With themes of STEM, Science, TERL Boosters offer expansion opportunities for your Teen Emergent Reader Libraries. Each Booster level supports a TERL library. Boosters can also stand alone and are excellent hi-lo classroom books.
Connected Lives, a contemporary nonfiction series for teens, features the fascinating life stories of popular artists. Each book presents two singers in a similar musical genre who have lived extraordinary lives, exploring how their lives interconnect and how they are different. As similar as these artists may seem, their rise to fame may have been very different. Multiple musical genres are represented across the series, including pop, hip-hop, jazz, and country. Graphic elements, such as timelines, charts, and Venn diagrams, are featured in every chapter.
Paige and Coco are curious about the new boy in school. His name is Orion Wells, and from the beginning, the boy is different. Paige thinks it's Orion's magical green eyes. Could the boy be from another planet? After a few weeks at school, the entire culture has changed. The bully is nice. Lonely kids have made friends. Teachers are calmer. The principal smiles. Even Coco changes. During a major talent show, Coco doesn't get stage fright. She nails her song and wins the contest.
Antonio slid down the rope. He held on for dear life. It got darker as the twister moved closer. It was loud. Like a giant freight train! 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! 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.
The student body of Dawson High study hard, date, root for the home team, hold down part-time jobs, succeed and fail, just like most American teenagers. Would Braden betray a friend to get the car that he desperately wants? Braden must find a summer job. If he doesn't, he will lose out on the car of his dreams. His father will only help with the payments if Braden gets a part-time job. But the competition for summer jobs is fierce. How far will Braden go to beat the competition?
The student body of Dawson High study hard, date, root for the home team, hold down part-time jobs, succeed and fail, just like most American teenagers. It's time to elect a new class president. Cory and Eli quickly enter the race, although Jazz and Key aren't so sure that either of them would make a good president. After Jazz agrees to vote for his friend, Cory, he realizes he would like to run himself. Will Jazz turn out to be Cory's friend or foe?
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. Drake and Noah didn't want to go on Mr. Zane's field trip to the gardens. At first, they seem to be in luck because the permission slips go missing. Then someone calls the bus company on Mr. Zane's behalf-twice. Is the field trip canceled? Did Drake take the permission slips and make the calls, or did someone else?
The student body of Dawson High study hard, date, root for the home team, hold down part-time jobs, succeed and fail, just like most American teenagers. When opposing teams stay at the same motel, the coaches give the players strict rules to follow. Be polite and keep to yourselves. At first Rick appears to be cooperative, but Cole begins to question his actions. When Garrett goes missing, Rick acts strangely. What has he been up to?
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. During rehearsal, someone wearing a clown costume is seen next to the ticket money box. Soon, Mrs. Scott realizes that the money is missing. Did the clown take it? Did someone else? Logan's dream of being the star fades, as many at Carter High believe he took the ticket money. Can he prove that there was more than one person in a clown costume that day?
Dan has worked hard for three years to earn the quarterback slot on the football team, but Clay, a new boy who has moved to the area, is better and threatens to take the slot from him. Coach asks Dan to help Clay learn plays. Dan faces the dilemma of doing what is best for him and doing what is best for the team.
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. Just one day before the Carter High art show, Paige can't find her painting. She remembers putting it in room 19, or did she? Will Paige find her painting in time to enter it in the art show?
Marc est un garçon de la ville qui est allé vivre chez sa grand-mère à la campagne pendant que sa mère est en cure de désintoxication. Pour la première fois de sa vie, il doit voyager en autobus scolaire. Le long trajet dans un véhicule bruyant n’a rien à voir avec les transports en commun de la ville : il y a un genre de code secret pour savoir où on peut s’asseoir, les jeunes crient sans arrêt et quelqu’un essaie même de mettre le feu au siège de Marc. Marc juge rapidement que tous ces jeunes sont fous et qu’il doit tout faire pour les éviter. Toutefois, lorsqu’un accident survient, il apprend qu’il a plus de points en commun avec ces ados de la campagne qu’il ne le croyait.
I WANT TO BE THE BOSS! For once in their life, this small beast wants to get everything it wants, right here, RIGHT NOW! While the grown-up monster can’t give them a plane they can fly or a cake with lots of candy on top, they can give them a really big hug when they feel upset.
Un jour, à la fin de l’hiver, un petit oiseau est sorti et a découvert que le monde était devenu silencieux. Les rues étaient vides et les terrains de jeux, silencieux. Perplexe, mais déterminé, un oiseau explore la ville à la recherche d’un endroit approprié pour nicher. Les résidents d’un immeuble d’habitation le remarquent qui se repose dans un arbre tout près et sont réconfortés par son chant. En l’observant par leurs fenêtres, ils oublient leur quotidien et prennent le temps d’apprécier les merveilles de la nature. L’oiseau choisit de s’installer pour de bon dans cette communauté et il y fait son nid, un acte de résilience et d’espoir qui inspire les humains à sortir eux aussi et leur rappelle que la nature a son propre rythme, que les saisons changent et que la vie continue. Encore une fois. Ce livre d’images sans texte est une contemplation pleine d’espoir de nos liens avec la nature et de la joie qu’elle nous procure, même dans des périodes difficiles.
Henry marches to the beat of his own green thumb in this gentle picture book about a boy on the autism spectrum. Henry doesn't remember to raise his hand and he prefers to call plants by their proper Latin names, much to the frustration of his classmates. Most days, Henry doesn't notice how different he is from the other kids in his grade, but some days, he does. On those days, he finds refuge under the shade of the Salix babylonica (willow tree) or in the school counselor's office or at his very favorite place in the world: the local botanical gardens. When his class goes on a field trip to these botanical gardens, Henry’s knowledge of the flora and fauna show the other kids that his unique interests are really something special.
This year’s fun fair will have a Pride Carnival theme and twelve-year-old Mac couldn’t be more excited. Mac convinces his best friend, Amy, to do a Sonny and Cher drag number. He has their outfits all planned out, right down to the bellbottoms and fur vests. And he wants their performance to be perfect too so he pushes Amy to rehearse every day. Every step, every wave of the hand, every lyric has to be spot on. But Amy has had enough—the day before the event, she reveals that she never wanted to be Sonny. Why can’t she be Cher? Mac refuses to even consider it. There can only be one diva! With no time to recast, Mac plans to go solo. But he's miserable without his best friend. Can the two of them patch things up in time?
Tyler and Mason dream of escaping to the big city and getting started on their lives. One night, Mason convinces Tyler to help him steal a car and they are soon having the adventure of a lifetime. Until they run out of gas. Stranded on the side of the highway, Mason blames Tyler, Tyler blames Mason and their argument turns physical. Their fight is broken up by a scruffy-looking guy who offers them a ride to the city. Eventually the teens realize their rescuer is none other than Sean Dakota, a heavy-metal musician who suddenly disappeared from the spotlight the previous year. Tyler is intrigued by this music legend, but Mason wants to take advantage of him. Listening to Sean and the lessons he’s learned from his own life choices, Tyler starts to realize how dangerous and damaging his friendship with Mason is. But will he find the courage to branch out on his own?
Jaylin is studying for a stressful English exam when she receives a message from her best friend, Fatima. The thing is, Fatima died a year ago in a terrible traffic accident. At first, Jaylin thinks someone is playing a horrible prank, but as the texts become more detailed, containing secrets that just the two of them shared, Jaylin realizes she’s either going mad or Fatima is actually reaching out to her from beyond the grave. Then Fatima shares one last secret and asks Jaylin to set the record straight around the circumstances of her death. Jaylin is torn. Is she strong enough to relive losing her best friend all over again? This high-interest Orca Anchor title is written specifically for teens reading below a grade 2.0 level.
Seventeen-year-old Penny is struggling to balance caring for Jude, her sister with mental health challenges, working part-time to help her mother with money issues and facing her final year of high school. She does not need any distractions. But then she meets Jack. The two of them click immediately. But as quickly as things heat up, they then cool down, and Penny isn’t sure why. Does she have room for her feelings for Jack alongside her worries that her sister is crashing into suicidal depression again?
Twelve-year-old Fishel (Fish) Rosner doesn’t like regular “boy” things. He hates sports and would prefer to read or do crafts instead of climbing trees or riding dirt bikes with his friends. He also loves to dance. But all his interests are considered “girly.” Fish doesn’t get why that’s a bad thing. He’s just interested in different things than other boys. When he asks his Bubby to teach him to knit, she tells him to go play outside. When he begs his mom to take him to Zumba, she enrolls him in water polo instead. Why does everyone else get to decide what Fish should or shouldn't do?
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.
Un enfant essaie de comprendre la vie d’un homme qui vit sous un pont. Sa mère répond patiemment à ses questions et lui explique comment des personnes peuvent suivre des parcours si différents. Le garçon remarque les similarités entre l’homme et lui, et se demande où le mènera son propre parcours de vie. Dans le récit simple de L’Homme à la barbe hirsute, la curiosité et la perspicacité de l’enfant servent de catalyseurs pour comprendre la peur, la souffrance et la résilience tout en explorant les thèmes de l’itinérance, de l’appartenance et de la compassion. Cet ouvrage unique interpellera autant les enfants que les adultes. Il comprend un message de l’autrice expliquant de quelle façon l’origine de son histoire est ancrée dans sa vie.
After his twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, Emmitt's world goes sideways. He’s lost his best friend and it feels like the family is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant recipients. Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his sister back together, in spirit. He’s going to track down each organ recipient and film them to show his parents the results of Minnie’s selfless act and help them move on. But when each recipient falls short of his expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his "heart sister" is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the breaking point.
Xander thinks the George Wickerman Hospital would be the perfect setting for Spirits and Specters, a role-playing game where players go on “missions” to find evidence of paranormal activities. According to local legend, tuberculosis patients were used as test subjects in medical experiments that ended tragically, and their disfigured ghosts walk the hallways of this now-abandoned building. What better location to go ghost hunting? Even though they didn’t really believe the rumors, Xander and his friends soon begin to suspect that they are not alone. Is this place actually haunted by ghosts? Or something even more terrifying?
Featuring real-life stories of people who have found hope and meaning in the midst of life’s struggles, Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health is the go-to guide for teenagers who want to know about mental health, mental illness, trauma and recovery. This book shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness and tells the stories of courageous pioneers in the field of psychiatry who fought for more compassionate, respectful and effective treatments. It provides a helpful guide to the major mental health diagnoses along with ideas and resources to support those who are suffering. The book also explores how mental health is more than just “in our heads” and includes the voices of Indigenous people who share a more holistic way of thinking about wellness, balancing mind, body, heart and spirit. Highlighting innovative approaches such as trauma-informed activities like yoga and hip-hop, police mental health teams, and peer support for youth,
