K-3 Picture Books
10 Minutes till Bedtime. Rathmann, Peggy.
One Is a Snail Ten is a Crab: A Counting by Feet Book Sayre, April Pulley and Sayre, Jeff.
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Alphabet Under Construction. Fleming, Denise.
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Gerstein, Mordicai.
Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu. McCully, Emily Arnold.
Voices in the Park. Browne, Anthony.
The Neighborhood Mother Goose . Crews, Nina.
Sidewalk Circus . Fleischman, Paul.
Kitten’s First Full Moon . Henkes, Kevin.
Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains. Knutson, Barbara.
Books by Helen Lester
Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant
K-3 novels and read-alouds
Ruby Lu, Brave and True . Look, Lenore.
In this short chapter book, Asian American Ruby Lu, almost eight, is enthusiastic about her younger brother Oscar, about magic, and, in the end, about everything – even Chinese school on Saturdays.
Gooney Bird Greene. Lowry, Lois.
Exuberant second grader Gooney Bird Greene bursts into her classroom and immediately demands attention as she shares her seemingly unbelievable stories. This multi-layered book will encourage the storyteller in everyone.
Pee Wee’s Tale by Johanna Hurwitz
When his owner's parents let him go in Central Park, a young guinea pig learns to survive in the natural world with the help of a "park-wise" squirrel while trying to find his way back home.
Stink! By Megan McDonald
Introducing Judy Moody’s little brother, Stink, in his very own series! In his first solo adventure, Stink the incredible shrinking kid learns that he is only as short as he feels.
A Toad for Tuesday by Russell Erickson
Can an owl and a toad really be friends? Warton the toad is very proud of himself when he straps on a pair of homemade skis and ventures out in th dead of winter to visit Aunt Toolia. But then an owl swoops down and carries Warton off to his lair, promising to gobble him up as birthday treat come Tuesday. Can Warton's bravery and wit turn the owl from enemy to friend in just five days?
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
Although he lacks a voice in the traditional "Ko-hoh!" sense, trumpeter swan Louis learns to speak to the world with a trumpet stolen from a music store by his father. With the support of an unusual boy named Sam, who helps Louis learn how to read and write, the swan has some rather unswanlike adventures and ultimately wins the love--and the freedom--of a beautiful swan named Serena.
Henry and Ribsy books by Beverly Cleary
Judy Moody books by Megan McDonald
Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgen
3rd - 5th Grade Books
Adventure
Pyrates series by Chris Archer
Holes. Sachar, Louis.
Stanley Yelnats (his name is a palindrome) finds himself digging holes at a Texas detention camp for wayward boys in this stunningly circular novel about bad luck, justice, friendship, and fate. The 1999 Newbery Award Book.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
On a long, grueling journey from England to Rhode Island in 1802, a 12 year old changes from a prim and proper girl to a swashbuckling mate of a mutinous crew and is accused of murder by the captain. Awash with shipboard activity, intense feelings, and a keen sense of time and place, the story is a throwback to good old-fashioned adventure yarns on the high seas.
Fantasy/Science Fiction
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. DiCamillo, Kate.
The Tale of Despereaux draws the reader into an enchanting account of a smaller-than-usual mouse in love with music, stories and a princess named Pea. This tiny hero faints at loud noises but gathers the courage to fulfill his dreams. The 2004 Newbery Medal Book.
The City of Ember. DuPrau, Jeanne.
The City of Ember is dying: the mammoth underground generators that provide its only light are slowly breaking down. Lina and Doon alone hold the key to escape, but will they be able to persuade their fellow citizens to follow them into the unknown.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Prydain Series by Lloyd Alexander
This series covers the adventures of Taran and his fight to protect and save Prydain from evil.
Includes the book The Black Cauldron, which was made into a movie.
Among the Hidden. by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong. Also, Among the Brave, Among the Betrayed, & Among the Barons, Among the Imposters.
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone's life with his widowed mother and two grandmothers undergoes a dramatic change when he discovers that he can hear people in photographs talking.
The Guardians of Ga'hoole Series by Katherine Lasky
Realistic Fiction
Ida B : . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. By Katherine Hannigan
What do you do when your life goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong?
- Try to scare away the new neighbors with signs and posters that warn things like "Typhoons Known to Occur Here -- Water Rats Abound."
- Avoid eye contact and word contact, with Mama and Daddy in particular.
- Stay away from the orchard and the brook and the old tree and anything else that reminds you of how good things used to be.
- Put together the best plan you've ever created to get things back to just-about-perfect again.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. Creech, Sharon.
When Rosie and her best buddy Bailey have a falling out, it is the warmth and wisdom of Granny Torrelli’s kitchen that provides the ingredients for understanding and growth until tutto va bene-all is well!
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
Bradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . .
Historical Fiction
A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories. Peck, Richard.
An old man looks back on rollicking summers spent with his larger-than-life grandmother in this colorful, Depression-era novel made up of seven masterfully interwoven tales. The 1999 Newbery Honor Book.
The Cats in Krasinski Square. Hesse, Karen.
With the aid of some cats, two sisters cleverly outsmart the Gestapo to help feed the Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto. Based on a true incident, the story unfolds in graceful, poetic prose accompanied by warm, delicate illustrations. (picture book)
The Appreticeship of Lucas Whitacker by Cynthia DeFelice
In 1849, a 12-year-old orphan becomes an apprentice to a kind physician and must choose between applying limited medical knowledge or following macabre superstition. A potent picture of the times.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Avi.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead is an action-filled page-turner set in 14 th-century England. “Asta’s son” is the only name the 13-year-old title character has ever known when he is suddenly orphaned and stripped of home and possessions. Accused of murder and wanted dead or alive, Crispin flees his village and falls in with a juggler, Bear, who becomes his protector and teacher. Relentlessly pursued by Crispin’s enemies, the pair flees to solve the mystery of his identity and fight the injustices of feudalism. The 2003 Newbery Medal Book
Animal Fiction
Poppy books by Avi
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
First published in 1941, Walter Farley's best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the rapt attention of readers new and old.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert O’Brien
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma
The Redwall series.by Brian Jacques
The continuing saga of the animals of Redwall Abbey
Runt by Marion Dane Bauer
Runt, the smallest wolf cub in the litter, seeks to prove himself to his father King and the rest of the pack and to earn a new name.--
I, Houdini by Lynn Reid Banks
Houdini, a hamster, has mastered the art of escape --- just like his namesake. Houdini describes how he's escaped from various cages, a refrigerator, and a dog's mouth (!) among other places.
Humor
The Zack Files series by Dan Greenburg
The Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka
Everyone Else's Parents Said Yes. by Paula Danziger
Matthew likes playing practical jokes on his older sister and the girls in his class at school.
Soup by Robert Newton Peck
The adventures and misadventures of two boys growing up in a small Vermont town. If you like Soup, there are 14 books in this series!
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
A thirteen-year-old girl gains a much more sympathetic understanding of her relationship with her mother when she has to spend a day in her mother's body
Bernie Magruder and the Bats in the Belfrey by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
There are strange goings-on once again in Middleburg. Someone has put up posters warning townspeople that the dreaded Indiana Aztec bat has been sighted in the area. What's more, the town is in an uproar over the bells recently placed in the church belfry that chime every hour -- twenty-four hours a day! It seems the whole town is going batty with the constant pealing!
Mystery
Cousins in the Castle by Barbara Brooks Wallace
A new friend comes to Amelia's rescue when she finds herself the victim of a dastardly villain's fiendish plans.
Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye
When Linka Perflinger, a jaunty mouse, brings a watch into his shop to be repaired and then disappears, Hermux Tantamoq is caught up in a world of dangerous search for eternal youth as he tries to find out what happened to her.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
An apartment house full of tenants must work to figure out the mysterious death of millionaire Sam Westing in order to inherit the old man’s fortune. The relentlessly twisting plot will appeal to readers who like brainteasers.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Not generally considered a mystery, this book nevertheless has mysterious elements when Claudia and Jamie, who have run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, set out to identify the sculptor responsible for an unsigned statue in the museum’s collection.
The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars
Something strange happened many years ago in the creepy Dead Oaks mansion. Teenaged detective Herculeah Jones gets to the bottom of the mystery, discovering a long-missing body and linking it to a client of her private investigator mother.
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by James Howe
Harold and Chester, the Monroe family dog and cat, are sure there’s something strange about the household’s new pet rabbit. After all, the bunny has strangely sharp teeth and he seems to be able to drain all the juice from vegetables until they’re white. Maybe he’s a vampire!
Trouble is my Beeswax by Bruce Hale
Number eight in this funny series featuring Chet Gecko, private eye, a parody of hardboiled mystery fiction aimed at elementary and middle schoolers. In this story, Chet investigates the disappearance of a set of answers for a history test that went missing at Emerson Hicky Elementary School.
Nonfiction
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Armstrong, Jennifer.
The fate of his ship and its crew weighs heavily on a famed Antarctic expedition leader in this true survival story made even more gripping by archival photographs dating from 1914.
The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins. Schyffert, Bea Uusma.Schyffert's seamless integration of text, illustration, charts and photos draws readers into this amazing story of the astronaut who kept Apollo 11 circling the moon while his colleagues took a giant step for mankind. The 2004 Batchelder Honor Book.
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 . Murphy, Jim.
Murphy draws material from primary sources, such as private diaries, newspapers, and books, to give insight into the political, social, and cultural challenges of the yellow fever epidemic. The compelling narrative pulls readers into the crisis, illuminates the community's responses, and shows the best and worst of humanity. The 2004 Sibert Medal Book and A 2004 Newbery Honor Book.
Poetry
Insectlopedia. Florian, Douglas.
An io moth and a daddy longlegs are among the bugs highlighted in this playful collection of 21 clever poems with companion paintings.
Science Verse . Scieszka, Jon.
A wide-eyed student, zapped by his teacher with the curse of science verse, travels through the science curriculum with clever, comical, and occasionally gross science poems.
Iguanas in the Snow. Alarcón, Francisco X.
Iguanas in the Snow , a collection of seventeen bilingual poems depicting winter in San Francisco and nearby mountains, surprise and delight like peppermint candy on the tongue. Alarcón's rich verbal imagery peppers the pages with Latino children's experiences in a multicultural setting. A 2002 Pura Belpre Author Award Honor Book
06-07 Book Club Selections
Locomotion. Woodson, J.
When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he's eleven,
and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who
was put into a different foster home because "not a lot of people want boys-not foster boys that ain't babies." But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.
Told entirely through Lonnie's poetry, we see his heartbreak over his lost family, his thoughtful perspective on the world around him, and most of all his love for Lili and his determination to one day put at least half of their family back together. Jacqueline Woodson's poignant story of love, loss, and hope is lyrically written and enormously accessible.
Becoming Naomi Leon. Munoz, Pam Ryan
Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her
name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her
difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as "nobody special." But according to Gram, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. And with Gram and her little brother, Owen, life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in California is happy and peaceful...until their mother reappears after seven years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover and proclaim who she really is..
Half Magic . Eager, Edward
Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with
stories that mix magic and reality. Half Magic, the most popular of his tales about four children who encounter magical coins, time-travel herb gardens, and other unlikely devices, is a warm, funny, original adventure. The title refers to a coin that the children find. Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic. Well, it's not totally magic--it's only (you guessed it) half magic. That means there's a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome. Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: half invisible, half rescued, half everything!
The Boy Who Saved Baseball . Ritter, John H.
Tom Gallagher is in a tight spot. The fate of the Dillontown team rests on the
outcome of one baseball game, winner take all. If Tom's team loses, they lose
their field too. But how can they possibly win? Just when everything seems
hopeless, a mysterious boy named Cruz de la Cruz rides into town and claims to
know the secret of hitting. Not to mention the secrets of Dante Del Gato,
Dillontown's greatest hitter ever. Since he walked away from the game years ago,
Del Gato hasn't spoken a word to anyone. But now he might be Tom's only hope for
saving his hometown. From the award-winning author of Over the Wall and Choosing Up Sides comes this imaginative tale of one boy's struggle to preserve the spirit of the game he loves.
Bunnicula. Howe, James
This book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with
Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a
cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that
Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in
the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.
Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.
Thunder From the Sea . Hahn, Mary Downing
It's 1929 and thirteen-year-old Tom Campbell has always wanted a real family
in a real house and a dog of his very own. Since he was three years old, the
only home Tom has known is the Mission orphanage on the Northern Peninsula of
Newfoundland. Now he's being sent far away to live and work with fisherman Enoch
Murray and his wife, Fiona, on Back o' the Moon Island.
So, Tom is amazed when, on his first time in the fishing boat and in the middle of a squall, he rescues a Newfoundland dog who seems to have come out of nowhere. Tom names the dog Thunder. With no one to claim him, the dog fast becomes Tom's loyal and constant companion. When an earthquake strikes the area, Thunder proves himself invaluable to the family and the island, saving lives and warning of imminent danger -- and it seems that Tom and Thunder might both have a place with the Murray family.
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