Books at Guided Reading Level Z

- Winner of the 2018 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction - From the bestselling author of Echo Mountain and Newbery Honor–winner Wolf Hollow, Beyond the Bright Sea is an acclaimed best book of the year.An NPR Best Book of the Year • A Parents’ Magazine Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors' Choice selection • A BookPage Best Book of the Year • A Horn Book Fanfare Selection • A Kirkus Best Book of the Year • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year • A Charlotte Observer Best Book of the Year • A Southern Living Best Book of the Year • A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year“The sight of a campfire on a distant island…proves the catalyst for a series of discoveries and events—some poignant, some frightening—that Ms. Wolk unfolds with uncommon grace.” –The Wall Street Journal★ “Crow is a determined and dynamic heroine.” —Publishers Weekly★ “Beautiful, evocative.” —Kirkus The moving story of an orphan, determined to know her own history, who discovers the true meaning of family. Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger. Vivid and heart-wrenching, Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea is a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.

The perfect introduction for learning about women throughout history who dared to do the extraordinary! Inspire our new generation of women to explore, discover, persist, succeed, and fight like a girl!Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous things for years, but they're rarely mentioned in our history books as adventurers, daredevils, or rebels. This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure-many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you'll WANT to know, such as:Annie Edson Taylor, the first person who dared to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman who dared to fly in space Helen Gibson, the first woman who dared to be a professional stunt personAnd many more! If you and your child enjoyed She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton, Little Dreamers, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls or Girls Think of Everything, you will love reading Women Who Dared.

Louisa May Alcott's most famous novel, "Little Women", is the story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. Central to the theme of the novel is the issue of overcoming ones character flaws. For Meg it is vanity; Jo, temper; Beth, shyness; and Amy, selfishness. Through the various activities of the four sisters told throughout the novel lessons are learned of the consequences of these particular flaws. A classic novel, "Little Women" was an instant success and popular favorite ever since its original publication in 1868.

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and , unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless's short life. Admitting an interst that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the dries and desires that propelled McCandless. Digging deeply, he takes an inherently compelling mystery and unravels the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons.When McCandless's innocent mistakes turn out to be irreversible and fatal, he becomes the stuff of tabloid headlines and is dismissed for his naiveté, pretensions, and hubris. He is said to have had a death wish but wanting to die is a very different thing from being compelled to look over the edge. Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity , and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding--and not an ounce of sentimentality. Mesmerizing, heartbreaking, Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer's stoytelling blaze through every page.

The third book in Suzanne Collins's phenomenal and worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.The final book in Suzanne Collins's worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy is now available in paperback."My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans but her.The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost.

“A glorious account of a magnificent adventure, filled with suspense and seasoned with a quiet humor that is irresistible . . . All those, young or old, who love a fine adventurous tale, beautifully told, will take The Hobbit to their hearts.” – New York Times Book Review A beautiful gift edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting tale, fully illustrated by Jemima Catlin. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling farther than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep to whisk him away on a journey to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. . .

Discover history’s significant events since 3000 BCE through a detailed and dynamic, book-long, timeline! Perfect for history buffs and trivia enthusiasts alike.See history's most decisive moments, as and when they happened, and where they all took place. Taking a chronological approach, History Year by Year explores the world's most momentous discoveries, ingenious inventions, and important events in the context of their time, wherever they occurred. Along the way you'll meet charismatic leaders, brutal dictators, influential thinkers, and innovative scientists from every corner of the globe.Follow in the steps of your human ancestors as they colonize the planet, develop tools, harness fire, and paint cave walls. Learn how their descendants established great civilizations, founded huge empires, domesticated animals, built pyramids, produced great art, authored epic poems, and ultimately even travelled into space. There are wars and rebellions, voyages of adventure and discovery, extraordinary developments in technology, and incredible sporting feats.Accessible to everyone, History Year by Year's combination of bite-sized information, eye-catching images, clear maps, and memorable stats will delight history lovers, and make an ideal gift for trivia buffs wanting facts at their fingertips.

In this unforgettable seventh book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must let the past and present blur together, because the deadliest secrets are always the ones that get erased.Sophie Foster doesn’t know what—or whom—to believe. And in a game with this many players, the worst mistake can be focusing on the wrong threat. But when the Neverseen prove that Sophie’s far more vulnerable than she ever imagined, she realizes it’s time to change the rules. Her powerful abilities can only protect her so far. To face down ruthless enemies, she must learn to fight. Unfortunately, battle training can’t help a beloved friend who’s facing a whole different danger—where the only solution involves one of the biggest risks Sophie and her friends have ever taken. And the distraction might be exactly what the villains have been waiting for.

The Grishaverse will be coming to Netflix soon with Shadow and Bone, an original series! Crooked Kingdom is the #1 New York Times-bestselling Book Two in the Six of Crows Duology. Now in paperback with a brand-new exclusive piece of art, an interview with Leigh Bardugo and a sneak peek of her next book. When you can’t beat the odds, change the game. Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world. #1 New York Times bestseller, October 16, 2016Read all the books in the Grishaverse!The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (previously published as The Grisha Trilogy) Shadow and Bone Siege and Storm Ruin and Rising The Six of Crows Duology Six of Crows Crooked KingdomThe King of Scars DuologyKing of Scars The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous MagicThe Severed Moon: A Year-Long Journal of MagicPraise for the Grishaverse “A master of fantasy.” ―The Huffington Post “Utterly, extremely bewitching.” ―The Guardian “The best magic universe since Harry Potter.” ―Bustle “This is what fantasy is for.” ―The New York Times Book Review “[A] world that feels real enough to have its own passport stamp.” ―NPR “The darker it gets for the good guys, the better.” ―Entertainment Weekly “Sultry, sweeping and picturesque. . . . Impossible to put down.” ―USA Today “There’s a level of emotional and historical sophistication within Bardugo’s original epic fantasy that sets it apart.” ―Vanity Fair “Unlike anything I’ve ever read.” ―Veronica Roth, bestselling author of Divergent “Bardugo crafts a first-rate adventure, a poignant romance, and an intriguing mystery!” ―Rick Riordan, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series

A unique guide to the extraordinary world of plants, from the smallest seeds to the tallest trees.Packed with more than 1,000 incredible images and full of fascinating facts, this beautiful children's book takes you on an exciting adventure through the wonders of the plant kingdom.Explore the incredible world of plants, from the smallest seeds to the tallest trees. Find out about the weirdest, smelliest, and deadliest flowers. Which plants eat insects? How do cacti store water? What flower looks like a bee? Where is the tallest tree in the world? Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds explores the mysterious world of plants to find the answers to these and many more questions.Each type of plant - such as a flowering plant, a tree, a grass, or cactus - is examined close-up, with examples shown from all angles and in cross-section. Picture-filled galleries also show the wonderful variety of plants on different themes, from the habitats they grow in to the plants that supply us with our staple foods. But Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds also takes a fun, more sideways look at some truly strange plants, such as trees with fruit like gigantic fingers, orchids that look like a monkey's face, seeds that spin like helicopters, and trees that drip poison.So open this amazing book and find out more about the world of trees, leaves, flowers, and seeds.

Life lessons from the soccer field, from the bestselling author of Strong is the New Pretty. A bruised shin, a bloody nose. Racing across the field into the arms of your teammates. Leaping high to save a goal. Getting up at dawn to kick ball after ball into the net. Making friends for life. Teaching your younger sister how to dribble. Sharing cupcakes at practice on your birthday. Going to sleep in your jersey. That’s what it means to be fearless, dedicated, confident, resilient, proud, persistent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 3 or 63––that’s what it means to play like a girl. “Kate T. Parker is my hero. She moves me. The whole world she has created moves me.”––Drew Barrymore