Reading & Literature

If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) if you do not already know all about these things, much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period. Written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Softcover 270+ pages. Ages 10 and up. Learn More

The Happy Prince and Other Stories By OSCAR WILDE Introduction by Markus Zusak.

A haunting, magical fairy-tale collection, in which Oscar Wilde beautifully evokes (among others) The Happy Prince who was not so happy after all, The Selfish Giant who learned to love little children and The Star Child who did not love his parents as much as he should. Each of the stories shines with poetry and magic and will be enjoyed by children of every age. A perfect collection for children young and old, introduced by Markus Zusak, bestselling author of The Book Thief.(#4720).

Paperback | Published by Puffin Books Nov 12, 2009 | 224 Pages | Middle Grade (10 and up)

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Use this guide to familiarize students with the classic novel, The Great Gatsby, and encourage them to connect the story with actual events and issues from the 1920s. Students will enjoy analyzing this complex literary piece and revel in the life lessons they take away from it. The cross-curricular lessons and activities 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. Written to support the Common Core, the challenging activities and lessons work in conjunction with the text to teach students how to analyze and comprehend rich, complex literature. Grades 9-12 Teacher Created Materials Learn More

Many consider The Great Gatsby the closest thing to the Great American Novel ever written. It is the story of Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby lives in the New York suburb of West Egg, where those with "new money" reside. Gatsby's mansion is right across the bay from the home of his wartime love, Daisy Buchanan, pictured always in white. Gatsby seeks to keep his illusion of Daisy as perfect. He uses his money, gained through illegal means, to do so, and uses his neighbor, Nick Carroway, to try to reach Daisy. The love of money as the root of evil is a pervading theme. Learn More

The Grapes of Wrath By JOHN STEINBECK Introduction by Robert DeMott

The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized—and sometimes outraged—millions of readers.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

A Penguin Classic

First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads—driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s powerful landmark novel is perhaps the most American of American Classics.

This Penguin Classics edition contains an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert Demott.

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"Still unequaled as an introduction to the classic myths." — Publishers Weekly Written for young readers by a great Irish folklorist, this Newbery Award–winning anthology centers on the legend of the quest for the Golden Fleece. Generations of readers have thrilled to these classic retellings of ancient myths, which trace Jason and the Argonauts' voyages and their encounters with the foreseer Prometheus, Medea the sorceress, and other legendary characters. Stories of the heroes who accompanied Jason include "The Life and Labors of Heracles," "Theseus and the Minotaur," "How Orpheus the Minstrel Went Down to the World of the Dead," and other stirring tales.

Author Padraic Colum, who was active in the Irish literary renaissance and a founder of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, was also a popular children's writer. Skilled at recounting tales in a manner that attracts and holds kids' attention, Colum possessed a poetic style that continues to enchant audiences of all ages. His captivating tales are complemented by forty evocative illustrations by Willy Pogány.

Reprint of the Macmillan Company, New York, 1921 edition.

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The Discovering Literature Series is designed to develop a student’s appreciation for good literature and to improve reading comprehension. At the Challenging Level, we focus on a variety of reading strategies that help students construct meaning from their experience with literature as well as make connections between their reading and the rest of their lives. The strategies reflect the demands of each literature selection.

In these study guides, we will focus on beginning a book, setting and mood, irony, plot structure, foreshadowing and flashback, characterization, forming hypotheses, evaluating a book, plot conflict, point of view, inferencing, rereading, theme, narration, and the genre of dystopias.

Each chapter analysis is organized into three basic elements: Journal and Discussion Topics, Chapter Vocabulary, and Chapter Summary.

Other features include Strategy Pages to increase students’ understanding of strategies to enhance their comprehension of literature; Testing at the end of each chapter grouping, and Writer’s Forum for students’ to write in a variety of genres relating to the text.

This 91-page teaching guide includes an answer key.

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The Giver: An Instructional Guide for Literature was created to support readers as they explore the Newbery Award-winning novel by Lois Lowry. Students will analyze the characters and elements of this classic story of a dystopia masquerading as a utopia. The challenging activities and lessons in this guide work in conjunction with the text to teach students how to analyze and comprehend story elements in complex literature. Students will practice close reading, improve text-based vocabulary, and determine meaning through text-dependent questions. This guide is the perfect resource to support this well-known story, and will add rigor to your students' exploration of rich, complex literature.

Grades 4-8

From Teacher Created Materials

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For the first time in the history of the Little House books, this new edition features Garth Williams’ interior art in vibrant, full color, as well as a beautifully redesigned cover. Laura Ingalls Wilder is beginning life with her new husband, Almanzo, in their own little house. Laura is a young pioneer wife now, and must work hard with Almanzo, farming the land around their home on the South Dakota prairie. Soon their baby daughter, Rose, is born, and the young family must face the hardships and triumphs encountered by so many American pioneers. And so Laura Ingalls Wilder's adventure as a little pioneer girl ends, and her new life as a pioneer wife and mother begins. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story. 160 pages. Ages 8-12. Learn More

The Federalists Papers-Penguin. Written at a time when furious arguments were raging about the best way to govern America, The Federalist Papers had the immediate practical aim of persuading New Yorkers to accept the newly drafted Constitution in 1787. In this they were supremely successful, but their influence also transcended contemporary debate to win them a lasting place in discussions of American political theory. Acclaimed by Thomas Jefferson as "the best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written", The Federalist Papers make a powerful case for power-sharing between State and Federal authorities and for a Constitution that has endured largely unchanged for two hundred years. In a brilliantly detailed introduction Isaac Kramnick sets the Papers in their historical and political context. This edition also contains the American Constitution as an appendix. Penguin Classics. 528 pages. Paperback.

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This wonderful comprehension guide explorers the magical and enchanting storytelling of The Brothers Grimm. The guide offers engaging exercises and fun activities for nineteen classic fairy tales, such as The Traveling Musician, Rapunzel, and Tom Thumb. Can be used with either Book of Fairy Tales by Random House or The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale published by Everyman. The goal of the comprehension guide is to help students increase comprehension, expand vocabulary, identify biblical values in the literature while developing a student's appreciation and love for reading. Includes dozens of reproducible pages filled with comprehension questions, activities and answer key. Great for school and homeschool use.

Softcover 67p.

From Veritas Press

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The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes By SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE Introduction by Jonathan Stroud.

Through the foggy streets of Victorian London to the deepest countryside, Sherlock Holmes uses his unique powers of deduction in eight thrilling investigations, including the mysteries of ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Reigate Puzzle’. With a captivating introduction by award-winning Jonathan Stroud

Paperback | Published by Puffin Books Apr 01, 2010 | 304 Pages | Middle Grade (10 and up)

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The Essays By MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE

Introduction by John M. Cohen

Translated by John M. Cohen

Reflections by the creator of the essay form display the humane, skeptical, humorous, and honest views of Montaigne, revealing his thoughts on sexuality, religion, cannibals, intellectuals, and other unexpected themes. Included are such celebrated works as “On Solitude,” “To Philosophize Is to Learn How to Die,” and “On Experience.”

Paperback | Published by Penguin Books | 416 Pages

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The Door in the Wall Student Guide consists of literature guidelines and lessons for the 10 chapters of The Door in the Wall each containing reading notes, vocabulary, comprehension questions, quotations, discussion questions, and enrichment activities. The appendix includes “Hope is the Thing with Feathers ” by Emily Dickinson and “Untitled” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The answers can be found in The Door in the Wall Teacher Guide.#1131 Learn More

The Divine Comedy VOLUME 3: PARADISE By DANTE ALIGHIERI

Introduction by Dorothy L. Sayers and Barbara Reynolds

Translated by Dorothy L. Sayers and Barbara Reynolds

The third volume of Dante’s Divine Comedy

To the consternation of his more academic admirers, who believed Latin to be the only proper language for dignified verse, Dante wrote his Comedy in colloquial Italian, wanting it to be a poem for the common reader. Taking two threads of a story that everybody knew and loved – the story of a vision of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, and the story of the lover who has to brave the Underworld to find his lost lady – he combined them into a great allegory of the soul’s search for God. He made it swift, exciting and topical, lavishing upon it all his learning and wit, all his tenderness, humour and enthusiasm, and all his poetry. In Paradise, Dante journeys through the encircling spheres of heaven towards God.

Paperback |Published by Penguin Classics Jul 30, 1962 | 400 Pages

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The Divine Comedy VOLUME 2: PURGATORY By DANTE ALIGHIERI

The second volume of Dante’s Divine Comedy See also Inferno ( # 5303) and Paradise (# 5307).

Beginning with Dante’s liberation from Hell, Purgatory relates his ascent, accompanied by Virgil, of the Mount of Purgatory – a mountain of nine levels, formed from rock forced upwards when God threw Satan into depths of the earth. As he travels through the first seven levels, Dante observes the sinners who are waiting for their release into Paradise, and through these encounters he is himself transformed into a stronger and better man. For it is only when he has learned from each of these levels that he can ascend to the gateway to Heaven: the Garden of Eden. The second part of one of the greatest epic poems, Purgatory is an enthralling Christian allegory of sin, redemption and ultimate enlightenment. 

Paperback | Published by Penguin Classics  | 400 Pages

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The acclaimed translation of Inferno. This vigorous translation of the poet's journey through the circles of hell re-creates for the modern reader the rich meanings that Dante's poem had for his contemporaries. Musa's introduction and commentaries on each of the cantos brilliantly illuminate the text. Translated with Notes and an Introduction by Mark Musa. 432 pages. Penguin Learn More

ABOUT THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Praise for The Diary of a Young Girl “A truly remarkable book.”—The New York Times

“One of the most moving personal documents to come out of World War II.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“There may be no better way to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructible nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil.”—Chicago Tribune

“The single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust . . . remains astonishing and excruciating.”—The New York Times Book Review

“How brilliantly Anne Frank captures the self-conscious alienation and naïve self-absorption of adolescence.”—Newsday

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The Devil's Arithmetic (Puffin Modern Classics) By JANE YOLEN.

Hannah is tired of holiday gatherings−all her family ever talks about is the past. In fact, it seems to her that’s what they do every Jewish holiday. But this year’s Passover Seder will be different−Hannah will be mysteriously transported into the past . . . and only she knows the unspeakable horrors that await.

Paperback | Published by Puffin Books Apr 12, 2004 | 208 Pages | 5 x 7 | Middle Grade (10 and up)

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The Dark Is Rising: An Instructional Guide for Literature introduces students to the Newbery Honor and Carnegie Medal Honor Book. This resource will aid students in comprehending this intriguing story, and engage them as they analyze Will's journey to defeat the dark. Appealing and challenging cross-curricular lessons and activities were written to support this story, and incorporate research-based literacy skills to help students become thorough readers. The lessons and activities 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 and complex literature with this resource.

Grades 4-8

From Teacher Created Materials

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The Newbery Honor-winning The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dagliesh dramatizes a young girl’s struggle in colonial America. Eight year old Sarah Noble and her father travel through the wilderness of Connecticut in 1707 to build a new life. As Sarah and her father live in the wilderness, Sarah sometimes finds it hard to be brave when there are strange noises in the woods. However, Sarah soon makes new friends in her wilderness home, and when she must stay alone while her father goes to fetch the rest of the family, Sarah learns what it really means to be brave. The Courage of Sarah Noble Teacher Guide contains the answers to The Courage of Sarah Noble Student Guide.

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The Courage of Sarah Noble Literature Guide. This Memoria Press Literature Study Guide accompanies the sold-separately book The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh; the Memoria Press 2nd Grade Literature Teacher's Guide is also available separately (and contains the answers for this book).Literature study guides train students to become active readers. These guides focus on vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, and composition skills. Words to pronounce and spell prepare students for each chapter, and words to define build vocabulary. Comprehension questions teach students to think about what they have read and to learn to identify the important content of each story. Comprehension questions also teach students the advanced skill of composing a clear, concise answer to a question, a difficult skill at any age. Writing is thinking, and good questioning stimulates the child to think and to write. 2nd grade.

Teacher Guide also available #10304. Learn More

In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family. "Keep up your courage, Sarah Noble," her mother had said, but Sarah found that it was not always easy to feel brave inside. The dark woods were full of animals and Indians, too, and Sarah was only eight! The true story of Sarah's journey is inspiring. And as she cares for her father and befriends her Indian neighbors, she learns that to be afraid and to be brave is the greatest courage of all. Grades 2-4. 64 Pages. Learn More

ABOUT THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

In the post-Napoleonic era, Edmond Dantès, a young sailor from Marseilles, is poised to become captain of his own ship and to marry his beloved. But spiteful enemies provoke his arrest, condemning him to lifelong imprisonment. Then Edmond’s sole companion in prison reveals his secret plan of escape and a letter with directions to hidden riches on the island of Monte Cristo—a treasure trove that will eventually fund Edmund’s dream of creating a new identity for himself: the mysterious and powerful Count of Monte Cristo.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas employed all the elements of compelling drama—suspense, intrigue, love, vengeance, rousing adventure, and the triumph of good over evil—that contribute to this classic story’s irresistible and timeless appeal.

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