Authentic Voices 550 NEW Nonfiction and Fiction Titles! Quality Texts from Award-Winning Authors Libraries & BookRooms LEVELS AA A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 112/16/19 2:05 PM2 Dear Readers, We are delighted to share this new and enchanting line of original books from such notable names as Jerry Craft, Derrick Barnes, Gwendolyn Zepeda, and so many other illustrious voices. These writers have created stories that capture the imaginations and hearts of young readers, opening their minds to new perspectives and building essential knowledge, while providing them with reflections of themselves and entries to worlds and people outside their realm of experiences. For each title, we have included a comprehensive Teacher’s Guide and Text Evidence Question Card. These materials will help teachers incorporate these important books into their daily instruction and give them the tools to provoke thoughtful and constructive conversations with their students. In this complex world, we remain dedicated to publishing unparalleled resources to help you bring language and literacy to all your students. Sincerely, Tom Reycraft Sera Reycraft Co-Founder/CEO Co-Founder/President Building Literacy and Language for Life ™ ® ® Building Literacy and Language for Life ™® ® LEXILE® is a trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc., and is registered in the United States and abroad. Connecting Children to the World Through Text CONVERSION GUIDE to Benchmark Education’s Precisely and Consistently Leveled Texts Developmental Category Letter Level Number Level Grade Level Lexile® Level Range Emergent AA1PreK–K BR40L*–230L A1 K B2 C 3, 4 Emergent/ Early D 5, 6 E7, 8 1190L–530LEarly F9, 10 G11, 12 H13, 14 I15, 16 Early/ Fluent J17, 18 K19, 20 2420L–650LL24 M28 Fluent N 30 3520L–820LO34 P38, 40 Q40 4740L–940LR40 S40, 50 T40, 50 5830L–1010LU50 V50, 60 Advanced Fluent W50, 60 6925L–1070LX 70 Y 70, 80 Z807–8970L–1185L *Beginning Reading B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 212/16/19 2:05 PMConnecting Children to the World Through Text 3 Multiple Perspectives Authentic Literature Social Emotional Learning 50/50 Informational & Literary Texts Complex Text Sets Culturally Responsive Texts TABLE OF CONTENTS The Diverse Classroom ...............Pages 4–5 Award-Winning Authors .............Pages 6–17 Teacher Resources ........................Pages 18–19 Complete Title List ......................Pages 20–38 Purchase Options ..........................Page 39 B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 312/16/19 2:05 PM4 www.benchmarkeducation.com Building Knowledge and Perspectives Complex Texts Build critical and independent thinkers. • Each grade-level library includes a 50/50 balance of literary and informational text. • Build content-area and literary knowledge. • When students own their text, they own their learning. Precisely Leveled Texts Close learning gaps with texts at incremental levels. • Meet students at their instructional level. • Scaffold each reader to their next level. • Includes authentic texts that tie to unit topic. It’s All About the Texts! B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 412/16/19 2:05 PMIt’s All About the Texts! 5 Call 1-87 7-236-2465 • Fax 1-87 7-732-8273 Culturally Responsive Texts • Reflect the complexity and dimensions of the world. • Inspire interactions and development of global competence. • Open up new windows and perspectives. Exceptional Support for Responsive Teaching Teach to reach each learner. • Comprehensive Teacher’s Guide for every title • Text Evidence Question Card for every title B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 512/16/19 2:05 PMMathangi Subramanian Mathangi Subramanian is an award- winning writer, author, and educator. She is a former public school teacher, senior policy analyst for the New York City Council, and assistant vice president at Sesame Workshop. She has received various fellowships, including a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholarship, a Jacob Javits Fellowship, and an Office of Policy and Research Fellowship from Columbia Teachers College. Awards include: Runner Up, Reynolds Price Short Fiction Award from the Center for Women Writers for Perfectly Clear, 2016*Winner, South Asia Book Award Pongal in Pennsylvania Anu and Ram’s mother, Amma, misses Pongal—an Indian celebration that is similar to Thanksgiving. Anu and Ram plan to bring Pongal to their Amma, but some Indian traditions don’t translate to America. Will Amma like her surprise? Exclusive Original & Classic Tales from Beloved, Award-Winning Voices Ibi Zoboi Ibi Zoboi writes for children and teens. American Street is her first book for teens, and her middle- grade novel, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, will be published soon. Ibi started telling stories to herself and her friends in kindergarten. By the fourth grade, she wrote her stories down on looseleaf paper, stapled the pages, and drew a cover. Her favorite books to read are about the future and magical places. Ibi was born in Haiti and loves mangos and avocados. Awards include: National Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Literature 2017 The Meal and the Deal The girls in this story are both hungry. But the greedy godmother and the rajah hoard the food. The girls will have to be clever and wise to outsmart them. 6 www.benchmarkeducation.com G J Oliver Chin Oliver Chin has written 20 children’s books including Tales from the Chinese Zodiac, Julie Black Belt, and The Discovery of Ramen: The Asian Hall of Fame. He was the cartoonist of The Harvard Crimson, helped introduce Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z into America, and has taught thousands of kids how to make their own comic books. Oliver values reading because we can learn about ourselves, others, and our world. Awards include: 9 of 1: A Window to the World (graphic novel) won Honorable Mention for the Gustavus Myers Award The Tao Twins’ Trouble Taylor and Tori Tao are identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different from each other. They want to find a way to show their teachers and classmates their differences. But how far will they have to go to help everyone understand? Y O G O G J B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 612/16/19 2:06 PMArt Coulson Art Coulson is Cherokee from Oklahoma and comes from a family of storytellers. Some of his earliest memories were of listening to stories and reading books on his grandmother’s lap. He is the author of The Creator’s Game and Unstoppable. Awards include: The Bear Award, Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce*Best National Newspaper Columnist, Native American Journalists Association The Reluctant Storyteller Chooch is reluctant about many things—he is reluctant to be a storyteller like the rest of his family, and he is reluctant to spend spring break in the small town of Greasy, Oklahoma, with Uncle Dynamite. But Chooch will find out there’s more than one way to tell a story. Andrew Glass Andrew Glass is the award- winning author and illustrator of books for young readers. He loves drawing wacky characters and telling their tall tales. His search for a modern tall tale led oddly enough to a nonfiction book, Flying Cars: The True Story. Awards include: 1984 Newbery Honor, illustrator Davy Crockett and Sally Ann Thunder There are many tall tales told about Davy Crockett. In Davy Crockett and Sally Ann Thunder, Davy gets married to Sally Ann, and they time-travel on their honeymoon. Who doesn’t want to spend their honeymoon in the time of the dinosaurs? Exclusive Original & Classic Tales from Beloved, Award-Winning Voices A uthor s and Illustr ator s 7 Call 1-87 7-236-2465 • Fax 1-87 7-732-8273 G J Y = Authentic Literature O= Social/Emotional Learning G = Culturally Responsive J = Skills and Strategies Bryon Cahill Bryon Cahill has been a kid all his life and has been writing for them since 2004. Bryon first fell in love with reading when he discovered E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. These days, Bryon lives by the shore in southern New Jersey, and spends many summer days building sandcastles on the beach and daydreaming with his own children. Awards include: 2014 New Jersey Human Relations Council Journalism Award*2010 Association of Educational Publishers’ (AEP) Distinguished Achievement Awards*Won Best Web Site for “Edgar Allan Poe” Goldilocks on Trial Goldilocks is in trouble. She ate the Bear family’s porridge. Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear are taking her to Woodland Court. See if she is found guilty or innocent. Welcome to Laguna Cameron, Ty, Frankie, Simone, and Deirdre are shooting an alien-invasion movie. When they hear the new kid speaking gibberish, suddenly the movie doesn’t seem so fictional as they thought. Y O J Y O J G J B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 712/16/19 2:06 PMGwendolyn Zepeda Gwendolyn Zepeda was born in Houston, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She was among the first Latina bloggers and began her writing career on the Web in 1997 as one of the founding writers of entertainment site Television Without Pity. Since that time, Zepeda has published acclaimed novels, children’s books, a short-story collection, and poems. Awards include: Houston’s first Poet Laureate, 2013 to 2015*2014 NALAC Houston Honors, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures*Texas Library Association 2011*Lariat Reading List (Best of 2010’s Adult Fiction): Lone Star Legend Lexi’s Lantern Lexi and her parents are in Bangkok, Thailand, to visit family. When her dad loses his watch, Lexi makes it her mission to find it. When Lexi begins her search, she finds that exploring Bangkok is just as much fun as looking for her father’s watch. Charles R. Smith Jr. Charles R. Smith Jr. wears many hats. He is an award-winning children’s book author, photographer, poet, and fitness trainer. He even competed on season nine of American Ninja Warrior! With over thirty books to his credit, Charles has won numerous awards, particularly for reluctant readers, proving that kids that don’t like to read still like to read his books. Awards include: 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Honor for Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali*2010 Coretta Scott King Illustrator winner for “My People” written by Langston Hughes The Blue Boys On a class trip, Jonny sees a painting of a boy who looks very familiar—the boy looks just like him. It is a painting called The Blue Boy, from the eighteenth century. They even have the same name! Jonny starts to wonder what it would be like to be the Blue Boy, but Jonny should be careful what he wishes for. Claudia Oviedo Claudia Oviedo has written several books for kids under various names for the last 10 years. She now lives in Chicago after spending her early years in sunny western Texas. When Claudia is not driving her daughter Penny to dance classes, they are checking out books together from the Chicago Public Library, one of their favorite places in the world. Awards include: 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People*2008 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Award*2009 Americas Award Commendation*2015 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Esme Solis, Superstar Brush, step, heel. Step, heel, drop. Esme practices being a superstar in front of the mirror every night. Will she be ready for her school’s Superstar Showcase? 8 www.benchmarkeducation.com Acclaimed Authors Providing Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors to a Diverse World G J O G J Y O G B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 812/16/19 2:06 PMDavid Bowles David Bowles is a Mexican American author from the very tip of Texas. His childhood was filled with the magical tales by his grandmother, who encouraged him to read. When he is not writing or traveling, he loves making music and learning new languages. Awards include: Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry: awarded the Texas Institute of Letters’ 2014 Soeurette Diehl Fraser Award for Best Translation*TOP SHELF Book Review Column: received a 2014 Texas Associated Press Managing Editors’ Headliners Excellence in Journalism Award for Comment and Criticism*The Smoking Mirror was selected as a Pura Belpré Honor Book in 2016 by the American Library Association*Inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2017 Kinal’s Trek Kinal is the last healthy person in the kingdom of Kabah. Everyone else has fallen sick from a mysterious illness. When his mother asks him to find a healer from an enemy kingdom, Kinal sets out on a journey to save his people. Lisa Suhair Majaj Lisa Suhair Majaj is a Palestinian American writer living in Cyprus. Her poetry, creative nonfiction, and critical essays have appeared in many journals and anthologies across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. She is co-editor of three volumes of critical essays on women writers, and the author of two books of poetry. Awards include: Winner of the Del Sol Press Poetry Prize*Multiple Pushcart Prize nominations Naila Shares a Story It is hard for Naila when she moves to the United States from Jordan. The English is different, the people are different, and the food is different. But Naila has her grandmother’s words of advice to help her: “Don’t forget to share the special things about you with the people you meet.” Derrick Barnes Derrick Barnes loves writing books for children and young adults. In 2018, Barnes won the Ezra Jack Keats Award, Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, Newbury Honor, and Caldecott Honor for his book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. Awards include: Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award 2018*Coretta Scott King Author Honor 2018* Bex Falcon and the Mystery of the Missing Muffins Grandpa’s famous blueberry muffins have disappeared! Bex Falcon and the Mystery of the Broken Window Bex and Team Thunderfeet are in a backyard kickball championship when a window mysteriously breaks. Bex Falcon and the Mystery of the Missing Gecko Bex is on the case looking for clues about the lizard’s whereabouts. Acclaimed Authors Providing Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors to a Diverse World A uthor s and Illustr ator s 9 Call 1-87 7-236-2465 • Fax 1-87 7-732-8273 Y = Authentic Literature O= Social/Emotional Learning G = Culturally Responsive J = Skills and Strategies Y O G J Y O Y O B8114_AuthenticVoices_English.indd 912/16/19 2:06 PMNext >