Grand Mesa Middle School
Grade 6/7 Honors Literacy
Reading List
Key
 - District 51 system
 – Mesa County Library
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Adventure
 Jurassic Park
The Lost World (Michael Crichton). These are the books that became smash hit movies and join the fans of prehistoric
animals co-existing with humans in the 21st century.
Lords of the Deep (Graham Salisbury) Thirteen year old Mikey is a deckhand on stepfather Bill’s charter fishing boat
in the warm waters off the Hawaiian coast. Teeming with energy, this novel depicts electrifying fishing scenes and the
emotional drama of a boy learning to be a man.
 Where the Red Fern Grows
 Summer of the Monkeys (Wilson Rawls) In the late 1800’s, an Ozark mountain boy earns the money to buy two dogs
whom he grows to love dearly. IN the sequel, he spends a summer trying to recapture monkeys escaped from a
traveling circus.
Biography
 Cleopatra
Good Queen Bess
Shaka, King of the Zulus
 The Bard of Avon
The Last Princess
 Joan of Arc
 Michelangelo
Peter the Great
 Charles Dickens
 Leonardo de Vinci
(Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema)
Each biography presents a distinguished representative of a culture or era to help young adult readers learn some of
the background in history and literature needed to continue their learning in Middle School.
 Homesick: My Own Story (Jean Fritz) The author’s own story of growing up in China, of her fierce longing for
America, but also of the wonderful times spent with family and friends.
 Maggie’s Way: The Story of a Defiant Pioneer Woman (Lucinda Stein) Set during America’s era of westward
expansion, this book is an exciting novel about a mother and daughter determined to control their own destiny.
Maggie’s mother immigrated from her native Ireland to a brave new world across the Atlantic; yet young Maggie is not
content to stay working as a servant to wealthy men and women. She longs to take her life and freedom in her own
hands by journeying into untamed Colorado territory. So begins a grad adventure of discovery, courage, determination
and revelation in this upbeat and enthralling saga.
My Brother, My Sister and I (Yoko Kawashima Watkins) This sequel to So Far From the Bamboo Grove, continues the
autobiographical account of Yoko, her sister and their reunion with their brother as they survive in post-war Japan;
shows incredible hardships and heroism.
Classics
 Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) The classic tale of a little girl who falls down a rabbit hold and discovers a world of
nonsensical and amusing characters.
Adventures of Pinocchio (Carlo Collodi) A wooden puppet full of tricks and mischief, with a talent for getting in and out
of trouble and wants more than anything else to become a real boy.
 Ann of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery) Ann, an 11-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely,
middle-aged brother and sister on Prince Edward Island and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone
around her. First book of a series:
 Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) Edmond Dantes is a naïve young man with a bright future when he is
falsely accused of crimes and is imprisoned for 14 years. During this time he finds a route to escape his confinement.
He quietly re-enters society to exact his revenge on his accusers.
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 Little Men (Louisa May Alcott) This book follows the life of one of the March sisters, Josephine, and her life with her
husband and running a school for boys.
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) The March family endures trials and tribulations while their father is involved in the
Civil War.
 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) Each of these books follow the life
and times of 
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn during the mid-1800’s.
 Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) Abandoned at an early age, Oliver Twist is forced to live in a dark and dismal London
workhouse lorded over by awful Mr. Bumble who cheated the boys of their meager rations. Desperate, but determined,
Oliver makes his escape. But what he discovers in the harsh streets of London’s underworld makes the workhouse
look like a picnic. Will a life of crime pay off or will it earn Oliver a one-way ticket to the gallows?
Fantasy
 A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L’Engle) A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newberry Medal in 1963, is the story of the
adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most
popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret
work for the government on the tesseract problem.
Sequels: A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet; Many Waters; An Acceptable Time
 Both Sides of Time (Caroline Cooney). The summer after senior year, Annie, who wishes she could live in a more
romantic time, finds herself in the 1890s. Sequel: Out of Time and Prisoner of Time.
 Dealing with Dragons (Patricia Wrede) A bored runaway princess teams up with a powerful , dangerous dragon in a
young adult fantasy novel that has become a best-selling modern classic. This is number one in the Enchanted Forest
Chronicles.
 King of Shadows (Susan Cooper) The story of a young actor who travels back in time to 1599 and performs at the
Globe Theatre alongside Shakespeare himself. Nat and Will form an intense attachment and when Nat wakes again in
1999, he’s devastated until he learns that his time-traveling save the playwright’s life.
 The Golden Compass (Phillip Pullman) * This book is about a young girl Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, who
escape the clutches of her evil mother to rescue her father and missing children with the help of gypsies, witches and a
polar bear.
Sequels: The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
 The Merlin Effect (T.A. Barron) Kate, the heroine of Heartlight and The Ancient One finds herself entangled in an
ancient mystery when she accompanies her father on an expedition to find a shipwreck that may be the resting place
of the Lost Horn of Merlin.
 The Seeing Stone (K. Crossley-Holland) The book opens with exuberant young Arthur who has no idea what
adventures lie ahead. A 13-year-old growing up in 12th century England, Arthur soon discovers that his life parallels
that of another Arthur, so on Uther centuries past, the legendary boy king “who was and will be”. This is a planned
trilogy; second book: The Crossing Places.
The Squire’s Tale (Gerald Morris) In his first book for young readers, Morris follows Terence, an orphan raised by a
magical hermit, as he becomes squire to young Gawain. Terence discovers he has special talents of his own. A knight
seems to gain honor by racking up a high body count, and the battle scenes are often funny; for example, Gawain
earns his place at the Round Table by killing one rude, hungry and murderous knight while armed only with an empty
stew pot.
The Squire, His Knight and His Lady (Book 2 – Gerald Morris) Young Terence, squire to Sir Gawain, can't deny that
things at Camelot are changing--and not for the better. Handsome new knight Sir Lancelot has eclipsed Gawain's star
and also has won the heart of Queen Guinevere, sending courtiers into a gossipy frenzy, and beloved King Arthur into
a depression. When the mysterious, otherworldly Green Knight issues a daunting challenge, only Gawain accepts,
proving his loyalty to Arthur, though embracing potential tragedy. But the quest proves a soul-searching, ultimately
rewarding personal pilgrimage. A sequel of sorts to Morris' The Squire's Tale (1998), this delightful interpretation of "Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight" stands well on its own. The glory days of knights and quests are brought to life with
humor, dimensional characters, exceptionally descriptive prose, and fresh, modern dialogue.
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The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (Book 3 – Gerald Morris) Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a
champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious
companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll,
unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a
take-charge kind of gal. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "cloth-headed ninny," whose turbocharged sense of honor
forces him into an unnecessary duel with every knight he stumbles across, and brave Sir Lancelot has burned out on
chivalry and admits he has become a media creation. The novel is also enjoyable for its good-natured spoofing of the
conventions of its medieval setting. Knights of the Round Table avoid any tournament where the prize is a lady's hand
in marriage, figuring there must be something wrong with her. Also, some of the most courageous knights are shown
to be none too bright, which explains why they risk their lives so readily.
The Stones are Hatching (Geraldine McCaughrean) After centuries of undisturbed slumber, the Stoor Worm – the
World Eater – is waking. A creature of monstrous proportions and unimaginable evil, the Stoor Worm must be
destroyed. Already its murderous hatchlings are bringing terror and destruction to every corner of Britain. And an odd
trio, a Fool, a Maiden and a Horse – is desperately trying to convince one quite ordinary boy that he alone can save
the world.
 Zel (Donna Jo Napoli) High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother who insists they have all they need – for they
have each other. Zel’s life is peaceful and protected until a chance encounter changes everything. But Zel’s mother
sees the future unfolding and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel from leaving her.
Fiction
 Bud not Buddy (Christopher Curtis). Bud is on the run form the orphanage and from yet another mean foster family.
His mother died when he was 6 and he wants to find his father. Set in Michigan during the Great Depression, this is an
“Oliver Twist” kind of story but told with affectionate comedy.
 Inkheart (Cornelia Funke) Meggie, 12, has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young.
Her father, Mo, taught her to read when she was five and the two shares a love of books. Things change after a visit
from a scarred man who calls himself Dustfinger and who refers to Mo as Silvertongue. Meggie learns that her father
has been keeping secrets.
 Jim the Boy (Tony Early). 10-year-old Jim is growing up in Aliceville, North Carolina during the Depression with his
mother and uncle. He learns about work, honor, family and friendship with humor and joy.
 Morning Girl
Guests
 Sees Behind the Trees (trilogy – Michael Dorris). This trio of titles gives the reader eyewitness accounts of the arrival
of the first Europeans to Hispaniola, one boy’s struggle growing up in the Massachusetts area during the time of the
first Thanksgiving and the struggle of native American boy with a special gift to “see” beyond his poor eyesight and to
develop as a great hunter.
 Petey (Ben Mikaelsen) A little boy named Petey, born in 1905 with cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and his
parents reluctantly institutionalize him. HE grows up with a sharp intelligence and a desire for affection, touch and the
feel of the outside air. When he is moved to another institution as an old man, a teen named Trevor, almost against his
will, befriends Petey when he saves from a snowball attack by local troublemakers.
 Ruby Electric (Theresa Nelson) At 12, Ruby Miller’s life is on a downward spiral. Her dad has stood her up three
times; she unwittingly let the Salvation Army take her little brother Pete’s beloved puppet and she is doing community
service with her two arch enemies after being arrested holding a spray paint can. Ruby’s only salvation is the
screenplay she is writing in her room in which life always “works out” for the beautiful, courageous heroine. A spirited
redhead who sees her life as a screenplay, she is determined to make a difference, whether it’s by reuniting her
brother with his puppet or by becoming the world’s young famous screenplay write and the savior of the L.A. River.
Ruby’s voice is electric and she is an unforgettable character with courage, a cause and imagination.
 Ruby Holler (Sharon Creech) Dallas and Florida are both orphans and trouble twins who have given up believing
there is such a thing as a loving home until they meet an eccentric old couple who live in the beautiful, mysterious
Ruby Holler.
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 Tending to Grace (Kimberly Fusco) Cornelia Thornhill avoids eye contact with others, stutters badly, is presumed to
be slow at school and likens herself to a stone, hard and strong way down inside. Taken out of school during ninth
grade by her shiftless mother, she is dropped off at the rural New England home of Great-aunt Agatha while mother
and her boyfriend depart for places out west. Cornelia and her aunt argue, stop talking and Cornelia even packs her
bags to run away. What can bring these unlikely companions back together?
 Tuck Everlasting (Natalie Babbitt) This thought-provoking book has got to be one of the all time great fantasies for
children. Winnie, a rather bored and overly protected child, becomes friends with the Tuck family, her life is changed
forever. The Tucks’ mother and father drank from a well that freezes them in time and gives them everlasting life.
Tunes for Bears to Dance To (Robert Cormier) Henry, a young teenager, is lucky to be employed. Since his brother's
recent death, his father is paralyzed by depression; his mother works long hours to support the family. It's the early
1950s, and, with the return of the servicemen, housing and jobs are scarce. Unfortunately, Henry's boss is a bigoted,
abusive individual whose hatred of others is so consuming that he intentionally sets out to corrupt the boy's goodness.
He forces Henry to commit an ugly, violent act and betray a friendship with an elderly neighbor who has lost his home
and family to the Nazis.
 When Zachary Beaver Comes to Town (Kimberly Willis Holt) Zachary Beaver, fattest boy in the world, is abandoned
in a small Texas town in 1971. This town was too small and too boring for 13-year-old Toby Wilson’s mother, who left
to become a country singer. Through knowing Zachary, Toby comes to realize that others are worse off than he.
Historical fiction
 A Single Shard (Linda Sue Park) Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters’ village famed for
delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master
potter Min at work and he dreams of making a pot of his own some day. When Min takes Tree-Ear as his helper, he is
elated until he finds obstacles in his path.
 Book of the Lion (Michael Cadnum) Edmund, a young metalwork apprentice, finds himself rescued for prison and put
into service as a squire to a knight. Without any experience with horses or swords, he goes off to fight the Crusades in
both terror and delight.
 Catherine called Birdy (Karen Cushman). Written against a background of everyday life on a medieval English manor,
is a young girl’s 1290’s diary of her 14th year. It is a revealing, amusing and sometimes horrifying view of Catherine’s
thoughts/life.
 Dave at Night (Gail Carson Levine) When his father dies, Dave knows nothing will ever be the same. And then it
happens, Dave lands in an orphanage, the cold and strict Hebrew Home for Boys in Harlem – far from life on the
Lower East Side. Outside the gates of the orphanage, the nighttime streets of Harlem buzz with jazz musicians and
swindlers. Inside, another world unfolds, thick with rare friendships and bitter enemies. Perhaps somewhere, among it
all, Dave can find a place that feels like home.
 Fair Weather (Richard Peck) When the Beckett family attends the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, they meet up
with some of the era’s most fascinating people for a whirlwind of fun, misadventure, and charms beyond measure.
 The Birchbark House (Louise Erdrich) This is a good story through which the Native American culture during the
westward Expansion of the United States is realistically and sympathetically portrayed. Appeals to students through
7th grade.
 The Midwife’s Apprentice (Karen Cushman). This is book about a plucky orphan who diffuses the wicked temper and
sour disposition of the midwife who takes her in and trains her.
 Nothing but the Truth (Avi) Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in 14 th century England
flees his village and meets a larger than life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
 Pharaoh’s Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Julius Lester) Born into slavery, adopted as an infant by a princess
and raised in the palace of mighty Pharaoh, Moses struggles to define himself. And so do the three women who love
him: his own embittered mother, the Egyptian princess who defies her father and raises Moses as her own child and
his headstrong sister Almah who discovers a greater kinship with the Egyptian deities than with her own God of the
Hebrews.
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 The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker (Cynthia DeFelice). After losing his entire family to consumpt9ion, Lucas takes
a position as an apprentice to Doc Beecher, who refuses to experiment with a miracle cure for the dreaded disease.
Lucas learns a valuable lesson about fear, desperation and the practical uses of science.
 The Cuckoo’s Child (Suzanne freeman) Mia refuses to believe that her parents are not coming back after they’ve
been reported lost at sea. Set in the 1960’sin America with flashbacks to her life in Lebanon.
 The Playmaker (J.B. Cheaney) Young Richard Malory has come to London to seek his father in 1597. His father
abandoned the family long ago. He is persuaded by a pretty maid to audition for Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting
troupe that includes William Shakespeare himself. Sequel: True Prince
 The Road to Memphis (Mildred Taylor) The sage of the Logan family continues in this sprawling meaty novel.
Cassie, who is finishing high school and planning to go to college meets a handsome lawyer from Memphis; the war in
Europe looms and an ugly racial incident threatens the Logans and their neighbors.
The Land (prequel) – introduces Cassie’s family, ex-slaves who have to fight to secure land and a place in the
post-Civil War South
Soldier Boys (Dean Hughes) This WWII novel tells parallel stores if two young soldieries fighting on opposite sides.
16-year-old Spencer, a Mormon from Utah, drops out of high school to begin paratrooper training. On the other side of
the world, Deiter’s blind devotion to the Fuhrer gets him promoted at age 15 from Hitler Youth into the German army.
 The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Rosemary Sutcliff)
Based chiefly on Sir Thomas Malory’s LE morte d’Arthur, it retells the famous tales of Arthur, Queen Guenevere, Sir
Lancelot and the other knights of the Round Table.
 Two Suns in the Sky (Miriam Bat-Am) Through the parallel voices of Chris and Adam, the world of Oswego, New
York, the ONLY U.S. wartime haven refugees during the final year of WWII is recreated.
 White Lilacs (Carolyn Meyer) Based on a true story in Texas in 1921, Rose Lee Jefferson sees her whole way of life
changed when the population decides a park should replace the colored neighborhood. Sequel: Jubilee Journey
Multicultural
 A Step from Heaven (An Na) In her first novel, the author traces the life of Korean-born Young Ju from the age of four
through her teenage years wrapping up her story just a few weeks before she leaves for college.
 Homeless Bird (Gloria Whelan) A young girl, Koly, married and widowed at age 13, never gets a chance to find out if
she does care for her groom and finds herself in the grim position of being cast out by a society that has no place for
her.
Parts of Me (Kimberly Willis Holt) Set in Louisiana bayou country, this unusual collection of stories spans four
generations of one family and uses reading as the thread that strings them together. The first three tales, which begin
in 1939, concern Rose who must go to work at 14 and passes herself off as 17 to drive the library bookmobile. Two
stories tell of Rose’s 12 year old son, Merle Henry, reading Old Yeller around 1957. In 1973, his daughter, Annabeth,
an eighth-grader clings to fairy tales in the face of first love. Then Annabeth’s 13 year old son, Kyle, in 2004 can only
find a library job – though he doesn’t like to read. The final story, also taking place in 2004, centers again on Rose,
now 79. The collections offers a different experience – marking the passage of time through a succession of related
characters.
 Red Scarf Girl: Memoir of the Cultural Revolutions (Jill Jiang) This is a rare glimpse of the upheaval China suffered
during the 1960’s from Jill’s point of view. A child’s nightmare unfolds in Jiang’s chronicle of the excesses of Chairman
Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China in the late 1960’s. She a young teenager at the height of the fervor, when children
rose up against their parents, students against teachers and neighbor against neighbor.
Rules (Cynthia Lord) Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother David who is
autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort
to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him. (It’s okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video
store.) Each chapter title is also a rule and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next
door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine
meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to
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understand that normal is difficult and perhaps unnecessary to define. Rules of behavior are less important than
acceptance of others.
 Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind and Haveli (sequel) (Suzanne Fisher Staples) This is a story set in present-day
Pakistan about a spirited young daughter who is forced to balance her individualism against ancient tribal customs.
She has to protect herself from her parents and her four-year-old daughter from the jealousy of her husband’s more
cultured wives.
 Shiva’s Fire (Suzanne Fisher Staples) Parvati, born in a village in the south of India, becomes known for the peculiar
events that seem to spring from beneath her dancing feet and is widely thought to have supernatural powers. She
attracts the attention of a great master of Indian classical dance and fills her days with a rigorous program of study,
dance and devotion until she meets a boy…
 The Moves that Make the Man (Bruce Brooks) Jerome is the first black student in an all white school and a basketball
fanatic. He narrates this story of friendship with Bix who has some emotional difficulties. Racial tension and relations
are a subplot.
 Ties that Bind, Ties That Break (Namioka Lensey) It’s 1911 and China is slowly beginning to accept modern ideas –
but the changes may not happen fast enough for young Ailin. Her grandmother has decided it’s time she has her feet
bound, to make her more attractive to a future husband.
 The Man from the Other Side (Uri Orlev) Living on the outskirts of the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII, 14-year-old Marek
and his grandparents shelter a Jewish man in the days before the Jewish uprising.
 The Bread Winner (Deborah Ellis). Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the 11 year old Parvana has rarely been
outdoors. Barred from attending school, shopping in the market, or even playing in the streets of Kabul, she is trapped
inside her family’s one-room house. That is, until the Taliban hauls away her father and Parvana realizes that it’s up to
her to become the “breadwinner” and disguise herself as a boy to support her mother, two sisters and baby brother.
Sequels: Parvana’s Journey and Mud City.
 The Skin I’m In (Sharon Flake). 13-year-old African/American Maleeka suffers from acute low self-esteem, stemming
from the taunts she receives mainly because of her dark complexion. Into her life walks Miss Saunders, a teacher
whose rare skin condition also sets her apart.
 Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Sook Nyul Choi) This is the author’s touching memoir of her difficult childhood in Korea
during the Japanese WW II occupation.
Sequels: Echoes of the White Giraffes and Gathering of Pearls.
Non-fiction
All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot) If you ever wanted to be a vet... "All Creatures Great and Small" will
either inspire, or send you running off to be a lawyer. Heartwarming, funny, sad and highly educational, James
Herriot's debut biography (he wrote five in all) give readers the whole messy, glorious picture of being a 1940s country
veterinarian.
All Things Bright and Beautiful (2nd); All Things Wise and Wonderful (3rd); Lord God Made Them All (4th); Every
Living Thing (5th)
 Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of An Unwanted Daughter (Adeline Yen Mah) Chinese Cinderella is the perfect
title for Adeline Yen Mah’s memoir of her childhood growing up in China during the 1940s as she endures life ruled by
a cruel stepmother.
Coach Carter (Jasmine Jones) High school basketball coach Ken Carter demands good grades, good attendance
and dressing well. This results in controversy when he does not allow members to play who do not follow his rules.
Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of Chinese Schoolgirl (Pierre Haski) This honest diary chronicles the
difficulties faced by Ma Yan as she endures hardship to earn an education in rural China.
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Every Second Counts (Lance Armstrong) When he was 25, Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer – it had already
spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. The book is the story of a family man, world-class athlete and cancer survivor
who is determined to get every single drop of enjoyment and excitement out of life. It’s a joyous, triumphant book, a
celebration of all things that make life good.
Eleven Seconds (Travis Roy) In his first college hockey game, Travis Roy tripped and hit his head on the boards only
eleven seconds after he stepped onto the ice. The book recounts his difficulties dealing with the realities of being a
quadriplegic.
 Flags of Our Fathers (young adult version) (James Bradley) The real life story of the men who raised the flag of Iwo
Jima during World War II. Some graphic war descriptions.
Science fiction
 Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. This futuristic tale involves aliens, political discourse on the Internet,
sophisticated computer games and orbiting battle station. The reason it rings true for so many that it is the first and
foremost a tale of humanity: a tale of a boy struggling to grow up into someone he can respect whiling living in an
environment stripped of choices.
Sequels: Speaker for the Dead, Children of the Mind, Xenocide, Ender’s Shadow, Shadow Puppet and
Shadow of the Hegemon.
 Feed by M.T. Anderson. Set in a future world where TV and computers are connected directly to baby’s brains, teens
are empty-headed kids driven by fashion and shopping and the avid pursuit of silly entertainment. Sensing that things
have gone awry, one girl cares about what is happening to the world.
 Journey to the Center of the Earth (Jules Verne) A German scientist puts together an expedition to follow in the tracks
of a previous attempt to reach the center of the earth. The expedition encounters many unexpected creatures,
landforms, plants and obstacles.
Suspense
 Kit’s Wilderness (David Almond) The Watson family moves to Stonygate, an old coal-mining town, to care for Kit’s
elderly grandfather. Kit meets John Askew, another boy whose family and ancestors had both worked and died in the
mines, and as Kit’s grandfather provides the stories of the mine’s past, the boys search them for ghosts
Shakespeare’s Secret (Elise Broch) Hero has always hated her Shakespearean-based name for, as her new sixthgrade classmates are quick to tell her, it’s better suited to a dog than to a girl. Resigned to their constant teasing, she
concentrates instead on her newfound friendship with her kindly, if somewhat eccentric, elderly next-door neighbor.
Mrs. Roth tells Hero about the missing “Murphy Diamond”, a precious jewel that supposedly disappeared from the
house where Hero now lives. Mrs. Roth has the necklace that once held the diamond, an heirloom that possibly once
belonged to Anne Boleyn and she is convinced that it is still hidden in the vicinity. She and Hero set out to find what
the police could not and, with help from Danny, a popular yet self-assured eighth grader who befriends them both, they
succeed. Then only do the real connections among the three of them come to the surface and change their lives
forever. This is a good choice for recreational reading but also use as an intro to either the complexities of
Shakespeare or the tenets of good mystery writing.
 The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke) 12-year-old Prosper and 5-year-old Bo run away when their aunt decided she wanted
to adopt Bo but not his brother. Refusing to split up, they escape to Venice. Right away, they hook up with a longhaired runaway named Hornet and other ruffians who whole up in an abandoned movie theater and worship the
elusive Thief Lord, a young boy named Scipio who steals jewelry from fancy Venetian homes so his new friends can
get the warm clothes they need. And then the plot thickens…
 The Ruby in the Smoke
 The Shadow in the North
 The Tiger in the Well
(Phillip Pullman) In 19th century London, Sally Lockhart becomes involved in a deadly search
for a mysterious ruby and run-ins with other unexpected events and shadowy figures in the second and third books.
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