life to normal?
The Wanderer
by David Diaz and Sharon Creech"The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in."
Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination -- and its passengers search for their places in the world.
Newbery Honor Book
School of Fear
by Gitty DaneshvariEveryone is afraid of something... Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders. Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water. With very few options left, the parents of these four twelve year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.
School of Fear
by Gitty DaneshvariIn this hilarious follow-up to School of Fear, eccentric headmaster Mrs. Wellington demands requests the presence of Madeleine, Theo, Lulu, and Garrison for a mandatory summer of retraining after discovering that each of her former students has secretly regressed. Facing their fears was terrifying enough, but when the foursome learns they'll be joined by a fifth student, things start to get even scarier.To make matters worse, the students quickly find themselves tasked with saving their school. And because failing means spending the rest of their lives with unresolved phobias, this is one test they all plan to ace.
The Iron Empire
by James DashnerJames Dashner returns to the New York Times bestselling series!They've sailed on the Santa Maria, defended famous cities from Vikings and Mongols, and come face-to-face with some of the greatest figures in history. Now, at long last, Dak, Sera, and Riq travel back in time to the moment it all began. Their mission: to save the life of young Alexander the Great. But they are not the only time travelers in ancient Greece. An epic battle against their most dangerous foe awaits them . . . and history will be written by the victors.Fix the past. Save the future. It's now or never!
A Mutiny in Time
by James DashnerHistory is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right. When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon a secret of time travel - a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring - they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind.
The Only Road
by Alexandra DiazPURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK ALA NOTABLE BOOK &“An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes.&” —School Library Journal (starred review) Twelve-year-old Jaime makes the treacherous and life-changing journey from his home in Guatemala to live with his older brother in the United States in this &“powerful and timely&” (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel.Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream. Instantly, he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead. Everyone in Jaime&’s small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that&’s known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed—like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There&’s only one choice: accompanied by his cousin Ángela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in New Mexico. Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. The story is &“told with heartbreaking honesty,&” Booklist raved, and &“will bring readers face to face with the harsh realities immigrants go through in the hope of finding a better, safer life, and it will likely cause them to reflect on what it means to be human.&”
Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye
by Wendelin Van DraanenSammy doesn't go looking for trouble, but she seems to find it everywhere. She's forever sniffing out clues and chasing down bad guys--and driving her friends a little nuts. She's gone up against thieves and counterfeiters and gangsters and blackmailers and murderers, and always stayed one step ahead.
Until now.
Last night, one of the bad guys caught up. Last night, someone followed Sammy up the fire escape and pushed her from the third story. Now she's in the hospital, out cold. And her friends are left with the questions Sammy's always been so good at answering: Why? How? But most of all . . . WHO?
In this emotional conclusion to her beloved long-running series, Wendelin Van Draanen shows just how many lives one nosy girl can touch and pays tribute to a life well sleuthed.
Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy
by Wendelin Van DraanenShe is supposed to be in church to get out of trouble...Sammy is working off some junior high detention time by helping out at St. Mary's, but when Father Mayhew discovers that his ivory cross has been stolen, Sammy becomes the prime suspect.
While she's looking for the real culprit, Sammy is amazed to find how much gossip and petty jealousy there is bubbling under the church's serene surface. This is just like junior high! And school is abubble with intrigue as well. Sammy's in the middle of softball playoffs when her catcher's mitt is stolen. She's sure the hated Heather must have it, but knowing whodunit and getting the mitt back are two different things. With a cast that includes a trio of singing nuns, a homeless girl in high tops, a former safecracker, and a red-hot shortstop, it's not so easy to tell the saints from the sinners...
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man
by Wendelin Van DraanenWhat does Frankenstein have that a skeleton wants? Sounds like a bad Halloween joke. But Sammy Keyes isn't laughing. She's the one who collided with the skeleton while he was making his getaway. And she's the one who discovered Frankenstein tied to a chair with his head twisted around. Someone's taken "trick or treat" way too far.
When Sammy starts to investigate what really happened Halloween night, she's amazed at how many people have something to hide. Of course, Sammy's got a few secrets herself. And more than a few tricks up her sleeve... there has eleven more books in the exciting Sammy Keyes mystery series.
Court of Fives
by Kate ElliottIn this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.
Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best contenders.
Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal's powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test her new friend's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.
Chickadee
by Louise ErdrichWinner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, Chickadee is the first novel of a new arc in the critically acclaimed Birchbark House series by New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich.
Twin brothers Chickadee and Makoons have done everything together since they were born—until the unthinkable happens and the brothers are separated.
Desperate to reunite, both Chickadee and his family must travel across new territories, forge unlikely friendships, and experience both unexpected moments of unbearable heartache as well as pure happiness. And through it all, Chickadee has the strength of his namesake, the chickadee, to carry him on.
Chickadee continues the story of one Ojibwe family's journey through one hundred years in America. School Library Journal, in a starred review, proclaimed, "Readers will be more than happy to welcome little Chickadee into their hearts."
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Bull Run
by Paul FleischmanNortherners, Southerners, generals, couriers, dreaming boys, and worried sisters describe the glory, the horror, the thrill, and the disillusionment of the first battle of the Civil War.
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction