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www.hmhbooks.com/middlegrademania

BOOKS FOR READERS in grades 3-6 play such a crucial role in helping kidsbridge from early chapter books to YA. Its vital to nurture that love ofreading through these critical years to help kids develop ever more sophisti-

cated language skills and to blossom into lifelong readers.

Use the materials in this kit to celebrate readingand encourage your reading maniacs

to stay crazy for books!

ACTIVITY KIT

Middle

Grade

Mania

Illustrations copyright 2013 by Houghton Mii n Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Smackdown!In the spirit o WrestleMania, host a Reading Smackdown! Challenge another class to a reading contest. How

many books can your students read and report on in a month versus the other class? When the month is over,have each class vote to select one title rom all the books reported on, which the entire class will read. Each class

then presents their book through skits, artwork, videos, and the like to an impartial judgeperhaps the school

principal or librarian. The judge, who has already read both books, selects the best presentation as the winner.

Word of MouthCreate a This Reader Recommends display on a bulletin board in your classroom or library. Whenever a student

loves a book, have him/her ll out a recommendation card you can post in a public space to encourage other

kids to give the book a try.

Jacket GalleryAs students nish books, have them create their own cover illustration depicting a particular character or scene.Be sure to have them include the title and the authors name within the new cover design. Display the new book

covers on a bulletin board or in a reading corner.

Book MobileHave students create a mobile or a avorite book. Use two pencils as the mobile rameworkposition them in

an X, with one pencil on top o the other, and tape them in place. Wrap a string or piece o yarn rom which to

hang the mobile around the intersection o the two pencils with a long length extending rom the top. Create

two-sided illustrations o characters and events and key elements rom the story on cardstock and hang them

rom the pencil rame. Be sure to include the books title and author on one hanging element. Display the mo-

biles around the classroom or library.

Opening LinesBooks oten begin with provocative, compelling openings to hook the reader rom the very rst page:

All eight o my dogs are stretched in ront o me in pairs o two along the gangline. They claw the ground in rustration as

the loudspeaker blares.

Here's team number ve. Our hometown girl, ourteen-year-old Victoria Secord!Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson

In a small town named Whistle Root, rats play music in the moonlight.

The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Rootby Christopher Pennell

It looked set to become even hotter by the aternoon, just when the job was becoming more ddly and needed extra

concentration. But the air weather brought at least one advantage: dry air makes magic work better and y arther.

The Last Dragonslayerby Jasper Forde

Encourage your students to keep a journal o rst lines rom books to inspire them in their own creative

writing endeavors.

Character QuiltPass an 8.5-by-8.5-inch square piece o construction paper to each student. Have each child draw a portrait o a

avorite book character on his/her square using crayons, markers, or paint. Be sure to include the characters

name and the book title on each square. Arrange the squares in a quilt pattern on a bulletin board or wall.

Activities MiddleGradeMania

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MiddleGradeMania

MiddleGradeMania

This reader recommends . . .BOOK TITLE

AUTHOR

RECOMMENDED BY GRADE

Plot summary/characters:

What I liked about the book:

This reader recommends . . .BOOK TITLEAUTHOR

RECOMMENDED BY GRADE

Plot summary/characters:

What I liked about the book:

Illustration 2013 by M. Sarah Klise rom Hollywood, Dead Ahead. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.

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Use this handy log sheet to keep track o the books you read. How many books can you read in a month? In a year?

Challenge your riends!

Reading Log

Title Author Date nished

Flower illustrations 2013 by Cara Llewellyn; ace illustration 2013 by Matt Smith. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.MiddleGradeMania

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Illustrationcopyright2013bySarahWattsromHowtoCatchaBogle.A

llrightsreserved.

Copyright2013byHoughtonMifinH

arcourtPublishingCompanyromHeavenIsPavedwithOreos.Allrightsreserved.

Bookmarks

This page may be photocopie d or ree distr ibution.MiddleGradeMania

Settleinforacozyread.

Heavenis

paved

with

BOOKS!

Catcha

goodbook!

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Illustrations 2013 by Houghton Miin Harcourt. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.

Na me: _______________________________________

Heaven

Is Paved

with Oreos

BY

Catherine

Gilbert

Murdock978-0-547-62538-6 hardcov

978-0-547-62539-3 eBook

Sarahs zany grandmother Z gives her a journal to record all her thoughts and experiences. Sarah

has a lot to write about, as things with her best riend, Curtis, have become complicated. The two

have been pretending theyre dating just to escape the constant teasing they get because theyrealways together. But ake dating is a lot more dicult than Sarah ever thought, especially once it

starts creating real eelings. Record your thoughts and experiences in your own mini journal.

My Journal

GradeMiddle

My

Mini

J

ournal

m

-

m

) Cut out theserectangles and old

in hal to create

pages. Stack all pag

within the cover and

staple to bind the

pages into a little

booklet. Photocopy

additional pages

as needed.

:

:

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The

Mysterious

Woods of

Whistle Roo

BY

Christopher

Pennell

ILLUSTRATED BY

Rebecca Bond978-0-547-79263-7 hardcove

978-0-544-15572-5 eBook

Illustrations copyright 2013 by Rebecca Bond. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.

Na me: _______________________________________

Character Crossword

GradeMiddle

Across1. Cruel girl at school who taunts 9 Down

and 8 Across

3. Sleeping grandmother o 8 Across

4. A ddle player; one o the last o the

musical rats

8. Friend o 9 Down who lives in a secret

cabin under the library

Down2. The little man who answers the notes let

in the white cradle; eons ago he taught

the rats how to speak, y, and play music

5. Unpleasant creature who hatches rom arock; his powerul whispers control who-

ever hears them

6. An old white rat; leader o the rat village

7. Youngest son o the 100-year-old ruler o

Endroot and the true heir to the throne

9. A young girl who sleeps during the dayand is awake all night

2

3

4

8

6

5

9

7

1

A little girl who can sleep only during the day grows rom something o an isolated town

oddity to the heiress o an ancient legacy o magic and music. She nds riends in the

unlikeliest o places: on windowsills, in rabbit burrows, even under the library. Can yousolve the clues to discover the characters oThe Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root?

T

H

E

T

H

E

T

H

E

Answer key follows, or can be found at http://hmhbooks.com/middlegrademania/resources.html

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Illustration 2013 by Ryan Wood. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.

Na me: _______________________________________

Draw a Quarkbeast

GradeMiddle

Jennier Strange lives in a world ull o magic, dragons, and Volkswagens, where she runs an

employment agency or out-o-work wizards. When the greedy King Snodd IV puts his power

to ill-use, its up to Jennier and a lovable cast o mists to save the kingdomand the Quark-beasts! The Quarkbeast is a small, hyena-shaped creature covered in shiny, leathery scales

and oten described as one-tenth Labrador, six-tenths Velociraptor, and three-tenths kitchen

ood blender. What doyou think a Quarkbeast looks like? Draw your interpretation below.

The Last

Dragonslay978-0-5 47-73847-5 hardco

978-0-544-10471-6 paper

978-0-547-93542-3 eBook

The Song

of theQuarkbeast978-0-5 47-73848-2 hardco

978-0-544-11455-5 eBook

BY

Jasper Fforde

Quark,said the Quarkbeast.

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How to

Catch

a Bogle

BY

Catherine

Jinks978-0-544-08708-8 hardcov

978-0-544-08730-9 eBook

Illustrations copyright 2013 by Sarah Watts. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied or ree distribution.

Na me: _______________________________________

Victorian Vocab

GradeMiddle

Birdie is apprentice to Mr. Bunce, the Go-Devil Man, a bogler by trade. The two rid Victorian-era

London o the bogles that lurk in chimneys and wells and gobble up young children. Birdie,

with an angelic voice that bets her name, serves as bait or the bogles, luring them out otheir dark holes with her songs. Take the Victorian slang vocabulary quiz below and see how

youd do as a bogle hunter in Birdies world!

Check your score!8-10 correct answers: Youre ready to hunt bogles with Birdie!

5-7 correct answers: Very good! Youre no shirkster!

0-4 correct answers: Time to study the glossary in How to Catch a Bogle!

1. A tosher is

a. someone who collects bits o

usable items rom the sewersb. a litterbugc. someone who plays tricks on

other people

2. I someone is to, he or she is

a. a little crazy

b. not very intelligentc. very well of nancially

3. A prig is

a. a baby carriageb. a thiec. a jail

4.A sennight is a length o time

equivalent to

a. two nights

b. a weekc. hal a week

5. A trap is

a. a policemanb. a rickety, unreliable orm

o transportation

c. a tattletale

6. I someone is griddling, he

or she is

a. cooking dinnerb. beggingc. squeezing between two people

7. A coster is someone whoa. sells things on the street

b. has expensive taste

c. likes to live by the water

8. A fam is

a. a buoy

b. a hot sandwichc. a lie

9. Togs are

a. siblingsb. clothes

c. sweets/candy

10. I someone is tooling, he

or she is working as a

a. bogle hunter

b. mechanicc. pickpocket

[

[[

Answer key follows, or can be found at http://hmhbooks.com/middlegrademania/resources.html

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Ice Dogs

BY

Terry Lynn

Johnson

978-0-547-89926-8 hardcov978-0-544-15689-0 eBook

This page may be photocopie d or ree distr ibution.

Na me: _______________________________________

Pet Portrait

GradeMiddle

A champion musher, Victoria Secord is independent, sel-reliant, and, thanks to her ather,

an expert in surviving the unorgiving Alaskan bush. When an injured city boy and a reak

snowstorm catch Victoria and her dog team by surprise, a routine trip becomes a lie-or-deathtrek through the rozen wilderness. Victoria is devoted to her dogs, and they to her. Without

them, shed never survive her ordeal. Do you have a pet? Draw a portrait o him or her below.

I you dont have a pet, draw a portrait o Bean, Victorias lead dog.

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MORE GREAT READS!Middle

Grade

Mania

www.hmhbooks.com/middlegrademan

Hippomobile!By Jeff Tapia978-0-547-99548-9 $16.99 hardcover

978-0-547-99550-2 $16.99 eBook

Tower of the Five OrdersBy Deron R. Hicks

978-0-547-83953-0 $16.99 hardcover978-0-547-83954-7 $16.99 eBook

Turn Left at the CowBy Lisa Bullard

978-0-544- 02900-2 $16.99 hardcover978-0-544-02780-0 $16.99 eBook

The Sultans TigersBy Josh Lacey978-0-544- 09645-5 $16.99 hardcover

978-0-544-15611-1 $15.99 eBook

The Mesmer MenaceBy Kersten Hamilton

Illustrated by James Hamilton978-0-547-90568-6 $16.99 hardcover

978-0-547-90569-3 $16.99 eBook

Sophie Hartley andthe Facts of LifeBy Stephanie Greene

978-0-547-97652-5 $16.99 hardcover

978-0-547-97818-5 $16.99 eBook

Scaly Spotty Feathered FrilledBy Catherine Thimmesh

978-0-547-99134-4 $17.99 hardcover

The Dolphins of Shark BayBy Pamela Turner

978-0-547-71638-1 $18.99 hardcover

The Candy SmashBy Jacqueline Davies

978-0-544- 02208-9 $15.99 hardcover978-0-544- 03567-6 $15.99 eBook

Lenny Cyrus, School VirusBy Joe Schreiber

978-0-547-89315-0 $15.99 hardcover978-0-547-89316-7 $14.99 eBook

The Center of EverythingBy Linda Urban

978-0-547-76348-4 $15.99 hardcover978-0-547-76383-5 $15.99 eBook

Hollywood, Dead AheadBy Kate Klise

Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise978-0-547-85283-6 $15.99 hardcover

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Answer Key

MiddleGradeMania

Answer Key:

1. a; 2. c; 3. b; 4. b; 5. a; 6. b; 7. a; 8. c; 9. b; 10. c

2

3

4

8

6

5

9

7

1

T

B

C

AR

L

A

R

E

EZ

A

M

E

E

Z

Y

H

E

G

R

I

DD

L

E

B

E

A

S

T

T

H

E

MO

O

N

K

I

N

G

TEH T AH

E RHCTIPYNNARG

W

O

O

P

O

F

TH

EL W I S

W

I

T

T

E

R E N P T H RG

Y

Character Crossword The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root

Victorian Vocab How to Catch a Bogle