Stone Arch Books

Twelve-year-old Anya has a good life with her family in the town of Pripyat, not far from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. But then, one night, an explosion lights up the night sky-and something about the flames doesn't look right. Anya's father, a firefighter, is called to the plant, and soon the seriousness of the situation grows. What went wrong at the plant? What is the government not telling them? And will Anya and her family survive the fallout that follows? Readers can learn the story of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster from nonfiction backmatter, including a glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and more in this Girls Survive story.

With Hurricane Katrina on track to hit New Orleans, twelve-year-old Claudia and her family are preparing to weather the storm. But nothing can prepare them for the awful flooding that occurs when the levees that surround the city fail. Even worse, after a chaotic helicopter evacuation, Claudia and her younger sister become separated from the rest of their family. Now it is up to Claudia to protect and comfort her sister through the tragedy. Readers can learn the real story of the Hurricane Katrina from the nonfiction back matter in this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.

Kaitlyn is a top-notch babysitter: she's organized, disciplined, and efficient. And she needs her regular babysitting gigs to pay for new clothes, bedroom decor, and of course, her cell phone. So when the Sweet family decides to replace her with a new, fun sitter named Doc, she's determined to beat her new competition...if only she could figure out who he is. As the story unfolds, Kaitlyn realizes that even an experienced sitter like her can learn a thing or two from the new guy on the block. Engaging character-development, high-interest plot and sub-plots, and strong literary conflict examples make this a great selection for libraries.

In 1911, fourteen-year-old Lucy Morelli lives with her parents, older brother, and several youngers siblings in a crowded apartment in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Lucy dreams of going to college, but her Italian immigrant family relies heavily on her income from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to survive. Lucy finds the factory work boring, but the working conditions are better than many other jobs. But when Lucy and her best friend, Rosie, head to work one Saturday in March, everything changes. Fire breaks out in the factory, and the doors are locked, trapping hundreds of workers inside. Lucy must battle the flames to save her own life -- and Rosie's. Readers can learn the real story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, one of the deadliest industrial disaster's in U.S. history, from the nonfiction backmatter in this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.

In 1980s Washington state, Mt. St. Helens is rumbling. Twelve-year-old Maribel isn't concerned at first, despite officials evacuating her neighborhood. Her family is convinced it's just a precaution, even as the mountain continues to rumble. Maribel decides to disobey orders and return home for items she and her sister left behind - just as the volcano finally erupts. As ash rains down, Maribel realizes she must learn to focus if she's going to survive.

When an orca is rescued from a less-reputable aquarium and brought to Seaside Sanctuary, the seaside marine biology facility where her parents work, Elsa Roth is excited to help with the animal's care and rehab. It's a crucial step before it can be released into the wild. But the whale has been in captivity for a long time. It's up to Elsa and the rest of the sanctuary staff to teach the animal how to live on its own-the whale's survival depends on it.

Bug Team Alpha is stranded. They find themselves in a hostile, far-flung planetoid, far, far from their home Earth. No one can rescue them. Then they begin seeing ghost-like apparitions. Are these visions here to help them? Or are the memories of the past? Each book includes a character list, mission report, discussion questions, writing prompts, and glossary.