GREAT BOOKS

The Mayor of Central Park by  Avi

Oscar Westerwit, a squirrel who loves baseball and Broadway musicals, fights back when a gangster rat named Big Daddy Duds and his thugs move uptown in the year 1900, invade Central Park, and evict Oscar and his animal friends from their homes.

On my Honor by Marion Bauer

When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their disobedience.

Friendship According to Humprey by Betty Birney

Excited about the possibility of a new friendship with the new class pet, Humphrey the hamster is upset when Og the frog doesn’t respond to him. When the students start paying more attention to Og, Humphrey wonders if anyone still cares about him, touching on the true meaning of friendship

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Ned Begay’s life is very different compared to most Americans. As a young Navajo, he was required to attend a white boarding school where he survived years of anti-Indian teaching and told that Navajo is a useless language. In 1943, he joined the Marines as part of a special Navajo group called the “Code Talkers”, which develops and transmits wartime radio code based on their native Navajo language, experiencing battles, discrimination, and comradeship. Also available as a Book on Tape.

Quit It by Marcia Byalick

Diagnosed with a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics, such as coughing and head jerking, sixth-grader Carrie must cope with the embarrassment and strain of various reactions from family, friends, and strangers.

Al Capone does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Moose’s family has just moved to 1935 era Alcatraz Island so his dad can work as both an electrician and guard. The needed pay during the Depression will help send Moose's "10 year-old" sister to yet another special school. Moose goes to school in San Francisco with the warden’s daughter where they continuously get into trouble. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

Written in verse, this moving book takes the form of Jack's response journal to the poetry his teacher assigns. While at first Jack protests that only girls write poems, by the end the power of poetry has reached him and given him a way to express himself, especially his terrible sadness about his dog's breath. Also available as a Book on CD

Spiderwick Chronicles : the Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi

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.. SERIES Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

The 400 people from the underground city of "Ember" have emerged and are searching for a new place to live. They discover a small town called "Sparks", one of the few towns now in existence, population 300. The Sparkites try to take care of these naive people who have never seen the sun, wide open spaces, weather, animals, fire and so much more. Prequels available. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

The 13th Floor : A Ghost Story by Sid Fleischman

When his older sister disappears, twelve-year-old Buddy Stebbins follows her back in time and finds himself aboard a seventeenth-century pirate ship captained by a distant relative. Also available as a Book on Tape

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Firedrake, a dragon, heads out from his northern Scotland home in search of the mythical dragon homeland because Humans are getting too close. Aided by Sorrel (a brownie) they set off, finding a rat with maps, an orphaned boy who joins them, and are hunted by Nettlebrand the dragon killer. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

What would Joey do? by Jack Gantos

Joey tries to keep his life from degenerating into total chaos when his mother sends him to be home-schooled with a hostile blind girl, his divorced parents cannot stop fighting, and his grandmother is dying of emphysema. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

The Hero of Ticonderoga by Gail Gauthier

Unpopular and academically average Therese is not pleased when she is chosen to give the coveted oral report on local hero Ethan Allen. However, she gains self-confidence when, after several false starts, she delivers a report which highlights Allen's humor, outrageous behavior, and shocking language.

Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff

When her oldest sister leaves for the United States, 12-year-old Nory is the only one left behind who can help her remaining family and friends during the Irish Potato Famine of 1845. It is Nory's strength and stubbornness that helps them to persevere. Also a Book on Tape or CD

Honus and Me : A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman

Joey, who loves baseball but is not very good at it, finds a valuable 1909 Honus Wagner card and travels back in time to meet Honus. SERIES Also avalable as a Book on Tape

Flush by Carl Hiassen

With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the waters around their Florida Keys home. Also avalable as a Book on Tape or CD

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

A subversively optimistic and heart-warming story about young Primrose Squarp, who refuses to believe that she has been orphaned. While she waits for her parents to come home from sea, she collects recipes and builds friendships with a strange cast of characters. Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques

When Martin the Warrior leaves Redwall Abbey and embarks upon a journey to the place of his birth, he learns about the brave and noble deeds of his father Luke, a real Warrior Chieftain. SERIES Also available as a Book on Tape

Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise

A hilarious tale of cross purposes is told in a series of letters between a no-nonsense suburban middle school principal and an especially creative designer of drinking fountains who dreams of building the grandest fountain ever.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew SRM WST JDD BAY When Polly Plummer and Digory put on Uncle Andrew's magic rings, they find themselves dragged from London into another world. There they meet the lion Aslan and witness the creation of Narnia and its talking beasts. First of the Chronicles of Narnia SERIES. Also available as Book on Tape or CD

Gold Dust by Chris Lynch

In 1975 Boston, twelve-year-old Richard befriends Napolean, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping that Napolean will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school.

Tripping over the Lunch Lady by Nancy Mercado

Ten short stories, from such contributors as Avi, Angela Johnson, Sarah Weeks, and David Rice, recreates the horrors and hilarity of middle school, from missing the bus to opting for square dancing over an evil trampoline in gym class.

Moonpie and Ivy by Barbara O’Connor

Twelve-year-old Pearl learns to depend on herself and on others’ kidness after her erratic mother leaves her aunt Ivy’s house in Georgia. In this poignant, realistic story, Pearl faces uncertainty about her mother’s return.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page and, after learning many hard lessons, proves capable of high adventure. SERIES Also available as a Book on Tape or CD

Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock

Barney's boring seaside vacation suddenly becomes more interesting when the cottage next door is occupied by three exotic neighbors who are addicted to a game they call "Interstellar Pig."

Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare

Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.

Shredderman : Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen

After Mr. Green assigns everyone the task of becoming reporters, Nolan Byrd decides to go undercover and do an expos via a web site on Bubba and the bullies at his school--giving them a dose of their own medicine by showing what they really are and what their classmates really think of them. Also available as a Book on CD

Totally confidential by Sally Warner

After dispensing good advice to her clients, professional listener Quinney finds herself in need of advice for dealing with her weird family and changing relationships with her best friends.

The worry web site by Jacqueline Wilson

Mr. Speed sets up a classroom website for his students to type in their worries, which their classmates can then comment on. Follow some of the students as they type in their worry and then explain, to the reader, about themselves and the worry. Mr. Speed helps the student with their worry, sometimes with the assistance of classmates. One of the student chapters was written by a reader as a website entry in Britain.