James to the Rescue (The Masterpiece Adventures Series #2)

by Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Overview

In this Masterpiece Adventure, the second in a companion series for younger readers from bestselling author Elise Broach, Marvin the beetle is going collecting with his family. All is good and well until Uncle Albert gets hurt. Marvin needs James's help to save Uncle Albert before it's too late.

This young chapter book captures the miniature world of Marvin the beetle and his special friendship with James.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627793179
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/20/2015
Series:	Masterpiece Adventures Series , #2
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Elise Broach is the New York Times-bestselling author of books for children and young adults, including Desert Crossing, Shakespeare's Secret, Masterpiece, and the Superstition Mountain Mysteries series. Her books have been selected as ALA Notable Books, Junior Library Guild selections, the recipient of an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and an Edgar Award nominee, among other distinctions. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

Kelly Murphy has illustrated many books for children including Masterpiece, Alex and the Amazing Time Machine, and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist books. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of Masterpiece, Shakespeare’s Secret and Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain, the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions.

Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

Kelly Murphy has illustrated many books for children including Masterpiece, Alex and the Amazing Time Machine, and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist books. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Read an Excerpt

James to the Rescue

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By Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy

Henry Holt and Company

Copyright © 2015 Elise Broach
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62779-317-9

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CHAPTER 1

Collecting

Marvin is excited. Papa and Uncle Albert are going collecting. Collecting is what the beetles call it when they crawl around the Pompadays' apartment looking for things they can use.

A button can make a pretty table.

A doll's shoe can be a nice chair.

A cap from a tube of toothpaste can hold a giant feast.

For the first time ever, Marvin and Elaine get to go collecting. There's no telling what they will find. They are so excited that they do a happy dance, like this:

Mama is not so excited.

"Please be careful," she says. "Collecting is dangerous! You must listen to Papa and Uncle Albert."

"We will," Marvin promises.

"We're going to have the BEST time!" Elaine says. "I know we'll find something really good."

"I hope so," Marvin says.

Marvin thinks about what he would like to find.

He might find part of a crayon ...

Or a tiny piece of wrapping paper ...

Or something to put inside his secret hideout.

"Ready?" Papa says.

"YES!" Marvin and Elaine shout.

Papa and Uncle Albert have a little sack that they drag by the string. It's blue and silky. It used to hold a pair of Mrs. Pompaday's earrings. Now it's the perfect bag for collecting.

"Let's go," says Uncle Albert.

Papa, Uncle Albert, Marvin, and Elaine sneak out of their home in the kitchen cupboard.

William, James's baby brother, is in the kitchen. He's banging a spoon on the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The beetles do not like William. They hide near the leg of a chair.

But William sees them.

"Ba ba!" William says.

Uh-oh! He crawls across the floor, banging his spoon.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from James to the Rescue by Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy. Copyright © 2015 Elise Broach. Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
CHAPTER ONE Collecting,
CHAPTER TWO Something Good,
CHAPTER THREE Uncle Albert in Trouble,
CHAPTER FOUR James to the Rescue!,
CHAPTER FIVE Uncle Albert Gets Better,
About the Author and Illustrator,
Praise for Previous Books by Elise Broach and Kelly Murphy,
Copyright,

Editorial Reviews

The characters have distinct personalities, the story is well-paced, and the focus on unlikely alliances and mutual trust suffuses the tale with warmth. Full of drama and heart, this is the kind of series that can show newly independent readers the power of a good story.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The possibilities for adventure are endless, and young readers and teachers looking for a quick, satisfying read (and read-aloud) for the early primary grades will enjoy this installment and look forward to many more.” —The Horn Book

"Broach strikes just the right tone in the dialogue and narrative, giving the beetles distinct personalities and dilemmas but always returning to the interspecies friendship at the heart of the series . . .Wonderful fare for transitional readers."-Booklist

Praise for The Adventures of Marvin and James:

“A winsome series debut . . . a sweet story of cross-species friendship.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Just right for a younger crowd. . . . Despite the simplicity of Broach's pared-down sentences, the story brims with both emotion and moments of quiet wisdom.” —Publishers Weekly

“New readers will be rewarded for the effort by this page-turning adventure, which is written throughout with emotional authenticity and illustrated with lively pen-and-ink illustrations in a brown and gray palette, ending with a very satisfying conclusion.” —The Horn Book

“Inventive . . . Broach . . . packs this fast-moving story with perennially seductive themes: hidden lives and secret friendships, miniature worlds lost to disbelievers . . . Broach and Kelly show readers something new.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Masterpiece

“Delightful intricacies of beetle life . . . blend seamlessly with the suspenseful caper as well as the sentimental story of a complicated-but-rewarding friendship . . . Murphy's charming pen-and-ink drawings populate the short chapters of this funny, winsome novel.” —Kirkus Reviews on Masterpiece

“This marvelous story is sure to be a hit.” —School Library Journal on Masterpiece

From the Publisher

2015-07-22
The second installment in The Masterpiece Adventures series, which stars a human boy named James and his best beetle friend, Marvin, this early chapter book finds Marvin on a very important mission. Marvin has finally been invited to go collecting! He will join other members of his family as they roam James' family's apartment looking for treasures to bring back to their little home in the cupboard. Marvin might be a beetle, but his emotions are all too human and economically communicated as he moves from ambition to jealousy of his cousin (who has scored a shiny dime!) to concern about his uncle, who has been impaled by a pair of nail scissors. After the accident, Marvin knows he must ask James for help, and his confidence is rewarded when James bandages the hurt beetle and gently carries him home. In return for the kindness, Marvin decides to return the only thing he had found on his first collecting mission, a small, pointy black item that turns out to be James' prize shark tooth. The characters have distinct personalities, the story is well-paced, and the focus on unlikely alliances and mutual trust suffuses the tale with warmth. Full of drama and heart, this is the kind of series that can show newly independent readers the power of a good story. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews