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The Traitor King
by Todd Mitchell
Grades 5 – 7 (J Mitchell) |
Darren and Jackie Mananann travel to Maine with their family to visit their eccentric uncle. However, Uncle Will has disappeared leaving a mysterious note, and while all the adults see nothing unusual in this, the siblings decide to search for him. They soon discover an astonishing secret: that everyone in their family possesses magical powers and their family has a unique tie to an unseen world. Mitchell effectively blends contemporary New England and the world of Irish myths as humor, menace, and mystery suffuse this fast-paced tale, which is peopled with brownies, nixies, bogels, as well as a handful of eccentric humans. New surprises and plot twists are sure to keep readers enthralled, because nothing–librarians, skeletal pursuers, or dads–is exactly what it seems. |
Home of the Brave
by Katherine Applegate Grades 6-8 (J Applegate) |
Written in spare free verse, this is the story of Kek, a young Sudanese refugee, who has come to live with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota after the murder of his family.
Kek needs all his courage and optimism as he struggles with the loss of his family and trying to understand the strange American culture. This is a beautifully written story full of hope and resilience and would be a wonderful read-aloud. |
Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Book 1)
by Michelle Paver
Grades 5 – 9 (J Paver) |
6,000 years in the past, twelve-year-old Tarak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a dangerous journey to fulfull an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit and find a way to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.
This is a fast paced adventure and survival story set in a time when life is mystically entwined with the natural world and its spirits, and readers will have a real feeling of what it must have been like to live then. This is the first book in a six part series. |
The Land of the Silver Apples
by Nancy Farmer
Grades 5-8 (J Farmer) |
In this sequel to The Sea of Trolls, Jack, now 13 and a bard-in-training, is forced to head out to rescue his little sister Lucy when she is kidnapped by the Lady of the Lake. The setting is in Britain in 790 AD, and the old gods uneasily co-exist with newer Christian beliefs. Accompanying Jack on his quest are Pega, a village slave girl whom he frees; the Norse warrior maiden Thorgil, whom he rescues from a burial in moss; and a slave named Brutus, who turns out to be a descendent of Lancelot. When Jack goes to St. Filian's Well, he accidentally causes an earthquake and ends up in the Land of the Silver Apples, where elves rule and time stands still. Filled with adventure, magic, danger, and humor, this will appeal to all fantasy fans. It can stand on its own, but it mostly enlarges the world of the acclaimed first book. |
The Dark Ground (Dark Ground Trilogy)
by Gillian Cross
Grades 5- 8 (J Cross) |
While on a plane with his parents and sister, Robert Doherty blacks out, and when he wakes up he’s scratched, naked and alone in a gloomy forest. At first, this seems a story of survival, as Robert learns to feed, clothe, and shelter himself, but new questions soon arise. When someone leaves a blanket and food outside his burrow, he keeps watch and eventually connects with a small band of people--small in more ways than one. As it turns out, Robert's rescuers, and Robert himself, are shorter than a blade of grass and because of their size constantly in danger. Although the others desperately try not to think about the past, "Small is an alien planet, and that's where you live now", Robert is determined to remember and to return home. This is an eerie and chilling story. The first in a trilogy, this is a fast-moving, suspenseful science-fiction adventure. . Winner of the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award and the Smarties Prize, Gillian Cross is one of UK's top children's authors. |
Beasts of Clawstone Castle
by Eva Ibbotson
Grade 4-6 (J Ibbotson) |
When their parents go to America for the summer, eleven year old Madlyn and her younger brother Rollo are sent to Scotland to visit their Aunt and Uncle. Their relatives live in the ancient and crumbling Clawstone Castle, home of the famous and mysterious Wild White Cattle of Clawstone Park. Unfortunately, the finances of the castle and herd upkeep has become too much for Emily and George to manage. Determined to help them, Madlyn and Rollo audition a cast of frightful ghosts to add some thrills to the castle tours their aunt and uncle run. The new tours are a great success, but then disaster strikes and it’s up to Madlyn, Rollo and the ghosts, to come to the rescue. Plenty of quirky humor, wonderful characters and a mystery to solve add to the fun. |
Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara
by Elvira Woodruff
Grade K-3 (JJ Woodruff) |
Life is hard for Darcy's loving family in their Irish village in 1845, but Darcy always has time to stop and see the small beauties around her. She finds rocks, petals, and feathers and slips them into the hem of her ragged dress. When the potato famine drives the family to America, she takes some of those beautiful things with her, which help the family remember "not just the hurt and hunger but also all the beauty left behind." The simple storytelling combined with the beautiful illustrations form an evocative picture filled with drama and deep emotions. |
Fairest
by Gail Carson Levine Grade 6 – 10 (J Levine)
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In a world in which elegance and beauty are admired, Aza is bulky, awkward, and homely. But in a kingdom where the ability to sing is also revered, Aza's voice is more beautiful and powerful than most and she can mimic any voice and throw the sound. At the king's wedding, Aza is blackmailed by the new queen, a poor singer, to pretend to sing for her. When the ruse is discovered, Aza is forced to flee the castle in order to save her life. The plot is fast-paced, and Azas growth and maturity are well crafted and believable. Readers will enjoy the fairy tale setting, remarkable characters, and Azas wild, magical adventures. They will also recognize the questions about self-image and moral choices that Aza makes in order to live in an appearance-obsessed society. For a slightly older audience than Levine's Ella Enchanted. |
Homefront
by Doris Gwaltney
Grade 5 – 8 (J Gwaltney)
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To Margaret Ann Motley and her family, World War II seems very far away from Wight County, VA, until Aunt Mary Lee and her daughter Courtney are forced to flee England. Margaret Ann and her cousin, both 12, don't hit it off, and, to make matters worse, Courtney is pampered by the rest of the family. But Margaret Ann can barely contain her pain and rage when her English cousin not only achieves instant popularity in their school class but also attracts Margaret Ann's boyfriend. The story continues throughout the war where the strain of waiting to hear from loved ones, of getting good news and bad, rationing, and the loss of farm help as men go off to fight are all intertwined with the events of everyday life as Margaret Ann tries to get along in her family, win back her boyfriend, and outwit her cousin. This perceptive novel focuses on how war affects the people who are left at home–their fears, dreams, hardships, and, above all, hopes. |
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Warning: This is not a tale for the squeamish. The seventh son of a seventh son, 12 year old Tom Ward is sent off to apprentice himself to "the Spook," who has for years taken care of the evils in the county--boggarts, witches, and ghosts. Tom is not sure he's cut out for the solitary, scary life, and he soon finds himself in trouble, inadvertently freeing a terrifying witch, Mother Malkin. This is a gristly thriller. Yet the twisted horror is amply buffered by a normal young hero, matter-of-fact prose, and a workaday normalcy. Still, like Mother Malkin popping out of her earthy pit, bad things are always there to catch readers off guard. As the warning label on the cover notes, this is "Not to be read after dark." |
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Peter and Kate, 12, have literally stumbled from the 21st century England back to 1763. Their time travel must be connected to the antigravity machine Kate's father has been working on. When this machine is stolen by a vicious criminal called The Tar Man, they really have no choice but to trust Gideon, a stranger who offers help, even if he is known as a thief. As the children struggle to survive in18th century England, the author explores the history, science, and social issues from both centuries. Written in lyrical and vivid language, readers will enjoy the fast-paced plot with a cliff-hanger ending and multidimensional characters. |
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It is no small thing to care for those we love, as 12-year-old Nathaniel comes to understand in this story set in Canada in 1977. Nathaniel is one of three siblings who become the owners of a beautiful stallion named Smokey. Smokey is the bright spot in their lives, an antidote to having their world disrupted when their father walked out on them four years earlier. While their mother struggles to pay for food and rent, Nathaniel's paper route provides money for the pony's upkeep. Nathaniel’s sisters, eight-year-old Queenie, who finds safety in "a secret place in her head," and tough, 10-year-old Cid help with Smokey's care. Then the children's hard-won happiness is threatened again--by a riding accident, a broken heart, and a barn fire. Readers will find much to like in the involving, gentle tale. |
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Set in 17th century Korea, 12 year old Jade Blossom is a spirited girl full of curiosity. But life is not always easy for a girl, even one from a wealthy family. The story is full of descriptions of Korean life: the extended structure of the family, the differences in how boys and girls were educated, an elaborate wedding ceremony and the very limited world open for women. Park offers her readers a brief, but enticing look at another time and place. |
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When 14 year old Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she knows she alone can find her. Disguising herself as a grieving widow, Enola sets out to the heart of London to uncover her mother’s whereabouts. Suddenly involved in the kidnapping of the young Marquess of Basilwether, Enola must escape murderous villains, free the spoiled Marquess, and perhaps hardest of all, elude her shrewd older brother—all while collecting clues to her mother’s disappearance! This is a new mystery series by two-time Edgar Award winning author Nancy Springer. |
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Like the other 15-year-old wards of Castle Redmont, Will is nervous about Choosing Day, when each of them will be assigned to a different master for training. Though his dearest wish is to enter the Battleschool, his small stature prevents it. Instead, Will is apprenticed to the grim-faced, mysterious Ranger. Soon Will learns that becoming a ranger is more difficult, dangerous, and worthwhile than he had imagined. He earns the respect of his elders and the friendship of a former foe, but all this is a prelude to the great adventure that follows, when his skills become vital to the survival of his mentor and the safety of the kingdom. This is a new exciting series that concentrates on character, relationships and true-to life emotions. |
by Jessie Haas
Grade 2 (J Haas)
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Twins Kiera and Fran fight over everything and now they have something new to fight over, a pony. Both girls will have to learn that caring for a pony involves cooperation and sharing, two attributes that often lose out to their constant bickering. This is a well-written horse tale with believable human characters and an appealing animal. |
Percy Jackson and the Olympians:
The Lightning Thief (Book One)
by Rick Riordan
Grade5-9 (J Riordan)
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Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods, where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. A fast paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty. The first book in a new series.
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Urchin of the Riding Stars
(Mistmantle Chronicles Book 1)
by M.I. McAllister
Grade 4-7
(J McAllister) |
On a night when the sky is alive with shooting stars, a baby squirrel, Urchin, is found abandoned and is raised by the animals of Mistmantle, all the while unaware of his powerful destiny and the role he will play in the island's future. Mistmantle has always been a free society, but under the new influence of the villainous squirrel captain Husk, the king has enacted dreadful new laws and made slaves of those who were once his loyal subjects. With only his wits and a few friends to guide him, Urchin sets out to restore justice and bring back peace and freedom. An epic story of treachery and revenge in the style of the Redwall series. |
Listening for Lions
by Gloria Whelan (J Fiction)
Grades 4-8 |
Left an orphan in British East Africa in 1918, 13 year old Rachel is ensnared by conniving neighbors to visit their elderly father in England, passing as his granddaughter, in hopes of being reinstated in his will. A satisfying story of an intelligent, but unassuming girl, who grapples with her grief for her parents, her love for her rural African world, and her dishonesty toward an old man who she begins to feel affection for. |
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter than Squirels
by Nancy Noland
Grade 2 |
Recounts the hilarious adventures of a dog who thinks his name is Down Girl and his friend Sit, as they keep the world safe from dangerous squirrels, the paper boy and a frightening creature named Here Kitty Kitty. Look for the sequal Down Girl and Sit: On the Road. |
Last update:
4/26/08
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