New Releases by Jeff Gottesfeld

"A solemn and respectful reminder to younger readers of what was paid and what is owed." —School Library Journal (starred review) The team behind Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier join forces to create a touching companion book honoring military veterans and the program that keeps their contribution alive. Located in our nation’s capital are monuments dedicated to the service members who fought in the last century’s wars. Visitors line up to gaze at the Iwo Jima Memorial, stark against the sky; the solemn Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the national World War II Memorial with its circle of unity; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, engraved with tens of thousands of names. It is here that the Honor Flight program has brought some 300,000 aging veterans, all of them deserving a chance to see their commitment and sacrifice honored and commemorated. Told in the voice of an anonymous veteran, Jeff Gottesfeld’s first-person narrative conveys the emotional impact of a visit that not only encompasses a tour of the monuments but also includes moving tributes from friends and schoolchildren and ends with the kind of welcome home that some of the veterans had never received. Matt Tavares’s striking illustrations bring readers close to both Washington’s timeless monuments and the veterans whose role in history will never be forgotten. An afterword and notes from the author provide more information for curious readers.

Dan and Pete try to make the most of having to stay indoors on a stormy night. Their evening takes a dramatic turn when they decide to help a friend. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of striving readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science ficion, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Each book is around 70 pages.

Themes: Bullying, Tattling, Being an Outcast, Friendship, Cheating, Morals, Ethics. Chris and others are tormented by the school bully, Phil. But no one speaks up because of “the code.” That’s until Chris decides it is time for a change. This series of short 60- to 70-page novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of striving readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Red Rhino Books maintain consistency in design and readability throughout each novel, making reading enjoyable and achievable.

Themes: Self-confidence, Friendship, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Tween. Maddie and Lori find some very unusual mints that they love at first. But what happens when they learn something entirely unexpected about their favorite candy? This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science ficion, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Each book is around 70 pages.

Themes: friendship, popularity, student politics, competition, disagreements, rejection, acceptance, loyalty. Rae and Kia are best friends starting sixth grade at a new school. But when they both decide to run for student council, things get complicated. Will this mean the end of their friendship? This series of short 60- to 70-page novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of striving readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Red Rhino Books® maintain consistency in design and readability throughout each novel, making reading enjoyable and achievable.

BFFs Danya and Emma are known around school as ÒDemma.Ó The girls are inseparable, even though theyÕre total opposites. When a terrible car accident leaves Emma in a wheelchair, Danya is plagued with guilt. She believes the wreck was her fault. Emma believes it too, and she may never be able to forgive her friend.

The 5,000th caller on fraternal twins Ned and David''s favorite reality show, Ryan''s World, will get to spend an entire week with extreme sports superstar Ryan Wilson. Ned and David both dial and redial. Will they win? It doesn''t seem likely. But they do! Ryan will spend the entire week with the sixth graders. And stay in their home! But TV Ryan is not the same as real-life Ryan. Hi-Lo Chapter Books for Children. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text.

With every step, the Tomb Guards pay homage to America’s fallen. Discover their story, and that of the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant words and illustrations. Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards, whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers America’s fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone. To stand there—with absolute precision, in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2, 1937—is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult post to earn in the army. Everything these men and women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard is perfection. Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously illustrated by Matt Tavares—a tale that honors the soldiers who honor the fallen.

Tana has wanted a dog for years. Her parents have finally agreed. She loves her shelter dog, Storm. He''s smart and loving. But wow, he is an ugly dog. That doesn''t matter to Tana. Storm gives her more responsibility. When she enters him in an ugly dog contest, she learns about friendship, loyalty, and heroism.

Discover the unlikely story of Beate Sirota Gordon, a young woman who grew up in Japan and returned as a translator working for the American military after WWII. Fluent in Japanese language and culture, she was assigned to work with the delegation writing the new post-war constitution. Thanks to her bravery in speaking up for the women of Japan, the new constitution ended up including equal rights for all women.

Themes: Social Media, Popularity, Fiction, Tween, Emergent Reader, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books. Annie and Erin were besties who loved YouTube kid star Cory Mall. Could the girls make a video that would go viral? They wanted to try. Their first attempt was goofy, but it worked! The girls got a lot of views. When other friends joined them, their next video was even better. Then TV host Big Don got involved. Were they ready to be superstars? This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science ficion, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Each book is around 70 pages.

Themes: fitting in, differences, bullying, friendship. Serena is the new girl in town, and she has snagged a cool boyfriend, who seems amazing ... until she learns the truth White Lightning Books addresses a wide variety of themes and interests in a narrow range of reading levels, no higher than a 2.5. Students who struggle to read will often not recover from low reading achievement in elementary school if their particular interests are not addressed. Encouragement and finding the theme to “hook” them is key. These are not YA or elementary books—a fact younger teens will appreciate. Each book is approximately 100 pages with covers that will appeal to young teen readers. The titles in the White Lightning series are designed in a similar style. Students will know what to expect when they pick up a book: a fast-paced story, mature and age-appropriate topics, short chapters, and achievable reading success.

Themes: friendship, technology. Ellie and her friend Kate get to spend time with Ellie''s grandparents at their beach cottage. It''s their first trip without their parents. The girls are excited and share everything on social media. But then a solar storm knocks out power to the entire state. People have to learn to live without electricity, running water, or technology. Will the girls be bored to tears?

Themes: Trust, Monsters, Mystery, Friendship, Horror, Fiction, Tween, Emergent Reader, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books. Diego''s dad buys an old house to flip, previous owners all murdered, Diego''s friends find something gross in the basement. White Lightning Books addresses a wide variety of themes and interests in a narrow range of reading levels, no higher than a 2.5. Students who struggle to read will often not recover from low reading achievement in elementary school if their particular interests are not addressed. Encouragement and finding the theme to u0096hooku0094 them is key. These are not YA or elementary booksu0084a fact younger teens will appreciate. Each book is approximately 100 pages with covers that will appeal to young teen readers. The titles in the White Lightning series are designed in a similar style. Students will know what to expect when they pick up a book: a fast-paced story, mature and age-appropriate topics, short chapters, and achievable reading success.

A play about the power of books, muscles and human kindness. Josh (or Jo, since almost any role can be cast as male or female) is the children''s librarian at a poor public library facing a huge budget crisis. He''s also a power lifter, pumping iron in the library basement and running a video blog about young adult and children''s books, weights and life. Kids flock to his unconventional story time and check out books by the dozens. All but one kid, that is - a loner named Mr. T (or Ms. T), who has the loud tics of Tourette syndrome. Slowly, Josh and Mr. T form a friendship, and Mr. T finally ventures to Josh''s basement gym, where a friendship is born. The stakes go up when the town says the library needs to close for monetary reasons. This hits Josh and the kids hard and leads to them staging a ''60s-inspired Read-In rather than letting their library be shut down. At the play''s end, a Sixth Sense-like ending reveals the true identity of Mr. T. The World''s Strongest Librarian will get kids pumped up to read, to work themselves into shape and especially to be kind to others.

Tracy decides to enter the Little Miss Miss pageant when she hears the winner will get a free trip to Washington, D.C. Her best friend, Liza, decides to keep her company. And their new camp counselor, beauty queen and college student Ashley, will be their coach. They are in it to win it. Then they meet pageant pro Jordi and her super mean mom. Hi-Lo Chapter Books for Children. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text.

Eva and Carmen want spending money for ice cream at Chill. They want to treat their friends. They want to do more things with their free time than the money they get from their parents allows. But their parents tell them to think of a way to earn it themselves, because they won’t waste their cash on extras. So the girls come up with a plan to make extra cash over the summer. But they don’t realize how hard having a job can be. Hi-Lo Chapter Books for Children. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text.

Las Vegas is the city of lady luck. And teen heiress Alana Skye is living the life, thanks to her billionaire dad. But money comes with strings attached. Failure is not an option. Kaylee Ryan was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she has nerve and imagination. Just what this new Vegas transplant needs to make it big. Alana: Some say that New York City is the city that never sleeps. They say wrong. The city that really never sleeps is Las Vegas, Nevada. Or Sin City. And teen heiress Alana Skye is living the life, thanks to her billionaire dad. But her dad’s expectations are high since he’s put her in charge of a new teen venture. Will she prove that the apple doesn’t far fall from the tree? Or will she fall flat on her face?

Las Vegas is the city of lady luck. And teen heiress Alana Skye is living the life, thanks to her billionaire dad. But money comes with strings attached. Failure is not an option. Kaylee Ryan was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she has nerve and imagination. Just what this new Vegas transplant needs to make it big. Alana: Some say that New York City is the city that never sleeps. They say wrong. The city that really never sleeps is Las Vegas, Nevada. Or Sin City. And teen heiress Alana Skye is living the life, thanks to her billionaire dad. But her dad’s expectations are high since he’s put her in charge of a new teen venture. Will she prove that the apple doesn’t far fall from the tree? Or will she fall flat on her face?

Ronette Bradley hasn’t exactly been an ideal student. Certainly she’s no overachiever. But she’s caught a lucky break. And she’s determined not to screw up. Part romance—part confessional—part college adventures—each ebook is approximately 28,000 words–160 pages. It’s a funny thing about time. The proverb, “Time heals all wounds,” is true to some extent. But Jayson still hurts. Maybe Ronette doesn’t want time to heal this wound. It feels better fresh. Jayson thought she’d change her mind over break. But Ronette is firm. She’s alone, finally. Except she’s not. “Hey, Houseman girl.” This brother has the warmest, friendliest face Ronette has ever seen. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ronette Bradley hasn’t exactly been an ideal student. Certainly she’s no overachiever. But she’s caught a lucky break. And she’s determined not to screw up. Part romance—part confessional—part college adventures—each ebook is approximately 28,000 words–160 pages. Ronette wants to fly solo for a while. But Cornell London—a senior—is interested. Ronette’s not sure she’s ready for another relationship. Besides, Jayson still wants her back; for now he’s firmly in the “friend” column. Chyna, her frenemy roommate, has stolen one of her poems and rapped it, which puts them on the verge of a hip-hop deal. No lie. Now the Houseman Gammas are knocking ...

Ronette Bradley hasn’t exactly been an ideal student. Certainly she’s no overachiever. But she’s caught a lucky break. And she’s determined not to screw up. Part romance—part confessional—part college adventures—each ebook is approximately 28,000 words–160 pages. Ronette receives a surprise call accepting her to Houseman University. She is psyched, especially because her fave poet in the world is a Houseman professor. Great, right? Oh-so-wrong. Her roommate, Chyna, turns out to be a—well, it’s unprintable—but Chyna thinks she’s all that because she’s the daughter of America’s most famous black talk show hostess. Even worse, Ronette finds Jayson—ugh, let’s just say college life is tough.

Ronette Bradley hasn’t exactly been an ideal student. Certainly she’s no overachiever. But she’s caught a lucky break. And she’s determined not to screw up. Part romance—part confessional—part college adventures—each ebook is approximately 28,000 words–160 pages. Ronette Bradley. Good on standardized tests, a mess on her report cards. With high school over, she’s stuck cleaning hotel rooms. Her high school sweetheart, Jayson Jones, is off to renowned Houseman University, a historically black college in the Dee Cee—two sisters for every brother. Ronette’s ended up at CCC, the dismal Chicagoland Community College. Until one fateful telephone call changes everything ...

High school freshman Robinson "Robin" Paige lives with his grandmother, Miz Paige, on the meanest street in the city. Miz Paige is his rock. Sly and Kaykay have been his buddies since forever. Smart, stoic, and loyal, Robin''s life has been defined by loss. And he doesn''t want another tragedy, so he lives afraid to stand or speak out. But then he gets pushed to the edge. Somehow, someway, he will get back at the Ninth Street Rangers...Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor takes on a whole new meaning--If Robin hadn''t just paid off the Ninth Street Rangers, or if Tyrone and Dodo hadn''t hit on him to do their schoolwork, he never would have done what he was about to do.

Perfect for fans of Lauren Conrad''s L.A. CANDY series, this e-original sequel to Amen, L.A. is full of sizzle, scandal, and secrets. Before she moved to L.A., Natalie and her boyfriend, Sean, got really close. She''s not sure how she feels about him now, though, and when her mom gets her to join a church group called Wait/Great, Natalie feels like a total hypocrite. She''s not the lily-white girl everyone thinks she is--especially Brett Goldstein, the hot eighteen-year-old TV star who''s blowing up her phone and taking her on some incredible dates. If Brett and her L.A. friends knew the truth, what would they think? Inside, Natalie is the same small-town Minnesota girl she''s always been. But in a world where what''s on the outside is what counts, staying true to yourself isn''t easy. . . .

Winning the title of "WrestleManiac" sounds pretty awesome, especially for a twelve-year-old die-hard WWE fan. The WrestleManiac gets the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to carry the defending champ''s belt at WrestleMania, not to mention a trip to the event and the possibility of meeting the champ! Problem is, first you have to win a nationwide competition, and WWE fans can be kind of . . . competitive! Read along as one kid does whatever it takes to win the title of WrestleManiac, even if it means bodyslamming the competition!

When Natalie Shelton and her family move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, more changes than their zip code. Natalie''s mom accepts a position as pastor with the Church of Beverly Hills—and Natalie''s along for the ride. Before she can blink, she''s living in a mansion once owned by Ricardo Montalban, going to school with hot young Hollywood stars, and partying in the park with kids who know no limits. It''s an amazing new life—but if she doesn''t watch out, Natalie could find herself seriously messed up. Natalie has values . . . but how long can she hold on to them?

Even with his growing super powers, Clark Kent cannot resist his classmate Chloe after green sparks from a fireworks display land on her and she becomes the object of almost every boy''s desire at Smallville High School.

Teenage Clark Kent secretly uses his super powers to find the perpetrator of several racial hate crimes in Smallville.

In one moment Nicole Burns''s life changes forever. The sound of gunfire at an Anne Frank exhibit, the panic, the crowd, and Nicole is no longer Nicole. Whiplashed through time and space, she wakes to find herself a privileged Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Paris during World War II. No more Internet diaries and boy troubles for Nicole-now she''s a carefree Jewish girl, with wonderful friends and a charming boyfriend. But when the Nazi death grip tightens over France, Nicole is forced into hiding, and begins a struggle for survival that brings her face to face with Anne Frank. "This is a powerful and affecting story." (KLIATT)