Edward Michael Groverton, or Em, as he is known is devastated when his father suddenly dies. At the funeral he sees a man with a gun. Things begin to really get strange when their house is broken into and only his father’s study is ransacked. His mother encourages him to go to France with a friend of his father and his daughter, Charlotte. What he discovered about his father and Nostradamus leads the three of them on a dangerous journey through London and eventually to Arizona. This fascinating tale, a mixture of fantasy, science, and politics will keep the reader engaged right to the end. Lexile 730 |
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"Lenny is a diehard baseball fan. He's not a good player, but he believes he would make a great announcer. To try and fulfill his dream, Lenny enters an Armchair Announcer contest at a Phillies game. But on the night of the big game, a young pitcher drops dead on the mound! It's assumed he died of a heart attack, but Lenny is suspicious about what really happened. Everyone in the stadium that night is a murder suspect! Lenny and his two best friends launch an investigation. Will the trio find themselves on the heels of a real killer?" Author Website
"Adam Henderson is a computer genius. At 5, he took apart circuit boards the way other kids play with Legos. At 9, he had made a virtual fortune from online games, spending his money to design new surveillance cameras and firewalls. When he reaches middle school, Adam finds a crew of like-minded friends, and they stumble into tracking. Not tracking animals, but tracking criminals. Little do they know where it will take them." -Nancy Keane
As the four dig deeper into the shadowy world of online crime, they soon learn that things aren't always as they seem." -Scholastic.com "Read the book. Play the game. Solve the clues. Win the prizes.
Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will. With one shaky signature she changed the destiny of the entire Cahill family, and perhaps that of the world as well. That signature would set into motion events that could mean the end of civilization as we know it. “The children are old enough. They are our only chance,” Grace said to William, her attorney and closest friend for half her life. “If they don’t succeed, 500 years of work will have been for nothing.” And with that final statement, Grace Cahill closed her eyes for the last time. About 400 family members came to her funeral. About 40 of them were invited to the reading of the will she had kept secret for so long and had signed so recently. William played a videotape she’d made months before, in case she decided to sign her secret, alternative will. In it she challenged her heirs to the most important task they would ever face. Each of them was given a voucher for a million dollars. They could choose to keep it, or they could turn it in and get a clue instead, the first of 39 clues that could lead one individual or one team to the most important treasure in the world, and make them powerful beyond belief. That clue would become their only inheritance—no money, no keepsakes, no property of any kind. Which of Grace’s relatives chose to accept the challenge? Ian and Natalie Kabra were the first to get a clue. They looked like matching supermodels, but that exterior covered their selfish and ruthless natures. The five members of the Holt family were next, looking buff and muscular, like a family of GI Joes—even the mom looked like she should shave and start chewing on a big cigar. Alistair Oh, an elderly Korean man with a diamond tipped cane volunteered to be the third team. Irina Spasky, whose twitchy eye was responsible for her nickname, Spaz, said she’d play alone. Then Jonah Wizard, from the TV show Who Wants to be a Gangsta? sauntered up, with his silver chains, ripped jeans, and in-your-face attitude. Finally, there were only two left who hadn’t decided. Amy and Dan Cahill were the two people closest to Grace, who’d loved her without caring about her money. Amy looked at her brother, “Remember,” she thought at him, “what Grace said to us: ‘You will make me proud.’ This is what she was talking about. This is our chance, our adventure.” She took his voucher and William’s lighter, and two million more dollars went up in smoke. The game had begun." -Scholastic.com Series Website
"Amy and Dan follow a lead hidden in the sheet music of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They trace his life through Austria, but their relatives aren’t far behind. Barely escaping police and a violent explosion, the pair find themselves navigating the crowded canals of Venice. They must track down the Clue while avoiding rival Cahills, booby traps, and an angry mob in the Janus stronghold." -Scholastic.com
"Amy and Dan were on their way to Tokyo, but even before the plane took off, their evil cousins Ian and Natalia got the best of them!
Amy and Dan Cahill had given up a cool two million dollars for the chance to beat the rest of the Cahill family and find the greatest source of power in the world. Since then, they'd nearly been killed in a collapsing building in Philadelphia, attacked by monks in Austria, and chased through the canals of Venice. They were in the lead, but when they got to the departure gate for their flight to Tokyo, the woman taking boarding passes asked them to step out of line, then disappeared with their boarding passes. The last few passengers were getting on board, when Amy and Dan were nearly knocked over by two strangers in black coats who were also heading for the gate, waving their boarding passes. "Welcome aboard, Amy and Dan," said one of the gate attendants, ushering them on board. The two looked around as soon as they stepped into the walkway, and turned down their coat collars so Amy and Dan could see their faces. It was Ian and Natalie Kabras, the Cahill cousins they'd left unconscious in a burning room in Venice! It didn't matter how hard Amy and Dan tried, they hadn't been able to get far enough ahead so the Kabrases couldn't catch up. They were older, smarter, colder, meaner, more devious, and more ambitious. They didn't let anything stop them. And now they were on the plane to Japan, traveling as Amy and Dan Cahill. Amy and Dan watched the plane taxi away from the gate. Moments later, there was an announcement that everyone had to evacuate the terminal immediately. Amy and Dan ran outside, but the airport bus was just pulling away. And a large black limo screeched into the empty spot at the curb, and the driver gestured for Amy and Dan to get in. It wasn't till the limo pulled away from the curb that they realized who was sitting in the back seat—a pleasant faced Oriental man with a silk suit and white gloves, another Cahill family member in the race for the money and the power—Alistair Oh—who had abandoned them in a burning building, planted a transmitter on them so they could be followed, and now told them that he was on their side, something that was obviously a lie. But he had gotten them away from the chaos at the airport, and he was offering to fly them to Japan on his private jet. And the truth of the matter was that they were stuck without him. Nellie, Saladin, the swords and their suitcases were on the plane with Ian and Natalie Kabras. Amy and Dan had no money and couldn't speak Japanese. Unfortunately, along with all the other Cahills, Alistair Oh was not to be trusted, and his plans were going just the way he wanted them to go." This booktalk was written by Joni Richards Bodart, university professor, writer, librarian, consultant, and booktalking expert. Series Website
"Rumor has it that Katherine Cahill hid a Clue in Egypt 500 years ago that may have been connected to three golden statues of the Egyptian goddess Sakhet. Amy and Dan have managed to get one of the statues, but their hunt for the other two leads them to a mummy’s tomb and a confrontation with one of their deadliest enemies." -Scholastic
"Ryan has begun a new journal. It's a new lease on life, new memories, a new chance to solve the puzzle of Skeleton Creek-or at least, he hopes it is. And there's a new video from Sarah to help him piece it together, to fill in the gaps in his memory. But now they know just how dangerous Skeleton Creek is, and how determined it is to keep its secrets."
"He doesn't remember everything that happened before, but two things he can't forget-the message scrawled on the door leading to the outside: DON'T MAKE ME COME LOOKING FOR YOU, and the list of names on the wall of the secret room of the Dredge....What do they mean? Why is his father's name among them, and how many lies has he told Ryan? Read Ryan's journal. Watch Sarah's videos. Begin to take the puzzle apart. Discover the darkest, most hidden secrets of Skeleton Creek. But be careful—not all of Skeleton Creek's secrets are willing to be revealed." by Joni Richards Bodart, Book Trailer & Author's Website Skeleton Creek: Book 1 Book Talk "On the day Cassie was born, they drowned her town. The mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools’ worth of water. Now, twelve years later, Cassie feels drawn to the manmade lake and the mysteries it hides — and she’s not the only one. Her classmate Liam, who wears oversized swim trunks to cover the scars on his legs, joins Cassie in her daily swims across the off-limits side of the lake. As the summer heats up, the water drops lower and lower, offering them glimpses of the ghostly town and uncovering secrets one prominent town figure seems anxious to keep submerged. But like a swimmer who ventures too far from shore, Cassie realizes she can’t turn back. Can she bring their suspicions to light before it’s too late — and does she dare?" -from the publisher
Listen to the audio book talk by book talking expert, Nancy Keane Author's Website: Meg McKinlay Reading level 4.5 "Stats" Pagano loves baseball and loves the Boston Red Sox. His family owns a legendary hot dog stand right outside the gates of Fenway Park. This year, the Sox aren't having a good season and the family's business is at risk. The team's pitcher is convinced the Curse of the Bambino is haunting the team. Can Stats help break the curse on the team?
Author's Website: John H. Ritter Reading Level: 4.9 Imagine living in a city where there is no sky, sun, moon or stars. The only source of light comes from huge flood lights mounted around the city. The needs of the citizens of Ember are met through huge storerooms where people can obtain everything from baby food to light bulbs. But people are starting to notice something is wrong in the City of Ember. The lights of Ember are beginning to flicker and shut off completely for minutes at a time, leaving the city in complete and utter darkness. The storerooms are almost empty. The light bulbs are almost gone. No one is permitted to leave Ember and no one knows what lies beyond. Two hundred years ago, the original Builders of Ember left a secret message in a time-locked box with instructions on what to do when it is time to leave the city, but the box and the message are all but forgotten.
It is Assignment Day. Twelve-year-old Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow are ready to draw their work assignments for the next two years. Lina wants to be a messenger and have the freedom to run around the city. Doon wants to be assigned as a pipe worker, far below the city where an underground river powers a generator that provides electricity to the city. They each eventually get the job they want. Lina discovers the message left by The Builders of Ember, but the paper is full of holes and parts of the message are missing. Doon discovers a hidden, secret door underneath the city. Can the two decipher the message from The Builders and find a way out to save Ember before the lights go out forever? Jeanne DuPrau - Author Website City of Ember - Movie Trailer Reading level: 5.1 Other books in the series: The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold "Will loves to dig. So when his father suddenly disappears down one of the tunnels he's dug, Will knows he's got to go after him. But he has no idea how many surprises wait for him underground."
Strange, pale, musty-smelling men in long coats, hats and sunglasses are appearing around town. An unexplainable glowing orb turns up at the museum that Will's father works in. The tunnel Will and his friend, Chester, are digging is mysteriously blocked. Will's father discovers that a row of townhouses has an extra flue between each house that extends far into the ground. Will's father disappears one night down a tunnel he was secretly digging. Will and Chester go in search of Will's father. What awaits them below the town of Highfield? What happened to his father? Read Tunnels to discover the dangerous secrets living below London. T unnels - Book Trailer Tunnels - Scholastic Video Book Talk Tunnels - Website Reading Level: 8.4 "Ryan has to keep writing, no matter how much it hurts. He has to explain what happened that night."
Ryan is trying to remember what happened that night. He is secretly writing the full story in a journal. He's forbidden, since the accident, to see his best friend, Sarah. While Ryan is isolated and laboring to write the story in his journal, Sarah continues to investigate the mystery surrounding Skeleton Creek with her video camera. She secretly sends password-protected links to the videos to Ryan through email. "Do I wish we hadn’t gone into the woods? Do I wish Sarah hadn’t shot the video, as if that might have kept everything from happening? Sure. But that didn’t change anything. We kept working to find out the secret of Skeleton Creek’s name. And we ignored all the danger signs. We went too far, we asked too many questions. And we found out things that we’d never wanted to learn." Here is the super-cool part about this series! The reader can view Sarah's videos through a link and password provided in the story. This unique combination of reading and watching aids in drawing readers into the story. Read more here about Sarah's videos and how to access them (About Sarah's videos). Skeleton Creek Scholastic Book Trailer Skeleton Creek Website Other books in this series: Ghost in the Machine, The Crossbones, The Raven Reading level: 4.8 |