Special Collections
Into Reading Texas Grade 5 (NIMAC)
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Design for Maximum Impact
by Sharon ParsonsNIMAC-sourced textbook. When you hear the word "design," you might think of a pattern on clothes, or maybe a certain kind of drawing. But it's actually much more than that. Good design is a blending of colors, shapes, and images put together to grab our eyes' attention. It goes into everything we buy and use. What type of "design" makes you stop and say "wow!"?
Nightmare on Flight 301
by Frank Pedersen and Gaston VanzetNIMAC-sourced textbook
A few hours in to Dr. Edward Simpson's flight from Singapore to London, things start going wrong. Passengers are becoming seriously unwell and, to make matters worse, both pilots are out of action. Dr. Simpson is faced with a desperate situation: He must not only find out what's wrong with everyone, but he must also land the plane safely—at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport!
CSI: Classroom
by Frank Pedersen and James HartNIMAC-sourced textbook. The crime-scene investigation (CSI) team at Gonzalez School swings into action when a cold, lifeless body is discovered in Room 7. There are plenty of suspects, but only one guilty perpetrator. The CSI: Classroom team will need to use all their skills and experience to solve this cold-blooded crime.
Creature Features: Exploring Animal Characteristics
by Lisa RaoNIMAC-sourced textbook. Learn all about the differences between amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and more! This book explores the coolest creatures and the features that make them special.
Dust Bowl Survivors
by Patti TrimbleNIMAC-sourced textbook. The Dust Bowl swept the Great Plains in the 1930s. During this time, crops failed, livestock died, and farmers and businessmen went broke. Learn what those tough times were like, and hear from several Dust Bowl survivors.
Attack of the Giant Mutant Zombie Snail
by John Parsons and Ian ForssNIMAC-sourced textbook. The common garden snail is pretty harmless and, in Simon's opinion, also quite useful for disposing of unwanted plants, such as vegetables. But when Aunt Augusta starts recombining their genetic code at the South Queens University Institute for Research into Mollusks (or SQUIRM), the snails become anything but harmless.
Queen Genevieve and the Soppy Songs
by James HartNIMAC-sourced textbook. Talent quests are where dreams come true for some, while others have their hopes dashed. And when the prize is the hand of a fair queen (and a meat pie factory), the stakes are high! As Queen Genevieve and her suitors discover, good singing is not just a matter of tuneful lyrics. It must come from the heart!
Girls Think of Everything
by Catherine Thimmesh and Melissa SweetNIMAC-sourced textbook
In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. What inspired these girls, and just how did they turn their ideas into realities? Retaining reader-tested favorite inventions, this updated edition of the best-selling Girls Think of Everything features seven new chapters that better represent our diverse and increasingly technological world, offering readers stories about inventions that are full of hope and vitality—empowering them to think big, especially in the face of adversity.
Love, Amalia
by Alma Ada and Gabriel ZubizarretaNIMAC-sourced textbook
Amalia deals with loss while learning about love and her cultural heritage in this tender tale from acclaimed authors Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta.
Amalia’s best friend Martha is moving away, and Amalia is feeling sad and angry. And yet, even when life seems unfair, the loving, wise words of Amalia’s abuelita have a way of making everything a little bit brighter. Amalia finds great comfort in times shared with her grandmother: cooking, listening to stories and music, learning, and looking through her treasured box of family cards.
But when another loss racks Amalia’s life, nothing makes sense anymore. In her sorrow, will Amalia realize just how special she is, even when the ones she loves are no longer near?
From leading voices in Hispanic literature, this thoughtful and touching depiction of one girl’s transition through loss and love is available in both English and Spanish.
Words with Wings
by Nikki GrimesNIMAC-sourced textbook
Gabby’s world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents’ arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl’s indomitable spirit, and of a teacher’s ability to reach out and change a life.
The Mesmer Menace
by Kersten Hamilton and James HamiltonNIMAC-sourced textbook
Welcome to the Amazing Automated Inn, home of twelve-year-old inventor Wally Kennewickett, his genius scientist parents, and his dashing dog, Noodles. From the lightning harvester on the roof to the labs full of experiments in the dungeon, the inn is a wonderful place for a curious boy and his loyal dog to live. That is, until President Theodore Roosevelt himself calls the elder Kennewicketts away, leaving Wally and Noodles to face the evil Mesmers, horrible hypnotists bent on controlling the minds of powerful people. It seems the inn is their first stop on the way to world domination . . . and only an ingenious boy, a staff of automatons, and a brave dachshund stand in their way!
Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future
by Allan DrummondNIMAC-sourced textbook
In 2007, a tornado destroyed Greensburg, Kansas, and the residents were at a loss as to what to do next--they didn't want to rebuild if their small town would just be destroyed in another storm. So they decided they wouldn't just rebuild the same old thing; this time, they would build a town that could not only survive another storm, but one that was built in an environmentally sustainable way. Told from the point of view of a child whose family rebuilt after the storm, this companion to Energy Island is the inspiring story of the difference one community can make--and it includes plenty of rebuilding scenes and details for construction lovers, too!
Along the Santa Fe Trail
by Marion Russell and Ginger Wadsworth and James WatlingNIMAC-sourced textbook. An adaptation of the author's biography, Land of Enchantment, describes her eventful 1852 journey with her mother and brother from Kansas to California over the Santa Fe trail in a large wagon train.
The Elephant Keeper
by Margriet Ruurs and Pedro CovoNIMAC-sourced textbook
When teenaged Aaron discovers a baby elephant nearly drowning in the swimming pool at the guest lodge where he works, he acts quickly and manages to save the animal just in time. The rescued baby is brought to an elephant orphanage for care, and given the name Zambezi. Though Aaron has been raised to think of elephants as dangerous to humans and their crops, on a visit to the orphanage, he learns that illegal poaching of these animals is threatening them with extinction, and the orphanage is trying to prevent that from happening. And when Aaron is offered a job at the orphanage, his life is suddenly transformed, as he discovers a bond of friendship with Zambezi and his lifelong vocation as an elephant keeper.
Inspired by the real-life Aaron and Zambezi at the Lilayi Elephant Nursery in Zambia, author Margriet Ruurs has created a moving story that powerfully demonstrates the plight of endangered animals everywhere. Pedro Covo's stunning illustrations add a level of depth and haunting beauty to the story and the animals. Three nonfiction spreads interspersed throughout the story explore facts about elephants, ivory poaching and elephant orphanages. The back of the book contains ways children can help endangered wildlife. Useful tools include a table of contents and a glossary. This beautifully illustrated nonfiction book spans the curriculum, from life sciences to global awareness to environmental stewardship. It also offers a unique perspective for character education lessons on empathy, caring and responsibility on a larger scale.
Miss Alaineus
by Debra FrasierNIMAC-sourced textbook
Sage has misheard and misunderstood one of Mrs. Page's weekly vocabulary words. Her error leads to a humbling catastrophe: a momentous tragedy, in front of the entire class. Can Sage turn her vocabulary disaster: an event bringing great misfortune, into a triumph: a true success? Anyone who has ever been daunted: discouraged or disheartened, by a mere word in the dictionary will cheer wildly: in a manner lacking all restraint, as Sage transforms embarrassment into victory in Debra Frasier's touching story of loving--and mistaking--our glorious language.
The Day-Glo Brothers
by Chris Barton and Tony PersianiNIMAC-sourced textbook
A discovery that made the world a brighter place! Joe and Bob Switzer were very different brothers. Bob was a studious planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving.
When an accident left Bob recovering in a darkened basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. Together they invented a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity—Day-Glo.