Accelerated Reader Books

In his introduction to the original 1900 edition of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum stated his intention to create a 20th-century American fairy tale. In this, he succeeded admirably, but the appeal of The Wizard of Oz is universal. Published in every major language, it has been enjoyed by children the world over. Full color.

The original hardcover upon which the major motion picture is based on!

When Winter was a baby, she was rescued from a crab trap, her tail seriously damaged, and rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Winter survived, but eventually her tail fell off. Then Winter received a prosthetic tail. It was very challenging but now Winter is thriving and using her new tail with great command. Every year, thousands of visitors travel to visit Winter who has become an inspiration to adults and children alike, especially to children who are amputees themselves. And now Winter's story is soon to be a major motion picture starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick Jr.!

Since it was first published in 1964, Whistle for Willie has delighted millions of young readers with its simple writing and its striking collage artwork depicting the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog. The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Keats's illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world, and the shimmering heat of a summer's day."

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", the narrator tries to prove his sanity after murdering an elderly man because of his "vulture eye". His growing guilt leads him to hear the old man's heart beating under the floorboards, which drives him to confess the crime to the police.

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched and will most likely fill you with deep despair.

From The Bad Beginning to The End, this comprehensive collection with unfortunate bonus material that may or may not include trivia questions, character profiles, and several very sad sentences is the only choice for people who simply cannot get enough of a bad thing!

During a dark night in December, a man sits in his room sadly thinking about his lost love, Lenore. Suddenly, he hears a tapping on the door, but no one is there. The noise moves to the window and the man opens it, only to see an ominous raven. The raven only has one thing to say and, as the night goes on, his haunting call of "Nevermore" begins to make the man more and more paranoid. This unabridged version of Edgar Allan Poe's eerie poem, first published in 1884, is accompanied by Gustave Doré's stunning woodcut illustrations.

ATOS Book Level: 5.8, 5.9, 6.0-6.8, 7.0 
Accelerated Reader Points: 12-19 
Interest level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)

Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is one of his most popular works. Written in Wilde's characteristically dazzling manner, full of stinging epigrams and shrewd observations, the tale of Dorian Gray's moral disintegration caused something of a scandal when it first appeared in 1890. Wilde was attacked for his decadence and corrupting influence, and a few years later the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde's homosexual liaisons, trials that resulted in his imprisonment. Of the book's value as autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps."

"From the Trade Paperback edition.

“There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.”
 
Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull's egg, as "perfect as the moon." With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security....

A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.

The young adult adaptation of the acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestseller Just Mercy--now a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan, Jaime Foxx, and Brie Larson and the subject of an HBO documentary feature!

In this very personal work--adapted from the original #1 bestseller, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so"--acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom.

Stevenson's story is one of working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society--the poor, the wrongly convicted, and those whose lives have been marked by discrimination and marginalization. Through this adaptation, young people of today will find themselves called to action and compassion in the pursuit of justice. 

A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to charity to help in Stevenson's important work to benefit the voiceless and the vulnerable as they attempt to navigate the broken U.S. justice system.

A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE
FEATURED ON CBS THIS MORNING
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A TRUE STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE:
"It's really exciting that young people are getting a version tailored for them." --Salon

"A deeply moving collage of true stories. . . . This is required reading." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Compassionate and compelling, Stevenson's narrative is also unforgettable." --Booklist, starred review

PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A STORY OF JUSTICE AND REDEMPTION:

"Gripping. . . . What hangs in the balance is nothing less than the soul of a great nation." --DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

"Important and compelling." --Pulitzer Prize-winning author TRACY KIDDER

"Inspiring and powerful." --#1 New York Times bestselling author JOHN GRISHAM

HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.

'I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.'

Bronte's infamous Gothic novel tells the story of orphan Jane, a child of unfortunate circumstances. Raised and treated badly by her aunt and cousins and eventually sent away to a cruel boarding school, it is not until Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield that she finds happiness. Meek, measured, but determined, Jane soon falls in love with her brooding and stormy master, Mr Rochester, but it is not long before strange and unnerving events occur in the house and Jane is forced to leave Thornfield to pursue her future.

Don’t miss the eagerly anticipated epic new fantasy from Christopher Paolini—Murtagh!

The astonishing, masterful conclusion to the Inheritance Cycle, perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings! The New York Times bestselling series has sold over 40 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation. 

"Christopher Paolini is a true rarity." —The Washington Post

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must defeat Galbatorix. There will be no second chances. The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This updated edition of Inheritance includes:
· A sneak peek of Murtagh
· One section of a brand-new Alagaësia map by Christopher, with a unique code that will unlock a different piece of exclusive digital content. Collect all 4 books in the Inheritance Cycle to see the full map and unlock all bonus content!
· A redesigned cover using the iconic original art

 

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry - and anyone who reads about him - will find unforgettable.For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

"I want to write something new, something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1923).

"The first step American fiction has taken since Henry James." - T. S. Eliot.

"One of the most important works in American literature -- and, to many, the great American novel." -- Time.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece is perhaps "The Great American Novel." It is as Fitzgerald hoped, something new, something extraordinary. It is set in Long Island, during the excitement and enthusiasm of "the Jazz Age," a term coined by Fitzgerald in his earlier collection, Tales of the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald himself was part of this milieu.

The handsome millionaire Jay Gatsby seems to have everything, but where did his wealth come from, and what is he still in search of?

The Great Gatsby was not a commercial success initially, and it was only after Fitzgerald's early death that it was appreciated. It is now near the top of almost every list of best novels and is on almost every curriculum.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 - December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer, although he is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age. His life mirrors that of Jay Gatsby in some ways. Writer Richard Ford calls Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner "the Three Kings who set the measure for every writer since."

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

Margaret Mitchell's epic novel of love and war won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to give rise to two authorized sequels and one of the most popular and celebrated movies of all time.

Many novels have been written about the Civil War and its aftermath. None take us into the burning fields and cities of the American South as Gone With the Wind does, creating haunting scenes and thrilling portraits of characters so vivid that we remember their words and feel their fear and hunger for the rest of our lives.

In the two main characters, the white-shouldered, irresistible Scarlett and the flashy, contemptuous Rhett, Margaret Mitchell not only conveyed a timeless story of survival under the harshest of circumstances, she also created two of the most famous lovers in the English-speaking world since Romeo and Juliet.

A riveting account of the civil rights boycott that changed history by the foremost author of history for young people.

Now a classic, Freedman's book tells the dramatic stories of the heroes who stood up against segregation and Jim Crow laws in 1950s Alabama. A master of succinct historical narratives Freeman explains the contributions of and sacrifices made by Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin, who refused give up their seats, to Jo Ann Robinson, who began the boycott, to Martin Luther King, Jr., whose leadership was instrumental is carrying it through, and others.

Full of eye-witness reports, iconic photographs from the era, and crucial primary sources, this work brings the narratives alive for contemporary readers. A Map, source notes, a bibliography, and other backmatter make is a valuable classroom resource. The book received five starred reviews, the Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, and Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book Award among other honors.

Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.pp"This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up." ppSo begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him.p

When the novel Brave New World first appeared in 1932, its shocking analysis of a scientific dictatorship seemed a projection into the remote future. Here, in one of the most important and fascinating books of his career, Aldous Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with his prophetic fantasy. He scrutinizes threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion, and explains why we have found it virtually impossible to avoid them. Brave New World Revisited is a trenchant plea that humankind should educate itself for freedom before it is too late.

“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” (VOYA).

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s list child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow.

Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s list.

Told with an abundance of dignity and a remarkable lack of rancor and venom, The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read.

75th Anniversary Edition—Includes a New Introduction by Téa Obreht

George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel—a scathing satire on a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible. 
 
When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

""""And what is the use of a book,"" thought Alice, ""without pictures?"""" Certain to please even Alice herself, this new version of her famous adventures in Wonderland is brimming with wonderfully whimsical pictures by internationally acclaimed artist Lisbeth Zwerger. Her imaginative illustrations of the strange denizens of Wonderland--""from the Mad Hatter and March Hare to the Queen of Hearts and Cheshire Cat--""capture the inspired nonsense of Carroll's classic tale.