Please see below the responses received from my inquiry about the ORCA HI/LO SERIES:
Love, love, love them!!! Have the entire set, both of Orca Currents (MS level) and
Orca Soundings (HS level) I have GREAT success getting my reluctant/non readers to
at least try them. I do a talk about how they are NOT baby books, but complete
stories with characters that will interest them. Not all books are the same size,
and it's ok to sometimes choose by how big the book is. It helps that my classes
that need this kind of high/low have teachers that require the students to leave
the lesson with a book. I then book talk all of the be books - two-three sentences
about each one, toss it on desk (or floor is we're sitting on floor) and go on. I
don't recommend the Soundings if you have just MS - the content can be somewhat
edgy for lower grades. I'm a 7-12 library, so have both. Good luck.
I have purchased several. For the most part I like them, but there were a few
titles that I would be a little nervous about my 6th grade students reading. The
content can be very YA, which is fine with me, but I'm sure I have parents who are
much more conservative. The kids like them as them seem to circulate quite a bit.
I have quite a few Orca publications in my 7-12 school.
All students have access to the books. They've been most popular with my 10-12
graders who need to read about 100 pages to complete a quarter assignment of
reading xx # of pages in 9 weeks and have just a few to go.
We also have an exchange student from Italy who has discovered them. She was able
to complete a book report on time reading an Orca title.
I had them in my high school library and they would have fit in middle school too
with a few exceptions. I can't recommend them highly enough. The kids including non
reluctant readers loved them. The reluctant readers actually would come in looking
for " more like this" Some of the books are not the most well written I 've ever
seen but the stories are engaging and interesting to the kids. Cover art is
enticing. What I really like about also was the fact that they don't scream- -"Look
at me I can't/ don't read well" Only problem we had with them was when a teacher
required a certain number of pages but usually by that time we could steer a kids
to other books like the ones they just read. Really like Orca line.
Yes. . . and I also use them here at the high school. . . they like them and they
are pretty well written.
I just ordered from Saddleback. I haven't tried them yet. There are samples on the
website. http://www.sdlback.com/ I also purchase from ORCA. I really like the
currents and soundings series.
The kids here grades 6-12 love the Orca books.
The Orca currents have some more adult topics so watch for that.
I have used them with good results. The middle school students at a grades 6-12
urban alternative school (not my current school) devoured them. I've also had good
success with hi/lo books from Capstone.
I bought the Orca Soundings last year. We have about 100 of them. Currently, there
are 15 on the shelf.
In fact, I've been harping on this 8th grader about the books he was reading. He
was reading some Magic Tree House book. Anyway, he went and picked up an Orca
Soundings book and started reading. He told me that "this book is goooood."
We have Orca Soundings on our 8th grade shelf. I have a few Orca Currents, but they
aren't separated from everything else.
You can't go wrong with Capstone. Hi/Lo is sort of their reason for existence. My
students especially like Library of Doom(AR 2ish-3ish)
When I was at a middle school, I had pretty good success with Orca books as well as
the Bluford books from Townsend Press.
Bluford High is our really popular hi/low series.
Yes, love many of them. However, some are definitely for high school. Death Wind is
popular here.
I've used Orca Currents very successfully with reluctant 7th and 8th graders. I
have a few Orca Soundings, but those are quite mature, and some I've decided to
send to the High School due to the language and content. Overall they are decent,
relevant stories told in a quick tight narrative, which works well for kids who
hate reading. Good luck.
I had some ORCA and the kids liked them. Cirque du Freak went over well too,
vampires! Bluford High was another popular one.
My school has all the titles the publisher offers. They are great books and are
quite popular, particularly with boys. The titles/topics are current and very
interesting to students.
There is only one that I would recommend reading first called Charmed - about a
girl whose boyfriend tricks her into prostitution.
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