The Lion of Mars

Book cover for The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm

It is 2091, and humans have been living on Mars for twenty years. There are grown-ups who have come from several different countries on Earth to establish the settlements, and there are kids who were brought there as babies. There’s even a cat – Leo – fondly referred to as the “Lion of Mars.”   The … Read more

The Wild Robot Escapes

Book cover for the Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

“But I am not safe here. If any human ever learns who I really am, they will have me destroyed. And that is why, when the time is right, I will try to escape.”   After living on a remote island and learning to speak the language of the animals, Roz the robot is facing a … Read more

Malcolm at Midnight

Book cover for Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck

“A lot happens in a school when the teachers aren’t looking.”  So closes an anonymous letter left for Mr. Binney, fifth grade teacher at McKenna School. The letter is attached to a manuscript that tells a remarkable story of Malcolm and his noble quest to protect the school from the evil plan of Snip, a … Read more

Booked – The Graphic Novel

Cover for the graphic novel adaptation of Booked by Kwame Alexander

From Newbery-winning author, Kwame Alexander. For middle schools. About soccer. About books. And relationships. Nick Hall is a pretty typical middle schooler. He’s a king on the soccer field, he’s doing well in school, and he’s gearing up to ask out April, the girl of his dreams. However, Nick doesn’t like words. His father is … Read more

The Crossover – The Graphic Novel

Cover for the graphic novel adaptation of Kwame Alexander's The Crossover.

Basketball. Competition. Family. Health. Poetry. Kwame Alexander weaves all these all elements together in his Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning novel in verse, The Crossover. OH, WOW – DID YOU SEE THAT NASTY CROSSOVER?Now you see why they call me Filthy.Folks, I hope you got your tickets,Because I’m about to put on … Read more

The Islanders

Cover for The Islanders by Mary Alice Monroe

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

The Lemonade War

Updated cover for The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

“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

I Am Malala

I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”  Malala Yousafzai was raised to stand up for what she believes. She took this to heart as her conviction was severely challenged when the Taliban took control of her formally peaceful town. Despite their tactics of fear and violence, Malala continued to stand … Read more

Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions

TOYS! Amazing Stories Behind some Great Inventions - Don Wulffson

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

Niagara Falls, Or Does It?

Hank Zipzer - Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver

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

The Pet War

The Pet War - Allan Woodrow

“Little Miss Perfect” takes on “Mr. Good-Enough” in Allan Woodrow’s tale of sibling-rivalry with an entrepreneurial twist. A resourceful, yet tired single mom wants nothing to do with umpiring her kids’ argument about getting a family pet.  After hearing Lexi’s boardroom-worthy presentation for a cat, and Otto’s desperate pleas for a dog, Mom decides to … Read more

Class Dismissed

Class Dismissed - Allan Woodrow

“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

The Trumpet of the Swan

The Trumpet of the Swan - Fred Marcellino

E.B. White wrote three novels for children. You probably know Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Now is the time to discover or re-visit the equally special The Trumpet of the Swan. The book starts with the young Sam Beaver, a budding naturalist who witnesses a pair of Trumpeter Swans, nesting by a little pond in … Read more

Stuart Little

Stuart Little - E.B. White

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

Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

Read to Them is proud to offer E.B. White’s classic Charlotte’s Web. An entire community reading about Farmer Zuckerman’s barn – from kindergarteners to 5th graders, from parents to administrators, from teachers to bus drivers – will give your school an experience that is nothing less than “TERRIFIC.” Whether you are an older sibling who … Read more

Save Me a Seat

Sarah Weeks - Save me a Seat - Gita Varadarajan

On the surface, Save Me a Seat is book about bullying. But there is so much more. It’s a book about different perspectives, told by two boys from different cultures. It’s a book about friendship. It’s a book about classroom dynamics. It’s a book about Indian food! Ravi’s family has just immigrated from India. He … Read more

Pie

Pie - Sarah Weeks

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

Appleblossom the Possum

Appleblossom the Possum - Holly Goldberg Sloan

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

Rump

Rump - The (Fairly) True Take of Rumplestiltskin - Liesl Shurtliff

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

The Cricket in Times Square

The Cricket in Times Square - George Selden

“Rejoice, Oh New Yorkers—for a musical miracle has come to pass in our city!… Ah, music lovers, you will never guess. It was a cricket! A simple cricket…that is able to chirp operatic, symphonic, and popular music. … You will find him in the newsstand run by the Bellini family in the subway station in … Read more

Holes

Holes - Louis Sachar

Newbery Medal-winning Holes is a rich, complex book that has already engaged a generation of readers. It is sure to provide a wealth of spirited discussion and fun activities when you read it school-wide. At its heart, Holes is the story of Stanley Yelnats, a boy wrongly accused of a crime and sentenced to spend … Read more

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Sideways Stories From Wayside School - Louis Sachar

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

Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan

Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan - Cynthia Ryland and Arthur Howard

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

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan

What better way to learn history than through the eyes of a beloved character as she experiences it firsthand? Esperanza Ortega guides us through her beautiful coming-of-age story in the 1930s. With the effects of the Mexican Revolution and the Great Depression lingering in her hometown of Aguascaleintes, Mexico, the wellborn Esperanza goes from anticipating … Read more