Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Red Ridin’ in the Hood: And Other Cuentos

Eleven classic tales are retold with an injection of Latino culture, providing a twist on the traditional forms while sustaining a freshness all their own. The title story, “Red Ridin’ in the Hood,” moves the setting to the barrio, where Red decides to brave dangerous Forest Street in order to reach her abuelita and encounters the menacing wolf in a thumping Chevy lowrider. Some stories are set in the Mexican countryside; in “Belleza y La Bestia,” the beautiful heroine is a defender of the Revolution and teaches the beast about the righteousness of the freedom fighters. “El Día de los Muertos,” a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, takes place in the time of the Aztecs and casts Orpheus as the feather-maker Nochehuatl.

These and the other cuentos in this book are further brought to life by abundant illustrations, by turns comical and poignant.

The Little Mermaid

A little sea princess, longing to be human, trades her mermaid’s tail for legs, hoping to win the love of a prince and earn an immortal soul for herself.

Django: World’s Greatest Jazz Guitarist

Born into a traveling gypsy family, young Django Reinhardt taught himself guitar at an early age. He was soon acclaimed as the “Gypsy Genius” and “Prodigy Boy,” but one day his world changed completely when a fire claimed the use of his fretting hand. Folks said Django would never play again, but with passion and perseverance he was soon setting the world’s concert stages ablaze. Bonnie Christensen’s gorgeous oil paintings and jazzy, syncopated text perfectly depict the man and his music.

Hercules: The Man, the Myth, the Hero

Based on the Greek myth, here the legendary Greek hero Hercules recounts his daring adventures. Award-winning children’s book author Kathryn Lasky takes readers on a tour of Hercules’ incredible life, from his prodigious infancy, through his twelve labors, and ending with his heroic ascent to Mount Olympus.

Around The World

As the nineteenth century wound down, a public inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Around the world in Eighty Days clamored for intrepid adventure.  The challenge of circumnavigating the globe as no one ever had before attracted toe fearless in droves.  Three hardy spirits stayed the course.  In 1884, former miner Thomas Stevens made the journey on a bicycle…the kind with a big front wheel.  In 1889, pioneer reporter Nellie Bly embarked on a global race against time that assumed the heights of spectacle.  And in 1895, retired sea captain Joshua Slocum quietly set sail on a thirty-six-foot sloop named the Spray, braving pirates and treacherous seas to become the first person to sail around the world alone.

With cinematic pacing and deft, expressive art., acclaimed graphic novelist Matt Phelan weaves a trio of epic journeys into a single bold tale of three visionaries who set their sights on nothing short of the world.

Charles Dickens: England’s Most Captivating Storyteller

See the world of Charles Dickens spring to life in his fascinating notebook. Excerpts from his personal letters, guides to his major works, and enthralling facts about his life and times—including Dickens’s own amazing rags-to-riches story—are accompanied by fascinating new illustrations, drawings from the original books, and photographs from the period.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Pied Piper pipes a village free of rats, and when the villagers refuse to pay him for the service, he pipes away their children as well.

The Revenant

When Willie arrives in Indian Territory, she knows only one thing: no one can find out who she really is. To escape a home she doesn’t belong in anymore, she assumes the name of a former classmate and accepts a teaching job at the Cherokee Female Seminary. Nothing prepares her for what she finds there. Her pupils are the daughters of the Cherokee elite-educated and more wealthy than she, and the school is cloaked in mystery. A student drowned in the river last year, and the girls whisper that she was killed by a jealous lover. Willie’s room is the very room the dead girl slept in. The students say her spirit haunts it. Willie doesn’t believe in ghosts, but when strange things start happening at the school, she isn’t sure anymore. She’s also not sure what to make of a boy from the nearby boys’ school who has taken an interest in her-his past is cloaked in secrets. Soon, even she has to admit that the revenant may be trying to tell her something. . . .

Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afganistan

Award-winning photographer Rafal Gerszak spent a year embedded with the American military in Afghanistan, where he used his camera to document everyday life in the war-torn country. While there, he developed a deep affection for the land and its people, and he later returned on his own. Despite the dangers around him, he continued taking photos, exposing the plight of that besieged country.

Framed by journal entries that relate his experiences on two levels — as a foreigner looking for a deeper connection to a country that has stirred him and as a journalist looking for another side to the story — Beyond Bullets addresses the volatile situation in Afghanistan with sensitivity and profound insight. Through Gerszak’s lens, readers can see the shattered aftermath of military attacks and dismal hospitals and refugee camps, but they can also experience the vibrant activity of life in the markets, at home and on the Muslim day of rest.