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Heads Up! The Books
John Robert Baumgartner has developed a unique writing style that keeps readers turning pages and wanting more without resorting to age-inappropriate material. These fiction books move at a fast pace, painting stories of friendship and mystery, adventure and courage that will keep your students begging for "Just one more chapter!"
Your students will enjoy the journey, or as previous readers put it:
"I was riveted to the very end. A hint of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. " -M. G., Amazon Reviews, Rori's Ghost
"I was captured with the first paragraph. The characters were richly developed and the plot took unexpected turns which led to a surprise ending that brought me to tears. I highly recommend it for young adults and adults alike."
-J. R., Amazon Reviews. Like Losing Your Left Hand
Rori's Ghost
The Secret of the Stone Stairs
ISBN-9781462663101
Rori's Ghost is the story of a young girl left alone to wander the legendary forests of Patria. As she seeks to escape a horrible childhood of abuse, she uncovers "The Vanished"-children stolen from their homes and destined to be sold into servitude unless Rori can rescue them. In her effort to free the children, Rori discovers a secret stairway cut into the side of a forbidden mountain. But she soon finds something else-she is not alone. Something is watching her. Something is stalking her. Something far more powerful than the evil men who are pursuing her. Rori's Ghost deals with the deep themes of trust, faith and determination. It's a young teen's epic journey to discover her real identity and the meaning of her troubled life as she finds the courage to climb the secret stairs.
-Recommended for grades 7-8 with the Heads Up! experience.
"A great novel for anyone to read, but especially encouraging for teenage girls looking for positive role models and empowering messages. This is the book that started the Heads Up! program. " --JRB
Like Losing Your Left Hand
ISBN-9.78146E+12n
When a classmate vanishes from a small town, two young girls begin an investigation of their odd neighbors and try and solve the mystery. Their search for the missing boy leads them to suspicious footprints, strange houses and the precarious edge of a cliff. Along the way they discover courage, friendship and the startling truth behind the disappearance.
-Recommended for Grades 5 through 8 with the Heads Up! experience.
"This is a story close to my heart, not only because it was my first book to be accepted by a publisher, but because it is a book about inclusiveness and friendship that goes far beyond the surface." --JRB
So Ends The Immortal
ISBN-978-1-6110235-4-1
The alarming account of friendship gone too far.
John Robert Baumgartner's third book explores the haunting story of sixteen-year-old Reece Paxton. Torn from the pages of the young man's journal in the Longview Regional Psychiatric Unit, the story explores his struggles to piece together the most staggering week of his life. As he hides from what has happened, the teen sinks deeper and deeper into
the world of his childhood comic book heroes, The Immortals.
But every champion has a weakness. And every superhero is flawed.
What price must be paid for loyalty? For fitting in? For making the
wrong choice?
-Recommended for Grades 7 through 8 with the Heads Up! experience.
"A story written for young teens focusing on the life changing impact a single decision can have on their futures. Where is the line between friendship and fate? Between chance and choosing? A deeply personal story for me." --JRB
Beyond the Point
SBN-978-1-7332990-1-5
A distant point of unexplored land. A small wooden row boat.
And a twelve-year-old girl desperate for freedom.
Four friends on a camping trip. An unexpected storm.
And the worst place possible to have pitched a tent.
An empty house. A brazen theft.
And only one person to blame for the crime.
Beyond the Point is a selection of short stories examining the electrifying, suspenseful and often frightening step of moving beyond the boundaries others have set for us. A wild raft ride down the river; a neighborhood turf war; or a stage full of classmates waiting for you to sing your first solo -- all settings where middle school students find out just how prepared for life's surprises they really are.
-Recommended for Grades 6 through 8 with the Heads Up! experience.
"Short stories that leave students wanting to read more and write their own tales. Thought provoking vignettes of school life students relate to because they live them out everyday. The settings might be different but the situations and the emotions are universal. --JRB