suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Written in 1949 and set in a grim London of the future, Orwell’s now-classic novel of Big Brother and the Thought Police is still chilling. Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth, is gravely endangered simply because he has a memory.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​The Boy wishes to get to the other side of the water. The Bear, captain of the rowboat Harriet, is happy to take him across. So begins a journey, like no other. Will they make it to their destination, despite high seas, half a comic book and ... hunger?

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

​Raised in privilege as a Prince, Khemri is humbled to find out he is only one of hundreds of candidates who are being tested to lead an intergalactic empire.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Zoes ambition to be a famous concert pianist gets off to a rocky start when her father buys her a Perfectone D-60 electric organ instead of the baby grand piano of her dreams.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Two sisters are sent to Sweden to escape persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. Stephie, the older, has a hard time adjusting. Her strict foster mother expects her to accept the local Pentecostal Christian tradition, and classmates taunt her for being foreign. Almost worse, her younger sister is adapting so easily to their new life that she seems to be forgetting their family and where they come from.The girls’ story continues in two sequels as they grow up.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Zeina lives in divided and war-torn Beirut. The story takes place during a single evening when Zeina’s parents are stranded somewhere outside the apartment and a bombardment starts. She and her brother are not alone because their apartment is the safest in their building, where all the neighbors gather. Each of them has an interesting, sometimes tragic, story.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

Zhongmei is determined to audition for entrance to the Beijing Dance Academy, which trains the best professional dancers in China. A farm girl from the countryside, she has almost no chance against thousands of other eager applicants from all over the country. In this inspiring true story, Zhongmei embodies the saying of Chairman Mao: “Dare to struggle; dare to win!”

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A lively picture book biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson that focuses on the importance of family and community.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Sara Crewe is the richest girl at Miss Minchin’s boarding school in London, until shes suddenly orphaned and left penniless. Forced to live in the attic and work as a maid for the school, Sara is determined to behave with the dignity and graciousness of a real princess.

suggested for grade(s) 6

When Salva’s village in Sudan is attacked, he and the other boys run away to escape the fighting. Many boys are separated from their families this way and band together on a long, dangerous walk to safety. Many years later, Nya spends the entire day, every day, walking back and forth to a pond to supply her family with water. Eventually the stories of Nya and Salva come together.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Fantasy illuminates stark reality in this story about Conor, whose mother is sick with cancer. As his life takes a turn in a direction he dreads, Conor is visited by nightmares. Then, unbelievably, a threatening monster, as large as a tree, visits Conor in real, waking life and makes a terrifying demand.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Many stories by the Brothers Grimm including scary, gory parts often left out of retellings are woven together to create an exciting new adventure for Hansel and Gretel.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Veda knows she was born to dance. Since earliest childhood, she has heard music and felt rhythm in everything around her. Even before losing part of her right leg in a traffic accident, she wondered if rigorous training and competition might be squeezing the soul out of her art. Her road to recovery involves finding a new way to dance.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

This memorial to the teen-age victim of a racially motivated murder is composed in the strict form of a heroic crown of sonnets. The last line of each poem becomes the first line of the next. The illustrations echo the dignified and somber tone of the poems.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

It’s summer as usual for ​Jenni. Her little brother is about to get carsick and her very best friend is waiting for her at the hotel where they spend a carefree week with their families each year. However, it will all soon change as Jenni is catapulted one year ahead and horrible events have taken place. Will Jenni be able to change the course of history? Dip into this suspenseful tale of friendship and time travel to find out.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Yeti’s, or Abominable Snowmen, are forced to leave their home due to global warming. As they make their way to England, there are many exciting adventures involving very confusing behavior by humans. Once in England, they discover home turns out to be a big game preserve where THEY are the big game!

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Duncan’s summer working underground in the Toronto Transit System’s Lost and Found Department turns unexpectedly suspenseful when he discovers the diary of a stalker. Duncan becomes convinced that the unidentified writer of the diary fits the profile of a serial killer and is on the verge of committing a horrible act.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A knight, a dragon with a sweet tooth, a magic elf, and a princess are all gathered together in this book to tell you a funny story AND show you how graphic novels work.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Arnie is a doughnut-dog, Mr. Bing’s pet and best friend. Silly humor and dynamic illustrations make this lighthearted mystery a winner.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

A Nigerian born in America, and an albino, Sunny is used to not fitting in. After her family returns to Nigeria, she discovers she has hereditary powers that bind her to a group of magically gifted people.The elders assign her, together with another girl and two boys, to unravel a dangerous mystery.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

This often humorous historical novel is set on the island of Alcatraz in 1935, when the families of guards used to live in a village near the high security penitentiary.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Moon has been raised by his anti-government father away from society in a shelter in the woods. After his father dies, Moon starts to question his beliefs, but unpleasant encounters with the authorities make him determined to stay self-sufficient.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Alcatraz Smedry has had a rough start in his first 13 years He has moved from foster home to foster home, disaster and catastrophe following him along the way. However, he soon discovers his destiny and his powerful talent to break things. He must harness this powerful talent to battle the Evil Librarians who control the world we know.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Attention food lovers! Here is an inspiring picture book introduction to the life of world-famous chef Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and founder of the Edible Schoolyard movement.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Introduces children to the water cycle through poetic text and dynamic illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

In the 1960s, thirteen skilled female pilots passed rigorous tests to prove they had the ability to serve on space missions, but NASA never permitted them to become astronauts.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Sisters Amber and Essie share their talents, joys, and struggles.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa with her mother, her father, her baby twin brothers, and lots and lots of her family. A wonderful chapter book series for younger readers.

suggested for grade(s) 2

This clever picture book tells history from the unique perspective of a two hundred year old oak tree. A wonderful introduction to history and ecology.

suggested for grade(s) 6

Rose’s family immigrates to New York in 1911, but meet so many hardships that they decide to return to Ireland. Sixteen year-old Rose and her younger sister persuade their parents to let them stay. After difficult work in a sweatshop, they are pleased to find jobs in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, which is now remembered as the scene of a terrible fire.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Kak is excited and proud to join a bomber crew. The glamour fades fast when he flies his first few operations aboard the battered WWII aircraft named B for Buster and realizes that his chances of surviving the war are very small.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Relying on skills learned from her beloved grandma, Masha faces a series of tests to become an assistant to the legendary Russian witch and get her annoying stepsister home safely.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​A must read for all Red Sox fans! Part biography and part history of the “Curse of the Bambino,” this non-fiction chapter book offers a detailed look at the time after the Red Sox famously traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

Babymouse and Wilson are very best friends, but what happens when sassy Babymouse goes to popular Felicia Furrypaw’s sleepover party instead of monster movie night with Wilson? Can their friendship be saved?

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Chiko wants to become a teacher to help educate the people of Burma, but his dreams are shattered when he’s tricked into joining the army and sent to fight the Karenni people near the border with Thailand. On a failed mission, he encounters Tu Reh, an angry young man on the opposite side of the conflict.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2

​An excellent biographical introduction to Barack Obama, written in clear and accessible language.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Papa is the manager of the worst baseball team in the Negro League. He wants his son Reginald to be the bat boy. Reginald is a wonderful violin player but a terrible athlete.

suggested for grade(s) 2

A poignant tale of one boy’s simple prayer for the homeless, for the hungry, and for others. Beautiful illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Henry the Hippo, FunJungle’s trademark, was a disgusting, obnoxious animal, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered. Teddy, who lives in the theme park because his parents are animal researchers, forms an unlikely alliance with the park owner’s celebrity daughter to find out who’s responsible.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A spirited fictionalized tale of a true story: Ben Franklin’s invention of swim fins. Great writing, great illustrations, excellent (non-fiction) endnotes.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​In witty and inventive cartoon panels, Benjamin Bear, accompanied by his faithful rabbit friend, shares his observations and questions about the world around him.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

​Nate Foster has runaway from his small-town home in rural Pennsylvania to fulfill his big city dreams of becoming a Broadway star. With the help of his best friend, Nate has just enough time to get to his audition for E.T.: The Extraterrestrial - The Musical before his parents get back from their weekend getaway. Will he make it?

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

A freak accident on a solo climb leaves the author pinned by the arm to a canyon wall by an immense immovable rock. After five days, he resorts to a dramatic means of escape. This gripping true story offers much to ponder about the nature of courage and the drive to take risks in the outdoors.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Two roller-skating best friends—one tiny, one tall—share three comical adventures in this vividly illustrated early reader series.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Binky is an ordinary house cat, but in his imagination he is daring space cat. His mission: to blast off into outer space (outside), explore unknown places (the backyard) and battle aliens (bugs).

suggested for grade(s) 2

​In this visually inventive picture book, a busy family’s activities (and technology devices!) come to a halt because of a blackout, but they discover they enjoy spending time together.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​Rosemary Bliss’s family has been keeping their magical cookbook a secret for centuries. When a mysterious stranger arrives at the Bliss family’s home while her parents are away, Rosemary’s eccentric aunt whips up some magical recipes. After this, all normal food just seems so, normal. Rosemary and her siblings start experimenting with some of the recipes, after all what could go wrong?

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Travis starts a new school, with low expectations for himself and everyone else. Right away he’s adopted by a smart, funny girl who calls herself Velveeta. Then the English teacher takes an interest in him. Travis is used to just getting by, but his new friends seem to think he can do better.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

​As fascinating as any thriller, this true story of espionage, science, and politics describes the race to create the first nuclear weapon.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​This is the story of how two teenage boys created a superhero that came to be known around the world.

suggested for grade(s) 9

It is said that a good fantasy of the future sheds a critical light on the present. Huxley’s provocative vision of a sublime World State does just that.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Rosa, diligent student and daughter of Italian immigrants, is thrown together with homeless orphan Jake in the tumult of a 1912 mill strike, as workers unite in the struggle for better wages and conditions.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Sasha is a good Russian Communist who can’t wait to join the Young Pioneers. But as the long awaited day draws near, everything starts to go terribly and absurdly wrong.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Jess makes a new friend, Leslie, with whom he creates an imaginary world of play. Then he loses her, but his life has been changed forever.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Despite her size, a determined dinosaur pursues her dream of becoming a ballerina.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

Jacqueline Wilson has a talent for writing convincingly about all sorts of characters. In this memoir, she writes about herself — universal experiences that anyone can connect with, like moving to a new place and struggling in school; and more unique experiences such as witnessing the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in both the North and the South. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 2

A warm-hearted story for kids who love tools, trucks, construction sites and family.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8

​Written in poetic verse, Caminar is a story of survival in worn-torn Guatemala set in 1981. Carlos is forced to leave his childhood behind as he attempts to keep his village and his family safe from the approaching Communist rebels.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​Using the experiences of a few endangered species as examples, this non-fiction picture book highlights the ways human behavior can either threaten or conserve the amazing animals that share our planet.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Fergel collects cans without labels. When he decides to open one, what he discovers inside leads him on a quirky adventure full of suspense.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Snooty Carbonel is under a spell. He is a cat who is linked to a broom. Whoever owns the broom owns the cat. He must convince the newest owner to help him break the curse.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

A biography, told in poems, of George Washington Carver, gifted botanist, artist, and teacher, born a slave. Many of the poems are in the imagined voices of Carver and various people in his life. Brief historical notes and small photographs accompany the poems in chronological order.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Holden Caulfield, a rebellious, mixed-up, independent school drop-out, loses and then finds himself in the wilds of New York City. This well known coming-of-age book is rich in humor and self-discovery.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Four kittens are born in a dumpster in the city. They are very special because they all have wings. Their mother asks them to fly away from their dangerous neighborhood and find a safer home.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Isabel and her little sister are cheated out of their promised freedom and sold to a Loyalist husband and wife. Isabel serves as a spy and looks for opportunities on both sides of the growing American rebellion to win back her dream of freedom.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

A true thriller about the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln and the twelve day chase to catch John Wilkes Booth after he ran from Fords Theater.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2

A pair of chopsticks are inseparable, but a traumatic moment eventually teaches the two friends the valuable lesson of independence. By the authors of Spoon, this is a humorous tale with equally clever illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

A book of wonder and possibilities, follow Micah Tuttle’s as he searches for a powerful magician named the Lightbender, who owes his dying grandfather a miracle.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

More like a novel than a history book, this is the true story of a girl who took a courageous stand when the Civil Rights Movement was new and most grown-ups were afraid to believe in change.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​A poor boy struggles to deliver a birthday present worthy of the princess. A delightful and original story.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

After escaping Memphis and her mother’s scary Elvis impersonator ex-boyfriend, Foster and her mother end up in the tiny town of Culpepper. Both of them have dreams: Mama wants to be a lead singer and Foster wants to star in her own TV cooking show. Can dreams come true in a place like Culpepper?

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

In China, people are hired to harvest tea. When Shenaz’s mother becomes ill, Shenaz tries to help the family by gathering tea, but she is too little to do the work. She tells her troubles to a monkey friend, who brings her a basket of rare and valuable tea.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​A rhyming recipe of ingredients (from A to Z!) explains how to make earth-friendly compost.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

In this visual retelling of the popular novel, a girl moves into an apartment and discovers a spooky mirror world next door.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Coraline moves into a new house with her parents and soon discovers a passage to a mirror image apartment next door. There she meets some very strange inhabitants, including parent look-alikes and singing rats. Coraline is amused until it all turns into a nightmare.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Twelve-year-old Liam is very tall and has a talent for acting grown-up. He gets into trouble for attempting to drive a car and impersonating a teacher, but that’s nothing compared to what happens when he enters The Greatest Dad Ever Contest and gets lost in space on board a rocket ship.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Franny misses her college age sister, fights with her brother, and is hurt by her best friend. These ordinary problems play out against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis during several tense days in 1962. Advertisements, newspaper clippings, and other period ephemera are used to recreate the flavor of the time.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

With help from strangers and new friends, Willow learns to cope with the sudden death of her parents. The story is told with unexpected humor from the perspectives of Willow, an unusual and often misunderstood girl whose genius level brain processes everything uniquely; and Dell Duke, her hopelessly inept school counselor and intellectual opposite.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

WWI changes the lives of four young people in a farming community. The boys enlist and are sent overseas, leaving their sisters to cope at home. When Muriel begins to question the war, rebellious feelings inspire her to travel to Washington DC to help her suffragist aunt.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

A fuel shortage strands Mom and Dad on a trip, leaving Dewey in charge of the small family bike repair business, which is booming. In addition to running a business and getting along with his siblings, Dewey worries about a series of mysterious break-ins in the neighborhood.

suggested for grade(s) 8

Growing up in Turkey against a backdrop of conflict, government repression, and economic turmoil, Osje faces a choice familiar to many young people: should she work hard and sacrifice her true passions to win a secure job, or should she follow her dreams?

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

To escape the overcrowded conditions brought about by loss of land due to global warming, pioneers like Ty and his family are settling the ocean floor. To Ty, the deep sea is a land of beauty and opportunity, even though the settlers face unjust government demands and many dangers, including the raids of a sinister band of outlaws.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Melis secure and comfortable life in Kosovo comes to an end in the spring of 1998, when her brother is picked up by the Serbian police. Eventually her family is forced to flee their home, live the life of refugees, and start over in the United States.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

​Egg (short for Eggbert) lives with his horrible family on unattractive Deadweather Island, which, as it turns out, might hide a secret treasure. Egg’s adventures begin when the rest of the family disappears in a freak accident. Friends turn out to be enemies and unlikely people become friends as Egg runs for his life and tries to figure out why he became the target of powerful villains.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

This classically structured mystery, set in London in 1715, involves a murderer who seems to disappear into thin air, and who leaves behind a calling card with a picture of a skeleton holding an arrow.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

When handsome, athletic Conrad Parker Smith experiences a dip in popularity in the sixth grade, two of the most awkward kids in class offer true friendship.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

How does a former farmer and restaurant dishwasher become a famous American painter? How does an artist who paints everyday things like gum-balls, shoes and doughnuts convince the art world these things are worth painting? To find out read, “Delicious”, but NOT on an empty stomach.

suggested for grade(s) 2

Digby O’Day loves his car, and he is excited to compete in a road race with best friend Percy. However, disaster and peril wait around every corner. Will Digby O’Day win the race, or even finish? Short chapters and numerous illustrations make this a winning early chapter book.

suggested for grade(s)

​Tiny eleven year old Nilly has just moved to Oslo, Norway. With his new friend Lisa they meet Dr. Proctor, inventor of some remarkable powder that causes farts powerful enough to send people into outer space. When some dastardly twins discover the powder Nilly and Lisa must do everything possible to keep the super powder from falling into the wrong hands.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

​A wily street boy in Victorian London rescues a damsel in distress, and is immediately thrust into intrigue on an international scale. He applies his natural talents and intimate knowledge of the London underground sewer system to solve a mystery and make a fortune, with some help from Charles Dickens and other notable people of the time.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6,7

​Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends forever. Together, they play a complex game of pirates, robbers and evil royalty using action figures and a mysterious china doll that is locked away in a cabinet. Middle school has changed things and the friendship between the trio is growing thin. Suddenly Poppy begins having ominous dreams about the porcelain doll and forces the gang to get back together to uncover the mystery.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Dory is a little sister (and a little rascal!) with a great imagination. This early chapter book smartly integrates text and illustration, and the results are hilarious.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

​Lincoln, class goof-off and troublemaker, is expelled for liberating abused chickens during a field trip. To help pay for damages, he reluctantly participates when government agents recruit him to impersonate a junior secret agent look-alike who has disappeared.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

​This multi-faceted account of Hurricane Katrina describes racism and incompetence, and also portrays the courage and resilience of people coping with the disaster.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

As his family operates under the stress caused by his little brother’s serious illness, Steven tries to hold together a normal life. Music, friends, family affection, and a sense of humor help him through the tough times.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Roman Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila tries to solve the mystery of the disappearance in Britain of his father and the Ninth Legion Hispana, last heard from near Hadrian’s Wall. Aquila also hopes to locate the Ninth Legion’s military standard, the missing Eagle, and return it safely to Rome.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

This page-turning book follows multiple stories, from Germany to California, linked together by a magical harmonica which inspires and protects the people who possess it. Each story pauses at a cliff-hanger before interweaving with the next story, urging readers to discover how it all turns out.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8

The story begins when an young lady French-Russian aristocrat and a peasant girl accidentally switch places and end up, for different reasons, traveling to see the Tsar. In a humorous, action filled adventure, they hunt for a mythical firebird’s egg and encounter a large and colorful cast of characters, including the legendary Russian witch Baba Yaga. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Freedman is an artful biographer of fascinating historical figures. This is a compelling portrait of the courageous and principled presidential first lady who was an enormously influential leader in American life and politics.

suggested for grade(s) 2

A delightfully true story about an elephant seal who makes a most unusual home in the middle of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The perfect book for any animal lover.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

After a traffic accident, Liz finds herself in a place called Elsewhere. At first nothing, not even meeting her favorite rock star, can lift her depression. Gradually she realizes that she must get on with her life, even though it’s actually her death.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​Through a series of connected poems, the sibling “dilemma” of ambivalence and deep loyalty is touchingly explored.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

During childhood summers, the author falls in love with the magical tropical island of Cuba. When she’s almost old enough to enjoy the long awaited promise of summer horseback riding, Cuba and the United States become enemies. The two places she loves are full of hate for each other. The summer visits end, and Cuba becomes a distant dream.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Leroy Brown, nicknamed Encyclopedia, solves ten mini-mysteries and, by putting the solutions at the back of the book, challenges the reader to do the same.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

A magician himself, the author brings great appreciation and understanding to the life of one of the world’s greatest conjurers and escape artists.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

​Three generations of painters, all famous, all from New England, read about how their remarkable and beautiful story.

suggested for grade(s)

suggested for grade(s) 5

Primrose Squarp has problems: her parents are lost at sea, and she is the only one who believes they are alive; her Uncle Jack, who takes her in, is perfectly nice, but rather busy; Miss Perfidy, her paid babysitter, smells like mothballs and doesn’t like children; and her school guidance counselor, Miss Honeycut, is too caught up in her own long-winded stories to help.

suggested for grade(s) 6

The author of this autobiography is a member of the Maasai, a nomadic people whose life in Northern Kenya centers around the ownership and care of cows. He describes how the experiences of village life, such as going on a lion hunt to prove his bravery, contrasted with his life at school, where his academic success eventually led him to college in the US.

suggested for grade(s) 9

In this well-known political science fiction novel, a young man dares to defy the book-burning laws of his totalitarian government.

suggested for grade(s) 2

This exciting picture book biography introduces young readers to Jacques Cousteau, the world’s ambassador of the oceans.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​The 2016 Caldecott winner. The remarkable but true tale of the black bear that inspired the legendary children’s book character Winnie-the-Pooh. Clever narrative structure and award-winning illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

A wonderful collection of poems that captures the essence of the seasons. The playful illustrations neatly support the poetic meanings.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​An evil heart of stone is made for a power hungry warrior. It causes much heartache and distruction and then is lost for 1000s of years. When a loving farmer chances upon it and is turned to a cruel and brutal man, his son, daughter and dog set out to free him from the curse. The world they enter to save their father is full of talking animals, fairy banquets, and much good natured magical trouble. Can the children save the day?

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Young Frankenstein creates a living, yet imperfect creature which, in turn, seeks revenge by pursuing its creator and all that he loves. A terrifying and most thought-provoking tale, especially for students reading Hawthorne’s Rappaccini’s Garden or Dickens’s Great Expectations.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Felix knows that his father is a superstar ballplayer in Cuba. His mother, who has struggled since he was a baby to make a new life for them in Florida, will tell him no more. When a visiting Cuban team mistakes him for their new batboy, Felix jumps at the chance to learn about his father and his past.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Partly to annoy a teacher, Nick makes up a new word for pen: frindle. Soon the word takes on a life of its own.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Two children have a unique plan for running away — they camp out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where they become involved in the mystery of a statue that may or may not have been made by the famous Michelangelo.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

When Mimi moves from California to a small Vermont town in 1969, town residents stare coldly at her family: a black father, a Japanese mother, and a daughter who is some of each and looks like no one else. Her new life is challenging, but Mimi’s father has taught her to be persistent, like raindrops wearing away granite.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Get crafty! Recycled egg cartons are the main ingredient in ten craft projects that have a reassuringly low degree of difficulty.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Artist Jose Guadalupe Posada became famous for his prints of dressed up skeletons engaged in ordinary activities, called calaveras. His art made quietly witty statements about vanity, foolish pride, and people in power.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A story of the Galapagos Islands and of Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who lived to be one hundred years old and was once known as the rarest creature in the world.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​Claudette wants nothing more than to slay a giant but her little village is too safe and quiet. Equal parts action and humor, this graphic novel is a winner!

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

The Gaither sisters spend the summer in Alabama, where the Black Panther activism they learned the previous summer (One Crazy Summer) is out of place. Instead, from their grandmother and great grandmother, they learn about their family’s history and complicated roots in the South. A suspenseful event brings the whole disjointed family together for a brief period of harmony. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 2

​A lighthearted treasury of haiku poems that celebrates the experience of the outdoor world, from splashing in puddles to skipping rocks.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​It’s tough to be a princess. No doubt about it. Tilda hates it and is convinced her subjects hate and fear her. But when her greedy cousin plots to overthrow her mother’s rein, Tilda is thrown into the adventure of a life time with two would be dragon slayers. Will she be able to save the kingdom she isn’t even sure she wants to be part of, or will she be eaten by a dragon first?

suggested for grade(s) 2

Photographs and stories introduce children to the Emberá people of Panama, who use their hands to transform the gifts of the tropical rain forest.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

After a plane crash, Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, with only one tool, a hatchet, to help him survive.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Haswell’s family’s decision to help a wounded Confederate soldier leads to a string of difficult consequences.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This is an imaginative retelling of the incredible true story of the Japanese boy Manjiro, who was shipwrecked and rescued by an American whaling ship at a time in the 1840s when the Japanese had a deep distrust of foreigners. Manjiro became friends with the captain, lived in the United States, and traveled places none of his countrymen had ever seen.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​A visually exciting account of how bookseller Henry Knox moved 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the Revolutionary War, helping Americans to a pivotal victory.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

An eleven year old troll fighting Orthodox Jewish girl wins her sword in this unlikely superhero story.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​The princes from those four classic fairytales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White & Rapunzel) are in trouble. They’ve been kicked out by their princesses and have stumbled upon a plot that threatens all of their kingdoms. They must dig deep, fight off dragons, troll, witches and the like. Shed their Prince Charming label and get to saving the world.

suggested for grade(s) 3

​When ten-year-old Zeus is kidnapped, he discovers he can defend himself with a magical thunderbolt. An exciting series about mythological gods as children.

suggested for grade(s) 2

A boy captures a fly to enter in The Amazing Pet Show, but his parents and the judges tell him that a fly cannot be a pet. Fly Guy proves them wrong!

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This atmospheric Southern gothic mystery won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe award for new talent. Hoodoo has not yet lived up to his name by displaying the family gift for folk magic, but when a sinister stranger shows up in town, Hoodoo is urgently motivated to activate his conjuring ability.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

From a somewhat stifling childhood, through an adventurous and unconventional young life, to eventual success as a hard working designer who made fashion her art, Schiaparelli’s life story, like the hot pink fashion color she invented, holds our attention. A lively layout and fascinating photos add to the fun of this informative biography.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Why has all-star Connor Sullivan suddenly started throwing temper tantrums during his beloved baseball games?

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Mattie and her mother move often. She hates the moment when she must introduce herself to a new class. This time, it helps that her uncle is the school custodian. Maybe he’ll let her be his apprentice, and she’ll know where she belongs in this new school.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Back in the days before extreme sports were popular, Paulsen and his friends invented pastimes such as automobile skiing and bicycle jumping. The author reminisces about how they managed to escape with their lives.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8

​Birdie is a street-smart orphan who is apprenticed to a Bogler. Bogler’s catch monsters that lurk in the underbelly of Victorian England and Birdie lures the creatures out of their hiding places with her sweet songs. While this sounds like a dangerous occupation, it beats the other jobs that would be available to her. Everything changes when orphans begin to disappear and Birdie worries that she may be next.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Celeste lives in Valparaiso, Chile, a magical place, busy, colorful, and permeated by the fragrance of flowers. But when warships enter the harbor and the military dictatorship seizes power, life becomes fearful and full of secrets. Celeste’s parents, activists who help the poor, go into hiding, and Celeste is sent to take refuge in Maine, where everything is cold and strange.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​Illustrations of comical situations accompany wordles, words and sentences that sound the same.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

History’s most exciting and terrifying events are brought to fictional life through a child’s perspective in this popular new series.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​In this outrageously clever picture book, a bear almost gives up his search for his missing hat until he remembers something important.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

The true story of a girl in Pennsylvania and a boy in Zimbabwe who become pen pals in middle school. Overcoming distance and vast cultural differences, they progress beyond cheerful, superficial letters to a deep, genuine friendship that eventually extends to their families and influences what they become in life.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Inspired by an old ballad, this is the story of a modern girl who discovers she has only a few months to figure out how to break an ancient curse on her family, or, like her mother and grandmothers, she will suffer a dismal fate.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​For three cousins, a cookie company seems the perfect way to make money over the summer. It also turns out to be an opportunity to meet some special neighbors.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

On a special summer vacation road trip, Jimmy McClean visits sites memorializing Crazy Horse, his famous ancestor, and listens to his Grandfather’s enthralling stories about the tribal warriors’ desperate attempts to keep their land and protect their people. He learns that, like himself, Crazy Horse was once teased and bullied by other Navajos for having light skin and hair.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

In a completely sealed off prison, a failed social experiment from a previous century, four prisoners develop a vision of escape, although they’re not even sure the outside exists. Meanwhile, outside, the Warden’s daughter searches for a lost prince whose existence would save her from a dreaded arranged marriage.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Ha, her mother, and three older brothers flee Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War and end up in Alabama. The hardest part of their new life for Ha is that people assume she’s stupid because she makes mistakes while learning the new language and customs. Fortunately, her three brothers, in their different ways, help make the adjustment easier.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but she interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

This is the chilling story of the ill-fated expedition to the summit of Everest in May 1996, told in Krakauer’s eyewitness account. Readers experience an unforgettable connection to the dynamics of a challenge fraught with peril and ending in tragedy.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​A unique visual biography of the Galapagos Island, meticulously researched.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from Ivy, the new neighbor, who is less boring than Bean first suspected. A very popular series for young readers.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

​Inseparable twins, Jake and Lily have just turned eleven and their parents have declared it is time for each to have their own bedroom. This marks the beginning of many changes for the pair. Jake has found a gang of boys to hang out with and Lily is feeling more than left out. She’s mad. Follow along as Lily finds a new place in the world and Jake learns to take on trouble without the help of his sister.

suggested for grade(s) 5

There’s no knowing what Joey will do when he’s feeling wired. He’s not a bad kid, but his crazy behavior keeps spinning out of control.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​A classic African-American folk tale, beautifully retold and illustrated.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

Josephine Baker was a jazz performer who was born in the early 1900’s. She was known for her amazing dancing, but had to move from America to France in order to be truly appreciated. This is her wild and colorful story.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Alice is traveling with her family to Sanibel Island, Florida, where they go every year. She will be celebrating her tenth birthday, and has plans to find the very rare junonia shell. But the celebratory week might be ruined because things are very, very different this year.

suggested for grade(s) 3

Inspired by a comment from her third grade teacher, Dessert decides to start a revolution against siblings. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned.

suggested for grade(s) 4

Juice is good at many things, including cheering up her father after he loses his job, but she just can’t learn how to read. Only her father understands how hard reading is for her. Their secret is that he has the same problem.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

El Gato, the world’s best soccer goalkeeper, tells the incredible story of how he developed his skills growing up in a remote rain forest in South America. A supernatural mystery embedded in a great sports story, this is a summer reading favorite.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Like his mother, a star model, Liam has great fashion sense and lots of charm; but he never fails to disappoint his demanding father. Finally Liam gets kicked out of the house and does something completely different: his uncle, a gay glam-rocker who lives in upstate New York, agrees to take him in, and Liam lives in a trailer and goes to a small town high school.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Aspiring journalists Steven and Carol discover a conspiracy to fix the last game of the NCAA Final Four men’s basketball tournament. This same pair of sleuths solves many other mysteries at major sporting events.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​These clever poems find words within a single word to capture scenes from a child’s daily life. Fun to read and a challenge to write!

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 7

Tillage grew up as a sharecropper’s son in the South, soon becoming a civil-rights protester. He matter-of-factly explains the realities of segregation, his own and others’ mistreatment and his ideas of nonviolent protest. A black custodian in a Baltimore private school, Tillage records his recollections with spare dignity.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Liesl is a girl whose wicked stepmother keeps her in an attic. Po is a ghost who can’t find his way to Beyond. Will is an unhappy alchemist’s apprentice. When they are most in need, they find each other.

suggested for grade(s) 2

Ling and Ting are identical twins that people think are exactly the same, but time and again they prove to be different. A refreshing and original early reader (let’s hope for more!).

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

To get a good education, Liz, a determined African American girl, passes for white in a segregated school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1958. She is discovered and expelled, but not before she befriends Marlee, an extremely shy white classmate. Hurt and confused about why their friendship cannot continue, Marlee finds her voice. Winner of the 2015 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Mai reluctantly accompanies her grandmother on a summer trip to Vietnam. Although she loves her grandmother, she would much rather be at home on a California beach with her friends. While her parents are away and busy at important jobs, Mai is expected to help her grandmother resolve difficult emotions and a mystery left over from the war. Encounters with her Vietnamese relatives are touching and sometimes hilarious.

suggested for grade(s) 2

An original graphic novel, filled with adventure, friendship, a positive female role model, and inventive robot language!

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Ten-year-old Lonnie’s touching and tragic life story and his engaging personality emerge as he experiments with different forms of poetry. Fans of Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog will enjoy this book.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Jacinta is proud that her “Amiga”, through a mentor program, is a well known TV news anchor, but she never forgets that her Amiga is not a substitute for her temporarily absent mother or even a real friend. The US born daughter of undocumented immigrants, Jacinta knows no grown-ups who can help her grow up American while feeling Mexican. Navigating between the barrio and the world of educated white people, she must learn from her own mistakes.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Mikey adores his stepfather Bill and is thrilled to be allowed to help out as deck hand on Bill’s deep sea fishing boat in the waters off Hawaii. He soon learns that growing into a man’s job is more complicated than he expected. You don’t have to know anything about the sport to enjoy the exciting deep sea fishing scenes.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Although her life in a village in Southern Sudan is hard, Poni’s childhood is contented until the coming of the soldiers and bombs. Separated from family and community, she makes the dangerous march to a refugee camp in Kenya and, through unusual determination, becomes one of the very few displaced Sudanese girls brought to the United States. The story draws on the real experiences of several “Lost Girls.”

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​The first book in the Rainbow Street Shelter series. When Logan’s dog runs away, Hannah, a girl who longs for a dog of her own, finds him at the shelter. What follows is an emotionally satisfying journey for both children.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Sprinkled with Spanish phrases and drawn in red, blue, and black ballpoint pens by Raul the Third, this book features a talented team of friends who want to enter a car contest for prize money to start their own garage to work on cars. They discover and recover a car “so slow and low it didn’t even go,” and find used rocket parts to make the car literally out of this world. A sequel is coming in July.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​During the Great Depression, Marshall, an African American boy, bravely overcomes discrimination and enters a bean-counting contest to try to win a new sewing machine for his mother.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Lulu, who loves animals, brings an abandoned duck egg to school, even though her teacher disapproves. A charming series for young readers.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

She serves lunch, she serves justice! A unique and entertaining graphic novel series about a crime fighting school lunch lady. Fish-stick Nunchucks and Lunch-Tray Laptops are just examples of her ingenious gadgets.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

​Learn fascinating facts about over 250 species of monkeys from around the world, and enjoy delightful illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Madeleine is sent to work in Paris in her vile uncle’s bakery. She meets a mysterious woman, and her cat learns to cook magical treats.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

This first book in a trilogy drew inspiration from an influential 1950s comic book about Martin Luther King. Lewis, a Congressman and civil rights activist, along with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, describes his early years, and brings the struggle for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s to life for a new audience.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Series: Martin Bridge

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A hilarious retelling of a classic Cuban folktale. The audiobook is also a winner.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

In the southwestern town of Serenity, everything is perfect. Everyone has a pool and all the electronic devices they want. Everyone is perfectly honest and follows all the rules, until one kid discovers that things aren’t what they seem. As word spreads to the other thirty kids who live in the town, they start to question everything and trust no one. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

In a society driven by consumerism and the recruitment of teenage workers in fashion and entertainment, Marla and Ivy have attained ultimate success and happiness, or so they think. Marla, a fashion trendsetter, begins to question the system when she’s unfairly demoted; Ivy, a rock star, reaches a turning point when her contract requires her to promote the painfully unwearable “torture look.” [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 5

Matilda is a very nice child. However, when she discovers that Mrs. Trunchbull, the mean headmistress, is being unfair to Miss Honey, Matilda uses her talents to seek justice for her kind teacher.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2

Series: Mercy Watson

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Ben Franklin get’s top billing in the title, but this is also about Franz Mesmer and Austrian doctor who was curing people in France by hypnotizing them. It is also about the beginning of science as a field of study and the scientific method. With great illustrations, this is a tale of mystery and intrigue.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Michael’s Tourette’s Syndrome makes him special in an unwelcome way. When he fights back against bullies one day, he discovers he’s special in another way: he can shock people with electricity. The mystery intensifies when he discovers that a popular girl at school also has electrical powers. How did they become this way?Together they uncover the evil intentions of the people responsible for their superpowers.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Mimi’s mother is killed in a bicycle accident. Her father won’t get out of his pajamas, her brother doesn’t talk to anyone, and her sister has run away from home. Mimi is trying to figure out how to get her family back.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Series: My Weird School

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Jacob’s grandfather is an adventurous man who tells fantastic stories about monsters and special children on a magical island. Maybe this is his way of dealing with the trauma of growing up in an orphanage after escaping the Nazis. But when something awful happens to Grandpa, Jacob decides to investigate. Could the stories possibly be true? Fiction mixes with photography in this story where truth is found in the most peculiar places.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Caitlin and her father are trying to make sense of their world after Caitlin’s brother Devon was tragically killed. It’s a struggle for them both. The father is drowning in grief, and Caitlin, who has Asperger’s syndrome, has trouble navigating everyone’s emotions. The story is told from Caitlin’s point of view, with humor and affection.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Fifteen year old Jazz reluctantly leaves behind a possible romance and a successful business venture in Berkeley to accompany her family on a summer trip to India, where her mother wants to establish a clinic next to the orphanage from which she was adopted by Jazz’s grandparents.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Steve Harmon is standing trial for driving the getaway car from a holdup where someone was killed. He might be sentenced to twenty-five years in jail. Is he a monster, as the prosecutor claims, or a good kid who made a bad choice? You won’t know until you reach the end of the story.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Montmorency is a small time thief until he discovers the possibilities of London’s new underground sewer system. He develops a split identity: Scarper, the virtuoso thief who escapes crime scenes through the sewers; and Montmorency, a gentleman with fine taste and a better developed sense of honor. This is the first of four books in a popular mystery/spy series.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Near his home in the mountains of Laos, on a dare, Tam tries to steal a bear cub from its den, and barely escapes alive. Many changes then happen to Tam: his village relocates, tragedy strikes his family, and he must work at a bear farm, where bears are kept in cruel captivity. When the very same cub reappears as a prisoner in the bear farm, Tam does his best to protect it.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

In 1938, during the Great Depression, Abilene’s father decides she’s too old for their hobo life on the road and sends her to stay in Manifest, a town that was once important to him. Abilene spends a summer listening to stories, uncovering secrets, and solving mysteries about the town’s past and her father as a young man.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

In a futuristic, desolate world of Traction Cities, London and other municipalities move across the landscape on giant caterpillar tracks. Larger cities hunt and absorb smaller ones. Struggling to survive after they are cast off the city of London, Tom and Hester discover a plot to reactivate an ancient weapon of mass destruction.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 7

Sam Meeker was sixteen when he ran away to fight in the American Revolution. In this popular historical novel, the compelling story of the tragedy that strikes the Meeker family when Sam joins the rebel forces is told by Sam’s younger brother, Tim.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

​Our main character hates to write, and hates to read. Stuck over the summer with having to do both, he finds a way to keep track of new vocabulary words with small hilarious line drawings. You can follow along on this funny and warm hearted summer adventure.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Bea Garcia is an artist. She draws anywhere and everywhere—but mostly in her own notebook (which is this book!). A brand-new chapter book series and a must-read for doodlers everywhere.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Every morning Louise’s mother dresses up and goes to stand with a group of neighborhood women known as the Cheerleaders, who taunt six-year old Ruby Bridges as she enters the elementary school. Louise never questions the situation in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans until a likeable New Yorker with radical views becomes a boarder in their house.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Through an assortment of poetic forms, this collection brings to life a long lost neighborhood in Manhattan, giving personalities and stories to names from history.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A lively, photographic explanation and exploration of fractal patterns in nature. Also includes biographical information about the man who named fractals, Benoit Mandelbrot.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

This terrific informational picture book cleverly explains the life cycle, biology and habitat of the ocean’s most fearsome and famous predator. Beautifully, at times alarmingly, illustrated.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

The events of Naomi Orenstein’s extraordinarily difficult sixth grade year unfold against the background of beautiful marshes and beaches in Cape Cod, her home. Facing unhappiness at home and no relief at school, Naomi finds comfort in nature and a hard won friendship with the boy next door.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

First book in the Roscoe Riley Rules series.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Set in the South during the time of segregation, this picture book brings the civil rights era to life for contemporary readers as two young girls find an inventive way to foil Jim Crow laws.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​Stunning photographs by Bishop and appealing narratives characterize this non-fiction animal series.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

A fairy loses her wings in a run-in with a bat. She is dropped in a garden and has to be clever and brave and make new friends in order to survive.

suggested for grade(s)

Set in current day India, this story follows Valli, a homeless child, as she makes her way from a small coal mining village to the streets of a big city. Valli’s life is difficult, but she is someone who makes the most of her circumstances.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 2

A family’s cultural assumptions are radically challenged by a most unusual circumstance: the dog they adopt only understand Mandarin Chinese!

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Oggie has only one talent: he can nibble on cheese to make it any shape he likes. Will his only chance for fame be stolen by the most popular girl in class?

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​Oggie has a special talent. He can charve cheese. What? He can take a slice of cheese and with tiny bites make it into whatever shape he likes. Donnica is a sneaky cheerleader who wants to steal Oggie’s talent to win a talent show and get on TV. Will Donnica get away with it?

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

The story follows Doug Swieteck, a character in Schmidt’s previous Vietnam era book The Wednesday Wars, as he moves to a new town and develops purpose in life, in contrast to his thuggish father and bullying brothers.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8,9

​Georgie doesn’t believe that her sister is dead. Determined to discover what happened to her sister Agatha after she left with a group of pigeoners, Georgie sets out after her. Will she uncover the mystery of her sister’s disappearance?

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

​Hal’s parents will buy him anything, but they fail to understand that all he wants in the world is a dog. He finally gets a dog for his birthday, but it turns out that the parents never intended to keep the dog for more than a weekend. Usually patient and well behaved, Hal gives up on grown-up rules and develops a rebellious plan.

suggested for grade(s) 2

A thought-provoking tale of ecological awareness and recycling.

suggested for grade(s) 4

Sharon and Mary are shocked when their parents tell them that they are sending their younger brother to live with relatives in China for one year.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2

An original picture book about a great fire in an early 20th-century Ontario logging community. Highly detailed illustrations convey as much information as the story.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

The Fugees are a soccer team of boys from all over the world whose families fled conflict and disaster in their home countries. Resettled in Clarkson, Georgia, they struggle to stay in school, find jobs, and live safely in crime-filled neighborhoods. With her own brand of tough love, the Fugees’ enigmatic female coach helps her talented players achieve success on and off the field.

suggested for grade(s) 9

From the introduction: This book is an adventure story: It tells how a small group of young people saved Yiddish books from extinction. It’s also the story of the Yiddish-speaking immigrants who owned and read those books…

suggested for grade(s) 2

Series: Owen Foote

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Paige’s parents’ decision to move to New York City — from country to city, familiar to strange — feels like a disaster. Since Paige needs to find the courage to start a new life, she bravely decides to reveal her secret identity: artist. Appropriately, the story is a graphic novel.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Mitch didn’t get the editor’s job on the school newspaper, but sports reporting turns out to be much more exciting, especially when a remarkably talented new player appears on the football team, just in time to play defense in the championship playoffs, and the coach appears to be covering up his real identity.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Penny feels guilty after taking a beautiful blue marble that she sees in Mrs. Goodwin’s grass, but gets a pleasant surprise when she goes to return it the next day.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 5

Daggy Dogfoot, the runt of the litter, proves he has unusual talents when he learns to swim and fly.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

Fanciful illustrations and inventive poems make for a fun read. Be inspired to create your own crazy car!

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

From a colonial letter to a hip-hop recording, this book contains powerful words in many forms, written and spoken by African-Americans over the course of two hundred years. Sidebars of biographical and historical information accompany excerpts from literature, letters, and speeches.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Thomas Peaceful lied about his age to follow his much admired older brother to join the fighting in World War I. During a long, lonely night on the front line, waiting for a dreaded event the next morning, he reflects on his life and the war.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Julia and Patrick do a project for the state fair. Patrick, who is fascinated by Julia’s Korean heritage, persuades her to raise silkworms, although Julia wants to do something more American. Between chapters, the main character enters into conversation with the author.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

​An elegantly illustrated collection of small moment poems about foxes, cats, rabbits, pugs, and other animals.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s)

In 1901 Annie Edson Taylor crawled in a wooden barrel and rode over Niagara Falls. She was the first person to ever attempt such a feat. Find out how and why this former charm school teacher took on this death-defying adventure.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6,7

You don’t have to be a girl to be inspired by this ABC of female change-makers who broke the mold and shaped history. From Angela Davis to Zora Neale Hurston, read about gritty, zestful Americans who meet the definition of “rad” — grassroots organizers, fighters for social justice, innovators, artists, athletes, and performers.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Rose can function only with structure in her life, which she finds in her collection of homonyms, her watchfulness about following rules, and her regular routine with her dog Rain. The shaky order of her home life is destroyed when a hurricane comes and Rain is lost, but Rose turns out to be unexpectedly courageous.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

A young bride arrives with her husband at his ancestral estate. There she meets the sinister Mrs. Danvers, who will not allow the memory of the first Mrs. de Winter to fade. This is a page turner and a wonderfully eerie romance.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

This is a memoir of Jiang’s growing up in the midst of the Cultural Revolution in China in the late 1960s. Old customs, old culture, old ideas and old habits were dismissed; family heritage and education were suspect. Jiang was caught squarely between politics and personal and family values.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 2

A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as “red” suffers an identity crisis. A colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 5

Plans for constructing a new water fountain for their school lead a fifth grade class to uncover a criminal plot. The story is told humorously in the form of letters, faxes, and sketches.

suggested for grade(s)

In this graphic novel memoir of growing up in a food loving family, the author recalls the tastes, smells, and associations of various meals and dishes. Every chapter includes a recipe.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Ling, the only daughter of two doctors, leads a happy and comfortable life in the city of Wuhan until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1972. The family is forced to share their apartment with an official of the Communist Party, food and supplies become scarce, and worse hardships follow.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Narrated by The Groove, the Motown beat personified, the book is structured like a road trip that cruises through Detroit and a few other places, meeting lots of people along the way. The story centers around Berry Gordy, a songwriter who got tired of seeing the profits from black music go to white record company owners, and started Motown Records, which worked like an assembly line for producing hits.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​Everyone believes that Sophie is an orphan, except Sophie. After barely escaping a trip to a London orphanage, Sophie discovers that there are strange and hidden worlds and societies in the city’s underbelly. Together with the new “rooftopper” friends she uncovers, Sophie embarks on an adventure to try to find her mother.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​An inventive story about Hannah and her hands, named Sadie and Ratz, which regularly get into trouble, especially when the younger brother is around.

suggested for grade(s) 2

In this appealing series, each book contains short stories that emphasize elements of friendship, including sharing, kindness, and saying sorry.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

This is the story of a pen pal friendship between a coal miner’s son in Kentucky and an Indian immigrant girl in New York City. Learn through their letters (written by two different authors) how much they have in common and how much they have to learn from each other.

suggested for grade(s) 5

First book in a series about a thirteen-year-old girl whose curiosity and tendency to speak her mind involve her in the solving of mysteries.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Starting school in New Jersey, Ravi expects the same kind of success and popularity he had as a top student in Bangalore. To his shock, he’s seen as an outsider. His accent, formal manners, and the spicy food in his lunch box set him apart. Worst of all, he’s sent to remedial English Language Learning, with Joe, a student with learning issues. Ravi and Joe have nothing in common except that both are targets of mean and sneaky Dillon, who will do anything to be the center of attention.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

In a story that draws on the legend of Beowolf, Jack and his little sister are kidnapped by Vikings. Jack faces trolls and dragons, and eventually finds things to admire about the fierce Viking culture.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Nolan Byrd takes on the secret identity of Shredderman in order to expose the truth about a bully the kids call Bubba, in this first book in the Shredderman series.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Complicated information about the electoral process becomes understandable and fun when you read this lighthearted explanation with humorous illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8

​Eleven-year-old Serafina has dreamt of becoming a doctor her entire life but their are many obstacles that stand in her way. She lives in a rural village outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti where her family is very poor and constant chores keep her from chasing her dreams. When a devastating flood and earthquake ravages her home, Serafina’s dreams seem impossibly far away. She must find a way to survive and maintain her hope.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Before her amazed eyes, Sierra sees strange things happening in her Brooklyn neighborhood, like murals that cry real tears. No one is able or willing to tell her what’s going on until she meets Robbie, a fellow artist, and learns about a mysterious kind of magic that gives form to the benevolent ghosts of ancestors. But something has gone terribly wrong with the magic, and Sierra finds herself in the middle of a ghoulish conflict she barely understands.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

In a dystopian future America, Nailer survives by crawling through the dangerous wrecks of ancient oil tankers on the Gulf coast collecting scrap metal. After a storm, he and a friend find the wreck of a modern luxury ship and think their fortune is made, until they discover a survivor, the wealthy ship owner’s daughter.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Dylan has a terrible psychic gift — her visions lead police to murder sites where the victims were children. Can she use her special sight to stop a murder that hasn’t yet happened?

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Shade, a young bat, gets lost in a storm during migration. He tries to rejoin the rest of the colony, but many dangers arise along the way.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​Using illustrations and photographs, this biography tells about the life of the great Lakota/Sioux leader and warrior Sitting Bull. Beginning with his childhood, through his war against the U.S. Army, this amazing and brave story will leave you wanting more.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This memoir describes how several full years of growing up experiences were made even more complicated by endless uncomfortable dental procedures the author went through after tripping and seriously damaging her two front teeth.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

​Presents simple handicraft projects that can be sneakily placed into everyday places.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 2

Sona’s big sister is getting married and she’s been given an important job to do: she has to steal the groom’s shoes! A charming story about the traditions of a Hindu wedding ceremony.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Spaceheadz series

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Soon after arrival, Riley realizes he’s the youngest kid at highly competitive Camp Olympia, and he’s going to have to work hard to earn respect.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A rapid-fire retelling of the classic tale of good and evil set in a galaxy far, far away. The illustrations are the original concept art designed for the movies, never before collected in a picture book.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

During childhood summers, the author falls in love with the magical tropical island of Cuba. When she’s almost old enough to enjoy the long awaited promise of summer horseback riding, Cuba and the United States become enemies. The two places she loves are full of hate for each other. The summer visits end, and Cuba becomes a distant dream.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​Chapter 1 I Can’t Draw, OKAY?

This begins the story of a boy and a bunch of dogs drawn in a way any kid could follow. If you are a fan of the Wimpy Kid books or Big Nate you will love Stick Dog.

suggested for grade(s) 3

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

If you like silly, messy, and funny books you will like this book about a brother and sister who are able to turn any event into an epic adventure.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A fascinating story about how Michelangelo created his great sculpture of David. For art and history fans.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This graphic novel combines tall tale with an historically accurate portrayal of Kansas during the severe drought that caused the Dust Bowl. Young Jack feels useless theres no farm work to help with, and he has trouble standing up to the boys who bully him. Eventually he confronts a huge test of his courage.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Chase warns the principal not to send kids home on the school bus in the hours before Hurricane Emily makes landfall, and he should know. His father makes a living providing emergency services after weather disasters. Unfortunately, the principal doesn’t listen. Warning: this book ends with a cliffhanger, and you’ll have to wait until September 1 for the sequel.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Nathan, the son of a fisherman, wants more than anything to become a member of the life-saving station on Pea Island in North Carolina. Although he helps with dangerous rescues, his dream is out of reach because jobs at the all African-American life-saving station are passed from father to son.

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Grieving over the death of his sister, Pancho wars with himself, contemplating angry, reckless acts that could ruin his life. D.Q. fights cancer and struggles with his estranged mother for control over his own medical treatment. The two young men form an unlikely friendship, recognizing a bond much deeper than their superficial differences.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 4

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Paul wears thick glasses and thinks of himself as a nerd, but he sees well enough to play on the undefeated Tangerine Middle School soccer team. He also sees hidden things, like the sinister side to his older brother, the family’s prized athlete.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

The story of African-American children throughout the nation’s history is told and celebrated, with abundant historical photographs and lots of visual interest.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

This real life account gives many sides to the story of an Irish immigrant cook in the early 1900s who unknowingly spread the deadly disease among her New York employers. It covers the flurry in the press over her story and the fight to detect the causes of typhoid fever and eliminate it.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Alexander Baddenfield is bad. He comes from a long line of bad relatives. Alexander Baddenfield is also rich and the very last of a long line of Baddenfield. He has decided to transfer the 9 lives of his devoted cat to himself. He then sets about having all sorts of diabolical, dangerous and deadly adventures. It’s funny too.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Arnold Spirit, basketball player, aspiring cartoonist, and self-described dork, decides to make a daily twenty mile trip out of the Spokane Indian reservation and across a vast cultural gap to attend a rich white high school.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

Entertainment for all ages, a great read aloud, this charming book from Spain includes three stories about Shola, a small dog with a big personality. Shola is frequently wrong about her own heroic nature, but facing her shortcomings never bothers her for long, or distracts her from the next escapade.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Tom Sawyer, the American ‘trickster,’ thwarts his aunt’s plans to civilize him and has one adventure after another, often with his friend, Huck Finn. Tom exhibits almost fantastic freedoms in a society characterized by respectable convention.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5,6

Harry Houdini called Harry Kellar America’s finest magician. From his famous floating women to his escape from knotted ropes Kellar made a name for himself. In a book filled with pictures, posters and fascinating facts, you will learn all about this master showman.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

This witty, action-packed story, full of inventive magical creatures and devices, tells of a rivalry between a powerful magician and a precocious magician’s apprentice.

suggested for grade(s) 9

Malcolm X’s story is one of courage, intelligence, struggle, personal magnetism, and leadership. Here we see the beginnings of Black Power and of Muslim eminence.

suggested for grade(s) 2

An utterly charming and original story about a young boy who poses an age-old question to the adults in his life: “Where do babies come from?”

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

After two years of forced labor on a cacao plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou thinks of nothing but meeting the daily quota and protecting his younger brother. Then an unlikely new prisoner arrives, a fiery town girl who is determined to escape. Her anger awakens sparks of compassion and hope in Amadou.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

In the shadow of his daring, successful father, Will seeks an adventure of his own. He finds it aboard a gigantic train hurtling across the wilds of Northern Canada, carrying thousands of passengers — including a band of thieves and a circus troupe, a well guarded treasure hoard, and a car of exotic animals.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

William Kamkwamba and his family barely survived a famine in Malawi, which left them so short of money that William couldn’t go to school. These hardships inspired him to use his talent for tinkering to improve conditions in his family and village. By finding ingenious uses for trash and scrap, William earned a reputation as an inventor and connections to scientists and innovators worldwide.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Knud Pedersen, who provided the information for this true story, was furious when the government in Denmark cooperated with the Nazis instead of fighting, like its neighbors Norway and Great Britain. He and several high school friends decided to fight the Nazis themselves, starting with destroying German traffic signs, then rapidly escalating their daring acts of resistance.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Steve Brixton, a fan of detective books, stumbles into a real adventure when he is mistaken for someone else by an elite group of undercover intelligence agents.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

When her mother disappears, Enola Holmes becomes reacquainted with her estranged, much older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Shocked by her feminist upbringing, they make plans to send her to boarding school. She escapes to London and discovers her own talents as a sleuth.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

In this complex and chilling book, Cormier examines the effects on Jerry Renault when he refuses to submit to the tyranny of a teacher who requires that he sell chocolates for the school’s fund-raiser.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Christopher, an autistic teenager, finds his neighbor’s poodle dead from a pitchfork wound. With The Hound of the Baskervilles as his guide, he uses logic to discover the identity of the murderer, and unravels family secrets in the process. Christopher is observant and mathematically gifted, but completely lacking in social and emotional intuition. His efforts as a detective are touching and often amusing.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This collection of boy lore and how-to information includes The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World, Slingshots, Timers and Tripwires, Famous Battles, and much more. The book was a big hit in England before arriving recently in the U.S. If you enjoy it, you might also like The American Boys Handy Book, by Daniel Carter Beard, a boy’s manual from 1890, when people were more handy and much less safety conscious than today.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A laugh out loud story in which crayons write persuasive letters complaining about their traditional coloring roles.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Day-Glo or neon color wasn’t just found, it had to be invented. Not only are those colors great on shoes, socks and shirts. They also helped to win a war. This is the fascinating and true story about the two brothers that made those colors happen.

suggested for grade(s) 6

Tired of hearing about her family’s history, Hannah is given the opportunity to live it when time-travel sends her back fifty years. Retaining her own memories, Hannah lives as her namesake and experiences Nazi-occupied Poland.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

What is a girl supposed to do when she’s rotten at house chores and only wants to be in the woods with her grandfather? Follow Calpurnia in this turn of the century adventure as she tastes coca-cola for the first time, sneaks her way to reading the scandalous book by Charles Darwin, and helps discover a new plant species.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Series: Princess Tales

suggested for grade(s) 7

Wrongly accused of a murder, Silvano, a young nobleman in 16th century Italy, takes sanctuary in a monastery, where he learns to make pigments for artists painting frescoes in a nearby cathedral. Soon a murder takes place in the monastery and Silvano is once again a prime suspect.

suggested for grade(s)

This gripping true story starts with the coming of age of Tzar Nicholas of Russia and describes his family life with Alexandria; their daughters, the four young Grand Duchesses; and their extremely ill son, heir to the throne. The family remained unaware of how their excessive way of life contributed to revolutionary fervor. The account concludes with the tragic end of the tsar and tsarina and their almost grown children, and unravels some of the mystery surrounding their fate. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

In this humorous and thought-provoking story, Ellie bonds with her cranky grandfather when an unlikely event occurs in their lives. Ellie’s grandfather is often at odds with her mother, an actress, and appreciates that Ellie shares his interest in the possibilities and wonders of science.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

Part science, part biography, this beautifully photographed book describes the work of biologist Tyrone Hayes. An African-American from South Carolina with a lifelong passion for amphibians, he studies the effects of pesticides on frogs, with a team of graduate students at UC Berkeley he calls the Frog Squad. This book is part of the Scientists in the Field series.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

A merchant’s son in 18th century Japan helps a learned judge solve a mystery about the theft of a precious jewel.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

​Without his approval, Iris tries to help her father, a wounded war veteran, in his struggling private-eye business. Her investigation of the disappearance of a classmate takes her between her former Manhattan private school and her new public high school on the Lower East Side. 1940s urban teen culture provides a vivid setting.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

This extraordinary fantasy is set in an alternate universe where each human has a personal daemonthe manifestation of the soul in animal form. Curious Lyra Belaqua finds herself in possession of a compasslike device that might help her defeat the formidable Gobblers.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

A balanced account of the fifty year history of the famous and controversial doll.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Dini and Maddie are best friends and huge fans of Bollywood movies made in India. They are devastated when they learn that Dini will be moving to India for two years, but, just like in the movies, every cloud has a silver lining and even the worst difficulties can lead to a happy ending.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Jackson Greene has promised to reform from his middle school career as a con man, until he learns that the school election is rigged — by the principal! With a team of friends talented in computer programming, lock-picking, and other useful skills, he plans an elaborate scheme to make sure the elections are fair.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

After her father burns her precious books, Joan runs away from the harsh life on their struggling farm to pursue her dream of getting an education. A hard worker who looks older than fourteen, she finds a job with a future: cooking and cleaning for $6 a week. Her cultured Jewish employers open her eyes to many new ideas, but do not always understand her dramatic youthful romanticism.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

A delightful constellation of characters (Zaphod Beeblebox, Trillian, Veet Voojagig, Ford Prefect, and Arthur Dent, to name just a few) partake in Adams’s galactic adventure, a wry and very funny commentary on the human, as it were, condition.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

In this exciting story, the Hobbits of Middle Earth begin the adventures that will be expanded upon in the classic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Why is a nice Jewish boy like Sasha apprenticing with the police department to root out magical crime? Well, for one thing, he can see witches.

suggested for grade(s) 9

As a youth, Theseus carries out two quests: one for his father, the King of Athens, and an other for the Minotaur to whom Athenian children have been sacrificed.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A dramatic account of the story of Homan Walsh, a young man who dreamed of flying his kite across the Niagara, linking America to Canada.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

It’s summer, and three brothers have nowhere to go except the library, with the meanest, scariest librarian on the face of the earth.

suggested for grade(s) 5

Evan and his smart little sister Jessie are usually good friends, until Evan learns that Jessie will skip a grade and start next fall in his class. They develop a not very friendly competition to see who can earn the most money selling lemonade over the summer.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Pandora the cat runs a lighthouse alone. Seabold the dog sails the seas alone. A terrible storm brings them together.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

With the look and feel of an old fashioned newspaper, this wide ranging look at the Lincolns uses photographs, period documents and original text to chronicle the life and times of both Mary Todd and Abraham. By using all different types of primary source material, a full picture is created of the people and events of a critical time in our countrys history. Good for history buffs and browsers alike.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Pedru wants to be a great hunter like his father, but after a lion takes his arm, he worries that his dream won’t come true. A gripping adventure story for young readers with an important animal conservation message.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

Two siblings take their visiting cousin sightseeing to the London Eye. They watch him go into the ride, and they watch all the passengers leave, but their cousin has disappeared.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Bilbo, an aging hero, bequeaths a magic ring to Frodo, who, with his faithful friend Samwise, must return it to a treacherous and evil creature dwelling in the distant mountains. Their journey is one of terror, courage, and beauty. Tolkien’s poetic language rings with medieval cadences.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

The Gregg family hunts just for fun, to the disgust of the girl next door. After trying politely to change their attitude, she gets mad and turns her magic finger on them.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Conn is a curious and talented thief from the wrong side of town. He picks the pocket of a powerful wizard and unknowingly steals his magical stone. Surprisingly, Conn survives this usually fatal act. This begins a tumultuous relationship between the wizard and boy as well as an adventure involving evil and a crumbling city that is mysteriously loosing its magical power.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Mammoth Academy students are just like students anywhere: some like studying, some like sports, some experiment with not bathing. But when danger comes in the form of the two footed humans, the big adventure begins.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Deza is proud of her close and spirited family. They are blessed with talents, including her brother’s singing voice and her own success in school. But the hopes of even such a strong, happy family may not survive the hardships of the Great Depression and the racial barriers of the 1930s.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Reynie Muldoon, an orphan, is one of the children who responds to an advertisement for gifted children looking for special opportunities. After passing a series of strange tests, he joins an undercover operation to prevent a master criminal from carrying out an evil plan.

suggested for grade(s)

​If you’re looking for fast paced, this is not your book. However, if you are interested in a boy, a train ride across the country in 1940, old movies and a clay turtle which might just possibly be the key to saving the world you are in luck. To give you the flavor of this story, Melvin, the shaman gives over the clay turtle to Iggy and offers this advice, “Chillax, baby shaman. You’re destined to save the world, so whatever you do—even when you’re doing things wrong—is working towards that destiny. Go eat a donut. Hang out with your friends. Visit the circus. It’s all good.” It is all good indeed.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

A parentless brother and sister take jobs in a remote manor house in a spooky forest. Although they soon become aware of danger, they are trapped by their desperate need for somewhere to live. They discover a powerful evil force growing inside an indestructible tree, which exerts a destructive power over the family who owns the house.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Natural wisdom and understanding of human nature equip Precious Ramotswe to be Botswana’s first and only private lady detective. Don’t expect action and suspense; gentle humor, satisfying resolutions to human problems, and a glimpse into African culture are some of the rewards of reading this intriguing series of mystery stories.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

The famous adventures of Odysseus are retold in graphic novel form with powerful water color illustrations.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

The author challenges readers to understand the effects of modern food production on health, the environment, and animal welfare, and to make conscious decisions about what we eat.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Ivan the gorilla lives at The Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. With his friend, the elderly elephant Stella, he is the main attraction. Life isn’t the best, but he has Stella and Bob, a stray dog, to keep him company. Everything changes when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives and starts to ask questions.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Written by Hinton at age sixteen, this novel about teenage gangs has an authentic voice. When ‘greasers’ Ponyboy and Johnny accidentally kill a ‘soc,’ a member of the rival gang from the rich part of town, they flee from the culture of violence that has engulfed them.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8,9

A debilitating stutter has made 11-year old “Little Man’s” life difficult. His best friend, Rat, is on vacation for the month of July and has asked that Little Man take his route. Little Man knows that it will be tough with to communicate with customers due to his stutter, but with the encouragement of his beloved housekeeper Nan, he’s determined to make it work. Despite his enthusiasm bullies, thieves and delinquent customers stand in the way of his route. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Crew members of the swordfish boat the Andrea Gail were lost in a ‘perfect storm’ off the coast of New England in 1991. Junger works from radio dialogues and eyewitness accounts to weave together the ferocious truth of their story.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

A tollbooth suddenly appears in Milo’s bedroom, and thus begins an inventive and hilarious journey through The Doldrums toward Dictionopolis. Milo meets numerous memorable characters along the way, including Officer Short Shrift and Tock the watchdog.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Before Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks, before Brown vs the Board of Education of Topeka, there was Port Chicago. This is gripping nonfiction about a WWII incident when 50 sailors — most of them still teenagers — protested unfair treatment by the Navy after an explosion on an ammunition loading dock, and were charged with mutiny. [audiobook available]

suggested for grade(s) 2

Who says princesses don’t wear black? With her black cape and ninja-like outfit, Princess Magnolia fearlessly wages battle whenever the monster alarm sounds. The first book in an exciting new series.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Was Prince Dracula a vampire? Did Anne Boleyn have six fingers? Even in the old days, celebrities attracted rumors and gossip. This book helps you separate historical truth from falsehood.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Lucia is more interested in clothes and parties than politics, but the Communist takeover of Cuba becomes very real when her father loses his job. Believing rumors that their children might be taken away, Lucia’s parents send her and her brother to the United States, hoping that the family will someday be reunited.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

The town of Gentry is a strange little place where the citizens routinely use charms to appease the faerie folk. Mackie and his loving family know that he is a changeling, a faerie who was exchanged for a stolen human child. As Mackie grows, he increasingly feels the sinister pull of the dark faerie world.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Extraordinary illustrations and lyrical text combine in this award-winning picture book biography of Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget’s Thesaurus, one of the most widely used reference books ever published.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

In this fast-paced, futuristic story, Ellie is abducted by the government for a special project and discovers that government officials are deceiving and betraying the citizens. Meanwhile, her twin brother Mika cooperates with a government program because he knows it will help him find Ellie.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Their father is a civil rights leader who believes that patient, nonviolent work will lead to change, but in the angry summer of 1968 in Chicago, Spike and Sam are swept up in the Black Panther movement.

suggested for grade(s) 3

​Chapter Six. Which should probably be called Chapter Five is another of these chapters where nothing much happens except for one very exciting thing at the end. If you like this chapter heading, it’s a good bet you will like these three stories where things like small creatures called Gigglers try and get a man to step in a big pile of dog poo.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Sally Lockhart’s quest to learn why her father was murdered on a merchant voyage to India leads her to the most dangerous parts of Victorian London. Her inheritance includes a magnificent ruby that seems to bring death and destruction to all who own or covet it. Sally’s adventures are continued in The Shadow in the North and The Tiger in the Well.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

On the isolated island of Thisby, wild horses emerge from the sea every autumn. They are carnivorous and dangerous, but island men capture them to ride in the annual high stakes Scorpio Races. Sean, the defending champion, and Puck, the first ever female contender, each have a desperately good reason for needing to win.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Almost all Lily has of her late mother’s is a mysterious picture of a black Madonna with the words Tiburon, South Carolina written on the back. Rosaleen, the beloved servant who helped raise Lily, angers some white men when she tries to register to vote. Lily decides to flee town with Rosaleen, and they chose Tiburon as their destination.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Great Britain’s gump (a grassy bump that’s really a hidden door) is located under platform 13 in an abandoned train station. Every nine years it opens for nine days, revealing a tunnel to another world. This year a rescue mission is sent to recover an infant prince kidnapped nine years before.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

For reasons he can’t clearly explain, Arthur throws a brick and injures Mr. Hampton, an old man who collects junk from neighborhood trash cans. Arthur goes to juvenile detention and his life appears to be falling apart, until Mr. Hampton himself offers an unusual opportunity for a second chance.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

If you think you know your fairy tales, think again. Follow along as Jack the Narrator runs through a number of stories, making a hilarious mess as he goes.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

There is a world of wonder in every snowstorm. Learn how snowflakes form and how to build a snow observation stage.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Dwight, the most out-of-step kid in sixth grade, speaks through an origami Yoda finger puppet which gives amazingly accurate advice to his classmates. Tommy investigates the question of how Yoda can be so wise when his friend Dwight is so clueless.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

A winning account of Dimaggio’s historic 56-game hitting streak, a record that still stands!

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

​Clever poems about the Superheroes Employment Agency and the superheroes trying to find heroic jobs, such as Blunder Woman,

Stuporman, and Muffy the Vampire Sprayer.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

Not all superheroes are well known. That’s where S.E.A. comes in, Superheroes Employment Agency. Through funny poems you will learn about Blunder Woman, the Verminator and every kid’s favorite Cajoler.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Set in 1950 and dense with eccentric details of British country life, the story follows Flavia de Luce, a precocious young chemistry enthusiast and busybody, as she untangles the mystery of the body that appeared in the garden of her family’s manor house.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Gen gets involved in a mysterious attempt to recover a precious stone in this adventure novel with the flavor of Greek mythology. The adventures continue in The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Lost in grief over the death of her former best friend in a swimming accident, Suzy refuses to accept the explanation that “sometimes things just happen.” She becomes absorbed in researching a rare poisonous jellyfish she believes could be the cause of Franny’s death. This strange focus leads, in unexpected ways, toward healing.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

This swashbuckling classic captures the flavor of 17th century France—court intrigues, romance, duels, sieges, and so on.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

Aunt Sally comes to stay with the Anderson family. She brings tales of trolls and makes eating string beans fun.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

​Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are newly recruited scouts who are attempting to protect Sugar Man swamp from a band of hungry, marauding hogs. Twelve-year old Chap Brayburn is also trying to protect the swamp but from an alligator wrestler who wants to turn the land into a world-class wrestling facility. When the raccoons cross paths with Chap, they team up to devise a plan to save their beloved swamp for certain destruction.

suggested for grade(s) 5

A young girl travels by ship to join her family in America in the 1800s. The cruel captain is faced with mutiny, and the voyage is marked by betrayal and murder. With its surprise ending, this exciting story is well worth reading.

suggested for grade(s) 6

A dedicated traveler, daring to fly across the Pacific Ocean in a giant air balloon is marooned, in a sense, on the island of Krakatoa.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Is a demon after Chingas and his younger brother? These two recent immigrants from Mongolia are convinced of it. When Julie who is chosen to be their Good Guide, a high honor for which she is tasked with showing the new comers the ways of their new home finds her life changed as the pull of a far off land weaves it’s magical spell.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Ada’s mother is so ashamed of Ada’s twisted foot that she never lets her go outside. Ada sneaks out to join her brother Jamie in an evacuation of London slum children to escape WWII bombing. Relocated to the countryside, they encounter life-changing new activities and opportunities, but their cruel and neglectful mother wants them back.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Thick but full of white space, this unusual book tells the riveting story of the Titanic disaster in many voices. Participants in the mounting drama include the ship builder, the captain, the millionaire, the socialite, the immigrant, the entree cook, the tailor’s young son, and several others. Even a tiny-brained ship rat and the omniscient iceberg contribute points of view.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Turtle Wexler and neighboring heirs to an eccentric millionaire’s fortune find themselves compelled to unravel a strange and clever murder mystery, full of word games and aliases. Only one person in the story (plus the reader) has all the clues and stands to inherit the fortune, if the mystery is solved.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6

Maritine’s life is changed forever after a terrible accident kills her mother and father. Before she knows what’s happening, she finds herself living on an animal reserve in Zimbabwe. There she encounters the wondrous white giraffe that people only whisper about. Together the giraffe and Maritine find a way to heal each other.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

ROZZUM unit 7134 is shipwrecked on a remote island and accidentally activated by curious otters. Programmed to learn, Roz figures out how to survive in the wilderness, how to communicate with wildlife, and, eventually, how to be a good neighbor to the island’s animals. But Roz comes from a different world, as she and her animal friends ultimately discover.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

This hilarious novel makes fun of elements of many classic children’s stories, including orphans, clueless adults, a baby on a doorstep, a mysterious millionaire living in a crumbling house and, of course, a no nonsense nanny. The glossary at the back is the full of big juicy words riotously defined. Also included is a synopsis of each of the lampooned children’s books.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Aine and Ned, children from separate kingdoms, are brought together by the magic that Ned’s mother protects and Aine’s father wants to steal. They develop an uncertain trust in each other as they attempt to cross an enchanted forest, restore the magic to its rightful place, and stop the war brewing between their kingdoms. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Mildred is the worst witch at her school. None of her spells turn out right, and she’s always in some mess or another.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

It is the Chinese Year of the Dog. Grace is supposed to use the year to understand herself, which she tries to do within her family and with her friends.

suggested for grade(s) 6

In this classic boy-and-his-pet story, young Jody longs for a pet and finds one in a motherless fawn. Jody must decide the fate of his pet when his family can no longer afford it. This tender story continues to touch each generation of young readers.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Whatever became of Murielle? Her parents, high profile financial investors, lost and stole millions of dollars of other people’s money before fleeing the country. Murielle, age five, was supposed to join them, but the escape plan failed.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

A society girl in love with a coal miner’s son; a girl who, after a personal tragedy, devotes her life to the nursing profession; rich industrialists who put money and success ahead of family and community: these stories unfold against the backdrop of the Johnstown flood of 1889, one of America’s greatest catastrophes.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

​In an atmospheric small town full of quirky characters, Mo and her friend Dale work on two mysteries. Where is Mo’s birth mother, from whom she was separated as a baby during a terrible storm? And who murdered Jesse Tatum, a mean and solitary man who nevertheless didn’t deserve a violent end?

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

​This visually delightful biography looks at the ideas of Thomas Edison and shows some of his inventions such as record players, batteries, and movie cameras.

suggested for grade(s) 2

A perfect elementary introduction to microbes, the tiniest lives doing some of the biggest jobs in the world. An intellectual and visual delight.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8

Drawing on historical sources, this gripping, authentic account recreates real peoples’ experiences on that fateful night, through the eyes of passengers of all classes, children, ship’s officers, crew, and rescuers. Many photos, diagrams, and maps add visual excitement.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

A well known climber describes the various attempts to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, including his own expedition.

suggested for grade(s) 2

Series: Elephant & Piggie

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Tess hopes that a foster child in the family will be like a big brother, but when Aaron arrives, he doesn’t seem interested in any of the things she loves about living on a small Maine island. If he leaves, the island school will be too small to stay open, and Tess’s family will have to move to the mainland.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Deja’s family moves to a homeless shelter, and she is angry and hostile on her first day in a new school. It turns out to be a very good school, where she makes friends. Her class is working on a new curriculum about September 11, 2001. Deja learns about the damaging ripple effect of the events of that day — in the world, her country, her city of New York, the school, and even her family.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Raphael, Gardo, and Rat are trash pickers, the poorest of the poor in an impoverished city. Raphael finds something unusual in the trash, which turns out to be a clue in the mystery of six million missing dollars in cash, stolen from a corrupt politician. The three friends keep the information to themselves and try to stay one step ahead of the police.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

Rivalry, friendship, conflict between fathers and sons, disappointment, triumph, and play by play action on the basketball court are all included in this page-turning sports story.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

Count Victor Lustig (real name - Robert Miller) managed to sell the Eiffel Tower (twice) without getting caught. Read all about this adventure and his other thrilling and scandalous schemes.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A stunning picture book autobiography, instrumentalist and vocalist Andrews shares the story of his early years growing up in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Samuel is too fearful to want to run away, but old Harrison is determined to escape slavery and take Samuel along. On the trip from Kentucky to Canada, they must put their trust in a series of people who provide stops on the Underground Railroad.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

In this simple and powerful account, Ms. Blackmon describes the Selma Voting Rights March of 1965. She was the youngest marcher that day. Already a trained and experienced nonviolent activist, she had been injured two weeks earlier on Bloody Sunday. During the March, she experienced terror and exhilaration, triumph and healing.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

In this exciting story, learn about the adventures and dangers a newborn turtle faces.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

Desperate, evil, wicked Uncle Pirate Bob shows up out of the blue and helps to rescue Wilson, the most bullied kid in his fourth grade class.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5,6,7

After a mishap with rubbing alcohol reveals that the large painting of an egg might be a priceless work of art, Theodora sets off on an adventure to uncover the origins of the piece that takes her all over New York City. Along the way, she befriends an eclectic cast of characters and gradually decodes the mystery of “The Egg.”

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

Mateo’s family is worried about his brother Julian, who hasn’t been heard from since he lost his job in the US. In search of Julian. Matteo makes the dangerous trip from his home in Mexico to Arkansas. Along the way he teams up with a mysterious girl who is reluctant to explain why she’s all on her own.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6

After moving to a farm inherited from Uncle Jim, Sophie decides to raise chickens. Sophie describes her progress through letters to Uncle Jim and her beloved, deceased abuelita, who are both alive in her memory. She also corresponds with a mysterious poultry seller, who gives her bizarre but accurate advice. Sophie’s chickens eventually reveal strange powers and attract the attention of a poultry thief.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Shipwrecked as a toddler and raised by a caring woman on a tiny Italian island, Vango eventually decides to see the world. In Paris, he is falsely accused of murder and goes on the run, pursued by the police and a mysterious unknown assailant. To his advantage, Vango has a few friends, knowledge of many languages, and the ability to climb fearlessly to great heights.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

A series of mysterious events begins after Neela’s grandmother in India sends her a beautiful old veena, a traditional musical instrument. Despite Neela’s care, the veena is stolen. Neela learns of a curse and several reasons why certain people might want to possess this mysterious instrument.

suggested for grade(s) 7,8,9

Addie lives in a funky yellow trailer with her mother, who is moody and sometimes disappears for days at a time. Addie yearns to live with her stepsisters and ex-stepfather, but he has no legal custody rights.

suggested for grade(s) 2

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

This story of World War I, from a horse’s point of view, unfolds on battlefields and behind the lines of both the English and German sides. Throughout these experiences, the horse yearns to be reunited with the boy from the English farm where he lived before he was sold to the cavalry.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Super smart, nerdy Stewart and queen bee Ashley are expected to live together in a blended family when their parents fall in love. With humor and optimism, Stewart tries to make the best of it. Worried about her social status at school, Ashley rudely refuses to cooperate. To complicate matters, Ashley’s father, who “ruined her life” by coming out as gay, lives in a tiny house on the same property.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8,9

Written in a conversational tone from a player’s point of view and illustrated with stunning oil paintings, this history of the Negro Leagues starts with Rube Foster, a gifted manager, and ends with Jackie Robinson.

suggested for grade(s) 8,9

Until her thirteenth summer, Cadence spends blissful summers with her cousins on the family’s private island. The stresses of the summer following her grandmother’s death culminate in an accident that leaves Cadence suffering from severe headaches and no memory of what happened. When she returns to the island two summers later, determined to uncover the truth, no one will talk about it. [ebook]

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7

This realistic story of two sisters’ immigrant journey from Norway to America will sometimes remind you of a fairy tale, with an evil step relative, a nasty troll, a girl with a spinning wheel confined to a tower, and a golden treasure found and lost and found again.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4,5

​Roy Lichtenstein changed the way people thought about art. He was inspired by comic books, cartoons and books for children. He was an innovator and a change maker and made very cool art.

suggested for grade(s) 4,5

​Lily’s dad works for an evil genius who is plotting to take over the world with mechanical, stilt-walking whales. Will she and her plucky friends be able to defeat the bad guy and save the world?

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

Cute bunnies take you through twelve fun projects that reuse old stuff around the house.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

Families in 21 countries are photographed in their kitchens surrounded by a week’s worth of food and groceries. The visual details and contrasts provide a fascinating way to learn about food and life in many different places in the world.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

A dramatically illustrated biography of hip hop’s legendary creator, DJ Kool Herc. Hippity hop and ya don’t stop!

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Hayaat is determined to comfort her sick grandmother with a jar of symbolic soil from the lost ancestral home in Jerusalem. Because they don’t have the papers to allow them to enter from the West Bank, Hayaat and her friend Samy take a roundabout, illegal route and encounter both obstacles and allies.

suggested for grade(s) 2

​Clara has joined the “Scrubs” as they take up whitewater kayaking. Usually she is one of the star athletes, but the whitewater has her scared!

suggested for grade(s) 2,3

This is the story of one of the most famous paintings in the world and how it was stolen from one of the most famous museums in the world.

suggested for grade(s) 3,4

The first woman to fly by herself across the Atlantic and Pacific, Amelia Earhart is also famous for the mystery of her disappearance.

Other titles in the series: Who Was Harriet Tubman?, Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?,Who Was Harry Houdini?, Who Was Maria Tallchief?

suggested for grade(s) 6,7

Lidie left a contented life in Brazil with relatives and a favorite horse to join her father and brother in America. Everything about her new life is challenging, but it helps that her new home is a farm for breeding race horses.

suggested for grade(s)

​Five dragons have been raised together from birth. Living underground in hiding. Overseen by guards while waiting to fulfill their destiny to end the great dragon war. They are each other’s family and when one of them is deemed unworthy of the prophecy they’ve been raised to fulfill and threatened with death. The five ban together and begin to remake a destiny of their own.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8

The year she turns twelve, Annabelle confronts difficult truths about honesty and fairness. She comes out sadder but stronger in the end. It all starts when Betty, a new girl from the city, shows up in the one room school house in Annabelle’s quiet town. She’s a bully, but Annabelle is not an easy victim. Betty’s disruptive actions escalate until Annabelle’s younger brothers, friends, and ultimately the whole town are affected.

suggested for grade(s) 6,7,8,9

suggested for grade(s) 7,8

Mascha, a lonely girl, meets brother and sister, slightly younger, at the park and quickly realizes that they’re being beaten by their father at home. She tells adults, but no one will listen. They don’t want to hear about anything that contradicts their view of their village as harmonious and friendly. Determined to help, Mascha makes a plan of her own.

suggested for grade(s) 2,3,4

​A picture book biography of baseball star Willie Mays, tracing his Birmingham childhood, achievements in the Negro Leagues, and fame as a center fielder for the Giants.

suggested for grade(s) 5,6,7,8,9

​In this gripping historical novel, Zane and his dog are trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. Together, they must find a way to survive the intense winds, drenching rain and the devastating flooding that destroyed the city.