{"title":"Middle Grade Gifts","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: source sans pro, helvetica neue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eAbsorbing fiction for the age 8 to 12 crowd.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"book-uncle-and-me","title":"Book Uncle and Me","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the International Literacy Association Social Justice Literature Award\u003cbr\u003eAn award-winning middle-grade novel about the power of grassroots activism and how kids can make a difference.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library on the street corner. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat can she do? The local elections are coming up, but she’s just a kid. She can’t even vote!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStill, Yasmin has friends — her best friend, Reeni, and Anil, who even has a blue belt in karate. And she has family and neighbors. What’s more, she has an idea that came right out of the last book she borrowed from Book Uncle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo Yasmin and her friends get to work. Ideas grow like cracks in the sidewalk, and soon the whole effort is breezing along nicely... Or is it spinning right out of control?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn energetic, funny and quirky story about community activism, friendship, and the love of books.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2\u003cbr\u003eRecount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6\u003cbr\u003eDistinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2\u003cbr\u003eDetermine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"epub","offer_id":39403339186235,"sku":"9781554988105","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"hardcover jacket","offer_id":39403622105147,"sku":"9781554988082","price":14.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":39403622498363,"sku":"9781554988099","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"mobi","offer_id":39403622629435,"sku":"9781554988112","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Audio, MP3","offer_id":39403622760507,"sku":"9781773066684","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Lossless Format Audio, WAV","offer_id":39641606225979,"sku":"9781773066721","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_238c22c6-baad-436d-826a-2cf53ca74e87.jpg?v=1737268747"},{"product_id":"game-face","title":"Game Face","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThirteen-year-old Jonah is determined to prove that anxiety won’t stop him from succeeding as his hockey team’s goalie in this dynamic novel in verse. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat-ifs rattle around his brain at the worst times, like when he’s in the middle of a playoff game. What if he lets his teammates down? What if he can’t make it pro? And the biggest what-if of all, the one he keeps to himself — what if he’s like his dad, whose life is controlled by anxiety that has only gotten worse since Jonah’s mom died in a car crash?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo prove that he’s not like that, Jonah is determined to succeed in the high-stress role of goalie. He and his best friend Ty have big plans for their hockey futures. But when Ty suffers a medical crisis during a pivotal game, Jonah’s anxiety ramps up to new levels\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt takes courage to ask for help, but Jonah starts to realize that his team goes beyond the people who lace up their skates with him every week, and maybe it’s okay to look for support on and off the ice. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the adrenaline rush of sudden-death overtime to the weight of worrying about letting your teammates — and yourself — down, this novel in verse will hook readers from the first line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epoems\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescribe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.5\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDetermine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":41234953568315,"sku":"9781773068688","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"epub","offer_id":41234954879035,"sku":"9781773068695","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_08be9e6a-adc3-425f-b77a-6cbd2deae2c7.jpg?v=1731061089"},{"product_id":"wildful","title":"Wildful","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew York Times Best Children’s Books of 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Best Books of 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShelf Awareness 2024 Best Books of the Year\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Globe 100: The Best Books of 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePoppy’s mother hasn’t been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that’s why Poppy has started spending more time outside, taking her dog Pepper for walks around the neighborhood. When Pepper leads Poppy through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that’s been there all along, as well as a new friend named Rob.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRob teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness — if you know where to look! Poppy looks, and then she looks closer … and sees flowers opening before her eyes, watches animals slip into their hidden homes, and listens to the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves and feathers. She can barely wait to tell Mum about everything she’s seen, and asks her to come see, too — but her mother rarely has the energy to leave the couch. Will Poppy ever be able help her mother see the beauty in the woods — and in life?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness — and in ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eillustrations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescribe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"hardcover","offer_id":41236145143867,"sku":"9781773068626","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"EPUB, fixed","offer_id":41236145209403,"sku":"9781773068633","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kindle, Fixed Layout","offer_id":41236145274939,"sku":"9781773068640","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_a3d07bd6-52ee-439a-93d9-422335109f35.jpg?v=1714651473"},{"product_id":"maggie-lou-firefox","title":"Maggie Lou, Firefox","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaggie Lou’s grandpa doesn’t call her Firefox for nothing. She’s always finding ways to make life more interesting — even if this means getting into big trouble. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen her grandfather Moshôm finally agrees to teach her how to box, she decides that the rank odors, endless drills and teasing won’t stop her from wearing a tutu to the gym. Joining her father’s construction crew uncovers a surprising talent — besides learning how to use a broom — and a great source of scrap wood to build a canine hotel for her dogs. And when she turns thirteen, she figures out an ingenious way to make some smokin’ good camouflage to wear on her first deer hunt, where she joins a long family tradition. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough it all she is surrounded by her big extended gumbo soup of a family, pestered by annoying younger siblings, and gently guided by her strong female relatives — her mother, her kohkom and her ultra-cool cousin Jayda. “Keep taking up space,” Maggie’s mother says. “You’re only making room for the girls behind you.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA heroine for today, Maggie Lou discovers that with hard work and perseverance she can gain valuable new skills, without losing one iota of her irrepressible spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eauthor’s note\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ebiographical note\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003echapters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eepigraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eillustrations\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":41504989642811,"sku":"9781773068817","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"epub","offer_id":41504990494779,"sku":"9781773068824","price":12.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_513722a5-2278-4e64-9fb1-73dab5bc8cf2.jpg?v=1732427683"},{"product_id":"the-outsmarters","title":"The Outsmarters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat can you do when the adult world lets you down? \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuspended from school and prone to rages, twelve-year-old Kate finds her own way to get on with her life, despite the messed-up adults around her. Her gran, for one, is stubborn and aloof — not unlike Kate herself, who has no friends, and who’s been expelled for “behavioral issues,” like the meltdowns she has had ever since her mom dumped her with her grandmother three years ago. Kate dreams that one day her mother will return for her. When that happens, they’ll need money, so Kate sets out to make some.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGran nixes her idea to sell psychiatric advice like Lucy in \u003cem\u003ePeanuts\u003c\/em\u003e (“You’re not a psychiatrist. You’ll get sued.”), so Kate decides to open a philosophy booth to provide answers to life’s big and small questions. She soon learns that adults have plenty of problems and secrets of their own, including Gran. When she finds that her grandmother has been lying to her about her mother, the two have a huge fight, and Gran says she can’t wait for Kate to finish high school so she’ll be rid of her at last. Kate decides to take matters into her own hands and discovers that to get what she wants, she may have to reach out to some unexpected people, and find a way to lay down her own anger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003equotations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eliterary references\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003esigns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2\u003cbr\u003e\nDetermine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5\u003cbr\u003e\nAnalyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"hardcover jacket","offer_id":41614496563259,"sku":"9781773068572","price":18.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"epub","offer_id":41614496923707,"sku":"9781773068589","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":43206260686907,"sku":"9781779461568","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_31025489-3819-4a51-85d3-f92e6e717cd3.jpg?v=1737864751"},{"product_id":"birds-on-the-brain","title":"Birds on the Brain","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe sequel to the award-winning \u003cem\u003eBook Uncle and Me\u003c\/em\u003e features bird lover Reeni and her quest to save her city’s bird count event when the mayor tries to shut it down.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to pick a survey topic for a school project, asking their neighbors what they know about birds is an obvious choice. They are shocked to learn that no one — not one single person! — has heard about Bird Count India and the major event it is about to launch all over the country. Thousands of birdwatchers will be out counting birds as part of a global movement. Global means world, and isn’t this city part of the world? How come people don’t seem to care about the threats to city birds? And why is the mayor intentionally thwarting their city’s bird count event?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReeni and Yasmin enlist help from Book Uncle, Reeni’s family and even their school bus driver. They must get people interested in the bird count, get them to ask the city government to support the event. After all, what’s good for the birds is good for all of us … right?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA funny, triumphant story about learning to advocate for both the human and non-human inhabitants of your community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003echapters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eillustrations\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDetermine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescribe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescribe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"hardcover jacket","offer_id":41614497087547,"sku":"9781773069449","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":41614497218619,"sku":"9781773067391","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"epub","offer_id":41614497316923,"sku":"9781773069456","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/9781773069449.jpg?v=1709572528"},{"product_id":"eyes-on-the-ice","title":"Eyes on the Ice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn 1963, under the brutal Communist regime, two hockey-loving brothers must throw a game in a Soviet-Czech tournament to help their imprisoned father.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTen-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey, but it’s 1963, and they live in Czechoslovakia, where the secret police (the “Eye”) are constantly on the lookout for anyone committing crimes against the state — whether that be reading a magazine about the NHL or saying anything negative about the Communist regime. Lukas’s father works for a newspaper, and printing the truth is a dangerous activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. They learn to skate on a bumpy outdoor rink in a city park. And when their talent is noticed, they are encouraged to try out for a local youth league, where they are thrilled to play in a real arena for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen the boys’ father is arrested. No one knows where he has been taken or when he might be coming home. Lukas and Denys soon realize they are being watched, too, and when the secret police promise them information about their father if they help throw a game against a visiting Soviet team, Lukas must make some difficult decisions that may endanger his family and his friends, as he faces some tough questions about what loyalty really means.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eK\u003cstrong\u003eey Text Features\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eauthor’s note\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ebiographical information\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003echapters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eglossary\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehistorical note\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they \"see\" and \"hear\" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Groundwood Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"trade paperback","offer_id":41614497742907,"sku":"9781773067377","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"EPUB, reflowable","offer_id":41614497972283,"sku":"9781773067384","price":12.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/files\/BNCImageAPI_6fd5fc42-662f-466a-b762-e9637a0ee40f.jpg?v=1734848990"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0264\/3374\/9051\/collections\/MiddleGradeReads_CollectionBanner_9197d1b9-9f54-4c43-823e-d97bfe3d6aa9.png?v=1730941195","url":"https:\/\/houseofanansi.pro\/collections\/middle-grade-gifts.oembed","provider":"House of Anansi Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}