Bibliography for Gifted Readers: Intermediate Grades
“We read to know we are not alone.”
-C.S. Lewis
Adults who know the particular child should determine the appropriateness of the material. Be especially judicious with books
classified as YA.
Sources
1. Bertie Kingore, “Gifted Kids, Gifted Characters and Great Books”: Quality literature involving gifted characters should be available to gifted children
and adolescents to encourage reflection about their feelings, concerns and interest. These books can help students gain insights into their
own lives and identify with others. Books were selected based on the following 3 criteria: written by authors of merit, well-developed
2.
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21.
characters who display gifted behaviors and the stories include thought-provoking problem situations. Suggested age levels are based on the
ages of the gifted characters, the complexity of the issues confronting them and the interest to a gifted reader.
“One Hundred Books That Shaped the Century”: a compilation by School Library Journal of books that have literary and artistic merit, perennial
popularity with young readers, that have blazed new trails and exerted a lasting influence on the world of children’s publishing.
Judith Halstead, Some of My Best Friends are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Preschool to High School : Halstead states four characteristics
are essential in challenging gifted learners’ verbal abilities: 1) Using their full vocabulary and develop it further with intellectual peers; 2)
Reading books at an appropriate intellectual and emotional level; 3) Being introduced to books that represent a variety of literacy conventions
and styles and that use language gracefully; 4) Expressing ideas verbally and in depth by writing and speaking with others who challenge and
thus refine their views and concepts.
Fountas & Pinnell, Leveled Books for Readers: Grades 3 to 6 (2002). “Level Z is an eighth grade reading level, but books suggestions at this level
should be complex enough to provide a good discussion about elements of text while still being developmentally appropriate.
Jerry Flack, “The Gifted Student Bookshelf”, a regular feature in Kaleidescope, the journal of the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented.
These titles do not always include a recommended age level, so preview first.
Award Winning Books
Diana Howard, Principal, Polaris Progragm at Ebert, Denver Public Schools.
Thomas P. Hébert, Ph.D., University of Alabama, “The Right books for Bright Children at the Right Times”.
Boston Globe, “Classics for Young Readers”
Sally Reis, Ph.D., University of Connecticut in a NAGC presentation on working with gifted readers, 2002.
Nancy L. Peterson, Ed.D., “Linking Books to Kids: Getting to the Heart”, a presentation at NAGC, 2002.
Carol Tomlinson, Ed.D., “Jumping Right Off the Page: Learning About Teaching Gifted Kids From Children’s Literature”, a presentation at NAGC,
November, 1999.
Hoagies Gifted Education Page, www.hoagiesgifted.org/featuring_gifted.htm
“One Hundred Books That Shaped the Century”, School Library Journal, www.libraryvideo.com/articles/article3.asp
“Out of this World Books for Kids Ages 8-13”, compiled by the Arrowhead Library System, http://als.lib.wi.us/MRList.html
“Books for Children, Featuring Gifted Children”, Linda Silverman, Ph.D., Hoagies Gifted Education Page, http://www.haogiesgifted.org
“2004 Summer Reading List for Rising Sixth Graders”, Fairfax County Public Schools.
“Books for Gifted 9 Year Olds”, New South Wales Association for Gifted and Talented Children, http://nswagtc.au/info/books/Books9.html
“101 Out-Of-This-World Books For Kids Ages 8-13”, Arrrowhead Library System, http://als.lib.wi.us/MRList.html
Adams Country School District #12 recommended reading for Middle School Students
Denver Public Library: Extreme Readers: Precocious Readers
Note: As I have added to this (5/09) I have gotten recommendations from various other teachers/gt specialists in the district.
Where there are no comments or no numbers referencing the list above, that means those were teacher recommendations.
Sometimes I knew nothing about the book but its title. I used a Scholastic website to find reading levels, but I note that there is not
great alignment in every case between DRA levels, guided reading levels, grade levels, etc.
Although it may impossible to pre-read every book you have in your classroom library, there are many websites that will provide a
summary and some that note the inclusions of violence, etc. (rather like a movie rating). Some of these sites are more objective than
others. As you look at some of the books listed, bear in mind that many of the fantasy/adventure books have some level of violence
(Lord of the Rings?).
Some websites that may be of interest:
http://www.nswagtc.org.au/info/books/ NSWAGTC book review database (you can contribute as well)
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown (Uni of Calgary Childrens Literature web guide)
http://www.carolhurst.com (Carol Hursts Childrens Literature site)
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/reading_lists.htm
Guidelines for selecting books:
Selecting for Content
 To learn which books experts in children’s literature recommend, consult these resources:
 The librarian at your child’s school.
 Librarians in the children’s and young adult sections of your public library. Encourage your daughter to make
friends with at least one librarian, who will gladly recommend appropriate books.
 Books about children’s and young adult literature in the reference section of your public library.
 Journals such as Booklist , School Library Journal , and Hornbook that review juvenile literature. These journals
can be found in your public library, but you may have to ask for access to them, since the staff typically uses
them to purchase new books.
 The American Library Association Web site. Go to www.ala.org, click on “Our Association” and then “Divisions,”
and look for ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) and YALSA (Young Adult Library Services
Association). Both pages have links to books considered suitable for the age ranges given, but you will still want
to decide for yourself which ones will challenge your reader.
Selecting for Challenge
 When you examine a book from one of these sources, read several pages or a chapter. Look for special
characteristics of language, style, plot, and setting.
 The language should make demands on your child’s vocabulary. Keep an eye out for descriptive words that
stimulate visual imagery. If the language patterns are those of another country or another time, so much the
better; your child will be challenged to infer meaning from the context.
 Style refers to the use of literary devices such as metaphor, allusion, and symbol. These require the reader to
create some of the meaning and will stretch your child’s perception.
 Seek plots structured in thought-provoking ways. Look for flashbacks, narration that switches from one
character to another, and stories that end without a definite resolution. These devices cause the reader to
examine a situation from different perspectives.
 The setting can be anywhere—in the real world or in the imagination—or at any time. By reading books that span
a wide range of settings, your child can experience ways of living that she may never encounter in her own life.
So encourage her to look for books that branch out beyond contemporary American life at least some of the
time.
By using these guidelines, you can help your child find appropriate reading material without having to read every
book yourself. But I hope that you will occasionally join her in reading the same book, both for your own
enjoyment and for the pleasure of the conversation you can have with her afterward.
—Judith Wynn Halsted,
MS
Audience
Author
12-YA
Level Y
Adams
Title
Watership Down
12-YA
Alcott
Little Women
10-13
Alexander
The Book of Three
4th – 6th
Gr. 5-9
Almond
The Golden Dream of Cario
Chuchio
Skellig
MS?
Ambrose
The Good fight: How World War
II Was One
T
Armstrong, Willaim
Sounder
4-8
Avi
Nothing But the Truth: A
Documentary Novel
Two lonely children form a bond when they secretly take
on the care of a crusty, otherworldly old man living in a
ramshackled garage. A mystical story of love and
friendship. 11
Stephen Ambrose is a distinguished historian and this book
is an excellent “information” book. Highly involving and
well-illustrated. 5
The story of African-American sharecropper, his family, and
their dog, Sounder. Then the sharecropper is sent to jail
for stealing food for this hungry family, it falls on his oldest
son to ryto to find him. 4, 6
Witty satire of high school politics that invites the reader to
question and analyze what they read and hear. 1, 11
The True Confessions of Charlotte
Doyle
As the lone "young lady" on a transatlantic voyage in 1832,
Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the
crew rebellious. 7, 14
Gr. 5-8
Ages 12 & up
Level V
Fiction too good
to miss
Level X
Babbitt, Natalie
3rd -5th
Crispin
Tuck Everlasting
Jack Plank Tells Tales
Comments, including source
Lead by Fiver, a rabbit who has a feeling something bad
might happen, a band of rabbits sets out to look for a new
home. 9
An appealing mosaic about the lives of members of the
March family. 9, 18
The first is a series of five fantasy books that chronicles the
adventures of Taran, assistant pig keeper and hero in the
mythical kingdom of Prydain. 9, 18, War violence; may
frighten younger children 21
Fantasy; Some violence 21
Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper
life and her domineering mother, escapes into the woods
only to get lost. Her magical summer begins when she
meets Jesse Tuck. Jesse is full of life and adventure and
Winnie falls in love. The Tuck family has a powerful secret
- a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life. Now
Winnie must choose whether she wants to live life as she
knows it or drink from the spring. 14, 15, 17, 18, 19
Humor; minimal piracy violence 21
10-13
Bagnold
National Velvet
Gr. 5-8
Balliett, Blue
Chasing Vermeer and others
6.5
6.2
X
Ages 8-12
Gr. 5-8
Barker, Clive
Barry, Dave
Abarat
Peter and the Starcatchers
Bauer, Marion
Sticks
With the help of his grandmother, his dead father's best
friend, and his own best friend, a math genius, ten-yearold Mickey prepares to compete in the most important pool
championship of his life, despite his mother's reservations.
11, 12
On My Honor
In this short but solid novel, Bauer effectively portrays the
dilemma of pre-adolescents, old enough to want to meet
their own challenges without adult interference, young
enough to want grownup protection and reassurance. 11
Fantasy stories of Oz and many. 13
A young boy from New York City enlists in the Union Army
as a drummer boy after his brother his killed at Gettysburg
and the “skedaddles” away from the Army and hides in the
Blue Ridge Mountains. 17
Gr. 4-6
Ages 8-12
Level U
Baum, L. Frank
Beatty, Patricia
Oz
Charley Skedaddle
A 14 year old girl with a passion for horses wins a horse in
a raffle, trains it to jump, disguises herself as a jockey and
rides it in the Grand national Steeplechase. 9
Two classmates are determined to help solve the mystery
of a missing paintng. Interactive. 4. 21
Fantasy; some violence 21
?
Who Comes with Cannons?
Gr. 5-7
Beatty, Patricia, cont’d.
Lupita Manaña
3-6
Bedard, M.
Emily
7.5
4th – 6th
Gr. 4-6
Ages 8-12
Beddor
Berlin, Eric
Betancourt
The Looking Glass Wars
Puzzling World of Winston Breen
My Name is Brian
DRA 40
Birdsall
The Penderwicks
4th – 6th
Birney, Betty
4th – 8th
Bishop, Nic
The Princess and the Peabodys
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras
Springs
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and
Expedition to the Cloud Forest of
New Guinea
Shakespeare Stealer
Shakespeare’s Scribe
Blackwood
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
5th-8th
Broach, Elise
Shakespeare’s Secret
Gr. 4-8
Fiction too good
to miss
Brooks, Bruce
What Hearts
Brown
Ruth Law Thrills a Nation
Bruchac, Joseph
Uncommon Traveler: Mary
Kingsley in Africa
Sacajawea
Bunting, Eve
So Far from the Sea
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Sara Crewe
Level Y
2-6
Level U
Ages 10-13
The Secret Garden
Level V
Ages 10-13
Burnford, Sheila
The Incredible Journey
4th- 8th
Gr. 5-8
Ages 10-14
Burns, Loree Griffin
Buss
Tracking Trash
Journey of the Sparrow
I-M
Byars, Betsy
The Cartoonist
Gr. 7-10
Level U
Gr. 6-9
Ages 8-13
4th – 8th
YA
Summer of the Swans
Caldwell, V.M.
The Ocean Within
Carbone, Elisa
Card, Orson Scott
Blood on the River
Ender’s Game
The Underground Railroad is viewed through the eyes of a
young Quaker girl who helps slaves escape. 17
A girl and her brother must cross the border from Mexico
to the US. They work along the way. Great to pair with
Esperanza Rising. 20
An insightful vignette of the reclusive life of Emily
Dickinson is shared through a young neighbor’s visit. 1
Apparently more violent than Alice in Wonderland. Death.
Mystery, bad guys, puzzles kids can do 21
Brian and his fellow members of the Jokers Club hate
school. To make it more fun, they create a secret game,
winning points for making other people laugh during the
day. Brian wins the first point when he writes his name as
``Brain'' on the blackboard. But it's no joke. 11
Every teacher who has looked at this list says, “Oh, I love
the Penderwicks.” More appealing to girls
Contemporary/fantasy; middle school bullying 21
Historical fiction; ghosts, some reference to drinking 21
Non-fiction 21
Author’s note sets the stage. This is an invitation to
talented readers. Not at all “dumbed down”. 10
From “Rocket Summer” to “The Million-Year Picnic”, these
stories of colonization on Mars are an eerie of past and
future. 13
Mystery; some sophisticated topics, including beheading
and affairs in English history; refers to Shakespeare’s plays
21
How Asa learns to trust the power of his heart as well as
his intelligence makes for a poignant story about the pains
and pleasures of growing up. 7, 11
One of the earliest American aviator faces prejudice
against women pilots. 5
Courageous English woman explores Africa in the late 19th
century. 5
Told in alternating points of view by Sacajawea and Clark,
this story includes tales of the famous Lewis and Clark
expedition. 4
The pain of Japanese internment camps is described in this
book with a mature theme. 5
Originally written in 1888, Sara remains courageous and
compassionate as she is orphaned and falls from riches to
a pauper. 1
Ten-year-old Mary comes to live in a lonely house on the
Yorkshire moors and discovers an invalid cousin and the
mysteries of a locked garden. 9, 14, 18, 19
A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador
retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian
wilderness to find their family. 9, 14, 19
Non-fiction 21
Maria , her brother and sister arrive in the U.S. from El
Salvador, jammed inside a nailed crate. Having left their
mother and baby sister in Mexico, they are ready to take
up the twilight existence of the illegal alien in Chicago. 11
Alfie immerses himself in his art to escape the problems
caused by other members of his family. 8, 11, 18
A teen-age girl gains new insight into herself and her
family when her mentally retarded brother gets lost. 14,
17, 18
When Elizabeth, an eleven-year-old foster child, is adopted
by the boisterous, openly affectionate Sheridan family, it is
Grandma who decides to use a fresh approach in trying to
help her connect with her new family. 11
Historical fiction; war/violence 21
The Earth is under attack from aliens known as "buggers."
The only hope is a brilliant general named Ender Wiggin.
The only problem is that he is a child. 11
The information
on this was
inconsistent.
Anywhere from
DRA 44 to
RL 7.7
Ages 8-12
Gr. 4-8
Gr. 7 and up
Ages 12 & up
Level U
Level Y
Ages 8 – 12
Level R
Carman, Patrick
Land of Elyon (series)
Atherton (series)
“Atherton – The House of Power,” by Patrick Carman is the
first book in a science fiction series about a world created
by a mad scientist.
Carmi
Samir and Yonaton
Riding his bicycle down the market steps, a young
Palestinian falls and smashes his knee so badly that he
needs surgery. For the first time in his life, Samir leaves his
home in the Occupied Territories to go to a Jewish hospital
where an American doctor will operate on him. 11
Catanese, P.W.
The Thief and the Beanstalk
The Eye of the Warlock
and others
Various
A Girl From Yamhill &
My Own Two Feet
Christie, Agatha
Cleary, Beverly
Cleaver, Vera and Bill
Clements
Where the Lilies Bloom
Frindle
Level W
Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Ages 8-12
Gr. 5-8
The Janitor’s Boy
Gr. 4-6
The Landry News
Ages 8-12
Gr. 4-6
The School Story
For the mystery lover 13
Follows the popular children's author through her childhood
and then her college years during the Depression; jobs
including that of librarian; marriage; and writing and
publication of her first book, "Henry Huggins." 14
18, 19
Trying to aggravate a tough language-arts teacher, a fifthgrade boy invents a new word for pen: "frindle." Soon, the
whole country is using it. "Dictionary lovers will cotton to
this mild classroom fantasy," 12, 11, 17
Ever since second grade when he announced to his class
that he wanted to grow up and become a janitor like his
father, Jack Rankin has been the target of relentless
teasing about his dad's work. Now a fifth grader, he learns
that the town's century-old high school, where his father is
head custodian, will serve as his temporary school while a
new elementary building is under construction. 11
A fifth grader's scathing editorial criticizing her burned-out
teacher spurs him to take his duties seriously. A terrific
read about free speech, the power of the pen, and the
need to temper truth with mercy. 11
When sixth-grader Natalie Nelson learns that school stories
are always in demand at the publishing company where
her mother is an editor, she instantly thinks, "Hey, who
knows more about school than someone who's right there,
five days a week, nine months a year?" 11
With a nod in the direction of H. G. Wells' Invisible Man,
Clements allows readers to speculate what it would be like
to be invisible. 11, 20
Ages 10-14
Gr. 6 & up
Things Not Seen
Coburn
Gr. 5-7
Codell, Esme Raji
Triumph on Everest: A
Photobiography of Sir Edmund
Hillary
Sahara Special
6.2
Level Y
Colfer, Eoin
Collier, James
Artemis Fowl (series)
My Brother Sam is Dead
DRA 44
4th – 8th
5th – 8th
10-13
Collins, Suzanne
Gregor the Overlander
Cooney, Caroline
Cooper, Susan
Enter Three Witches
The Dark is Rising Series
Gr. 5-8
Corcoran, Barbara
Susan series
I Am the Universe
Photos taken by Hillary illustrate this spectacular book. 5
Fantasy/adventure.
Young Tom is caught between his brother’s patriotism and
his father’s Tory sympathies in this classic tale of the
American Revolution. 4
21
A story about a young firl who has to repeat the 5th grade,
but ends up with excellent teachers who see her for who
she really its. 20
Historical fiction; violence 21
Set in modern day England and Wales, the series draws on
the legends of King Arthur and other mythology of Great
Britainl. 9, 14, 15, 18, 19
18
The serious, responsible girl of the family has to contend
4th – 6th
Level U
Couloumbis, Audrey
Cox, Clinton
Misadventures of Maude March
Undying Glory
Fiction too good
to miss
Creech, Sharon
Walk Two Moons
Love That Dog
with a number of problems, both funny and not so funny,
when her mother has to have an operation. 13, 16
Historical Fiction; some violence 21
This is the story of the courageous men of the 54th
regiment of Massachusetts, who fought as Union soldiers
to free their brothers and sisters from slavery. 17
A girl’s tender search for her mother. 7
A boy finds a way to grieve. ( my own addition)
Chasing Redbird
Cresswell, Helen
The Castle Corona
The Bagthorpe Saga
4-8
Curtis
Bud, Not Buddy
Gr. 5-8
T
Curtis, Christopher
The Watsons Go To Birmingham
U
Cushman, Karen
Bud, Not Buddy
Catherine Called Birdy
2-6
Dahl
The Loud Silence of Francine
Green
Matilda
Level U
Danziger, Paula
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
6.9
YA
Davies, David Clement
De Saint-Exupery
Fire Bringer
The Little Prince
Level U
DeAngeli
Door in the Wall
Ages 10 & up
DeFelice, Cynthia
Nowhere to Call Home
Ages 7-12
Gr. 3 & up
DiCamillo, Kate
Weasel
The Tale of Despereaux (and
others)
4th-6th
5th-8th
44
Gr. 6-8
Divakaruni, Chitra
D’Lacey
Donnelly, Jennifer
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Level V
Dubois, William Pene
Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane
The Conch Bearer
The Fire Within (and others)
A Northern Light
The Extraordinary Cases of
Sherlock Holme
The Great Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes
The Mysterious Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes
Twenty-One Balloons
Fantasy; some violence 21
Eleven-year-old Jack, the only "ordinary" member of the
talented and eccentric Bagthorpe family, concocts a
scheme to distinguish himself as a modern-day prophet.
13, 14
This well-crafted novel explores the life and hard times of a
resourceful orphan in search of his father during the
Depression. 1
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the
Watsons, an African American family living in Flint,
Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit
Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. 3, 4, 6, 11
In the course of her fourteenth year, Catherine keeps a
journal of her perceptive observations and longings for
adventure and independence in a medieval English manor.
4
Historical fiction; 21
Matilda, a genius with selfish dolts for parents, uses her
untapped mental ability to punish some hurtful adults and
save her nice teacher. 1, 18
When the unconventional English teacher who helped her
conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, a junior
high student uses her new found courage to campaign for
the teacher's reinstatement. 16 Other books by Dahl are
also recommended 13
An aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara
Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who
relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is
important in life. 12
A handicapped boy in 14th century England proves his
courage and earns recognition from the king. 4, 17, 18,
19
This realistic rags-to-riches (and back again) tale set in the
time of Hoovervilles and bread lines follows a girl who
takes up a hobo’s life. Sheltered, wealthy Frances Barrows
world is thrown into chaos when her fathers factories go
bankrupt and he kills himself during the Depression. 11
18
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of
unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl
who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined
to bring them all to ruin.
Fantasy; mystical, evil wizard, fantasy, uses “damn” 21
A story about a young girl who is left as the caregiver of
her entire family after her mother dies. She searches for
independence and freedom in a time when this was not
expected for young women. 20
For the mystery lover 13
Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across
the Pacific Ocean, but by a twist of fate, he lands on
Krakatoa and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth,
eccentric inhabitants and incredible balloon inventions. 6,
18
YA/jFic
DuPrau, Jeane
Duncan, Lois
City of Ember (series)
A Gift of Magic
Fiction
Dunn
Ella Minnow Pea
Fiction too good
to miss
Upper el +
Eager
Ehrenhaft
Half Magic
Other books by this author
The Last Dog on Earth
Engdahl
Enchantress from the Stars
Until she learns to control it, Nancy's gift of extrasensory
perception brings her more trouble than she can handle.
16
For students with an advanced vocabulary and willingness
to decipher. A town bans the use of letters, one by one,
and the story is written using only words without those
letters. Challenging. 10
Whatever they wish, they get half. 7, 18
There WERE books about magic before Harry Potter.
A boy lacks direction and friends and self-esteem until he
adopts Jack, wild and mangy mutt. 13
Three civilizations on earth at once. 7
Estes, Eleanor
Farmer
The Moffats (series)
The Ear, the Eye, the Arm
13
Amazing science fiction set in future Africa. 7
Farmer, Nancy
A Girl Named Disaster
When eleven year-old Nhamo (disaster) flees her native
village in Mozambique to search for her father in
Zimbabwe, she is lost on the vast Lake Cabora Bassa. A
survival story with a glimpse into other cultures. 4
The Sea of Trolls
It’s 793 A.D. and young Jack is kidnapped and thrust into
an adventure/quest through Norse mythology and Saxon
history. 20
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
Three detectives are looking for three children, thought to
have been kidnapped from an elite family. The children
face new situations in order to survive. Science
fiction/survival. 20
After moving from Chicago to Grand River, Michigan, fifth
grader Yolonda, big and strong for her age, determines to
prove that her younger brother is not a slow learner but a
true musical genius. 12, 11
Collection of 1000 poems by a variety of authors. 13
The Great Brain, age 10, specializes in solving problems
that baffle adults in his life. He uses his resources to help
a less fortunate young man. This is the first title of an
extensive series. 8, 13, 16, 19
Harriet is intelligent and curious. 1, 13, 16, 18
Fiction too good
to miss
Fiction too good
to miss
Level X
Gr. 6-9
Gr. 6-8
Ages 9 & up
Int
Level T
1-5
Level T
Fenner
Yolonda’s Genius
Ferris, Helen
Firzgerald
Favorite Poems, Old and New
The Great Brain
Fitzhugh, Louise
Harriet the Spy
The Long Secret
EL -MS
Level U
6.6
Ages 12 & up
Gr. 8 & up
Nobody’s Family Is Going to
Change
Flanagan, John
Fleischman, Paul
Ages 10 & up
Grades 4 & up
Ranger’s Apprentice
Mind’s Eye
Seedfolks
10-13
Forbes
Escape!
Johnny Tremain
10-13
Fox
Slave Dancer
Level Y
Frank, Anne
The Diary of a Young Girl
4th – 6th
Frederick, Heather
The Mother Daughter Book Blub
Through a series of family disagreements over her sevenyear-old brother's efforts to become a dancer and her own
determination to be a lawyer, eleven-year-old Emma
realizes that it is up to children to take the initiative since
parents rarely change. 8, 14
Fantasy, war violence, bullying, fantastical creatures, 21
A novel in play form in which sixteen-year-old Courtney,
paralyzed in an accident, learns about the power of the
mind from an elderly blind woman who takes Courtney on
an imaginary journey to Italy using a 1910 guidebook. 11
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and
backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a
productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the
gardeners are themselves transformed. 11
Non-fiction 21
Events and drams in pre-Revolutionary Boston are seen
and assessed by a young hero. 9
Jessie is appalled when he is pressed into service as a
slave dancer and must play his fife to keep captives on a
slave ship active and salable. 9, 11
Compelling and candid, this diary introduced the world to a
girl filled with the motional concerns of a typical teenager,
but living in stifling and terrifying circumstances. 14
Contemporary, 21
Gr. 5 & up
Ages 10-13
Level V
Freedman, Russell
Level V
Lincoln: A Photobiography
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt, A Life of
Discovery
4-8
Level Y
Level V
The Wright Brothers: How They
Invented the Airplane
Freymann-Weyr, Garrett
Fritz, Jean
My Heartbeat
Around the World in a Hundred
Years from Henry the Navigator to
Magellan
?
Early Thunder
Level X
The Great Little Madison
?
Fritz, et al
The World in 1492
4th – 6th
Funke, Cornelia
Thief Lord
5.9
5.8
Gr. 8 & up
Furlough, Monica
Wise Child
Juniper
What Are You? Voices of Mixed
Race Young People
EL-M
Level U
George
Gaskins, Pearl
Julie of the Wolves
Also a sequel: Julie
3-6
Int-MS
Ages 8-12
Gr. 5-8
My Side of the Mountain
Giff, Patricia Reilly
Gr. 6-7
Level V
Pictures of Hollis Woods
Gipson, Fred
Old Yeller
Glancey
The Story of Architecture
Grandits, John
Technically, It’s Not My Fault:
Concrete Poems
Frank O. Gehry: Outside In
Greenberg and Jordan
MS
Ellen Foster
Greene, Bette
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon
Maybe
A well-researched, eloquently written narrative explains the
life and time, person characteristics and political career of
Lincoln. Few, if any, of the many books written for
children about Lincoln can compare with Freedman's
contribution. More than 80 photographs and prints
illustrate the crisp and informative text. 9, 14, 17
Traces the life of FDR from his birth in 1882, through his
youth, early political career and presidency to his death in
Warm Springs, Georgia in 1945. 4
Compelling text and contemporary photos trace Eleanor
Roosevelt’s life from unhappy childhood to the world’s
stage. 4
This nonfiction book uses historical photographs and indepth information to explain the determination and
creativity of the Wright Brothers. 1, 18
This book examines the great wave of European
exploration during the 1400s in a way that brings to life the
explorers who changed the world map. 17
Daniel and his widowed father must choose to be either
Tory or Whig as growing violence between the groups sets
the stage for the Revolutionary War. 17
This in-depth account of James Madisons’s life fives an
interesting picture of life in America before, during and
after the American Revolution. 17
This collection by a number of highly regarded children’s
authors contains information about people, places, and
events of this time period, from several areas of the world.
17
Action/adventure, law-breaking, kids living on their own,
scary adults 21
Many young people of racially mixed backgrounds discuss
their feelings about family relationships, prejudice, dating,
personal identity, and other issues. 11
Miyax rebels against a home situation that she finds
intolerable. She becomes lost in the Alaskan wilderness,
without food or compass. She survives day to day and is
forced to redefine the traditional richness of Eskimo life. 8,
14
15, 19
Sam’s diary reveals his experiences living alone and off the
land. 1, 8, 15, 18, 19
When a terrible blight attacks Ireland's potato crop in
1845, twelve-year-old Nory Ryan's courage and ingenuity
help her family and neighbors survive. 11
A young girl is placed in several foster homes, but
eventually learns about unconditional love. 20
This is the story of a special friendship between a 14 year
old boy and a big, ugly, yellow dog in a the Texas
wilderness. 17, 18, 19
Published by Dorling Kinderly, major producers of
information books. Encyclopedic in breadth of information
on this topic. 5
Uses inventive chaps and typefaces to hilarious effect. 13
Story of architect Frank O. Gehry, designer of the
Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain, perhaps one of the
most talk-about building in decades. 5
Beth Lambert could easily be the best student in her class
if she did not let Philip Hall, her first love, have this
Gr. 5-7?
Level P
Greene, Constance
A Girl Called Al (series)
Ages 8-12
Gr. 4-6
EL –Jr.H
Isabelle and Little Orphan Frannie
Greenwald
Will the Real Gertrude Hollings
Please Stand Up?
& other books by this author
?
Gripe, Maria
Hugo and Josephine
YA
Ages 10 & up
Gr. 5-8
In the time of the Bells
Grove, Vicki
Gr. 6-9
Ages 10 & up
4th – 8th
Age 12-YA
Level X
Reaching Dustin
The Starplace
Hale, Shannon
Hamilton, Virginia
Ages 8-13
Princess Academy
M.C, Higgins the Great
The House of Dies Drear
YA
Level V
The Justice Cycle
Gr. 4-7
Level W
The People Could Fly: American
Black Folktales
5-8
Hansberry, Lorraine
Gr. 5 & up
Ages 11-13
Gr. 6 & up
The Planet of Junior Brown
A Raisin in the Sun
Harness
Remember the Ladies: 100 Great
American Women
Hayes, Daniel
Henry, Marguerite
Hesse, Karen
Trouble with Lemons
Misty of Chincoteague
Out of the Dust
Witness
distinction. 8
A seventh-grade girl, her slightly fat girl friend, Al, and the
assistant superintendent of their apartment building form a
mutually needed friendship with the usual--and a few
unusual--joys and sorrows.
When Isabelle discovers her new protégée can't read, she
acquires an unwilling and possibly unteachable pupil. 16
Gertrude Hollings, labeled learning disabled and an outcast
at school, but cherished and loved at home, must spend
three weeks with her straight A and very competitive
cousin, Albert. To their mutual surprise, they learn from
one another. 8, 13, 16
Everything changes for the minister's small daughter when
she meets and becomes friends with an unusual little boy.
16
Although the astrologers have tried to ignore it, a young
king and his whipping boy sense a force that directs their
future. 16
Fifth-grader Carly's assignment to interview a reclusive,
brooding classmate leads her to discover some of the
events that have caused his antisocial and abusive family's
negative impact on their Missouri farming community, and
Carly's family in particular. 11
Thirteen-year-old Frannie learns hard lessons about
prejudice and segregation when she becomes friends with
a young black girl who moves into her small Oklahoma
town in 1961. 11
Fantasy, kidnapping, bullying 21
The Higgins have lived in the same place since greatgrandmother Sarah escaped from slavery and settled
there. When coal miners leave debris on the side of the
mountain that threatens to slide down and destroy their
home, young Mayo Cornelius finds the courage to stand up
to his father and save the house. 9, 14
A family tries to unravel the secrets of their new home that
was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. 15, 17, 19
An eleven-year-old and her older twin brothers struggle to
understand their supersensory powers. Science Fiction 16
Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the
supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of
the slaves, but passed on in hope. 14
This inner-city story weaves a complex tale about a
talented pianist whose weight causes people to ostracize
him. 1, 13, 16
An African-American family is united in love and pride as
they struggle to overcome poverty and harsh living
conditions. 13
Harness observes that the Statue of Liberty would lead one
to assume that women have held many positions of
greatness in our nation’s history, when in fact, for much of
our history women were not allowed to vote, own property
or work in many professions. Harness provides a tribute to
women from colonial to current time, some well-known,
others not. 5
A band of wild ponies inhabits an island. 13
In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the
hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma
during the dust bowl years of the Depression. 4, 11, 14
A series of poems express the views of various people in a
small Vermont town, including a young black girl and a
young Jewish girl, during the early 1920s when the Ku Klux
Klan is trying to infiltrate the town. 11
Gr. 6-10
Gr. 4-7
Gr. 5-8
Aleutian Sparrow
Hiassen, Carl
Hirsch, Robin
Music of the Dolphins
Hoot
F*E*G: Ridiculous, Stupid Poems
for Intelligent Children
The Maze
Gr. 6 – 9
Hobbs, Will
7.2
To pre-teen
Holland, Kevin Crossley
Horowitz, Anthony
Gr. 4-6
Horvath, Polly
Arthur and the Seeing Stone
Diamond Brothers Mysteries The
Falcon’s Malteser
The French Confection
I Know What You Did Last
Wednesday
South by South East
Everything On a Waffle
Level Z
Hunt, Irene
Across Five Aprils
7.3
MS
Hunter, Erin
Hunter, Molly
The Warriors (series)
A Sound of Chariots
INT
Hurwitz
Class President
Level Y/Z
Jackson, Percy
Jaques, Brian
The Lightning Thief
Martin, the Warrior (and others in
the Redwall series)
3rd – 5th
Jonell, Lynne
Jones, Charlotte Foltz
Jordan, Sherryl
Joseph, Lynn
Emmy and the Incredible Shinking
Rat
Fingerprints and Talking Bones
Time of the Eagle
The Color of My Words
Gr. 4-8
Level W
Juster, Norman
The Phantom Tollbooth
Level X
Kehret, Peg
Earthquake Terror
Kendall, Carol
The Gammage
T
Kennedy, Caroline
Key, Alexander
The Whisper of Glocken
A Family of Poems
The Forgotten Door
Gr. 4-8
King, Casey
Oh Freedom: Kids Talk About the
Civil Rights Movement with Kids
Who Made It Happen
King, Laurie
Kipling, Rudyard
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
Jungle Book
Just So Stories
Rikki-Tikki- Tavi
5th – 8th
Gr. 5-8
Ages 8-12
Told in blank verse, this is the story of Aleutian islanders’
relocation during WWII. Hesse shows the culture, the
people and the dislocation and destruction caused by the
war. 20
The writing changes as the main character becomes a
more fluent speaker. A demonstration of what is must be
like to live in a totally foreign culture. 20
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes
involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of
burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. 6
An unusual book that inspires wordplay in language-loving
readers. 13
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a
juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to
Canyonlands National Park in Utah where he meets a bird
biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the
wild. 11
Nick Simple’s life is anything but simple. His parents have
moved to Australia, leaving him in the care of his
incompetent older brother who is trying to make a living as
a private detective. 13
Eleven-year-old Primrose living in a small fishing village in
British Columbia recounts her experiences and all that she
learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life
in the months after her parents are lost at sea. 11
Through letters, a divided family follows their sons through
the five years of the Civil War. 3, 4
A young woman’s love of beautiful words and her desire to
become a writer causes her conflict with an unappreciative
teacher. 8
Julio Sanchez, a Puerto Rican young man, is a true friend
to his peers and has a natural gift of leadership. He is
elected 5th grade class president after his friends recognize
his ability to help people. 8
This animal tale is part of the Redwall series, in which
Martin journeys to help his people stand against a band of
villains. 17, 18
Fantasy, bullying, evil nanny 21
Non-fiction on solving crimes 13
Epic, war violence 21
When life gets difficult for Ana Rosa, a twelve-year-old
would-be writer living in a small village in the Dominican
Republic, she can depend on her older brother to make her
feel better--until the life-changing events on her thirteenth
birthday. 11
A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance
of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.
14, 15, 18, 19
Jonathan and Abby’s parents have just rushed to the
emergency room, leaving their children alone when an
earthquake strikes the island. The book recounts the
children’s survival efforts in the aftermath. 17
The Minnipins’ world is a colorful, well-detailed world full of
adventures, with no shortage of eccentric characters.
A young boy finds a forgotten door that takes him into the
past. 4
Interviews between young people and people who took
part in the civil rights movement accompany essays that
describe the history of efforts to make equality a reality for
African Americans. 11
Sherlock Holmes takes on a teen female apprentice. 13
13
10-13
Knight
3-7
Level S
Konigsburg
The Man Who would Be King
Rudyard Kipling: Complete Verse
Lassie Come Home
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.
Basil E. Frankweiler
One of the best dog stories ever written describes the
arduous journey Lassie makes from Scotland to Yorkshire
to find her master. 9
A sister and brother run away from home to hide in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and decipher the
mystery of a statue. 1, 6, 8, 11, 14
4-8
The View From Saturday
Four gifted students and their teacher form a team for the
Academic Bowl and enhance their humanity in the process.
1, 6, 12, 11, 17
Gr. 5-9
Up from Jericho Tel
The spirit of a dead actress turns two children invisible and
sends them out among a group of colorful street
performers to search for a missing necklace. 16
Gr. 6-10
Gr. 5-9
Korman, Gordman
Silent to the Bone
No More Dead Dogs
5th – 8th
6th – 8th
Gr. 4-8
Koslick, Conor
Krull
2-6
Schooled
Epic
Lives of Extraordinary Women:
Rulers, Rebels (and What the
Neighbors Thought)
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma
Rudolph Became the World’s
Fastest Woman
…And Now Miguel
?
Krumgold, Joseph
3-8
Level V
L’Engle
4th -6th
Level Z
Larson, Kirby
Lawson, Robert
Fiction too good
to miss
Level Z
Le Guin
Wizard of Earthsea and others in
the series
Leslie, Robyn
Levine
Rinny and the Trail of Clues
Ella Enchanted
Gr. 4-7
Ages 10 & up
Levine, Gail Carson
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Ages 10 & up
Gr. 5-9
Levitin, Sonia
Dream Freedom
Lindgren, Astrid
Pippi Longstocking
10-13
Lofting, Hugh
London
Dr. Dolittle (many)
Call of the Wild
London
S
Lord, Bette Bao
White Fang
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie
Robinson
3-8
Lorenz
A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the
Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet;
Many Waters
Hattie Big Sky
Rabbit Hill
Buried Blueprints: Maps and
Sketches of Lost Worlds and
Mysterious Places
Bramwell has been silent since the day his half-sister was
badly injured and he called 911. 20
A football player ends up in detention where they are
putting together a play for a book he didn’t like. 13, 20
Contemporary; bullying, mild language 21
Fantasy/Gaming; video violence, vampires, murder 21
Biographies of adventurous women. Witty, entertaining
and factual approach to biography. 10, 5
A simple, but informative biography about overcoming
obstacles. 1
The story of Miguel, a new Mexican sheepherder and how
in one summer’s journey he grows from being a child into
a maturing individual. 4, 6
Classic science fiction trilogy about facing the problem of
being different, fighting to overcome evil and the power of
love. 1, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19
Historical Fiction, some violence 21
New folks are coming to live in the Big House. The animals
of Rabbit Hill wonder if they will plant a garden and thus
be good providers. 14
Unforgettable fantasy series. 7, 13, 14, 16, 18
13
Cinderella-based story of a spunky, intelligent heroine
struggling to overcome a curse that forces her to obey any
command given to her. 1
With her adventurous sister, Meryl, suffering from the the
Grey death, meek and timid Princess Addie sets out to find
a cure and encounters monsters and other dangers along
the way. 11
Marcus and his classmates learn about the terrible problem
of slavery in present-day Sudan and raise money to help
buy the freedom of some of the slaves. Alternate chapters
tell the stories of the slaves. 11
Pippi is an irrepressible, irreverent and irrefutably delightful
girl who lives alone with a monkey in her wacky hous. 13
13
Buck, a domesticated dog, is beaten and forced to work as
a sled dog. He eventually leaves and joins a pack of
wolves. 9
18
This is the story of Chinese child who comes to live in
Brooklyn in the year 1947. It is the year when everyone’s
hero is Jackie Robinson, grandson of an ex-slave, who is
displaying how everyone has something to contribute to
America. 4
Highly imaginative book with oversize, fold-out pages that
serve as maps or blueprints to some of the most famed
landmarks in history, religion, literature and myths. 5
EL-MS
Level Q
Lowry, Lois
Anastasia on her Own and others
Gathering Blue
Ages 10 & up
Gr. 5-9
Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously
removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial
Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a
weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.
11
The Giver
4-8
Level Y
Number the Stars
U
MacLachlan, Patricia
Gr. 4-6
The Earth, My Butt and other Big
Round Things
The Facts and Fictions of Minna
Pratt
Baby
Maguire, Gregory
The Good Liar
Maguire, Gregory
2-6
Martin
Leaping Beauty – and other Animal
Fairy Tales
Snowflake Bentley
Gr. 6 & up
Mazer, Norma Fox
After the Rain
YA
Gr. 5-8
MacHale, J.
McCaffrey, Ann
Pendragon (series)
Dragonsong
Fiction too good
to miss
Level Z
McKinley
The Blue Sword
McKinley, Robert
The Hero and the Crown
Level Z
Level Y
McMullan, Kate
Meigs, Cornelia
Merrill, Jean
Myth-O-Mania
Invincible Louisa
The Pushcart War
6th – 8th
Meyer, L. A.
EL-M
Miles
Bloody Jack: Being an Account of
the curious Adventures of Mary
“Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy
The Real Me
5th – 8th
Ages 10-13
Level V
Miller, Kirsten
Montgomery, L. M.
Kiki Strike
Anne of Green Gables
Gr. 5-8
Ages 10-14
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Jade Green
Ages 10-14
Science fiction tale of a perfect world with no problems,
fears or pain. 1, 6, 12, 11, 14, 19
Ten year-old Anne Marie Johnson is asked to go on a
dangerous mission that will take all her strength and
courage in order to save her friend from the Nazis. 4, 6
Mackler, Carol
Gr. 4-8
Fiction too good
to miss
Anastasia Krupnik is left in charge of her very disorganized
family. She invents the Krupnik Family Nonsexist
Housekeeping Schedule and saves the day! 8, 11, 13,
16, 19
Walker’s Crossing
Minna is a talented musician who struggles to learn to
appreciate herself and her unique family. 1, 7, 8, 11
A family finds a baby on their doorstep aftern all the
summer tourists leave for the winter. 20
World War II comes alive for 3 girls doing a school report.
13
Eight well-known fairy tales are recast and retold. 13
Persistence and family support are embedded in this
biography of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, a self-taught
photographer and scientist. 1
After discovering her grandfather is dying, fifteen-year-old
Rachel gets to know him better than ever before and finds
the experience bittersweet. 11
Fantasy/adventure
A fantasy about the island of Pern, where periodically,
spores fall from the sky and consume all living matter. A
musically gifted young girl grows up in place where
tradition dictates that women cannot become Harpers. 3,
4
A strong young woman seeks her identity.
Aerin, with the guidance of the wizard Luthe and the help
of the blue sword, wins the birthright due her as the
daughter of the Damarian king and a witchwoman of the
mysterious, demon-haunted North. 14
Mythology like you have never seen it before. 13
A biography of Louis may Alcott. 4, 6
Unusual in its format (pretending to be an historical
document, replete with footnotes and transcribed
conversations, this unconventional novel is social satire for
children in its finest form. 14
Historical/adventure; piracy, violence, (almost) sexual
attack 21
Barbara Fischer feels strongly about discrimination against
females. She campaigns for an end to this treatment as
she fights for girls taking “boys sports” in gym class and
having her own paper route. 8
Action/adventure; some violence 21
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live
with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince
Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible
impression on everyone around her. 9, 14, 17, 18
While living with her uncle in a house haunted by the ghost
of a young woman, recently orphaned Judith Sparrow
wonders if her one small transgression causes mysterious
happenings. 11
While living on his family's ranch in Wyoming where he
Gr. 6-8
Nesbit, Edith
Level W
Nixon, Joan Lowery
The Five Children and It and
others
The Orphan Train Adventures
Level V
Norton, Mary
O’Dell, Scott
The Borrowers and others
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Black Pearl
Level W
Ages 8-12
Orwell, George
Park, Barbara
Animal Farm
Mick Harte Was Here
Gr. 5-8
Park, Linda Sue
A Single Shard
K-5
4-8
Level S
Parks and Haskins
Paterson, Katherine
Rosa Parks: My Story
Bridge to Terabithia
hopes to someday be a cowboy, Ryan faces conflicts with
his older brother, who becomes involved in a militia
movement. 11
Fantasy before Harry Potter 13
Orphans from the east coast are sent on the train to the
west in hopes that someone will adopt them. Historical
fiction. 17, 18, 19
Little people live between the floors. 13
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of
California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not
only merely surviving through her enormous courage and
self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in
her solitary life. 14, 18
Ramon’s family is in the pearl business in Baja. While his
father is away on a trip, Ramon finds the fabulous Pearl of
Heaven, but it earns him powerful enemies. 17
13
Thirteen-year-old Phoebe recalls her younger brother Mick
and his death in a bicycle accident. 11
Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea,
lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn
how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself. 11
Rosa Parks tells her story. 1
Two nonconformist friends create their own magical realm
and encourage each other’s gifts. 1, 6, 8, 12, 11, 13, 14,
15, 16
4-8
Come Sing, Jimmy Jo
Painful shyness causes self and family conflicts for a gifted
eleven-year old boy when he reluctantly joins his family’s
musical group. 1, 8, 11, 13, 16
6-8
Jacob Have I Loved
Complex relationships and emotions evolve as a twin feels
that her sister has deprived her of parental affection and
schooling. 1, 6, 11
Level U
Level X
Level S
Of Nightingales that Weep
The Master Puppeteer
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Fiction too good
to miss
4.2 – 5.2
3-8
Park’s Quest
Patterson, James
Paulsen
Maximum Ride (series)
Brian’s Winter and others in the
Hatchet series
Guts: The True Stories Behind
Hatchet and the Brian Stories
Paulson, Gary
Level V
Pearce, Philippa
The Boy
The Cookcamp
The Quilt
Alida’s Song
Tom’s Midnight Garden
Level V
Peck, Richard
A Long Way from Chicago
Other books by this author
Gr. 5-8
Ages 10 & up
MS
Perkins, Lynne Rae
All Alone in the Universe
Pfeffer
Dear Dad, Love Laurie
Gr. 7-10
Pratchett, Terry
The Amazing Mauric and His
Educated Rodents
16, 19
Seeking his father, Park discovers himself. 7, 11
When the plane crashes, Brian is the sole survivor and
must solve unique problems. 1, 11, 14, 19
The author relates incidents in his life and how they
inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian
Robeson. 11, 15, 13
A five year old boy is sent to the north woods of Minnesota
to live with his grandmother…
Tom’s friendship with Hattie, the Victorian child who
inhabits his garden in the middle of the night, is the
quintessential time-slip fantasy, full of impossible
possibilities brought on by the needs of two children of
different decades. 14
A boy recounts his annual summer trip to the rural Illinois
during the Great Depression. 4
Debbie is dismayed when her best friend Maureen starts
spending time with ordinary, boring Glenna. 11
Laurie is a sixth grader who feels victimized twice: her
parents have recently divorced and she has been excluded
form the gifted program based on test and grades that
were compromised by her parent’s separation. She relates
her thoughts and feelings to her father in letters. 8, 13,
16
A retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, with talking cats
andrats, rat breeders and fighter, rat kings, an innocent
6.7
Pullman, Phillip
The Golden Compass
Ransome, Arthur
Raskin, Ellen
Swallows and Amazons
The Westing Game
10-13
Rawls
Where the Red Fern Grows
3-8
Roberts
MS
Ryan
Henry Cisneros: Mexican
American Mayor
Frankie’s Run
Gr. 6-9
Ryan, Pam Munoz
Esperanza Rising
Gr. 3-8
Level V
Gr. 5-8
Ages 8 – 12
Gr. 5-8
Riding Freedom
Rylant, Cynthia
Missing May
EL-M
Sachar
Someday Angeline
Level V
Holes
piper and a nosy girl. 20
Another fantasy/adventure that seem to be so popular
currently.
13
The death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an
unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the
circumstances of his death before they can claim their
inheritance. This mystery challenges the reader to follow
sixteen characters and plot line twists. Highly complex. 1,
6, 14, 18
An Ozark farm boy’s adventures with a pair of coon dogs
make a memorable story about the bonds between
humans and animals. 9
Biography of the national government official and former
mayor of San Antonio. 1
Mary Frances Courtney proves that she can be grown up
without wearing makeup. She organizes a marathon to
raise money for the local library and learns a great deal
about herself in the process. 8
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of
wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor
camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to
the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on
the eve of the Great Depression. 11
A fictionalized account of Charley (Charlotte) Parkhurst
who ran away from an orphanage, posed as a boy, moved
to California, and fooled everyone by her appearance. 11
After the death of the beloved aunt who has raised her,
twelve-year-old Summer and her uncle Ob leave their West
Virginia trailer in search of the strength to go on living. 4,
11
Angeline is an 8 year old who has been accelerated to 6th
grade and she must deal with issues of being too smart. 8
The heir to his family’s curse of bad luck, Stanley is
convicted of a crime he did not commit. 4, 6
13
Salkeld
Wayside School Stories
Mystery on Everest: A
Photobiography of George Mallory
Use of archival photos is one of the strengths of this book
about George Mallory. 5
The Girl in the Box
Words by Heart
Fiction too good
to miss
5th – 8th
Schmidt, Gary
The Wednesday Wars
Selden, George
Selznick, Brian
The Cricket in Times Square
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
10-13
Sewell
Black Beauty
V-Z
YA
Shan, Darren
Silverstein, Shel
Slepian, Jan
Cirque du Freak
Various
The Alfred Summer
Gr. 4-7
Smith, Doris B.
A Taste of Blackberries
5th – 8th
Level V
Smith, Roland
Snicket, Lemony
Peak
The Bad Beginning
Snicket, Lemony
The Series of Unfortunate Events
books:
Snyder
Libby on Wednesday
Gr. 5-7
Ages 10-14
A young black girl struggles to fulfill her papa's dream of a
better future for their family in the southwestern town
where, in 1910, they are the only blacks. 7, 16
Historical fiction, knowledge of Shakespeare increases
enjoyment 21
13
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of
a busy Paris train station where his survival depends on
secrets and anonymity. 13
Although his life begins and ends in comfort, a horse
discovers how difficult and unpredictable life can be. 9
Four preteen outcasts, two of them handicapped, learn
lessons in courage and perseverance when they join forces
to build a boat. 14
A young boy recounts his efforts to adjust to the accidental
death of his best friend. 11
Adventure, frozen dead bodies 21
The first book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, finds
the Baudelaire siblings are magnets for misfortune. 4
The first book, The Bad Beginning, does begin badly for
Baudelaire children. A bit dark, but tons of fun – great
vocabulary. 13
Libby has been home-schooled, but in the 7th grade her
mother decides its time for her to “socialize” and attend
middle school. 8, 16
U
The Egypt Game
T
Speare, Elizabeth
The Sign of the Beaver
Level X
Sperry, Armstrong
Call It Courage
Ages 8-12
Gr. 6-8
Spinelli, Jerry
Wringer
Maniac Magee
Loser
Stargirl
Two girls get involved in an elaborate game that soon
leads to strange, inexplicable happenings. 4, 6
Matt and his father come to Massachusetts to claim the
land that his father purchased and find they are the first
white family in the area. 3, 4
Mafatu survives an accident that kills his mother, but it
leaves him afraid of the sea and considered a coward in his
Polynesian world. 3, 4
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the
violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon
Day or find the courage to oppose it. 11
A boy who can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the best
pitcher in the neighborhood and tie a knot no one can
under bridges a town’s racial gap. 4, 20
A “loser” gives his all to be a hero. (my own addition)
A story about a girl that commits random anonymous acts
of kindness and how it affects her community. 20. 21
A boy lives and survives on his own during the Holocaust.
20
Milkweed
A girls wants to go out for wrestling. 20
There’s a Girl in My Hammerlock
Spyri, Johanna
Eggs
Heidi
Ages 12 & up
Gr. 7-10
Level Z
Staples, Suzanne
Shiva’s Fire
Steinbeck, John
The Pearl
Ages 10-13
Stevenson
Treasure Island
Stewart, Trenton Lee
6th grade +
Stroud, Jonathan
The Mysterious Benedict Society;
The Mysterious Benedict Society
and the Perilous Jounrey.
The Bartamaeus Trilogy
4th – 8th
YA
Sullivan, George
Sutcliff, Rosemary
Built to Last
The Lantern Bearers
Gr. 3-8
Level W
Taylor
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry;
Let the Circle Be Unbroken
YA
Taylor, Theodore
The Cay
Ages 10 & up
Gr. 5-8
Tolan, Stephanie
Surviving the Applewhites
Listen
Classic story of an orphan sent to live with her grumpy
grandfather. 13
In India, a talented dancer sacrifices friends and family for
her art. 11
Kino, a poor Mexican pearl fisherman, finds a valuable
pearl that brings only misfortune. Steinbeck retells an old
Mexican folktale. 4
Young Jim Hawkin’s adventures with pirates begin at the
Admiral Benbow inn. 9, 18
Children respond to an ad for “gifted children looking for
special opportunities” and find them. 13, 21
Fantasy/adventure. Main character is not very appealing –
an anti-hero. 21
Non-fiction 21
Instead of leaving with the last of the Roman legions,
Aquila, a young officer, decides that his loyalties lie with
Britain, and he eventually joins the forces of the RomanBritish leader Ambrosius to fight against the Saxon hordes.
Challenging readers with mature, complex writing and
painstakingly researched facts, Sutcliff is considered by
most to be the finest writer of historical novels for young
adults. 14
Cassie and her brother, children of a black schoolteacher,
face subtle and explicit racial prejudice in the early 20th
century. 1, 6, 8, 9, 14
When the freighter on which they are traveling is
torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, a
twelve-year-old white boy, blinded by a blow on the head,
and an old Negro are stranded on a small desert island in
the Caribbean where the boy acquires a new kind of vision,
courage, and love from his old companion. 15, 19
Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home
schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's
Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests
he never knew he had.
Linda Silverman (16) recommended many books by
Stephanie Tolan that were more sophisticated. This one,
although not on her list, sounded like a better match for
elem. school students. 20
Award winning story about a girl who loses here mom and
finds herself. 13
Level Z
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
4th – 8th
Treaster, Joseph
Treat, Lawrence
Hurricane Force
You’re the Detective! Twenty-four
Solve-Them-Yourself Picture
Mysteries.
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Banner in the Sky
Fiction too good
to miss
5th – 8th
Gr. 3-8
Level X
Gr. 5-8
Twain, Mark
Ullman
Vande Velde,Vivian
Verne, Jules
Voight
Heir Apparent
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Homecoming;
Dicey’s Song
Whelan, Gloria
Homeless Bird
Goodbye Vietnam
4th – 6th
Gr. 5-8
White, Ruth
Listening Lions
Charlotte’s Web,
Stuart Little,
Trumpet of the Swan
Belle Prater’s Boy
Ages 9-12
White, T. H.
Williams, Carol Lynch
The Sword in the Stone
If I Forget, You Remember
3rd – 5th
Level S
Wiles, Deborah
Each Little Bird that Sings
Level W
Wisler, G. Clifton
Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer
Fiction too good
to miss
Wojciechowska
Shadow of a Bull
M-Jr.H
Wolff
The Mozart Season
Ages 10-13
Gr. 5-7
Wolff, Virginia Euwer
Bat 6
Wolff, Virginia
Woodruff, Elvira
Wrede
True Believer
Ravenmaster’s Secret
Searching for Dragons (part of a
series)
White, E. B.
4th – 6th
6.5
5th – 8th
4-8
Wynne-Jones
Sorcery and Cecelia or the
Enchanted Chocolate Pot
The Maestro
5.5
Gr. 5-8
Yee, Lisa
Yep, Laurence
Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Dragon’s Gate
YA
Gr. 7 & up
Level Z
Zindel, Paul
Pigman
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives
comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering
wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure
from which he may never return. 14, 18
Non-fiction 21
The clues are in the pictures. 13
13
Rudi dreams of climbing to the summit of the Citadel, the
highest mountain in Switzerland. His father was the only
man who dared to approach the top and he died in the
pursuit. Now Rudi yearns to complete the quest.7
Fantasy/Gaming Medieval violence 21
Classic tale of Captain Nemo 13
With determination and creative problem solving, a young
girls struggles to keep her family together after their
mother abandons them. 1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16,
18, 19
When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated
arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny
dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose
it. 11, 20
Mai’s family is fleeing Vietnam with may other refugees
only to be detained in Hong Kong. 20
Historical fiction, 21
13
Gypsy’s cousin Woodrow comes to live next door in Coal
Station, Virginia, brining with him the mystery of his
mother’s curious disappearance and, somehow, the key to
a secret that Gypsy keeps from herself. 3, 4
13
Aspiring novelist Elyse's devotion to her grandmother, a
victim of Alzheimer's disease, is mixed with embarrassment
and sorrow. 11
Not incredibly challenging, grade level-wise, but a strong
recommendation from its supporters.
William Johnson is a 11 year-old Vermont farm boy who is
determined to serve in Mr. Lincoln’s Army. He becomes
the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
as a Civil War drummer boy. 17
Manolo Olivar has to make a decision: to follow in his
famous father's shadow and become a bullfighter, or to
follow his heart and become a doctor. 7
The 6th grade summer of Allegra Shapirto, a young violinist
in a statewide competition, is one in which she able to
make many significant connections. 8, 12, 11
In small town, post-World War Oregon, twenty-one 6th
grade girls recount the story of an annual softball game,
during which one girl's bigotry comes to the surface. 11
Historical fiction; some violence, public hanging 21
Fantasy/historical, innocuous romance, magic 21
Burl’s life is changed in one day when he runs away from
his abusive father and stumbles upon an eccentric genius
living in a remote cabin. 1
This is a carefully researched, well-written tale of the lives
of the Chinese workers who build the transcontinental
railroad. It is also a sensitive portrayal of the relationship
between a father and a son.
A teenage boy and girl, high school sophomores from
unhappy homes, tell of their bizarre relationship with an
old man. 14
Scott Westerfeld
Cornelia Funke
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Tamora Pierce*
Neil Giaman
TA Baron
Angie Sage
Philip Pullman*
Roland Smith
Rick Riordan
Christopher Paolini
Peter Saxton at Carson recommends these authors in
addition to some already on the list.
*Joined in his opinion by Annie Witwer