Books for Youth

Author: Abbott, Tony
Title: The Secrets of Droon
Publisher: Scholastic Books, 1999
"Underneath the steps leading down to Eric's basement is a hidden storage space. It's dusty and old--nothing special at all. But when Eric, Julie, and Neal all huddle inside the gray room together, something unbelievable happens. A rainbow-covered staircase appears. And as the kids take their very first step down into the mysterious land of Droon, they know that only magic and adventure await them! Flying cities, hidden palaces, and magical ocean storms--Droon is full of secrets. And for Eric, Julie, and Neal, this is just the beginning."

Author: Ahlbert, Alan
Title: The Cat Who Got Carried Away
Publisher: Candlewick, 2003
Illustrator: Datharine McEwen
"In this Grand and Gripping story...Gus and Gloria have a lot of running to do....Mrs. Gaskitt hardly ever gets out of bed...And something dreadful happens to Horace! Also starring: a braining rat named Randolph, a barking baby carriage, and a considerable number of penguins."

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Title: The Arkadians
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1995
"Lucian is on the run from a pair of murderous soothsayers. Joy-in-the-Dance knows magic and marvels and is on a quest. Fronto is a poet-turned-donkey who wants to break the spell that turned him into an animal. The three of them join forces and set out through Arkadia--on an amazing trip that will change their lives."

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Title: The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man
Pubisher: Puffin Books, 1973
"Magician Stephanus knew he shouldn't have given in to his cat's begging, but he did. And now a strangely tawny-haired, green-eyed young man - really Lionel the cat - is happily setting off to town to see what it's like to be human."

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Title: Gawgon and the Boy
Publisher: Puffin Books, 2001
"'Give me the Boy.' These are the words of David's elderly, tough-minded Aunt Annie, who is as frightening as a monstrous, snake-haired Gorgon. But Aunt Annie has made up her mind to be David's tutor. The illness that kept David out of school for so long has almost killed him, and he is sure that The Gawgon - his secret nickname for Aunt Annie - will finish off the job. But, to David's surprise, a bright heart lurks inside the tough old Gawgon."

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Title: The High King
Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968
"In this magnificent finale to the chronicles of Prydain, the whole land is the stage for the ultimate clash between the forces of good and evil which determines the fate of Prydain and of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wanted to be a hero." Newbery Award Winner, 1969

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Title: The Iron Ring
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1997
"When Tamar, the young king of Sundari, loses a dice game, he loses everything--his kingdom, its riches, and even the right to call his life his own. His bondage is symbolized by the iron ring that appears mysteriously on his finger. To Tamar, born to the warrior caste, honor is everything. So he sets out on a journey to make good on his debt--and even to give kup his life if necessary. And he enters into a world where animals talk, spirits abound and magic is everywhere..."

Author: Alexander, Lloyd
Illustrator: Laszlo Kubinyi
Title: The Wizard in the Tree
Publisher: Yearling, 1975
"When Mallory, a young kitchen maid, finds Arbican in a felled oak tree, he is covered with mold and mildew and looks nothing like the great enchanter he claims to be. But Malloy believes the tattered old man, for who but a wizard could have survived ages trapped inside a tree?"

Author: Angeli de, Marguerite
Title: The Door in the Wall
Publisher: Dell, 1949
"Ever since he can remember, Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke: He falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark's, where he is taught woodcarving and--much harder--patience and strength." Newbery Award Winner, 1950

Author: Armstrong, William H.
Title: Sour Land
Publisher: Harper/Trophy, 1971
"Life is hard for the three Stone children. The death of their mother has lift them bereft and grieving. Their father tries hard to make things better, but he is busy trying to keep their farm going. Then Moses Waters comes to teach at the black school at Cedar Corners. Moses can hear things no one else can, like the sound of the grass and the earth humming together. More than anyone else, he seems to have a special understanding of the Stone family."

Author: Avi
Title: Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Publisher: Hyperion Books, 2002
"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." Newbery Award Winner, 2003

Author: Avi
Title: Perloo the Bold
Publisher: Scholastic, 1998
"A scholarly, shy member of the rabbit-like Montmers, Perloo is content sipping myrtle tea and reading his history books in his warm burrow. Until the day Perloo's quiet life is interrupted by a mysterious summons from the Montmer leader."

Author: Avi
Title: Don't You Know There's a War On?
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2001
" Brooklyn, NY, 1943: Howie's pop is in the merchant marine, dodging Nazi U-Boat wolf packs on the brutal North Atlantic sea. Denny, Howie's best friend has a father in the Eighth Army, battling Nazi General Rommel in North Africa. Every day the boys face reminders of war -- scary headlines, blackouts, scrap collections, and war stamp drives."

Author: Atwater, Richard and Florence
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Title: Mr. Popper's Penguins
Publisher: Dell Yearling Book, 1938
"The situations themselves are enough to make any child chuckle and perhaps hope for word from Admiral Drake. To the depiction of the penguins in all conceivable moods Robert Lawson has brought not only his skill but his individual humor, and his portrayal of the wistful Mr. Popper is memorable." New York Times Book Review

Author: Babbit, Natalie
Title: Tuck Everlasting
Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975
"The Tuck family discovers a spring which grants eternal life, decides to protect it for the sake of humanity, and finally meets challenges to their goals in the form of a ten-year-old's inquisitive mind and a greedy stranger who suspects their secret."

Author: Balliett, Blue
Illustrator: Brett Belquist
Title: Chasing Vermeer
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2004
"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."

Author: Baker, E. D.
Title: Once Upon a Curse
Publisher: Scholastic, 2004
"Many years before Princess Emma's time, an angry fairy cast a curse on her ancestor, Princess Hazel. The fairy decreed that Hazel and all her female descendants, upon reaching their sixteenth birthdays, could not touch a flower, or else all their youth, beauty, and kindness would be erased. Emma has seen it happen--her grandmother has always been a spiteful witch, and now her favorite aunt, Grassina, has fallen under the spell as well. Though Emma has wonderful new powers as the Green Witch, she has only one week before her won sixteenth birthday, and with it comes the threat of the family curse."

Author: Banks, Lynne Reid
Title: The Indian in the Cupboard
Publisher: Avon Books, 1980
"It all began with a birthday present Ormi didn't want. It would become Omri's most important secret: precious, dangerous, wonderful--and, above all, magical."

Author: Baum, Frank L.
Title: The Wizard of Oz
Publisher: Puffin Classics, 1900
"When a cyclone hits her Kansas home, Dorothy and her dog Toto are whisked to the magical kingdom of Oz. To find her way back to Kansas, she must follow the yellow brick road to where to great Wizard lives."

Author: Bellairs, John
Title: The Dark Secret of Weatherbend
Publisher: Bantam Skylark, 1984
"John Bellairs is a name sure to set a gothic horror lover's heart beating in a joyful anticipation of marvelous characters in weird wondrous stories thick with atmosphere, thrills and suspense...Readers will relish this one and they well be sorry to see it end." School Library Journal

Author: Bellairs, John
Title: The House with a Clock in its Walls
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1973
"Can Lewis and his Uncle Jonathan turn back the hands of time---and save the world from being destroyed?"

Author: Birdsall, Jeanne
Title: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005
"While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, aged four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother."

Author: Blume, Judy
Title: Double Fudge
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2002
This book is part of a series of books featuring Fudge and his family. "I love money, money, money is Fudge's new theme song. He's drawing dollar signs for breakfast, thumbing through catalogs at bedtime, and making enough 'Fudge Books' so he can buy the whole world (or at least Toys "R" Us). Fudge's latest obsession is driving his brother, Peter, crazy."

Author: Bruchac, Joseph
Title: Code Talker
Publisher: Dial Books, 2005
"The United States is at war, and sixteen-year-old Ned Begay wants to join the cause---especially when he hears that Navajos are being specifically recruited by the Marine Corp. So he claims he's old enough to enlist, breezes his way through boot camp, and suddenly finds himself involved in a top-secret task, one that's exclusively performed by Navajos."

Author: Byars, Betsy
Title: A Blossom Promise
Publisher: Yearling, 1987
"These two weeks of rain have been like an answer to prayer for Vern and his friend, Michael. Together they planned and built a perfect raft, and with everyone out watching the waters rise over the banks of the Snake River, they're sure their great voyage downstream will be witnessed with cheers."

Author: Carter, Forrest
Title: The Education of Little Tree
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 1976
"A Cherokee boyhood of the 1930's remembered in generous, loving detail..."--Kirkus Review

Author: Catanese, P. W.
Title: The Eye of the Warlock
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2005
"When a stranger knocks on his door and promises to lead him to hidden treasure, twelve-year-old Rudi is skeptical. And he's even more suspicious when the stranger proclaims that the jewels belonged to the legendary Hansel. Sure, Rudi's heard stories: the witch, the oven, the sister named Gretel. But he never fully believed they were real. Until now......."

Author: Catanese, P. W.
Title: The Thief and the Beanstalk
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2005
"Everyone knows the story of Jack and the beanstalk. Everyone also knows that Jack's little adventure made him a very rich man. But what they don't know is what happened a long time after Jack..... That's where Nick comes in. Orphaned and desperate, Nick joins a rugged band of thieves in hopes of a warm meal and a little protection. In exchange Nick must help them break into the lavish white castle rumored to belong to an old man named Jack. When Nick's dangerous mission leads him straight to Jack, he sees a chance to climb the famed beanstalk himself. But things have changed up there."

Author: Chew, Ruth
Title: The Wishing Tree
Publisher: Scholastic, 1980
"What is that creepy cat up to? Who is the weird woman in the park? And that tree! Peggy and Brian are sure there is something spooky about it. And they are right!"

Author: Christopher, Matt
Title: Hard Drive to Short
Publisher: Scholastic, 1969
"Sandy Varga, shortstop for the Spacemen, is in a bind. Every time his team plays a game on a weekday, he has to leave early. He's ashamed to tell his teammates the reason why; he's afraid they'll give him a hard time. But by not telling them, he risks losing their friendship. It takes a bone-chilling experience to open Sandy's eyes to how true friends should treat each other."

Author: Christopher, Matt
Title: The Winning Stroke
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 1994
"When hydrotherapy for an injured leg takes him to the pool on a regular basis, twelve-year-old Jerry finds himself fascinated and challenged by the rigors of competitive swimming."

Author: Cleary, Beverly
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Title: Dear Mr. Henshaw
Publisher: Avon/Camelot Book, 1983
Leigh is the new kid in town, with recently divorced parents and problems at school. He starts writing letters to an author as part of a school project and then continues writing them, first to the real Mr. Henshaw and then in his diary to a pretend Mr. Henshaw. Newbery Award Winner, 1984

Author: Cleary, Beverly
Illustrator: Louis Darling
Title: Henry and Risby
Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1954
"At last, Henry Huggin's father has promised to take him fishing, on one condition. Henry's dog, Risby, has been in all sorts of trouble lately, from running off with the neighbor's barbecue roast to stealing a policeman's lunch. To go on the fishing trip, Henry must keep Risby out of trouble."

Author: Cleary, Beverly
Illustrator: Louis Darling
Title: The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Publisher: William Morrow & Co., 1965
"A young mouse named Ralph looked out of his mousehole in Room 215 of the Mountain View Inn. The new tenant of the room, a boy was playing with a little motorcycle just the right size for a mouse."

Author: Cleary, Beverly
Illustrator: Alan Tiegreen
Title: Ramona and Her Father
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc, 1975
"Ramona just wanted everyone to be happy. If only her father would smile and joke again, her mother would look less worried, her sister would be more cheerful, and Picky-picky would eat his cat food. But Ramona's father had lost his job, and nobody was in a very good mood."

Author: Clearly, Beverly
Title: Ramona the Brave
Publisher: Scholastic, 1975
"First-grader Ramona Quimby likes to think she's brave and fearless. She thinks she's being brave one day in the park - defending her big sister - but Beezus calls her silly and embarrassing. Ramona also has a new bedroom of her own, and she finds it's not easy to be brave when there might be ghostly, boneless gorillas oozing under the door at night--and no one across the room to whisper to. Then Ramona has a tangle with a great big growling dog on her way to school. But Ramona will not give in to a mean old dog. After all, she's her father's spunky little gal. Or is she?"

Author: Clearly, Beverly
Title: Ramona's World
Publisher: Scholastic, 1999
Ramona is nine years old, starting fourth grade and she has a new baby sister. It looks like the start of a good year.

Author: Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher Collier
Title: My Brother Sam is Dead
Publisher: Scholastic Book Services, 1974
"Sam Meeker was sixteen in 1775 when he ran away to fight the British. His brother, Tim, was a few years younger. This is their story."

Author: Cooper, Susan
Title: The Boggart and the Monster
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1997
"In this companion volume to The Boggart, the invisible and mischievous spirit living in the Scottish Castle Keep sets out to help save Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, one of his few remaining cousins."

Author: Cooper, Susan
Series: The Dark is Rising Sequence Titles: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree
Publisher: Aladdin, 1965
"Three children on a holiday in Cornwall find an ancient manuscript which sends them on a dangerous quest for a grail that would reveal the true story of King Arthur and that entraps them in the eternal battle between the forces of the Light and the forces of the Dark." The Grey King is the Newbery Award Winner, 1976

Author: Crossley-Holland
Title: The Seeing Stone
Publisher: Scholastic, 2000
"Thirteen-year-old Arthur de Caldicot lives on a manor, desperately waiting for the moment he can become a knight. One day his father's friend Merlin gives him a shining black stone--a seeing stone--that shows him visions of his namesake, King Arthur. The legendary dragons, battles, and swordplay that young Arthur witnesses seem a world away from his own life. And yet there is something definitely joining the Arthurs together."

Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul
Title: Bud, Not Buddy
Publisher: Delcourte Press, 1999
"It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him: 1. He has his own suitcase full of special things. 2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. 3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!" Newbery Award Winner, 2000

Author: Cushman, Karen
Title: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
Publisher: Harper Trophy, 1996
"California doesn't suit Lucy Whipple--not the name, not the place. But moving out West to Lucky Diggins, California, was her mama's dream-come-true. And now her brother, Butte, and sisters, Prairie and Sierra, seem to be Westerners at heart too. For Lucy, Lucky Diggins is hardly a town at all---just a bunch of ramshackle tents and tobacco-spitting miners. Even the gold her mama claimed was jsut lying around in the fields isn't panning out. Worst of all, there's no lending library!"

Author: Dahl, Roald
Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1964
"It's a miracle. Charlie Becket, one-minute a poor, starving waif, the next minute one of the five people in the world who will learn the secrets of Mr. Wonka's fabulous chocolate factory. But Charlie must keep on his toes, for the world of Wonka also holds great perils, especially for the four unlovable children who are joining him."

Author: Dahl, Roald
Title: Danny, the Champion of the World
Publisher: Knopf, 1975
"Danny is an adventure story about a boy, his dad, and a daring and hilarious pheasant-snatching expedition. And, just as important, it's the story of the relationship between a boy and his father who, in Danny's own words, 'without the slightest doubt, was the most marvelous and exciting father a boy ever had'".

Author: Dahl, Roald
Title: James and the Giant Peach
Publisher: Puffin, 1961
"When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start happening. The peach at the very tip of the tree starts growing, and growing...until it's as big as a house! When James crawls inside, he meets a houseful of oversized friends -- Grasshopper, Centipede, Earthworm, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the adventure begins!"

Author: Dahl, Roald
Title: Matilda
Publisher: Viking, 1988
"Here is vintage Roald Dahl, full of wildly exaggerated slapstick scenes, the most dastardly villains, sweetest heroines, and an abundance of schoolroom humor."

Author: DeCamillo, Dixie
Title: Because of Winn-Dixie
Publisher: Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc, 2000
"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."

Author: DeCamillo, Dixie Illustrator: Timothy Basil Ering
Title: The Tale of Desperaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2003
"The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin." Newbery Award Winner, 2004

Author: DeClements, Barthe
Title: Wake Me at Midnight
Publisher: Puffin, 1991
"A rain-swept night. A mysterious figure digging in the backyard. What are the neighbors trying to hide?"

Author: Denenberg, Barry
Title: The Dear America Book Series, The Journal of Ben Uchida, Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp
Publisher: Scholastic, 1999
"Twelve-year-old Ben Uchida keeps a journal of his experiences as a prisoner in a Japanese internment camp in Mirror Lake, California, during World War II."

Author: Duane, Diane
Title: So You Want to be a Wizard
Publisher: Magic Carpet Books, 1983
"Nita Gallahan is only looking for a place to hide from bullies, but when she ducks into the library late one Saturday, she finds something even better, something that will make her problems with her classmates a thing of the past and introduce her to a whole new universe of danger, adventure, and to-the-death friendship....." This is the first in series of 6 books. The other 5 titles are also in the library.

Author: Dubois, William Pene
Title: The Twenty-One Balloons
Publisher: Scholastic, 1947
"Three weeks after he left San Francisco to cross the Pacific by balloon, Professor William Waterman Sherman was picked up in the Atlantic clinging to the wreckage of a platform flown by twenty-one balloons. During those weeks his only stop was on Karkatoa, an island full of fantastic balloon inventions and fabulous wealth, destroyed by the most violent volcanic eruption of all time. Professor Sherman's tale of life on Karkatoa is based on scientific fact--and absolute nonsense." Newbery Award Winner, 1948

Author: Duncan, Lois
Title: Killing Mr. Griffin
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf, 1978
"The plan was only to scare their English teacher... They never actually intended to kill Mr. Griffin. But sometimes plans go wrong."

Author: Eager, Edward
Title: Magic By the Lake
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1957
"If Jane and Mark and Katharine and Martha had stopped to think, they might have ordered magic by the pound, or by the day, or even by the halves--the way they had known it before in a book called Half Magic. But they didn't stop to think and as a result find themselves with a whole lakeful of magic. Extraordinary and unexpected things happen as they learn to tame the magic with the unwilling assistance of a sly, old turtle.

Author: Elliott, David
Illustrator: Adrea Wesson
Title: Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle
Publisher: Scholastic, 2004
"Learning to swing from the rafters, eating peanut butter sandwiches with her feet.... Evangeline Mudd has had an unusual childhood. Her primatologist parents have taken their child-rearing cues from the golden-haired ape, who resourceful and fun-loving lifestyle they deeply admire. But life takes a drastic turn when Evangeline's parents are called away from their cozy New England bungalow on a research trip to the Ikkinasti Jungle. When they mysteriously fair to return, it's up to Evangeline to travel to Ikkinasti and find them herself!"

Author: Erickson, John R.
Titles: The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog; The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog; Hank the Cowdog: It's a Dog's Life; Hank the Cowdog: Murder in the Middle Pasture; Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1983
"Guts, glory, danger, and sacrifice are all in a day's work for Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security." Well-written and amusing books for grades 3 - 7.

Author: Ester, Eleanor
Title: Ginger Pye
Publisher: Scholastic, 1951
"Meet the marvelous Pyes-- Lastly is Ginger Pye, the intellectual dog who Jerry bought for a hard-earned dollar. The most famous pup in all of Cranbury, Ginger knows tons of tricks, is as loyal as he is smart, and steals the hearts of everyone he meets...until someone steals him." Newbery Award Winner, 1952

Author: Farmer, Nancy
Title: A Girl Named Disaster
Publisher: Orchard Books, 1997
"Nhamo is a Shona Girl living in a traditional Mozambican village is 1981. When her family tries to force her into marrying a cruel man, she flees to Zimbabwe, where she hopes to find her father. But what should have been a short boat trip across the border turns into a year-long adventure filled with challenges and danger."

Author: Farmer, Nancy
Title: The Sea of Trolls
Publisher: Scholastic, 2005
"The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce you shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow name Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest in the spirit of Lord of the Rings."

Author: Fitzhugh, Louise
Title: Harriet the Spy
Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1964
"When I grow up I'm going to find out everything about everybody and put it all in a book. So writes Harriet M. Welsch, who is determined to grow up to be a famous author. In the meantime, she practices by following a regular spy route each day and writing down everything she sees in her secret notebook. Then one morning, Harriet's life is turned upside down. Her classmates find her spy notebook and read it out loud! Harriet's in big trouble."

Author: Fleischman, Sid
Illustrator: Eric Von Schmidt
Title: By the Great Horn Spoon!
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 1963
"A Newbery Medalist recreates the rip-roaring spirit of the California Gold Rush."

Author: Fletcher, Susan
Title: The Dragon Chronicles: Dragon's Milk
Publisher: Aladdin, 1992
"Before she even hears the words, Kaeldra already knows what she must do. She must search out the mother dragon whose draclings have just hatched and somehow get some of her precious milk. It is the only way to save her foster-sister's life."

Author: Funke, Cornelia
Title: The Thief Lord
Publisher: Scholastic, 2000
"Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy. Here, hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets... After escaping from their cruel aunt and uncle, orphans Prosper and Bo meet a mysterious boy who call himself the "Thief Lord." Clever and charming, the Thief Lord leads a band of street children who enjoy making mischief. But the Thief Lord also has a dark secret. And suddenly Prosper and Bo find themselves on a fantastical journey to a forgotten place. What they discover there will change the course of their destiny...forever"

Author: George, Jean Craighead
Title: Charlie's Raven
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books, 2004
"Charlie brings home Blue Sky, a baby raven with a big personality. Blue Sky imprints on Charlie and becomes a great friend and a source of amazement to the whole family, Granddad, an old naturalist, is intrigued, and he does seem to get better---at least for awhile. But caring for a wild creature is very demanding, and as Blue Sky grows, Charlie must find a way to protect him from the many dangers--both natural and human-made--in the rugged Teton Mountains where they live."

Author: George, Jean Craighead
Illustrator: John Schoenherr
Title: Julie of the Wolves
Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1972
Miyax runs away from her small Eskimo village and soon finds herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness, without food, without even a compass to guide her. Slowly she is accepted by a pack of Artic wolves, and she grows to love them. With their help, and drawing on her father's teachings, Miyax struggles day by day to survive. John Newbery Award Winner, 1973

Author: George, Jean Craighead
Illustrator: Wendell Minor
Title: Julie's Wolf Pack
Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997
"This continues the story of Julie and her wolves in which Kapu must protect his pack from famine and disease while uniting it under his new leadership."

Author: George, Jean Graighead
Title: Shark Beneath the Reef
Publisher: Harper & Row, 1989
"Tomas Torres is determined to catch a shark, the greatest prize for the fishermen of the Sea of Cortez. He dreams of carrying the mighty fish high over his head through the streets of Loreto--a hero."

Author: Gerstein, Mordicai
Title: The Old Country
Publisher: Roaring Book Press, 2005
"A grandmother tell her story of being tricked into exchanging her young body with that of a fox and trying to get it back while a wore tore apart her home and her country."

Author: Giff, Patricia Reilly
Title: Nory Ryan's Song
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2002
"Three steps, then I eased the door open. Outside it was bright as day. The moon was up, full and white, throwing sharp shadows away from me. I heard thunder somewhere, though, and the air was damp and heavy. Nighttime belonged to the sidhe, so I was afraid to take more than a few steps, but it was far enough. The potato stalks leaned against each other, limp and wet, the leaves shapeless and drifting. I pulled the edge of my petticoat to cover my nose and backed against the wall of the house. My throat felt thick. In my mind was Granny Mallon's voice: Without the potatoes we will starve to death."

Author: Giff, Patricia Reilly
Title: Pictures of Hollis Woods
Publisher: Scholastic, 2004
"Hollis Woods is the place where a baby was abandoned, is the baby's name, is an artist, is now a 12 year old girl who's been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. Hollis Woods is a mountain of trouble."

Author: Giff, Patricia Reilly
Title: Secretos de Diciembre
Publisher: DDL Books, 1984
A young reader's book written in Spanish.

Author: Grahame, Kenneth
Title: The Wind in the Willows
Publisher: Aladdin, 1999
"Kenneth Grahame's creatures endearingly share friendship (and tea) alongside the River, as together they face the turmoil of modern life and the pleasures of Arcadia."

Author: Grote, JoAnn A.
Title: The Great Depression
Publisher: Barbour,
This story provides accurate historical facts surrounding the Great Depression through a fictional family.

Author: Grove, Vicki
Title: The Starplace
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1999
"Thirteen-year-old Frannie learns hard lessons about prejudice and segregation when she becomes friends with a young black girl who moves into her small Oklahoma town in 1961."

Author: Gutman, Dan
Title: Honus & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure
Publisher: Avon/Camelot, 1997
"Joe Stoshack lives for baseball. He knows everything there is to know about the game - except how to play well. His specialty is striking out. In the middle of the night, Joe wakes up to find himself face-to-face with the star of the 1909 World Series - Honus Wagner - one of the greatest ballplayers who ever lived...and they're about to travel through time on an amazing journal that will change both their lives forever."

Author: Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Title: Just Ella
Publisher: Alladin Paperbacks, 1999
"It's a familiar story: In spite of the obstacles put in her way by her wicked stepmother, Ella goes to the ball, sweeps Prince Charming off his feet, and is chosen to be his bride. Now she's comfortably ensconced in the palace, awaiting marriage to the man of her dreams. It's happily ever after time, right? Wrong! Life for Ella has become an endless round of lessons and restrictions; even worse Prince Charming turns out to be more like Prince Boring. Why can't she talk with him the way she can with Jed, her earnest tutor? Slowly, Ella comes to realize she doesn't want the life she fought so hard to win. But breaking her engagement proves more difficult-and dangerous- than escaping her stepmother's tyranny."

Author: Hahn, Mary Downing
Title: Look for Me by Moonlight
Publisher: Avon, 1995
"They call the big old inn Underhill, and it sits on the coast of Maine - an imposing sight, looming out of the desolate landscape. The locals say the place is haunted and to sixteen-year-old Cynda, arriving to spend the long winter months with her father and his second wife, the stories just add to her feeling of isolation. But when the mysterious, darkly handsome Vincent Morthanos arrives to stay at the inn, Cynda is mesmerized. His charm and sensitivity are irresistible; his attentiveness constant. Cynda is sure she's in love. Daring to hope that the older stranger shares her feelings, Cynda is innocently blind to who he really is - or to the terrible danger of coming under his spell"

Author: Hamilton, Virginia
Title: Cousins
Publisher: Scholastic, 1990
"Cammy loves her family--except for her cousin Patty Ann. Though she knows she shouldn't feel this way, she can't help it. Patty Ann is too perfect to like, too perfect to be a friend. Then one day something terrible happens, something that can't be changed. That's when Cammy learns the truth about Patty Ann, and about family love, and forgiveness." An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Author: Hamilton, Virginia
Title: M.C. Higgins the Great
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1974
A winner of the Newbery Medal. "Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his gleaming, forty-foot pole, towering over his home on Sarah's Mountain. Stretched before him are rolling hills and shady valleys. But behind him lie the wounds of strip mining, including a mountain of rubble that may one day fall and bury his home." John Newbery Award Winner, 1975

Author: Hart, James V.
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Title: Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth
Publisher: Laura Geringer Books, 2005
"This books describes the youthful adventures of J. M. Barrie's classic character, Captain Hook, from his days at Eton to his voyages on the high seas."

Author: Henkes, Kevin
Title: Olive's Ocean
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2003
"Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends, but they weren't. Weeks after a tragic accident, all that is left are eerie connections between the two girls, former classmates who both kept the same secret without knowing it. Now, even while on vacation at the ocean, Martha can't stop thinking about Olive. Things only get more complicated when Martha begins to like Jimmy Manning, a neighbor boy she used to despise. What is going on? Can life for Martha be the same ever again?"

Author: Henry, Marguerite
Title: Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Publisher: Aladdin Books, 1953
"Relates the adventures of a little burro who blazed trails through the Grand Canyon and met many famous people in the process."

Author: Herzig, Alison Cragin
Title: The Boonsville Bombers
Publisher: Viking, 1991
"Emma Lee Benson has a dream--to play ball on her older brother's baseball team--and she's come up with a surefire three-part plan to become a Boonsville Bomber. First, she'll have to get her hands on one of the special Bombers T-Shirts. Then there's a glove at the mall that she's got her eye on. And finally she's been spending every day working on her throwing and catching. There's only one problem. The Bombers don't want a girl on the team, especially not a younger one. Emma knows that she's better than some of the boys, but it doesn't seem to matter. How can she convince the Bombers to let her play?"

Author: Hest, Amy
Title: The Great Green Notebook of Katie Roberts who just turned 12 on Monday
Publisher: Scholastic, 1998
Katie Roberts has moved from New York to Texas with her Mamma and a stepfather and a new set of twins. Katie records her life in her great green notebook.

Author: Hiaasen, Carl
Title: Hoot
Publisher: Knoph, 2002
"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."

Author: Hightman, Jason
Title: The Saint of Dragons
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004
"After a lonely childhood at the Lighthouse School for Boys, thirteen-year-old Simon learns that he is descended from a medieval dragonslayer, and that his father needs his help to face the last of these evil monsters."

Author: Hillerman, Tony
Title: The Boy Who Made Dragonfly: A Zuni Myth Retold by Tony Hillerman
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 1972
"Retells a Zuni myth in which a young boy and his sister gain the wisdom that makes them leaders of their people through the intercession of a dragonfly."

Author: Hobbs, Will
Title: The Maze
Publisher: Morrow Junior Books, 1998
"Just fourteen, Rick Walker is alone, on the run and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere."

Author: Hobbs, Will
Title: Far North
Publisher: Avon Camelot, 1996
"From the window of the small floatplane, fifteen-year-old Gabe Rogers is getting his first look at Canada's magnificent Northwest Territories with Raymond Providence, his roommate from Boarding school. Below is the spectacular Nahanni River -- wall-to-wall whitewater racing between sheer cliffs and plunging over Virginia Falls. The pilot sets the plane down on the the lake-like surface of the upper river for a closer look at the thundering falls. Suddenly the engine quits. The only sound is a dull roar downstream, as the Cessna drifts helplessly toward the falls.....".

Author: Hobbs, Will
Title: Jason's Gold
Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999
"When news of the discovery of gold in Canada's Yukon in 1897 reaches fifteen-year-old Jason, he embarks on a 5,000 mile journey to strike it rich."

Author: Hoffman, Alice
Title: Indigo
Publisher: Scholastic, 2002
"Oak Grove is a dry, dusty town haunted by memories of a past flood. Everyone dreads the water--except two brothers. Trevor and Eli McGill. Nicknamed Trout and Eel for their darting quickness and the thin webbing between their fingers and toes, the boys dream of the farthest seas of a mysterious past they barely remember."

Author: Hoffman, Mary
Title: The Falconer's Knot: a story of friars, flirtation and foul play
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2007
"Silvano and Chiara, teens sent to live in a friary and a nunnery in Renaissance Italy, are drawn to one another and dream of a future together, but when murders are committed in the friary, they must discover who is behind the crimes before they can realize their love."

Author: Horvath, Polly
Title: Everything on a Waffle
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2001
"Eleven-year-old Primrose living in a small fishing village in British Columbia recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea."

Author: Howe, Deborah and James
Title: Bunnicula: a Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1979
"Before it's too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household - a suspicious looking bunny with unusual habits and fangs!"

Author: Hunt, Irene
Title: Across Five Aprils
Publisher: Berkley Jam Books, 1986
"The Newbery Award-winning author of Up a Road Slowly presents the unforgettable story of Jethro Creighton-- a brave boy who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War."

Author: Ibbotson, Eva
Illustrator: Kevin Hawkes
Title: Journey to the River Sea
Publisher: Scholastic, 2001
"Sent to live with distant relatives on a rubber plantation in Brazil, Maia must leave her cozy boarding school in London for the unknown wilderness of the Amazon jungle. She is swept up in a mystery involving a young Indian boy, a homesick child actor, and a missing inheritance."

Author: Jacques, Brian
Title: Castways of the Flying Dutchman
Publisher: Philomel Books, 2001
"In 1620, a boy and his dog are rescued from the doomed ship, Flying Dutchman, by an angel who guides them in traveling the world, eternally helping those in great need."

Author: Jacques, Brian
Title: Lord Brocktree: A Novel of Redwall
Publisher: Ace Books, 2000
"The medieval world of Redwall Abbey - where gallant mouse warriors triumph over evil invaders-- has truly become the stuff of legends." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Author: Jacques, Brian
Title: Marlfox: A Novel of Redwall
Publisher: Ace Books, 1998
"The medieval world of Redwall Abbey - where gallant mouse warriors triumph over evil invaders-- has truly become the stuff of legends." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Author: Jacques, Brian
Title: Martin the Warrior
Publisher: Ace Books, 1993
"As a child, Martin was brought to the stronghold of Badrang the Tyrant, forced into enslavement behind its massive walls. But he was strong. He was brave. And more escape was not his plan, as long as his father's sword rested in Badrang's ruthless fist...."

Author: Jacques, Brian
Title: Triss: A Novel of Redwall
Publisher: Ace Books, 2002
"Once again, Jacques has created a wonderfully imaginative and beautifully realized universe, filled to the brim with amazing and amusing characters." Library Journal

Author: Johnson, Harriet McBryde
Title: Accidents of Nature
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, 2006
"Having always prided herself on blending in with "normal" people despite her cerebral palsy, seventeen-year-old Jean begins to question her role in the world while attending a summer camp for children with disabilities."

Author: Johnson, Maureen
Title: Devilish
Publisher: Penguin Books, 2006
"Jane Jarvis and Allison Concord are desperate to get through senior year at Saint Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls, where barbed wire keeps the boys out and ancient nuns keep the girls in." This is a humorous tale with surprise twists and supernatural tones.

Author: Kadohata, Cynthia
Title: Kira - Kira
Publisher: Atheneum Books, 2004
Kira - Kira means glittering:, shining in Japanese. "When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always some glittering - kira-kira...in the future." Newbery Award Winner, 2005

Author: Kehret, Peg
Title: Terror at the Zoo
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1992
"Will appeal to animal lovers looking for a spook story with plenty of suspense." - SLJ

Author: Kelly, Marty
Illustrator: June Goldsborough
Title: Green-Up; The story of a buffalo
Publisher: American Heritage Press, 1971
The story of a buffalo named Nokee, who was crippled in an accident, but with pride and courage keeps up with the herd. Her courage secured for her the respect of Indian hunting parties, who believed she had a great heart and perhaps had been chosen by Adadadea, the Great Spirit, to become a symbol to her red brothers.

Author: Kerr, Judith
Title: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Publisher: Scholastic, 1971
"Anna was so busy with her schoolwork and friends that she hardly had time to notice Adolf Hitler's face glaring out of political posters all over Berlin. But one morning her father was gone and then she and her brother had to sneak out of Germany."

Author: Konigsburg, E.L.
Title: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Publisher: Thorndike Press, 1967
"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 changer person and a heroine to herself." Newbery Award Winner, 1968

Author: Konigsburg, E.L.
Title: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1973
"Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife to two kings, mother to two others, has been waiting in Heaven a long time--eight centuries, more or less--to be reunited with her second husband, Henry II of England. Finally, the day has come when Henry will be judged for admission. While Eleanor, never a patient woman in life or afterlife, waits, three people, each of whom was close to Eleanor during a time of her life, join her. Their reminiscences do far more than help distract Eleanor--they also paint a rich portrait of an extraordinary women who was front and center in a remarkable period in history and whose accomplishments have had an important influence on society through the ages."

Author: Konigsburg, E. L.
Title: The View from Saturday
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Domain, 1996
"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." John Newbery Award Winner, 1997

Author: Kjelgaard, Jim
Title: Big Red
Publisher: Bantam Skylark, 1945
"From the moment Danny sees the beautiful Irish setter, he knows Red is the dog for him. Fast and smart, strong and noble, Red is the only dog Danny wants by his side. Son, neither boy nor dog can stand to be apart. Together Danny and Red face many dangers in the harsh Wintapi wilderness that they call home."

Author: L'Engle, Madeleine
Title: Dragons in the Water
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf, 1976
"Thirteen-year old Simon Renier has no idea when he boards the M.S. Orion with his cousin Forsyth Phair that the journey will take him not only to Venezuela, but into his past as well. His original plan--to return a family heirloom, a portrait of Simon Bolivar, to its rightful place--is sidetracked when cousin Forsyth is found murdered. Then, when the portrait is stolen, all passengers and crew become suspect."

Author: L'Engle, Madeleine
Title: A Ring of Endless Light
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf, 1980
"Vicky Austin is filled with strong feelings as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes on beautiful Seven Bay Island is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate things, she finds herself the center of attention for three very different boys." A Newbery Honor Book

Author: L'Engle, Madeleine
Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962
"This is a story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe. They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government of the tesseract problem." Newbery Award Winner, 1963

Author: Lasky, Kathryn
Title: The Captive
Publisher: Scholastic, 2003
"Soren is born in the forest of Tyto, a tranquil kingdom where the Barn Owls dwell. But evil lurks in the owl world, evil that threatens to shatter Tyto's peace and change the course of Soren's life forever."

Author: Lasky, Kathryn
Title: Portraits: Dancing Through Fire
Publisher: Scholastic, 2005
"Welcome to nineteenth-century Paris and the world of Dega's dancers. Samll but spirited Sylvie is a pupil at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet, where tutus must always be starched and pointe shoes fresh. Sylvie's hopes are pinned on becoming a prima ballerina...until war breaks out. Sylvie's life is thrown into turmoil and tragedy that feel very far from the beauty of the stage. Sylvie must draw upon the strength that ballet gives her if she is to survive -- and realize her dreams."

Author: Lawson, Robert
Title: Rabbit Hill
Publisher: Troll Associates, 1944
New people were moving into the big house. "All the animals of the Hill were very excited about the news and wondered how things would change. Would the new Folks bring dogs, traps, and guns? Or would they be planting Folks who would care for the land and grow rich crops. It had been years since there had been a garden at the House." Newbery Award Winner, 1945

Author: Le Guin, Ursula K.
Title: Catwings
Publisher: Scholastic, 1988
"Mrs. Jane Tabby could not explain why all four of her children had wings. But it meant that her dreams for her kittens would someday come true."

Author: Levine, Gail Carson
Title: Ella Enchanted
Publisher: Scholastic, 1997
"This refreshing take on one of the world's most popular fairy tales preserves the spirit of the original but adds plenty of humorous twists and a spunky, intelligent female lead." -- The Kirkus Review A Newbery Honor Book

Author: Lindgren, Astrid
Title: Pippi Goes on Board
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1957
"Another hilarious story about Swedish Pippi Longstockings...The purchase and consumption of thirty-six pounds of candy; the rescue of an exhausted horse (which Pippi carried home to its stall); a decidedly unconventional day at school; the capture of an escaped tiger and the defeat of the village bully are a few of the things with which Pippi occupied herself and her friends during Captain Longstocking's absence."

Author: Lowry, Lois
Title: Gathering Blue
Publisher: Laurel Leaf, 2000
A companion novel to The Giver. "Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world--and to find out what exists beyond it."

Author: Lowry, Lois
Title: The Giver
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1993
"Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve he is singled out to receive special training from the Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life." Newbery Award Winner, 1994.

Author: Lowry, Lois
Title: Gathering Blue
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books, 2000
"A companion to the Newbery Award Winner The Giver. Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world--and to find out what exists beyond it."

Author: Lowry, Lois
Title: Number the Stars
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1989
"In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis." Newbery Award Winner, 1990

Author: Lowry, Lois
Title: The Silent Boy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003
"Katy Thatcher was the bright and curious daughter of the town doctor: She was fascinated by her father's work, and even as a child she already knew that she too wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to know about people. Perhaps it was this, her insatiable curiosity, or simply the charm of Jacob's gentle intimacy with animals large and small the fueled their friendship."

Author: Lynch, Janet Nichols
Title: Casey Wooster's Pet Care Service
Publisher: Atheneum, 1993
"While Casey Wooster's mom tries to make it as a Hollywood actress, Casey struggles to get alone better with her stepmom, Mollie and her stepbrother, Benjamin. But she really wants so much to spend the summer with her mom....Only neither her mom nor her dad can give Casey airfare. So Casey, with Benjamin's help, goes into business with a pet care service."

Author: Lynch, Janet Nichols
Title: Peace is a Four-Letter Word
Publisher: Heyday Books, 2005
"When high school student Emily Rankin meets a radical English teacher, the popular cheerleader begins to question her own basic values, the was in Iraq, and the direction her future will take."

Author: MacHale, D. J.
Title: Pendragon, Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space: The Never War
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2003
"Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is a loyal friend, sports star, and devoted pet owner---and Traveler. Along with his Uncle Press, Bobby has visited the alternate dimension of Denduron and Participated in a civil war. He's also waded through the endangered underwater territory of Cloral. Now Bobby once agian finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth. Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral--Spader--have flumed to New York City, 1937. Against a backdrop of gangsters, swing music, and the distant sound of a brewing war, the two must uncover the evil Saint Dane's newest plot."

Author: MacLachlan, Patricia
Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Publisher: Harper/Trophy, 1985
"Their mother died the day after Caleb was born. Their house on the prairie is quiet now and Papa doesn't sing anymore. Then Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from one Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine." Newbery Award Winner, 1986

Author: McKinley, Robin
Title: Beauty
Publisher: Harper/Collins, 1978
"Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows that she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protest that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?""

Author: McKinley, Robin
Title: The Hero and the Crown
Publisher: An Ace Book, 1984
"It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. Aerin was that daughter. But there was more of the story yet to be told: Aerin's destiny was greater than even she had dreamed." Newbery Award winner, 1985

Author: McMullan, Kate
Illustrator: Diane de Groat
Title: Great Advice From Lila Fenwick
Publisher: Dial Books, 1988
"In a number of adventures both hilarious and serious, Lila and Rita learn a great deal--not only about birds, bees, and boys---but also about How to Be Prepared, How to Discover the Secrets of the Stars, and about themselves and the deeper meaning of friendship."

Author: Mahy, Margaret
Title: Memory
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf,1987
"Nineteen-year-old Jonny is haunted by his sister's accidental death. Hoping to quiet his troubled memories, he wanders the deserted city street at night, looking for peace of mind. But instead he meets Sophie, who has Alzheimer's disease. If Jonny has too vivid a memory, Sophie has bits and pieces, or none at all. She lives alone in genteel but dreadful squalor, with her family of cats and her jumbled past and present. Unwillingly, Jonny finds himself taking responsibility for the dotty but gallant old lady. In Sophie's wacky house, past and present merge, and Jonny begins to see an end to his relentless, restless, memories."

Author: Meyer, L. A.
Title: Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
Publisher: Harcourt, 2002
"Jacky Faber is used to fighting for survival. For an orphan on the streets of eighteenth-century London, every day starts with begging and ends with an empty stomach. But now luck is finally on Jacky's side--a departing warship is taking on ship's boys, and Jacky jumps at the chance to pursue pirates and riches beyond imagination. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl."

Author: Marguerite, Henry
Title: Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Publisher: Scholastic, 1954
"This is a true story about a simple horse who through pure spirit rose to greatness. His descendants would become the Morgan horses, a line renowned throughout the world." A Newbery Honor Book

Author: Marguerite, Henry
Title: Misty of Chincoteague
Publisher: Scholistic, 1947
"For years Paul and Maureen have raised ponies on their grandfather's farm, only to watch them be sold to some stranger as soon as they're grown. They can't take it anymore; they need a horse of their own!" A Newbery Honor Book

Author: Marguerite, Henry
Title: Stormy, Misty's Foal
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1963
"A foal, born in the aftermath of a great storm, and her famous mother help raise money to repair the storm damage on Chincoteague Island and restore the herds of wild ponies on Assateague Island."

Author: Mikaelsen, Ben
Title: Petey
Publisher: Hyperion, 1998
"Moving to a new town is no fun for Trevor Ladd, and it only gets worse when he protects a nursing home patient from the neighborhood bullies. As he chases them off, he can't imagine that his life is about to change. Petey has spent his life in institutions. Born with cerebral palsy, he was misdiagnosed as an infant and grew up in mental institutions. As an adult, he is bound by his wheelchair and struggles to communicate with the people around him. But Petey sees something in Trevor and is determined to become his friend--and Trevor soon learns that there is more to Petey than meets the eye."

Author: Mikaelsen, Ben
Title: Touching Spirit Bear
Publisher: HarperTrophy, 2001
"At fifteen, Cole Matthews has been fighting and stealing for years. The punishment for smashing Peter Driscal's skull into the sidewalk - his most recent crime - is harsh. This time, Cole will have to choose between prison and Native American Circle Justice. He will live either behind bars or in isolation for one year. Cole chooses Circle Justice. But in the first days of his banishment to a remote Alaskan island, he is mauled by a mysterious white bear and nearly dies. Will the attack of the spirit bear destroy Cole's life or save his soul?"

Author: Miline, A.A.
Title: The House at Pooh Corner
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1928
"Pooh and Christopher Robin are the best of friends. Their adventures are always sure to be interesting--especially if they're joined by Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, and the newest resident of the Hundred Acre Wood, Tigger."

Author: Napoli, Donna Jo
Title: Bound
Publisher: Antheneum, 2004
"In a novel based on Chinese Cinderella tales, fourteen-year-old stepchild Xing, Xing endures a life of neglect and servitude, as her stepmother cruelly mutilates her own child's feet so that she alone might marry well."

Author: Nayor, Phyllis Reynolds
Title: Shiloh
Publisher: Yearling, 1991
Marty finds a young beagle that he sure is being abused by his owner. His parents say he must take the dog back but Mary secretly decides he'll do anything to save the dog he names Shiloh. Newbery Award Winner, 1992

Author: Nicholson, William
Title: The Wind Singer
Publisher: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2000
"Kestrel Hath's schoolroom rebellion against the stifling caste system of Aramanth leads to explosive consequences for her and her family: they are relegated to the city's lowest caste and are ostracized. With nothing left to lose, Kestrel and her twin brother, Bowman, do the unthinkable; they leave the city walls. Their only hope to rescue the rest of their family is to find the key to the wind singer, a now-defunct device in the city's center, which was once the source of happiness and harmony in Aramanth."

Author: Nix, Garth
Title: Abhorsen
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003
"Orannis the destroyer has been freed and only Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-waiting, has any chance of stopping it. She and her companions--Sam the disreputable Dog, and Mogget--have to take that chance. If Orannis's unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With the help of her companions and a vision from the Clayr to guide her, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer--before it is too late."

Author: Nix, Garth
Title: The Ragwitch
Publisher: Harper/Collins, 1990
"Quiet, easygoing Paul never expected to be cast in the role of savior. But his strong-willed sister, Julia, has come under the thrall of the Ragwitch, and Paul himself is drawn not only into the creature's world but into a battle for Julia's very existence--as well as his own."

Author: Nix, Garth
Title: The Seventh Tower: Renir
Publisher: Scholastic, 2001
"The dream world Renir is not a safe place. One wrong step can lead to danger, entrapment...or death. Tal and Milla must fight their way through this shifting landscape. They are searching for the Codex, a strange and magical object that will decide the fate of their worlds."

Author: O'Brien, Robert C.
Title: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Publisher: Atheneum Books, 1971
"Life has been hard for Mrs. Frisby since her husband fell prey to Dragon, the farm cat. A mouse can only do so much on he own, and when her youngest son becomes dangerously ill and needs to be moved in order to avoid the farmer's spring plough, she has no idea what to do. Advised to ask the rats that live under the rose bush for help, Mrs. Frisby is hesitant--they have always kept to themselves, and the other creatures in the farmyard think them an odd lot." Newbery Award Winner, 1972

Author: O'Dell, Scott
Title: The Castle in the Sea
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984
"The inheritance of her father's vast fortune and contact with a variety of people with suspicious motives trigger a series of attempts on Luncinda's life in her isolated island home, which is a stronghold of Spain within the boundaries of the United States."

Author: O'Dell, Scott
Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Publisher: Yearling, 1960
"This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery." Newbery Award Winner, 1961

Author: Oppel, Kenneth
Title: Silverwing
Publisher: Aladdin, 1997
"When a newborn bat name Shade but sometimes called Runt becomes separated from his colony during migration he grows in ways that prepare him for even greater journeys."

Author: Osborne, Mary Pope
Title: Dear America Series; My Secret War: the World War II Diary of Madeline Beck
Publisher: Scholastic, 2000
"Thirteen-year-old Madeline's diaries for 1941 and 1942 reveal her experience on Long Island during World War II while her father is away in the navy."

Author: Park, Barbara
Titles: Junie B. Jones and that Mean Jim's Birthday; and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying: Loves Handsome Warren; Has a Monster Under Her Bed
Publisher: Scholastic, 1994 and on
"The world's funniest kindergartner is back...." Amusing books written for the younger reader.

Author: Park, Linda Sue
Title: A Single Shard
Publisher: Dell Yearling, 2001
"Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a twelfth-century Korean potters' village. For a long time he is content to live with Crane-man under a bridge, barely surviving on scraps of food. All of that changes when Tree-ear sees master potter Min making his beautiful pottery. Tree-ear sneaks into Min's workplace and dreams of creating his own pots someday. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage. Though the work is long and hard, Tree-ear is eager to learn. Then he is sent to the King's Court to show the master's pottery. Little does Tree-ear know that this difficult and dangerous journey will change his life forever." Newbery Award Winner, 2002

Author: Paterson, Katherine
Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Publisher: Crowell, 1977
"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." Newbery Award Winner, 1978

Author: Paterson, Katherine
Title: Come Sing, Jimmy Jo
Publisher: Avon Flare, 1985
"Everyone in James Johnson's family is in the music business, singing together as a country act called the Family. So when he gets old enough, it's only natural that he go on stage too, singing and playing his guitar with that special feeling his beloved grandma calls 'the gift'."

Author: Paterson, Katherine
Title: The Great Gilly Hopkins
Publisher: Harper/Collins, 1978
"The one thing Gilly wants is a home of her own. It only she could find her mother, Courtney, and live with her. Instead, she finds herself in yet another ugly foster home, the responsibility of frumpy Maime Trotter, who is almost illiterate. How can the great Gilly Hopkins be expected to tolerate Maime, or a freaky foster brother name William Ernest? Or the poetry-loving black man who lives next door but is considered part of the "family"?

Author: Patron, Susan
Title: The Higher Power of Lucky
Publisher: Atheneum Books, 2006
"Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away whle also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life."

Author: Paulsen, Gary
Title: Tucket's Ride
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 1997
"When 15 year old Francis and two younger children lose their way in the wilderness of the Southwest, they face capture during the Mexican War."

Author: Paulsen, Gary
Title: The Voyage of the Frog
Publisher: Yearling, 1989
"Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth intended only to fulfill his uncle's last wish when he set sail in the Frog, but when a savage storm slams the tiny sailboat, David is stranded. No wind. No radio. Little water. Seven cans of food. And the storm is just the first challenge David must face....."

Author: Pearce, Philippa
Title: The Way to Sattin Shore
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 1983
"Kate Tranter is fatherless---or is she? The evidence of the tombstone she finds in the churchyard seems conclusive. And yet... Her search for the truth leads to Sattin Shore: and the way to Sattin Shore turns out to be a way into the past."

Author: Peck, Richard
Title: Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death
Publisher: Yearling, 1986
"'Find me and see me home. It is my command to you both.' So says the spirit of the ancient Egyptian princess Sat-Hather to Blossom Culp and her friend Alexander. Enraged that her tomb has been rifled and her mummy stolen, the princess has communicated with Blossom, a high school student with psychic powers, and threatens poor Blossom with a certain curse--unless Blossom and Alexander can locate the missing mummy." This is part of a series of books about Blossom set in the early 1900's and they are always amusing.

Author: Peck, Richard
Title: A Year Down Yonder
Publisher: Dial, 2000
"With its masterfully interwoven tales of moonlit adventures, lovesick maidens, and fools made to suffer in unusual (and always hilarious) ways, it's a year readers will want to return to time and again." Newbery Award Winner, 2001

Author: Peck, Robert Newton
Illustrator: Charles Robinson
Title: Soup on Wheels
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981
"The Annual Spring Costume Contest has been revived and Soup and Rob have high hopes for winning it. According to Soup, how you enter is more important that what you wear. But like most of their good ideas, Soup and Rob's plan for a grand entrance leads to more trouble than triumph."

Author: Pennypacker, Sara
Illustrator: Marla Frazee
Title: Clementine
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, 2006
Clementine is an active third grader that accidentally moves from one disaster to another.

Author: Perkins, Lynne Rae
Title: Criss Cross
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2005
"Teenagers in a small town experience new thoughts and feelings, question their identities, connect, and disconnect as they search for the meaning of life and more." Newberry Award Winner, 2006

Author: Pfitsch, Patricia Curtis
Title: Riding the Flume
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002
"In 1894, fifteen-year-old Francie determines to fight the lumbermen and protect the largest sequoia tree ever seen which had been given to her sister just before her death six years earlier."

Author: Pierce, Tamora
Title: Book One of the Circle Opens Quartet: Magic Steps
Publisher: Scholastic, 2000
"Lady Sandrilene Fa Toren knows all about unusual magic-she herself spins and weaves it like thread. But when she witnesses a boy dancing a spell, even she is confounded. To her dismay, Sandry learns that as the mage who discovered the power of the young dancer, she must be his teacher."

Author: Pierce, Tamora
Title: Squire
Publisher: Random House, 2001
"Keladry of Mindelan has completed her four years as a page. Now, at the age of fourteen and standing at five foot ten, she is a squire--the second phase of training for knighthood in the land of Tortall."

Author: Pierce, Tamora
Title: Protector of the Small
Publisher: Random House, 2002
"Keladry of Mindelan has finally achieved her lifelong dream of being a knight. But it isn't turning out as she imagined at all. With the land of Tortall at war with the Scanrans, she has been assigned the enormous responsibility of overseeing a refugee camp. To add to her burden, Kel has had a vision in the Chamber --a vision of the man behind the horrific battle machines that her fellow knights and friends are now fighting without her."

Author: Pope, Elizabeth Marie
Title: The Perilous Gard
Publisher: Scholastic, 1974
"Because her sister Alicia sent an impulsive letter to Queen Mary, Kate Sutton, lady-in-waiting go Princess Elizabeth has been exiled. Sent to Elvenwood, "the Perilous Gard," Kate is intrigued by the master of the isolated castle, Sir Geoffrey Heron, and his strangely silent brother, Christopher. Elvenwood is shrouded in secrets that no one will explain to Kate, so she sets out to find some answers on her own. But her curiosity almost kills her."

Author: Pullman, Philip
Title: The Golden Compass
Publisher: Yearling, 1995
"Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her deamon familiar always at her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle--a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far north, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle."

Author: Raskin, Ellen
Title: Figgs and Phantoms
Publisher: E.P. Dutton, 1974
"Mona was miserable. So would you be (maybe) is the Figgs in your family consisted sister Figg Newton, Tap Dancer and Baton Twirler (mother); Truman, the Human Pretzel (uncle); Romulus, the Walking Book of Knowledge, and Remus, the Talking Adding Machine (uncles); and Kadota and his Nine Performing Kanines (uncle & ?)

Author: Rawls, Wilson
Title: Where the Red Fern Grows
Publisher: LaurelLeaf, 1961
"A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. Old Dan had the brawn. Little Ann had the brains--and Billy had the will to train them to be the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming tothem, but sadness waited too. And close by was the strange and wonderful power that's only found ....Where the Red Fern Grows."

Author: Rees, Celia
Title: Pirates!
Publisher: Scholastic, 2003
"Thrown together by chance, ambitious for adventure by nature, Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington defy the expectations of everyone around them and take to the high seas on the pirate ship Deliverance. A thrilling journey across the the world ensues."

Author: Reit, Seymour
Title: Behind Rebel Lines
Publisher: Gulliver/ division of Harcourt, 1988
"In 1861, when the war erupted between the states, President Lincoln made an impassioned plea for volunteers. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, Emma Edmonds cropped her hair, donned men's clothing, and enlisted in the Union Army. Everyone, ever her fellow soldiers, thought she was a man."

Author: Rinaldi, Ann
Title: Taking Liberty
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2002
"Oney Judge is a slave. But on the plantation of Mount Vernon, the beautiful home of George and Martha Washington, she is not called a slave. She is referred to as a servant, and a house servant at that--a position of influence and respect. When she rise to the position of personal servant to Martha Washington, her status among the household staff--black or white--is second to none. She is Lady Washington's closest confidante and for all intents and purposes, a member of the the family---or so she thinks."

Author: Rockwell, Thomas
Title: How to Eat Fried Worms
Publisher: Yearling, 1973
"Because of a bet, Billy is in the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days."

Author: Rowling, J. K.
Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Publisher: Scholastic, 1999
"Harry's second year at Hogwarts brings fresh torments and horrors: a stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls' bathroom. But then the real trouble begins--someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone." Second of the series

Author: Rowling, J. K.
Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Publisher: Scholastic, 2000
"Harry Potter is midway through both his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place a Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for hundreds of years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal --- even by wizarding standards. And in his case different can be deadly." Fourth in the series.

Author: Rowling, J. K.
Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Publisher: Scholastic, 1999
"For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner names Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now her has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, He's at Hogwarts....He's at Hogwarts. Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst." Third of the series

Author: Rowling, J. K.
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1997
"Rescued form the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." First of the series

Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz
Title: Esperanza Rising
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2000
"Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl could want: fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants in the bountiful region of Aguascalientes, Mexico; and the promise of one day rising to Mama's position and presiding over all of El Rancho de las Roas. But a sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. There they confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression."

Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz
Title: Riding Freedom
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1998
"Charlotte Parkhurst never acted like most other girls. She climbed trees and fought with boys and worked in a stable. She had a way with horses that was like nothing folks had ever seen. In the mid-1800's, some people didn't think it was proper for a girl to behave like Charlotte, and they tried to stop her. But Charlotte was smart and she came up with a plan that would let her live her life the way she wanted--a plan so clever and so secret that almost no one figured it out."

Author: Rylant, Cynthia
Title: Missing May
Publisher: Yearling, 1992
"Since Summer was six years old she lived with dear Aunt May and Uncle Ob. Now, six years later, Aunt May has died. Summer, who misses May with all her might, is afraid something will happen to Ob. Most days Ob seems like he doesn't want to go on." Newbery Award Winner, 1993

Author: Sachar, Louis
Title: Holes
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998
"Louis Sachar weaves a narrative puzzle that tangles and untangles, until it becomes clear that the hand of fate has been at work in the lives of the characters--and their forebears--for generations. It is a darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment." Newbery Award Winner, 1999

Author: Sachar, Louis
Title: Wayside School Get a Little Stranger
Publisher: Avon, Camelot, 1995
"All the kids from Wayside School had to spend 243 days in horrible schools while Wayside was closed to get rid of the cows (Don't Ask!) Now the kids are back and the fun begins again on every floor. Miss Mush has prepared a special lunch of baked liver in Purple sauce, and it's Pet Day on the 30th floor--with dogs and cats and frogs and skunks and pigs, and an orange named Fido causing a terrible commotion."

Author: Snicket, Lemony
Title: The Bad Beginning
Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999
"After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune."

Author: Snyder, Zilpha Keatley
Title: Cat Running
Publisher: Yearling, 1994
"Cat Kinsey is the fastest runner in Brownwood School. She's hoping to win the sixth-grade girls' race and the Winner's Grand Finale, too, as she did last year. But her old-fashioned father won't let her wear slacks like the other girls" This story is set during the Great Depression and relates the plight of the Okies.

Author: Snyder, Zilpha Keatley
Title: Gib Rides Home
Publisher: Yearling, 1998
"Eleven-year-old Gibson Whittaker has not known much comfort or kindness living at for Lovell House Home for Orphaned and Abandoned boys. When Gibs is farmed out, he arrives at the home he's always dreamed of. He works hard and takes pride in how well he can "talk" to horses as he learns to be a wrangler. But this troubled family, full of tensions and secrets, is not what he had hoped for; and anyway, he's just a farm-out. Gib wonders whether he will every truly belong anywhere." This story is set in America in the early 1900's.

Author: Speare, Elizabeth George
Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Publisher: Yearling, 1987
Kit Tyler hates new life in the Connecticut Colony where she is leaving with her Puritan relatives. Then she finds another lone and mysterious stranger, known to the community as the Witch of Blackbird Pond. When their friendship is discovered the community accuses Kit herself with witchcraft. Newbery Award Winner, 1959

Author: Spinelli, Jerry
Title: Maniac Magee
Publisher: Scholastic, 1990
"Maniac Magee was a legend. Kids were always talking abut how fast he could run; how high he could jump; how no knot would stay knotted once he began to untie it. But the thing Maniac Magee was best known for is what he did for the kind from the white East End and those from the black West end of Twin Mill." "A parable-like story about racism and ignorance." - Kirkus Newbery Award Winner, 1991

Author: Spinelli, Jerry
Title: Stargirl
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
"From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of "Stargirl, Stargirl." She captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal."

Author: Steig, William
Title: Abel's Island
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976
"With inimitable style, Steig tells the story of a mouse, Abelard Hasssam di Chirico Flint, who gets swept away in a driving rainstorm while rescuing his wife's scarf and winds up stranded on a river island for a year." A Newbery Honor Book

Author: Taylor, Mildred D.
Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1976
"Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year--the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black--to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood" Newbery Award Winner, 1977.

Author: Taylor, Theodore
Title: The Weirdo
Publisher: Avon, 1991
"The call Chip Clewt, who tracks bears, The Weirdo. But no one knows much about him. Only that he lives in the eerie swamp where Samantha Sanders found a body and where she saw another body get dumped. Finally she meets The Weirdo, sees his scarred face, looks into his tortured soul, and becomes his friend. Together, they begin the nightmare search for the killer who has stalked innocent victims through the murky waters and dangerous marshes of the swamp."

Author: Voigt, Cynthia
Title: Dicey's Song
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 1982
"The four Tillerman children finally have a home at their grandmother's rundown farm on the Maryland shore. It's what Dicey has dreamed of for her three younger siblings, but after watching over the others for so long, it's hard to let go. Who is Dicey, if she's no longer the caretaker of her family?" Newbery Award Winner 1983

Author: Warner, Gertrude Chandler
Title: Houseboat Mystery
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 1967
Part of the famous Alden Family Mysteries series.

Author: Wells, Rosemary
Title: The Man in the Woods
Publisher: Scholastic, 1984
"Helen wasn't thinking when she followed the man in the woods. She just wanted to catch him and help the police solve their case. But when the detectives made the arrest, Helen knew they had the wrong man. She was sure the real criminal was still out there. She had seen him. An he had seen her. Now he's trying to scare her. First it's the locket with the picture horribly scarred. Then the Christmas song with the words made into a threat. Helen's not safe wherever she goes. The man in the woods is waiting for her. And unless she discovers his secret soon, she'll never live to tell it."

Author: White, E. B.
Illustrator: Williams, Garth
Title: Charlotte's Web
Publisher: HarperTrophy, 1952
"What the book is about is friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and death, trust and treachery, pleasure and pain, and the passing of time. As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done." -Eudora Welty, New York Times Book Review

Author: White, E.B.
Ilustrator: Garth Williams
Title: Stuart Little
Publisher: Scholastic, 1973
"Stuart Little's family love him dearly although he's a very unusual baby. He doesn't look anything like his mother, father, or his brother, George. In fact Stuart looks very much like a very tiny mouse!"

Author: Wrede, Patricia C.
Title: Dealing With Dragons
Publisher: Harcourt Brace, 1990
"Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved in fighting against some disreputable wizards who ant to steal away the dragons' kingdom."

Author: Winthrop, Elizbeth
Title: The Castle in the Attic
Publisher: Yearling, 1985
"Winthrop has the real gift for fantasy, creating a believable imaginary world that nevertheless relates to the real world. William's attic castle is also the castle of William himself." - Madeleine L'Engle

Author: Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Title: These Happy Golden Years
Publisher: Harper & Row, 1943
"In the eight 'Little House' book, Laura, not yet sixteen, teaches school for the first time in an abandoned claim shanty, twelve miles from home."

Author: Yolen, Jane
Title: Dragon's Blood
Publisher: Harcourt Inc., 1982
Jakkin is fifteen and a bond servant, which is little better than a slave. He labors for Master Sarkkhan in the dragon barns, tending to the beautiful beasts who are raised to fight in the pits."

Newbery Award Winners

Author: James, Will
Title: Smoky, The Cowhorse
Publisher: Scholastic, 1926
"Smoky is a wild colt with a lot of spirit. From his early life on the open range he shows that he is a horse to be reckoned with, fighting off wolves and mountain lions alike. There's one predator he can't beat--man. But Smoky quickly realizes that Clint, a good natured cowboy, is his friend, who helps him become the best cow horse in the Western territory." Newbery Aware Winner, 1927

Author: Henry, Marguerite
Title: King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1976
A book to delight all horse lovers and those who like adventure. Newbery Award Winner, 1949

Author: Angeli de, Marguerite
Title: The Door in the Wall
Publisher: Dell, 1949
"Ever since he can remember, Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke: He falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark's, where he is taught woodcarving and--much harder--patience and strength." Newbery Award Winner, 1950

Author: Hamilton, Virginia
Title: M.C. Higgins the Great
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1974
A winner of the Newbery Medal. "Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his gleaming, forty-foot pole, towering over his home on Sarah's Mountain. Stretched before him are rolling hills and shady valleys. But behind him lie the wounds of strip mining, including a mountain of rubble that may one day fall and bury his home." Newbery Award Winner, 1975

Author: Cooper, Susan
Title: The Grey King
Publisher: Aladdin, 1975
"In this volume of The Dark is Rising sequence, Will Stanton, visiting in Wales, is swept into a desperate quest to find the golden harp and to awaken the ancient Sleepers." Newbery Award Winner, 1976

Author: Taylor, Mildred D.
Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1976
"Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year--the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black--to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood" Newbery Award Winner, 1977.

Author: Raskin, Ellen
Title: The Westing Game
Publisher: Scholastic, 1978
"One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is a Westing heir. The other is you." Newbery Award Winner, 1979

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