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Accelerated Reader Middle Grade Collection
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The Other Side of Truth
by Beverley NaidooWill the truth harm them -- or save them?
When Nigeria's corrupt military government kills their mother, twelve-year-old Sade and her brother Femi think their lives are over. Out of fear for their safety, their father, an outspoken journalist, decides to smuggle the children out of Nigeria and into London, where their uncle lives.
But when they get to the cold and massive city, they find themselves lost and alone, with no one to trust and no idea when -- or if -- they will ever see their father again. The Other Side of Truth is a gripping adventure story about courage, family, and the power of truth.
Scorpions
by Walter Dean MyersBad Trouble
Lately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack.
All the gang jive--Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal...
The story of twelve-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.
Newbery Honor book
The Great Fire
by Jim MurphyAn account of the Great Chicago Fire combines archival photographs and drawings with personal accounts by its survivors and historical documents.
Night of the Ninjas
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaJack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series--the Magic Tree House! Have you ever met a real live ninja? Jack and Annie do when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Japan, where they find themselves in the cave of a ninja master. Will they learn the secrets of the ninja? Or will the evil samurai warriors get them first? Visit the Magic Tree House website at MagicTreeHouse.com From the Trade Paperback edition.
Night of the Ninjas
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! Have you ever met a real live ninja? Jack and Annie do when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Japan, where they find themselves in the cave of a ninja master. Will they learn the secrets of the ninja? Or will the evil samurai warriors get them first? Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
The Knight at Dawn
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaJack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series--the Magic Tree House!
A castle with a secret passage!That's what Jack and Annie find when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the Middle Ages for another wild adventure.
In the Great Hall of the castle, a feast is under way. But Jack and Annie aren't exactly welcome guests!
Ghost Town at Sundown
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! Is this town HAUNTED? Jack and Annie wonder when the Magic Tree House whisks them to the Wild West. But before they can say "Boo!" they rush headlong into an adventure filled with horse thieves, a lost colt, rattlesnakes, and a cowboy named Slim. Will Jack and Annie have time to solve the next Tree House Riddle? The answer may depend on a ghost! Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
Ghost Town at Sundown
by Sal Murdocca and Mary Pope OsborneIs this town HAUNTED?
Jack and Annie wonder when the Magic Tree House whisks them to the Wild West.
But before they can say "Boo!" they rush headlong into an adventure filled with horse thieves, a lost colt, rattlesnakes, and a cowboy named Slim.
Dolphins at Daybreak
by Sal Murdocca and Mary Pope OsborneJack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series--the Magic Tree House!
IT'S SINK OR SWIM for Jack and Annie when the Magic Tree House whisks them off to the middle of the ocean.
Luckily, they find a mini-submarine on a coral reef. Unluckily, they are about to meet a giant octopus and one very hungry shark.
Will the dolphins save the day? Or are Jack and Annie doomed to be dinner?
Dolphins at Daybreak
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! It's sink or swim for Jack and Annie when the Magic Tree House whisks them off to the middle of the ocean. Luckily, they find a mini-submarine on a coral reef. Unluckily, they are about to meet a giant octopus and one very hungry shark. Will the dolphins save the day? Or are Jack and Annie doomed to be dinner? Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
Christmas in Camelot
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! When Jack and Annie receive an invitation to spend Christmas Eve in Camelot—a magical place that exists only in myth and fantasy—they know they are in for their biggest adventure yet. What they don't know is that the invitation will send them on a quest to save Camelot. Can they succeed even though Camelot's greatest knights have failed?Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #29, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #1: Christmas in Camelot. Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
Christmas in Camelot
by Sal Murdocca and Mary Pope OsborneThe Magic Tree House series has become a staple for inspiring kids to read. Christmas in Camelot is a very special Magic Tree House book. Here, author Mary Pope Osborne uses the literary skills for which she's known to create a longer, more in-depth story featuring the characters kids have come to love. The result is magical: a fast-paced but detailed, easy-to-read story. Jack and Annie go on a quest to save Camelot, a quest that will prove to a beleaguered King Arthur that children and imagination really can make a difference. From the Hardcover edition.
Afternoon on the Amazon
by Sal Murdocca and Mary Pope OsborneJack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series--the Magic Tree House! Vampire bats and killer ants?
Afternoon on the Amazon
by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal MurdoccaThe #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! Vampire bats and killer ants? That's what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them away to the Amazon River. It's not long before they get hopelessly lost. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house? Or are Jack and Annie stuck forever in the rain forest? Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
The Stars Beneath Our Feet
by David Barclay MooreA boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in this outstanding debut novel that’s been described as a “fast and furious read in which we meet some amazing people, people that stay with us” by Newbery Honor and National Book Award–winning author Jacqueline Woodson.
It’s Christmas Eve in Harlem, but twelve-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t celebrating. They’re still reeling from his older brother’s death in a gang-related shooting just a few months earlier.
Then Lolly’s mother’s girlfriend brings him a gift that will change everything: two enormous bags filled with Legos. Lolly’s always loved Legos, and he prides himself on following the kit instructions exactly. Now, faced with a pile of building blocks and no instructions, Lolly must find his own way forward.
His path isn’t clear—and the pressure to join a “crew,” as his brother did, is always there. When Lolly and his friend are beaten up and robbed, joining a crew almost seems like the safe choice. But building a fantastical Lego city at the community center provides Lolly with an escape—and an unexpected bridge back to the world.
David Barclay Moore paints a powerful portrait of a boy teetering on the edge—of adolescence, of grief, of violence—and shows how Lolly’s inventive spirit helps him build a life with firm foundations and open doors.
Sugar and Spice
by Sarah MlynowskiAbby and Jonah's magical adventures continue in the tenth installment of Sarah Mlynowski's New York Times bestselling series! This time, the kids get mixed up in Hansel and Gretel's story.That's the way the cookie crumbles!Yum! Our magic mirror has dropped me and my brother, Jonah, into the story of Hansel and Gretel. If we're lucky, we may even get to taste the cake-house... But we didn't count on accidentally getting trapped. The real Hansel and Gretel are on the run, and Jonah and I have taken their place. And the witch is making a kid casserole for dinner... Now we have to:- Avoid being eaten - Pretend our dog is a cat- Learn to make kale smoothies- Befriend a talking duck Or we may never make it back to our home sweet home!
Beauty Queen
by Sarah MlynowskiThe magical seventh installment in this NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!Ever since the magic mirror erased his memory, my brother, Jonah, doesn't believe that we really visit different fairy tales. So it's a relief when the mirror sucks us into a story -- and this time, it's Beauty and the Beast! Hoorah! Or, maybe not. When Jonah picks a rose from the Beast's garden, he messes up the story. The Beast is so angry he takes my brother prisoner... instead of Beauty! But if the Beast doesn't meet and fall in love with Beauty, then his curse will never be lifted and Jonah will be trapped in the palace forever!Now I have to:- Find Beauty - Deal with a wicked fairy named Jax- Restore Jonah's memory- Play matchmakerIf I don't fix this mess in time, the situation could get pretty ugly...
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
by Harriette Gillem Robinet and Wendell MinorMaybe nobody gave freedom, and nobody could take it away like they could take away a family farm. Maybe freedom was something you claimed for yourself. Like other ex-slaves, Pascal and his older brother Gideon have been promised forty acres and maybe a mule. With the family of friends they have built along the way, they claim a place of their own.
Green Gloryland is the most wonderful place on earth, their own family farm with a healthy cotton crop and plenty to eat. But the notorious night riders have plans to take it away, threatening to tear the beautiful freedom that the two boys are enjoying for the first time in their young lives. Coming alive in plain, vibrant language is this story of the Reconstruction, after the Civil War.
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Little Bear's Visit
by Else Holmelund MinarikLittle Bear spends a day with Grandmother and Grandfather Bear and has so much fun, he falls fast asleep.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Little Bear's Friend
by Maurice Sendak and Else Holmelund MinarikOne summer Little Bear makes friends with a girl named Emily. But when summer ends, Emily must leave. Little Bear is very sad--until he finds a way to stay close to his new friend even when she is far away!
Little Bear
by Else Holmelund MinarikIn one story, "Birthday Soup," Little Bear cannot find his mother and presumes she has forgotten his birthday. With the prospect of guests arriving and no cake in sight, he sets out to make birthday soup (all his friends like soup). Just as the gathering is sitting down for soup, Mother Bear shows up with a big, beautiful birthday cake.
"I never did forget your birthday, and I never will," she says to her son as he hugs her leg. In "Little Bear Goes to the Moon," Little Bear declares that he will fly to the moon in his new space helmet. Mother Bear tells him to be back by lunch, and he is.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
A Kiss For Little Bear
by Else Holmelund MinarikToo much kissing?
Little Bear sends Grandmother a picture, and she likes it so much she asks Hen to take him a thank-you kiss.
But Hen passes the kiss to Frog, who passes it to Cat, and on and on--will Little Bear ever get his kiss?
Father Bear Comes Home
by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice SendakLittle Bear's father is finally coming home from a long fishing trip. Little Bear is very excited to see him--even if he doesn't bring the mermaid Little Bear has been hoping for!
Touching Spirit Bear
by Ben MikaelsenWithin Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Alex Driscal in the, parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Alex may have permanent brain damage'and Cole is in the Biggest trouble of his life.Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays along. He says he wants to repent, but in his heart Cole blames his alcoholic mom his, abusive dad, wimpy Alex -- everyone but himself -- for his situation.Cole receives a one-year banishment to a remote Alaskan island. There, he is mauled by Mysterious white bear of Native American legend. Hideously injured, Cole waits for his death His thoughts shift from from Anger to humility. To survive, he must stop blaming others and take responsibility for his life. Rescuers arrive to save Cole's but it is the attack of the Spirit Bear that may save his soul. Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots without absolving solving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing
Kristina
by Carolyn MeyerMeyer offers a revealing look at Kristina, who was raised by the King and Queen of Sweden as a prince rather than a princess and assumed the throne as King at the age of 18.