Avi. The Secret School. In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bison secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room school house in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly.
Avi. Never Mind!: A Twin Novel. Twelve-year-old New York City twins Meg and Edward have nothing in common, so they are just as shocked as everyone else when Meg’s hopes for popularity and Edward’s mischievous schemes coincidentally collide in a hilarious showdown.
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret: a spring whose waters offer eternal life.
Banks, Lynne Reid. The Fairy Rebel. A rebellious fairy named Tiki, already in trouble for breaking the rule against wearing jeans, risks the further wrath of the Fairy Queen by trying to help a human.
Byars, Betsy. Summer of the Swans. Sara’s 14th summer is turning out to be the most confusing time of her life. She wants to fly away from everything: her perfect, older sister, her bossy Aunt Willie, and, at times, even from her needy but beloved younger brother, Charlie. But when Charlie gets lost, Sara knows she must find him. Betsy Byar’s Newbery Medal winning classic tells the compelling story of a harrowing day in a young girl’s life.
Byars, Betsy. Trouble River. When twelve-year-old Dewy Martin built himself a homemade log raft, he thought it was just for fun. Dewy never imagined that it the raft would serve as the sole means of escape for him and his grandmother when hostile Indians threaten their prairie cabin.
Cabot, Meg. Allie Finkle: Moving Day.* Nine-year-old Allie has rules for everything, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new school, new friends, and plenty of new rules.
*Look for other books in this series!
Chick, Bryan. The Secret Zoo. * Noah and his friends follow a trail of mysterious clues to uncover a secret behind the walls of the Clarksville City Zoo and find his missing sister Megan.
Clements, Andrew . The Landry News. A fifth-grader starts a class newspaper and prints a revealing editorial that re-awakens her teacher’s passion for teaching, but also threatens to cost him his job.
Codell, Esme Raji. Sahara Special. There are two files on Sahara Jones. The one the school counselor keeps is evidence that she's a fifth grader who needs special education. The other is the book Sahara is secretly writing, her Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures.
Daneshvari, Gitty. School of Fear.* T welve-year -olds Madeleine, Theo, and Lulu, and thirteen-year -old Garrison, are sent to a mysterious School of Fear for the summer, located in remote Massachusetts school, to overcome their phobias, but when tragedy strikes the quartet must work together—with no adult assistance—to face their fears.
DeFelice, Cynthia C. The Ghost of Fossil Glen.* Alice knows it’s not her imagination when she hears a voice and sees, in her mind’s eye, the face of a girl who seems to be seeking her help.
Dowell, Frances O'Roark. Dovey Coe. Accused of murder in her North Carolina mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe, a strong willed twelve-year-old, comes to a new understanding of others, including her deaf brother, as she attempts to clear her name.
Dyer , Heather . The Fish in Room 11. Toby, an orphan who has always lived in a hotel by the sea, finally finds the love and support of a real family when he meets Eliza Flot, a mermaid. Eliza’s mermaid parents are stranded under a dock and it’s up to Toby, and Eliza, to rescue them.
Edwards, Julie. Mandy. Longing for a place of her own, a ten-year-old orphan creates a secret home in a deserted cottage behind her orphanage.
Fleming, Candace. Lowji Discovers America. Lowji, nine-year-old, East Indian boy tries to adjust to his new life in suburban America. It’s not easy, but with patience and a lot of spirit Lowji finds his place in his new home.
Graff, Lisa. The Thing About Georgie. Georgie's dwarfism causes problems: he has to put a box under his desk at school, because his feet won’t reach the ground, he always has to ask for help reaching things, and people seem to think he’s not very smart, just because he’s different. Luckily, Georgie could always rely on his parents and his best friend. But lately a surprising announcement and a new kid in school have turned Georgie’s world upside.
Gutman, Dan. Jackie & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure.* With his ability to time travel by using baseball cards, Joe goes back to 1947 to meet the legendary Jackie Robinson, and experience discrimination first hand.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Running Out of Time. When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie must venture out into the unknown world to find help. But the outside world turns out to be more unfamiliar, and dangerous, than she ever imagined.
Hahn, Mary Downing. Stepping on the Cracks. It’s1944, and Margaret and Elizabeth both have brothers fighting on the front lines in Europe. Meanwhile, the girls are waging a war at home, against the class bully Gordy. But when they stumble upon Gordy’s family secret, they are forced to question everything they thought they knew him, and about wrong and right.
Hahn, Mary Downing. T allahassee Higgins. Tallahassee lives with her freespirited mother, but when her mother goes to L.A. to try her luck in the movies, Tallahassee goes to stay with her aunt and uncle whose conventional lifestyle makes her question her mother's values—and her own.
Harper, Charise. Just Grace.* Misnamed by her teacher, third-grader Just Grace prides herself on being empathetic, but when she tries to help a neighbor feel better, her good intentions backfire.
Ibbotson, Eva. The Secret of Platform 13. Odge Gribble, a young hag, accompanies an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on a mission through a magical tunnel to London to rescue their King and Queen’s son, who was kidnapped as an infant.
Klise, Kate. Regarding the Fountain: A Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks.* When the principal asks a fifth-grader to write a letter regarding the purchase of a new drinking fountain for their school, the result is pure and wonderful chaos.
Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Two sibilings run away from their suburban home and go to live at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. There they learn to live by their wits, and get involved in a mystery involving a statue of uncertain origin.
Korman, Gordon. Unsinkable: The Titanic, Book One.* The lives of four young passengers aboard the maiden voyage of the RMS "Titanic" become linked. While Paddy stows away, Sophie and her mother are delivered to the ship by the police, Juliana watches as her father's wealth barely conceals his madness, and Alphie harbors a great secret.
Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog.* Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese-American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog to her own life, making new friends, and learning to find her unique talent.
Lombard, Jenny. Drita, My Homegirl. When ten-year-old Drita and her family, refugees from Kosovo, move to New York, Drita is teased about not speaking English well. But when a popular, streetwise student named Maxie is forced to learn about Kosovo as a punishment for teasing Drita, the two girls soon bond. Alternating between points of view, this book brings both girls vividly to life.
Lowry , Lois. The Willoughbys. A hilarious, tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, in which the four Willoughby children set out to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
McKissack, Patricia. The Homerun King. * During the Depression in Nashville, Tennessee, two baseball-loving brothers host Josh Gibson, a star of the Negro Leagues, in their home, and are motivated to get their own team started as well. Part of the Scraps of Time series.
McKay, Hilary. Saffy's Angel.* After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron’s relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy, where she was born, to find a special memento.
McLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall.* When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are instantly captivated by their kind new mother.
Morpurgo, Michael. Kensuke's Kingdom. When Michael and his dog are swept off his family’s yacht, they wash up on a desert island, where they struggle to survive—until Michael discover that they are not alone.
Marissa, Moss. Amelia’s Notebook.* The hand-lettered contents of a nine-year-old girl's notebook, in which she records her thoughts and feelings about moving, starting life at a new school, and dealing with her older sister, as well as keeping her old best friend and making a new one.
O'Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Having no one to help with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory as subjects of a neurological experiment left them extremely intelligent and extended their life spans.
Paulsen, Gary . Mr . T ucket. *. In 1848, while on a wagon train headed for Oregon, fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is kidnapped by Pawnee Indians and then falls in with an armed trapper who teaches him how to survive in the wild.
Rupp, Rebecca. Dragon of Lonely Island.* Three children spend the summer with their mother on a secluded island where they discover a three-headed dragon living in a cave.
Sachar, Louis. Sideways Stories form the Wayside School.* Lois Sachar will keep readers laughing out loud with these outrageous episodes from the classroom on the thirteenth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways, with one classroom on each story.
Sobol, Donald. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective.* Fifth-grader Encyclopedia Brown solves ten mysteries and, by putting the solutions at the back of the book, challenges the reader to do the same.
Stauffacher, Sue. Donuthead.* Franklin Delano Donuthead, a fifth-grader obsessed with hygiene and safety, finds an unlikely friend and protector in Sarah Kervick, the tough new student who lives in a dirty trailer, and is as "irregular" as he is.
Tarshis, Lauren. I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906.* Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco—but early one spring morning in 1906 Leo's world is shaken, when he finds himself stranded in the middle of San Francisco as it crumbles and burns to the ground.
Tashjian, Janet. My Life as a Book. Summer' s finally here, and Derek Fallon is looking forward to pelting the UPS truck with water balloons, climbing onto the garage roof, and conducting silly investigations. But when his parents decide to send him to Learning Camp, Derek' s dreams of fun come to an end. But as Derek forges unexpected friendships and uncovers a family secret, he realizes that adventures and surprises are around the corner.
Tracy, Kristen. Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus. Fourth-grader Camille McPhee has low blood sugar, so she carries extra food in a cooler. Her cat, Checkers, is lost, and her best friend moved to Japan. Life is not easy. Luckily, Camille is what her mom calls hopeful. There are some things to be positive about: gifted reading, a non-squeaky mattress, eating banned foods. Even making a new friend.
W est, Jacquelyn. The Shadows. * When eleven-year-old Olive and her distracted parents move into an old Victorian mansion, Olive finds herself ensnared in a dark plan involving some mysterious paintings, a trapped and angry nine-year-old boy, and three talking cats.
W ood, Maryrose. The Mysterious Howling. * Fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is hired as governess to three young children who have been raised by wolves. Can these children
Books to Read Together
Aiken, Joan. The W olves of Willoughby Chase. * Surrounded by villains of the first order, brave Bonnie and gentle cousin Sylvia conquer all obstacles in this Victorian melodrama.
Brandeis, Gail. My Life with the Lincolns. In 1966 Illinois, twelve-year-old Wilhelmina, convinced that she, her parents, and sisters are Abraham Lincoln's family reincarnated, determines to keep them from suffering the same fates, which is complicated when she and her father become involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Creech, Sharon. Ruby Holler.* Thirteen-tear-old fraternal twins, Dallas and Florida, have grown up in a terrible orphanage, but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler.
Dowd, Siobhan. London Eye Mystery. Ted and Kat watch their cousin Salim board the London Eye Ferris Wheel. After half an hour it lands, and everyone get off–except Salim. How could he have disappeared into thin air? The siblings overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. Ultimately it is up to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery.
Dowell, Francis O’Roark. Shooting the Moon. When twelve-year-old Jamie Dexter's brother joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam, Jamie can't wait to get letters from the front lines describing the excitement of real-life combat. After all, they've both dreamed of following in the footsteps of their father, the Colonel. But TJ's first letter isn't a letter at all. It's a roll of undeveloped film, the first of many. What Jamie sees when she develops TJ's photographs reveals a whole new side of war, and a new way of looking at life.
Funke, Cornelia Caroline. The Thief Lord. Two orphaned brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to separate them, are sought by a detective. The boys find shelter in an abandoned movie theatre, and adventure at the side of Venice’s mysterious Thief Lord.
{ *Look for other books in this series! }
George, Jean Craighead. My Side of the Mountain.* A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spent living alone in the Catskill Mountains, including his everyday struggle for survival, his animal friends, and his eventual realization that he needs human companionship.
Gratz, Alan. The Brooklyn Nine: A Novel in Nine Innings. Baseball is in the Schneider family blood. Each member of this family, from family founder Felix Schneider in the 1800s to Snider Flint in the present day, has a strong tie to the game and to Brooklyn. Through the years this family has dodged bullets on a battlefield, pitched perfect games, and dealt with the devastating loss of loved ones and the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. A story of nine generations, told in nine innings.
Ibbotson, Eva. Star of Kazan. Annika, a twelve-year-old foundling in late nineteenth-century Vienna, inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, and soon afterwards a woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother arrives and takes her to live in an eerily decrepit mansion in Germany.
Nesbit, E. The Five Children and It. When four brothers and sisters discover a sand-fairy in the gravel pit near the country house where they are staying, they have no way of knowing all the adventures its wish-granting will bring them.
O’Dell, Scott. Black Star, Bright Dawn. Bright Dawn must face the challenge of the Iditarod dog sled race alone when her father is injured.
Schmidt, Gary. The Wednesday Wars. During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.
Non-fiction Books
Alexander, Sally Hobart. She Touched the World: Laura Bridgeman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer. Chronicles the life of Laura Bridgman, who, at the age of five, became both deaf and blind, and recounts how she learned to communicate with the world around her and became one of the most famous and inspiring figures of her time.
Curlee, Lynn. Mythological Creatures: A Classical Bestiary. Tales about proud gods and goddesses, fabulous creatures, ferocious beasts, and brave heroes from the world of Greek mythology have captured the imaginations of readers, young and old, for centuries. From the fierce Chimera, part lion, goat, and serpent, to the magnificent Phoenix that rises from its own ashes, to the noble winged horse, Pegasus; Curlee explores the characters of the myths that have been told and retold for thousands of years.
Davies, Nicola. Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth. From the persevering emperor penguins of the South Pole to the brave bacteria inside bubbling volcanoes, from the hardy reptiles of the driest deserts to the squash-proof creatures of the deepest seabeds, animals have adapted to survive in conditions that would kill a human faster than you can say "boo!" Discover how they do it in this amazing natural history book — and find out who wins the title of the toughest animal of them all!
Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost : The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Traces the life of female aviator Amelia Earhart from her childhood to her final flight, discusses the extensive search for her and her missing plane, and includes photographs, maps, handwritten notes by Amelia, and sidebars.
Goodall, Jane. The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours. As a child, Jane Goodall dreamed of living with the wild animals of Africa. As a young woman, she amazed the world with her groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzees.
Ever since, Dr. Goodall has campaigned unceasingly for the protection of the chimpanzee, now a critically endangered species. This moving, personal account will inspire readers of all ages to join in her vital work.
Herman, Gail. Who Was Jackie Robinson? A biography of Jackie Robinson, the first African- American player in major league baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, discussing his family, college and military years, athletic abilities, career in the Negro Leagues, move to the majors, and activism on behalf of African-Americans.
Jenkins, Steve. Never Smile At A Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember. Steve Jenkins explores the intricacies of animal behavior, focusing on what not to do around various dangerous animals. The book includes warnings about petting a platypus, touching a tang fish, or pulling a python's tail, and is accompanied by Jenkins’ signature vivid collage illustrations.
McCullough, Noah. First Kids: The True Stories of All the Presidents’ Children. Discusses the likes and dislikes of various children of presidents, from George Washington through Barack Obama, with facts, photographs, and details about life in the White House.
Michelson, Richard. As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom. Martin grew up in a loving family in the American South, at a time when the country was plagued by racial discrimination. He became a minister like his father, and an advocate for social justice. In a far away land, Abraham grew up in a loving family, at a time when Europe was plagued by anti-Semitism. He found a new home in America, became a rabbi like hisfather, and an advocate for social justice. This is the true story of two friends, who turned their personal experiences of discrimination into a message of love and equality.
Scieszka, Jon. Knucklehead. As one of six brothers, Scieszka relates how his family, school, and summer experiences contributed to his humorous writings. This hilarious memoir brings the daily adventures of a houseful of brothers to life.
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