Literature

A wonderful collection of six classic Greek myths and legends, specially retold for younger readers. Includes the stories of ‘The Wooden Horse’, ‘The Minotaur’ and ‘The Odyssey’, as well as a guide to the Greek gods. Beautifully bound in padded hardback, and packed with information, color and culture, this makes a thrilling read for any child. With a pronunciation guide to Greek names on the Usborne Quicklinks website.

Series: Illustrated Stories Beautifully illustrated collections of classics and original tales.

Age 8 years and up         Publisher: Usborne

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Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams. Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn't know any English, so it's hard to make friends. Then a miracle: baseball happens. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone's hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity. Learn More

Journey with Shirley Temple Wong as she sails from China to New York and discovers how America can be a place where dreams come true. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson: An Instructional Guide for Literature provides unique, standards-based lessons to help students analyze story elements in multiple ways, engage in close reading and text-based vocabulary practice, determine meaning through text-dependent questions, and more. Through these fun but rigorous activities, students will develop key critical literacy skills and learn how to comprehend rich, complex literature.

Grades 3-5

From Teacher Created Materials

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From the inspiring yet straightforward words of Abraham Lincoln, the story is told of a man who went to school for no more than one year, lost two elections, and then went on to lead our nation through the hardest of times. Through vivid illustrations, speeches, writings, and memoirs, Abraham Lincoln offers readers a personal history lesson of his life in this biography which includes excerpts from his speeches, letters, and other writings, of the man who was President during the Civil War. 128 pages. Grades 3-7. Learn More

Biography tracing the fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott from her happy childhood in Pennsylvania and Boston to her success as a writer of such classics as Little women. Learn More

ABOUT THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU

Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life.

While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read.

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Scott O’Dell won the Newbery Medal in 1961 for his unforgettable novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the true story of a Nicoleño Indian girl living in solitude between 1835 and 1853 on San Nicolas Island, only seventy miles off the coast of Southern California. His quietly gripping tale of Karana’s survival, strength, and courage—and vivid descriptions of island life—has captivated readers for decades. This 50th anniversary edition features an introduction by two-time Newbery Medal winner Lois Lowry. Paperback. Learn More

This literature guide is recommended for 4th-6th grade. Activities include skill pages, writer's forum, tests and more. Teacher notes and answers are given.

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Follow the story of a young girl stranded for years on an island off the California coast. Island of the Blue Dolphins: An Instructional Guide for Literature features rigorous and engaging lessons and activities to aid in students' comprehension and analysis. These appealing and challenging cross-curricular lessons and activities were written to support the Common Core State Standards and incorporate research-based literacy skills to help students become thorough readers. Each lesson and activity work in conjunction with the text to teach students how to analyze and comprehend story elements in multiple ways, practice close reading and text-based vocabulary, determine meaning through text-dependent questions, and much more. Add rigor to your students' explorations of rich, complex literature with this essential resource! Grades 4-8 Learn More

Part of the Childhood of Famous Americans fictionalized biography series. Learn all about the childhood of Jackie Robinson, and how he became all-star in American history as well as baseball! Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947, ending racial segregation and contributing significantly to the Civil Rights Movement. He went on to have an amazing baseball career. Over ten seasons, he played in six World Series, was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. In 1962, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And in 1997, Major League Baseball “universally” retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams, making him the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored.In this narrative biography, you’ll discover what he was like as a kid, and how his experiences made him into the athlete and activist he later became! 192 pages. Grades 3-7 Learn More

Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved. Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island. The war unexpectedly gave her a chance to fulfill her dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach to find her own identity. Learn More

James Trotter loses his parents in a horrible accident and is forced to live-miserably-with his two wicked aunts. Then James is given some magic crystals that give him hope. But when he accidentally spills these crystals on an old peach tree, strange things begin to happen. A peach starts to grow and grow until James is able to climb inside and escape his awful aunts! And through this adventure, he makes some interesting friends, including Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider, and Centipede, and finally finds a place where he belongs. Paperback. 128 pages. Learn More

Poor and plain, Jane Eyre begins life as a lonely orphan in the household of her hateful aunt. Despite the oppression she endures at home, and the later torture of boarding school, Jane manages to emerge with her spirit and integrity unbroken. She becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she finds herself falling in love with her employer—the dark, impassioned Mr. Rochester. But an explosive secret tears apart their relationship, forcing Jane to face poverty and isolation once again. Learn More

Jane Eyre is orphaned, bullied and humiliated as a child, but her spirit is never broken. After leaving her harsh boarding school, she finds work as a governess and finally discovers the love that she has always longed for, with the dark Mr Rochester. But Rochester has a monstrous secret, concealed in the attic of Thornfield Hall . 116 pages. Ages 6-9 Learn More

The sequel to Alcott's much loved Little Men, "Jo's Boys" continues the story of her school at Plumfield and her beloved students. Though in this novel she brings her tale of the March family to an end, in true Alcott style it is filled with humor, adventure, and an emphasis on family that has endeared her to readers for over a century. Learn More

Part of the Childhood of Famous Americans fictionalized biography series. One of the most popular series ever published for young Americans, these classics have been praised alike by parents, teachers, and librarians. With these lively, inspiring, fictionalized biographies - easily read by children 8 and up - today's youngster is swept right into history. Paperback. ages 8-12. 192 pages. Learn More

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Johnny Tremain,winner of the 1944 Newbery Medal, is one of the finest historical novels ever written for children. As compelling today as it was seventy years ago, to read this riveting novel is to live through the defining events leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Fourteen-year-old Johnny Tremain, an apprentice silversmith with a bright future ahead of him, injures his hand in a tragic accident, forcing him to look for other work. In his new job as a horse-boy, riding for the patriotic newspaper,The Boston Observer, and as a messenger for the Sons of Liberty, he encounters John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Dr. Joseph Warren. Soon Johnny is involved in the pivotal events shaping the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party to the first shots fired at Lexington. Learn More

Faith's Pa says there's no room on a wagon train for Josefina, a chicken who's too tough to eat and too old to lay eggs. But Faith loves her pet. Can Josefina show Pa that she still has a few surprises left in her? 64 pages. Ages 4-8 Learn More

Jean Craighead George’s Newbery Medal–winning classic about an Eskimo girl lost on the Alaskan tundra. Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of other wilderness stories such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins. To her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness. Miyax tries to survive by copying the ways of a pack of wolves and soon grows to love her new wolf family. Life in the wilderness is a struggle, but when she finds her way back to civilization, Miyax is torn between her old and new lives. Is she Miyax of the Eskimos—or Julie of the wolves? 192 Pages. Paperback. Learn More

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragedy based on the historical events surrounding the death of Caesar, exploring the motivations of the men who orchestrated it and surrounded him in public and political life.

The Student Guide includes Reading Notes, Vocabulary, Comprehension Questions, Socratic Discussion Questions, and Essay Prompts.

Grades 9-12

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Introduce your students to the most popular literary accomplishments of William Shakespeare. Easy-reading adaptations will ignite the interest of both reluctant and enthusiastic readers. Each title is arranged in 10 short chapters with key words defined and used in context. The integrity of the original plays have been retained but essentially converted into story format. Each chapter is followed by multiple-choice questions that require students to recall specific details, sequence events, draw inferences, develop new story names, and choose the main idea. 72-pages. Standards Mastered: • Reading and Listening Comprehension • Recalling Facts & Details, Main Idea • Analyzing Characters • Context Clues • Interpreting Text • Reading Skills • Vocabulary Development • Fluency Learn More

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragedy based on the historical events surrounding the death of Caesar, exploring the motivations of the men who orchestrated it and surrounded him in public and political life. The Teacher Guide includes the inset student guide with answers, guides for Socratic Discussion Questions, and Quizzes and Quiz Keys. Learn More

Just So Stories By RUDYARD KIPLING Introduction by Jonathan Stroud.The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs – everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation. With an inspiring written, inspiring introduction by Jonathan Stroud, author of the Bartimaeus trilogy, Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling is one of the twelve wonderful classic stories being relaunched in Puffin Classics in March 2008.Paperback | Published by Puffin Books Jun 19, 2008 | 224 Pages | Middle Grade (10 and up) Learn More