6-8 Master List
Dragon Castle / Joseph Bruchac
Young Prince Rashko is frustrated with his family - no one does any thinking but him!
The kingdom and castle seem to be in the hands of fools. So when Rashko's parents
mysteriously disappear and the evil Baron Temny parks his army outside the castle
walls, it is up to the young prince to save the day. But there is more to this castle and its
history than meets the eye and Rashko will have to embrace his ancestry, harness a
dragon, and use his sword-fighting skills to stop the baron and save the kingdom. Along
the way, he realizes that his family is not quite as stupid as he always thought.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Dial. Copyright 2011
Hidden / Helen Frost
When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra's father steals a
minivan. He doesn't know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow
change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer.
Wren has questions, too. Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each
other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to
reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long. Told from alternating
viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of
a friendship that can overcome pain.
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young readers, an imprint of Macmillon
Children’s Publishing Group. Copyright 2011
Dead End in Norvelt / Jack Gantos
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an
incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement
are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose
spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are
coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most
unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded
his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange
adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade
airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past,
Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged
narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the
most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter
place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up
in the air.
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young readers, an imprint of Macmillon
Children’s Publishing Group. Copyright 2011
Take Me to the River / Will Hobbs
Deep in trouble, deep in the canyons. Fourteen-year-old Dylan Sands has come all the
way to the Big Bend on the Texas-Mexico border to paddle the fabled Rio Grande with his
cousin Rio. As the boys are packing their raft and canoe for ten days in the canyons, six
Black Hawk helicopters appear overhead and race across the river into Mexico. The Army
warns them that a hurricane is approaching the coast. Convincing themselves that their
chances of running into a storm are slim, Dylan and Rio launch onto the wildest and
most remote waters in the Southwest. Downriver, a man appears with a seven-year-old
boy, begging for help . . . and the storm is upon them. Danger, suspense, and the everlooming troubles in Mexico drive this white-knuckle adventure forward at a breakneck
pace.
HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Copyright 2011.
Small as an Elephant / Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and
fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it's over. But
Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a
campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money
for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he
needs to figure things out for himself - starting with how to get from the backwoods of
Maine to his home in Boston before Social Services catches on. With nothing but a small
toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that
will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd
after all.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Copyright
2011
Drawing from Memory / Allen Say
Shunned by his father, who didn't understand his son's artistic leanings, Allen was
embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as
his "spiritual father." As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of
his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous
drawing classes, studied, trained--and ultimately came to understand who he really is.
Scholastic Press, Copyright 2011.
Bluefish / Pat Schmatz
Travis is missing his old home in the country, and he's missing his old hound, Rosco.
Now there's just the cramped place he shares with his well-meaning but alcoholic
grandpa, a new school, and the dreaded routine of passing when he's called on to read
out loud. But that's before Travis meets Mr. McQueen, who doesn't take "pass" for an
answer--a rare teacher whose savvy persistence has Travis slowly unlocking a book on
the natural world. And it's before Travis is noticed by Velveeta, a girl whose wry banter
and colorful scarves belie some hard secrets of her own. With sympathy, humor, and
disarming honesty, Pat Schmatz brings to life a cast of utterly believable characters--and
captures the moments of trust and connection that make all the difference.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Copyright
2011
Okay for Now / Gary Schmidt
As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an
older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a comingof-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner
Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers
and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady
who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing
sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the
suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from
Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning
about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a
Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss
and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable
lessons about love, creativity, and survival.
Reprinted by permission of publisher, Clarion. Copyright 2011
The Silver Bowl / Diane Stanley
Unwanted at home, Molly goes to work for the king of Westria as a humble scullery maid.
She arrives at the castle with no education, no manners, and a very disturbing secret: She
sees visions, and those visions always come true. One day, while she's working in the king's
great hall, young Prince Alaric passes by. Molly finds him unbearably handsome—but also
unbearably rude. But what does it really matter? She'll probably never see him again. In
time Molly is promoted to polishing silver and is given a priceless royal treasure to work on:
the king's great ceremonial hand basin. But there's something odd about it. The silver
warms to her touch, a voice commands her to watch and listen, and then the visions
appear. They tell the story of a dreaded curse that has stalked the royal family for years.
There have already been deaths; soon there will be more. As tragedy after tragedy strikes
the royal family, Molly can't help but wonder: Will the beautiful Alaric be next? Together
with her friends Tobias and Winifred, Molly must protect the prince and destroy the curse.
Could a less likely champion be found to save the kingdom of Westria?
Harper Collins Publishers, Copyright 2011.
The Running Dream / Wendelin Van Draanen
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted
by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about
walking when you live to run? As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborglike prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't
know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't
now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa.
A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right
into the heart of her. With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track
teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her
now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, Copyright
2011.