The Nylund kids are experienced world travelers thanks to their mom. Having a mom who works for the UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, means they get to tag along for amazing world adventures. They each record their trips in their travel journals so that can always have the memories… and because they have to share what they learned with their teachers and classmates! The family is packing up and shipping out to Italy! Excited and desperate to leave Chicago’s winter weather, the Nylund family meets one obstacle after another. A huge ice storm in New York before their flight, losing Ollie in the Roman Catacombs, a crab taking a chunk out of Samal’s foot, and an encounter with a viper threaten to terminate this trip. Will their luck ever turn around so they can enjoy their time in Italy? Adventure books with longer, complex sentences, rich vocabulary, and minimal illustrations are perfect for fluent readers. Paired to the nonfiction title STEM Guides to Maps.
Having parents who travel the world for work has its benefits. Twins, Tomas and Marisol, are able to tag along on many or their parents’ trips exploring new cultures, making new friends, and maybe a few adventures. Tomas and Marisol never thought such a beautiful place would be so dangerous. The twins are eager to see all the animals they can but they never considered poachers invading their camp, stampedes, or the hot savannah sun. Are Tomas and Marisol cut out for Kenya? What did the poachers want from a bunch of researchers? Will the Perez family make it out of the African savannah safely? Adventure books with longer, complex sentences, rich vocabulary, and minimal illustrations are perfect for fluent readers. Paired to the nonfiction title STEM Guides to Travel.
Twins, Anara and Samal, love to travel with their mom and little brother, Oliver. Having a mom that works for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, means the family gets to travel to the coolest places. Sometimes their dad or their grandma from Finland, Vovo, are able to tag along and visit the most amazing places. India is totally better than spending all summer at camp. Traveling through busy citifies and India’s countryside, the Nylund’s experience rickshaws, spicy foods, and, Ollie’s favorite, history. Things get complicated when the kids encounter the many homeless children, mistreatment of Anara’s beloved elephants, and 13 hour “surprise” trip. Can the Nylunds survive India’s hot, humid weather? Will they make it through the mountains to the Valley of Flowers? Can they help all the homeless children wandering in India? These adventure books are perfect for your fluent reader. They develop independent reading through longer, complex sentences, rich vocabulary, and minimal illustrations. Paired to the nonfiction title A Listen to World Music.
Tomi and Marisol’s lives aren’t like most 12 year olds. Having parents who are traveling researchers can make having a regular life tricky. The cool part is that they have friends all over the world and get to have amazing adventures! Puerto Rico does sound tempting especially when battling a cold, Chicago winter. Who wouldn’t enjoy swimming in the ocean and lounging on the beach? Except that’s not exactly how things work when you have a scientist and a historian for parents. The twins are packing their bags and traveling so their mom can study the Antillean crusted hummingbird in the rainforest. Tomi and Marisol like a good adventure, but sometimes end up where they shouldn’t!These adventure books are perfect for your fluent reader. They develop independent reading through longer, complex sentences, rich vocabulary, and minimal illustrations. Paired to the nonfiction title STEM Jobs with the Environment.
Country hopping is what these twins do best! Tomi and Marisol are homeschooled by their history professor dad and well-known biologist mom. Their classroom is the world as they travel deep into rainforest or out to remote islands. The twins are having adventures and making new friends along the way as they learn about new cultures and countries. The Perez family is out and about in South Korea! Tomi and Marisol are spending their summer vacation away from Chicago while their dad teaches at the local university. These expert travelers are ready to explore the palaces, temples, and volcanic park that South Korea offers. Along the way they rekindle an old flame of Aunt Bernadette’s, get on TV with a Korean K-Pop star, and find themselves in a river without a paddle! The twins and their aunt accidentally end up crossing the border into North Korea and are detained. Will they ever get out? Adventure books with longer, complex sentences, rich vocabulary, and minimal illustrations are perfect for fluent readers. Paired to the nonfiction title STEM Jobs in Music.
All the girls in class are talking about Kayla’s party. It will be Jasmine and Annie’s first sleepover and they have mixed feelings, so when Jasmine overhears a conversation about a plan to play tricks on her and Annie, things take a turn for the worse. But sometimes what you hear isn’t what you think. Will Kayla and her friends play tricks on Annie and Jasmine? What tricks do Annie and Jasmine have up their sleeves? Paired to the nonfiction title Cheerleading.
What do glitter snowflakes, aliens, and singing have in common? Join the Gumshoe Gang at Watson Elementary as they solve the latest mystery. Lyra is so excited for the Christmas concert that she has a hard time focusing on anything else. That is until someone starts sabotaging the decorations needed for the concert. Who would want to get the concert canceled? Why are the teachers acting so strangely? Paired to the nonfiction title Skills for Social Success.
Sharing, taking turns and treating everyone we meet with respect are ways we can show fairness to others. But how do we know what's fair? And how do we follow through on what we know is right? The six people in this graphic nonfiction book have all shown their commitment to a world of equality and fairness. Let's see what we can learn from them. As you read, you'll also ask yourself how you would have responded in some of the situations they faced.
For as long as he can remember, Matt has wanted to play basketball. Now, as he tries out for the team at his new middle school, he realizes that the easy days of elementary ball are over and that this is a much more serious game. Dealing with a hard-driving coach, competitive teammates and his own insecurities in a new school, Matt needs to call on all his skills, both on and off the court, to make the team and keep his head above water. When he is involved, albeit unwittingly, in tagging a store with racist graffiti, Matt finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for. And when he fights back against an aggressive teammate and is threatened with suspension from the team, he learns that it is not only game-time decisions that count, but also the choices made after the crowd has gone home and the gym is silent.
Nick and Kia get excited when their school gym teacher announces a "three-on-three" basketball tournament. The two most dedicated players in grade three, they know they'll be tough to beat. But when Nick finds out they'll be up against teams in grade four and five, he is ready to throw in the towel before they start. How can shrimps like them ever hope to beat the older kids? Kia, however, is undaunted. They need a third player for their team anyway, she reasons, so why not go after the best player in the school? Marcus is bigger, tougher and in grade five. But it's not as easy as Kia thinks to convince Marcus to join their team. And there's no guarantee the older boy won't change his mind before the tournament begins. Marcus is often uneasy around them, but worse, Kia and Nick find themselves making enemies of some of the kids in the upper grade. Nick realizes it's going to take more than skill at basketball to win this tournament and make friends with Marcus without becoming targets for the older kids off the court. Book 1 in the series.
Leo is a genius. His pet cat named Pallas is not! But together they come up with some brilliant inventions based on maths shapes. And all this - more than 30,000 years ago! Cubes covers the essentials of this geometrical shape, its functions and applications.
A series for the young architect, designer or engineer who wants to understand how animals build their amazing homes - and copy their ideas!
Braden Green, Gabriel Lopez, and Misty Everest, three teenagers bound for Mars, discover that the damage to the spaceship is the result of sabotage. With all of the crew dead the three teens must figure out who is responsible for the sabotage before something else goes wrong. Second book in the series.
Braden Green, Gabriel Lopez, and Misty Everest identify the saboteur who damaged the spaceship. But the ship has drifted way off course and there’s no pilot to correct the situation. The three teens must find a way to get the ship back on course and bring it in for a landing on Mars. Third book in the series.
Braden Green, Gabriel Lopez, and Misty Everest think that their problems are over when they finally get to Mars. But it turns out the problems are only beginning when the wants to refuse them entrance. With little fuel and food, the three teens must figure out how to convince the colony to let them in. Fourth book in the series.
Braden Green, Gabriel Lopez, and Misty Everest are three teenagers heading to the largest colony on Mars. But when a malfunction kills nearly everyone on board, the three teens must take control and figure out how to get the remaining passengers safely to Mars. First book in the series.
Before the school year even starts, the Benton Bluff Junior High band is back in room 217 for summer arts camp. Morgan Bryant wants to be a famous conductor someday, and leading the clarinets is perfect practice! But somehow, goofy Zac Wiles and his saxophone campers are stealing the show. How can she get her section in sync? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
Miles Darr and his friends in room 217 love band. And they love their director, Mr. Byrd. Colorful tropical shirts? Check. Sandals in winter? Check. High expectations? Double check. But lately, he’s been distracted. And rumor has it, Byrd might be flying the nest. Can they convince him to stay? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
Colby Ellis wants to start his own band. He has the drive. He has his saxophone. And he has a garage. He just needs a name. And bandmates! He finds some fresh faces, and some of his friends from Benton Bluff Junior High band join too. But harmony isn’t their forte, so Colby makes a bold decision. Will it be the end of the band, or just the beginning? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
From the percussion section at the back of room 217, Carmen Trochez keeps the Benton Bluff Junior High band steady. But when a student teacher enters the scene, the band’s loyalties are divided. Carmen is usually the glue. Can she keep everything from falling apart? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.
Brand new pop star Cadence Hudson is on the hottest tour of the summer. When another singer writes a revenge song about her, she turns to her best friends, Maisey Lopez and Kenya Jackson. They’re along for the ride, helping her stay grounded as her whole world changes. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Book 1 in the series
Maisey Lopez loves fashion. When her best friend, pop star Cadence Hudson, faces a fashion emergency Maisey steps up to help. But the real Cadence may get lost beneath the makeover! Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Book 2 in the series
With the concert tour coming to an end, Cadence Hudson, Maisey Lopez, and Kenya Jackson are heading in opposite directions. They’re hoping they can grow up, without growing apart. Because when something ends, doesn’t that mean something new is beginning? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Book 4 in the series
Kenya Jackson is a dancer. She can’t help but groove to the beat of her best friend Cadence Hudson’s summer concert tour sounds. But only offstage. That is, until the day Cadence needs her more than ever. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Book 3 in the series
Join Junior Detective Bree Cody and her cat Rico in their exciting adventures as they solve the mysteries! Each story offers an opportunity for even the most reluctant readers to sharpen their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills as they investigate each case and follow the clues to their logical conclusion.
