HIT: SUGGESTED TITLES: Science Themes for Reluctant Readers

[Gail Szeliga <gszeliga@STNY.LRUN.COM>]

Here is the list of suggested titles on science themes.  I originally
requested titles related to science themes suitable for reluctant readers in
ninth grade.  Before compiling our final list teacher and I will look at
each title in order to check out the cover art and vocabulary.  Some of
these titles may be not be appropriate for grade nine - but I am posting
entire list.  If you can add to this list - let me know.  Thanks to all who
responded.
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SUGGESTED TITLES:
SCIENTIFIC THEMES INCLUDING ECOLOGY, WEATHER, ANIMAL SCIENCE ETC.


The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin by Donna Jo
A small, female frog rescues, teaches, then finally loves a large, unusual
frog. Uncertain of how to manage his frog body -- especially his frog
tongue -- the creature has speech problems. An unusual twist on the story of
the frog prince, the tale is full of humor, with more information on the
physiology and behavior of frogs than one would expect to find in a fantasy
and a hero whose deeds are guaranteed to maintain readers' interest.
Illustrated with comical black-and-white ink and wash drawings - $4.99
paper.

Who Really Killed Cock Robin? an Ecological Mystery by  Jean Craighead
George.
Clearly influenced by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the story relates a
small town's growing awareness of ecological relationships after a
celebrated robin dies. With a new foreword by the author - $4.95 paper.

Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Jonathan and his little sister, Abby, are left alone on a camping trip when
their father seeks medical attention for their mother's broken ankle. An
earthquake hits, flooding the island, flattening their camper, and stranding
the children. Jonathan helps his sister, who uses a walker, make it to
safety. The accessible, dramatic survival story explores themes of
responsibility and bravery, and the fast  pace will keep readers turning the
pages - $3.99 paper.

Quake! by Joe Cottonwood
In an involving story, fourteen-year-old Franny tells what happens to her
family and her friend Jennie in the Santa Cruz mountains when the 1989
earthquake hit northern California. The exciting survival narrative also
includes stories of budding teenage romance in the quake's aftermath and an
uplifting account of how Franny and her family help a young homeless couple
on the run from El  Salvador - $3.99 paper.

Climb or Die by Edward Myers,
After a car accident, during a blizzard in the Colorado mountains, in which
their parents are badly injured, fourteen-year-old Danielle and her younger
brother, Jake, must climb Mount Remington to get help at the weather
station. Though not particularly well written, the survival story is
gripping nonetheless. - $4.95 paper.

The Ancient One by T.A. Barron
Thirteen-year-old Kate, involved with an effort to protect an Oregon redwood
forest, travels back in time five centuries to confront Gashra, an evil
creature trying to destroy the same forest. -  $4.99  paper

Eva by Peter Dickinson
Eva, the daughter of a scientist, suffers a come after a car accident. In
order to save her mind and soul, her brain is transplanted into the body of
a chimpanzee named Kelly. - $4.99 paper

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
Mila, a teenager who has been raised by dolphins since she was four, creates
headlines around the world and learns that she doesn't want to be human. –
$4.50 paper

Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
The challenges of falling in love or just staying awake in class are
complicated by Owl's inherited shape-shifting and the nocturnal hunting
flights she must make as a bird. - $3.99 paper

The Night of the Twisters  by Ivy Ruckman
A tornado strikes while Dan and his best friend Arthur are alone with Dan's
baby brother, and the boys barely make it to the basement before the tornado
completely destroys the house. Exciting and fast-paced, sure to keep even
the most reluctant readers interested.

Lostman's River by Cynthia DeFelice
Fighting greedy profiteers, Tyler MacCauley's trust in a stranger may spell
doom for Lostman's River and its  ildlife. - $4.50 paper

Spud Sweetgrass by Brian Doyle
Who is dumping grease into the Ottawa River and polluting Spud's favorite
beach? - $3.95 paper

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Forced to marry at thirteen, Julie/Miyax, runs away from her Eskimo village
and is adopted by a wolf pack. - $3.95 paper

The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George
Billie Wind, a young Seminole Indian, is sent into the Florida Everglades
alone to search for her roots. - $3.95  paper

Downriver by Will Hobbs
Eight delinquent teens on a Discovery Unlimited outing escape their guide
and battle each other and the Colorado River. - $4.50 paper

California Blue by David Klass
John's discovery of a new species of butterfly threatens the future of a
mill town and sets him against his dying father. - $4.50 paper

Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O’Dell
A blinding, whiteout snowstorm, a belligerent bull moose, and splintering
ice are only a few obstacles a teenage Eskimo girl faces in the Iditarod
race—1,000 miles of agony between Nome and Anchorage. - $4.50 paper

Hatchet by Gary Paulson
A plane crash leaves Brian Robeson stranded in the Canadian
wilderness. -$4.50 paper

Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulson
David battles a savage storm after scattering his dead uncle's ashes at
sea. - $4.50 paper

 No Way Out by Ivy Ruckman
 A flash flood traps weekend hikers in the Zion Narrows. - $3.95 paper

 River Rats by Caroline Stervermer
Since "The Flash" destroyed modern civilization, Tomcat and a group of other
orphans steer an old steamboat up  and down a toxic Mississippi River. -
$6.00 paper

Weirdo by Theodore Taylor
Can Sam and the Weirdo keep bear hunters out of the Powhatan Swamp? - $3.99
paper

Deathwatch by Robb White
Stripped naked Ben fights both the sadistic hunter Madec and forty miles of
the cruel summer desert. - $3.99 paper

Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George
Billie Wind ventures out alone into the Florida Everglades to test the
legends of her Indian ancestors and learns the importance of listening to
the earth's vital messages.

Julie by Jean Craighead George
Sequel: Julie must find her own path between the Eskimo ways she loves and
the modern world that intrudes on the tundra.

The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo: An Ecological Mystery by Jean Craighead
George
The naturalist-novelist returns to the genre she invented in Who Really
Killed Cock Robin? (1971) with a mystery incorporating a wealth of details
about a threatened Florida habitat.

The Fire Bug Connection: An Ecological Mystery by Jean Craighead George
While spending the summer at a research center in the Maine woods,
twelve-year-old Maggie and her computer-whiz friend, Mitch, try to discover
why Czech fire bugs are dying. Although the solution to the insect murders
may be obvious, readers will be fascinated by the setting and Maggie’s study
of the insects, spiders, and bats in the area.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighhead George
In this enthralling story, a boy builds a treehouse in the mountains and
learns to live entirely by his wits. "(Emphasizes) the rewards of courage
and determination."





Gail M. Szeliga
gszeliga@stny.lrun.com
Librarian
Union Endicott High School
Endicott, NY 13760

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