Story Seekers Series 1 - Reading level 6.5 to 7 years

Story Seekers Series 1 is written specifically for students aged 8 to 10 years who have a reading age of 6.5 to 7 years. It features high-interest fiction storylines and non-fiction topics to maintain engagement while improving literacy outcomes. With well-considered text, high-quality images and associated literacy activities, the readers can be used in a guided reading setting, as independent readers, or ESOL support resources.

Each Series 1 title has an accompanying teacher book, reducing preparation time. The teacher books include:

  • a short phonics lesson plan based on a programme-wide scope and sequence
  • a range of comprehension questions that encourage higher-order thinking and rich discussion about the text
  • vocabulary questions that prompt discussions to clarify less familiar words, reinforce parts of speech and make morphological links
  • questions that test students' phonological knowledge in context
  • answers to independent activities.

The activity books extend students’ comprehension, vocabulary and decoding skills while catering to diverse learning styles, are also available.

Single books: $13.50
Title Set (6 student copies and 1 teacher copy of the same title): $87.50
Order the Class Set (6 student copies and 1 teacher copy of each of the 8 titles plus the Series 1 Activity Book): $644.00

Ages: 8-10 years

A World Full of Plants
Floating on Air
Animal Helpers
Sounds Good
Win, Win
Welcome to Shine Hill School
What's Cooking at Shine Hill School?
Do You Dare?
Story Seekers Activity Book - Series 1: Release 1

About the Authors

Picture of Paul Mason

Paul Mason

Inspired by his own family and from his time as a primary school teacher, Paul likes to write stories that get young readers turning pages. Paul has an extensive body of published work crossing a range of genres, including the novels The International Yeti Collective and Shadowspring. He lives on an island in Aotearoa New Zealand, and can be found with a little book and a fountain pen in his hands, catching ideas before they disappear.

Heather Haylock

Heather Haylock is an author based in Auckland. She has an academic background in geography, natural hazards and disasters, climate change and environmental planning. She has worked as a town planner and an environmental resource management planner. More recently, she spent over ten years working as a literacy teaching assistant in a Papatoetoe primary school. Heather writes fiction and non-fiction and is the author of the award-winning Granny McFlitterpicture book series. A new story, Koro Weta and the Gumboot Battle has been chosen as the text for the 2022 Storylines Gavin Bishop Award. Heather talks to students about her writing at school visits including some in different parts of the country as part of the Storylines National Story Tours. She lives in a 100 year old house with her husband and two nearly-grown-up children and one persnickety pussy cat. For more information, her website is: www.heatherhaylock.nz
Picture of Frances Adlam

Frances Adlam

Frances Adlam, a highly experienced and creative educator and therapist, has 20 years of teaching experience, is considered a “gifted teacher” by many, and for over 15 years has been involved in teaching the arts, creativity, multiple intelligences and working with creatively gifted children. She has lectured in New Zealand and been an adviser for teachers in the aforementioned areas. She is also a published children’s author, a dancer and a playwright. She currently works as an educator and therapist for children in her private practice, Out of the Box, where she specialises in working with children who are on the spectra of dyslexia, ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome and autism. Frances has written many resources for Essential Resources, some of which are under her former name, Frances Reed. You can find out more about Frances at www.outofthebox.net.nz.

Picture of Marie Langley

Marie Langley

Marie Langley’s experience in education includes 19 years teaching in secondary and area (Years 1 to 13) schools, 10 years as head of an English department, and seven years as a deputy principal. Her published works include a thesis for a Master of Teaching and Learning degree, magazine articles, short stories, poetry, picture books, a junior novel and numerous educational resource texts. She currently lives and works in Golden Bay in the top north-west corner of the South Island of New Zealand.