Two ordinary chickens dare to cross the road in this bind-up of hilarious illustrated chapter books Extraordinary Warren and Extraordinary Warren Saves the Day. Warren, a bespectacled chicken, is bored with the everyday chicken routine: peck, cluck, feed; peck, cluck, feed. Same old, same old. There must be more to life. And there must be more to Warren. He leaves the farm to discover what makes him special—and with the help of an unhatched egg and a snarky, hungry rat, he just might get some answers. In his next adventure, Warren is delighted to have a sidekick and feathered friend in the newly hatched Egg. But Egg is rather exasperating. New to the world, he asks so many questions and has so much to learn. Early one morning Egg takes off on his own, and when Warren realizes Egg has flown the coop, nothing will stop him from locating his best buddy—not even that hungry rat, Millard. Filled with simple text, speech balloons, and engaging illustrations, these easy-to-follow stories are a blend between a picture book and a chapter book, making it an ideal bridge for independent readers.

Two ordinary chickens dare to cross the road in this bind-up of hilarious illustrated chapter books Extraordinary Warren and Extraordinary Warren Saves the Day. Warren, a bespectacled chicken, is bored with the everyday chicken routine: peck, cluck, feed; peck, cluck, feed. Same old, same old. There must be more to life. And there must be more to Warren. He leaves the farm to discover what makes him special—and with the help of an unhatched egg and a snarky, hungry rat, he just might get some answers. In his next adventure, Warren is delighted to have a sidekick and feathered friend in the newly hatched Egg. But Egg is rather exasperating. New to the world, he asks so many questions and has so much to learn. Early one morning Egg takes off on his own, and when Warren realizes Egg has flown the coop, nothing will stop him from locating his best buddy—not even that hungry rat, Millard. Filled with simple text, speech balloons, and engaging illustrations, these easy-to-follow stories are a blend between a picture book and a chapter book, making it an ideal bridge for independent readers.

When Snail leaves his bucket, he discovers a whole, wide world in this illustrated bind-up of sweet and funny chapter books Snail Has Lunch and Snail Finds a Home. Snail is a merry little mollusk who lives in a rusty bucket. Day after day, rain or shine, snail doesn’t move—and that suits him just fine. But when his bucket is turned over, his life takes a topsy-turvy turn. A journey through the vegetable garden opens up a whole world of new friends, new foods, and maybe even a little danger. Can Snail find happiness out here, or will he wish he never left his bucket? In his next adventure, Snail eats too many strawberries—his favorite food—and makes himself sick. His best friend Ladybug tells him he needs to find a forever home away from the tempting, yummy, red fruit. But Snail’s journey puts him in the path of a hungry chicken! Will he make it to his new home or be a tasty treat for this feathered, famished fiend? Filled with simple text, speech balloons, and engaging illustrations, these easy-to-follow stories are a blend between a picture book and a chapter book, making it an ideal bridge for independent readers.

Reaching Reluctant Young Readers features 150 middle-grade books. Each profiled title has the potential to hook the reluctant reader and lure them to read the entire book. To specifically encourage elementary and middle-school-age reluctant children to read, there is first a pitch to get the reader’s attention. That is followed by a short reading passage to “set the hook” and encourage the young person to read the rest of the book on their own. Further, the book contains several hundred additional recommended titles. The books selected for this collection were chosen following the criteria of reluctant reader books created by the Quick Picks committee sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association. While these guidelines were designed for young adult books, they also work well for middle-grade books. The criteria include: clear writing (no convoluted long sentences with sophisticated vocabulary), high interest “hook” in the first few pages, well-defined characters, interesting plot, and familiar themes.

Warren's friend Egg has gone missing and it's up to Warren to find him.

Solve mysteries from all over the world and beyond with world-famous duck-tective Miss Mallard in this engaging Aladdin QUIX activity book with solutions to each case provided in the backmatter. Miss Mallard, the world-famous ducktective, and her nephew Willard Widgeon of the Swiss police track down crooks from Hollywood to Prague and even on a spaceship in outer space. In each location, young readers can crack the case themselves then flip to the back of the book to check their theory!

World-famous duck-tective Miss Mallard’s trip to Paris gets complicated in this engaging Aladdin QUIX mystery. Miss Mallard is in Paris to visit an old friend and becomes involved in one of the most terrifying cases of her career: the disappearance of a star performer and the long-ago theft of a fabulous jewel!