Books published by publisher Townsend Press

Deena Jackson's world has come crashing down. Just before her senior year of high school, her father is diagnosed with cancer. Deena has always been a shy, quiet girl, unnoticed by her high school classmates. But something changes as she watches her dad struggle. She puts on a pair of sneakers her dad had gotten her the year before and she goes outside to run. Then, aided by her dad's belief in her, Deena sets out to make the high school cross-country team. What she doesn't know is how difficult, and how inspiring, her journey of self-discovery will become.

Frederick Douglass was born a slave, denied an education, and expected to work like a beast of the fields until the day he died. But Douglass's mind and spirit could not be imprisoned. As he secretly learned to read and write, Douglass looked ahead to the day he could escape the chains of slavery. Once free, he wrote this classic of American literature. It is a story that shocked the world with its first-hand account of the horror of slavery.Note: This Townsend Library classic has been carefully edited to be more accessible to today's students. It includes a brief author's biography and an afterword that provides important context about the work.

"The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." —Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr., dedicated his life to bringing equal rights to African Americans through peaceful protest. Sometimes the cruelty of racists would test King’s faith in the goodness of humankind. Sometimes a vicious death threat on the telephone in the middle of the night would weaken his resolve.However, King remained faithful to his dream of bringing equality to black people. In time, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work changed the course of history. Although King was killed while he was still a young man, he helped bend “the arc of history” closer to justice.

Get ready to chuckle and to shiver—sometimes both at once! Within these pages you'll encounter situations that are scary or amusing, but always unforgettable. Here are just three of them: •When blundering kidnappers snatch a little boy, the hilarious events that follow will leave you wondering who the "victim" really is. •Two old friends enter the gloomy wine cellar, its cold walls dripping with dampness. Only one of the friends will ever leave. •Riding home from a late-night party, a timid schoolmaster is pursued by a terrifying man on horseback—a man with no head.Note: The classic stories in this Townsend Library collection have been carefully edited to be more accessible to today's students.

The Stolen Light is the real-life story of Ved Mehta, a young man attending college in California in the 1950s. Mehta’s story has been abridged with the author’s approval. The college years are a challenging time in anyone’s life, but Mehta faced particular difficulties. He was an Indian in the United States, a Hindu in a Christian environment, a dark-skinned man surrounded by white people, and he was blind. With compelling honesty and touches of humor, Mehta describes his struggles to live an ordinary college life—dating, riding a bicycle, keeping up with his studies—while dealing with extraordinary obstacles.Note: This edition has been abridged by Beth Johnson with the approval of the author.

On a December day in 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested, jailed, and tried for the crime of breaking the laws of segregation. Rosa's action led to the famous Montgomery bus boycott, a year-long act of protest that focused the attention of the world on the struggle of black Americans to gain their civil rights. It also brought a young pastor named Martin Luther King into the national spotlight. It led to a Supreme Court decision that changed America's history.For decades, black Americans had put up with the evils of segregation. They had endured the humiliation of "Whites only" facilities. They had used "Colored" entrances. They had dealt with separate "White" and "Negro" drinking fountains. And they had taken seats in the back of the bus. What, then, led a 42-year-old woman to say, "No more"?This story explores how Rosa Parks' life prepared her for the moment she would become a true American hero.

Carter can't believe it. For the first two weeks of summer vacation, he and his younger sister, Christine, are going to have to stay with their great aunt out in the middle of nowhere. Making things even worse, their aunt lives right next to a big, buggy swamp. Carter is certain this is going to be the dullest two weeks of his life.But Carter is wrong. One night, Carter is awakened by creepy laughter coming from the swamp. Then a mysterious path appears...and disappears. Their aunt warns Carter and Christine about a deadly swamp curse. But now the curse seems to be drawing them deep into the swamp and even deeper into danger!

1. A Student-Centered Approach. Bullying in Schools is written to and for young people. The book invites students to analyze their past behavior in bullying and cyberbullying situations and to explore ways to deal effectively with bullying in the future.2. Compelling True Stories. The book includes stories about real students who have experienced bullying and cyberbullying. These accounts are vivid and engaging, allowing students to discuss personal feelings in the safe context of other people’s stories, rather than forcing students to share their own painful or embarrassing experiences.3. Timely Material on Internet Safety and Cyberbullying. The new edition of Bullying in Schools includes a powerful essay about the dangers and consequences of cyberbullying.The book also provides students with strategies to combat this growing problem and to promote Internet safety.4. Practical Strategies for Students. Bullying in Schools includes steps to take for all students who encounter bullying, either online or in person. These steps are for everyone—bullies, their targets, and bystanders. Realistic, sensitive, and flexible, the strategies give students examples of positive behaviors they can use the next time they are in a bullying situation.5. Engaging Individual and Classroom Activities. Bullying in Schools includes a variety of activities students can work on either as a class, in small groups, or alone. Readings, discussion questions, writing assignments, and role-playing exercises deepen students’ understanding of the bullying experience while also reinforcing their reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Two runaways, the white boy Huck and the black man Jim, join forces.Huck has fled an abusive father. Jim has fled slavery. In their quest for freedom, Huck and Jim travel down the Mississippi River, encountering many dangers. Will they escape oppression and abuse? Or will the powerful forces against them prove stronger than their brave defiance? Note: This Townsend Library classic has been carefully edited to be more accessible to today's students. It includes a brief author's biography and an afterword that provides important context about the work.

ABOUT THIS ITEM: This set includes 10 books (1 copy of all 10 titles in The King School Series, Kindergarten Collection). WHAT IS THE KING SCHOOL SERIES? The King School Series is a popular set of leveled books for beginning readers. Compatible with widely used reading programs and suited to large group instruction, guided reading, one-on-one coaching, and independent reading, The King School Series is the perfect complement to any early reading program. It can also serve as the nucleus of a youngster's library! KEY FEATURES OF THE KING SCHOOL SERIES KINDERGARTEN COLLECTION Exceptionally appealing characters. Every book in the Kindergarten Collection is about the King School Kids, spirited students in Mrs. Hall s class at the King School. Mirroring the diversity of today s classroom, the King School Kids represent various ethnicities and come from a variety of family structures. Your students will have no trouble finding King School Kids with whom they can identify. Once they read just one book about their favorite characters, they will clamor for more. Engaging leveled stories. Your students will be hooked by these vibrantly illustrated stories based on young children s interests, concerns, and experiences: learning to read, playing with friends, getting ready for school, enjoying family gatherings, and much more. Besides being charming, these stories have been written to fit carefully defined leveling criteria, which are compatible with several widely used reading systems. From one level to the next, the books advance in difficulty, making the Kindergarten Collection ideal for the very earliest readers. Ideal for differentiated instruction. Because the leveled books in the Kindergarten Collection progress in difficulty, every student can be matched with just the right book not too hard, not too easy. Five separate titles at each of the two levels give students practice reading at one level before moving to the next. This upward spiral of achievement fosters confidence. The more confident students feel, the more they want to read. The more they read, the better readers they become. Colorful illustrations and a student-friendly format. Brimming with humor and warmth, the illustrations do more than grab students attention. Great care has been taken to make sure the illustrations support students understanding of the text. Throughout, illustrations cue the text, helping students figure out unfamiliar words. Font size, text placement, text spacing, and line breaks have also been carefully designed to foster students reading skills. Lively, compact stories. Experiencing the sheer pleasure of well-plotted stories is an important step in making kindergartners eager to learn to read. Even the most basic books in the Kindergarten Collection have compelling narratives that drive the stories forward and keep students reading to see how things work out. Though varying in complexity, all books in the Series are 16 pages long, with at least 8 of those pages being fully illustrated. This compact length means that even brand-new readers have the satisfaction and fun of reading a book, from start to finish, in just one sitting.

Harry Houdini escaped from prison cells, swallowed needles, and made elephants disappear. How did he do such amazing tricks? Some people believed he was actually a wizard with secret powers. But Houdini knew his only “secret powers” were hard work and imagination. This is the story of the poor boy who grew up to be the most famous magician in the world. He was fearless and determined to amaze his audiences, and there seemed to be no limit to the risks that The Great Houdini would take.

The Robinsons leave their home in Switzerland planning to settle half a world away. But things do not turn out as they had expected. The sole survivors of a terrible shipwreck, they wash ashore to learn that the danger has only begun. Their new world will test their courage, cleverness, endurance, and faith as they struggle to survive and create a civilization of their own in the wilderness.Note: This Townsend Library classic has been carefully edited to be more accessible to today's students. It includes a brief author's biography and an afterword that provides important context about the work.