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.

Award-winning author Jeff Gottesfeld and #OwnVoices co-writer Michelle Y. Green introduce us to another important historical figure who deserves to be better known. Along with illustrator Kim Holt, Gottesfeld and Green bring vibrant life to the story of Wilbert Tucker who grew up in the segregated South and became a lawyer who loved to read. In 1939, he organized a sit-down-in-the-library protest to fight for the right to read along with the rest of the public. It took many court cases and years of fighting, but Tucker fought with words and conviction until everyone could sit and read in the public library.

Themes: heroism, friendship, pets, earthquakes, survival. One ordinary day, everything changes for Jen and her stubborn cat, Mimi. Jen soon realizes that she and Mimi share a gift that''s beyond belief. 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: 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: Friendship, Summer Camp, Writing, Stage Fright, Prejudice, Learning Life Lessons. Ava is ready for a fun summer of helping out at day camp. But she’s not a fan of all the other helpers. Will a new friend help to change her perspective? 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.

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: 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.

Sam and Logan are best friends. But sometimes Logan likes to have fun in ways that Sam doesn''t. When Sam decides to join Logan to explore a graveyard, he later comes to regret his choice.

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.

Al Rosen, a Jewish man, takes on the jobs of his Christian neighbors on Christmas Eve and day so they can spend the holiday with their families, starting a tradition that lasts for decades. A mitzvah, as Al explains, is a good deed, especially apt on holidays. A strong cross-over read, this warm story is about kindness and differences bringing people together. This book was selected as a Best Jewish Children''s Book of 2021 by Tablet Magazine and is a Sydney Taylor honor award!

Theme: fame, social media, friendship, disappointment, superficiality, popularity, Annie and Erin love KidVid videos, but they soon find out going viral isnÕt everything.

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.

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.

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: 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 New York Times Best Illustrated Children''s Book A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, 2016 Told from the perspective of the tree outside Anne Frank''s window—and illustrated by a Caldecott Honor artist—this book introduces her story in a gentle and incredibly powerful way to a young audience. The tree in the courtyard was a horse chestnut. Her leaves were green stars; her flowers foaming cones of white and pink. Seagulls flocked to her shade. She spread roots and reached skyward in peace. The tree watched a little girl, who played and laughed and wrote in a diary. When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the girl peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away—and when her father returned after the war, alone. The tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace. Its story, and Anne’s story, are beautifully told and illustrated in this powerful picture book.

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.

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.

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.

Tommy loves MMA. He and his friend Ben are the best at Stars MMA Fight School. They both compete to represent the fight school at a MMA competition in the city. As usual, Tommy chokes. Ben is the winner, even though Tommy is the better fighter. But Ben breaks his leg, and Tommy has to learn to tune out and focus to win.

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!

Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol—or a proud reminder of Southern heritage? When Kate’s liberal-minded family moves from the suburbs of New York City to a small town near Nashville, Kate is convinced her life is over. Redford lives up to Kate’s low expectations. The Confederate battle flag waves proudly in the sky, the local diner serves grits and sweet tea, and country music rules the airwaves. Then she meets Jackson Redford III, scion of the town and embodiment of everything Dixie. And dang if brilliant, gorgeous Jack doesn’t make Kate decide that maybe her new hometown isn’t so bad after all. But a petition to replace the school’s Confederate flag symbol is stirring up trouble. Kate dives right in, not afraid to attack what she sees as offensive. Getting involved means making enemies, though, and soon, Kate and Jack—and their families—find themselves pitted against each other in a bitter controversy: not just about the flag, but about what it means to be an American.

Six girls and guys are invited to be part of a reality television program in New York but the real drama goes on behind the cameras.

Six girls and guys are about to have one hot summer. They''ve been chosen to move to New York City and be interns on the new reality talk show Trash. But the real drama is going on behind the cameras. Features the first two books in the series: Trash Someone is making a secret video to expose the truth behind the Trash television show. Now, hard-nosed exec Rosanne is out for revenge--and one of the interns will pay. Trash: Love, Lies and Video Intern Karma is in love with the most gorgeous male intern at Trash, and he''s crazy about her--or is he mistaking her for someone else?

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.

Twelve years back, the sleepy town of Smallville was hit by a freak meteor shower. It left the survivors with scars ... and secrets. And it signalled the arrival of an alien child. He will become the most famed superhero of all time, but right now the teenaged Clark Kent has big problems just mastering his growing powers. Look out for more great Smallville titles: 1. Arrival by Mike Teitelbaum (Nov ''02) 2. See No Evil by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld (Nov ''02) 4. Animal Rage by David and Bobbi Weiss (Mar ''03)

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