The subjects of this decodable chapter book series of eleven thrilling phonics books is a little more daring and challenging than Tales of Youth. It features books about sports, cougar attacks, courageous animals and even a mysterious night beast!
Reading Level: 1.0 to 6.3
Phonics Concepts: One Syllable, Two Syllable, and Multi Syllable Words; Open/Closed Syllables, Consonant Digraphs, Blends, Vowel Tag, Vowel Change, Silent E, R-Controlled Vowels, Diphthongs, Vowel Teams, Complex Vowel Teams, Advanced Vowel Teams, Final Syllables
Length: 9 – 51 pages
Genre: Animals/Adventure/Sports
Intended Audience: Elementary School Students
Long Ball to Left Field
Step into the excitement of a baseball game where every play counts.
Grade Level: 1.0
Concept: One Syllable Words, Consonant Digraphs (chant, path), Blends (plump, front)
Excerpt: “It was a hot day, and I was in the left field. Big Ted got up to hit. Ted was a tall kid. I did not want Ted to hit the ball to me. I did not want to mess up.”
Mad Dash
Can Jim and Jill put aside their squabbles to escape the stern Mrs. Smith and her big stick?
Grade Level: 1.0
Concept: One Syllable Words, Blends (desk, step, crash), Suffixes (tossing, quickly)
Excerpt: “It was the sixth day of school and I sat in the last desk in the back of the class. I had a bad habit of tossing spit wads at Jill. Jill and I do not get along.”
Sky Rock
Join Denzel as he recalls the day a meteor struck his family’s ranch.
Grade Level: 1.3
Concept: One Syllable Words, Blends (past, hand), Suffixes (hopped, slipping)
Excerpt: “I spotted a rock that lit up the sky. I hopped from my bath and scanned the sky. This rock lit up the sky and was coming at the cabin. It hit me that this had to be a meteor, and it was coming at the ranch.”
The Rocks
Investigate what happen with Ted after a mysterious meteor shower and as red alien plants attempt to capture him and his classmates.
Grade Level: 0.6 to 1.6
Concept: One Syllable Words, Blends (next, spun), Suffixes (landed, having)
Excerpt: “Ted brushed off the dust and checked on the crust of the rock. It was a black rock with a lot of bumps, but it was still a rock. Suddenly, it shifted, and Ted ran back to the bus. The rock spun quickly, and then it cracked.”
Night of the Cougar
Venture into the wild with a tale of survival and courage as Tex the rancher encounters the majestic yet dangerous cougar.
Grade Level: 1.9 to 2.1
Concept: Two Syllable Words, Blends (slept, ranch), Vowel Tag (bit/ten, up/set)
Excerpt: “Tex saddled up and went to visit his calves at the edge of the ranch. Tex was sick at what he saw when he got to the grasslands. Some of the calves had been killed at night. Tex had a hunch as to what animal did this; he thought it was a cougar.”
Monkey Business
Swing into fun with Hobo the talking detective monkey!
Grade Level: 2.4 to 3.9
Concept: Two Syllable Words, Silent E (smile, home)Vowel Teams (keep, seek), Vowel Tag (con/stant, sig/nal), Vowel Change (cra/zy, pre/pare)
Excerpt: “As I went to get the Frisbee, I felt a little hand grab me. Could I be seeing things? Was this a monkey? As it gave me a little smile, it quickly grabbed the Frisbee, tossed it at Aretha, then hopped on my back.”
Mascot’s Message
Selena’s family adopts a dog, Mascot, who joins her and her brother on their adventures in the woods.
Grade Level: 3.0 to 4.4
Concept: Multi Syllable Words, Vowel Tag (ob/ject/ive), Vowel Change (pri/vate), Long E (sleep, busy, real), R-Controlled Vowels (return, start, paper)
Excerpt: “Mascot ran up to us in the cage. She was a bit thin, but she had a beautiful coat of fur. Her head and legs had brown and white fur on them, but her back leg had a streak of jet black fur that had a neat sheen to it. More importantly, she was the sweetest dog we had seen.”
The Ninth Life
Moira and her brother find and adopt a cat in need of a home. As Moira tells the story of their new cat, B.J.’s, ninth life, it’s clear he is no stranger to adventure!
Grade Level: 3.1 to 4.7
Concept: Multi Syllable Words, Vowel Tag (kit/chen), Vowel Change (re/mark), R-Controlled Vowels (morning, star), Diphthongs (lawn, outside, Moira)
Excerpt: “After we found a big, old blanket to put over the cat, we quickly put on our gloves and ran back outside. We carefully picked up the sick cat, brought it inside, and put it in the bed we had prepared. As it turned out, the cat was in too bad of shape to think of scratching us.”
Night Beast
Spending a night in the desert during a road trip becomes more thrilling than expected when a mysterious winged creature descends upon Steve.
Grade Level: 2.7 to 3.8
Concept: Multi Syllable Words, Vowel Tag (trav/el), Vowel Change (ho/tel), Diphthongs (good, choice, about), Vowel Teams (true, detail), Complex Vowel Teams (light)
Excerpt: “Later that day we were hungry, so we visited several other hotels to find a place to eat. Jack and I were trying to make this trip as cheap as possible, so we had to find a good value for our money. We found a cool place with an all-you-can-eat brunch, and we chowed down.”
Night Visitor
Uncover the mystery of the mysterious man in a cape haunting Steve’s fraternity!
Grade Level: 4.3 to 4.9
Concept: Multi Syllable Words, Vowel Tag (trav/el), Vowel Change (ho/tel), Vowel Teams (true, detail), Complex Vowel Teams (light), Advanced Vowel Teams (threw, piece, key), R-Controlled Vowels (corner), Diphthongs (point, exhaust)
Excerpt: “I looked over at the fire escape door, and I saw a man with a cape standing next to the fire escape. He was a dark figure with something on his head. I was half-dreaming and half-awake. I was very confused; I thought I should grab his shoulders and give him a sidekick at the back of the knee.”
Rough Riders
Learn all about Rodeo with the Rough Riders as they score an opportunity to work on rodeo champion Jesse Rogers’ Lucky Ranch.
Grade Level: 4.5 to 6.3
Concept: Multi Syllable Words, Vowel Teams (deer, approach), Complex Vowel Teams (fight), Advanced Vowel Teams (reins), Endings (famous, decision, nation)
Excerpt: “I was lucky, I had a horse named Shadow, and she was a gentle soul. She followed my every lead, so it did not take long before I was able to run alongside her, grab the saddle horn, and mount her. I was thrilled when I got her to kneel while I hopped off.”
