Search Results: 2,183 books from 31 publishers. Learn more

Ransom

Mary Kate Dorman (author)

Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing ISBN: 9781612477053

These traditional reads are brimming with spirited characters and positive values--but with a little extra excitement and bite, so hold on to your hats! Written expressly for the middle grade struggling reader, the series does not contain strong language, edgy themes, or dysfunctional families. In fact, family is the main theme of these titles. And one particular Latino family is the focus with their uncanny knack for finding humor, hope, and colorful personalities--even in unusual circumstances. Written at the lowest reading levels, the 50-page story structure is straightforward and moves the reader through the text quickly and efficiently. The bus should have arrived at the Heights at five o'clock. Two hours later, there was no sign of it. Everyone was scared and confused. A bus full of students had vanished.

Jelly Roll

Mere Joyce (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459826304

At school, Jenny Royce is bullied by Grade A Jerk Austin Parks. When Jenny and Austin end up at a March Break leadership camp together, Jenny thinks her week will be miserable. Especially once she and Austin are grouped together for the camp’s main assignment. They have to run a stall at a local farmer’s market. The market could be a lot of fun. But when Jenny learns that Austin wants their group’s project to fail, she has to decide if she can risk standing up to him.

Gone is Gone

Isabelle Groc (author) Jane Goodall (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816862

Gone is Gone looks at why species become endangered, how scientists are learning about endangered wildlife, what people are doing to conserve species and ways young people can help. The book is richly illustrated with unique photos that Isabelle has taken over many years of observing endangered species in the field alongside the people who work to conserve them. Throughout, the author shares enchanting encounters and personal field stories: watching narwhals socialize in the Canadian Arctic, getting close to a Laysan albatross raising chicks on a remote Hawaiian island, spotting a rhinoceros on safari and even swimming with sea lions in the Galápagos Islands. Gone is Gone will inform, intrigue and inspire readers to take small steps toward big changes for endangered species around the world.

Eight Times Up

John Corr (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459818620

Through the teachings of their sensei, Riley and his classmates come to understand that aikido is not about winning or losing or about being perfect. In the dojo, Riley meets boys who are much rougher than he is and a girl who is tougher than all the rest of them put together. For Wafaa, aikido is not her first choice. She was disqualified from competing in judo for wearing a hijab.From the first time she steps on the mat, it's clear she is far more skilled than anyone expected. Sensei shows them all how to tap into their inner strength and find their place in the universe.

Home Sweet Neighborhood

Michelle Mulder (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816923

Placemaking—personalizing public and semi-private spaces like front yards—is a growing trend in cities and suburbs around the world, drawing people out of their homes and into conversation with one another. Picture a busy avenue. Now plant trees along the boulevard, paint a mural by the empty lot, and add a community garden. Set up benches along the sidewalks and make space for kids' chalk drawings, and you've set the scene for a thriving community. Kids are natural placemakers, building tree forts, drawing on sidewalks and setting up lemonade stands, but people of all ages can enjoy creative placemaking activities. From Dutch families who drag couches and tables onto sidewalks for outdoor suppers to Canadians who build little lending libraries to share books with neighbors, people can do things that make life more fun and strengthen neighborhoods. Home Sweet Neighborhood combines upbeat text, fun facts and colorful photos to intrigue and inspire readers.

La triche

Kristin Butcher (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781554699988

Laurel se découvre une passion pour le journalisme d'investigation. Pour écrire un article-choc, elle mène une enquête sur une triche à son école. Elle découvre que la tricherie est généralisée—beaucoup plus qu'elle ne l'avait imaginé. Aveugle à toute autre préoccupation, Laurel est prête à perdre ses amies pour tirer cette histoire au clair. Mais son ultime découverte change tout. Laurel discovers her passion for investigative journalism when she writes an article for her school paper about the homeless man who's been living at the school. Eager to write more articles with impact, she launches an investigation of a cheating scam at her high school. Laurel's efforts elicit hostility from her classmates. Nobody is interested in seeing her article go to print, not even her own brother. It is evident that the cheating is widespread, and Laurel, caught up in the thrill of the investigation, is willing to commit social suicide to get the story, but her ultimate discovery changes everything.

Eye Sore

Melanie Jackson (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459807730

The last thing Chaz wants is to spend his summer working on his father’s Eye, a Ferris wheel with glass-bottomed gondolas set up to view scenic North Vancouver. For one thing, Chaz would prefer to pursue his own passion: dance in the style of the late, great Gene Kelly. More important, Chaz suffers from vertigo, and even the thought of the Eye makes him want to lose his lunch. But when a crowd of angry protestors and a mysterious vandal threaten his father’s dream, and the family’s livelihood, Chaz is forced to overcome his own fears to help out.

Every Last Drop

Michelle Mulder (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459802247

In the developed world, if you want a drink of water you just turn on a tap or open a bottle. But for millions of families worldwide, finding clean water is a daily challenge, and kids are often the ones responsible for carrying water to their homes. Every Last Drop looks at why the world’s water resources are at risk and how communities around the world are finding innovative ways to quench their thirst and water their crops. Maybe you’re not ready to drink fog, as they do in Chile, or use water made from treated sewage, but you can get a low-flush toilet, plant a tree, protect a wetland or just take shorter showers. Every last drop counts!

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Eric Walters (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459827882

Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn’s father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac’s mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws. Reese can’t visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there’s more to life than rules and scary news reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.

Under Our Clothes

Dr. Jillian Roberts (author) Jane Heinrichs (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459820982

This illustrated nonfiction picture book by child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts introduces children to the topics of bodies, body safety and body image through a conversation-based story that begins with an observation at the community pool. Modesty, privacy and boundaries are discussed, along with how self-image is formed and how some people are more sensitive than others—sometimes at different stages in their lives. Relevant themes around body shaming, body positivity and self-esteem building are explored, with a final call to action empowering children to build their own confidence and speak up when something doesn't feel right.

Dive In!

Ann Eriksson (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459815872

We're all connected to the ocean, and the ocean to us. The ocean provides half the oxygen we breathe; it feeds us, creates our weather and provides us with water. But we haven't been as kind to the ocean in return. The problems are many: pollution, overfishing, rising seas and acid waters. What can be done? Don't despair; take action. Dive In! explores our intimate connection with the ocean and provides every reader with an achievable set of actions that can help improve ocean health for our sake and the sake of the millions of marine plants and animals that share the planet with us. Filled with colorful photos and positive stories, Dive In! is as informative as it is inspirational.

Deep Roots

Nikki Tate (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459805835

Most of us see trees every day, and too often we take them for granted. Trees provide us with everything from food, fuel and shelter to oxygen and filtered water. Deep Roots celebrates the central role trees play in our lives, no matter where we live. Each chapter in Deep Roots focuses on a basic element—water, air, fire and earth—and explores the many ways in which we need trees to keep our planet healthy and livable. From making rain to producing fruit to feeding fish, trees play an integral role in maintaining vibrant ecosystems all over the world. Facts about trees and hands-on activities throughout help readers discover ways to get to know our giant neighbors better.

Chick: Lister

Alex Van Tol (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459810020

Chick is a popular fourteen-year-old who is essentially on this earth to live up to his father’s impossible expectations, or at least that’s how he feels. This pressure is a grinding source of anxiety for him, which he copes with by making lists. He itemizes every aspect of his life, from his daily routine to the things that make him nervous. But as the pressure of school and his budding romance with his debating teammate Audrey builds, his compulsion starts to feel impossible to control or conceal.

Where's Burgess?

Laurie Elmquist (author) David Parkins (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459814790

Reece Hansen is missing two things: his father and his frog. His parents are newly separated, and his dad is now living in another city, fighting forest fires. Reece struggles to get used to daily life without him. When he loses his pet frog, Burgess, Reece puts posters up around the neighborhood. But frogs are difficult to find. It takes an unusual classmate, the boy who wears a bathrobe to school, to pull Reece's attention away from Burgess. Through his new friend and a camping trip with his mom, Reece learns that friends can come in human form and families are resilient even when things change.

Big Winner

Sylvia Taekema (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459834071

Fourteen-year-old Skye Richardson had to leave her home, school and friends when she and her mom moved across the country to a small town on the East Coast. She’s not happy about it. Then she gets a part-time job at a local coffee shop and meets Digby Jones. Digby lives in a group home. He loves Ping-Pong and watching his favorite TV shows. He likes things done in a certain way. One day, Digby tells Skye he has the winning million-dollar lottery ticket everyone in town has been talking about. At first, all Skye can think about is how she’d love to have that money to buy her old life back. Soon, however, she begins to worry that people are going to take advantage of her new friend.

Brilliant!

Michelle Mulder (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459802223

Did you know that cars can run on french-fry grease or that human poop can be used to provide power to classrooms? Brilliant! is about what happens when you harness the power of imagination and innovation: the world changes for the better! Kids in Mexico help light up their houses by playing soccer, and in the Philippines, pop-bottle skylights are improving the quality of life for thousands of families. Full of examples of unusual (and often peculiar) power sources, Brilliant! encourages kids to look around for new and sustainable ways to light up the world.

Wild Horses

Linda L. Richards (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459825604

Wild horses are legendary, but today their very existence is under threat from a changing environment, politics and less protected spaces to roam free. These animals live all over the world, including the iconic mustangs in North America—a symbol of freedom and the American West. Today what we thought we knew about the history of wild horses and where they came from is changing. What makes a horse wild? Where do they live and how did they end up there? What is the relationship between wild horses and Indigenous Peoples? How are governments and citizens working for or against them? In this book, readers discover the history, biology and ecology of wild horses and the key role young people are playing in protecting wild horse populations to keep them running free for generations to come.

The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond

Rachel Kehoe (author) Chelsea Charles (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459833982

Years before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up a bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, Viola Desmond took a similar stand against racial segregation in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. On November 8, 1946, she was arrested for refusing to move from the "whites-only" section of a movie theater. Her heroic act inspired Black community leaders and made her a symbol of courage in the fight against inequality. This story of Viola's life is based on rare interviews with her sister Wanda Robson, who spent her life championing her sister's story and was successful in getting Viola a posthumous pardon that recognized she was innocent of any crime. From their childhood in Nova Scotia to Viola's career as a teacher in a segregated school and, later, her role as a pioneer in Black beauty culture, young readers are introduced to the girl and the woman who went on to become the face of the civil-rights movement in Canada.

Too Much Trash

Joan Marie Galat (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459831834

Litter is not only an eyesore but a serious threat to animals and their habitats. We can all work together to keep the planet healthy and clean. Did you know that gum on the sidewalk is litter? Even a banana peel that is thrown in a ditch is litter. Trash poses a threat to animals everywhere, including pets, farm animals and wildlife. They can get injured or trapped in the litter and even eat garbage that makes them sick. But there's good news: litter is a problem everyone can help prevent. Around the world, kids and adults are finding ways to take out the trash. Find out how you can help clean up the planet for all species.

The Unlovable Alina Butt

Ambreen Butt-Hussain (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459834927

Fitting in at a new school is hard enough, but when you’re an awkward, big-nosed, nerdy Pakistani girl with a funny last name, it can seem impossible. Eleven-year-old Alina Butt has changed schools four times already since her family moved to England from Pakistan. Even after all that practice, she doesn’t seem to be getting any better at being the new kid. Mocked for her last name and her "weird" lunches, Alina has had enough! Taking a leap of faith to try and stand out for the "right" reasons, Alina auditions for the school play. Her hopes of landing the lead role in Cinderella are dashed when her new friend gets the part of Cinderella instead...and her bully is cast as Prince Charming!

The Secret Pocket

Peggy Janicki (author) Carrielynn Victor (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459833739

Mary was four years old when she was first taken away to the Lejac Indian Residential School. It was far away from her home and family. Always hungry and cold, there was little comfort for young Mary. Speaking Dakelh was forbidden and the nuns and priest were always watching, ready to punish. Mary and the other girls had a genius idea: drawing on the knowledge from their mothers, aunts and grandmothers who were all master sewers, the girls would sew hidden pockets in their clothes to hide food. They secretly gathered materials and sewed at nighttime, then used their pockets to hide apples, carrots and pieces of bread to share with the younger girls. Based on the author's mother's experience at residential school, The Secret Pocket is a story of survival and resilience in the face of genocide and cruelty. But it's also a celebration of quiet resistance to the injustice of residential schools and how the sewing skills passed down through generations of Indigenous women gave these girls a future, stitch by stitch.

Open Science

Monique Polak (author) Catherine Chan (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459833593

Science is for everyone, right? Unfortunately, that's not always true. Discovery, research and innovation are often top secret, and big businesses charge high prices for that information. The field of open science is trying to change that. It's all about sharing knowledge. Teams of scientists around the world are working together to improve and speed up scientific research and share their results so that everyone benefits. Open Science: Knowledge for Everyone examines the history of scientific research and how ideas and information are shared and why. It also looks at innovations made using open science, such as treatments for diseases and vaccines to protect against viruses like COVID-19, discoveries that were only possible thanks to the sharing of information. Discover how regular people, including kids, can be citizen scientists and what we all can do to share science and make the world a better place.

Less Is More

Leah Payne (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459835450

All over the world, people are joining the low-waste movement and getting tough on their trash. Maybe you’ve heard the reports of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch swirling in the ocean. Maybe you’ve seen the photos of whales and sea birds with trash in their bellies. Or maybe you’ve heard that only 9 percent of our plastic waste actually gets recycled. We can all do our part for the planet by creating less garbage. In Less Is More young readers will discover how to avoid waste in the first place, reduce how much they use and reuse what they can, before they recycle and rot (compost) the rest. With small, simple actions we can become part of the circular economy. Find out how you can join the low-waste movement—and get your friends and family on board too!

Good Food, Bad Waste

Erin Silver (author) Suharu Ogawa (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459830929

A deep dive into why humans waste so much food and the consequences for people and the planet Around the world, a billion tons of food gets thrown away every year, even when hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger. A lot of what we don't eat ends up rotting in landfills which contributes to global warming. The good news is that many governments, communities and individuals are working hard to tackle this giant problem. You can be part of the solution, starting in your own home—and working together, we can decrease our overall waste and make sure all people have food security. Plus, by reducing food waste, we can also fight climate change! With inspiring profiles of food-waste activists and tasty tidbits on things like best-before dates, Good Food, Bad Waste offers much food for thought.

Cities

Megan Clendenan (author) Suharu Ogawa (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459831476

If you could design a city that would be both a great place to live and good for the planet, what would it look like? Today, about four billion people—more than half the world’s population—live in cities. This number could rise to seven billion by 2050. Cities face big challenges, including threats from climate change, food insecurity, a lack of clean water and rapid population growth, but they are also places where innovation and sustainability can thrive. Peek into the past to see how cities have changed through time and explore what could make cities more sustainable and welcoming for today and tomorrow.