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Optional Book Packs: Level 2/3 | Level 4/5 | Level 5/6 | Level 6/7 | Level 7/8
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Book Pack - Level 2: Range of Reading Levels 3.0 - 4.1

Optional Book Packs to Use with Drawn into the Heart of Reading - Level 2

These optional book packs are to be used after the "Emerging Reader Set". They are for use with children who are ready for chapter books with fewer pictures and are ready for more advanced reading material. Average second graders should follow the Emerging Reader's Schedule. The list below is for use with Level 2 of Drawn into the Heart of Reading. The Level 2 books are for advanced Level 2 readers.

In these levels, your child will read the chosen books out loud to you for a total of 15 days for each genre. Each book on the list below has an approximate reading level noting the grade and month next to it. Use this information to choose the set that best suits your child's reading level. Please keep in mind, these specific titles are not needed, but each book was very carefully chosen as an excellent reading selection for the noted reading level.

Our book sets were created to save you time and to help you find quality books at the right reading level. This is one of the keys to a successful reading experience for your child. You are welcome to use your own book selections if you prefer.

Drawn into the Heart of Reading truly works with any books you choose.

GENRE	LEVEL 2 BOOKS: Range of Reading Levels 3.0 - 4.1 Book Pack - Level 2: $93.35 - Save $18.50 [Add to Cart]
Biography	Amelia Earhart: Young Air Pioneer, by Jane Moore Howe, 2000 Patria Press, Inc. Reading Level: 3.4, List Price: $9.95 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 15 days [Add to Cart] These true-life tales of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, based on the remembrances of her sister Pidge, will inspire and thrill young readers. Kids will cheer as Amelia rescues two neighbor boys from an angry dog and when she builds her own "rolly coaster" off the roof of her grandparents' shed. Amelia's fascination at seeing her first airplane, as well as her curiosity, courage, and determination to learn, will make this portrayal of an American heroine a favorite of both children and adults.
Adventure	Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner, 1983 HarperTrophy Reading Level: 3.0, List Price: $5.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 10 days [Add to Cart] Stone Fox tells the story of a boy determined to win a dog sled race to save his grandfather's farm. No one has ever beaten Stone Fox, an imposing and silent Native American, but little Willy trains daily for the race with his beloved dog, Searchlight. It seems like Willy might even win the race until heartbreaking tragedy strikes. Few can read this and ever forget the dogsled race in which Willy faces Stone Fox in a chilling testimony of determination and love. Dolphin Adventure: A True Story, by Wayne Grover, HarperTrophy Reading Level: 4.2, List Price $5.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 5 days [Add to Cart] Eighty feet below the ocean's surface, Wayne Grover hears a clicking sound. Soon he sees three dolphins--two adults and a baby--swimming toward him. A large fishing hook is embedded in the baby's back, and suddenly Wayne realizes that, in their own way, the dolphins are asking for his help.
Historical Fiction	Hannah, by Gloria Whelan, 1993 Random House Books for Young Readers Reading Level: 3.4, List Price: $4.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 5 days [Add to Cart] A nine-year-old blind girl lives in the West of 1887. When the new teacher arrives , Hannah's mother is persuaded to allow her to go to school. The first day is a disaster, but is followed by better days as Hannah proves that she can learn by listening and finds out that she can get books in Braille. In the end the children band together under the leadership of the class bully to earn money to buy her a Braille writer. This is a touching, believable story with strong characterizations and sense of place. Pioneer Cat, by William H. Hooks, 1988 Random House Books Young Readers Reading Level: 3.3, List Price: $4.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 10 days [Add to Cart] Kate and her family have arrived in St. Joseph, Mo., to join a wagon train heading for Oregon. Kate finds a cat and is determined to keep it. She smuggles the animal aboard the family wagon and enlists the help of her irrepressible new friend Rosie. The action-packed, highly readable tale includes such hazards as a buffalo stampede, a perilous river crossing and a dangerous encounter with Indians. Throughout the book, Kate and Rosie struggle to keep Snuggs a secret. When Snuggs is finally discovered, there is a surprising twist, and the story ends with the wagon train's arrival in Oregon.
Fantasy	The Littles, by John Peterson, 1993 Scholastic Paperbacks Reading Level: 3.0, List Price: $3.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 10 [Add to Cart] Behind the walls of the George W. Bigg home live the Littles, a family whose tallest member measures six inches. The Littles get their living by appropriating whatever they need from the giants whose home they share, but everything gets tricky when some mice decide the Littles might make a nice snack. Tom Little says, "Why don't we just try taming the cat?" Uncle Pete sighs in disbelief, "Do you hear what the boy is saying? He's gone soft in the head. A cat has never been a friend to a Little. I can tell you that." Read The Littles to find out what happens. The Storm, by Cynthia Rylant, 2003 Aladdin Paperbacks Reading Level: 3.5, List Price: $5.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 5 [Add to Cart] Life with only the sea can be lonely. Just ask Pandora and Seabold. They've lived most of their lives with the sea - Pandora in a lighthouse and Seabold on a boat - and they're each quite used to being along. Or they were. But one day, the sea did something extraordinary: It brought Pandora and Seabold together! And even better, the sea gave them the ingredients for an adventure that neither of them had considered before - an adventure called "family."
Mystery	Treasure of Pelican Cove, by Milly Howard, 1988 BJU Press Reading Level: 3.6, List Price: $10.00 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 15 days [Add to Cart] Besides Granny and Hiram, a small dog named Blackie is the best friend Jimmy has at Land's End. Hiram tells a fascinating story about a pirate called Pegleg, and before long, everyone is scrambling for hidden treasure. But then there's trouble--Blackie mysteriously disappears, and Jimmy is determined to find him. When the other children join forces to help Jimmy, they discover that Blackie's trail crosses another treasure hunter's trail. What does the man want with Blackie? How is Blackie connected to the treasure? Will the trail lead to treasure or to danger?
Folk Tales	Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt, 2008 Reformation Trust Publishing Reading Level: 4.0, List Price: $17.00 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 10 days [Add to Cart] Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt is a retelling of the 23rd Psalm from the perspective of a lamb (representing a child of God) describing what it is like to be cared for by a gracious, loving, and protective shepherd (God Almighty). Sammy, the narrator sheep, is taught lessons by an older sheep known to everyone as Grandmother, who explains that a good shepherd makes sure that his sheep have plenty of food and water, lots of contented rest, protection from predators, and even moments of rescue and recovery if they wander into dark valleys. McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales, by Sid Fleischman and Quentin Blake, 1997 HarperTrophy, Reading Level: 3.0, List Price: $6.99, Suggested number of days to spend reading: 5 days [Add to Cart] When Josh McBroom learns that the eighty acres of Iowa farmland he's purchased are all stacked up on top of each other at the bottom of a muddy little pond, he thinks he's been bamboozled. But McBroom knows he's got the better of the bargain when the pond dries up to reveal an acre of soil so rich that seeds spring up into full-grown plants in no time and even nickels grow into quarters.
Nonfiction	One Small Square: Backyard, by Donald M. Silver, 1997 McGraw-Hill Reading Level: A specific RL is not listed, but please note that nonfiction selections typically are one full year advanced due to difficult vocabulary. List Price: $11.00 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 15 days [Add to Cart] A voyage of scientific discovery is as near as your own backyard. There you'll find a busy hub, full of creepers and crawlers, lifters and leapers, singers, buzzers, climbers, builders, and recyclers. It's a place where children can smell, listen, look, and get a hands-on feel for life-all in one small square of land and air. Each book includes: Stunning full-color illustrations of each habitat and its creatures; Motivating experiments and activities, along with clear, diagrammed instructions and safety tips; A picture field guide to the habitat; a glossary-index and resource list. One Small Square-an eye-opening series originally published in hardcover-puts the whole world in perspective for children, one small square at a time.
Humor	Capyboppy by Bill Peet, 1985 Houghton Mifflin Reading Level: 4.1, List Price: $9.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 10 days [Add to Cart] This is the true story and adventures of Capyboppy, the Peet family's pet capybara. Bill Peet's endearing way of writing draws you into the hilarious adventures of owning and caring for a capybara. You'll be laughing out loud and shaking your head in exasperation right along with the Peet family as they decide how best to raise their beloved Capyboppy. Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? by Jean Frtitz, 1998 Putnam Juvenile Reading Level: 4.0, List Price: $6.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 5 days [Add to Cart] For years, Plymouth Rock sat on the beach without getting any attention. But in 1741, the people of Plymouth decided it was an important landmark, because the Pilgrims must have stepped on it when they arrived in the New World, and its adventures began. The rock was moved, dropped, broken, moved again, and cemented back together before finally being enclosed in an impressive monument, ensuring its place as a solid piece of American history!
Realistic Fiction	The Secret School by Avi, 2003 Harcourt Paperbacks Reading Level: 4.1, List Price: $7.99 Suggested number of days to spend reading: 15 days [Add to Cart] When the teacher at the one-room schoolhouse in Elk Valley must depart unexpectedly, the head of the school board decides to end the academic year right then, a month and a half before the summer break. 14-year-old Ida Bidson protests, because without exit exams, she cannot proceed to high school in the fall. "I'm not so sure a girl needs a high school education," Mr. Jordan retorts, undeterred. Then Ida's friend Tom comes up with a plan: "You're such a gravy know-it-all," he tells her. "You could take over the school when Miss Fletcher leaves." And so she does, swearing the students to secrecy. It's no easy task "Miss Bidson" has to learn self-confidence, and she must keep up with her farm chores and with her own studies. To compound the challenge, the county examiner discovers the secret and agrees to keep the school open only if all the students take a final exam.