Sylvie Bartram lives alone with Mr. Jackson the dog and her eccentric composer father, who invents strange and wonderful musical instruments. One day she returns from school to find a message left in toothpaste on the bathroom mirror: her father has been kidnapped. Later that night, the house is visited by a terrifying apparition—a half-man, half-creature who is searching for something and will not rest until he has found it. Sylvie uncovers an underground world of magic and evil, and with help from her friends, she must hold off a power that threatens the lives of all beings in the world. The Songman is at large, and is determined to steal music and use it for his own evil ends.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Heart of a Samurai
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.
This book has been included in WOW’s Language and Learning: Children’s and Young Adult Fiction Booklist. For our current list, visit our Booklist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
Who Cares?
Rhys loves to tap dance. Knowing how his peers may react, Rhys keeps his passion to himself. Sam spends his days surfing, yet when Rhys spends the weekend at Lorne with him, he seems really keen on Rhys’s tap. Maybe Sam has a secret too.
Who Dares?
A surfing competition, some serious skateboarding and several puzzling mysteries are the ingredients for an awesome beach vacation. While Rhys is totally focused on winning the Junior Surf Championship, Toby just wants to win his dare with Rhys. But things have a habit of not working out as planned, and the boys learn that it doesn’t pay to assume anything, about anyone, ever!
Troubletwisters
When their house mysteriously explodes and they are sent to live with an unknown relative named Grandma X, twelve-year-old twins Jaide and Jack Shield learn that they are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers, who must protect humanity from The Evil trying to break into Earth’s dimension.
Dying to Tell Me
Sasha didn’t think her life could get any worse. She was wrong. Her dad decided to move she and her brother to a new town whose residents didn’t seem very glad to have a new policeman – never mind his kids – in town.
The Garden of Empress Cassia
Mimi lives with her parents above her father’s herbalist shop. She hates being Chinese and being teased at school. More than anything she loves to draw, so when her art teacher gives her a box of pastels Mimi is thrilled. These are no ordinary pastels for the inscription on the box warns that they are “A treasure for some, a curse for others”. Mimi is able to draw amazing scenes on the footpath outside her father’s shop and the pastels breathe life into the pictures for those able to see it. When Gemma, her tormentor at school, steals the pastels, Mimi knows she must get them back – not only to keep them safe and their magic intact, but to save Gemma from the pastel’s curse.
Brazil the Land
Text and photographs portray Brazil’s geography and climate, city and rural life, industry, and transportation, focusing especially on the Amazon and the people and animals that live on the river.
Brazil: The People
This book explores how the history, climate, geography, and religion of Brazil have shaped the customs and practices of modern daily life for some of the poorest and some of the wealthiest people in South America.
Brazil: The Culture
Text and photographs show how the people of Brazil celebrate holidays and festivals, using art, music, dance, and stories.