OLD YORK’S SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST 2010
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE FOUR IN THE FALL
*All of these authors have written other good books.
Benton, Jim. Lunch Walks Among Us. Franny K. Stein is a mad scientist who
prefers all things spooky and creepy, but when she has trouble making friends
at her new school she experiments with fitting in--which works until a
monster erupts from the trashcan. The story continues with Attack of the 50
ft. Cupid, Invisible Fran, The Fran that Time Forgot and Franstastic Voyage.
Blume, Judy. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Peter finds his demanding two-
year-old brother an ever increasing problem. Fudge continues to ruin Peter’s
life in Superfudge; Fudge-a Mania; Double Fudge. The character Sheila who
appears in the books is featured in a related book, Otherwise Known as Sheila
the Great.
Bruel, Nick. Happy Birthday Bad Kitty. Get ready to party! It's Bad Kitty's
birthday, and guess who's on the guest list? Chatty Kitty, Strange Kitty,
Stinky Kitty, and her other neighborhood "pals".
Bunford, Shelia. Incredible Journey. A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and
a young Labrador retriever travel miles together through the Canadian
wilderness to find their family.
Cabot, Meg. Moving Day. Nine-year-old Allie Finkle has rules for everything
and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down
when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new
house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules. This is the first book
in the Allie Finkle Rules for Girls series.
Cleary, Beverly. Beezeus and Ramona. Beezus' biggest problem was her 4-year-
old sister Ramona. Even though Beezus knew sisters were supposed to love each
other, with a sister like Ramona, it seemed impossible. Ramona the Pest;
Ramona the brave; Ramona and Her Father; Ramona and Her Mother; Ramona
Quimby, Age 8; Ramona, Forever.
Coville, Bruce. The Monster’s Ring. A timid boy, eager to frighten the school
bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to change
himself into a hideous monster.
Coville, Bruce. My Teacher is an Alien. Peter and his friend Susan discover
that aliens have invaded his sixth-grade class. It is Peter’s mission to save
the class. The suspense and fast paced adventures will continue to hold
readers in My Teacher Fried My Brains, My Teacher Glows in the Dark and My
Teacher Flunked the Planet.
Cowell, Cressida, How to Train Your Dragon. Chronicles the adventures and
misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the
important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy
Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.
Dahl, Roald. The Witches. A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is
an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's
children by turning them into mice.
DiCamillo, Kate. Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Edward Tulane, a cold-
hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from
the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new
owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.
DiTerlizzi, Tony. The Field Guide When the Grace children go to stay at their
Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to
fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences. Books
included in this series are, Seeing Stone, Lucinda’s Secret, The Ironwood
Tree and The Wrath of Mulgrath.
Edwards, Julie. The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. Lindy, Ben, and
Tom, along with their friend Professor Savant, have to look beyond the
ordinary to get to Whangdoodleland, a place full of magical creatures.
Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy. Harriet M. Welsch, otherwise known as
Harriet the Spy, is an 11-year-old aspiring author. She writes down
everything she sees in her notebook, which is very private and ALWAYS at her
side. That is until one day, when it ends up in the hands of her classmates!
Gardiner, John Reynolds. Stone Fox. Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes
on his grandfather's farm with the purse from a dog sled race he enters.
Gifford, Peggy. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Like Stuart Little. With summer coming
to an end, about-to-be-fourth-grader Moxy Maxwell does a hundred different
things to avoid reading her assigned summer reading book.
Greenberg, Dan. Great-Grandpa’s in the Litter Box. Zack takes home from the
local animal shelter a scruffy tomcat who not only talks but claims to be the
reincarnation of Zack's Great-Grandpa Julius. This is the first book in the
Zack Files series.
Griffin, Adele. Witch Twins. Troubled about being separated at school and
preoccupied with sabotaging their father's marriage, ten-year-old witches,
Claire and Luna, have little time to think of something good, smart and
tricky to do that will finally make them one-star witches.
Gutman, Dan. Babe and Me: a Baseball Card Adventure. With their ability to
travel through time using vintage baseball cards, Joe and his father have the
opportunity to find out whether Babe Ruth really did call his shot when he
hit that home run in the third game of the 1932 World Series against the
Chicago Cubs.
Gutman, Dan. Miss Daisy is Crazy. Miss Daisy's unusual teaching methods
surprise her second grade students, especially reluctant learner A.J. This is
the first book in the Weird School series, which continues with Mr. Klutz is
Nuts, Mrs. Roopy is Loopy, etc.
Holm, Jennifer L. Babymouse: Burns Rubber. Babymouse anticipates her dreams
of being a race car driver coming true when she and her best friend Wilson
enter the Race of the Century with hopes of making it to the winners' circle.
Howe, James. Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery. Is Bunnicula really a
vegetarian vampire bunny? The adventures of George and Harold continue in
Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty-Nightmare, and Return to
Howliday Inn.
Johnson, Angela. A Cool Moonlight. Lila is a young girl who can never see
the sun. Her family tries to accommodate her medical condition, but Lila
dreams of magical cures and friends who can help her to overcome her illness.
Jenkins, Emily. Toys Go Out. Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable
Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic. Six stories
relate the adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys.
Krulik, Nancy E. Anyone But Me. After Katie is turned into a hamster, she
finds out more about the class bully. This is part of the Katie Kazoo
Switcherroo series, which includes Out to Lunch, Oh, Baby, Girls Don’t Have
Cooties, I Hate Rules, etc.
Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things.
A young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, who loves superheroes and comes from a
long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to make friends, but first
he must overcome his fear of everything.
Lubar, David. Punished. Logan and his friend Benedict are playing tag in the
library when a mysterious man punished him by making him speak only in puns.
Martin, Ann. The Doll People. A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in
the same house for one hundred years is taken aback when a new family of
plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor. Sequel: The
Meanest Doll in the World.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. Marty must make some painful decisions
about returning a dog to his abusive owner. Newbery Medal 1992
O’Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Mrs. Frisby, a widowed
field mouse with a problem, is befriended by a group of super intelligent
laboratory rats and manages to save their lives. Newbery Medal 1972.
Pennypacker, Sara. Clementine. While sorting through difficulties in her
friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains
several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to
banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building. Talented
Clementine and Clementine’s Letter continue this series.
Pinkwater, Daniel. Fat Camp Commandos. Ralph and Sylvia Nebula and their
friend Mavis Goldfarb are bitter at being sent to a bogus weight-loss camp,
so they decide to escape and find a way to take revenge on those responsible
for promoting the idea that thin is better.
Reiche, Dietlof. I, Freddy. Freddy, a remarkably intelligent golden hamster,
learns how to read and how to write on a computer and escapes captivity to
become an independent and civilized creature.
Scroggs, Kirk. Curse of the kitty litter. (Wiley & Grampa's creature features
# 9).
Wiley and Grandpa try to get rid of the smell caused by Merle's use of an
ancient, haunted litter box.
Selznick, Brian. Inventions of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures.
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the
walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his
goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized. 2008
Caldecott Winner
Van Draanen, Wendelin. Secret Identity. (Shredderman 1). Fifth-grader Nolan
Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--
Shredderman!
Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath. Danny Dragonbreath and his friend Wendell get
an up-close underwater tour of the Sargasso Sea from Danny's sea-serpent
cousin, encountering giant squid and mako sharks--and learn about standing up
to bullies in the process
Weeks, Sarah. Oggie Cooder. Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder goes from being
shunned to everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of
cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular television
talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--and having a
neighbor girl as his manager.
White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web. Wilbur, the pig, is horrified when he discovers
that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider
friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House. Nine stories narrate the life of the
author and her family during the 1870’s and 1880’s. The first three in the
series are Little House on Rocky Ridge; Little Farm in the Ozarks; In the
Land of the Big Red Apple.
Winkler, Henry. Niagra Falls, or Does It? Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and
Frankie are excitedly preparing for a magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when
Hank's creative alternative to an English essay lands him in detention and
grounded the week of the show. Hank Zipzer is a series that continues with I
Got a “D” in Salami, Day of the Iguana, Zippety Zinger, The Night I Flunked
My Field Trip, Holy Enchilada, etc.
Compiled by Miss Bradley, Old York School Media Specialist
June 2010
OLD YORK’S SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST 2010
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE FIVE IN THE FALL
*All of these authors have written other good books.
Abbbot, Tony. Firegirl. A middle school boy's life is changed when Jessica, a
girl disfigured by burns, starts attending his Catholic school while
receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Anderson, M.T. Whales on Stilts. Racing against the clock, shy middle-school
student Lily and her best friends, Katie and Jasper, must foil the plot of
her father's conniving boss to conquer the world using an army of whales.
Benton, Jim. Let’s Pretend this Never Happened. Jamie Kelly confides to her
diary her experiences in middle school with a boy who likes to give insulting
nicknames, cafeteria food, and gorgeous, perfect Angeline, the girl with the
long blonde hair who sets all the trends. This outrageously funny series
continues with My Pants are Haunted, Am I The Princess or the Frog?, Never Do
Anything Ever, and Can Adults Become Human?
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks. A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two
Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. While vacationing with their widowed
father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through
twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish
mother.
Blume, Judy. Blubber. Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class
in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it's like when she, too,
becomes a target.
Broach, Elise. Masterpiece. After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing
as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house,
the two new friends work together to help recover a Durer drawing stolen from
the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Buckley, Michael. The Fairy Tale Detectives. Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm
are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have always believed
to be dead. This is the first book in the Sisters Grimm series.
Butler, Dori Hillestad. Trading Places with Tank Talbott. Jason, who would
rather work on his horror movie screenplay than learn to swim, finds an
unlikely ally in Tank, the class bully, who is being forced to take ballroom
dance lessons
Clements, Andrew. No Talking. The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon
Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no
talking" contest.
Collins, Suzanne. Gregor the Overlander. Babysitting can be such a drag –
literally! While Gregor is babysitting his two-year-old sister Boots, she is
sucked into an underground world. Gregor has no option but to embark on a
mission to retrieve his sister by joining forces with mutant subterranean
creatures in a battle against some particularly nasty rats. Gregor and the
Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the
Marks of Secret continue the story.
Coville, Bruce. Juliet Dove, Queen of Love. A shy twelve-year-old girl must
solve a puzzle involving characters from Greek mythology to free herself from
a spell which makes her irresistible to boys.
Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle is
proud of her Native American blood but tormented by the upheavals in her
life. Traveling with her grandparents to find her mother, she recounts the
bizarre story of her friend Phoebe and unravels her own story, as well.
Newbery Medal 1995
Derby, Kenneth. Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of Fifth Grade. Follows
the humorous attempts of fifth grader Anthony "TB" Madison to become a guest
on his favorite television show, "The Late Show with David Letterman."
Dowell, Frances. The Secret Language of Girls. Marylin and Kate have been
friends since nursery school, but when Marylin becomes a middle school
cheerleader and Kate begins to develop other interests, their relationship is
put to the test.
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. Coraline ventures through a mysterious door in her
kitchen and enters a world that is similar to, yet disturbingly different
from her own. She is forced into conflict with a gruesome entity in order to
save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
Griffiths, Andy. The Day My Butt went Psycho! Zack Freeman saves the world
from a bunch of crazy, evil butts and their leader, the Great White Butt.
Sequel: Zombie Butts from Uranus.
Gutman, Dan. Jackie and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure. With his ability to
travel through time by using his baseball cards, Joe goes back to 1947 to
meet Jackie Robinson, turning into a black boy in the process.
Hannigan, Katherine. Ida B.: and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster,
and (possibly) save the world. In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy
hours being home-schooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until
her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part
of the orchard and send her to public school.
Hoffman, Alice. Aquamarine. A love-struck mermaid named Aquamarine supplies
adventure and insights to two twelve-year-old girls, life-long friends who
are spending their last summer together before one of them moves away.
Hunter, Erin. Into the Wild. Rusty, a bored house kitten, is apprenticed by
the ThunderClan and must struggle to fit in when the group of feral cats is
threatened by the enemy ShadowClan. This is the first book in the Warriors
series, which continues with Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets and Rising Storm.
Jonell, Lynne. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. When Emmy discovers
that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil
nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and
some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.
Korman, Gordan. Chasing the Falconers. Aiden and Meg Falconer must escape
from a juvenile detention center in order to prove their parents innocent of
charges which would put them in jail for life. Book 1 of 6 of the On the Run
series. The story continues with a second series called Kidnapped (The
Abduction).
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. In this novel based on the story of
Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to
obey any order given to her. Newbery Honor.
Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. After celebrating their first nine same-day
birthdays together, Amanda and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth and not
speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh
birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their
birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again.
Myers, Walter Dean. Journal of Scott Pendelton: A World War II Soldier. A
seventeen-year-old soldier from central Virginia records his experiences in a
journal as his regiment takes part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and
subsequent battles to liberate France. (This is part of the My Name is
America series of historical fiction for boys).
Napoli, Donna Jo. Three Days. When her father suddenly dies while on a
business trip leaving her alone on an Italian highway, eleven-year-old Jackie
worries what will happen when she is picked up by two men with unknown
motives.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Boys Start the War. Disgusted that a family with
three girls moves into the house across the river, nine-year-old Wally and
his three brothers declare a practical joke war on the girls. This is the
first book in the Hatford Boys which continues with The Girls Get Even, Boys
Against the Girls, The Girls’ Revenge etc.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. During a storm, Jess’ new friend
Leslie meets an unexpected tragedy while trying to reach their secret kingdom
to Terabithia. Newbery Medal 1978
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. An assortment of people are brought to an
apartment house, then told they are heirs to the Westing Estate, but must
solve the mystery of his murder first, by working in pairs and putting
together an odd assortment of clues. Newbery Medal 1979.
Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. Billy and his two dogs form a strong
loving bond while hunting together for raccoons. Victory comes to the three
of them, as well as, great sorrow.
Repka, Janice. The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco. Eleven-year-old Phillip's
dream of running away from the circus comes true when his parents allow him
to stay with relatives in Hardington, Pennsylvania, where dodgeball is
practically a religion and life is anything but normal.
Riordan, Rick. Lightning Thief. Percy, expelled from six schools for being
unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his
father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is
befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a
journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a
catastrophic war. Sea of Monsters,Titan’s Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth and
The Last Olympian continue the series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Riordan, Rick. Maze of Bones. Amy and Dan, members of the powerful Cahill
family, try to uncover the thirty-nine clues which will reveal the secrets of
their lineage and find out what really happened to their parents. Book one in
the 39 Clues series.
Roberts, Willo Davis. The Kidnappers: A Mystery. Because Joey likes to tell
tall tales, no one will believe him when he witnesses the kidnapping of his
classmate.
Robinson, Barbara. The Best School Year Ever. The school year provides the
framework for the story, narrated by Beth, who has Imogene Herdman in her
class. What do you say about a girl who swipes a classmate's baby brother,
draws pictures on his head with markers, and charges folks a quarter for a
look at the Amazing Tattooed Baby? This is the hilarious sequel to The Best
Christmas Pageant Ever and The Best Halloween Ever.
Sachar, Louis. There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. Fifth-grader Bradley
Chalkers, who is hated by both teachers and students at his school approaches
the school counselor, Carla, hesitantly. Reluctance gives way to genuine love
and trust, however, as Bradley's self-esteem soars under Carla's tutelage in
this heart-warming and uproarious novel.
Sciezka, Jon. Knucklehead: All Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing Up
Scieszka. How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? He grew up as one of six
brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake
with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at
family dinner. (Autobiography)
Snicket, Lemony. The Bad Beginning. After the sudden death of their parents,
the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when
it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is
determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. This is the first
book in the Series of Unfortunate Events.
Williams, Barbara. Titanic Crossing. In 1912, thirteen-year-old Albert
considers his younger sister a pest, but things change when they travel with
their mother and uncle aboard the Titanic and are caught up in its tragic
sinking.
Compiled by Miss Bradley, Old York School Media Specialist
June 2010
OLD YORK’S SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST 2010
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE SIX IN THE FALL
*All of these authors have written other good books.
Allie, Deborah. The Meanest Girl. Sixth-grader Alyssa Fontana, who thinks
that her life is perfect, becomes the object of a practical joke which she
blames on Hayden Martin, the new girl, who is tagged "the meanest girl in
town."
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. A deadly epidemic sweeps through
Philadelphia where sixteen-year-old Mattie Cook watches her bustling city
steadily descend into a devastating nightmare.
Appelt, Kathi. Underneath. An old hound that has been chained up at his
hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house,
endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be
reunited and free.
Avi. Never Mind: a Twin Novel. Twelve-year-old New York City twins Meg and
Edward have nothing in common, so they are just as shocked as everyone else
when Meg's hopes for popularity and Edward's mischievous schemes
coincidentally collide in a hilarious showdown.
Bunting, Eve. SOS Titanic. Fifteen-year-old Barry O'Neill is traveling from
Ireland to New York on the Titanic, but his life changes forever one night
when he befriends a girl and the ship hits an iceberg.
Burgess, Melvin. Ghost Behind the Wall. Twelve-year-old David sneaks through
the ventilation shafts in his London apartment building pulling pranks on his
neighbors, which awakens the ghost of a boy with a grudge against the lonely,
senile old man who lives upstairs.
Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. A twelve-year-old boy named
Moose moves to Alcatraz island in 1935 when guards’ families were housed
there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition
to life with his autistic sister.
Clements, Andrew. Extra Credit. Three young middle-school-age children,
Abby, Amira, and Sadeed, exchange letters back and forth between the prairies
of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan and begin to bridge a gap across
cultural and religious divides.
Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. A spoiled boy with a nasty outlook, Artemis has
a plan to capture fairy gold. It should be easy. All he needs to do is
capture one fairy…the series continues with Artemis Fowl: The Arctic
Incident, Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code and Atermis Fowl: The Opal
Deception.
Colfer, Eoin. The Wish List. Orphan Meg Finn's soul becomes the object of a
battle between the demonic and the divine after she is killed in an
accidental explosion while attempting to rob an elderly man and arrives in
the afterlife to find the tally on her good and evil deeds is dead even.
Cooney, Caroline B. Face on the Milk Carton. A photograph of a missing girl
on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity. This
incredible story continues in the following three books: Whatever Happened to
Janie?, Voice on the Radio, What Janie Found
Du Prau, Jeanne. The City of Ember. Lina and Doon are citizens of Ember, an
isolated city surrounded by darkness. Upon realizing that the town’s
resources are dwindling and
that the electrical shortages are becoming more severe, Lina and Droon try to
discover a way to save the people of Ember. Sequel: People of Sparks
Feinstein, John. The Last Shot: a Final Four Mystery. After winning a
basketball-reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent
to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented
player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
Funke, Cornelia. Thief Lord. Orphaned brothers Prosper and Bo, having run
away from their cruel aunt and uncle, decide to hide out in Venice where they
fall in with the Thief Lord, a thirteen-year-old boy who leads a crime ring
of street children.
Griffin, Adele. Overnight. Gray hopes that going to a slumber party with
the "Lucky Seven" at her private school will take her mind off her mother's
cancer, but when she is taken from the party by a deranged woman, both she
and the other girls discover things about themselves and each other
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. 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. The series
continue with Among the Imposters and Among the Betrayed.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Found. When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who
are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of
nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have
uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each
trying to repair the fabric of time. (Missing, Book 1)
Henkes, Kevin. Olive’s Ocean. On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage
by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a
classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an
older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.
Hershey, Mary. My Big Sister is So Bossy She Says You Can’t Read This Book.
Ten-year-old Effie, bursting with secrets since her best friend moved leaving
her without a confidante, tries to deal with her problems on her own, certain
there is no help to be found in her big sister, Maxey.
Hiaasen, Carl. Flush. With their father jailed for sinking a river boat,
Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the
owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected
waters around their Florida Keys home.
Higson, Charles. Silverfin: a James Bond Adventure. Young James Bond attends
school at the prestigious Eton boarding school, and teams up with Red to
investigate the mystery of the disappearance of a boy, Alfie Kelly, Red's
cousin, allegedly linked to a madman with a plot for global domination.
Hobbs, Will. Wild Man Island. After fourteen-year-old Andy slips away from
his kayaking group to visit the wilderness site of his archaeologist father’s
death, a storm strands him on Admiralty Island, Alaska.
Horowitz. Anthony. Stormbreaker. After the death of the uncle who had been
his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's
dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6. The story continues
with Point Blank, Skeleton Key and Eagle Strike.
Korman, Gordan. No More Dead Dogs. Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace
is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in
spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to
suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.
Koss, Amy Goldman. The Girls. Each of the girls in a middle-school clique
reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others,
causing hurt and self-doubt among the girls.
Lord, Cynthia. Rules. Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-
year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further
complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.
MacHale, D.J. Merchant of Death. (Pendragon #1) Fourteen-year-old Bobby
Pendragon, having learned he is a Traveler--someone who can ride "flumes"
through time and space, is soon off to the alternative dimension of Denduron
where he teams up with Loor, a girl his age from the warrior-territory of
Zadaa, in an attempt to save the gentle Milago people from slavery. The
series continues with Lost City of Faar, Never War, Reality Bug, Black Water
and the Rivers of Zadaa.
Martin, Ann. Corner of the Universe. The summer that Hattie turns twelve, she
meets the childlike uncle she never knew and becomes friends with a girl who
works at the carnival that comes to Hattie's small town.
Mass, Wendy. Every Soul Has a Star. Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one
place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of
different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they
embark upon and the friendship they find.
Mass, Wendy. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. Just before his thirteenth
birthday, Jeremy Fink receives a keyless locked box--set aside by his father
before his death five years earlier--that purportedly contains the meaning of
life.
Myracle, Lauren. Eleven. The year between turning eleven and turning twelve
brings many changes for Winnie and her friends.
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. After his plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness,
thirteen-year-old Brian must survive with only the aid of a hatchet.
(Companion books are The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return.)
Paulsen, Gary. Lawn Boy. Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy
when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
Paulsen, Gary. Molly McGinty has a Really Good Day. When supremely organized
seventh-grader, Molly McGinty, loses the notebook she relies on to keep her
life in order she spends the day in chaos.
Peck, Richard. A Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts. In rural Indiana
in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell's dreams of quitting school and joining a
wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sister takes over the
teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean old Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off
and dies."
Schreiber, Ellen. Teenage Mermaid. Fifteen-year-old Spencer falls in love
with Lilly, a mermaid who rescues him from drowning and who returns to land
to find him.
Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak. (Book 1). Two boys who are best friends visit
an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider
forces them to make life-changing choices. This is the first book in this
very popular series.
Stewart, Trent Lee. Mysterious Benedict Society. After passing a series of
mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that
requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very
Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
Yolen, Jane. Devil’s Arithmetic. Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish
heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village
in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Created by Miss Bradley, Old York School Media Specialist
June 2010
