The end is coming. What would you do? The first in a fast-paced and gripping YA dystopian series for anyone who’s ever felt like their life—their world—is on the brink of destruction. Like most high school seniors, Alexandra Lucas is caught between living in the moment and an unknown future. Her anxiety disorder doesn’t make that any easier. But she’s coping—until her train stops on the way home from a concert with her boyfriend. At first, she’s worried about breaking curfew. Then terror echoes through their train car. A mysterious doorway has appeared beside the tracks, and a hologram claiming to be a human from the future shares a sinister warning. A comet is on a collision course with earth. All life there will end in six months’ time. To survive, people must step through one of the many portals that have opened around the world. The holograms claim to offer safety. But how can anyone be sure? Stay or go—everyone must make their own choice. Alex’s family, her friends, her boyfriend all have different ideas. Alex is only sure of one thing: she wants to decide for herself. But every decision comes at a price. **Finalist for the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Award Winner of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award**

A Common Core State Standards–Aligned Activity Guide for Grades Kindergarten, 1, and 2 The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes introduces readers to the idea of having a growth mind-set and that taking risks and sometimes making mistakes is part of how everyone learns and grows.

An Educator Guide to Moon’s First Friends - A Common Core State Standards Aligned Educator’s Guide for Grades 1, 2, 3 From high up in the sky, the Moon has spent her whole life watching Earth and hoping for someone to visit. Dinosaurs roam, pyramids are built, and boats are made, but still no one comes. Will friends ever come visit her? Commemorate the extraordinary Apollo 11 spaceflight mission with this heartwarming story of the Moon who just wants a friend.

Ring in the holidays with an Elf-Catching party! The holidays are just around the corner, and there’s no better way to start them off than by catching your very own holiday elf! Invite your patrons for some fun, food, and crafts as they make their very own elf traps!

*I’m Not Dying With You Tonight *is a dual-POV #ownvoices debut novel that follows two teenage girls—Lena, who is black, and Campbell, who is white—who are thrust together one night when a race riot erupts in their city. Angie Thomas calls it “a compelling and powerful novel that is sure to make an impact.”

When a terrifying earthquake strikes while Hannah is babysitting, she’s in charge while their parents are on the other side of a blocked bridge as things go from bad to worse. This educator guide provides questions and activities to go alongside The Disaster Days.

*Survivors of the Holocaust *tells the true stories of six children who survived the Holocaust in a graphic non-fiction novel form. This educator guide provides questions and activities to help children read and understand the text.

This discussion guide accompanies We Are Lost and Found, a poignant YA novel that takes place in the midst of the AIDS crisis.

Pair with How to Catch a Dragon, from the New York Times bestselling How to Catch series for lots of fun-filled activities as the kids try to capture the elusive dragon!

The unicorns are celebrating their favorite day of the year, complete with rainbows, cupcakes, butterflies, and all sorts of joyful things. But when it’s revealed there’s an impostor in their midst, the party comes to a screeching halt…Will the unicorns welcome all and continue their fun in all its glittery glory? A clever, colorful, and over-the-top picture book about unicorns, celebrations, and most importantly, friendship. Now your students can throw their very own unicorn day party as you embrace the uniqueness of each special unicorn in your class. Make your own unicorn horns, have a coloring contest, play pin the horn on the unicorn, and more. This activity kit has everything you need to throw the best unicorn day party ever! You can purchase a copy of Unicorn Day here: Amazon: http://ow.ly/l0VE50qs8H0 Barnes and Noble: http://ow.ly/mKH550qs8MY Books-A-Million: http://ow.ly/XOFE50qs8Po Indiebound: http://ow.ly/ZQg950qs908

From award-winning author Julie Berry comes a middle-grade fantasy adventure full of humor, heart, and magic. Check out this discussion guide designed to accompany the book. More about the book: Be careful what you wish for … Maeve Merritt chafes at the rigid rules at her London boarding school for “Upright Young Ladies.” When punishment forces her to sort through the trash, she finds a sardine tin that houses a foul-tempered djinni with no intention of submitting to a schoolgirl as his master. Soon an orphan boy from the charitable home next door, a mysterious tall man in ginger whiskers, a disgruntled school worker, and a take-no-prisoners business tycoon are in hot pursuit of Maeve and her magical discovery. It’ll take all of her quick thinking and sass to set matters right. Maeve Merritt is one feisty heroine you won’t soon forget. First published as an Audible Original in 2018

The text provides an entry point for teachers to introduce children to the habits of mind and action that support healthy brain growth. Your Fantastic Elastic Brain promotes several essential messages, namely: what children do on a daily basis affects the growth of their brains; brains require exercise and struggling to develop new skills contributes to brain growth; making mistakes is a positive experience that contributes to healthy brain growth.

In the following STEM challenges, students will design a nature-inspired solution to a problem. They involve making observations of a plant or animal, describing its most unique or interesting structures and functions, identifying a human problem that mimicking the plant or animal could solve, and designing and advertising an invention using biomimicry. About the Nature Did It First: Nature does it best … and did it first! Explore the ways we have looked to nature for brilliant new designs and innovations to solve our own conundrums. Each example in nature is paired with a fun, rhyming description, an example of how it has been used by us, and a question to the reader – “what other problems can be solved?” Learn fascinating examples of biomimicry, like: • How burrs inspired Velcro • How grooved gecko feet inspired adhesive • How bumpy whale flippers inspired windmill blades and surfboards • And more! Back matter includes: • A glossary for words like echolocation and adhesive • A STEM Challenge activity perfect for your home or classroom

A discussion guide inspired by Lindsay Currie’s Scritch Scratch! For fans of Small Spaces comes a chilling ghost story about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together. Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She’s a scientist, which is why she can’t think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she’s made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone. Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad’s ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her. Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late.

As kids read *The Wolf of Cape Fen *by Juliana Brandt, they can use this readers guide to think through and discuss the themes of the story. Book Summary: Beyond the Bright Sea meets Echo in this story of a young girl who must break a magical bargain before an enchanted wolf steals her sister away. First Frost has touched Cape Fen, and that means Baron Dire has returned. For as long as anyone can remember, Baron Dire has haunted the town come winter, striking magical bargains and demanding unjust payment in return. The Serling sisters know better than to bargain, lest they find themselves hunted by the Baron’s companion, the Wolf. And then the Wolf attacks Eliza’s sister Winnie. They manage to escape, but they know the Wolf will be back. Because Winnie would never bargain, so that must mean that someone has struck a deal with Winnie as the price. Eliza refuses to lose her sister and embarks on a journey to save her. If Eliza can learn the truth, she might be able to protect her sister, but the truth behind the bargain could put her own life in danger.

A Common Core State Standards Aligned Activity Guide for All the Way to the Top by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, and a foreword from Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. About the Book: Jennifer Keelan was determined to make a change—even if she was just a kid. She never thought her wheelchair could slow her down, but the way the world around her was built made it hard to do even simple things like go to school or eat lunch in the cafeteria. With her family’s encouragement she goes to protests around the country and becomes part of the movement that helped get the Americans with Disabilities Act passed by Congress. This is the inspiring, true story of Jennifer Keelan, the activist whose participation in the Capitol Crawl at just eight years old encouraged Congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At each grade level, the lessons align with the Common Core State Standards Initiative for Speaking and Listening. The text exposes children to diverse cultures and fosters attitudes of curiosity and respect. Children learn how they are similar to their peers across the world, but also learn to explore and appreciate how they differ as well. What Does It Mean To Be Global? is a perfect starting point for relevant classroom activities. Classroom activities in this instructional unit tap into children’s various perspectives including: their senses, their talents and interests, their shared languages, and their values.

You Are Awesome sets out to inspire and empower kids to change their mindset, find their confidence, and achieve their potential. From motivating students to try a new hobby or sport, to building confidence and resilience before the transition to middle-school, You Are Awesome provides lots of opportunities for activities and discussion.

This empowering picture book teaches readers that even great ideas sometimes get a NO—but that NO can actually help great ideas become the best ideas! A Common Core State Standards Aligned Activity Guide for Grades Kindergarten, 1, and 2.

An activity kit filled with recipes, games, and more inspired by Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders. About the book: The whole town is talking and only Coop can find the truth. Windy Bottom, Georgia, is usually a peaceful place. Coop helps his mom at her café and bookstore, hangs out with his grandpa, and bikes around with his friends, Justice and Liberty. The town is full of all kinds of interesting people, but no one has ever caused a problem. Until now. When the link to a cold case mystery is discovered beneath the playground, everyone is eager to solve it. But somehow, Gramps is taking all the blame. It seems like there are a lot of secrets that were buried in their small town after all… Will Coop and his friends get to the bottom of the mystery and clear Gramps’s name before it’s too late?