Get young readers hooked on some of the best titles in juvenile literature, ranging from humor to mystery to fantasy, with unusual and effective methods like games. Getting students to want to read is one of the greatest challenges facing middle school teachers and librarians. Determining which are the "right books" that can spark a child's mental awakening is also difficult. This book from prolific author Nancy Polette furnishes interesting and fun games to pique students' interest in junior novels that are worth reading—carefully selected titles that will contribute to their educational and emotional growth. Gateway to Reading: 250+ Author Games and Booktalks to Motivate Middle Readers is a powerful tool for luring middle-school students away from the distractions of 21st-century media and introducing them to junior or 'tween novels that they won't be able to put down. By presenting children with a challenge to engage their minds—racing to decode book titles, or using their creativity to come up with titles of their own, for example—students are naturally drawn towards reading these books from well-known children's authors.
Old enemies return as a mysterious prophecy unfolds in the third Dragon’s Gold book from the authors of Serpent’s Silver. When his two deadliest enemies join forces to take revenge on him, Kelvin is trapped in the distant Frame World and must escape in order to save the woman he loves, who carries their unborn child.
Story time at the public library is the first exposure to books outside the home for many preschool children. For the librarian, it is an exciting opportunity to instill in youngsters a love of reading and books. But coming up with new ideas that hold the children’s attention can be trying. Until now. Here are 55 tried-and-true story hour programs with a thematic approach. All are highly flexible and adaptable across the full preschool age range. Most of the ideas are arranged under one of eight specific themes that include four to eight one-hour programs: barnyard animals, the Caldecott Medal, colors, families, a storytelling feast, the five senses, reptiles and amphibians, and around the world. There are also 18 individual holiday and seasonal programs. All story hours provide ideas for name tags, suggested audiovisual materials, recommended story, poetry and song selections, additional titles and a full description of the activity.
One night The Great Freddie, a young ventriloquist, is possessed by a dybbuk. A what? A Jewish spirit. A scrappy demon who glows as if spray-painted by moonlight. The dybbuk is revealed to be the ghost of a twelve-year-old boy named Avrom Amos, a victim of the Nazis during World War II. In a plucky scheme to seek revenge, he commandeers The Great Freddie's stage act and entraps the entertainer in the postwar ashes of Germany. Behind the footlights, the dybbuk lights up the terrible fate of a million and a half Jewish children, including Avrom himself. What tricks does the dybbuk have up his ghostly sleeve? Prepare to be astonished. . . .