Edward Michael Groverton, or Em, as he is known is devastated when his father suddenly dies. At the funeral he sees a man with a gun. Things begin to really get strange when their house is broken into and only his father’s study is ransacked. His mother encourages him to go to France with a friend of his father and his daughter, Charlotte. What he discovered about his father and Nostradamus leads the three of them on a dangerous journey through London and eventually to Arizona. This fascinating tale, a mixture of fantasy, science, and politics will keep the reader engaged right to the end. Lexile 730 |
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If you enjoy stories with a strong female heroine able to solve her own problems, then you should read Graceling. Katsa is from a kingdom where people are born with a "grace" such as cooking, archery or even swimming. Katsa is born with the grace to kill. Her uncle, the king, forces Katsa to become his assassin. Katsa hates her job and secretly begins to help those her uncle wants to kill. Author's Website: Kristin Cashore Series: Fire, Bitterblue Lexile 730 Elisa has gone through a major transformation since she became a hero and led her people to victory. She's no longer the timid, pudgy girl, unsure of herself and the decisions she must make for her country. Her destiny as The Chosen One has yet to fulfilled. While under constant threat of assassination, Elisa must journey to follow a trail of ancient forbidden and forgotten clues in order to complete her destiny and conquer the power she bears.
Author Website Lexile: 730 Series: Girl of Fire and Thorns (Book 1), Bitter Kingdom (Book 3) "Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do." -From the Book Lexile: 730 Author Website Series: Crown of Embers, The Bitter Kingdom
"When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel – a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring – they’re swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course. Now it’s up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks… and to save Dak’s missing parents while they’re at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny…"
"Danger. Heartbreak. Choices. Is forever too long to wait for true love? Five mythical Chinese dragons and the open sea beckon nineteen-year-old Kelsey who must embark on a third voyage--this time to find the goddess Durga's Black Pearl Necklace and free her beloved Ren from both the tiger's curse and his sudden amnesia. Ren's bad-boy brother, Kishan, however, has other plans, and the two vie for her affection and try to outsmart those intent on foiling their goal. Tiger's Voyage, the third book in the Tiger's Curse series, spins a deliciously suspenseful tale of enchanted creatures, love-torn hearts, and edge-of-your-seat actions as Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan journey toward their true destiny." - Author Website Tiger's Curse Book Talk Tiger's Quest Book Talk Series: Tiger's Curse, Tiger's Quest, Tiger's Voyage, Tiger's Destiny "In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker – unfortunately, she’s being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she’s just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she’d ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has." Cinder Book Talk Scarlet Book Talk Author Website
"Adam Henderson is a computer genius. At 5, he took apart circuit boards the way other kids play with Legos. At 9, he had made a virtual fortune from online games, spending his money to design new surveillance cameras and firewalls. When he reaches middle school, Adam finds a crew of like-minded friends, and they stumble into tracking. Not tracking animals, but tracking criminals. Little do they know where it will take them." -Nancy Keane
As the four dig deeper into the shadowy world of online crime, they soon learn that things aren't always as they seem." -Scholastic.com "Read the book. Play the game. Solve the clues. Win the prizes.
Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will. With one shaky signature she changed the destiny of the entire Cahill family, and perhaps that of the world as well. That signature would set into motion events that could mean the end of civilization as we know it. “The children are old enough. They are our only chance,” Grace said to William, her attorney and closest friend for half her life. “If they don’t succeed, 500 years of work will have been for nothing.” And with that final statement, Grace Cahill closed her eyes for the last time. About 400 family members came to her funeral. About 40 of them were invited to the reading of the will she had kept secret for so long and had signed so recently. William played a videotape she’d made months before, in case she decided to sign her secret, alternative will. In it she challenged her heirs to the most important task they would ever face. Each of them was given a voucher for a million dollars. They could choose to keep it, or they could turn it in and get a clue instead, the first of 39 clues that could lead one individual or one team to the most important treasure in the world, and make them powerful beyond belief. That clue would become their only inheritance—no money, no keepsakes, no property of any kind. Which of Grace’s relatives chose to accept the challenge? Ian and Natalie Kabra were the first to get a clue. They looked like matching supermodels, but that exterior covered their selfish and ruthless natures. The five members of the Holt family were next, looking buff and muscular, like a family of GI Joes—even the mom looked like she should shave and start chewing on a big cigar. Alistair Oh, an elderly Korean man with a diamond tipped cane volunteered to be the third team. Irina Spasky, whose twitchy eye was responsible for her nickname, Spaz, said she’d play alone. Then Jonah Wizard, from the TV show Who Wants to be a Gangsta? sauntered up, with his silver chains, ripped jeans, and in-your-face attitude. Finally, there were only two left who hadn’t decided. Amy and Dan Cahill were the two people closest to Grace, who’d loved her without caring about her money. Amy looked at her brother, “Remember,” she thought at him, “what Grace said to us: ‘You will make me proud.’ This is what she was talking about. This is our chance, our adventure.” She took his voucher and William’s lighter, and two million more dollars went up in smoke. The game had begun." -Scholastic.com Series Website
"Amy and Dan follow a lead hidden in the sheet music of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They trace his life through Austria, but their relatives aren’t far behind. Barely escaping police and a violent explosion, the pair find themselves navigating the crowded canals of Venice. They must track down the Clue while avoiding rival Cahills, booby traps, and an angry mob in the Janus stronghold." -Scholastic.com
"Amy and Dan were on their way to Tokyo, but even before the plane took off, their evil cousins Ian and Natalia got the best of them!
Amy and Dan Cahill had given up a cool two million dollars for the chance to beat the rest of the Cahill family and find the greatest source of power in the world. Since then, they'd nearly been killed in a collapsing building in Philadelphia, attacked by monks in Austria, and chased through the canals of Venice. They were in the lead, but when they got to the departure gate for their flight to Tokyo, the woman taking boarding passes asked them to step out of line, then disappeared with their boarding passes. The last few passengers were getting on board, when Amy and Dan were nearly knocked over by two strangers in black coats who were also heading for the gate, waving their boarding passes. "Welcome aboard, Amy and Dan," said one of the gate attendants, ushering them on board. The two looked around as soon as they stepped into the walkway, and turned down their coat collars so Amy and Dan could see their faces. It was Ian and Natalie Kabras, the Cahill cousins they'd left unconscious in a burning room in Venice! It didn't matter how hard Amy and Dan tried, they hadn't been able to get far enough ahead so the Kabrases couldn't catch up. They were older, smarter, colder, meaner, more devious, and more ambitious. They didn't let anything stop them. And now they were on the plane to Japan, traveling as Amy and Dan Cahill. Amy and Dan watched the plane taxi away from the gate. Moments later, there was an announcement that everyone had to evacuate the terminal immediately. Amy and Dan ran outside, but the airport bus was just pulling away. And a large black limo screeched into the empty spot at the curb, and the driver gestured for Amy and Dan to get in. It wasn't till the limo pulled away from the curb that they realized who was sitting in the back seat—a pleasant faced Oriental man with a silk suit and white gloves, another Cahill family member in the race for the money and the power—Alistair Oh—who had abandoned them in a burning building, planted a transmitter on them so they could be followed, and now told them that he was on their side, something that was obviously a lie. But he had gotten them away from the chaos at the airport, and he was offering to fly them to Japan on his private jet. And the truth of the matter was that they were stuck without him. Nellie, Saladin, the swords and their suitcases were on the plane with Ian and Natalie Kabras. Amy and Dan had no money and couldn't speak Japanese. Unfortunately, along with all the other Cahills, Alistair Oh was not to be trusted, and his plans were going just the way he wanted them to go." This booktalk was written by Joni Richards Bodart, university professor, writer, librarian, consultant, and booktalking expert. Series Website
"Rumor has it that Katherine Cahill hid a Clue in Egypt 500 years ago that may have been connected to three golden statues of the Egyptian goddess Sakhet. Amy and Dan have managed to get one of the statues, but their hunt for the other two leads them to a mummy’s tomb and a confrontation with one of their deadliest enemies." -Scholastic
"He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied." (Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award 2008) -From Nancy Keane's Book Talks - Quick and Simple
Author's Website In the third book of the Girl of Fire and Thorns Trilogy, Elisa still has a destiny to fulfill. Her most dangerous journey is yet to come. Her own country is on the brink of civil war and her own soldiers have been ordered to kill her on site. The queen must cross a land of ice, snow and dangerous magic into the enemy's kingdom with three companions to rescue her Captain of the Guard. Along the journey, Elisa must learn to harness and use her power to win back her throne and save the world.
Book Trailer Author Website Series: Girl of Fire and Thorns (Book 1), The Crown of Embers (Book 2) Anara is a world falling apart. Galen and his apprentice, Raffi, are hunters in search of illegal relics that emit technologically advanced powers. The pair are in search of a very powerful relic that can save Anara. But, there are others who want the relic for themselves. Soon, the hunters become the hunted.
Book Trailer Author Website: Catherine Fisher Series: The Lost Heiress, The Hidden Coronet, The Margrave Reading Level: 4.2 During the school year, Sophie lives with her father in the States. She spends summers with her mother in the Congo, a country in Central Africa. Sophie's mother rescues bonobos, a type of chimpanzee. Sophie becomes friends with a bonobo and names him Otto. War breaks out in the Congo and the bonobo sanctuary is attacked. Sophie flees with Otto and a group of bonobos into the jungle. "Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive."
Eliot Schrefer asks readers what safety means, how one sacrifices to help others, and what it means to be human in this new compelling adventure. -- Scholastic Reading level: 6 Book Trailer From the book:
"Warning: If you dare to read this story, you become part of the Experiment. I know that sounds a little mysterious - but it's all I can say right now. Max." "Do not put this book down. I'm dead serious -- your life could depend on it....The six of us -- me, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel -- were made on purpose, by the sickest, most horrible 'scientists' you could possibly imagine. They created us as an experiment. An experiment where we ended up 98 percent human. That other 2 percent has had a big impact, let me tell you." "Six experimental beings, just kids really, escape from The School, where they were created, 98% human and 2% bird. Their leader, Max, is only 14 years old. They are hunted by the Erasers, wicked wolf-like creatures with a taste for flying humans. Their mission is to rescue Angel from these malicious mutants...and save the world." -From Nancy Keane's Book Talks -- Quick and Simple Author's Website: James Patterson Reading Level 5.6 "The character of Mordred is usually seen in Arthurian legends as the bad guy. He is the one who led to the downfall of King Arthur. We see of different side of Mordred in this tale of King Arthur and Camelot. Three women have sought out Mordred and asked for his help. Lady Alayna pleads with Mordred to help her when her 5-year-old daughter is kidnapped. Kiera has been kidnapped by an evil wizard who hopes to obtain Kiera's magical powers. Later, Nimue, who has been rumored to have killed Merlin, seeks Mordred's help. And finally, Kiera, now 14, needs Mordred's help when Camelot begins to fall apart. Join Mordred as he faces the demands of his position and learn what may have been going on in Mordred's life that led to the breakup of the Round Table."
-From Nancy Keane's Book Talks Quick and Simple Author's Website - Vivian Vande Velde Reading level: 5.7 Boniface and Prosper, upon the threat of being separated after the death of their parents, run away from Germany to Venice. The boys hook up with a band of homeless kids led by The Thief Lord. The Thief Lord never reveals his identity and never stays long in the abandoned theater where the kids live. He steals and gives the kids enough food and clothes to survive. The Thief Lord takes the boys on many fantastical adventures. Soon, the boys are being hunted down by a detective hired by their aunt and uncle and a greedy man named Barbarossa in search of a hidden treasure. Why is Barbarossa after the boys? Who is The Thief Lord and what secrets does he hold?
The Thief Lord - Movie Trailer Cornelia Funke - Author Website Reading Level: 6.8 Imagine living in a city where there is no sky, sun, moon or stars. The only source of light comes from huge flood lights mounted around the city. The needs of the citizens of Ember are met through huge storerooms where people can obtain everything from baby food to light bulbs. But people are starting to notice something is wrong in the City of Ember. The lights of Ember are beginning to flicker and shut off completely for minutes at a time, leaving the city in complete and utter darkness. The storerooms are almost empty. The light bulbs are almost gone. No one is permitted to leave Ember and no one knows what lies beyond. Two hundred years ago, the original Builders of Ember left a secret message in a time-locked box with instructions on what to do when it is time to leave the city, but the box and the message are all but forgotten.
It is Assignment Day. Twelve-year-old Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow are ready to draw their work assignments for the next two years. Lina wants to be a messenger and have the freedom to run around the city. Doon wants to be assigned as a pipe worker, far below the city where an underground river powers a generator that provides electricity to the city. They each eventually get the job they want. Lina discovers the message left by The Builders of Ember, but the paper is full of holes and parts of the message are missing. Doon discovers a hidden, secret door underneath the city. Can the two decipher the message from The Builders and find a way out to save Ember before the lights go out forever? Jeanne DuPrau - Author Website City of Ember - Movie Trailer Reading level: 5.1 Other books in the series: The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold |