This document lists 16 titles from Avi's Reader's Workshop. The titles range from short stories to novels and include works such as "S.O.R. Losers", "Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?", "Windcatcher", "Poppy", "The Barn", "Bright Shadow", "Captain Grey", "Blue Heron", "The Man Who Was Poe", "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle", "Midnight Magic", "Nothing But The Truth", "A Place Called Ugly", "Crispin: The Cross of Lead", and "City of Light, City of Dark".

1. Avi Reader’s Workshop

2. The South Orange River (S.O.R.)
School is big on sports and famous
for not losing a game all season. That
all changes when the school insists
S.O.R. Losers that some seventh-grade, non-jocks
form a soccer team. The new team is
sure that losing their first game 32-0
will put an end to their athletic
adventure, but no such luck; their
parents insist they try harder. When
the whole school cheers them on,
they finally score...for the other team.
Only the eleven members of the
S.O.R. Losers team know the secret
of their outstanding "success."

3. Becky is in trouble! The Checkertown
librarian has accused her of stealing
a rare children’s book, The Wizard Of
Who Stole the Oz. Becky has to clear her name, but
the only way is by tracking down the
Wizard of Oz? real culprit. With the help of her twin
brother, she investigates a string of
bizarre crimes in that town—including
the disappearance of four other
children's books. The twins soon find
clues in the stories themselves that
point the way to a secret treasure.
Want to know what happens in the
end? Can they figure out the treasure
map before the thief does?
.

4. While learning to sail during a visit to his
grandmother's at the Connecticut shore, eleven-
year-old Tony becomes excited about the
rumors of sunken treasure in the area and starts
following a couple who seem to be making a
mysterious search for something.
Tony can hardly believe it. He's sailing with the
wind, maneuvering through the narrow channels
Windcatcher between the offshore islands with amazing skill.
And he's just learned to sail! But suddenly Tony
is confused. Which way had he come? Which
way is he headed? And who are the mysterious
couple with the high powered motor boat who
are too busy searching beneath the water to
answer his call for help?
Tony does some searching on his own. What he
discovers leads him on a daring hunt for a 200-
year-old shipwreck . . . and a dangerous
confrontation with treasure hunters who will stop
at nothing to keep Tony from learning their
secret.

5. Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to
move next to a field of corn big enough to
feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a
terrifying owl, has other ideas.
King of the Night
Poppy At the very edge of Dimwood Forest stood
an old charred oak where, silhouetted by
the moon, a great horned owl sat waiting.
The owl’s name was Mr. Ocax, and he
looked like death himself. With his
piercing gaze, he surveyed the lands he
called his own, watching for the creatures
he considered his subjects. Not one of
them ever dared to cross his path. . .until
the terrible night when two little mice went
dancing in the moonlight. . .

6. The Barn
In this brief novel set in 1855, Ben's father has
been felled by palsey -- what we call today a
stroke. Ben, nine years old and the youngest
child, has been called home to Oregon Territory
from the boarding school he's been attending.
More gifted intellectually than his siblings and,
The Barn perhaps, with a stronger sense of family, Ben
quickly becomes the leader, dividing the labor as
efficiently as possible. This leaves him with the
care of his father.
First finding a way to communicate at least
minimally, and desperately needing to re-
establish contact with the dying man, Ben
determines that, if they build the barn his father
had planned, the man will recover. His sister,
Nettie, anxious to marry, delays her plans to help
with the barn and the three set about the nearly
impossible task. The barn becomes a symbol for
achievement, acceptance and love. It is also,
quite obviously, the object of the boy's obsession
which he questions himself, but only after the
barn is completed.

7. Bright Shadow
As assistant to the king's chambermaid, 12-
year-old Morwenna is hardly a likely candidate
for wizardly inheritance. Yet there's something to
be said for being in the right place at the right
time--or is that the wrong place at the wrong
Bright Shadow time? Either way, with no warning, Morwenna
suddenly becomes the recipient of five wishes
when a 1,000-year-old ailing wizard, desperate
to pass on his magical legacy, finds Morwenna
at hand the moment before his dusty demise.
Unfortunately, no guidance or advice
accompanies this mysterious gift. Morwenna
soon flounders in confusion and danger, as her
best friend Swen, through a series of mishaps,
comes to believe he is the new wizard, and all
the kingdom awaits liberation from a despotic
ruler. This tense, moving tale raises painful
questions about altruism and selfishness, as a
mere child is asked to grant wishes, secretly and
judiciously.

8. Captain Grey
Following the Revolution, an eleven-year-
old boy – young Kevin Cartwright –
becomes the captive of a ruthless pirate
king who has set up his own "nation,"
Captain Grey supported by piracy, on a remote part of the
New Jersey coast.
"I shall find a way to get free."
"Free!" he shouted. "You are here, with us
now. You can forget about your father and
your sister, or anybody else you may have
known. You belong to no nation but this
nation. Put him back where he was and
don't feed him. Tomorrow we shall talk
again about freedom!"

9. Blue Heron
While spending the month of August on the
Massachusetts shore with her father, stepmother, and
their new baby, almost thirteen-year-old Maggie finds
beauty in and draws strength from a great blue heron,
even as the family around her unravels.
As Maggie approaches her thirteenth birthday, she wants
Blue Heron to believe that some kind of magic can stop the changes
all around her. Her visit with her father and his new family
at a lakeside cabin makes her wonder. Will he still love
her as much, now that he has a new family, or will he love
her baby half-sister more? Her father seems troubled and
withdrawn and, while he insists nothing is wrong, she
worries.
Alone with her own secret thoughts, Maggie finds comfort
in the beautiful blue heron she visits at the lake every
morning. With each visit, she grows more attached to the
bird, and she becomes aware that someone else is
watching, too -- someone who's putting the bird in great
danger. Through her determination to protect the bird,
Maggie begins to understand the magic of change in her
own life, and in the constantly changing world around her.

10. The Old City Lay Dark And Cold...It is night.
And Edmund is alone. His mother is gone.
His aunt, who went in search of her, is dead.
His sister has disappeared. Edmund has no
one – except for a stranger of the night. A
dark, mysterious stranger who flees from
The Man Who demons of his own... who follows him
through the cold and shadowy city with offers
Was Poe of help. But who is this stranger who gives
Edmund refuge? He has a mission of his own
and he needs Edmund, but he tells him
nothing of his purpose. Yet the stranger is
Edmund's only hope of discovering the dark
secrets that surround the disappearance of
his family...
In Providence, R.I., in 1848, Edgar Allan Poe
reluctantly investigates the problems of
eleven-year-old Edmund, whose family has
mysteriously disappeared and whose story
suggests a new Poe tale with a ghastly final
twist.

11. A vicious captain, a mutinous crew – and a
young girl caught in the middle…
The True As the only passenger, and the only
female, on a transatlantic voyage in 1832,
Confessions of thirteen-year-old Charlotte finds herself
caught between a murderous captain and a
Charlotte Doyle mutinous crew.
“Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused
of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty.
But I was just such a girl, and my story is
worth relating even if it did happen years
ago. Be warned, however: If strong ideas
and action offend you, read no more. Find
another companion to share your idle
hours. For my part I intend to tell the truth
as I lived it.”

12. Midnight Magic
In 15th century Pergamontio, twelve-year-old
Fabrizio plays with some tarot cards against the
advice of his master, Mangus the Magician.
Mangus is trying to get out of magic and devote
himself to being a good Christian. However,
Fabrizio and Mangus are soon involved in a
Midnight Magic request by King Claudio to free his daughter,
ten-year-old Princess Teresina, of a ghost who
visits her. The Princess suspects it is her
murdered brother, heir to the throne of their
father, King Claudio. Lurking in the shadows,
though, is Count Scarazoni--who also wants to
be king. So, young Fabrizio and Mangus must
use magic to thwart Count Scarazoni, free the
Princess, and save the throne. Early adolescents
will revel in this story filled with secret passages,
mysterious mishaps, and eerie moments.
Chapters ending in cliff hangers and a parade of
characters with strange names embellish a story
where truth is revealed and good prevails. A fun
read for younger readers.

13. Heroism, hoax, or mistake, what happened at
Harrison High changes everything for
everyone in ways no one -- least of all Philip --
could have ever predicted.
Nothing But Structured as a series of journal entries,
The Truth memos, letters and dialogues, this highly
original novel emerges as a witty satire of high
school politics, revealing how truth can easily
become distorted. After Philip Malloy, a
clownish, rather unmotivated freshman, is
punished for causing a disturbance (humming
``The Star Spangled Banner''), facts about the
incident become exaggerated until a minor
school infraction turns into a national scandal.
Philip's parents, several reporters and a
neighbor (who happens to be running for the
school board) accuse the school of being
unpatriotic. Philip gains fame as a martyr for
freedom; his homeroom teacher, Miss Narwin,
however, faces dismissal from her job.

14. There's no reasoning with Owen.
A Place The island cottage where he and his
family have spent the last ten
Called Ugly summers must be preserved. And
he's going to do it. Never mind that
bulldozers stand outside, ready to
move in and level the place for a
modern hotel. Never mind that
summer's over and Owen's family is
hurrying to catch the last ferry -- or
that school is starting -- or that
nobody sees it his way. Alone,
fourteen-year-old Owen is going to
stay and save the beautiful place
others call ugly.

15. "Asta's son" is all he's ever been called.
The lack of name is appropriate,
because he and his mother are but poor
Crispin: The peasants in fourteenth-century medieval
England. But this thirteen-year-old boy
Cross of Lead who thought he had little to lose soon
finds himself with even less — no home,
family, or possessions. Accused of a
crime he did not commit, he has been
declared a "wolf's head." That means he
may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he
wishes to remain alive, he must flee his
tiny village. All the boy takes with him is
a newly revealed name — Crispin —
and his mother's cross of lead. His
journey through the English countryside
is amazing and terrifying.

16. Complications abound in a graphic
novel related in brief narrative boxes
plus dialogue (some of it in both
Spanish and English) in hundreds of
b&w comic-book frames. Sarah has
been told (falsely) that her mother
City of Light, died; Carlos can't understand why an
old blind man is so interested in a
City of Dark subway token he's found. The two kids
team up and eventually learn the truth:
the evil Mr. Underton was blinded by
Sarah's mother 11 years ago when he
tried to steal the token that's the
source of power for the metropolis
(N.Y.C.), which will freeze if the token
isn't delivered to safekeeping each
December 21 by Sarah's mother (and,
someday, by Sarah). Robust spirits run
appealingly amok until the expected
triumph of good.

17. 2. S.O.R. Losers
3. Who Stole the Wizard
of Oz?
The Titles for 4.
5.
Windcatcher
Poppy
this Avi 6.
7.
The Barn
Bright Shadow
Reader’s 8.
9.
Captain Grey
Blue Heron
Workshop: 10. The Man Who Was
Poe
11. The True Confessions
of Charlotte Doyle
12. Midnight Magic
13. Nothing But The
Truth
14. A Place Called Ugly
15. Crispin: The Cross of
Lead
16. City of Light, City of
Dark