This story describes the formation, naming, and colonization of the twenty-seven-year-old volcanic island Surtsey and how the first animals and plants became established there.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Tales from Outer Suburbia
These are the odd details of everyday suburban life that might forever go unnoticed, were they not finally brought to light by Shaun Tan. An exchange student who’s really an alien, a secret room that becomes the perfect place for a quick escape, a typical tale of grandfatherly exaggeration that is actually even more bizarre than he says… These are the odd details of everyday life that grow and take on an incredible life of their own in tales and illustrations.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2
Basilisk
This evocative story of greed, power, and deception sweeps from the underground cave network of the Combers, living like spiders among the endless tunnels and ropes, to the beautiful city inhabited by Abovers. When a young man named Rej discovers the body of a murdered Abover in the combes, their worlds begin to draw closer. He swears vengeance for the murdered man and takes a great risk in going above. There he is placed in the care of Donna, a beautiful young woman trapped in her life as a worker. Food and clothing are rationed, while slaves and workers are forced to live in meager barracks. But Rej and Donna have more in common than a miserable existence; they have weirdly identical dreams of dragons flying in a clear blue sky. They are even more surprised to learn that the city’s cruel leader, the Arkel, is determined to find a way to bring just such dreams to life in order to literally scare the population to death. The connection Rej and Donna make leads them on a dramatic adventure to save their loved ones from the Arkel’s terrifying plans. N. M. Browne has created an unforgettable world in this richly layered narrative.
The Lion Tamer’s Daughter and Other Stories
Four stories tell of ghostly doubles who reach out across time, space, and magical barriers to rescue and change others, including a girl who discovers she has a second self, living another life entirely.
Nightrise
The world is in great danger—and only five kids can save it. But to do that, they must face off against some of the most powerful people in the world. Two of the five, Scott and Jamie, have always known they were different. Twins whose birth is shrouded in mystery, they’ve always been able to communicate with each other telepathically. Their supernatural talent has landed them no farther than a gig in a Z-grade sideshow in Reno, Nevada…until they garner the attention of a very scary clientele. Soon their lives are in jeopardy, with one of them trapped and one of them on the run. In Nightrise, Anthony Horowitz ups the stakes in his most thrilling, intense novel yet.
The Examination
Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, flood, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through fifteenth century China as Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.
The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn (The Samurai Mysteries)
Samurai fear nothing, not even death. They are loyal and brave. Fourteen-year-old Seikei has studied the way of the samurai, and would like nothing more than to be one. But a samurai is born, not made; Seikei was born the son of a tea merchant, so a merchant he must be. But when a priceless ruby intended for the shogun-the military governor of Japan-is stolen by a ghost, Seikei finds himself having to display all the courage of a samurai. Seikei is the only person to have seen the thief, and now the famous magistrate, Judge Ooka, needs the boy\’s help to solve this mystery. Can the son of a merchant prove himself worthy to the shogun himself?
When the Soldiers Were Gone
After the German occupation of the Netherlands, Benjamin leaves the Christian family with whom he had been living and reunites with his real parents who returned from hiding.
The Silver Casket (Something Wickedly Weird)
SOMETHING WICKEDLY WEIRD IS HERE The only thing worse than pirates are undead pirates. He might have survived the first two books, but Stanley Buggles has hardly found a quiet life in his home of Cramdon Rock. Now there are two more dead pirates out to find Stanely, and this time there’s an army with them. They want the precious key to the Silver Casket. Stanley doesn’t know what’s inside the Silver Casket, but he and his friends will do everything in their power to not find out.
Escaping into the Night
Thirteen-year-old Halina Rudowski narrowly escapes the Polish ghetto and flees to the forest, where she is taken in by an encampment of Jews trying to survive World War II. Based on historical events, this gripping tale sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Holocaust: the underground forest encampments that saved several thousand Jews from the Nazis.