Special Collections
Amplify ELA Curriculum Grades 6-8
Description: Here you will find the books listed as Core texts and the Extra texts for each unit of the Amplify ELA Grade 6-8 Curriculum.
- Table View
- List View
Good Fortune
by Li Keng WongIn this dramatic memoir of early-twentieth century immigration, author Li Keng Wong shares her family's difficult journey from rural China to a new life in California.In 1933, seven-year-old Li Keng's life changed forever when her father decided to bring his family from a small village in southern China to California. Getting to America was not easy, as their family faced America's strict anti-Chinese immigration laws that meant any misstep could mean deportation and disgrace. Life in America during the Great Depression brought many exciting surprises as well as many challenges. Hunger, poverty, police raids, frequent moves, and the occasional sting of racism were a part of everyday life, but slowly Li Keng and her family found stability and a true home in "Gold Mountain."An author's note contains photos and an update on Li Keng Wong's family. This evocative memoir presents the joys and sorrows of pursuing the American Dream during a time of racism and great poverty, but also immense opportunity. The book also contains information on Angel Island and its significance in history as well as an explanation of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Night
by Elie WieselBorn into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity: the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity and faith. Describing in simple terms the tragic murder of a people from a survivor's perspective, Night is among the most personal, intimate and poignant of all accounts of the Holocaust.
The Complete War of the Worlds
by H. G. WellsFrom the father of science fiction, the nineteenth-century British classic novel of alien invasion, along with two sequels. Together in one volume for the first time—H. G. Wells&’s seminal science fiction classic The War of the Worlds, with the contemporaneous, unauthorized, but extremely popular sequel Edison&’'s Conquest of Mars, as well as Wells&’s own, much later conceptual sequel, Star Begotten. How often do you watch the sky at night? Ever see bright streaks of light exploding from the red planet? Get ready for adventurous reading as you embark on a journey to find out just how these alien invasions play out! In The War of the Worlds, how will woefully unprepared Earthlings respond to towering three-legged &“fighting machines&” armed with heat-rays and chemical weapons that far exceed the capabilities of the nineteenth-century English military? In Edison&’s Conquest of Mars, Earth's leaders fear that the Martians will return to invade once more. US President William McKinley, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Emperor Mutsuhito unite to plan an attack on Mars. Led by American inventor Thomas Edison, a group of scientists develop new technologies based on what earlier Martian visitors left behind. They design and build a fleet of space ships for the pre-emptive move. What will happen when the two opposing forces meet? The protagonist of Star Begotten, Joseph Davis, is an author of popular histories, who becomes suspicious that he and his family have been exposed to a Martian influence of another sort and are in the process of being changed. What might that influence be? Three classics of Martian invasion in one volume.
Up from Slavery
by Booker T. WashingtonIn this acclaimed autobiography, Booker T. Washington makes a case for lifting up his race through education. Washington uses his personal story as the example, from his birth to slave parents on a Virginia plantation and his struggle to go to school to his adult achievements as a public speaker and black leader. Washington outlines more than forty years of his life, emphasizing how he overcame great obstacles in order to pursue his education at Hampton University. As an adult, he opened a school for black students in Tuskegee, Alabama, and later he established other successful vocational schools. Throughout the book, Washington describes his educational philosophy and his hopes and dreams for African Americans. This is an unabridged version of Booker T. Washington's life story, which was first published in 1901.
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette WallsJeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains.
Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town--and the family--Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.
A New York Times Bestseller
Roughing It
by Mark TwainThe Wild West as Mark Twain lived it In 1861, Mark Twain joined his older brother Orion, the newly appointed secretary of the Nevada Territory, on a stagecoach journey from Missouri to Carson City, Nevada. Planning to be gone for three months, Twain spent the next &“six or seven years&” exploring the great American frontier, from the monumental vistas of the Rocky Mountains to the lush landscapes of Hawaii. Along the way, he made and lost a theoretical fortune, danced like a kangaroo in the finest hotels of San Francisco, and came to terms with freezing to death in a snow bank—only to discover, in the light of morning, that he was fifteen steps from a comfortable inn. As a record of the &“variegated vagabondizing&” that characterized his early years—before he became a national treasure—Roughing It is an indispensable chapter in the biography of Mark Twain. It is also, a century and a half after it was first published, both a fascinating history of the American West and a laugh-out-loud good time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Life on the Mississippi
by Mark TwainA stirring account of America's vanished past... The book that earned Mark Twain his first recognition as a serious writer... Discover the magic of life on the Mississippi. At once a romantic history of a mighty river, an autobiographical account of Mark Twain's early steamboat days, and a storehouse of humorous anecdotes and sketches, Life on the Mississippi is the raw material from which Twain wrote his finest novel: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark TwainWilliam Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. During a long hot summer, a young boy’s taste for excitement lands him in and out of trouble. Bing Crosby narrates the coming-of-age tale that made Mark Twain one of America’s best loved novelist with all of Tom’s mischief and fun. Tom catches criminals, gets the girl and carries out hijinks, all with his best friend Huckleberry Finn at his side.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark TwainWhether tricking other boys into doing his work or sneaking off to bury a dead cat, Tom Sawyer is a boy with a fondness for mischief. But things become grim when he and his pal Huck Finn witness a murder and cover-up by the lawless Injun Joe. Even though he’s scared the murderer will come after him next, Tom continues to explore the Missouri countryside with his friends and attempts to woo the new girl in town. Another encounter with Injun Joe, however, will put both Tom and Huck's daringness to the ultimate test. This unabridged version of Mark Twain's classic American tale, including original illustrations by True Williams and others, is taken from the 1884 copyright edition.
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
by Sojourner TruthFrom slavery to liberation to life as an abolitionist, feminist, orator, and preacher—the autobiography of a woman who refused to be anything but free. Born into slavery in New York around 1797, then sold from master to master, Sojourner Truth spent her formative years witnessing the cruelty inherent in the institution of slavery. Escaping to a friendly household before emancipation, she learned that her young son had been sold illegally and launched a lawsuit that would end with his release—the first time in America that a black woman went to court against a white man and won. But Truth hadn&’t even begun her work. She made it her life&’s mission to free all those who were considered less than equal—both those in chains and those held down because of their gender—ultimately inspiring her friends and followers with the legendary speech that came to be known as &“Ain&’t I a Woman?&” So great was Truth&’s renown and respect that she met with President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. She was later named one of the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time by Smithsonian magazine. Published in 1850, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was spoken aloud to Truth&’s friend and neighbor Olive Gilbert, as she herself was illiterate. Along with The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, it remains one of the most moving and eloquent slave narratives—a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Moondust
by Andrew SmithThe Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s have been called the last optimistic acts of the twentieth century. Twelve astronauts made this greatest of all journeys and were indelibly marked by it, for better or for worse. Journalist Andrew Smith tracks down the nine surviving members of this elite group to find their answers to the question "Where do you go after you've been to the Moon?" A thrilling blend of history, reportage, and memoir, Moondust rekindles the hopeful excitement of an incandescent hour in America's past and captures the bittersweet heroism of those who risked everything to hurl themselves out of the known world -- and who were never again quite able to accept its familiar bounds.
Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
by Mary ShelleyGris Grimly's Frankenstein is a twisted, fresh, and utterly original full-length, full-color graphic-novel adaptation of Mary Shelley's original text, brought to life by acclaimed illustrator Gris Grimly."Grimly enlivens the prose while retaining its power to both frighten and engage sympathy for the monster-creator Victor Frankenstein. This is a richly morose nightmare of a book, a primer for young readers on the pleasures and dangers of decadent languidness."—New York Times Book ReviewThe first fully illustrated version to use the original 1818 text, this handsome volume is destined to capture the imagination of those new to the story as well as those who know it well.New York Times bestselling illustrator Gris Grimly has long considered Frankenstein to be one of his chief inspirations. From the bones and flesh of the original, he has cut and stitched Mary Shelley's text to his own artwork, creating something entirely new: a stunningly original remix, both classic and contemporary, sinister and seductive, heart-stopping and heartbreaking.
Shakespeare's Sonnets & Poems
by William ShakespeareA bestselling, beautifully designed edition of William Shakespeare’s sonnets and poems, complete with valuable tools for educators. The authoritative edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets and Poems from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -Full explanatory notes conveniently linked to the text of each sonnet and poem -A brief introduction to each sonnet and poem, providing insight into its possible meaning -An index of first lines -Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the sonnets The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare'Shakespeare invented the human as we continue to know it' Harold BloomSet in a city torn apart by feuds and gang warfare, Shakespeare's immortal drama tells the story of star-crossed lovers, rival dynasties and bloody revenge. Romeo and Juliet is a hymn to youth and the thrill of forbidden love, charged with sexual passion and violence, but also a warning of death: a dazzling combination of bawdy comedy and high tragedy. Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by T. J. B. Spencer Introduction by Adrian Poole
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
by Oliver SacksIn his most extraordinary book, the bestselling author of Awakenings and "poet laureate of medicine&” (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients inhabiting the compelling world of neurological disorders, from those who are no longer able to recognize common objects to those who gain extraordinary new skills.Featuring a new preface, Oliver Sacks&’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with perceptual and intellectual disorders: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; whose limbs seem alien to them; who lack some skills yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. In Dr. Sacks&’s splendid and sympathetic telling, his patients are deeply human and his tales are studies of struggles against incredible adversity. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine&’s ultimate responsibility: &“the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject.&”
Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
by Edgar Allan PoeThis single volume brings together all of Poe's stories and poems, and illuminates the diverse and multifaceted genius of one of the greatest and most influential figures in American literary history.From the Hardcover edition.
Enrique's Journey
by Sonia NazarioIn this astonishing true story, award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States.
When Enrique is five years old, his mother, Lourdes, too poor to feed her children, leaves Honduras to work in the United States.
The move allows her to send money back home to Enrique so he can eat better and go to school past the third grade. Lourdes promises Enrique she will return quickly. But she struggles in America. Years pass. He begs for his mother to come back. Without her, he becomes lonely and troubled. When she calls, Lourdes tells him to be patient. Enrique despairs of ever seeing her again.
After eleven years apart, he decides he will go find her. Enrique sets off alone from Tegucigalpa, with little more than a slip of paper bearing his mother's North Carolina telephone number. Without money, he will make the dangerous and illegal trek up the length of Mexico the only way he can-clinging to the sides and tops of freight trains. With gritty determination and a deep longing to be by his mother's side, Enrique travels through hostile, unknown worlds.
Each step of the way through Mexico, he and other migrants, many of them children, are hunted like animals. Gangsters control the tops of the trains. Bandits rob and kill migrants up and down the tracks. Corrupt cops all along the route are out to fleece and deport them. To evade Mexican police and immigration authorities, they must jump onto and off the moving boxcars they call El Tren de la Muerte--The Train of Death.
Enrique pushes forward using his wit, courage, and hope-and the kindness of strangers. It is an epic journey, one thousands of immigrant children make each year to find their mothers in the United States.
Based on the Los Angeles Times newspaper series that won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for feature writing and another for feature photography, Enrique's Journey is the timeless story of families torn apart, the yearning to be together again, and a boy who will risk his life to find the mother he loves.
Street Love
by Walter Dean MyersYour first love is totally wrong for you. Do you follow your heart? Or do you run away?
Junice
What am I doing? He'll take one quick look
And wish he was anywhere else but here
I'm already ashamed of what I think
He will think of me, of the life I lead
Damien Yes, she is the fruit that will
Sustain me and yes, she brings
A rain that I know can chill
But it is a rain so sweet and sings
A song my soul insists
That I follow, if I would exist
As more than I have ever, ever been
If my mother calls it evil, then I embrace the sin
The Boys' War
by Jim MurphyFirst-hand accounts that include diary entries and personal letters describe the experiences of boys, sixteen years old or younger, who fought in the Civil War.
Summer of the Mariposas
by Guadalupe García McCallIn this young adult retelling of The Odyssey, Odilia and her four sisters journey to Mexico to return a dead man to his family and encounter magical creatures along the way.When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero's journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer's original tale. With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother's house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them? Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love.
Life of Pi (Illustrated)
by Yann Martel and Tomislav TorjanacAfter the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan--and a 450-pound royal bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and beloved works of fiction in recent years.
Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.
In 2005 an international competition was held to find the perfect artist to illustrate Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning novel. From thousands of entrants, Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac was chosen. This lavishly produced edition features forty of Torjanac's beautiful four-color illustrations, bringing Life of Pi to splendid, eye-popping life. Tomislav Torjanac says of his illustrations: "My vision of the illustrated edition of Life of Pi is based on paintings from a first person's perspective--Pi's perspective. The interpretation of what Pi sees is intermeshed with what he feels and it is shown through [the] use of colors, perspective, symbols, hand gestures, etc."
Man Booker Prize winner
The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters
by Stephen Spignesi and Logan MarshallThe Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters is an exciting collection of first-hand stories describing the catastrophe of Titanic’s maiden voyage as told by its survivors shortly after the ship sank. Originally written and published in 1912, Logan Marshall’s book was the very first attempt to solve the mystery of the accident and relieve the heartache it stirred internationally. Marshall narrates the personal stories of Titanic’s passengers before, during, and after the sinking of the ill-fated ship. This book takes us back in time and forces us to understand the trauma of our ancestors from a not-so-comfortable distance. Listen to the voices of real passengers tell their own touching stories of tragedy and see the photographs and sketches that accompany their stories. Also included are records of previous great disasters of the sea, descriptions of the development of safety and life-saving appliances, and a plain statement of causes of such catastrophes and how to avoid them. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history—books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
My Art, My Life
by Diego Rivera and Gladys March"Engrossing as a novel … throws a clear white light on one of the most spectacular artists of our time." — Chicago Sunday TribuneThis remarkable autobiography began with a newspaper interview the artist gave journalist Gladys March in 1944. From then until the artist's death in 1957, she spent several months each year with Rivera, eventually filling 2,000 pages with his recollections and interpretations of his art and life. Written in the first person, this book is a richly revealing document of the painter who revolutionized modern mural painting, was a principal figure in launching the "Mexican Renaissance," and is ranked among the most influential artists of the twentieth century.As the colorful narrative unfolds, Diego Rivera seems always to be in the midst of political, artistic, and romantic turmoil. As the reviewer for The New Republic observed, "Rivera reveals a keen appreciation of this prowess in art, sex, and politics, and the record seems to be complete on the series of spectacular rows he got into over all three."The book details his bold confrontations with dictators and presidents, the battles that erupted over his murals in Rockefeller Center and the Hotel del Prado, his tempestuous marriages to Lupe Marin and artist Frida Kahlo, and much, much more. "There is no lack of exciting material. A lover at nine, a cannibal at 18, by his own account, Rivera was prodigiously productive of art and controversy." — San Francisco Chronicle. 21 halftones.
A Night to Remember
by Walter Lord#1 New York Times Bestseller: The definitive book on the sinking of the Titanic, based on interviews with survivors, by the author of The Miracle of Dunkirk. At first, no one but the lookout recognized the sound. Passengers described it as the impact of a heavy wave, a scraping noise, or the tearing of a long calico strip. In fact, it was the sound of the world&’s most famous ocean liner striking an iceberg, and it served as the death knell for 1,500 souls. In the next two hours and forty minutes, the maiden voyage of the Titanic became one of history&’s worst maritime accidents. As the ship&’s deck slipped closer to the icy waterline, women pleaded with their husbands to join them on lifeboats. Men changed into their evening clothes to meet death with dignity. And in steerage, hundreds fought bitterly against certain death. At 2:15 a.m. the ship&’s band played &“Autumn.&” Five minutes later, the Titanic was gone. Based on interviews with sixty-three survivors, Lord&’s moment-by-moment account is among the finest books written about one of the twentieth century&’s bleakest nights.
The Call of the Wild
by Jack LondonPuffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every childTo Buck it was boundless delight, this hunting, fishing, and indefinite wandering through strange places. Pampered dog Buck lives a comfortable life in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a terrible act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of work and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his place in the wilderness - and a place to call home.The Call of the Wild is a beautiful and thought-provoking tale following a dog's journey of hope, resilience and finding your family. This edition includes an introduction by award-winning author Melvyn Burgess, a behind-the-scenes journey, an author profile, a guide to who's who, activities and more.