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The Case of the Silk King
Shannon Gilligan
Synopsis: The Case of the Silk King by Shannon Gilligan takes YOU on a detective-style adventure as you explore Asia for the missing "Silk King," Jim Thompson. 9-12 year old readers will journey to Bangkok, Thailand, following a lead received in a mysterious package containing $2,000, a plane ticket, and a strange newspaper clipping.

Choose Your Own Adventure The Case of the Silk King is an interactive adventure book in which YOU decide what happens next.

In 1967, Jim Thompson, a famous businessman with connections to the CIA, went missing in Malaysia. You are a detective with an eye for a good case, so hopping a plane to Asia isn't out of the ordinary. When you land, will you find that you're not the only one on the case? Who kidnapped Jim Thompson? Will you be next?

For readers who enjoyed other titles from the Choose Your Own Adventure series including: The Lost Jewels of Nabooti by R. A. Montgomery, Cup Of Death by Shannon Gilligan, and Mystery of the Maya by R. A. Montgomery.

Publication Date: 11/01/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Lavender-Green Magic
Andre Norton
Synopsis: A mysterious maze
Eleven-year-old Holly Wade and her twin siblings, Judy and Crockett, are sent to live with their grandparents in the small town of Dimsdale, Massachusetts when their father is declared missing in action in Vietnam. Dimsdale is nothing like Boston; there are only two other African-American children in the entire school. Even worse, Grandpa and Grandma Wade live in an old junkyard! While exploring one day, Holly, Judy, and Crockett wander into an overgrown hedge maze--and find themselves transported back in time to Dimsdale's past. Can they right an ancient wrong and free the town of Dimsdale from a witch's curse?
Publication Date: 10/31/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Monkey
Jeff Stone
Synopsis: At 11-years-old, Malao is the youngest of the Five Ancestors. Master of the monkey fighting style, he’s curious and quick, fast and fun-loving. But now, with the destruction of the temple and the deaths of his older brothers and Grandmaster, Malao the fun-loving monkey is forced to face things he’d rather not. As he grapples with these new and unwelcome feelings, Malao has an encounter with a dangerous band of bandits, is adopted by a troop of monkeys commanded by a one-eyed albino, and hears tantalizing rumors of a mysterious recluse called the Monkey King, who is said to act, and look, a lot like him. . . .


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 09/12/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Measle and the Dragodon
Synopsis:

When Measle Stubbs broke free from Basil Tramplebone's evil spell, he was ready to live happily ever after. But he wasn't expecting the Dragodon.

Now, faced with his most terrifying opponent yet and stranded in a sinister amusement park, this little ex-orphan must gear up for another heroic battle.

Colossal adventures continue in this second book about one of the most likeable and intrepid heroes ever!

Publication Date: 09/01/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Raven League
Alex Simmons, Bill McCay
Synopsis: When Sherlock Holmes goes missing, Archie Wiggins, an ex-member of the Baker Street Irregulars, believes the Irregulars may have something to do with it, and sets out with other misfits to not only find the famous sleuth, but solve a few murders along the way.
Publication Date: 04/20/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Pish Posh
Ellen Potter
Synopsis:

Ultra-snobby Clara Frankofile has everything an eleven-year-old girl could want. She’s fabulously wealthy, she lives alone in a penthouse apartment with its own roller coaster, and all of New York City is afraid of her! Each night at the Pish Posh restaurant, she watches the glittery movie actresses and princesses, and decides who is important enough to stay and who she will kick to the sidewalk in disgrace. But Clara’s world is turned upside down when she discovers that a peculiar mystery is happening in the restaurant, right under her upturned nose.With the help of a whip-smart twelveyear- old jewel thief, Clara embarks on a wildly dangerous mission through the streets of New York to solve a 200-hundred-year-old secret.

Publication Date: 04/20/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage
Synopsis: Against the wishes of her disapproving aunt, with whom she lives in 1889 San Francisco while her parents are on a scientific expedition, eleven-year-old Penny tries to prepare herself for an acting career.
Publication Date: 04/15/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Freddy and the French Fries
Rudy Baldacci, David Baldacci
Synopsis: Wanting to help draw new customers to the family business, Freddy Funkhauser uses his knowledge of science to make incredible French fries for the restaurant, but when the fries suddenly come to life and wreak havoc on the town, Freddy must find a way to put a stop to his tasty creations!
Publication Date: 06/01/05
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
How to Be a Pirate
Cressida Cowell
Synopsis: Read the bestselling books that inspired the hit movie sensation!

When Hiccup finds a coffin at sea, he opens it to discover a riddle that will lead to the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the world's greatest pirate and Hiccup's ancestor. So Hiccup and his friends set out on a treasure hunt, determined to master the art of swordfighting. How else will they escape an island of murderous dragons, defeat a boatload of Viking pirates, and survive all the twists and turns their journey will bring?

Join Hiccup and his friends on another rollicking illustrated adventure, and discover the brilliant combination of magic, action, humor, and heart that has made Cressida Cowell a beloved bestseller around the globe.
Publication Date: 05/11/05
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Kazillion Wish
Nick Place
Synopsis: From a fresh and funny debut author comes a warm-hearted, laugh-out-loud adventure about a brother and sister who must solve a magical riddle in order to get their fondest wish.

Harlan and Ainsley Banana are on a mission. An exciting, dangerous, once-in-a-lifetime quest for the perfect stepmom to cheer up their sad dad. Harlan and Ainsley bump into a wish-granting creature called a frongle (not ever to be confused with a fairy!), & they learn that their wish can come true if they solve a magical riddle. With a rainbow-colored creature named Zucchini Spacestation as their unreliable guide, the brother and sister head off. But help from unexpected allies --- such as a pair of purple martian twins -- might just make Harlan and Ainsley's wish come true after all!
Publication Date: 04/01/05
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco
Glin Dibley, Janice Repka
Synopsis: Phillip comes from a circus family, but all he really wants is to be a regular kid. After persuading his parents to let him move in with his aunt and uncle, he winds up in Hardingtown, where everyone is wild about dodgeball. When he gets slammed in the face with a speeding ball in gym class, he decides to take the dodgeball bully to court. But can a circus boy take on the Unofficial Dodgeball Capital of the World?
This uproariously funny middle-grade novel carries an inspiring message about sticking to your beliefs, however unpopular they may be.
Publication Date: 10/25/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Secret of Castle Cant
Synopsis: After years of being a loyal servant to the family of the Baron of Cant, Lucy is shocked to discover that she was an orphan and the true heir to the throne of Cant and so now must decide whether to remain devoted to her long-time employees or stand with her real family as they prepare a revolt to win back her rightful kingdom.
Publication Date: 09/01/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
As You Like It
Dr. Barbara A. Mowat, Paul Werstine Ph.D., William Shakespeare
Synopsis: Readers and audiences have long greeted As You Like It with delight. Its characters are brilliant conversationalists, including the princesses Rosalind and Celia and their Fool, Touchstone. Soon after Rosalind and Orlando meet and fall in love, the princesses and Touchstone go into exile in the Forest of Arden, where they find new conversational partners. Duke Frederick, younger brother to Duke Senior, has overthrown his brother and forced him to live homeless in the forest with his courtiers, including the cynical Jaques. Orlando, whose older brother Oliver plotted his death, has fled there, too.

Recent scholars have also grounded the play in the issues of its time. These include primogeniture, passing property from a father to his oldest son. As You Like It depicts intense conflict between brothers, exposing the human suffering that primogeniture entails. Another perspective concerns cross-dressing. Most of Orlando’s courtship of Rosalind takes place while Rosalind is disguised as a man, “Ganymede.” At her urging, Orlando pretends that Ganymede is his beloved Rosalind. But as the epilogue reveals, the sixteenth-century actor playing Rosalind was male, following the practice of the time. In other words, a boy played a girl playing a boy pretending to be a girl.

The authoritative edition of As You Like It from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

-Scene-by-scene plot summaries

-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases

-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language

-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books

-An annotated guide to further reading

Essay by Susan Snyder

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Publication Date: 07/01/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Fish in Room 11
Heather Dyer
Synopsis: A whimsical, funny, heart-warming story for seven-to-nine year-olds, from a talented new storyteller.

This is the story of Toby, a little boy found in a room at a hotel by the sea. It is also the story of the Flots, a family of mermaids who are marooned under the pier. Together, the Flots and Toby plan how to help each other, find some buried treasure, and outwit Mr. Harris, the mean-minded hotel proprietor. In the process, Toby and the mermaids bring smiles to the faces of everyone they meet!
Publication Date: 05/01/04
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Synopsis: "Compellingly readable."—Horn Book
A seven-year-old boy is transported from the mean streets of nineteenth-century New York to the splendor of his grandfather's English manor in this beloved classic of children's literature. Young Cedric is astonished to find himself in possession of the title of Lord Fauntleroy and dismayed at his separation from his adored mother during the schooling for his new position. The Earl of Dorincourt, Cedric's crotchety grandfather, intends to instruct Cedric in the manners of the peerage; as it happens, the child teaches the man some valuable lessons about the true meaning of nobility.
Written by the author of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy has enchanted generations of readers. Its conviction that nothing in the world is as strong as a kind heart has made the lovable lordling’s name synonymous with his gentle sincerity and tenderness.
Publication Date: 12/04/02
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Computer's Nerd
W. Royce Adams
Synopsis: Bullied and mistreated by three schoolmates, Arthur thinks his new computer contains a strange program called The Game that will allow him to get even with his tormentors without their knowing. Forced to keep The Game a secret, Arthur finds himself caught in a growing web of lies and deceit. Then The Game begins to get dangerous, and Arthur questions how far he is willing to go to get revenge on his bullies. The story contains a a useful message for dealing with bullies at elemenary schools.
Publication Date: 04/10/02
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction

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