* * * * * * * * * *

"The Strange Case of Origami Yoda"
by Tom Angleberger
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Sixth grader Tommy and his friends
describe their interactions with a
paper finger puppet of Yoda
worn on the finger of their weird classmate Dwight.
Can Yoda really predict the future,
or is Dwight having a joke at their expense?
Humor
Make your own Origami Yoda

* * * * * * * * * *

"Morpheus Road: the Light)
by D.J. MacHale
Interest Level Grades 5-8

In this first book of a trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall Seaver
is expecting a boring summer when his best friend goes away,
but instead he finds himself haunted--and hunted--by ghosts
that want something from him which he cannot decipher.
Adventure Horror

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Sixty-Eight Rooms"
by Marianne Malone
Interest Level Grades 3-6

An adventure about the Thorne Rooms,
sixty-eight miniature rooms made by
Mrs. James Ward Thorne in the 1930s,
and a magic key that allows a person to shrink down
small enough to explore the rooms' secrets.
Fantasy Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Night Fairy"
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When Flory the night fairy's wings
are accidentally broken and she cannot fly,
she has to learn to do everything differently.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * *

"Mokie and Bik Go to Sea"
by Wendy Orr
Interest Level Grades 3-6

With their father home from the sea,
the rambunctious twins Mokie and Bik
make the Bullfrog shipshape for a voyage out to sea,
where they make friends with a scaredy-seal,
save a runaway boat, and keep track of Waggles.
Humor, Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Mysterious Howling"
(Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Bk. 1)
by Maryrose Wood
Interest Level Grades 3-6

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
and must teach them to behave in a civilized manner quickly,
in preparation for a Christmas ball.
Humor

* * * * * * * * * *

"Wishing for Tomorrow: the sequel to A Little Princess"
by Hilary McKay
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett's
one-hundred-year-old classic will learn
what becomes of Ermengarde
and the other girls left behind at Miss Minchin's School
after Sara Crewe leaves to live with her guardian.
Historical Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Falling In"
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Middle-school student Isabelle Bean
follows a mouse's squeak into a closet
and falls into a parallel universe
where the children believe she is the witch they have feared for years,
finally come to devour them
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Big Nate: In a Class by Himself"
by Lincoln Peirce
Interest Level Grades 4-6

In this irreverent look at middle school life,
Ned Wright is a sixth grader who can make earning detentions
from all of his teachers in one day
feel like something to brag about. 
Fans of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books
will love this mix of prose and cartoons.
Humor Fiction
Big Nate Website

* * * * * * * * * *

"How to Train Your Dragon"
"How to Be a Pirate"
by Cressida Cowell
Interest Level Grades 3-6
 
The first book chronicles the adventures and misadventures of
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third
as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan
by catching and training a dragon.
In Hiccup's second adventure his Viking training continues
during a search for treasure.
Fantasy Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"Cosmic"
by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Twelve-year-old Liam, who looks like he is thirty
and is tired of being treated like he is older than he actually is,
decides he is going to pose as the adult chaperone
on the first spaceship to take civilians into space,
but when he ends up in outer space
with a group of kids and no adult supervision,
he must think fast to make things right.
Lots of surprises!
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"A Nest for Celeste"
by Henry Cole
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Celeste, a mouse longing for a real home,
becomes a source of inspiration to teenaged Joseph,
assistant to the artist and naturalist John James Audubon,
at a New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation in 1821.
Features lavish pencil illustrations throughout.
Animal Fiction
Historical Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Al Capone Shines My Shoes"
by Gennifer Choldenko
Interest Level Grades 5-8

In this satisfying sequel to the Newbery Honor book
"Al Capone Does My Shirts"
Moose Flanagan, who lives on Alcatraz along with his family
and the families of the other prison guards,
is frightened when he discovers that noted gangster Al Capone,
a prisoner there, wants a favor in return for the help that he secretly gave Moose.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie: My Rotten Life"
"Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie: Dead Guy Spy"
by David Lubar
Interest Level Grades 3-6
 
Tired of continually having his feelings hurt
by popular students and bullies,
fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula,
Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie,
a condition which, he soon discovers, has some real advantages.
In the second adventure Nathan Abercrombie,
a half-dead zombie who is trying to find a way
to get out of wrestling during physical education
because he cannot risk breaking any bones,
agrees to help the secret organization B.U.M. in exchange for a cure for his condition.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Chestnut King"
by N.D. Wilson
Interest Level Grades 4-6

In this conclusion of the story of twelve-year-old Henry York
that began with "The 100 Cupboards" and continued with "Dandelion Fire,"
Henry must decide if he is willing to pay a high price
to defeat Nimiane and her forces of evil.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Unfinished Angel"
by Sharon Creech
Interest Level grades 3-6

A quirky, mischievous angel
in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland
teams up with a free-spirited American girl
(whose father is setting up an international school to promote world peace)
to create a series of small miracles in this off-beat, up-beat, tender, comical story.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Extra Credit"
by Andrew Clements
Interest Level Grades 3-6

To avoid having to repeat sixth grade
Abby is offered an extra-credit pen pal project
and corresponds with studious Sadeed
who lives in a mountainous village in Afghanistan,
though the villagers don’t approve of him writing to a girl. 
The plot twists at the end in this topical story
of international relations that could be ripped from today’s headlines.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Lost and Found"
by Andrew Clements
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Twin brothers Jay and Ray Grayson
learn about friendship, honesty, and themselves
after taking advantage of a clerical oversight
in which their new school thinks there is only one Grayson boy.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Flawed Dogs"
by Berkeley Breathed
Interest Level Grades 4-6

After being framed by a jealous poodle,
a dachshund is left for dead,
but comes back with a group of mutts from the
National Last Ditch Dog Depository
to disrupt the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show
and exact revenge on Cassius the poodle.
Featuring some harrowing moments, this is not a story for the faint of heart!
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Wish Stealers"
by Tracy Trivas
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When she is given a box of Indian Head pennies by
an ugly, evil old woman sixth-grader Griffin Penshine
must find a way to restore the stolen wishes they represent or
risk growing evil, bad, and nasty herself.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Vampirates" Books 1-2-3
by Justin Somper
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Connor and Grace Tempest are orphaned and separated by a storm
in a 26th century world that is mostly ocean. 
Connor is rescued by a pirate ship
while Grace has been rescued by a mysterious ship of Vampirates...
and they are all that their name implies.
Fantasy Adventure

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Monster Princess"
by D.J. MacHale
Interest Level Grades K-3

An ugly little monster longs to be
a beautiful princess.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * * 

"A Season of Gifts"
by Richard Peck
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Relates the surprising gifts bestowed on
twelve-year-old Bob Barnhart and his family,
who have recently moved to a small Illinois town in 1958,
by their larger-than-life neighbor, Mrs. Dowdel.
A companion novel to "A Long Way from Chicago"
and "A Year Down Yonder."
Historical Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Murder at Midnight"
by Avi
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Falsely accused of plotting to overthrow King Claudio,
scholarly Mangus the magician,
along with his street-smart servant boy, Fabrizio,
face deadly consequences unless they can track down
the real traitor by the stroke of midnight.
Prequel to: "Midnight Magic" published in 1999.
Historical Fiction
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * *

"Odd and the Frost Giants"
by Neil Gaiman
Interest Level Grades 3-6

An unlucky twelve-year-old Norwegian boy named Odd
leads the Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin
in an attempt to outwit evil Frost Giants who have taken over Asgard.
Fantasy Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Ever Breath"
by Julianna Baggott
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Twins Truman and Camille,
spending winter break with their paternal grandmother,
follow a secret passageway to the Breath World,
where all creatures of magic dwell,
to find the Ever Breath,
a magical stone that maintains balance between worlds.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Trouble Begins at Eight: a Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West"
by Sid Fleischman
Interest Level Grades 5-8

A rollicking narrative account of the childhood and youth
of nineteenth-century writer Mark Twain.
Includes period engravings, newspaper cartoons, and black-and-white photographs.
Biography

* * * * * * * * * *

"Stoneheart" and "Ironhand"
Books 1 and 2 in the Stoneheart Trilogy
by Charlie Fletcher
Interest Level Grades 5-8
 
In the trilogy opener, twelve-year-old George
breaks the head off of a dragon sculpture
outside the Natural History Museum
in an act of rebellion and soon discovers, to his dismay,
that he has reawakened the war between the statues of London.
In the sequel, George, having upset the balance between the warring statues of London,
is confronted with new challenges as he tries to free his captured friends
Edie and The Gunner from the formidable Walker
and deal with the three strange veins of marble, bronze, and stone
that have begun to grow out of his hand.
The trilogy concludes with "Silvertongue" (not yet purchased).
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * *

"Binky the Space Cat"
by Ashley Spires
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Binky, a house cat who believes the family home
is actually a space station,
trains and prepares to travel into outer space,
where his humans go everyday and need his protection.
Humor - Graphic Novel

* * * * * * * * * *

"Powerless"
by Matthew Cody
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Soon after moving to Noble's Green, Pennsylvania,
twelve-year-old Daniel learns that his new friends have super powers
that they will lose when they turn thirteen,
unless he can use his brain power to protect them.
Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Dream Stealer"
by Sid Fleischman
Interest Level Grades 5-8

A plucky Mexican girl tries to recover her dream
from the Dream Stealer who takes her to his castle
where countless dreams and even more adventures await.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Secret of Zoom"
by Lynne Jonell
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Ten-year-old Christina lives a sheltered life
until she discovers a secret tunnel,
an evil plot to enslave orphans,
and a mysterious source of energy known as zoom.
Quirky, off-kilter, and loopy entertainment.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Just Grace"
"Still Just Grace"
"Just Grace Walks the Dog"
"Just Grace Goes Green"
by Charise Mericle Harper
Interest Level Grades 2-4
     
Grace, nicknamed Just Grace to distinguish her from the three
other Grace's in the class deals with the daily challenges
of life in the third grade with sympathy, humor and wit.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club #3: Dear Pen Pal"
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Four very different friends in Concord, Massachusetts,
and their mothers continue their book club,
reading Jean Webster's "Daddy Long-Legs,"
while getting to know their own pen pals from Wyoming.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days"
by Jeff Kinney
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Middle schooler Greg Heffley recounts his daily experiences during
summer vacation as he tries to live out his ultimate fantasy
of spending the days indoors playing video games
with no responsibilities and no rules,
despite his mother's attempts to pack the summer
with outdoor activities and family fun.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Wolverine: Worst Day Ever"
by Barry Lyga
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Collects blog entries from Eric Mattias,
a socially awkward mutant at Xavier's School for Gifted Students,
in which he chronicles his life and experiences.
Includes three comic book adventures with Wolverine.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Graveyard Book"
by Neil Gaiman
Interest Level Grades 5-8

In this creepy, action-filled story the orphan Bod, short for Nobody,
is taken in by the inhabitants of a graveyard
as a child of eighteen months and raised lovingly and carefully
to the age of eighteen years by the community of ghosts and otherworldly creatures.
2009 Newbery Award Winner.
Horror
Log on to the author's website to hear him read the story aloud:
http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma"
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Book three in the popular series...
Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance
investigate when an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Crossroads"
by Chris Grabenstein
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Just in time for Halloween,
plenty of twists and chills
haunt this satisfying ghost story
about a malevolent spirit bent upon murder,
and Zack, an eleven-year-old boy with a secret.
Horror

* * * * * * * * * *

"A Friendship for Today"
by Pat McKissack
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In 1954-55 two sixth-grade girls
forge an unlikely friendship
after the Supreme Court's
desegregation decision,
"Brown vs. the Board of Education,"
put an end to so-called separate-but-equal schools.
A real, funny, and candid look
at a era fraught with strife.
Nominated for the 2010 California Young Reader Medal,
Intermediate Category
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Tumtum and Nutmeg:
Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall"
by Emily Bearn
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Tumtum and Nutmeg find adventure
when they secretly try to help Arthur and Lucy
who live in a tumbledown cottage with their absent-minded inventor father.
Fantasy Adventure

* * * * * * * * * *

"Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go"
by Dale E. Basye
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When timid Milton and his older, scofflaw sister Marlo
die in a marshmallow bear explosion at the mall,
they are sent to Heck, an otherworldly reform school
from which they are determined to escape.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School"
by Herman Parish
Interest Level Grades K-3

Amelia Bedelia, a literal-minded first-grader,
finds her first day of school filled with
confusing adventures--much to her delight.
But her trouble with glue may land her
in trouble with the teacher.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Schooled"
by Gordon Korman
Interest Level Grades 5-8

1969, the "Summer of Love,"
may have been forty years ago but
thirteen-year-old Capricorn Anderson
and his hippie grandmother "Rain"
were still living a peaceful communal life until
Rain fell out of a plum tree and landed in the hospital.
Cap Anderson is sent --like a lamb to a slaughter--
to Claverage Middle School where his
home-schooled, long-haired weirdness makes him
top candidate for student body president,
a dubious honor saved for the biggest nerd.
Cap may know all about tie-dying and tai chi but
he is ill-prepared for middle school politics.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The London Eye Mystery"
by Siobhan Dowd
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Quirky Ted's brain is wired differently
--he is obsessed with weather forecasts and doesn't like to be touched--
but he must use his skills and overcome his challenges to
uncover the mystery of the disappearance of
his cousin Salim who vanished while
riding the London Eye observation wheel.
Twelve-year-old Ted is a unique narrator whose
literal way of seeing the world helps him focus on
what really happened to Salim.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * *

"Adventures in Cartooning"
by James Sturm, et al
Interest Level Grades 3-6

With humor, action, and a twist at the end
a magical elf helps a princess
learn how to draw a comic.
Cartooning basics throughout inspire
readers to give the techniques a try.

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Secret Language of Girls"
"The Kind of Friends We Used to Be"
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Interest Level Grades 3-6
  
As the seasonal cover illustrations suggest,
friendships --even BFF friendships-- go through changes.
Kate and Marylin grew apart in sixth grade, but now
in seventh grade they are seeing if anything
remains of the friendship they used to have even though
guitar-playing Kate wears heavy black boots and
Marylin is a cheerleader. 
Family...school...romance...independence...
middle school is more fun with a friend
who, just maybe, knows you better than you know yourself.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute"
"Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians"
by Jarrett J. Krosozcka
Interest Level Grades 2-4
  
Kicking, stomping, and wielding fishstick nunchucks,
Lunch Lady and Betty undercover sinister plots
around the school while serving chicken-patty pizza and
gravy on everything.  Fun!  Nutritious!
Humor

* * * * * * * * * *

"When You Reach Me"
by Rebecca Stead
Interest Level Grades 5-8

It's 1978 and twelve-year-old Miranda begins
receiving notes that seem to foretell the future;
her long-time best friend no longer wants
anything to do with her after he gets
sucker-punched by a classmate; and
Miranda's law-school-dropout mom
is practicing to be a game show contestant.
Nothing is as it should be and everything
will get a little weirder before it's 1979.
Science Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate"
by Jacqueline Kelly
Interest Level Grades 5-8

In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate
is instructed to be a lady by her mother,
learns about love from the older three of her six brothers,
and studies the natural world with her grandfather.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Soldiers of Halla"
Pendragon #10
by D.J. MacHale
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Each of the Travelers returns home
to learn the truth about their origins
before being reunited for a final,
inevitable confrontation with Saint Dane,
whose efforts to control Halla are destroying its very foundations.
www.thependragonadventure.com

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Potato Chip Puzzles"
by Eric Breen
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Winston and his friends enter an all-day puzzle contest
to win fifty-thousand dollars for their school,
but they must also figure out who is trying to keep them from winning.
Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Dying to Meet You"
by Kate Klise
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In this story told mostly through letters,
children's book author, I. B. Grumply,
gets more than he bargained for when he rents
a quiet place to write for the summer.
Humorous Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"11 Birthdays"
by Wendy Mass
Interest Level Grades 3-6

After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together,
Amanda and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth
and not speaking to each other for the last year,
prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately
but peculiar things begin to happen
as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration of Independence"
by Lynda B. Comerford
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Rissa is determined to start middle school
as an individual, not part of the herd,
in this humorous look at sixth grade life
written by a former teacher.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"My Life in Pink and Green"
by Lisa Greenwald
Interest Level Grades 5-8

When the family's drugstore is failing,
seventh-grader Lucy uses her problem-solving talents
to come up with a solution that might resuscitate the business,
along with helping the environment.
This warm, uplifting story of a family
coping with financial strain blends
makeup tips and ecological awareness with
middle school politics.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"I So Don't Do Mysteries"
by Barrie Summy
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Thirteen-year-old Sherry is visited by the ghost of her mother,
a detective who was killed in the line of duty,
who asks Sherry to help solve a case
that involves rhinoceros poaching
at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
Sherry's involvement not only helps save the rhinos,
but it also brings mother and daughter closer together than ever before.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Mr. Karp's Last Glass"
by Cary Fagan
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When his family falls on hard times and
must take in boarders to make ends meet,
Randolph, an avid young collector of bottle caps,
new words, and other assorted items,
is captivated by the mysterious wooden crates
belonging to his family's new boarder, Mr. Karp.
"Oddly endearing." (Horn Book, Fall, 2008)
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Worry Tree"
by Marianne Musgrove
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When constant bickering
between Juliet and her younger sister
leads her to move into her own bedroom,
Juliet discovers the Worry Tree her grandmother used as a girl
to relieve her own concerns.
Realistic Fiction
Download and print your own worry tree poster.
 

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Annie's Adventures" Book 1 of the Sisters 8 series
by Lauren
Interest Level Grades 3-6

On New Year's Eve, the octuplets Huit--
Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie,
Marcia, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia--
discover that their parents are missing,
and then uncover a mysterious note
instructing them that each must find her power
and her gift if they want to know what happened to their parents.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The 2nd Big Big Book of Tashi"
by Anna Fienberg
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Evil demons, one-eyed kidnappers, bungling brigands...
it's all in a days work for the brave adventurer Tashi
in this collection of ten short stories including
 "Tashi and the Dancing Shoes,"
"Tashi and the Haunted House,"
and "Tashi and the Royal Tomb."
Adventure Fiction
Download and print Tashi coloring pages and your own Tashi figure.
 

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Listen to the Wind"
by Greg Mortenson
Interest Level All Ages

A children's book version of
"Three Cups of Tea"
that tells the story of Dr. Greg Mortenson's promise
to build a school in a remote mountain village
in Pakistan after the villagers saved his life.

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Three Cups of Tea"
by Greg Mortenson;
adapted for young readers by Sarah Thomson
Interest Level Grades 5-8

A retelling for young readers of the story of
Dr. Greg Mortenson's promise to build
a school in a remote mountain village in Pakistan
after the villagers saved his life.

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Underneath"
by Kathi Appelt
Interest Level Grades 5-8

An old hound that has been chained up
at his hateful owner's run-down shack,
and two kittens born underneath the house,
endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations
in their quest to be reunited and free.
2009 Newbery Honor
Survival Fiction.

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Magic Thief"
by Sarah Prineas
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Conn's life is forever changed
when he tries to pick the pocket of the wizard Nevery
and instead gets a strong jolt of magic,
but, instead of punishing the boy,
Nevery takes Conn under his wing,
teaches him magic, and enlists his help
in finding the person responsible
for stealing the city's dwindling magic supply. 
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Ivy + Bean Break the Fossil Record"
by Ann Barrows
Interest Level Grades 1-3

Everyone in second grade
seems set on breaking a world record
and friends Ivy and Bean are no exception,
deciding to become the youngest people ever
to discover a dinosaur skeleton.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"So Totally Emily Ebers"
by Lisa Yee
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In a series of letters to her absent father,
twelve-year-old Emily Ebers
deals with moving cross-country,
her parents' divorce, a new friendship,
and her first serious crush.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Fablehaven"
by Brandon Mull
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Kendra and Seth find themselves
in the midst of a battle between good and evil
when they visit their grandparents' estate
and discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Lightning Thief"
by Rick Riordan
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Percy, expelled from six schools for
being unable to control his temper,
learns the truth from his mother that
his father is the Greek god Poseidon,
and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by
a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to
the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Bronte's Book Club"
by Kristiana Gregory
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When twelve-year-old Bronte moves to
a small California beach town,
(Could it be Manhattan Beach???)
her idea to form a book club in order to make friends
turns out to be a good one, after a rocky start.
Realistic Fiction
Email the Author

* * * * * * * * * *

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw"
by Jeff Kinney
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps
his father's attempts to change Greg's wimpy ways
until his father threatens to send him to military school.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf"
by Judy Sierra
Interest Level Grades K-3

When B.B. Wolf,
who now lives in the Villain Villa Retirement Residence,
is invited to the library for a storybook tea,
he is careful to follow the advice of his crocodile friend
and impresses everyone with how polite he can be.

* * * * * * * * * * 

"This is Just to Say : Poems of Apology and Forgiveness"
by Joyce Sidman
Interest Level Grades 3-6

For a poetry unit,
a fictional sixth-grade class writes “sorry” poems
and puts them together with the recipients' responses.
Topics include such things as rough play in dodgeball, 
stealing brownies, breaking a cherished item, and the death of a pet.
Some of the guilty are forgiven; others are not.

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom"
by Emily Arnold McCully
Interest Level Grades 3-6

A true account of a young woman risks everything
to escape a life of slavery in the household of
George and Martha Washington
and to make her own way as a free black woman.

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club"
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Interest Level Grades 3-6

The mothers of four very different sixth-grade girls
pressure them into forming a book club, and find,
as they read the classic novel "Little Women,"
that they have more in common than they thought.
Realistic Fiction.

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Much Ado About Anne"
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Entering seventh grade at Walden Middle School,
four girls continue their mother-daughter book club,
reading Lucy Maud Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables"
while dealing with a mean, troublemaking classmate.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Toy Dance Party"
by Emily Jenkins
Interest Level Grade 3-6

In six interconnected adventures,
the toys survive being left alone;
make friends with Spark, a garbage-eating shark;
rescue Bonkers the mouse from the vacuum cleaner;
go on a sleepover;
and join Washer and Dryer in the basement for lively parties.
Finally, with purposeful naughtiness,
they solve the problem of Honey’s new interest in
the silent Barbies. (Booklist, 9/1/08)
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Traction Man Meets Turbodog"
by Mini Grey
For All Ages

Traction Man braves the evil bin things
in order to save Scrubbing Brush,
who had been thrown away by the little boy's father
and replaced with a battery-operated dog.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * * 

"If You Give a Cat a Cupcake"
by Laura Joffe Numeroff
For All Ages

Describes a series of increasingly far-fetched
events that might occur if
someone were to give a cupcake to a cat.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Cabinet of Wonders"
by Marie Rutkoski
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Loosely inspired by facts and legends of historical Bohemia,
this fantasy features quirky characters,
imaginative world building, and a hint of trouble to come. 
In this installment, twelve-year-old Petra
vows to recover her father's eyes,
stolen by an evil prince who wears them himself. 
The first in the planned Kronos Chronicles.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Inkdeath"
by Cornelia Funke
Interest Level Grades 5-8

This monumental third installment
brings the Inkheart trilogy to a close.
Fantasy

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Hate that Cat"
by Sharon Creech
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In a worthy companion piece to "Love That Dog,"
Creech employs observant sensitivity and spare verse
to carve an indelible portrait of a boy who discovers
the power of self-expression. (From Booklist)
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Runaway Dolls"
By Ann Martin
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In the third Doll People story, Annabelle Doll is thrilled to discover
a five-year-old sister doll, Tilly May,
in the mysterious package that arrives just as her owners,
the Palmers, leave on vacation.
This new member of the Doll Family, though, might put Dollkind in jeopardy.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Eve of the Emperor Penguin"
by Mary Pope Osborne
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Jack and Annie continue to try helping Merlin the magician
by searching for the secrets of happiness,
and their magic tree house takes them to Antarctica,
a wasteland where the penguins may know what to do.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Into the Woods"
by Lyn Gardner
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Pursued by the sinister Dr. DeWilde
and his ravenous wolves, three sisters--
Storm, the inheritor of a special musical pipe, the elder Aurora, and the baby Any--
flee into the woods and begin a treacherous journey
filled with many dangers as they try to find a way
to defeat their pursuer and keep him from taking the pipe
and control of the entire land.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School"
by Candace Fleming
Interest Level Grades 3-6

No teacher wants to teach this year's
unruly fourth grade class at Aesop Elementary.
Just as Mrs. Struggles, the principal, is about to give up,
Mr. Jupiter appears to take the class in hand
and through 23 stories that each end with a moral. 
Humorous Fiction.

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Glitch in Sleep"
by John Hulme
Interest Level Grades 5-8

When twelve-year-old Becker Drane
is recruited by The Seems,
a parallel universe that runs everything in The World,
he must fix a disastrous glitch in the Department of Sleep
that threatens the ability of everyone to fall asleep. 
Book One in the planned Seems series.
Science Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Sheep"
by Valerie Hobbs
Interest Level Grades 3-6

The classic foundling story is beautifully told
in the dog's simple, first-person voice,
which captures his struggle for
food, shelter, and love. (From Booklist)
Nominated for the 2009 California Young Reader Medal
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out"
with an introduction by David McCullough

"Eight years in the making,
this anthology of White House history
convenes an all-star roster of 108 children's
authors and illustrators,
as well as a few scholars and former
White House employees and residents--
and it is a blue-ribbon choice for
family sharing during an election year."  (Publishers Weekly, 9/8/08)

* * * * * * * * * *

"Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat"
by Lynne Jonell
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When Emmy discovers that
she and her formerly loving parents
are being drugged by their evil nanny
with rodent potions that can change people
in frightening ways, she and some new friends
must try everything possible to return things to normal.
Humorous Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Door to Time" and The Long-Lost Map"
by Pierdomenico Baccalario
Interest Level Grades 3-6
  
After moving from London
to an old mansion on the English coast,
eleven-year-old twins Jason and Julia
discover that their new home
has twisting tunnels,
strange artifacts from around the world,
and a mysterious, locked door.
Mystery and Adventure

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Masterpiece"
by Elise Broach
Interest Level Grades 5-8

After Marvin, a beetle,
makes a miniature drawing
as an eleventh birthday gift for James,
a human with whom he shares a house,
the two new friends work together
to help recover a Durer drawing stolen
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal:
A Tale of Tattletales"
by Jeanie Franz Ransom
For All Ages

Mrs. McNeal turns her class of
nineteen tattletales
into respectful classmates
who know how to behave in a true emergency.
Includes note to parents.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Encantado: Pink Dolphin of the Amazon"
by Sy Montgomery
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Introduces the world of the
freshwater dolphins called
Encantados, or Enchanted,
by the people who live near them
in the region of the
Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America.
Non-Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Warlord's Puzzle"
by Virginia Walton Pilegard
Interest Level All Ages

A story built around
the geometric figure, the tangram.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Gully's Travels"
by Tor Seidler
Interest Level Grades 3-6

A well-bred Lhasa Apso named Gulliver
is forced to leave his master
and finds a new one named Carlos,
the doorman of a Manhattan apartment building,
who takes the dog to his place in Queens,
where Gully meets low-life mutts and boisterous humans.
Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Maze of Bones"
by Rick Riordan
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Grace Cahill has died,
and her orphaned grandchildren
Amy, 14, and Dan, 11,
are among the heirs offered a choice:
They can accept one million and walk,
or they can take the first clue
in a worldwide scavenger hunt
to find the secret that has made
the extended Cahill family
the most powerful family in world history.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Robe of Skulls"
by Vivian French
Interest Level Grades 3-6

The sorceress Lady Lamorna
has her heart set on a very expensive new robe,
and she will stop at nothing--
including kidnapping and black magic--
to get the money to pay for it.  Wickedly humorous.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Lawn Boy"
by Gary Paulsen
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Things get out of hand for
a twelve-year-old boy
when a neighbor convinces him to expand
his summer lawn mowing business.
"When it comes to telling funny stories about boys,
no one surpasses Paulsen,
and here he is in top form." (Booklist, 4/15/07)
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Penderwicks on Gardam Street"
by Jeanne Birdsall
Interest Level Grades 3-6

The four Penderwick sisters are back
in this warm family story.
When the sisters are faced with
the unimaginable prospect of
their widowed father dating,
they hatch a plot to stop him while dealing with
homework hassles, soccer catastrophes,
young love, and a mysterious stranger on Gardam Street.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Pendragon
Book Nine: Raven Rise"
by D.J. MacHale
Interest Level: Grades 5-8

"A journal of an adventure through time and space."
While Pendragon is trapped on Ibara,
Alder returns to Denduron and reluctantly
goes into battle again.
Other Travelers face obstacles of various sorts and
Saint Dane gains the power he seeks on Second Earth
and makes his push to destroy and rebuild Halla.
Adventure Fiction
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Temple of the Ruby of Fire"
Geronimo Stilton #14
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Mouse journalist Geronimo Stilton
sets out on a quest to find the Ruby of Fire,
a gem hidden in the depths of the Amazon jungle.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Room One: A Mystery or Two"
by Andrew Clements
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Sixth-grader Ted Hammond, who
is the lone sixth grader in his one-room schoolhouse--
sandwiched between four fourth graders and
four eighth graders--
is a boy who loves a good mystery; and
finds one in real life when he sees a face
in the window of an abandoned farmhouse while on his paper route.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Willoughbys"
by Lois Lowry
Interest Level Grades 3-6

A 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.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Mysterious Benedict Society
and the Perilous Journey"
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance,
all graduates of the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened
and members of the Benedict Society,
embark on a scavenger hunt that turns into a
desperate search for the missing Mr. Benedict.
Adventure Fiction
Science Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Calder Game"
by Blue Balliett
Interest Level Grades 3-6

When seventh-grader Calder Pillay
disappears from a remote English village--
along with an Alexander Calder sculpture
to which he has felt strangely drawn--
his friends Petra and Tommy
fly from Chicago to help his father find him.
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Kaline Klattermaster's Tree House"
by Haven Kimmel
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Third-grader Kaline Klattermaster's father
has gone somewhere and his mother cannot
seem to keep everything straight the way he did,
but the two brothers and one hundred dogs
that live in his imaginary tree house--
and his strange neighbor Mr. Osiris Putnaminski--
help him cope with his father's absence,
his mother's forgetfulness,
and the bullies that torment him in school.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Bronze Pen"
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Interest Level Grades 3-6

With her father's failing health and the family's shaky finances,
twelve-year-old Audrey's dreams of becoming a writer
seem very impractical until she is given a peculiar bronze pen
that appears to have unusual powers.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"Oggie Cooder"
by Sarah Weeks
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder
goes from being shunned to everyone's best friend
when his uncanny ability to chew slices of cheese into the shapes of states
wins him a slot on a popular television talent show,
but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--
and having a neighbor girl as his manager. 
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"To Catch a Mermaid"
by Susan Selsor
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Twelve-year-old Boom Broom
thought his life couldn't get any worse,
until he stumbles upon a foul-tempered merbaby
and must find a way to return her to the world of
the merfolk in the hopes of breaking the curse she seems to have put on Boom.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *  

"Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food"
by Eric Schlosser
Interest Level Grades 5-8

This adaptation and update of Schlosser's Fast Food Nation
is filled with eye-opening, stomach-turning information. 
The book makes the case that the aggressive marketing
of junk food to children is reprehensible
and paints a picture of unjust working conditions for
fast-food workers and employees at meatpacking plants and company-owned farms.
Non-Fiction

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Hero Revealed"
(The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy Book One)
by William Boniface
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Ordinary Boy is the only resident of Superopolis
(a city of heroes) who doesn't have superpowers.
He is part of the Junior Leaguers team that includes
Halogen Boy, whose glowing ability
depends on his consumption of apple juice;
Plasma Girl, who can transform into a jellylike substance;
and Stench, notable for passing overpowering gas.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Name of This Book is Secret"
by Pseudonymous Bosch
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Cassandra and Max find a missing magician's notebook
and investigate the fire which burnt down his house
and learn about his mysterious "symphony of smells."
Adventure Fiction
 

* * * * * * * * * *

"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle"
by Betty Bard MacDonald
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle cures children of their bad habits,
such as excessive television watching and insulting of friends.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Canned"
by Alex Shearer
Interest Level Grades 4-6

Fergal Banfield, an eccentric lad who collects cans,
is surprised to find some unexpected--and even alarming--things
in a few of his treasures, and when he meets Charlotte,
another collector, they begin an investigation that
leads them into dangerous territory. 
Mystery

* * * * * * * * * * 

"The Lemonade War"
by Jacqueline Davies
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Evan and his younger sister, Jesse,
react very differently to the news that
they will be in the same class for fourth grade
and as the end of summer approaches,
they battle it out through lemonade stands,
each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars.
Includes mathematical calculations and
tips for running a successful lemonade stand.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Deep Down Popular"
by Phoebe Stone
Interest Level Grades 5-8

In a small town, sixth-grader Jessie Lou Ferguson
has a crush on the hugely popular Conrad Parker Smith. 
When he suddenly develops a medical problem
and the teacher asks Jessie Lou to help him,
they become friends, to her surprise.
Realistic Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Babymouse: Heartbreaker" and "Babymouse: Rock Star"
by Jennifer and Matthew Holm
Interest Level Grades 3-6
    

* * * * * * * * * *

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules"
by Jeff Kinney
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation
and his attempts to steer clear of trouble
when he returns to middle school
and tries to keep his older brother, Rodrick,
from telling everyone about Greg's most
humiliating experience of the summer.
Humor Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Guess How Much I Love You"
by Sam McBratney
For All Ages

During a bedtime game, every time Little Nutbrown Hare
demonstrates how much he loves his father,
Big Nutbrown Hare gently shows him that
the love is returned even more. 

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Castle Corona"
by Sharon Creech
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch,
the contents of which lead them to
the majestic Castle Corona,
where their lives may be transformed forever. 
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy"
by Jane O'Connor
For All Ages

Nancy wants to adopt a special puppy
so that she is no longer the only fancy member of her family,
but after a day of puppysitting a papillon,
she realizes that being fancy is not always the most important thing.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Elijah of Buxton"
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman,
the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada,
which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American South in 1859,
uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice
the lying preacher who has stolen money
that was to be used to buy a family's freedom. 
Not bad for a so-called fragile boy
more famously known for being the baby who
threw up on Frederick Douglass. 
Historical Fiction
2008 Newbery Honor Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Cinderella: (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story)"
by Barbara Ensor
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Illustrated with striking silhouettes,
this colloquial, novella-length retelling
adheres to the familiar outline of the tale while adding wry twists.
Fairy Tale Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Iron Thunder: the Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac: a Civil War Story"
by Avi
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll
takes his place as head of the family
after his father dies fighting for the Union;
but his job at the local ironworks--
where he helps build an iron ship for the Union army--
and his loyalty come into question when
he is approached by Confederate spies
to sell secrets about the ship to the South.
Historical Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

 "Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos"
by R. L. La Fevers
Interest Level Grades 5-8

Eleven-year-old Theodosia has the ability
to detect black magic and ancient curses
that are attached to objects in the Museum of Legends and Antiquities--
where her father is the curator--
and discovers that a new artifact from Egypt
is cursed and she must return it to the tomb
it was excavated from before it destroys the British Empire.
Adventure Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Dragon's Egg"
by Sarah Thomson
Interest Level Grades 3-6

Mella, a young girl trained as a dragon keeper,
learns that the legends of old are true
when she is entrusted with carrying a dragon's egg
to the fabled Hatching Grounds,
a dangerous journey on which she is assisted by a knight's squire.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls"
by Elise Primavera
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In order to save the town of Sherbet,
four girls with very little in common
become involved with some people and events
that seem to bear a resemblance to "The Wizard of Oz."
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Water Horse"
by Dick King-Smith
Interest Level Grades 3-6

In 1930, on the coast of Scotland, eight-year-old Kirstie
finds a large egg which hatches into
an unusual sea creature,
and as he grows her family must decide what to do with him.
Fantasy Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

"A Taste of Colored Water"
by Matt Faulkner
For All Ages

In the 1960s young cousins Lulu and Jelly,
inspired by stories told by a classmate,
hitch a ride into the city hoping to take a gulp of
what they imagine must be some pretty special water
that comes from the "colored" drinking fountain.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

 "Don't Say That Word!"
by Alan Katz
For All Ages

Michael's rhyming description of his day at school
has his mother repeatedly interrupting to
prevent him from saying impolite words.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Previously"
by Allan Ahlberg
For All Ages

The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters,
including Goldilocks, Jack and Jill, the frog prince,
Cinderella, and the gingerbread man,
are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"Out of the Egg"
by Tina Matthews
For All Ages

When the Little Red Hen's chick
wants to play with the offspring of
those layabouts who wouldn't help her,
the hen has to reconsider her isolationist position. 
Though the theme is adult, the telling is spare
and sprightly and the primness is offset by mischievous visual details.
Picture Book

* * * * * * * * * *

"The Princess and the Peabodys"
by Betty G. Birney
Interest Level Grades 5-8

A medieval princess appears
out of a rusty box bought at a yard sale,
leaving fourteen-year-old tomboy Casey Peabody
and her family stuck with her royal snobbishness until
the young wizard who had trapped her there
figures out the spell to send her home.
Humorous Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *