James and Marvin are best friends, which wouldn’t be unusual except for the fact that James is a boy and Marvin is a beetle. Welcome to the world created by Elise Broach in her award-winning children’s novel, Masterpiece. The companion introductory chapter book series, The Masterpiece Adventures, revels in the magic of this unlikely friendship. … Read more
For years, schools have celebrated reading with Betty G. Birney’s Humphrey series. Now, readers who need a bit more support can join in the classroom hamster fun with Humphrey’s Tiny Tales, aseries of introductory chapter books. “Classroom pets like me love to be needed.” In Humphrey’s Playful Puppy Problems, everyone’s favorite hamster heads home for … Read more
It’s a good thing humans have dogs to keep them safe from squirrels.” And it’s a good thing we have more Fenway! Fenway and the Bone Thieves is the first in an introductory chapter book series by Victoria J. Coe, author of the popular Read to Them title, Fenway and Hattie. It’s a new series, … Read more
“There are some things you should know about me before I tell you everything else. Let’s start with the worst things first. Sometimes I lie. I don’t know why I lie, and it’s usually about dumb things that people figure out right away, or really soon. It’s embarrassing, if you want to know the truth.” … Read more
Set in London, the Planet Omar series brings to life the vivid imagination of a 9-year-old boy facing a new school year at a new school. Thanks to Zanib Mian’s witty writing and the fully integrated illustrations by Nasaya Mafaridik, this book moves briskly with plenty of laughs – and lessons – along the way. … Read more
The girl who charmed you in Stella Díaz Has Something to Say is back for more heartwarming fun. And you don’t have to read the first book to appreciate the second book of this series. If only I could do something big this summer, too. It’s the beginning of summer vacation and Stella is dejected. … Read more
This was going to be the worst summer ever! So says Jake as he waits for the ferry to take him to stay with his grandmother, Honey, on Dewees Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina – very much against his will. No friends. No Wi-Fi. And, minutes after the ferry leaves the dock, no … Read more
“Can’t keep up. Can’t keep up.” Jessie Treski wants to keep up with her older brother. She’s really good with numbers, math, and, as it turns out, business. But she’s less sure of the social sense that allows her to understand how others react to her intelligence and her drive, including her classmates and her older … Read more
Most of you have probably played with super balls, toy soldiers, Play-Doh, Legos, or a Mr. Potato Head. Many of you have no doubt enjoyed heated games of Monopoly, Checkers, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, or Parcheesi. But have you ever thought about how these toys and games got their start? Behind every toy there is an … Read more
“Papa Pete always says laughter is good, but not as good as a pickle.” Bookmarks Are People Too! is the first book in the Here’s Hank series, books that re-package Henry Winkler’s lovable character Hank Zipzer for younger readers. Don’t worry – these Intro level books retain all the hilarity and shenanigans of Niagara Falls, … Read more
The Hank Zipzer series is the creation of Henry Winkler (yes, the Fonz, from Happy Days). He began the series to give voice to his own struggles in school when he was a child with dyslexia. So he created Hank Zipzer – “the world’s greatest underachiever.” Yes, Hank struggles with the technical aspects of school … Read more
“I think I might have learned more from not having a teacher than I did having one.” – Maggie We’ve all experienced a Ms. Bryce before – that strict, old-fashioned teacher that has been in the profession for a long, long time – the teacher that you wish would quit. Class 507, the worst class … Read more
E.B. White wrote three novels for children and all of them are classics: Stuart Little (1945); Charlotte’s Web (1953); and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970). “When Mrs. Frederick C. Little’s second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse. The truth of the matter was, the baby looked very much … Read more
To my faithful readers,because a book is like a pie –the only thing more satisfying than cooking up the storyis knowing that somebody might be out thereeating it up with a spoon.-SW This epigraph is an invitation by Sarah Weeks to relish all the tasty morsel moments in PIE. And there are plenty! PIE is … Read more
Meet EllRay Jakes, the young protagonist of Sally Warner’s fun, quick-reading series. Meet his parents, sister, and classmates – and take a peek behind the curtain of life in third grade. In the entertaining second book of the series, we find EllRay in the middle of a common school crisis – popularity. Everyone is bragging … Read more
Move over Humphrey, there’s a new class pet in town! Well, actually there are 8 of them. And a squirrel. And a dog. And together they do indeed create chaos. This fast-paced adventure from Vivian Vande Velde is one wild ride that your students are sure to enjoy. First, they’ll meet Twitch, the schoolyard squirrel, … Read more
In Keena Ford and the Second-Grade Mix-Up, we meet Keena as she starts a new school year with all the excitement and apprehension it brings. She tells us all about it through the entries in her brand new journal, so we experience all of her thoughts and emotions first hand. Like the heroines in many … Read more
Appleblossom is the smallest of her mama’s first batch of babies, so she and her siblings all have A names – Abdul, Alisa, Augusta, Atticus and so on. Mama Possum is busy teaching her babies the finer points of a life on the stage, complete with Shakespearean dialogue and courtly dancing. Consider this scene as … Read more
We invite readers to revisit, rediscover, and rethink what you know about fairy tales with Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin. Author Liesl Shurtliff presents the story-behind-the-story of the fabled Rumpelstiltskin, pulling back the curtain to reveal the truth behind his famed ability to spin straw into gold, and the heavy price that ability … Read more
This quirky book and a long-time favorite is sure to capture the imagination of your students and families. If you don’t already know it, Wayside School is a school where everything is sideways, or backwards, or wackwards, or sometimes even upside down. In fact there’s a kid at Wayside who can only read the blackboard…upside-down! … Read more
The Gooseberry Gang is back – and they’re stronger in number, spirit, and love. The beloved hermit crab, Gwendolyn, and the loyal Labrador, Kona, strive to save the Gooseberry Park residents from a devastating drought. This effort requires the cooperation and kindness of an entire menagerie of animals, each of whom demonstrates strengths and gifts … Read more
What do a lumbering Labrador, a wise-cracking bat, a Caribbean crab, and a squirrel mother of triplets have in common? They are the best of friends, of course! Gooseberry Park is the endearing story of true friendship and selflessness at its best. Kona, the loyal Labrador, is willing to risk it all to help his best … Read more
How to Eat Fried Worms is a truly “squirm in your seat” read – and that makes it a perfect Intro/Sweet Spot selection for your school. One sure way to get children wanting to read more is to pick a book that is filled to the brim with classic kid-based grossness. Hit ‘em where they live. … Read more
Wilson Rawls is perhaps most famous for his heart-warming tearjerker, Where the Red Fern Grows (1961). But it is his second novel, Summer of the Monkeys (1976), that was made into a Disney movie. Skip the movie. Read the book. Rawls grew up in Indian Territory of the Ozark Mountains (which encompass four states west … Read more
