Cooperative Collection Development

Whale Quest: Working Together to Save Endangered Species

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Copies: 6

Decades of commercial whaling nearly decimated a variety of species of whales. These intriguing animals, which capture humans' imagination, are a keystone species. They and other keystone species are indicators of the overall health of Earth's habitats. While whales have made a comeback through an international ban on commercial whaling, they are still threatened with extinction. In fact, two whale species - the Cook Inlet beluga whale and the Southern Resident killer whale - are endangered.

Author:

Karen Romano Young

Lexile:

1150L

Whale Quest: Working Together to Save Endangered Species

Binny Bewitched

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Copies: 6

Binny Cornwallis is not a thief. Or is she? In one greedy moment, she snatches some bills left behind at an ATM. After all, it's her mother's birthday, and just think of what she could do with some cash in her never-quite-enough-money household. But she can't explain how she got the money - so she has to hide it. And in her tiny house, that's not so easy. After a few tries, Binny does hide it - and she hides it so well that she can't find it, even after she decides to give it back!

Author:

Hilary McKay

Lexile:

700L

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance

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Copies: 6

In this emotional and thought-provoking book of poetry, bestselling author Nikki Grimes finds inspiration from poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Moved by the evocative verse of legendary writers from the era, Grimes has composed gorgeous new poetry with timely themes for today. By using the "Golden Shovel" poetic form, she has created wholly original poems based on the works of master poets like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Jean Toomer, and others who enriched history during the Harlem Renaissance.

Author:

Nikki Grimes

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance

Not As We Know It

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Copies: 6

Twins Jamie and Ned do everything together, from watching their favorite show, Star Trek, to riding their bikes, to beachcombing after a storm. But Ned is sick with cystic fibrosis, and he may someday leave Jamie behind. One day the boys find a strange animal on the beach: smooth flesh on one end, scales at the other, and short arms and legs with long webbed fingers and toes. Could it be a merman, like in the old stories Granddad tells?

Author:

Tom Avery

Lexile:

550L

Beautiful Blue World

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Copies: 6

Sofarende is at war. For twelve-year-old Mathilde, it means food shortages, feuding neighbors, and bombings. Even so, as long as she and her best friend, Megs, are together, they’ll be all right.

But the army is recruiting children, and paying families well for their service. If Megs takes the test, Mathilde knows she will pass. Megs hopes the army is the way to save her family. Mathilde fears it might separate them forever.

Author:

Suzanne LaFleur

Lexile:

540L

The March Against Fear

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Copies: 6

MISSISSIPPI. 1966. On a hot June afternoon, a black man set out to walk across his home state of Mississippi. He walked to confront racial fears, discrimination, and hate. He walked to make a statement. But two days into his journey, James Meredith was shot and wounded in a roadside attack. Leaders of the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Stokely Carmichael, rushed to take up his cause. What started as one man's mission became the March Against Fear.

Author:

Ann Bausum

Lexile:

1140L

Animals by the Numbers

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Copies: 6

Do all the insects in the world weigh more than all the humans?

Which animal can survive both boiling water and the vacuum of space?

Which animal sleeps more, a python or a bat?

Which animal is more dangerous: a shark or a hippopotamus?

In Animals by the Numbers, Steve Jenkins answers these questions and many more. Mind-boggling facts, figures, and comparisons are explained with colorful, easy-to-understand infographics and illustrations. Filled with unexpected and accessible information, this is a book to pore over for hours!

Author:

Steve Jenkins

Lexile:

940L

The Best Worst Thing

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Copies: 6

Front door locked,
kitchen door locked,
living room windows closed.
Nobody in the closet,
nobody under the beds.

Still, Maggie is worried. Ever since she started middle school, she sees injustice and danger everywhere--on the news, in her textbooks, in her own neighborhood. Even her best friend seems to be changing.

Maggie believes it is up to her, and only her, to make everything all right. Can she come up with a plan to keep everyone safe?

Author:

Kathleen Lane

Lexile:

820L

Dara Palmer's Major Drama

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Copies: 6

"'The lead role of Maria in The Sound of Music goes to ..."
I could practically hear her say "Dara Palmer." This was going to be my big break! But what really came out of my teacher's mouth was "Ella Moss-Daniels."
My heart went huuuuggggggghhhhht.

Dara Palmer longs for stardom-but when she isn't cast in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music, she get suspicious. It can't be because she's not the best. She was born to be a famous movie star. It must because she's adopted from Cambodia and doesn't look like a typical fraulein. (That's German for girl.)

Author:

Emma Shevah

Lexile:

760L

Every Single Second

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Copies: 6

Twelve-year-old Nella Sabatini’s life is changing too soon, too fast. Her best friend, Clem, doesn’t seem concerned; she’s busy figuring out the best way to spend the “leap second”—an extra second about to be added to the world’s official clock. The only person who might understand how Nella feels is Angela, but the two of them have gone from being “secret sisters” to not talking at all.

Author:

Tricia Springstubb

Lexile:

HL580L

Cooperative Collection Development

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