Special Collections
Accelerated Reader Middle Grade Collection
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Firegirl
by Tony Abbott"...there is..." Mrs. Tracy was saying quietly, "there is something we need to know about Jessica..."
From this moment on, life is never quite the same for Tom and his seventh-grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and was badly burned, and will be attending St. Catherine's while getting medical treatments.
Despite her horrifying appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes his life.
Tony Abbott is the author of over 35 books for young readers, including the extremely popular The Secrets of Droon series. In Firegirl he has written a powerful book that will show readers that even the smallest of gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life.
The Tower Of The Elf King
by Tony Abbott and Tim JessellA hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon!
Somebody has robbed the Lumpies' village! And it can't be Lord Sparr - because he has mysteriously disappeared. The rumor is that a terrible beast is behind the crime.
So Eric, Julie and Neal set off with Khan and Princess Keeah to find the creature. Instead they find a big surprise!
Under the Royal Palms
by Alma Flor AdaThe author recalls her life and impressions growing up in Cuba.
Winner of the Pura Belpre Medal
Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery
by David A. AdlerCam Jansen and her friends meet in the park to play baseball, but when their ball gets lost, it looks like the game may be over. Cam has a picture in her head of everything she has seen, and she says "click" whenever she wants to remember something. But does she have the picture she needs to find the baseball? With short sentences, plenty of repetition, and lots of clues, beginning readers will love solving this easy-to-read mystery right along with young Cam.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game
by David A. AdlerCam and her friend Eric go to a birthday party where everyone is supposed to guess the number of toy dinosaurs in a jar. Did someone cheat?
Lexile Level: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Double Beach Mystery
by David A. AdlerCam Jansen and her best friend Eric have headed to the beach. But after a day of sun and fun, they can't find Cam's mother. Was she abducted by aliens? Is she in disguise? "Click," says Cam, and the hunt is on.
The Cam Jansen Adventure series has been a favorite with older readers for years.
With the addition of the Cam easy-to-reads, now younger readers are able to help solve mysteries meant just for them. When it's time to make the transition to more difficult books, Cam Jansen will be waiting.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Ice Skate Mystery
by David A. AdlerNow even beginning readers can join in the fun of cracking cases with Cam Jansen, the red-headed detective with the photographic memory.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery
by David A. AdlerCam and her best friend Eric take a trip to the library to check out some books. But instead of finding a new favorite story, they find a mystery to solve. Will Cam's photographic memory come to the rescue once again? The Cam Jansen Adventure series has been a favorite with older readers for years, and now younger readers can join in the fun. When it's time to make the transition to more difficult books, Cam Jansen will be waiting.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Lost Tooth
by David A. AdlerCan Cam Jansen help her friend Annie find her lost tooth?
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie
by David A. AdlerCam Jansen can find a mystery anywhere--even in the school lunch room! When Jason opens his lunch box and finds only cookie crumbs, Cam's amazing memory clicks into action.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the New Girl Mystery
by David A. AdlerThere's a new girl in school! Her name's Jenny, and Cam and Eric are happy to befriend her and help her find her way around. But when it's time for gym class, where's Jenny? Which gym did she go to? Is there more than one gym?
Young readers won't be able to resist looking for clues in the story to help Cam and Eric find their new classmate.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Pizza Shop Mystery
by David A. AdlerCam, her father, and her best friend can't pass up eating at the best pizza place in the world. But they can't leave the mall until they solve the mystery of the missing jacket. Will Cam's photographic memory be enough?
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Spotted Cat Mystery
by David A. AdlerWhen a cat appears in their classroom one rainy day, Cam and her friend Eric figure out where it came from.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Substitute Mystery
by David A. AdlerCam's photographic memory helps a scatterbrained substitute teacher, especially when he discovers that he has misplaced his coat.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
Young Cam Jansen and the Zoo Note Mystery
by David A. AdlerIt's field trip day in Cam and Eric's class. Only where is Eric's permission slip? He had it on the bus, but now it's gone! Did someone take it? Did it blow away? After a few red herrings, Cam's click-click memory kicks in just in time for Eric to join the class on their field trip to the zoo.
Perfect for new readers, these Young Cam Jansen Easy-to-Read mysteries feature easy-to-follow storylines, brief sentences, and visual clues within the illustrations, and will introduce readers to feisty Cam, whose adventures can be followed in the Cam Jansen series for transitional readers.
Lexile Levels: 210-450
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman AlexieBestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.
Miss Nelson is Missing!
by Harry AllardThe kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.
So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall’s scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!
Miss Nelson is Missing!
by Harry Allard and James MarshallThe kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air.
They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.
So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value.
The students don't proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways.
James Marshall's scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!
Images and image descriptions available.
The Chalk Box Kid
by Thomas B. Allen and Clyde Robert BullaA classroom favorite about the power of art and creativity. A new neighborhood. A new school. A lonely birthday. Life isn't easy for nine-year-old Gregory. Then he finds an abandoned chalk factory behind his house. It's a secret place, just for him! Now he can draw anything he imagines on the dark brick walls. What amazing thing will Gregory draw first?
Before We Were Free
by Julia AlvarezAnita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tio Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government's secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo's dictatorship.
Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.
From renowned author Julia Alvarez comes an unforgettable story about adolescence, perseverance, and one girl's struggle to be free.
Winner of the Pura Belpre Medal
How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
by Julia AlvarezThe Garcias Dr. Carlos (Papi), his wife Laura (Mami), and their four daughters, Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia belong to the uppermost echelon of Spanish Caribbean society, descended from the conquistadores. Their family compound adjoins the palacio of the dictator s daughter.
So when Dr. Garcia s part in a coup attempt is discovered, the family must flee. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Dominican Republic.
Papi has to find new patients in the Bronx. Mami, far from the compound and the family retainers, must find herself. Meanwhile, the girls try to lose themselves by forgetting their Spanish, by straightening their hair and wearing fringed bell bottoms. For them, it is at once liberating and excruciating being caught between the old world and the new, trying to live up to their father s version of honor while accommodating the expectations of their American boyfriends.
Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez s brilliant and buoyant first novel sets the Garcia girls free to tell their most intimate stories about how they came to be at home and not at home in America. This edition, republished in 2010, includes a reader's guide with discussion questions.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
by Julia Alvarez“Simply wonderful.” —Los Angeles Times Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s brilliant and buoyant and beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters recounting their adventures growing up in two cultures. Selected as a Notable Book by both the New York Times and the American Library Association, it won the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for books with a multicultural perspective and was chosen by New York librarians as one of twenty-one classics for the twenty-first century. Ms. Alvarez was recently honored with the 2013 National Medal of Arts for her extraordinary storytelling. In this debut novel, the García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía—and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic after their father’s role in an attempt to overthrow a tyrannical dictator is discovered. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean. In the wild and wondrous and not always welcoming U.S.A., their parents try to hold on to their old ways, but the girls try find new lives: by forgetting their Spanish, by straightening their hair and wearing fringed bell bottoms. For them, it is at once liberating and excruciating to be caught between the old world and the new. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents sets the sisters free to tell their most intimate stories about how they came to be at home—and not at home—in America. “A joy to read.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer
The Creature of the Pines
by Adam Gidwitz and Hatem AlyA fully illustrated, globe-trotting new middle grade fantasy-adventure series about mythical creatures and their cultures of origin, from the Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor's Tale.
Elliot Eisner isn't exactly excited about starting at a brand-new school in a brand-new town; he'd much rather stay at home and read a book. But things take an unexpected turn when he finds out his weird new teacher, Professor Fauna, has planned a field trip for Elliot's very first day. Along with a new friend--brave, outspoken Uchenna Devereaux--Elliot gets caught up in a secret group of adventurers, The Unicorn Rescue Society, whose goal is to protect and defend the world's mythical creatures.
Together with Professor Fauna, Elliot and Uchenna must help rescue a Jersey Devil from a duo of conniving, greedy billionaires, the Schmoke Brothers. Unicorn Rescue Society is an exciting and hilarious new series about friendship, adventure, and mythical creatures from around the world by Newbery Honor-winning author Adam Gidwitz teamed up with Mixtape Club founders Jesse Casey and Chris Smith, and Hatem Aly, illustrator of The Inquisitor's Tale.
A New York Times Bestseller
The Inquisitor's Tale
by Adam Gidwitz and Hatem AlyOn a dark night, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children. Their adventures take them on a chase through France: they are taken captive by knights, sit alongside a king, and save the land from a farting dragon.
On the run to escape prejudice and persecution and save precious and holy texts from being burned, their quest drives them forward to a final showdown at Mont Saint-Michel, where all will come to question if these children can perform the miracles of saints. Join William, an oblate on a mission from his monastery; Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village; and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions. They are accompanied by Jeanne's loyal greyhound, Gwenforte... recently brought back from the dead.
In a style reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales, our narrator collects their stories and the saga of these three unlikely allies begins to come together. Beloved bestselling author Adam Gidwitz makes his long awaited return with his first new world since his hilarious and critically acclaimed Grimm series.
Winner of Newbery Honor
Chains
by Laurie Halse AndersonFrom acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual.As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.