Even though her Dad calls her “Bruiser,” eleven-year-old Joy isn’t as strong as she looks. With Dad gone and Mom depressed, it’s up to Joy to care for the house and her younger brother Ian. Struggling with old clothes in sizes too small now and Ian's constant hunger, Joy fears the school counselor might call Child Protective Services. When a baby bird falls from its nest, Joy recalls her Dad's warning, “You don’t know your own strength.”
Ben’s best friend Cooper is getting nasty notes from an unknown bully. On top of that, her dad is keeping his new girlfriend a secret. It’s up to Ben and his Basset Hound, Blue, to help Cooper unravel these mysteries.
Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year. Ruby Bean, a 12-year-old Accidental Expert on Missing Mothers, embarks on a cross-country journey with her aunt to find her missing mother who suffers from mental illness and addiction. Along the way, Ruby discovers that sometimes the worst events can bring the best surprises into one's life.
Cultures all over the world celebrate and honor family members in different ways. Readers will explore holidays, customs, and traditions that show love and appreciation for the people in our lives that help make us who we are and learn about American Mother's Day, Mexican Dia Del Nino, Chinese Xiao, and a Zulu Imbeleko ceremony. This hi-lo narrative nonfiction series celebrates diverse cultures while highlighting how expressions of joy and connection are all part of the human experience.
Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn’s father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac’s mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws. Reese can’t visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there’s more to life than rules and scary news reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.
Learn how to build relationships and social skills with your siblings, including half-siblings, adopted siblings, and foster siblings. Social and emotional learning (SEL) concepts support growth mindset throughout, while Grow with Goals and Try This! activities further reinforce the content.
In Parents and Guardians, readers will learn how to build relationships and social skills with their caretakers, including parents, stepparents, foster parents, and non-parent guardians. Social and emotional learning (SEL) concepts support growth mindset throughout, while Grow with Goals and Writing Reflection activities further reinforce the content. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text engage young readers as they learn more building relationships with others. Also includes sidebars, a table of contents, glossary, index, and tips for educators and caregivers.
Misha is excited about visiting his favourite aunt, especially now that she has moved into a cottage that is more than a century old. What an opportunity to search out secret passages and hidden cellars. But Aunt Dora's home in the historic town of Belfountain has also raised the interest of others: a society of crows, including the mystic albino Old One, all intent on finding something hidden. Before he knows it, Misha is drawn into his aunt's secret. She is a Keeper, one of a line of wise caretakers of the ancient Pandora's Box, and it is her duty to keep it under lock and key.
Moving to a new city and a new school is never easy. So Lauren is relieved when Callie, Treena and Maddy welcome her into their group. But then Lauren witnesses their reaction to a first grader in a wheelchair. That boy is her little brother, Will. But she’s afraid that if she tells them, they may not want to be friends with her. Soon Lauren finds herself living a double life as she struggles with the challenges of building new friendships and trying to make it up to Will for not acknowledging him at school.
With nowhere left to live after losing his parents and working his way through a long list of relatives on the mainland, Ollie finds himself at his grandpa’s house in Sueño Bay, "home of the supernatural." Miserable and intending to get away from the earthquake-prone, rain-soaked island on the next bus out of town, Ollie's getaway plans are altered abruptly when he and three classmates discover something they shouldn't have in a trailer in the woods. The four unlikely friends come together in a mystery involving supernatural creatures, a ticking clock and one angry gym teacher to save themselves, the creatures and Sueño Bay from a darkness that is infecting the island. If they succeed, will Ollie finally find a place to call home?
Before Rory and Jillian's mother died two years ago, she hired Rebecca to be the family housekeeper. Rebecca is a terrible cook and not so great at housework either. One day Jillian catches her father flirting with Rebecca and decides it's time to find him a girlfriend. The twins create a profile for their father on an online dating site. Dad is very reluctant, but Jillian gets him to agree to go on three dates before giving up. Each date turns out to be more disastrous than the last. Will Rory and Jillian manage to find their dad the perfect match? Or was the answer right in front of them the whole time?
Leni has lived in so many different places in the last few years that she’s not surprised when her mom wakes her in the middle of the night and tells her to pack up her things. The reason for this move? Her mom tells her they have won the lottery, and they have to go underground. Leni is still not surprised when they end up in a filthy motel. But when Leni makes a new friend and tries to explain their lifestyle, she begins to understand just how messed-up her life has become.
For Wolf, saving the planet means first saving his family from self-inflicted disaster. Wolf’s mother is obsessed with saving the world’s honeybees, so it’s not too surprising when she announces that she’s taking her Save the Bees show on the road—with the whole family. Wolf thinks it’s a terrible plan, and not just because he’ll have to wear a bee costume—in public. He likes his alternative school and hates the idea of missing weeks of classes. His teenage stepsister doesn’t want to leave her boyfriend, and one of his little half-sisters has stopped talking altogether, but Wolf’s mom doesn’t seem to notice. She’s convinced that the world is doomed unless ordinary people take extraordinary action.
The dog shows up the way snow does on a winter's day. She just drifts in and stays, becoming the friend of a young Cree boy. The boy and the dog set out on an adventure that ends in a quandary involving quills and a big brother who swears to take revenge on the porcupine. But Lindy, a Cree elder and master carver, reminds the brothers of the importance of the great porcupine. After a day spent carving in town, the boy learns some truths about human nature and realizes that sometimes, like the porcupine, you must put your quills up to keep from getting pushed around.
Seventeen-year-old Nova Abbott grew up dancing barefoot in the backyard with her aunt Ivy, whose dreams of becoming a professional ballerina were cut short by cystic fibrosis. Nova is invited to attend a prestigious ballet school's summer intensive program. She is a bit overwhelmed by New York City. With a coveted apprenticeship up for grabs, Nova isn't sure she'll make it in the big leagues, and now she's not even sure she wants to.
Fourteen-year-old Rose is sure she's going to become a folk-music sensation, with her best friend, Shilo, at her side. But first she needs to convince her mom to keep paying for her expensive violin lessons. Her mom wants her to join the youth symphony and focus on classical music, in preparation for a music degree at university. When Rose enters a fiddle competition with a unique prize for the winner, she hopes to show her mom she can really can make it as a folk musician.
Shell is forced to transfer from her expensive private school to a public magnet school. In her struggle to find her place, she learns about family, and herself. Summit Book.
When Mark's mother died 12 years ago in a fall at home, Mark was there in his bed. He has recurring memories of the accident and is afraid that his father was involved. With the help of his grandfather, Mark finally learns the truth. Passages Hi/Lo N
The ghostly appearances of an elusive runaway increase a teenager's distrust of her new stepfather. Passages Hi/Lo Novel.
An accident on the way to a camping trip forces Mike and his stepbrother to work together to save themselves and their father. Passages to Adventure Hi/Lo Novel.
In 1897, Andrew and his father join thousands of other people headed for the Klondike goldfields. Cover-to-Cover Chapter Book.
Tyler and his mom and stepdad are fans of Major League Baseball. When the star pitcher on their favorite team signs Tyler's baseball, Tyler proudly displays it in a case that he keeps on his dresser. Tyler's stepbrother is not into baseball. And he doesn't seem to like Tyler either. When the baseball disappears, Tyler knows he didn't lose it. So who took it?
These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. The bus should have arrived at the Heights at five o'clock. Two hours later, there was no sign of it. Everyone was scared and confused. A bus full of students had vanished.
Antonio slid down the rope. He held on for dear life. It got darker as the twister moved closer. It was loud. Like a giant freight train! These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values—but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities—even in unusual circumstances.
Fourteen-year-old Iggy comes from a famous family. Well, sort of. His dad directs a cheesy sci-fi Web series, his mom writes for it, and his sister has a successful YouTube channel. Iggy doesn’t have the acting bug, so he feels like an outsider. Wanting to prove himself, Iggy starts his own podcast about what interests him: insects. But it’s not until Iggy embarrasses his famous sister on air that his podcast really takes off. He’s thrilled with his own success, until she fires back. Now it’s all-out war. Iggy’s World is an exploration of the age-old problem artists face: when we find inspiration from our real lives, what will our friends and family think? And, of course, just how much of our private lives do we really want to reveal online?
