ELA

Modern American poetry

Icon:

A collection of scholarly essays written by various authors critically analyzing the most prominent pieces of modern American poetry. Addresses the major themes shared by the different poets and poems discussed. Includes a chronological timeline highlighting significant moments in the history of American poetry.

Maya Angelou

Icon:

A collection of essays on Maya Angelou's poetry focusing on her as an African-American poet and includes an analysis of her themes.

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five

Icon:

A study guide to Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five." Includes a biographical sketch of Vonnegut, the story of the creation of the novel, and a summary. Also includes excerpts from critical essays presenting different perspectives on the novel.

The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs

Icon:

Despite being completely nonfiction, this title reads with all the suspense and mystery of any great novel. The story begins in 1996, when Karen Lips travels to a high mountain forest in Panama to study the golden frogs that live there. Upon discovering a large amount of dead frogs, Karen collects a few of them and later learns that a fungus is to blame for the frogs' death. Over the next decade, Project Golden Frog is launched and put into motion in order to collect and protect Panama's golden frogs until the fungus can be understood and controlled.

Crime and Punishment

Icon:

In this intense detective thriller instilled with philosophical, religious, and social commentary, Dostoevsky studies the psychological impact upon a desperate and impoverished student when he murders a despicable pawnbroker, transgressing moral law to ultimately "benefit humanity."

Unabridged.

Author:

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Grade Level:

High

Length:

20:29

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

Icon:

Copies: 6

Eleven-year-old Perry T. Cook shouldn't be living in a prison; he has committed no crime.

Perry was born and raised at the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in tiny Surprise, Nebraska. His mom is a resident on Cell Block C. So far, Warden Daugherty has made it possible for them to be together. Anyone who knows about the arrangement is quietly okay with it. But when Perry is discovered by the new, ambitious district attorney, Thomas VanLeer, everything changes.

Author:

Leslie Connor

Lexile:

540L

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

King Lear

Icon:

Proposing to divide his vast kingdom amongst his three daughter, Goneril, Regan, and Cornelia, Lear devises a test for his offspring to convince him of their suitability and compassion for rule. As the scheme unfolds, Goneril and Regan's true colors emerge, uncovering a vast conspiracy of greed and cruelty within the once loyal dynasty.

Director:

Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

02:53

The Alchemist

Icon:

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids.

Author:

Paulo Coelho

Grade Level:

High

Lexile:

910L

Length:

04:01

Everyday Heroes

Icon:

Copies: 5

....Is a hero simply someone who has achieved great financial and popular success? Is heroism just about money and fame? If so, any rich celebrity could qualify as a hero.

Or does being a hero have to do with the quality of a person's character? is it more about courage, determination, and a kind of inner fire that keeps a person going in the face of all kinds of difficulties?

Author:

BEth Johnson

Lexile:

820L

Letters My Mother Never Read: An Abandoned Child's Journey

Icon:

Copies: 5

When her mother died in a fire, eight-year-old Jerri thought life couldn't get worse. She was wrong. Sent to live with people who didn't want her, Jerri was powerless to stop her once-happy childhood from becoming a nightmare of cruelty and neglect. Only a stubborn belief in her own worth and a fierce will to live allowed her to reach adulthood physically and emotionally intact. This is a book that will inspire not only those who have been orphans or foster children, but anyone who has known the pain of being unwanted.

Author:

Jerri Diane Sueck

Lexile:

870L

ELA

Pages