Fantasy, Science Fiction & Sports

Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
Grade 4-8

Meggie's father is a book binder.  She loves to read.  Her mother  mysteriously disappeared when she was a small child and her father refuses to read aloud to her since that day.  One night a stranger from her father's past comes to visit and they set out on an unbelievable adventure where she discovers her father's magic.

The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

Grade 4-8

Percy Jackson has a hard time staying out of trouble at school. Trouble seems to find him no matter where he goes especially on school field trips.  When his class takes a trip to the museum he discovers the reason why.  Percy sets out on a quest to save his mother and find something that was stolen.

The City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau
Grade 4-8

The city of Ember is a dark place lit only by the electric lights that turn on every day and off every night.  It is an old city and things are breaking down and running out.  The people of Ember believe that they are the only city and the only people.  As the lights start to go out more and more often, the people begin to worry that they will soon go out forever.  What will they do without light?

The People of Sparks
by Jeanne DuPrau
Grade 4-8

The people of Ember have found their way out of the underground city they lived in and into the world.  They are amazed at the sun, the trees and the animals that they have never seen before.  They arrive in the small town of Sparks looking for shelter.  At first the people are welcoming and helpful but they soon grow tired of these strange people. 

Matilda

by Roald Dahl

Grade 3-5

Matilda is a brilliant child with a terrible family.  They blame her for all that goes wrong and do not want her to read and go to school.  When a caring teacher finally stands up for Matilda and helps her to attend school her life begins to change.  Matilda and Ms. Honey help each other to find happiness and magic in their dreary lives.

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

Grade 4-8

An infant boy escapes the terrible fate of his family on the night they are killed by crawling out of his crib and into the graveyard.  The ghosts that live there decide to keep him safe and raise him there.  He is named Nobody Owens and spends his days learning the ways of the ghosts.  He is happy here until he learns that the man who killed his family is still looking for him.

Two-Minute Drill

by Mike Lupica

Grade 3-6

Scott Parry has started at a new school and doesn't fit in very well.  He is the smartest kid in his class and usually tries to hide this.  When the school bully starts to pick on him, the most popular kid in school Chris Conlan, comes to his rescue.  Chris convinces Scott to go out for the football team even though Scott is not a great player.  They are both hiding a secret that they don't want anyone to know about.

Hero

by Mike Lupica

Grade 4-6

Zach Harriman's dad is hiding a secret about his job.  When he dies in a plane crash before he gets a chance to tell Zach the secret cannot be revealed.  Zach has a feeling that something about the plane crash is not right.  He begins to investigate his dad's death but finds out more than he imagined possible.

Fractured Fairy Tales & Chic Lit

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

 by Eugene Trivizas 

 Grade 2-5                                                                                          

Three little wolves set out on their own to build a house.  There mother warns them to watch out for the big bad pig. They build a house of brick, a house of cement, and a house of steel. What will stop the big bad pig?

                                            

Cinder Edna
by Ellen Jackson

Grade 2-5

Cinderella and Cinder Edna are neighbors.  They both have a difficult life scrubbing and working to take care of their stepmother and stepsisters.   While Cinderella looks to her fairy godmother for help, Cinder Edna helps herself.  When a ball is announced at the castle, they both go looking for a prince.

Cinder-Elly

by Frances Minters 
Grade K-4


Cinder-Elly has to stay home and clean for her mean sisters all the time and never got to go to New York City to have fun.  When she is invited with her sisters to a basketball game, she is told to stay home because she is too young and has nothing to wear. 

Jack and the Giant

by Jim Harris
Grade K-4

Jack and his mom Annie Okey-Dokey need money since all their cattle were stolen by a no-good giant.  When Jack is sent to town to sell thier cow for money he trades him for some magic beans.  He awakes in the morning to find a giant beanstalk and grabs his boots and stetson as he sets out to find where it leads. 

Good Little Wolf

by Nadia Shireen
Grade K-3



Rolf is a good little wolf.  His best friend Mrs. Boggins tells him that all wolves are not good.  Rolf meets the big bad wolf and tries to do the things that he does.  Will Rolf listen to the big bad wolf?

Sleeping Ugly
by Jane Yolen
Grade K-4

Princess Miserella may be beautiful on the outside but she is very ugly on the inside.  When she gets lost in the woods one day she comes upon a fairy.  The fairy takes her to plain Jane's house and grants Jane three wishes for being so kind. 

Chic Lit

The Fasion Disaster that Changed My Life
by Lauren Myracle
Grade 5-8

Alli is super excited about her first day of 7th grade.  She missed most of sixth grade because she was very sick and now wants to start a new year off right.  She goes to class and immediately has everyone's attention but not for the reason she wants.  Alli finds herself stuck between the popular crowd that she longs to be with and her not so popular friends that she has been with for years.






ttyl
by Lauren Myracle
Grade 7-12


Three teenage girls that have been friends for years pledge to be friends forever. They each face big bumps in the road as they journey through their sophmore year as they instant message each other daily.  One with boy troubles, one with teacher troubles and one with friend and parent troubles.  Will they remain friends? 

Graphic Novels

Big Nate Out Loud

by Lincoln Peirce

Grade 2-6

Nate gets into trouble wherever he goes. Even when his friends try to hypnotize him to be neater, he still makes a mess. Follow Nate as he pulls practical jokes, has fun with his friends and causes chaos along the way.

 Squish Super Amoeba
 by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm 
 Grade 2-6


Squish is an amoeba that loves comics. His best friend Pod is a genius on a quest to find a solution to global warming. When his paramecium friend Peggy needs help to fight off the local Bully, Squish must find the courage he reads about in his comics to stand up to scary Lynwood.

Peach Fuzz

by Lindsay Cibos & Jared Hodges

Grade 2-6

A nine year old girl named Amanda gets a pet ferret from the store.  Her mom is upset because the ferret keeps biting her.  If she gets bitten one more time she is going to bring the pet back to the store.  Amanda tries to train Peach not to bite but Peach sees Amanda's hand as a five headed monster

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Grade 2-6

The Breakfast Bunch stumbles upon a plot by the evil League of Librarians to rid the world of video games.  With the help of the Lunch Lady and Betty they set out to stop their evil plans.  The librarians will use books as weapons to try to complete their plan.

Babymouse Our Hero
by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Grade 2-6

Babymouse is having a bad day.  She misses the bus and has to walk to school.  When she gets there her locker eats her homework, and then she forgets her sneakers for gym class.  When she finds out that she has to play dodge ball to get a good grade she is terrified.  Her friend Wilson sets out to help her train for the big game.






Kat & Mouse Teacher Torture
by Alex de Campi
Grade 3-6

When Kat's dad gets a new job she must leave her home to go to school in Dover where her dad will be teaching.  When a mysterious robbery threatens her dad's job, Kat and her new friend Mouse set out to discover the thief. 

Twilight the Graphic Novel
by Stephenie Meyer, Young Kim
Grade 7-12

Isabella Swan moves to a new home and school to live with her father.  She meets mysterious Edward who goes from being rude and dismissive to polite and interested.  She cannot seem to figure out why Edward is so confusing but she is determined to find out his secrets no matter what the cost. 

Confidential Confessions
by Reiko Momochi
Grade 10 & Up

When a young girl feels that life is just not worth living anymore she decides to take her own life.  She meets another girl what feels the same way and the two make a pact to do it together.  When given the chance to end it all one of them has second thoughts.

Alice 19th: Lotis Master
by Yu Watase
Grade 10 &Up

Alice is a shy, quiet girl that does not know how to speak her feelings.  She lives in her sister's shadow and cannot tell the boy she likes how she feels about him.  When she saves a magic rabbit one day her life begins to change when she find powers that she did no know she had.

Fruits Basket
by Natsuki Takaya
Grade 10 & Up


After the death of her mother, Thoru Honda finds herself living in a tent alone.  She is taken in by the Sohma boys and given a place to stay in exchange for cooking and cleaning.  While living their she finds out why they are so different and must promise to keep their family secret.

Picture Books - Biographies and Older Readers

The Middle Passage

White Ships/ Black Cargo

by Tom Feelings
Grade 5-12
This book's black and white pictures tell the story of Africans that were captured and taken in the slave trade.  The haunting pictures show the horrors that these men and women faced in the Middle Passage which refers to the voyage from Africa to the new world.





Talking Walls
by Margy Burns Knight

Grade 2-8

From the Great Wall of China, to the Berlin Wall and on to the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.  This book takes a journey around the world to tell about sacred and treasured walls from many different cultures. 






Smoky Night
by Eve Bunting

Grade K-6

This story tells of the night of the Los Angeles riots through the eyes of a young boy.  When families are forced to leave their homes they learn to accept others by taking an example from two cats.

Abe's Honest Words
The life of Abraham Lincoln
by Doreen Rappaport
Grade 2-8

Abraham Lincoln was called Honest Abe because he always told the truth.  This biography's beautiful illustrations along with Abe's own words help to tell his story. 

Ellington Was Not a Street
by Ntozake Shange
Grade K-6

Duke Ellington and his band are remembered by a small girl in this beautiful picture book.  The story is written as a poem and gives a small history of each band member.

The Butterfly
by Patricia Polacco
Grade 2-8

The Nazis have taken over the small town in France where Monique lives.  She wakes one night to find a young girl that she thinks is a ghost.  When she speaks to her she finds that the girl is very real and so is her family that is living under her floor.  Monique must now keep her new friend's secret to ensure that everyone remains safe.

Tea With Milk
by Allen Say
Grade 2-6

May is a Japanese girl that was born in America.  When her parents decide that they miss their homeland they move back to Japan.  May does not know the Japanese ways and wants nothing more than to go home to America.

John, Paul, George & Ben
by Lane Smith
Grade K-4

A comical look at the founding fathers of our country.  John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin each had an important job to help form our government.

The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence
by Edith St. George
Grade 2-8

The Declaration of Independence had passed through many hands and many places on its journey to the Archives.  This story tells of the beginning of our country and the problems that have made us have to keep the document safe.

Multicultural Perspectives

Too Many Tamales
by Gary Soto
Grade K-3

Maria is excited to be able to help her mother make the tamales for Christmas dinner.  She is acting like a grown up wearing her mother's apron and cooking.  When she sees her mothers ring on the counter she just has to try it on.  Forgetting that she is wearing it she continues to make the tamales and loses the ring in the bowl.  With the help of her cousins, Maria rushes to find her mother's ring before it's too late. 

Baseball Saved Us

by Ken Mochizuki
Grade K-5

This story takes place during World War II and tells of a boy and his father who create a baseball leage in an internment camp.  The boy that has always been small and not very good at baseball.  His frustration with being held in the camp helps him to score the winning run. 




Mrs. Katz and Tush
by Patricia Polacco
Grade K-3

Mrs. Katz is all alone since her husband died.  Larnel's mother comes to visit her and Larnel decides to bring her a kitten.  Mrs. Katz asks Larnel to help her take care of the kitten that she names Tush.  The two become very close as Mrs. Katz shares her culture with Larnel.

The Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
Grade K-3

Tanya watches her grandma cutting strips for a quilt and wants to help.  Grandma tells her how it will take a year to make the quilt.  This is too long for Tanya.  When her grandmother becomes ill Tanya and her mother continue to make the quilt and include all of thier wonderful family memories. 




Hoang Breaks the Lucky Teapot
by Rosemary K. Breckler
Grade K-3

Hoang is playing ball in his new house in America.  When his imagination creates a dragon, Hoang throws the ball at it and breaks the families lucy teapot.  With the lucky teapot broken his family fears that bad luck will descend on the house. Hoang tries everything to restore the good luck to his family.

Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
Grade K-2


A little girl tells of her imaginative advenures with her grandmother.  The story tells of the places they go and how her grandmother speaks only in Spanish.  The little girl tells the English words that her grandmother speaks in Spanish as they have fun together.



Yo! Yes?
by Chris Raschka
Grade K-3

This story show the begining of a friendship between two boys.  The book says a lot with a little.  Even though the story only contains only 34 words the pictures and word choices tell how two very different boys become friends.

The Rough-Face Girl
by Rafe Martin
Grade K-5

In this Cinderella like tale, a native American girl is treated badly by her sisters.  She has become the Rough-Face girl because her skin is scarred from fire.  Every girl in the village wants to marry the great invisible being.  When they all fail to pass the test to marry him the Rough-Face girl decides that she will be the one to succeed.

Newbery Medal and Honor Books

Hatchet

by Gary Paulsen
Grade 4-8

Thirteen year old Brian is going to visit his father in a small plane.  When the pilot suffers a heart attack and the plane crashes, Brian is left on his own in the wilderness.  The only tool he has to help him survive is the Hatchet that his mother gave him.  This book tells of his adventures as he attempts to gain food and shelter in the wild. 

Bridge to Tearabithia

by Katherine Patterson
Grade 4-8

All Jess wants is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade.  He never imagines that he will become best friends with the new girl that beats him in a race.  Leslie and Jess become inseparable and create an imaginary world of their own.  They are very happy with the world they have created until there is a tragic accident. 

Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis
Grade 4-7

When Bud's mom dies he finds himself in one foster home after another with nothing but bad stories.  He does not know who his father is but his mother has left him some clues that he keeps in a suitcase and never goes anywhere without.  After one particularly bad placement he is determined to find his father no matter what it takes.

Holes

by Louis Sachar
Grade 4-8
Stanley Yelnats has never had any luck. When he is mistakenly accused of stealing a pair of sneakers, he is sent to Camp Green Lake which is anything but green. The only thing that you can do at Camp Green Lake is dig holes in the hot desert sun all day long. The story flashes back and forth between past and present and tells of how the once beautiful lake town has become a desert like prison for troubled boys.

Hoot

by Carl Hiaasen

Grade 4-8

Roy has to move to yet another school because of his dad's job.  He finds himself in Florida and wants to go back to Montana. On his way to school one day as the local bully is beating him up, he notices a boy with no shoes running from the bus.  He continues to see this boy and becomes curious.  His quest for answers leads him to become involved in a plan to stop the construction of a pancake house that will threaten the home of endangered owls. 

Rules

by Cynthia Lord
Grade 4-7

Catherine just wants to have a friend that she can spend the summer with.  When a girl her age moves in next door she can't wait to meet her.  The problem is David.  Catherine's brother David has autism and often does things that embarrass her.  She makes up rules for David to follow like "No toys in the fish tank".  Catherine does find a new friend that summer, but in an unlikely place. 

The Great Gilly Hopkins

by Katherine Paterson
Grade 5-7


Gilly is an eleven year old girl that has been bounced from foster home to foster home her entire life.  She keeps a picture of her mother and waits for the day that she will come and get her.  When she is placed in the care of a new foster parent named Maime Trotter she has had enough.  Maime is very large and makes her do things like clean!  She creates a plan to get back to where her mother lives and she will do anything to get there. 

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo
Grade 4-6

Because of Winn-Dixie is the story of a girl that has just moved to a trailer park in Florida. Her father is a preacher and they travel a lot. Her mother left them when she was very you and she doesn't remember much about her. When she sees a stray dog that is making trouble in the supermarket she claims him as her own and begs her dad to let her keep him. With her new found friend she tries to convince her dad to tell her ten things about her mother who he never talks about.