A discussion guide inspired by Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount. About the book: From the award-winning author of Some Boys comes an unflinching examination of rape culture that delves into a family torn apart by sexual assault. It’s been two years since the night that changed Ashley’s life. Two years since she was raped by her brother’s teammate. And a year since she sat in a court and watched as he was given a slap on the wrist sentence. But the years have done nothing to stop the pain. It’s been two years of hell for Derek. His family is totally messed up and he and his sister are barely speaking. He knows he handled it all wrong. Now at college, he has to come to terms with what happened, and the rape culture that he was inadvertently a part of that destroyed his sister’s life. When it all comes to head at Thanksgiving, Derek and Ashley have to decide if their relationship is able to be saved. And if their family can ever be whole again.

An educator’s guide inspired by Nothing Left to Burn by Patty Blount. About the book: From the YALSA and RITA Award-nominated author of Some Boys, a smoldering new contemporary YA about love, loss and finding a place to belong. Dear Dad,  I promised Matt I’d do this—become a Junior Cadet. That I wouldn’t let you break me down. I know you hate me. Blame me for everything you lost. But that day I lost my brother and my dad. You could never be proud of me, could you? I was too “different.” So, just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m saying goodbye. Maybe someday, you’ll miss me. Reece Reece’s words make her ache. Amanda understands wanting to belong. As a foster kid, the firehouse where she volunteers is the only place that feels like home. She wants to help Reece, but his dad is her boss. And she won’t risk her place as a Junior Cadet—it’s all that she has. But when a string of arsons suddenly point to Amanda, her whole world is about to go up in flames. And the only way to save themselves is to risk getting burned.

A discussion guide inspired by The Girl Who Wasn’t There by Penny Joelson. About the book: For fans of Karen M. McManus and Kara Thomas comes this riveting new young adult crime thriller packed with mystery and suspense, from the acclaimed author of I Have No Secrets Nothing ever happens on Kasia’s street. And Kasia would know, because her chronic illness keeps her stuck at home, watching the outside world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she’s not sure whether she can believe her own eyes… There had been a girl in the window across the street who must have seen something too. But when Kasia ventures out to find her, she is told the most shocking thing of all: There is no girl. Emotional and full of twists, The Girl Who Wasn’t There is perfect for readers looking for: •    teen mystery books •    diverse, complex characters •    chronic illness representation from an #ownvoices author •    books for teens that deal with social issues •    young adult suspense novels

A discussion guide designed to go alongside The Nightmare Thief by Nicole Lesperance. About the book: For fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a suspenseful dark fantasy duology, perfect for middle school readers that love stories of magic and sisterhood with a dash of danger. Maren Partridge loves working in her family’s dream shop where she can hand-craft any dream imaginable. The shop has only one rule. Dreams cannot be given to a person without their consent. Maren has no problem with this — until her sister, Hallie, has an accident that leaves her in a coma. Maren’s certain she can cure Hallie with a few well-chosen dreams. And when no one is watching, she slips her a flying dream. But a strange new customer from the shop has been following Maren and knows what she did. Now she’s laid the perfect trap to blackmail Maren into creating custom nightmares for a dark and terrible purpose. As Maren gets drawn further into the sinister scheme, she must make a choice: to protect her family or to protect the town from her family’s magic.

From the creators of The Snatchabook comes Pirate Nell’s Tale To Tell, a book-filled adventure on the high seas! This activity kit is full of coloring, games, and even some storytime discussion questions perfect for pairing with the book! More about the book: Nell is finally a pirate! And she has her trusty Pirate’s Almanac to help her sail the seas, even if Captain Gnash doesn’t like books on his ship. But when the journey gets rough and the captain is in trouble, it’s Nell and all her pirate knowledge that saves the day and leads them to the greatest buried treasure of all…

From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of P is for Pterodacytyl comes another hilarious, fresh look at the English language! This is an educator guide to go alongside No Reading Allowed, a fun and educational look at how language works. More about the book: Man, a tea sounds great. Manatee sounds great! Sir Francies Bacon Sir, France is bakin’! What is going on here?! You can’t believe everything you hear! A single word can have many different meanings. And sometimes two words that sound alike can be spelled completely differently. Ptolemy the pterodactyl is back to show us all how absurd and fun language can be when homophones, homonyms, and tricky punctuation are at play!

A discussion guide to pair with your read of The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska! More about the book: A gripping, dark LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home. Every year on St. Walpurga’s Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking. Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen’s attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice. Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won’t make the same mistake. She’s willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city. When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas’s freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other as water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice.

A discussion guide perfect for pairing with Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster. More about the book: A fast-paced series starter steeped in Colombian mythology and full of adventure. Filled with fantasy, action, adventure, and an unforgettable trio of friends. On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it. Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year’s Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power. The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin…the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch. With only his village’s terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.

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

This discussion guide is the perfect pairing for the young readers’ edition of the acclaimed national bestseller, The Radium Girls! This inspiring and engaging historical nonfiction book tells the story of America’s glowing girls and their brave fight for justice. This young readers’ edition includes all-new material, including a glossary, timeline, and dozens of bonus photos.

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

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.

A Common Core aligned educator guide inspired by Patricia Forde’s The Last Lie. In the powerful conclusion to the award-winning List duology, Letta must return from exile to fight for the people of Ark, even if it may cost her everything. The Last Lie is a dystopian adventure for tweens and teens and an important commentary on censorship, language, and the pursuit of freedom.

A Common Core aligned educator guide inspired by Rebecca Behrens’ Alone in the Woods. From the author of The Disaster Days comes a thrilling survival story about two former best friends who must work together to stay alive after getting lost in a remote national forest.

A discussion guide inspired by Rebecca Behrens’ Alone in the Woods. From the author of The Disaster Days comes a thrilling survival story about two former best friends who must work together to stay alive after getting lost in a remote national forest.

A discussion guide inspired by It Came from the Sky by Chelsea Sedoti. About the book: From the author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and As You Wish comes the unforgettable story of the one small town’s biggest hoax and the two brothers who started it all. This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more. Only…there were no aliens. Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town—it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon’s obsession with their tale threatened his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever? Told in a report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown.

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?

Baby Medical School is a series of board books written by the experts. With whimsical artwork and humorous text, they are perfect for enlightening the next generation of geniuses and creating a love for science they will carry for a lifetime! Baby Medical School:* My Doctor’s Visit* Baby Medical School: Bacteria and Antibiotics Baby Medical School: Vaccines

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.

Dinosaur Lady is a beautiful and brilliant picture book that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists. It also includes a timeline of Mary Anning’s life and lots of fantastic fossil facts! A Common Core State Standards Aligned Activity Guide for Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4.