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Adler, David Cam Jansen and the Mystery of
the Gold Coins
While using her amazing memory to find her missing science
fair project, Cam finds two gold coins. (Series)
Alexander, Lloyd The Book of Three
Taran, a pig-keeper, embarks on a quest to save Prydain from
evil. If you want adventure and action this summer, try this
chapter book series. (Series: The Prydain Chronicles)
Avi Midnight magic
In Italy in 1491, Mangus the magician and his apprentice
are summoned to the castle of Duke Claudio to determine if his
daughter is indeed being haunted by a ghost.
Blume, Judy Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Meet Peter, his friends, and his impossible little brother,
Farley Drexel, better known as "Fudge." Disaster strikes
when Peter's pet turtle disappears. Sequels: Fudge-A-Mania and
Superfudge.
Bridges, Ruby Through My Eyes
Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to attend
a "white school" tells her own amazing story.
Brooks, Bruce Woodsie
Woodsie joins a losing hockey team and helps turn it around.
(Series)
Bunting, Eve Spying on Miss Muller
Jessie goes to Boarding school in Ireland during World War
II. She and her friends begin to suspect that their favorite
teacher, Miss Muller, may actually be a Nazi spy. They start
a spy ring of their own to find out the truth.
Byars, Betsy Disappearing Acts
Herculeah's friend Meat discovers a corpse in the comedy
club's restroom, which then disappears! Meanwhile, Herculeah
tries to find Meat's long-missing father, another "disappearing
act". Fast pace and cliffhanging chapter endings. (Series)
Christopher, Matt The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
A mysterious man helps Sylvester become a homerun hitter,
but Sylvester worries about how long it will last.
Cleary, Beverly Strider
Leigh finds a hungry dog on the beach which he adopts and
names Strider. (Sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw, or go back and read
about Ramona, Henry, and Ribsy.)
Clement, Andrew Jake Drake, Bully Buster
Nicholas Allen is always up to something, but he comes up
with his best plan yet to drive his teacher insane to invent
a new word and get it in the dictionary. (Series)
Coville, Bruce The Dragonslayers
Grizelda decides to seek revenge on King Mildred by creating
the largest, fiercest dragon in the kingdom. An unlikely trio
of heroes--an elderly squire, a young pageboy, and a headstrong,
tomboy princess set out to destroy it.
Creech, Sharon Walk Two Moons
Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle discovers a lot about
life, love, and her mother's mysterious disappearance on a car
trip from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. (Award)
Curtis, Christopher Bud, Not Buddy
Bud is a street-wise orphan who is determined to find his
real father, a famous jazz musician. Funny. (Also read The
Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963). (Award)
Danziger, Paul Amber Brown Goes Fourth
Amber Brown finds out that there is life after your best
friend moves away. All of the Amber Brown books are great. (Series)
Danziger, Paula & Martin, Ann P.S. Longer Letter
Later
Elizabeth and Tara Starr are best friends. When Tara moves
away, they write each other letters and share the ups and downs
of life and friendship. The authors actually wrote the book by
writing letters back and forth.
DeFelice, Cynthia The Ghost of Fossil Glen
Allie, a sixth grader with an active imagination, gets involved
with a child's ghost in this suspenseful mystery. (Also read
Weasel and The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker.)
Denenberg, Barry The Journal of William Thomas Emerson:
Revolutionary War Patriot.
William is twelve when he joins the cause of the Patriots who
are opposed to British rule. (Series: My Name Is America)
Fleischman, Sid The Whipping Boy
A bratty prince and his whipping boy inadvertently change
places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. (Award)
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Gantos, Jack Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Joey Pigza's got heart, he's got a mom who loves him, and
he's got "dud meds," which is what he calls the Ritalin
pills that are supposed to even out his wild mood swings.
George, Jean Craighead How to Talk to Your Dog -or-
How to Talk to Your Cat
Summer is the perfect time to start a new language. Why not
learn how to talk with your pet? The illustrations are perfect
for these guides to pet behavior, as amusing as is the informative,
breezy text.
Goodall, Jane The Chimpanzees I Love : Saving Their
World and Ours
Dr. Jane Goodall tells of her life studying chimpanzees
at the Gombe National Park in Tanzania, and shares what she has
learned from her observations. Includes photographs and discussion
of ways to protect the chimpanzees and their habitats.
Gutman, Dan Babe and Me
Joe has the magic touch where baseball cards are concerned.
Once he gets that "tingling sensation" he travels back
in time and learns some surprising things about the mighty Babe
Ruth. (Series: Baseball Card Adventure)
Haddix, Margaret Running Out of Time
Jessie lives with her family in Clifton Village, Indiana
in 1840, or so she believes. What she doesn't find out, until
her life is in danger, is that it is really 1996 and her family
is part of a very risky science experiment. Also, Among the
Hidden by same author.
Hesse, Karen Phoenix Rising
Nyle's world changes when fallout from a nuclear disaster
causes her to lose people she loves. (Great author! Also try
Letters From Rifka, Out of the Dust, Time of Angels, or
Music of Dolphins).
Hinton, S.E. The Puppy Sister
Aleasha, a puppy, is sure that if she works hard enough she will
become human.
Hoffman, Mary Starring Grace
Grace and friends spend a summer using their imaginations
to go on grand adventures.
Horvath, Polly The Trolls
Amazing Aunt Polly comes to babysit, and three children find
out in breathtaking installments what happened with the trolls.
Hurwitz, Johanna Ozzie On His Own
Ozzie thinks he's in for a rotten summer, but a clubhouse,
some new friends, and a furry mascot turn things around. Read
anything by this author.
Ibbotson, Eva Which witch?
In search of a wife, Great Wizard Arriman announces a competition
among the witches of Todcaster.
Jacques, Brian Redwall
The mice must find the sword of Martin the Warrior in order
to protect Redwall Abbey from Cluny, the terrible one-eyed rat,
but the hiding place of the sword has been forgotten. (Exciting,
adventure, fantasy - Series)
Juster, Norton Phantom Tollbooth
Discovering a large toy tollbooth in his room, bored ten-year-old
Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and drives his small
electric car on a memorable journey to the Kingdom of Wisdom
with a watchdog named Tuck.
Kehret, Peg Small Steps
The author was diagnosed with Polio when she was twelve years
old. She shares her story of that very difficult year when she
was paralyzed and close to death. The author has a great sense
of humor.
King-Smith, Dick Lady Lollipop
A quick-witted swineherd and a pig named Lollipop are royally
rewarded after they reform a spoiled princess.
Lowry, Lois Number the Stars
Annemarie and her best friend Ellen, who is Jewish, live
in Copenhagen, Denmark during the Nazi occupation. Soldiers are
rounding up all the Jews, but Annemarie and her family try to
hide Ellen. (Award)
Maguire, Gregory Seven Spiders Spinning
Seven prehistoric spiders that had been trapped in ice for
thousands of years bring excitement to rural Vermont, briefly
uniting two rival clubs at a local elementary school.
McKissack, Patricia The Diary of Clotee, a Slave
Clotee, a house slave who must hide the fact that she
can read and write, records her struggles about whether or not
to escape to freedom. (Series: Dear America)
Meyer, Carolyn Anastasia : The Last Grand Duchess
The youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas of Russia describes
life as a princess leading up to her last days. (Series: Royal
Diaries)
Napoli, Donna Jo The Prince of the Pond : otherwise
known as De Fawg Pin
Having been turned into a frog by a hag, a frog-prince
makes the best of his new life as he mates, raises a family,
and instills a new kind of thinking into his frog family.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds Saving Shiloh
Judd tries to shoot Shiloh and ends up in a car accident.
Read any Shiloh book.
Oppel, Kenneth Silverwing
Shade is the runt of his Silverwing bat colony, determined
to prove himself on the perilous migration to Hibernaculum. During
a storm, he loses the others and soon faces the most incredible
journey of his short life. (Fantasy, adventure - Sequel: Sunwing)
Osborne, Mary Pope, Adaline Falling Star
Mourning the death of her Arapaho mother and feeling abandoned
her explorer father, Adaline Falling Star runs away from the
prejudiced cousins with whom she is staying and
comes close to death in the wilderness, with only a mongrel dog
for company.
Park, Barbara Mick Harte Was Here
Phoebe recounts the days immediately following her brother's
death in a bike accident. (Intense and funny)
Paterson, Katherine Bridge to Terabithia
Jess copes with tragedy by going to a secret kingdom in the
woods invented
by he and his friend, Leslie. (Award)
Paulsen, Gary Hatchet
A plane accident leaves Brian stranded in the Canadian wilderness,
and he
must struggle to survive. (Sequel, Award)
Pullman, Phillip I Was a Rat!
One of the rats from Cinderella's coach misses the curfew
and gets stuck as a boy. In this ridiculous spin-off story, the
rodent boy becomes a media sensation. (Funny)
Roy, Ron The Deadly Dungeon
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose visit their favorite mystery
writer and help solve the mystery of why her castle is haunted.
(Series: A to Z Mysteries)
Rylant, Cynthia In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen
Rosie, Lily, and Tess always have fun when they stay
at their Aunt's house. Good beginning chapter books. (Series:
Cobble Street Cousins)
Sachar, Louis Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger
When Wayside School finally reopens after getting rid
of the cows (don't ask), the children face the strangest and
worst substitute teachers ever. (Series)
Sachar, Louis Holes
Stanley Yelnats (palindrome) gets sent to a Detention Center
for delinquent boys and has to dig a hole in the hot sun every
day under the watchful eyes of the warden. They will dig up more
surprises and secrets than you can imagine. (Fantastic, funny,
clever, fast-paced Award)
Sciezka, Jon Summer Reading is Killing Me!
Fred, Sam, and Joe travel via "The Book" to Hoboken,
New Jersey, where characters from the books on their summer reading
list are alive. (Series: Time Warp Trio)
Seabrook, Brenda The Vampire in My Bathtub
Jeff accidentally finds a vampire named Eugene who has been
trapped inside a trunk for 150 years and unfortunately they attract
the attention of Eugene's evil cousin.
Simon, Seymour The Gigantic Ants and Other Cases
Match your wits with the science genius to solve ten mysteries.
(Series: Einstein Anderson, science detective)
Smith, Herbert Chocolate Fever
Henry Green is insane over chocolate and comes down with
a severe case of
"chocolate fever." (For lovers of chocolate, also look
for old favorites: The Chocolate Touch, by Patrick Catling,
or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl)
Snicket, Lemony The Bad Beginning
Three children, whose parents die suddenly in a fire,
must use their wits to protect themselves from wicked guardians
who try to steal their inheritance. (Series: A Series of Unfortunate
Events)
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley The Headless Cupid
David suspects that his nasty new stepsister, Amanda, is
causing mischief in their old house, but then they discover a
ghost.
Soto, Gary. Baseball in April and Other Stories
A collection of eleven short stories focusing on the
everyday adventures of Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno,
California.
Taylor, Mildred D. The Well: David's Story
In this story about the Logan family, Hammer, David's fiercely
proud older brother, beats up a nasty white teenager and has
to face serious consequences. (Based on the author's own African-American
family stories also read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,
a Newbery winner)
Turner, Megan Whalen The Thief
Because of bragging, and great skill at thievery, Gen lands
in the King's Prison, shackled to the wall of his cell. His one
chance for release is to recover the ancient treasure for the
King. Gen is a survivor and a trickster with ideas of his own.
(Suspenseful!)
Warner, Gertrude Chandler The Animal Shelter Mystery
The Alden children save an old woman's house, land, and
all the animals in her animal shelter from greedy contractors.
(Series: The Boxcar Children)
White, Ellen Emerson Voyage on the Great Titanic
Margaret is a companion to a wealthy woman aboard the
Titanic. She keeps a diary on the voyage. (Series: Dear America)
White, Ruth Belle Prater's Boy
When Woodrow's mother mysteriously disappears, he goes to
live next door to his cousin Gypsy. They become friends, and
in the process of helping him discover his mother's whereabouts,
she finally accepts the truth about her own father's death.
Williams, Laura Behind the Bedroom Wall
Thirteen-year-old Korinna must choose between her love for
her parents and her loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi party, when
she discovers that her parents are hiding a Jewish family behind
her own bedroom wall. (Holocaust)
Wynne-Jones, Tim Some of the Kinder Planets
This collection by Canada's most popular short-story writer
includes tales of ghosts and aliens as well as stories of more
ordinary happenings.
Yolen, Jane Trilogy: Passager
A young boy who has been abandoned in the forest has
forgotten where he came from and lost his ability to speak. He
is captured and tamed by a kindly falconer, who helps him recover.
This is the first book of a trilogy that tells the story of the
young Merlin (King Arthur's wizard); the sequels are Hobby
and Merlin.
A Wolf at the Door: and Other Retold Fairy Tales
Thirteen short fantasy stories based on classic fairy
tales, written by a variety of authors including Jane Yolen,
Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, and others.
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