I Am Underdog

Book excerpt: Themes: Bullying, Courage, Fiction, Tween, Emergent Reader, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books. Kemba feels like the lamest kid in school. If only he could be cool like the computer game superhero Underdog. But he can't even save himself from the biggest bully in the sixth grade, let alone protect the weakest of the weak like Underdog does. He has zero friends. Or so he thinks. Kemba hasn’t even had the courage to try until one act of cruelty pushes him over the edge. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science ficion, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Each book is around 70 pages.