5th Grade Reading List
The adventures of Vin Fiz
Cussler, Clive.
New York : Philomel Books, c2006.
J CUS
Ten-year-old twins Casey and Lacey fly an enchanted, antique airplane, named the "Vin Fiz," across the United States and have several daring adventures along the way. Includes historical notes on the real "Vin Fiz," the name of the airplane that made the first transcontinental flight in 1911.
Airman
Colfer, Eoin.
New York : Hyperion Books for Children, c2008.
J COL
In the late nineteenth century, when Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, he is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds under brutal conditions. He plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison by way of a flying machine that he must design, build, and, hardest of all, trust to carry him to safety.
Al Capone does my shirts
Choldenko, Gennifer, 1957-
New York : Puffin Books, 2006, c2004.
J CHO
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
Among the free
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2006.
J HAD
When thirteen-year-old Luke Garner unwittingly sets off a rebellion which sweeps the country and ousts the Population Police from power, he quickly realizes that the new regime is corrupt and he may hold the only key to true freedom.
Among the hidden
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000, c1998.
J HAD
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
Artemis Fowl
Colfer, Eoin.
New York : Scholastic, c2001.
J COL
When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
The barn burner
Willis, Patricia.
New York : Clarion Books, c2000.
J WIL
In 1933 while running from a bad situation at home and suspected of having set fire to a barn, fourteen-year-old Ross finds haven with a loving family which helps him make an important decision.
Basketball (or something like it)
Baskin, Nora Raleigh.
New York : HarperCollins, c2005.
J BAS
Hank, Nathan, Jeremy, and Anabel deal with the realities of middle school basketball, including family pressure, a series of coaches with very different personalities and agendas, and what it means to be a team--and a friend.
Because of Winn-Dixie
DiCamillo, Kate.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, 2001, cc2000.
J DIC
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Becoming Naomi Leon
Ryan, Pam Mu{228}noz.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2004.
J RYA
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.
Bella at midnight
Stanley, Diane.
New York : HarperCollins, c2006.
YA STA
Raised by peasants, Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a knight and finds herself caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life and the kingdom forever.
Belle Prater's boy
White, Ruth, 1942-
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996, c1995.
J WHI [CC]
When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives.
The big house
Coman, Carolyn.
Asheville, N.C. : Front Street, c2004.
J COM
When Ivy and Ray's parents are sent to jail, and left in the custody of their parent's accusers, they decide to look for evidence that will "spring" their parents.
The bomb
Taylor, Theodore, 1921-2006.
San Diego : Harcourt Brace & Co., c1995.
J TAY
In 1945, when the Americans liberate the Bikini Atoll from the Japanese, fourteen-year-old Sorry Rinamu does not realize that the next year he will lead a desperate effort to save his island home from a much more deadly threat.
The book of story beginnings
Kladstrup, Kristin.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, c2006.
J KLA
After moving with her parents to Iowa, twelve-year-old Lucy discovers a mysterious notebook that can bring stories to life and which has a link to the 1914 disappearance of her great uncle.
Bread and roses, too
Paterson, Katherine.
New York : Clarion Books, c2006.
J PAT
Jake and Rosa, two children, form an unlikely friendship as they try to survive and understand the 1912 Bread and Roses strike of mill workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine.
New York : HarperTrophy, c1987, c1977.
J PAT
The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
The bronze pen
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2008.
J SNY
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.
Bud, not Buddy
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
New York, N.Y. : Delacorte Press, 2002, c1999.
J CUR
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
The Castle Corona
Creech, Sharon.
New York : Joanna Cotler Books, c2007.
J CRE
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.
Chasing Vermeer
Balliett, Blue, 1955-
New York : Scholastic Press, c2004.
J BAL
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.
Children of the lamp
Kerr, Philip.
New York : Orchard Books, c2007.
J KER
Twelve-year-old djinn twins Philippa and John and their friend Dybbuk have further adventures as they travel the world in search of a priceless talisman.
The city of Ember
DuPrau, Jeanne.
New York : Yearling Book, c2003.
J DUP
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on assignment day to be a messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse unknown regions.
Clay
Rodowsky, Colby F.
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, c2001.
J ROD
After their parents divorce, eleven-year-old Elsie and her younger brother Tommy, who is mentally "different," must deal with a terrible secret that causes them and their mother to move from place to place and stay in hiding.
Counting on Grace
Winthrop, Elizabeth.
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2006.
J WIN
It's 1910 in Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must go to work in the mill, helping their mothers work the looms. Together, Grace and Arthur write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in the mill. A few weeks later, Lewis Hine, a famous reformer arrives undercover to gather evidence. Grace meets him and appears in some of his photographs, changing her life forever.
Cracker! : the best dog in Vietnam
Kadohata, Cynthia.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J KAD
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
Crash
Spinelli, Jerry.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, c1996.
J SPI [CC]
Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
Crispin : the cross of lead
Avi, 1937-
New York : Hyperion Books For Children, c2002.
J AVI
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
Criss cross
Perkins, Lynne Rae.
New York : Greenwillow Books, c2005.
J PER
Teenagers in a small town in the 1960s experience new thoughts and feelings, question their identities, connect, and disconnect as they search for the meaning of life and love.
Crooked river
Pearsall, Shelley.
New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c2005.
J PEA
When twelve-year old Rebecca Carter's father brings a Native American accused of murder into their 1812 Ohio settlement town, Rebecca, witnessing the town's reaction to the Indian, struggles with the idea that an innocent man may be convicted and sentenced to death.
Crossing Jordan
Fogelin, Adrian.
Atlanta, GA : Peachtree, c2000.
J FOG
Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre.
The Dark Hills divide
Carman, Patrick.
New York : Orchard Books, c2005.
J CAR
When she finds the key to a secret passageway leading out of the walled city of Bridewell, twelve-year-old Alexa realizes her lifelong wish to explore the mysterious forests and mountains that lie beyond the wall.
Day of tears : a novel in dialogue
Lester, Julius.
New York : Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, c2005.
J LES
Emma has taken care of the Butler children since Sarah and Frances's mother, Fanny, left. Emma wants to raise the girls to have good hearts, as a rift over slavery has ripped the Butler household apart. Now, to pay off debts, Pierce Butler wants to cash in his slave "assets", possibly including Emma.
Defiance
Hobbs, Valerie.
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005.
J HOB
While vacationing in the country, eleven-year-old Toby, a cancer patient, learns some important lessons about living and dying from an elderly poet and her cow.
Dexter the tough
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J HAD
A sympathetic teacher and her writing assignment help fourth-grader Dexter deal with being the new kid in school after he punches a kid on the first day.
Double identity
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2005.
J HAD
Thirteen-year-old Bethany's parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
Dovey Coe
Dowell, Frances O'Roark.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2000.
J DOW
When accused of murder in her North Carolina mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe, a stronged-willed twelve-year-old girl, comes to a new understanding of others, including her deaf brother.
Downsiders : a novel
Shusterman, Neal.
New York, : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1999.
J SHU
When fourteen-year-old Lindsay meets Talon and discovers the Downsiders world which had evolved from the subway built in New York in 1867 by Alfred Ely Beach, she and her new friend experience the clash of their two cultures.
Dragon rider
Funke, Cornelia Caroline.
New York : Scholastic, c2004.
J FUN
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.
Dust
Slade, Arthur G. (Arthur Gregory).
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2003.
J SLA
Eleven-year-old Robert is the only one who can help when a mysterious stranger arrives, performing tricks and promising to bring rain, at the same time children begin to disappear from a dust bowl farm town in Saskatchewan in the 1930s.
Each little bird that sings
Wiles, Deborah.
Orlando, Fla. : Harcourt, Inc., c2005.
J WIL
Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year- old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.
Ella enchanted
Levine, Gail Carson.
New York : Scholastic Inc., 1998, c1997.
J LEV
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree
Tarshis, Lauren.
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J TAR
A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy everyday problems of her peers.
The entertainer and the dybbuk
Fleischman, Sid, 1920-
New York : Greenwillow Books, c2008.
J FLE
A struggling American ventriloquist in post-World War II Europe is possessed by the mischievous spirit of a young Jewish boy killed in the Holocaust. Author's note details the murder of over one million children by the Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s.
First boy
Schmidt, Gary D.
New York : Henry Holt and Company, c2005.
J SCH
Dragged into the political turmoil of a presidential election year, fourteen-year-old Cooper Jewett, who runs a New Hampshire dairy farm since his grandfather's death, stands up for himself and makes it clear whose first boy he really is.
Flush
Hiaasen, Carl.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c2005.
J HIA
With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home.
Frindle
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1996.
J CLE
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Konigsburg, E. L.
New York : Aladdin Books, 2002, 1998.
J KON
Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home, and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.
Gentle's Holler : a novel
Madden, Kerry.
New York : Viking, c2005.
J MAD
In the early 1960s, twelve-year-old songwriter Livy Two Weems dreams of seeing the world beyond the Maggie Valley, North Carolina, holler where she lives in poverty with her parents and eight brothers and sisters, but understands that she must put family first.
Getting air
Gutman, Dan.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J GUT
After foiling a terrorist hijacking aboard their airplane, fourteen- year-old Jimmy, his younger sister, and two skateboarding friends crash-land the plane and try to survive in a forest wilderness until help arrives.
Ghost ship : a Cape Cod story
Clark, Mary Higgins.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J CLA (PBOR)
While visiting his grandmother on Cape Cod, nine-year-old Thomas encounters a ship's cabin boy from centuries past.
The girls
Koss, Amy Goldman, 1954-
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2000.
J KOS
Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, causing hurt and self- doubt among the girls.
The goats
Cole, Brock.
Santa Barbara : Cornerstone Books, 1989, c1987.
JLT COL
Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and disappear without a trace.
The great cape rescue
Shalant, Phyllis.
New York : Dutton Children's Books, 2007.
J SHA
Upon entering fourth grade, Fin and his friends think they must stop playing superheroes, until they discover that their game might become real through a magical cape, and the Society of Secret Superheroes is born.
Gregor and the Code of Claw
Collins, Suzanne.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2007.
J COL
When twelve-year-old Gregor finally learns the ancient prophecy, which foretells his death, he must gather his courage to defend Regalia from the army of rats, take his mother and sister home safely, and fight his own dark side.
Heartbeat
Creech, Sharon.
New York : Joanna Cotler Books, c2004.
J CRE
Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant.
Henry and the kite dragon
Hall, Bruce Edward.
New York : Philomel Books, c2004.
J HAL
In New York City in the 1920s, the children from Chinatown go after the children from Little Italy for throwing rocks at the beautiful kites Grandfather Chin makes, not realizing that they have a reason for doing so.
Henry's freedom box
Levine, Ellen.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2007.
J LEV (PBOR)
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.
Here lies the librarian
Peck, Richard, 1934-
New York : Dial Books, c2006.
J PEC
Fourteen-year-old Eleanor "Peewee" McGrath, a tomboy and automobile enthusiast, discovers new possibilities for her future after the 1914 arrival in her small Indiana town of four young librarians.
The higher power of Lucky
Patron, Susan.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2006.
J PAT
Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.
Holes
Sachar, Louis, 1954-
New York : Dell Laurel-Leaf Books, 2001, c1998.
J SAC
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Hoot
Hiaasen, Carl.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, c2002.
J HIA
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Hot hand : a Comeback Kids novel
Lupica, Mike.
New York : Philomel Books, c2007.
J LUP
In the wake of his parents' separation, ten-year-old Billy seems to have continual conflicts with his father, who is also his basketball coach, but his quiet, younger brother Ben, a piano prodigy, is having even more trouble adjusting, and only Billy seems to notice.
The house on the gulf
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2004.
J HAD
A sixteen-year-old boy arranges a housesitting job for the summer, but he starts acting strangely after his family moves in, and his sister begins to suspect they are not supposed to be there.
How Angel Peterson got his name : and other outrageous tales about extreme sports
Paulsen, Gary.
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2003.
J PAU
Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.
Hush
Woodson, Jacqueline.
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2002.
YA WOO
Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.
I am not Joey Pigza
Gantos, Jack.
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2007.
J GAN
Joey's father returns, calling himself Charles Heinz and apologizing for his past bad behavior, and he swears that once Joey and his mother change their names and help him fix up the old diner he has bought, their lives will change for the better.
Iron Thunder : the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac : a CivilWar novel
Avi, 1937-
New York : Hyperion Books for Children, c2007.
J AVI
Accompanied by period illustrations, photographs, and maps, this exciting historical novel follows thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll as he, after his father is killed during the Civil War, finds work at a bustling ironworks to help support his family, which makes him a target of Confederate spies.
Jack Plank tells tales
Babbitt, Natalie.
New York : Michael Di Capua Books/Scholastic, c2007.
J BAB
A failed pirate looking for a new career, Jack turns down every job proposed with a tall tale about that occupation.
Jeremy Fink and the meaning of life
Mass, Wendy, 1967-
New York : Little Brown & Company, c2006.
J MAS
Just before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy Fink receives a keyless locked box--set aside by his father before his death five years earlier--that purportedly contains the meaning of life.
Jim Ugly
Fleischman, Sid, 1920-
New York : Greenwillow Books, c1992.
J FLE
The adventures of twelve-year-old Jake and Jim Ugly, his father's part-mongrel, part-wolf dog, as they travel through the Old West trying to find out what really happened to Jake's actor father.
The John Hancock Club
Borden, Louise.
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2007.
J BOR
Third-grader Sean McFerrin wants to be part of the good penmanship club, but it all depends on how well he learns the new cursive writing.
The kidnappers : a mystery
Roberts, Willo Davis.
New York, N.Y. : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c1998.
J ROB
No one believes eleven-year-old Joey, who has a reputation for telling tall tales, when he claims to have witnessed the kidnapping of the class bully outside their expensive New York City private school.
The Landry News : a brand new school story
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York, N.Y. : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1999.
J CLE
A fifth-grader starts a newspaper with an editorial that prompts her burnt-out classroom teacher to really begin teaching again, but he is later threatened with disciplinary action as a result.
Lawn boy
Paulsen, Gary.
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2007.
J PAU
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
Letters from Rapunzel
Holmes, Sara.
New York : HarperCollinsPublishers, c2007.
J HOL
Through a series of letters written to a post office box, twelve- year-old Cadence describes her father's hospitalization for depression, her subsequent problems at school, and her hope that the mysterious recipient will help her find a happy ending.
The liberation of Gabriel King
Going, K. L. (Kelly L.).
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2005.
J GOI
In Georgia during the summer of 1976, Gabriel, a white boy who is being bullied, and Frita, an African American girl who is facing prejudice, decide to overcome their many fears together as they enter fifth grade.
Lily's crossing
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
New York : Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers c1997, (1999 printing).
J GIF
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily's friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently.
Lion boy : the first book in a trilogy
Corder, Zizou.
New York : Dial Books, 2004, c2003.
J COR
In the near future, a boy with the ability to speak the language of cats sets out from London to seek his kidnapped parents and finds himself on a Paris-bound circus ship learning to train lions.
Loser
Spinelli, Jerry.
New York : Harper Trophy, 2003, c2002.
J SPI
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
The loud silence of Francine Green
Cushman, Karen.
New York : Clarion Books, c2006.
J CUS
In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.
Love that dog
Creech, Sharon.
New York : Joanna Cotler Books, c2001.
J CRE
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
Magic by the book
Bernstein, Nina, 1949-
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005.
J BER
After returning from a trip to the library, eleven-year-old Anne and her younger brother and sister discover a magic book which sends them on adventures in which they meet Robin Hood, giant bugs, and a dark, sinister man with a wolfish face.
Maniac Magee
Spinelli, Jerry.
New York : HarperTrophy, 1992, c1990.
J SPI
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
Messenger
Lowry, Lois.
Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Company, c2004.
J LOW
In this novel that unites characters from "The Giver" and "Gathering Blue," Matty, a young member of a utopian community that values honesty, conceals an emerging healing power that he cannot explain or understand.
The misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff
Lethcoe, Jason.
New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2007.
J LET
When a miserable orphan unknowingly disrupts the balance of power between the magical realms of wishes and curses, he must join forces with the Wishworks Factory to reclaim his errant wish and set things right again.
Miss Daisy is crazy!
Gutman, Dan.
New York : HarperCollins, c2004.
J GUT
Miss Daisy's unusual teaching methods surprise her second grade students, especially reluctant learner A.J.
Monkey island
Fox, Paula.
New York : Dell Pub., 1993, c1991.
J FOX
Forced to live on the streets of New York after his mother disappears from their hotel room, eleven-year-old Clay is befriended by two men who help him survive.
Moonpie and Ivy
O'Connor, Barbara.
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2001.
J OCO
Twelve-year-old Pearl feels hurt, confused, and unwanted when her wild, irresponsible mother leaves her with Aunt Ivy in a little country house in Georgia and then disappears.
Mrs. Yonkers is bonkers!
Gutman, Dan.
New York : HarperCollins, 2007.
J GUT
As the new computer lab teacher tries to bring Ella Mentry School into the twenty-first century with her peculiar inventions, second-grader A.J. struggles to survive without sugary snacks when principal Klutz bans junk food.
The music of dolphins
Hesse, Karen.
New York : Scholastic Press, c1996.
J HES
After rescuing an adolescent girl from the sea, researchers learn she has been raised by dolphins and attempt to rehabilitate her to the human world.
My last best friend
Bowe, Julie, 1962-
Orlando : Harcourt, c2007.
J FIC BOWE
After her best friend moves away, fourth-grader Ida May is determined not to make another best friend, despite the efforts of a new girl in her class.
My Louisiana sky
Holt, Kimberly Willis.
New York : Holt, c1998.
J HOL
Growing up in Saitter, Louisiana, in the 1950s, twelve-year-old Tiger Ann struggles with her feelings about her stern, but loving grandmother, her mentally slow parents, and her good friend and neighbor, Jesse.
Number the stars
Lowry, Lois.
New York : Dell Pub., 1990, c1989.
J LOW
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
The old Willis place : a ghost story
Hahn, Mary Downing.
New York : Clarion Books, c2004.
J HAH
Tired of the rules that have bound them ever since "the bad thing happened," twelve-year-old Diana ignores her brother's warnings and befriends the daughter of the new caretaker, setting in motion events that lead to the release of the spirit of an evil, crazy woman who once ruled the old Willis place.
Olive's ocean
Henkes, Kevin.
New York : Greenwillow Books, c2003.
J HEN
On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve- year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.
On the wings of heroes
Peck, Richard, 1934-
New York : Dial Books, c2007.
J PEC
A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes--his brother in the Air Force and his father, who fought in the previous war.
The one left behind
Roberts, Willo Davis.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2006.
J ROB
Mandy's life changes forever when her ten-year-old twin sister eats a hamburger tainted with E coli and dies.
Out of the dust
Hesse, Karen.
New York : Scholastic, 1999, c1997.
J HES
In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
The outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
Konigsburg, E. L.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2004.
J KON
Upon leaving an oppressive summer camp, twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane spearheads a campaign to preserve three unique towers her great-uncles have been building in their backyard for over forty years.
The Penderwicks : a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a veryinteresting boy
Birdsall, Jeanne.
New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c2005.
J BIR
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.
Penny from heaven
Holm, Jennifer L.
New York : Random House Children's Books, c2006.
J HOL
As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death.
Peter and the Starcatchers
Barry, Dave.
New York : Disney Editions/Hyperion Books for Children, c2004.
J BAR
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
Pieces of Georgia : a novel
Bryant, Jennifer.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c2006.
J BRY
In journal entries to her mother, a gifted artist who died suddenly, thirteen-year-old Georgia McCoy reveals how her life changes after she receives an anonymous gift membership to a nearby art museum.
Poppy
Avi, 1937-
New York : Orchard Books, c1995.
J AVI
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.
The power of Un
Etchemendy, Nancy.
Chicago, IL : Front Street/Cricket Books, c2000.
J ETC
When he is given a device that will allow him to "undo" what has happened in the past, Gib Finney is not sure what event from the worst day in his life he should change in order to keep his sister from being hit by a truck.
Project Mulberry : a novel
Park, Linda Sue.
New York : Clarion Books, c2005.
J PAR
While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, friendship, patience, and more. Between the chapters are short dialogues between the author and main character about the writing of the book.
Racing the past
Deans, Sis Boulos.
New York : Henry Holt and Company, c2001.
J DEA
After the death of his abusive father, eleven-year-old Ricky tries to help his younger brother deal with his residual fears and discovers that running helps him deal with his own anger and the taunts of a bullying classmate.
Ragweed
Avi, 1937-
New York, N.Y. : Avon Books, c1999.
J AVI
Ragweed, a young country mouse, leaves his family and travels to the big city, where he finds excitement and danger and sees cats for the first time.
Remembering Mrs. Rossi
Hest, Amy.
Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press, c2007.
J HES
Although she loves her father, their home in New York City, and third-grade teacher Miss Meadows, Annie misses her mother who died recently.
The report card
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2004.
J CLE
Fifth-grader Nora Rowley has always hidden the fact that she is a genius from everyone because all she wants is to be normal, but when she comes up with a plan to prove that grades are not important, things begin to get out of control.
The river between us
Peck, Richard, 1934-
New York : Dial Books, c2003.
J PEC
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.
Roll of thunder, hear my cry
Taylor, Mildred D.
New York : Dial Books, c2001, c1976.
J TAY
A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.
Room one : a mystery or two
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2006.
J CLE
Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader in his small Nebraska town's one- room schoolhouse, searches for clues to the disappearance of a homeless family.
Rules
Lord, Cynthia.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2006.
J LOR
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Running out of time
Haddix, Margaret Peterson.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1995.
J HAD
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.
Sam I am
Cooper, Ilene.
New York : Scholastic Press, c2004.
J COO
Twelve-year-old Sam, the son of a Jewish father and Christian mother, struggles to understand religion and its role in his family's life during the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays.
The same stuff as stars
Paterson, Katherine.
New York, : Clarion Books., c2002.
J PAT
When Angel's self-absorbed mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor great-grandmother, the eleven-year-old girl worries not only about her mother and brother, her imprisoned father, the frail old woman, but also about a mysterious man who begins sharing with her the wonder of the stars.When Angel's mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor great-grandmother, the eleven-year-old girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders meets a mysterious stranger who teaches her about the stars.
Sammy Keyes and the wild things
Van Draanen, Wendelin.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, c2007.
J VAN
While on her first hiking and camping trip, thirteen-year-old Sammy tries to solve a mystery involving endangered condors while avoiding scorpions, ticks, and embarrassment.
The sea of monsters
Riordan, Rick.
New York : Miramax Books/Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, 2007, c2006.
J RIO
Demi-god Percy Jackson and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first Percy will discover a secret that makes him wonder whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or a cruel joke.
Secret identity
Van Draanen, Wendelin.
New York : Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c2004.
J VAN
Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--Shredderman!
Seedfolks
Fleischman, Paul.
[New York] : HarperCollins, c1997.
J FLE [CC]
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed.
Shabanu, daughter of the wind
Staples, Suzanne Fisher.
New York : Random House, 1991, c1989.
J STA
When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes.
The (short) story of my life
Jones, Jennifer B.
New York : Walker & Co., c2004.
J JON
With both the help and hindrance of family, his best friend, and the school bully, sixth-grader Michael Jordan copes with romance and the fact that he is, as usual, the shortest one in his class.
Show way
Woodson, Jacqueline.
New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, c2005.
HF J Picture Books for Older Readers
The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.
The silent boy
Lowry, Lois.
Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin company, c2003.
J LOW
Katy, the precocious ten-year-old daughter of the town doctor, befriends a retarded boy.
Silent to the bone
Konigsburg, E. L.
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2000.
J KON
When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.
The slave dancer : a novel
Fox, Paula.
Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, 1988, c1973.
JLT FOX
Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo.
Small steps
Sachar, Louis, 1954-
New York : Delacorte Press, c2006.
J SAC
Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying hard to keep his life on track, but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some easy money scalping concert tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along.
So B. It : a novel
Weeks, Sarah.
New York : Laura Geringer Books, c2004.
J WEE
After spending her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to find out who she is.
Soldier's heart : being the story of the enlistment and due service of the boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers : a novel of the Civil War
Paulsen, Gary.
[New York, N.Y.] : Delacorte Press, c1998.
J PAU
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
Something upstairs : a tale of ghosts
Avi, 1937-
New York : Orchard Books, c1988.
J AVI
When he moves from Los Angeles to Providence, Rhode Island, Kenny discovers that his new house is haunted by the spirit of a black slave boy who asks Kenny to return with him to the early nineteenth century and prevent his murder by slave traders.
Stepping on the cracks
Hahn, Mary Downing.
New York : Clarion Books, c1991.
J HAH
In 1944, while her brother is overseas fighting in World War II, eleven-year-old Margaret gets a new view of the school bully Gordy when she finds him hiding his own brother, an army deserter, and decides to help him.
Stonewords : a ghost story
Conrad, Pam.
New York : Harper & Row, c1990.
J CON
Zoe discovers that her house is occupied by the ghost of an eleven- year-old girl, who carries her back to the day of her death in 1870 to try to alter that tragic event.
Summer ball
Lupica, Mike.
New York : Philomel Books, c2007.
J LUP
Thirteen-year-old Danny must prove himself all over again for a disapproving coach and against new rivals at a summer basketball camp.
Surviving the Applewhites
Tolan, Stephanie S.
New York : HarperCollins Publishers, c2002.
J TOL
Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.
Tangerine
Bloor, Edward, 1950-
San Diego, CA : Harcourt Brace & Company, c1997.
YA BLO
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.
The teacher's funeral : a comedy in three parts
Peck, Richard, 1934-
New York : Dial Books, c2004.
J PEC
In rural Indiana in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell's dream of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew is disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean old Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off and dies."
The Thief Lord
Funke, Cornelia Caroline.
New York : Scholastic Inc., 2002, c2001.
J FUN
Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one, are sought by a detective hired by their aunt, but they have found shelter with--and protection from--Venice's "Thief Lord."
Things not seen
Clements, Andrew, 1949-
New York : Philomel Books, c2002.
J CLE
When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.
The time hackers
Paulsen, Gary.
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2005.
J PAU
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.
The time thief
Buckley-Archer, Linda.
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2007.
J BUC
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.
Travel team
Lupica, Mike.
New York : Philomel Books, c2004.
J LUP
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to national prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Tuck everlasting : a novel
Babbitt, Natalie.
Santa Barbara, CA : Cornerstone Books, 1987, c1975.
JLT BAB
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 about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing older.
The view from Saturday
Konigsburg, E. L.
New York : Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998, c1996.
J KON
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
Way Down Deep
White, Ruth, 1942-
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, c2007.
J WHI
In the West Virginia town of Way Down Deep in the 1950s, a foundling called Ruby June is happily living with Miss Arbutus at the local boarding house when suddenly, after the arrival of a family of outsiders, the mystery of Ruby's past begins to unravel.
Weedflower
Kadohata, Cynthia.
New York : Atheneum Books for young readers c2006.
J KAD
After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she struggles to become friends with a Mohave boy and to find her place in the world.
Willow Run
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2005.
J GIF
During World War II, after moving with her parents to Willow Run, Michigan, when her father gets a job in the B-24 bomber-building factory, eleven -year-old Meggie learns about different kinds of bravery from all of the people around her.
Wing nut
Auch, Mary Jane.
New York : Henry Holt, c2005.
J AUC
When twelve-year-old Grady and his mother relocate yet again, they find work taking care of an elderly man, who teaches Grady about cars, birds, and what it means to have a home.
Wringer
Spinelli, Jerry.
New York : HarperCollins, 1998, c1997.
J SPI
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.
Yankee girl
Rodman, Mary Ann.
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2004.
J ROD
When her FBI-agent father is transferred to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964, eleven-year-old Alice wants to be popular but also wants to reach out to the one black girl in her class in a newly-integrated school.
A year down yonder
Peck, Richard, 1934-
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, c2000.
J PEC
In 1937, during the Depression, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty, larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois and comes to a better understanding of this fearsome woman.
The year of the dog : a novel
Lin, Grace.
New York : Little, Brown, c2006.
J LIN
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, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.