Middle Readers

In this insightful anthology, historians Marvin E. Gettleman and Stuart Schaar have assembled a broad selection of documents and contemporary scholarship to give a view of the history of the peoples from the core Islamic lands, from the Golden Age of Islam to today.

In 1967, a 25-year-old refugee named Bashir Khairi travelled from the Palestinian hill town of Ramallah to Ramla, Israel, with a goal: to see the beloved stone house with the lemon tree in its backyard that he and his family had been forced to leave 19 years earlier. When he arrived, he was greeted by one of its new residents: Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, a 19-year-old Israeli college student whose family had fled Europe following the Holocaust. She had lived in that house since she was 11 months old.

Twelve-year-old Zach Clark has some pretty common troubles: single mom, bully at school. But he's also got one problem all his own when he wakes up one morning on the ceiling. Gravity seems to have no effect, and one false step will send Zach toppling up into the sky, gone for good. Zach and his friend Sophie try to hide his condition and then cure it, but soon enough, their luck runs out and forces close in on them from all sides. A thrilling fantasy for fans of fast-moving and inspirational storytelling! A legendary "lost novel" finally made available to the public!

Moishe “Mushy” Luftmensch, age 10 and a half, has a big problem: He’s a very good kid...in a very bad world (and we mean very, very bad! We’re talking “tangerine peanut butter and garlic milkshakes” bad!). When Mushy proves to be too good for his, well...own good...he’s summarily shipped off to a special camp for “good eggs” like him. It’s no surprise we end up at a particularly unique camp where kids like Mushy are turned from really good to really bad...just like they’re supposed to be.

Speaking Up for Each Other has 24 award-winning short stories by talented young writers. These stories are original, enjoyable, and contain a rich variety of themes and situations ranging from a helpless girl living in fear of her own family to a robot contemplating what's best for its employer.

The Best Life Stories by Reader's Digest are 150 of the best hand-picked real-life tales of resilience, joy, and hope - all in 150 words or less! People think I'm crazy for teaching middle schoolers.