Reading+List

=Scroll down to see other grade levels.=

=3rd & 4th Grade Books= > Lowry, Lois. Gooney Bird is So Absurd. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Gooney Bird knows just what to do -- from creating a two-pigtail brain warmer (underpants worn on the head) to leading her classmates in a fitting end to their poetry studies by creating the perfect poem to comfort their hurting teacher. Series > Lubar, David. Punished! Darby Creek, 2006. Because he was playing tag in the reference section of the library, Logan is punished by Professor Wordsworth, who puts a spell on him that is broken only by finding anagrams, palindromes, and oxymorons. > MacDonald, Alan. Trolls United. Bloomsbury, 2007. In this silly story about an endearing troll family, Ulrik has to deal with his father coming to school, worrying about making the soccer team, and hoping for a new pair of soccer cleats. Series > MacDonald, Betty. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. First published 1947. Loved by children and their parents, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle always knows just the right way to solve any problem. Series > MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. First published 1985. This sweet prairie tale of a family's experiences with Sarah, a mail-order bride from Maine, begins with children Anna and Caleb worried that their new mother might not like being away from the sea. Series. > Markey, Kevin. Slumpbuster. HarperCollins, 2009. Just when his team is counting on him to lead them into the division championship, Banjo Bishbash goes into a horrendous hitting slump. Book 1 of the Super Slugger series. > Markle, Sandra. Animal Heroes: True Rescue Stories. Milbrook, 2009. Nine riveting tales share examples of animals saving humans, along with photos and extra information and insights into animal behavior. > McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody And Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt. Candlewick, 2009. This island vacation is all about action as Judy Moody and Stink race other teams of vacationing "pirates" to collect gold doubloons in the hunt for Blackbeard's pirate treasure. Series > Mills, Claudia. How Oliver Olson Changed the World. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009. Oliver's teacher wants him to write about how he would change the world, but he cannot even get his own parents to let him go to the third grade space sleepover or make his own science fair space diorama, so he definitely has his work cut out for him. > Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. Atheneum, 1991. Marty must make some painful decisions about returning a dog to his abusive owner. Newbery Honor Book 1992. Series > Nivola, Claire. Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008. This beautifully illustrated biography tells how Wangari Maathai encouraged the people of Kenya to plant trees in an effort to restore their depleted land. > Nolan, Lucy. Bad to the Bone. Marshall Cavendish, 2008. Neighboring dogs, Down Girl and Sit, are discovering that their owners are very hard to train. Series > O'Malley, Kevin. Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude. Walker & Co., 2005. Cooperatively writing a fairy tale for school, a girl imagines a beautiful princess whose beloved ponies are being stolen by a giant, and a boy conjures up the muscular biker who will guard the last pony in exchange for gold. > Osborne, Mary Pope. One-Eyed Giant. Hyperion, 2002. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, cleverly defeats the Trojans and on his way home encounters a one-eyed giant, the Cyclops, who puts a curse on him preventing his speedy return to the family he longs to see. Series. > Pennypacker, Sara. Clementine’s Letter. Hyperion, 2008. After learning that her favorite teacher will be leaving for a trip to Egypt and will be absent for the remainder of the year, Clementine devises a plan to get rid of the substitute and get Mr. D'Matz to stay. Series > Perkins, Mitali. Rickshaw Girl. Charlesbridge, 2007. When her family faces financial difficulties, Naima seeks to find a way to help while remaining true to her Bangladeshi heritage and her own artistic talent. > Petersen, P. J. Wild River. Delacorte, 2009. When their kayak hits a log and his older brother is seriously hurt, Ryan must overcome his fears and go for help. > Polacco, Patricia. The Keeping Quilt. First published 1988. Follow the author's family's quilt through several generations, from it's creation by the first generation immigrant family, all the way to the present generation. > Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May be a Genius. Greenwillow, 2008. A collection of poems by children's poet laureate Jack Prelutsky that celebrates the joys of childhood with tongues twisting and imaginations soaring. > Rappaport, Doreen. Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Disney/Hyperion, 2009. Well-researched and powerfully presented, this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt chronicles her life from a quiet, reserved child to an outspoken champion for the rights of all individuals. > Root, Phyllis. Paula Bunyan. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009. Paula Bunyan is a rough, tough lady with a singing voice that cracks windows, a live bear for a foot warmer, and a heart for the environment in this fun folk tale set in the North Woods. > Ryder, Joanne. Panda Kindergarten. Collins, 2009. Simple text and enticing color photographs follow sixteen giant panda cubs as they eat, play, and nap during the day at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China. > Saint-Lot, Katia Novet. Amadi's Snowman. Tilbury House, 2008. Young Amadi learns the value of reading through a book about snow which is something Amadi has never heard of nor seen. > Salas, Laura Purdie. Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems About the Rain Forest. Capstone, 2009. This collection of poetry about the rain forest is accompanied by brilliant photos of fascinating animals and plants. > Scieszka, Jon. Summer Reading is Killing Me. Viking, 1998. Anticipating a great summer, Fred, Sam, and Joe time travel and find themselves in the midst of a battle between good and evil characters from their summer reading list. Series > Scott, Elaine. When is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto. Clarion, 2007. This book takes the downgrading of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet as a teachable moment for discussing questions such as how the number of planets has changed through the centuries, what can be called a planet, and how scientists come to conclusions—and occasionally change their minds. > Shefelman, Janice. I, Vivaldi. Eerdmans, 2008.This picture book biography describes how Vivaldi grew to be a famous musician, despite his mother's vow for him to become a priest. > Simon, Seymour. Horses. HarperCollins, 2006. Horse-lovers will enjoy this book of photographs and accompanying text which provides interesting information about horses. > Singer, Marilyn. First Food Fight This Fall: And Other School Poems. Sterling, 2008. Follow twelve children through a lively, illustrated collection of their poems about school related activities. > Sonnenblick, Jordan. Dodger and Me. Feiwel & Friends, 2008. Befriended by a blue chimpanzee genie, awkward Willie humorously navigates the road to discovering what real life wishes are all about. Series > Tate, Lindsey. Kate Larkin, the Bone Expert. Holt, 2008. When Kate falls off her bike and breaks her arm, she learns everything she can about the amazing bones in her body. > Tolan, Stephanie S. Wishworks Inc. Arthur A. Levine, 2009. Third grader Max copes with his parents' divorce by retreating into an imaginary world complete with an imaginary dog to protect him from the bullies at school until he realizes that one must be careful what one wishes for even at his imaginary Wishworks, Inc. > Weeks, Sarah. Oggie Cooder. Scholastic, 2008. Oggie, an outcast to his classmates, garners friends and fame by sharing his unique talent of "charving," chewing and carving processed cheese into the shape of states, on a television talent show. Series > Willey, Margaret. Clever Beatrice: an Upper Peninsula conte. Atheneum, 2001. A small, but clever young girl outwits a rich giant and wins all his gold. Series > Wilson, Karma. What’s the Weather Inside? McElderry, 2009. This clever collection of original poetry is mostly light, humorous verse about family, friends, and school. > Winter, Jonah. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Schwartz & Wade, 2009. Learn about Sandy Koufax, a powerful left-handed pitcher for the NY Dodgers, a practicing Jew who would not play baseball on high holy days, and a mystery man who quit baseball after the best season of his career. > Yee, Lisa. Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally). Arthur A. Levine, 2009. Two long-time best friends' disagreement escalates into a war between the girls and boys of their fourth grade classroom. =6th Grade = In a dingy shack in the less-than-desirable Indian neighborhood he calls home, twelve-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. His task is to return the shell to its rightful home many hundreds of miles away. Accompanying him are Nisha, a headstrong but resourceful child of the streets, and a mysterious man of indeterminate age and surprising resources named Abadhyatta. His quest will take him farther from home than he's ever been and will teach him more than he ever -- and it will force him to make a poignant decision that will change him forever. ||  Information on a variety of topics of interest to boys, such as how to fight off an alligator, make fake blood, escape from being tied-up, land an airplane, and much more. || Falsely accused of theft and declared a "wolf's head" (whom any man may kill) after his mother's death, humble, pious Crispin flees the feudal village where he was raised and the steward who wants him dead. Taken in as an apprentice by a massive, red-haired, itinerant juggler who calls himself, Crispin learns about music and mummery, about freedom and questioning fate, and about his own mysterious parentage that seems to be the reason behind the steward's continuing pursuit of him. Set in fourteenth century England. Newbery Award 2002 || When an attempt to bring Peter and Kate back to their own time is bungled, Peter finds himself stranded in 1763 while The Tar Man, a villainous eighteenth-century criminal, returns with Kate to twenty-first-century London. || Seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly neighbor solve a puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago. || Cassandra and Max find a missing magician's notebook and start to investigate the fire which burnt down his house and his mysterious "symphony of smells." || 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. || She was little and quick and pretty. Her mother nicknamed her Colibrí, Spanish for "Hummingbird." At age four she was kidnapped, torn from her parents on a crowded bus in Guatemala City. Since then she's traveled with "Uncle," the ex-soldier and wandering beggar who has renamed her Rosa. Uncle has always told Rosa that he searched for her parents but had no success. There’s almost no chance Rosa will ever find them – but Rosa still remembers and longs for them. || Ellie and Stevie learn about a family legacy when their grandmother tells them stories of her brother's historical quest for dinosaur bones on their Nebraska farm. || This novel alternates between the first-person voices of twelve-year-old Morning Girl and her younger brother, Star Boy, who are Taino Indians living on a Bahamian island in 1492. || Discusses the benefits of being a girl, from sleepovers to pedicures and friendship bracelets, covering famous women from sports, science, and history, and how to be a baby-sitter and get a job for the summer. || As winners of a writing contest, eighth-graders Steven Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson travel to the NCAA Final Four as journalists. In addition to meeting college basketball celebrities, the two also uncover a plot to fix the championship game. This is a fast-moving mystery takes the reader to a behind-the-scenes look at the Final Four. || When his father dies, Bo Gamage warily moves to the Mojave Desert home of his distant and estranged relatives, the Martinkas, and finds that “Mad” lives up to her name, Paw Paw despises him, and Aunt Juna hopes he’ll help search for the gold mine that started a family feud. || To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. || Sequels to My Side of the Mountain. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When some of her classmates disappear, sixth-grader Svetlana, along with her new friends go in search of the missing students using her newfound ability as an Olfactive, one who has heightened smell, hearing, and the ability to detect vampires. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 1968, eleven-year-old Jaynell's life in the town of Moon, Texas, is enlivened when her eccentric Grandpap comes to live with her family. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon, having learned he is a Traveler--someone who can ride "flumes" through time and space, is soon off to the alternative dimension of Denduron where he teams up with Loor, a girl his age from the warrior-territory of Zadaa, in an attempt to save the gentle Milago people from slavery. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When a plague sweeps over the earth killing everyone except children under twelve, ten-year-old Lisa organizes a group to rebuild a new way of life. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When someone uses futuristic technology to play pranks on twelve-year-old Dorso Clayman, he and his best friend set off on a supposedly impossible journey through space and time trying to stop the gamesters who are endangering the universe. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In rural Indiana in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell's dreams of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean old Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off and dies." || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While traveling in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, fourteen-year-old best friends Kari and Lucas solve an international art forgery mystery. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the Paris village of Montmartre in 1904, fourteen-year-old Brigitte works long hours in her aunt's cafe, where she serves such regular customers as the young artist Pablo Picasso, encounters Russian revolutionaries, and longs to attend the exciting circus nearby. Includes author's note on the Picasso painting "Family of Saltimbanques." || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Science-fiction tale about a French professor and his companions who are trapped aboard a futuristic submarine with a mad sea captain and come face to face with exotic ocean creatures and strange sights hidden from the world above. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After Toswiah Green’s father testifies against a fellow police officer in a murder case, the Greens are forced to enter the Witness Protection Program and give up all traces of their past. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min records her struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure, and make friends over the course of a tumultuous summer. ||
 * **Aldrin, Buzz. Look to the Stars. Putnam, 2009**. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin traces the history of air and space exploration from Isaac Newton to the International Space Station and Mars using personal insights and conversational text.
 * **Barshaw, Ruth McNally. Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School. Bloomsbury, 2008**. Armed only with humor, a pen, and a sketchbook, eleven-year-old Ellie McDoodle chronicles her adventures and mishaps as the "new kid" in her new school. Series
 * **Barton, Chris. The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-new Colors. Charlesbridge, 2009**. Brothers Bob and Joe Switzer had different interests and ambitions but worked together on the dazzling creation of fluorescent colors.
 * **Bidner, Jenni. Is My Dog a Wolf?: How Your Pet Compares to its Wild Cousin. Lark, 2006**. Examines the differences and similarities between dogs and wolves with descriptions of how both have descended from the ancient wolf and how they have evolved into two diverse species.
 * **Bishop, Nic. Forest Explorer: A Life-Size Field Guide. Scholastic, 2004**. Enjoy up close views of the wildlife in a deciduous forest through breathtakingly beautiful photography and informative text.
 * **Bruel, Nick. Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty. Roaring Brook, 2009**. Bad Kitty's birthday party seems to be going well until her presents begin to disappear, but is one of the guests stealing them? Series
 * **Buckley, Carol. Tarra and Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends. Putnam, 2009**. This book shares the story of an elephant named Tarra who befriends a dog, Bella, at an elephant sanctuary.
 * **Byars, Betsy. My Dog, My Hero. Holt, 2000**. A panel of three judges has to decide which dog out of eight finalists deserves to win the title of "My Hero."
 * **Cheshire, Simon. The Curse of the Ancient Mask: And Other Case Files. Roaring Brook, 2009.** Become a detective and see if you can solve each mystery from the clues Saxby gives as he works three cases in this fast-paced chapter book. Series
 * **Cleary, Beverly. Ribsy. First published 1964**. When Ribsy gets lost from his family at the shopping center, he begins a series of humorous escapades and wanderings in his quest to find his family. Series
 * **Clements, Andrew. No Talking. Simon & Schuster, 2007**. The noisy fifth grade class of Laketon Elementary becomes suspiciously quiet when the boys challenge the girls to a ―no talking‖ contest.
 * **Colfer, Eoin. Eoin Colfer’s Legend of ... the Worst Boy in the World. Hyperion, 2007**. Will Woodman has a hard time getting anyone in his family to listen to him, so he turns to his grandfather, who, it turns out, has more terrible sob stories than Will does.
 * **Collins, Ross. Medusa Jones. Arthur A. Levine, 2008.** Medusa, with her hair of hissing snakes, and her rather unusual friends are considered the Freaks at school, teased unmercifully by the Champions, the more attractive children of the Greek gods and goddesses.
 * C**oombs, Kate. The Secret-Keeper. Atheneum, 2006**. Kalli is entrusted with everyone’s secrets until the potter’s son reveals the best secret of all.
 * **Corey, Shana. Mermaid Queen : the Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune, & Swimsuit History! Scholastic, 2009**. This brightly illustrated picture-book biography of Annette Kellerman details how she overcame physical difficulties to become a world famous swimmer, water ballerina, and swimsuit innovator.
 * **Coville, Bruce. The Monster's Ring. Harcourt, 2002**. Russell Crannaker's magic ring enables him to turn into a monster on Halloween and ward off the class bully once and for all. Series
 * **Cowley, Joy. Snake and Lizard. Kane Miller, 2008**. Snake and Lizard's friendship grows as they learn more about each other in this humorous chapter book of likable desert characters.
 * **Creech, Sharon. Hate that Cat. Joanna Cotler, 2008**. Jack is studying poetry again in school, and he continues to write poems reflecting his understanding of famous works and how they relate to his life.
 * **Crisp, Marty. Titanicat. Sleeping Bear, 2008**. Every ship had a cat, and in this historical fiction picture book, the story of the Titanic's cat is told, but just where is the cat's luck during the Titanic's doomed voyage?
 * **Dahl, Roald. Matilda. Viking, 1988**. Matilda applies her mental powers to rid the school of the evil headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore Miss Honey, her nice teacher, to financial security.
 * **Davies, Nicola. Extreme Animals: the Toughest Creatures on Earth. Candlewick, 2006**. This amazing natural history book reveals how animals adapt to and survive the harshest of conditions that would kill any human.
 * **Demi. Marco Polo. Marshall Cavendish, 2008**. Travel with the legendary explorer, Marco Polo, through colorful, exotic lands, experiencing the dangers and adapting to strange cultures over his 24-year, 3,000-mile journey through the Far East.
 * **Dennis, Brian. Nubs : The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle. Little, Brown, 2009**. Heartwarming true tale of a United States Marine and his canine friend as they met and bonded in Iraq, and how Nubs came to America.
 * **Eilenberg, Max. Beauty and the Beast. Candlewick, 2006**. This beautifully illustrated version of the classic tale includes such interesting family members as Beauty’s two spoiled sisters and her proud, adoring father.
 * **Franco, Betsy. Messing Around on the Monkey Bars: And Other School Poems for Two Voices. Candlewick, 2009**. Find a partner and enjoy reading poems about life at school from this entertaining collection of poetry for two voices.
 * **Franco, Betsy. A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems. Tricycle, 2009**. Full of humor and colorful illustrations, this book of concrete poems about cats is a delight.
 * **French, Jackie. How to Scratch a Wombat: Where to Find It ... What to Feed It ... Why It Sleeps All Day. Clarion, 2009**. This book tells you all you need to know about caring for and living with wombats -- how to scratch their backs, how to sing to them, and how to keep the "hairy brown rocks with legs" from breaking your door down -- based on the author's thirty years of experience in her Australian home.
 * **Friedman, Laurie B. Red White & True Blue Mallory. Carolrhoda, 2009**. On a class trip to Washington, D.C., Mallory keeps a journal in which she writes about sites she visits, her bothersome loose tooth, the lack of attention from her best friend, Mary Ann, and getting lost in a museum. Series
 * **Funke, Cornelia. Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost. Scholastic, 2006**. Nine-year-old Tom overcomes his fear of ghosts and joins forces with Hetty Hyssop, a professional ghostbuster, to get rid of an incredibly revolting ghost. Series
 * **Gardiner, John Reynolds. Stone Fox. First published 1980**. Willie hopes to win the purse in a dog sled race in order to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm.
 * **Gibbons, Gail. Hurricanes! Holiday House, 2009**. Informative text and drawings present an overview of how hurricanes are formed, their categories, the destruction they can cause, and how they are forecasted and tracked.
 * **Gifford, Peggy. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-you Notes. Schwartz & Wade, 2008**. Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has promised to write twelve thank- you notes by the day after Christmas so that she and her twin brother Mark can go to Hollywood to visit their father, but all her brilliant ideas to help finish the task more efficiently end up creating chaos in the house. Series
 * **Giovanni, Nikki. The Grasshopper's Song: an Aesop's Fable Revisited. Candlewick, 2008**. It is the alleged "frivolous" grasshopper's day in court as he tries to prove his case against the industrious ants who did not share their food with him through the long, cold winter.
 * **Goldish, Meish. Gray Wolves Return to Yellowstone. Bearport, 2008**. After 70 years of absence, gray wolves are reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park through a very successful program to restore balance to the park’s ecosystem.
 * **Goldstone, Bruce. Great Estimations. Henry Holt, 2006**. This book will show you how to train your eyes and your mind to make really great estimations using photographs and easy-to-follow text.
 * **Gutman, Dan. Nightmare at the Book Fair. Simon and Schuster, 2008**. Fifth-grader Trip Dinkelman, who does not like to read very much, is hit on the head by a bookfair case and becomes a character in a series of different books including a horror story, an adventure, and a fantasy.
 * **Hamilton, Virginia. The Girl Who Spun Gold. Scholastic, 2000**. This beautifully illustrated folk tale is a West Indian variant of the Rumpelstiltskin story.
 * **Hansen, Rosanna. Caring for Cheetahs: My African Adventure. Boyds Mill, 2007**. Pounce into this colorful photo-essay about protecting endangered cheetahs at a nature reserve owned by the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, Africa.
 * **Hanson, Mary. How to Save Your Tail. Schwartz & Wade, 2007**. Take a romp with Bob the rat, who survives capture by two cats by sharing both fresh-baked cookies and fractured fairy tales about his ancestors.
 * **Harper, Charise Mericle. Just Grace Walks the Dog. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.** Grace hopes to prove to her parents that she can be dependable and responsible enough to have a real dog, not just the cardboard dog she has been pulling around. Series
 * **Helman, Andrea. Hide and Seek: Nature's Best Vanishing Acts. Walker, 2008.** This beautifully photographed book takes the reader to ecosystems around the world to show how animals camouflage themselves for protection in each unique habitat.
 * **Hicks, Betty. Scaredy-Cat Catcher. Roaring Brook, 2009**. Rocky had all-star catcher potential until a play at the plate broke his arm resulting in his needing help from his friends, coach, and dog to overcome his fear of getting hurt again.
 * **Holm, Jennifer. Babymouse: Beach Babe. Random House, 2006**. In this graphic novel, Babymouse anticipates the family vacation to the beach with excitement, only to discover things aren't always as imagined - sometimes they're even better! Series
 * **Holt, Kimberly Willis. Piper Reed Gets a Job. Holt, 2009.** Piper starts a party- planning business in order to earn enough money to buy a clubhouse for their Gypsy Club members, but discovers the job is not nearly as easy as she had thought. Series
 * **Hopkins, Jackie Mims. The Gold Miner’s Daughter: A Melodramatic Fairytale. Peachtree, 2006**. In trying to pay her debt to mean ole Mr. Bigglebottom, Gracie Pearl meets many fairy tale characters along the way who have had their own problems with that money hungry banker in this entertaining, melodramatic fairy tale.
 * **Hopkinson, Deborah. Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole. Peachtree, 2009**. Well-researched text and striking drawings portray the courage and determination of explorer Matthew Henson as he traveled with Admiral Peary to the North Pole in 1909.
 * **Hubbard, Crystal. The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby: the Story of Jimmy Winkfield. Lee & Low, 2008**. This is the inspiring story of Jimmy Winkfield, the last African-American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby.
 * **Hunt, Elizabeth Singer. Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur: USA. Weinstein, 2007.** Nine-year-old Jack Stalwart works for the GPF, the Global Protection Force, and travels to New York City in search of a genetically mutated flesh-eating dinosaur. Series
 * **Janeczko, Paul B. (selected by) A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout. Candlewick, 2009**. This collection contains more than three dozen illustrated rhyming poems, with tongue twisters and bilingual pieces, drawn from contemporary and classic literary sources and anonymous authors.
 * **Jenkins, Emily. Toy Dance Party: Being the Further Adventures of a Bossyboots Stingray, a Courageous Buffalo, and a Hopeful Round Someone Called Plastic. Schwarz & Wade, 2008.** Buffalo, Stingray, and Plastic are worried when the Girl starts spending time with Barbie dolls and at sleepovers. Throughout their adventures in the house, they will learn if they can keep the Girl's love. Sequel
 * Jenkins, Steve. Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Incredible cut paper illustrations highlight eighteen creatures whose weapons of teeth, claws, spines, and venom make them dangerous to humans, while the captivating text explains what you should never do if you encounter one of these animals.
 * Judge, Lita. One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II. Hyperion, 2007. The author relates the story of her grandparents’ efforts after World War II to send packages of food, clothing, and shoes to their friends in Germany and others in Europe who suffered from the after-effects of the war.
 * Kelly, Katy. Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Pieces and Bits. Delacorte, 2007. In her diary, fourth grader Lucy Rose, who is a lover of palindromes and big words, records her adventures with friends Jonique and Melonhead, including their unorthodox ways of raising money so that the McBees can remodel their bakery. Series
 * Klimo, Kate. The Dragon in the Sock Drawer. Random House, 2008. When Jesse and Daisy's "geode" hatches a dragon, the ordinary ten-year-olds begin an extraordinary adventure as Dragon Keepers, who must not only take care of the baby dragon, but also protect her from St. George the Dragon Slayer. Series
 * Krull, Kathleen. The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth. Knopf, 2009. As a young boy in the early 1900's, Philo Farnsworth's curiosity about how things worked eventually led him to develop the idea of how television could work.
 * Larsen, C. S. Crust & Spray: Gross Stuff in your Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat. Milbrook, 2010. Prepare to be both grossed out and educated by the wacky descriptions and graphic close up pictures of the fluids and ooze generated by the human body.
 * Levine, Ellen. Henry’s Freedom Box. Scholastic, 2007. This is a fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry ―Box‖ Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.
 * Levine, Gail Carson. Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. Disney, 2005. Follow fairy Prilla in her quest to save Never Land despite her feelings of inadequacy and frustration over being a "no-talent" fairy. Series
 * Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. Little, Brown, 2006. 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. Series
 * Look, Lenore.Alvin Ho, Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters. Schwartz & Wade, 2009. Laugh as you read about young Alvin Ho, anxious about almost everything, as he experiences his first family camping trip. Series
 * Morris, Gerald. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great. Houghton Mifflin, 2008. This humorous version of the Arthurian legend features a more laid-back Sir Lancelot who is equally at home fighting "recreant knights" with his sword as with his wits – preferably in shiny armor and after his afternoon nap.
 * Riordan, Rick. Maze of Bones. Scholastic, 2008. When Amy and Dan's grandmother passes away, they are offered two choices: take one million dollars or get the first clue to what could be "the most important treasure in the world." Series
 * Vande Velde, Vivian. Three Good Deeds. Harcourt, 2005. Caught stealing goose eggs from a witch, Howard is cursed and turned into a goose himself. He can only become human again by performing three good deeds.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[[image:n137027.jpg width="84" height="112" align="left"]] || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. [|The Conch Bearer]. ===
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[[image:baddest.jpg width="87" height="123"]] || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marc Aronson and H. P. Newquist. [|For Boys Only: the Baddest Book Ever]. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Avi. [|Crispin: the Cross of Lead]. (Newbery winner) [|Crispin: at the Edge of the World.] ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Linda Buckley Archer. The Time Travelers; The Time Thief; The Time Quake. (The Gideon Trilogy) ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Michael D. Beil. The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. ===
 * || ===**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pseudonymous Bosch. **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The Name of This Book is Secret; If You're Reading This, It's Too Late; This Book is Not Good For You. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Elise Broach. Masterpiece. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ann Cameron. Colibri. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pam Conrad. My Daniel. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Michael Dorris. Morning Girl. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Laura Dower. For Girls Only: Everything Great About Being a Girl. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John Feinstein. Last Shot: a Final Four Mystery; Vanishing Act: Mystery at the U. S. Open; Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl; Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sid Fleischman. Bo & Mzzz Mad. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jack Gantos. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey Pigza Loses Control, What Would Joey Do?; I Am Not Joey Pigza. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jean Craighead George. On the Far Side of the Mountain; Frightful’s Mountain. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lewis Harris. A Taste for Red. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kimberly Willis Holt. Dancing in Cadillac Light. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">D. J. McHale. The Merchant of Death (Pendragon Series.) ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">O. T. Nelson. The Girl Who Owned a City. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gary Paulsen. The Time Hackers. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Richard Peck. The Teacher’s Funeral: a Comedy in Three Parts. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tamora Pierce. Alanna: the First Adventure. In the Hand of the Goddess. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Lioness Rampant. (Song of the Lioness series) ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Philip Pullman. I Was a Rat. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The Yearling. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Susan Runholt. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia; Rescuing Seneca Crane. (Kari + Lucas Mystery) ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Elaine Scott. Secrets of the Cirque Medrano. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anna Sewell. Black Beauty. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Trenton Lee Stewart. The Mysterious Benedict Society; The Mysterious Benedict --Society and the Perilous Journey; The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jules Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jacqueline Woodson. Hush. ===
 * || ===<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lisa Yee. Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time; So Totally Emily Ebers. ===