List for Students Going into 5 1 OLDIES BUT GOODIES AIKEN

List for Students Going into 5
1
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
AIKEN, JOAN. THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE.
When her parents fail to return from a cruise, Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia try to escape their evil
governess, Miss Slighcarp. Traveling to London with their friend Simon, they escape being
devoured by the wolves that surround the estate. Finally, they wind up in a terrible boarding
school where they carefully plot their revenge against Miss Slighcarp! A very satisfying
adventure about kids getting the better of grownups! (Goldberg)
BAGNOLD, ENID. NATIONAL VELVET.
A fourteen-year-old English girl wins a horse in a raffle and is determined to race it in the world’s
greatest horse race. (Publisher)
BAUM, FRANK. THE WIZARD OF OZ. (SERIES)
An elegant and rich story about a girl, her friends, and a humbug wizard. (Publisher)
BURNETT, FRANCES HODGSON. A LITTLE PRINCESS.
Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select
Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless
and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant.
How this resourceful girl's fortunes change again is at the center of A Little Princess, one of the
best-loved stories in all of children's literature. (Publisher)
FARLEY, WALTER. THE BLACK STALLION.
A boy is shipwrecked on an island with a magnificent stallion. (Publisher)
FISHER, DOROTHY CANFIELD. UNDERSTOOD BETSY.
Sheltered 9 year old Elizabeth Ann has always heard her Aunt Frances talk about "those horrid
Vermont cousins." Now she is terrified. Aunt Frances can no longer take care of her, and she has
been sent to stay with her New England relatives. "Betsy" gradually comes to enjoy the challenge of
living with her country cousins, and she has a difficult choice to make. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5
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FITZHUGH, LOUISE. HARRIET THE SPY.
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? (Publisher)
KONIGSBURG, E.L. FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER.
When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from
somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere — to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and,
preferably, elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing her
younger brother Jamie has money and thus can help her with a serious cash-flow problem, she
invites him along.
Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie find themselves caught up in the mystery of an
angel statue that the museum purchased at auction for a bargain price of $225. The statue is
possibly an early work of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is
it? Or isn’t it? (Publisher)
LEWIS, C.S. THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. (SERIES)
When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy took their first steps into the world behind the magic
wardrobe, little do they realize what adventures are about to unfold. (Publisher)
Note: The first volume of the series, The Magician’s Nephew, is the one in which you discover the
origins of the wardrobe.
LOVELACE, MAUD HART. BETSY-TACY. (SERIES)
Betsy and Tacy were two little five-year-olds, such inseparable friends that they were regarded
almost as one. These stories of their friendship present a very real picture of young children living
in the early 1900's. (Publisher)
Note: If the first books in this series seem too babyish, skip to the later books, like
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown and Heaven to Betsy, when Betsy and Tacy are
tweens and teenagers! (Goldberg)
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MERRILL, JEAN. THE PUSHCART WAR.
The pushcarts have declared war! New York City's streets are clogged with huge, rude trucks that
park where they want, hold up traffic, and bulldoze into anything that is in their way, and the
pushcart peddlers are determined to get rid of them. But the trucks are just as determined to get
rid of the pushcarts, and chaos results in the city.
The pushcarts have come up with a brilliant strategy that will surely let the hot air out of their
enemies. The secret weapon--a peashooter armed with a pin; the target--the vulnerable truck tires.
Once the source of the flat tires is discovered, the children of the city joyfully join in with their own
pin peashooters. The pushcarts have won one battle, but can they win the war against a corrupt
mayor who taxes the pins and prohibits the sale of dried peas? (Publisher)
NESBIT, E. THE RAILWAY CHILDREN.
Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis are London schoolchildren aged 12, 10, and 8, respectively. One day
their father leaves with two men and does not come back, and mother packs them off to a small
house in the country. The kids become familiar with the passing trains, the workers at the train
station and signal-box, and life in a small town while their mother struggles to make ends meet
writing stories. They have various adventures -- stopping a train when a landslide covers the
tracks, preventing a scraggly and penniless foreigner from arrest and taking him home, saving an
infant and dog from a barge canal on fire, finding an injured older boy in the train tunnel -- while
the mystery of their father's disappearance percolates in the background. (Publisher)
PEARCE, PHILLIPA. TOM’S MIDNIGHT GARDEN.
Tom is furious. His brother, Peter, has measles, so now Tom is being shipped off to stay with Aunt
Gwen and Uncle Alan in their boring old apartment. There'll be nothing to do there and no one to
play with. Tom just counts the days till he can return home to Peter.Then one night the landlady's
antique grandfather clock strikes thirteen times leading Tom to a wonderful, magical discovery
and marking the beginning of a secret that's almost too amazing to be true. But it is true, and in the
new world that Tom discovers is a special friend named Hatty and more than a summer's worth of
adventure for both of them. Now Tom wishes he could stay with his relativesand Hatty -- forever....
(Publisher)
SEWELL, ANNA. BLACK BEAUTY.
A horse, in nineteenth-century England, encounters many misfortunes until he finds the happiness
and contentment he deserves. (Publisher)
SIDNEY, MARGARET. THE FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW.
The five Pepper children and their mother have been living in poverty since Mr. Pepper died, so
buying Christmas presents is not easy. The Peppers always know that good times are just around
the corner, and their adventures have enthralled generations of children. (Publisher)
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MYSTERY AND ADVENTURE
BEIL, MICHAEL . THE RED BLAZER GIRLS.
Catholic-schooled seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly
neighbor solve a puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago. (Goldberg)
BOSCH, PSEUDONYMOUS. THE NAME OF THIS BOOK IS SECRET. (SERIES)
Cassandra and Max find a missing magician's notebook and start to investigate the fire which
burnt down his house and his mysterious "symphony of smells." (Publisher)
BUCKLEY, MICHAEL. THE FAIRY-TALE DETECTIVES. (SERIES)
Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have
always believed to be dead. (Publisher)
DANISHVARI, GITTY. SCHOOL OF FEAR. (SERIES)
Twelve-year-olds Madeleine, Theo, and Lulu, and thirteen-year-old Garrison, are sent to a remote
Massachusetts school to overcome their phobias, but tragedy strikes and the quartet must work
together--with no adult assistance--to face their fears. (Publisher)
DOWD, SIOBHAN. THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY.
Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye. But after half an hour it landed and
everyone trooped off–except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have
disappeared into thin air? Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners, since the police
are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a
trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to
Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery. This is an
unput-downable spine-tingling thriller–a race against time. (Publisher)
GUTMAN, DAN. GETTING AIR.
After foiling a terrorist hijacking aboard their airplane, fourteen-year-old Jimmy, his younger
sister, and two skateboarding friends crash-land the plane and try to survive in a forest wilderness
until help arrives. (Publisher)
KEENE, CAROLYN. THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK (NANCY DREW #1) (SERIES)
Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will. (Publisher)
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RASKIN, ELLEN. THE WESTING GAME.
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs
who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
(Publisher)
SACHAR, LOUIS. HOLES.
Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a bizarre, almost otherworldly place that
has no lake and nothing that is green. Nor is it a camp, at least not the kind of camp kids look
forward to in the summertime. It is a place that once held "the largest lake in Texas," but today it is
only a scorching desert wasteland, dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the
camp. (Publisher)
SCHLITZ, AMY. A DROWNED MAIDEN’S HAIR.
A feisty eleven-year-old orphan is adopted by three spinster sisters who work as mediums – that is,
people who can supposedly contact the dead!
Will she reveal to the authorities that they are really phonies? Find out in this cool and creepy
book! (Goldberg)
SNICKET, LEMONY. THE BAD BEGINNING. (SERIES)
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. (Publisher)
STEWART, TRENTON LEE. THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY. (SERIES)
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. (Publisher)
STEAD, REBECCA. WHEN YOU REACH ME.
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000
Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes
received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. (Publisher)
WILSON, N.D. LEEPIKE RIDGE.
Eleven-year-old Thomas Hammond is in for the ride of his life when he's swept downstream and
underground aboard a crumbling raft of Styrofoam. Washing up on a dark subterranean "beach,"
his only companions are an impulsive dog named Argus and a corpse, from which he takes a
flashlight and an all-too-limited supply of batteries. (Publisher)
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SCIENCE FICTION
BUCKLEY-ARCHER, LINDA. THE TIME TRAVELERS. (SERIES)
Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century [into 1763], thanks
to an experiment with an antigravity machine. Before the children have a chance to gather their
wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine—and Kate and Peter’s only chance of getting home.
(Publisher)
DUPRAU, JEANNE. CITY OF EMBER. (SERIES)
In the city of Ember, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run
to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
(Publisher)
HADDIX, MARGARET PETERSON. FOUND. (SERIES)
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. (Publisher)
L’ENGLE, MADELEINE. A WRINKLE IN TIME. (SERIES)
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother
had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most
disturbing stranger. “Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got
caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my
way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”
A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the
reader of the enjoyment of the…adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin
O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of
Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the
tesseract problem. (Publisher)
REEVE, PHILIP. LARKLIGHT.
Arthur (Art) Mumsby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in a huge and rambling
house called Larklight…that just happens to be traveling through outer space. When a visitor
called Mr. Webster arrives for a visit, it is far from an innocent social call. Before long Art and
Myrtle are off on an adventure to the furthest reaches of space, where they will do battle with evil
forces in order to save each other--and the universe. A fantastically original Victorian tale set in
an outer space world that might have come from the imaginations of Jules Verne or L Frank Baum,
but has a unique gravitational pull all its own…(Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5
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FANTASY
BABBITT, NATALIE. THE SEARCH FOR DELICIOUS.
The Prime Minister is compiling a dictionary and when no one at court can agree on the meaning of
delicious, the King sends his twelve-year-old messenger to poll the country. (Publisher)
BARROWS, ANNIE. THE MAGIC HALF.
Miri is the only single child in the middle of a family with two sets of twins--older brothers and
younger sisters. When the family moves to an old farmhouse Miri accidentally travels back in time
to 1935 only to discover Molly, a girl in need of a real family to call her own. (Publisher)
BELLAIRS, JOHN. THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS. (SERIES)
A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which
is ticking off the minutes until doomsday. (Publisher)
COLLINS, SUZANNE. GREGOR THE OVERLANDER. (SERIES)
When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their
New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live
uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats--but the fragile peace is about to fall
apart. Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his
way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the
Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of
his life. (Publisher)
COOPER, SUSAN. OVER SEA, UNDER STONE. (SERIES)
Simon, Jane, and Barney find an ancient map in their uncle’s attic with the secret to summon
forces of Light in order to defeat the Darkness. There’s a problem, though. As they try to figure
out the map’s secrets, will they be able to keep one another safe from the evil forces in their town
that constantly trail them and invade their uncle’s house?
The first in the Dark is Rising series. (Goldberg)
DiCAMILLO, KATE. THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT.
When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene encounters a fortune teller in the marketplace
one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a
remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her. (Publisher)
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FUNKE, CORNELIA. THE THIEF LORD.
Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one, are sought by a
detective hired by their aunt, but they have found shelter with--and protection from--Venice's
"Thief Lord." (Publisher)
GAIMAN, NEIL. CORALINE.
Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different
from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents,
and the souls of three others. (Publisher)
GIDWITZ, ADAM. A TALE DARK AND GRIMM.
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales,
encountering such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly strangers and other helpful folk.
Based in part on the Grimms' fairy tales Faithful Johannes, Hansel and Gretel, The seven ravens,
Brother and sister, The robber bridegroom, and The devil and his three golden hairs. (Publisher)
HALE, SNANNON. BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS.
When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s
refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.
As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep
them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome,
and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger…(Publisher)
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. (Publisher)
KESSLER, LIZ. THE TAIL OF EMILY WINDSNAP.
When Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery about her own identity, the mysterious father she's never met, and the thrilling possibilities and
perils shimmering deep below the water's surface. (Publisher)
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LANGRISH, KATHERINE. TROLL FELL.
A secret kingdom of trolls, guarding their legendary gold, lies in the mysterious shadows of Troll
Fell. It is to this eerie and dangerous place that Peer Ulfsson must go after his father's sudden
death, to live with his greedy, bad-tempered uncles, Baldur and Grim.
When Peer discovers his uncles' terrible plan to capture the gold by selling human children to the
trolls, he has to bury his fears and find a way to stop them. He has only his bravery, his wit, and
two new allies -- a daring girl looking for adventure and a mischievous house spirit looking for a
good meal. Their story will become part of the lore of this extraordinary land by the sea.
(Publisher)
LAW, INGRID. SAVVY.
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves
mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of
Mibs's big day. (Publisher)
MARTIN, ANN M. THE DOLL PEOPLE. (SERIES)
A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for 100 years is taken aback when a
new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn't follow the Doll Code of Honor. (Publisher)
O’BRIEN, ROBERT C. MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF N.I.M.H.
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. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.
(Publisher)
PAOLINI, CHRISTOPHER. ERAGON. (SERIES)
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy-until his destiny as a Dragon
Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old
storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his
choices could save-or destroy-the Empire. (Publisher)
PATTOU, EDITH. EAST.
Rose has always felt out of place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an
enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him--in exchange for
health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees. (Publisher)
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RIORDAN, RICK. THE LOST HERO.
Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp HalfBlood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been
imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. (Publisher)
TANNER, LIAN. MUSEUM OF THIEVES.
In the city of Jewel, children are chained to their parents or to the Blessed Guardians from birth
until Separation at age 16. Now the Grand Protector has lowered the ceremony to age 12, and the
Blessed Guardians are furious. When a bomb interrupts 12-year-old Goldie Roth's Separation Day,
she takes advantage of the chaos to run away, ultimately finding her way to the Museum of Dunt.
Its four Guardians teach her how to survive on her own, how to steal, and how to live within the
mysterious institution. (Beth L. Meister, School Library Journal)
TOWNLEY, ROD. THE GREAT GOOD THING.
Nothing ever changes inside the storybook kingdom inhabited by twelve-year-old Princess Sylvie,
her parents, and many other characters until Sylvie discovers that by allying herself with the
Reader she can experience new adventures beyond the confines of the book. (Publisher)
WREDE, PATRICIA. DEALING WITH DRAGONS. (SERIES)
A rebellious princess runs away to live with a group of dragons. (Publisher)
HISTORICAL FICTION
ANDERSON, LAURIE HALSE. CHAINS.
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year old Isabel wages her own fight for freedom,
becoming a spy for the rebels and reporting on her cruel owners. (Publisher)
AVI. THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE.
As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is
murderous and the crew rebellious. (Publisher)
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BOHNER, CHARLES. BOLD JOURNEY.
Private Hugh McNeal relates his experiences accompanying Captains Lewis and Clark on their
expedition. (Publisher)
BRADY, ESTHER. TOLIVER’S SECRET.
During the Revolutionary War, a ten –year-old girl cresses enemy lines to deliver a loaf of bread
containing a message to General Washington. (Publisher)
COLLIER, JAMES L. MY BROTHER SAM IS DEAD.
Based on actual events, this first person account describes the divisions in the Meeker family and
the tragedy that strikes during the American Revolution.
CHOLDENKO, GENNIFER. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. (SERIES)
Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded
by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There's my sister, Natalie, except she doesn't count.
And there are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or
cook's or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. Plus, there are a ton of murderers,
rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe
even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons
don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being
the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to. (Publisher)
CURTIS, CHRISTOPHER PAUL. BUD, NOT BUDDY.
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression, escapes a
bad foster home in search of the man he believes to be his father – the renowned bandleader, H.E.
Calloway. (Publisher)
CURTIS, CHRISTOPHER PAUL. ELIJAH OF BUXTON.
In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a
haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the
lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom. (Publisher)
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CUSHMAN, KAREN. THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE.
The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the
Midwife and becomes her apprentice. As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Bratwho renames herself Alyce-gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from
life: "A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world." (Publisher)
DE TREVINO, ELISZABETH BORTON. I, JUAN DE PAREJA.
Upon the death of his indulgent mistress in Seville, Juan de Pareja was uprooted from the only
home he had known and placed in the charge of a vicious gypsy muleteer to be sent north to his
mistress’s nephew and heir, Diego Velázquez, who recognized at once the intelligence and gentle
breeding which were to make Juan his indispensable assistant and companion—and his lifelong
friend. (Publisher)
FRIESNER, ESTHER. SPHINX’S PRINCESSS. (SERIES)
She was far more than just a pretty face....
Although Nefertiti is the dutiful daughter of a commoner, her inquisitive mind often gets her into
situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. And her striking
beauty garners attention that she'd just as soon avoid, especially when it's her aunt, the
manipulative Queen Tiye, who has set her sights on Nefertiti. The queen wants to use her niece as a
pawn in her quest for power, and Nefertiti must leave her beloved family and enter a life filled with
courtly intrigue and danger. (Publisher)
GIFF, PATRICIA REILLY. LILY’S CROSSING.
This year, as in other years, Lily has planned a spectacular summer in Rockaway, in her family's
cozy house on stilts over the Atlantic Ocean. But by the summer of 1944, World War II has changed
almost everyone's life. Lily's best friend, Margaret, and her family have moved to a wartime factory
town, and worse, much worse, Lily's father is on his way overseas to the war. But, Lily’s friendship
with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently.
(Publisher)
HOLM, JENNIFER. PENNY FROM HEAVEN.
It’s1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and
baseball. But nothing’s that easy in Penny’s family. For starters, she can’t go swimming because
her mother’s afraid she’ll catch polio at the pool. To make matters worse, her favorite uncle is
living in a car. Her Nonny cries every time her father’s name is mentioned. And the two sides of
her family aren’t speaking to each other! During this summer, Penny gains new insights into
herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father’s death. (Publisher)
KLAGES, ELLEN. THE GREEN GLASS SEA.
While her father works on the Manhattan Project, eleven-year-old gadget lover and outcast Dewey
Kerrigan lives in Los Alamos Camp, and becomes friends with Suze, another young girl who is
shunned by her peers. (Publisher)
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KURTZ, JANE. THE STORYTELLER’S BEADS.
During the political strife and famine of the 1980's, two Ethiopian girls, one Christian and the other
Jewish and blind, struggle to overcome many difficulties, including their prejudices about each
other, as they make the dangerous journey out of Ethiopia. (Publisher)
LOWRY, LOIS. NUMBER THE STARS.
It’s 1943 Copenhagen and the Jews of Denmark are being “relocated,” so Annemarie Johansen’s
best friend, Ellen, moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. When
Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission, she must find the courage to save her friend’s
life. (Publisher)
MEYER, CAROLYN. MARY, BLOODY MARY.
The story of Mary Tudor's childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of
England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her
father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary's rights to
the throne. (Publisher)
NAPOLI, DONNA JO. THE SMILE.
In the Florentine countryside, Monna Elisabetta struggles to become the noblewoman she's
destined to be. Although her father is challenged to keep his silk business thriving during difficult
economic times, Monna's mother is planning to give her an elaborate 13th birthday party in order
to meet a suitable husband. But upon Mamma's sudden death, the event is canceled, and Monna
turns her grief into preparing meals and working alongside her father. His friend Leonardo da
Vinci has introduced her to Giuliano de' Medici, who becomes smitten with her smile. (Publisher)
ORGEL, DORIS. THE DEVIL IN VIENNA.
Inge Dorenwald and Lieselotte Vessely have been best friends for most of their thirteen years.
They share secrets, fears, hopes and even the same birthday. It never mattered that Inge was
Jewish and that Lieselotte was the daughter of a Nazi SS officer—until now. Hitler and Nazism are
infiltrating Vienna, Austria, in 1938 and suddenly it is forbidden for the girls to continue seeing
each other. Despite the danger, Inge and Liselotte struggle to keep their friendship alive. But will
they be able to do it? (Publisher)
PATERSON, KATHERINE. THE SIGN OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM.
Muna has never known his father — a samurai, a noble warrior. But Muna's mother has told Muna
how he will know him one day: by the sign of the chrysanthemum. When his mother dies, Muna
travels to the capital of twelfth-century Japan, a bewildering city on the verge of revolution. He
finds a haven there, as servant to the great swordsmith, Fukuji. But Muna cannot forget his dream:
He must find his father. Only then will he have power and a name to be reckoned with. Only then
will he become a man. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 14
PECK, RICHARD. A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO.
Each summer during the Great Depression, Joey and his sister Mary Alice board a train in Chicago
and travel halfway to St. Louis to visit their grandma in a small town in Illinois. There they meet
an interesting cast of characters, from the corpse of Shotgun Cheatham, to the bad Cowgill boys
who blew up mailboxes and overturned outhouses, and to Vandalia Eubanks and the phantom
brakeman. Every year they would learn a little more about their spunky grandmother through her
unusual and intriguing interactions with the townsfolk. (Publisher)
POPE, ELIZABETH MARIE. THE SHERWOOD RING.
Newly orphaned Peggy Grahame is caught off-guard when she first arrives at her family’s
ancestral estate. Her eccentric uncle Enos drives away her only new acquaintance, Pat, a
handsome British scholar, and then leaves Peggy to fend for herself. But she is not alone. The
house is full of mysteries—and ghosts. Soon Peggy becomes involved with the spirits of her own
Colonial ancestors and witnesses the unfolding of a centuries-old romance against a backdrop of
spies and intrigue and of battles plotted and foiled. (Publisher)
RYAN, PAM MUNOZ. PAINT THE WIND.
Maya is a captive. In Grandmother's house in California every word and action is strictly
monitored. Even memories of her mother have been erased except within the imaginary world she
has created. A world away, in the rugged Wyoming wilderness, a horse called Artemisia runs free.
She embodies the spirit of the wild and she holds the key to Maya's memories. How Maya's and
Artemisia's lives intertwine, like a braided rein, is at the heart of this richly drawn adventure
about freedom and captivity, about holding on and letting go. (Publisher)
RYAN, PAM MUNOZ. RIDING FREEDOM.
In this fast-paced, courageous, and inspiring story, readers adventure with Charlotte Parkhurst as
she first finds work as a stable hand, becomes a famous stage-coach driver (performing brave feats
and outwitting bandits), finds love as a woman but later resumes her identity as a man after the
loss of a baby and the tragic death of her husband, and ultimately settles out west on the farm she'd
dreamed of having since childhood. It wasn't until after her death that anyone discovered she was
a woman. (Publisher)
SELZNICK, BRIAN. THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET.
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. (Publisher)
SELZNICK, BRIAN. WONDERSTRUCK.
Relates the stories of twelve-year-old Ben, who loses his mother and his hearing in a short time
frame and decides to leave his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he has never known in
New York City; and Rose, who lives with her father but feels compelled to search for what is
missing in her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 15
TAYLOR, SYDNEY. ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY. (SERIES)
Meet the All-of-a-Kind Family. Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie -- who live with their
parents in New York City at the turn of the century. Together they share adventures that find
them searching for hidden buttons while dusting Mama's front parlor and visiting with the
peddlers in Papa's shop on rainy days. The girls enjoy doing everything together, especially when it
involves holidays and surprises. But no one could have prepared them for the biggest surprise of
all! (Publisher)
REALISTIC FICTION
BIRDSALL, JEANNE. THE PENDERWICKS OF GARDAM STREET. (SERIES)
The second book of one of Chapin’s most beloved series – and my favorite. (Goldberg)
The four Penderwick sisters are faced with the unimaginable prospect of their widowed father
dating, and they hatch a plot to stop him. (Publisher)
CABOT, MEG. STAGE FRIGHT. (SERIES)
Allie's theatrical hopes are crushed when, instead of being cast as the princess, she is given the role
of the evil queen in the fourth-grade class play. (Publisher)
CREECH, SHARON. WALK TWO MOONS.
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn."!Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you
an extensively strange story," I warned.!"Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!"!And that is how I
happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.
As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold-the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
(Publisher)
DAVIES, JACQUELINE. THE LEMONADE WAR.
Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same
class for fourth grade and as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade
stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars. Includes mathematical calculations and tips
for running a successful lemonade stand. (Publisher)
DRAPER, SHARON. OUT OF MY MIND.
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always
recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no
one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of
learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level
alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people
what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't
write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers
something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 16
FREDERICK, HEATHER VOGEL. THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB. (SERIES)
When the mothers of four sixth-grade girls with very different personalities pressure them into
forming a book club, they find, as they read and discuss "Little Women," that they have much more
in common than they could have imagined. (Publisher)
IGNATOW, AMY. THE POPULARITY PAPERS: RESEARCH FOR THE SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT AND
GENERAL BETTERMENT OF LYDIA GOLDBLATT AND JULIE GRAHAM-CHANG. (SERIES)
Two best friends embark on a project to study the behavior and taste of the popular girls at their
elementary school so that by the time they get to middle school they too will be in the right crowd
and record their findings in the form of a scrapbook. (Publisher)
KONIGSBURG, E.L. THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY.
How had Mrs. Olinski chosen her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers.
But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And
why did they make such a good team? It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski's team
won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger
surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to
even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen? (Publisher)
KORMAN, GORDON. SCHOOLED.
Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and
breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.
(Pubisher)
LAFLEUR, SUZANNE. LOVE AUBREY.
A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all
alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She
cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey,
even if no one ever reads them. (Publisher)
LIN, GRACE. YEAR OF THE DOG.
Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to
apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself,
to her own life. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 17
LORD, CYNTHIA. RULES.
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a
brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to
teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"--in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a
surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own
shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
(Publisher)
MASS, WENDY. THE CANDYMAKERS.
Four gifted twelve-year-olds, including Logan, the candymaker's son, are set to be contestants in
the Confectionary Association's national competition to determine the nation's tastiest sweet, but
nobody anticipates that a friendship will form between them. (Publisher)
MASS, WENDY. 11 BIRTHDAYS.
Amanda can’t wait for the day AFTER her birthday so she can stop thinking about the fight that led
her and Leo to have separate parties for the first time in their lives. There’s just one problem. The
next day is her birthday all over again. In this hilarious and touching adventure, Amanda must
figure out how to get unstuck, in more ways than one. (Publisher)
MCKAY, HILARY. SAFFY’S ANGEL. (SERIES)
After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric,
artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special
momento of her past. (Publisher)
PATRON, SUSAN. THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY.
Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring
scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power
that will bring stability to her life. (Publisher)
PEARSALL, SHELLEY. ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Based on a true story, All of the Above is the delightful and suspenseful story of four inner city
students and their quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron. Weaving together the different
personal stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community that surrounds them, awardwinning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about the math, life and goodtasting barbecue. (Publisher)
TARSHIS, LAUREN. EMMA-JEAN LAZARUS FELL OUT OF A TREE.
A quirky and utterly logical girl discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the
messy everyday problems of her peers. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 18
URBAN, LINDA. A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT.
Ten-year-old Zoe Elias, who longs to play the piano but must resign herself to learning the organ,
instead, finds that her musicianship has a positive impact on her workaholic mother, her jittery
father, and her school social life. (Publisher)
WHELAN, GLORIA. HOMELESS BIRD.
When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a
destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it. (Publisher)
WEEKS, SARAH. SO B. IT.
Heidi’s mother only knows 23 words, total. So how, Heidi wonders, did she come into the world?
Who’s her father? All Heidi knows is that twelve years ago, her mother showed up on Bernie’s
doorstep with a baby in her arms. Since then, Heidi’s been raised and homeschooled by Bernie.
Now that she’s 12, Heidi has more questions than ever before. Can she piece together the clues to
find out the truth? Her mother keeps repeating the word, soof. It’s one of the 23 words she uses,
along with her name “So B. It.”. Could that word soof unlock the truth about her birth? (Goldberg)
YEE, LISA. MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS.
In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child genius Millicent Min records her struggles to
learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure, and make friends
over the course of a tumultuous summer. (Publisher)
NONFICTION AND GRAPHIC NOVELS
ALEXANDER, SALLY HOBART AND ROBERT ALEXANDER.
SHE TOUCHED THE WORLD: LAURA BRIDGMAN, DEAF-BLIND PIONEER.
When she was just two years old, Laura Bridgman lost her sight, her hearing, and most of her
senses of smell and taste. But then a progressive doctor, who had just opened the country's first
school for the blind in Boston, took her in. Laura learned to communicate, read, and write--and
eventually even to teach. (Publisher)
CAPALDI, GINA. A BOY NAMED BECKONING.
The remarkable life of a Native American boy named Wassaja, or "Beckoning," who was kidnapped
from his Yavapai tribe and sold as a slave. Adopted by an Italian photographer in 1871 and
renamed Carlos Montezuma, the young boy traveled throughout the Old West, bearing witness to
the prejudice against and poor treatment of Native Americans. Carlos eventually became a doctor
and leader for his people, calling out for their rights. (Publisher)
COERR, ELEANOR. SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES.
After several dizzy spells send Hiroshima-born Sadako to the doctor, the budding school track star
finds out she has leukemia--known as the "atom bomb disease." But she faces life with spirit and
bravery. And a legend says that if she folds 1,000 paper cranes, the gods will grant her wish to be
healthy again. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 19
D’ALUISIO, FAITH. WHAT THE WORLD EATS.
If you have ever wondered what your counterparts around the world eat for their daily meals,
some answers can be found in this impressive book. It takes a look at what a typical family in a
variety of countries buys for a weeks worth of groceries. The families are pictured with the food
and the cost is given in local and U.S. dollars. In addition, the foods are categorized: grains; dairy;
meat, fish and eggs; fruits and vegetables; condiments; snacks; prepared food; fast food; beverages;
and miscellaneous. (Publisher)
JONES, CHARLOTTE FOLTZ. MISTAKES THAT WORKED.
Piggy banks, silly putty, potato chips and frisbees are all things that were invented by mistake.
(Publisher)
KERLEY, BARBARA. THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS.
The true story of Victorian artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who built life-sized models of
dinosaurs in the hope of educating the world about what these awe-inspiring ancient animals and
what they were like. (Publisher)
MONTGOMERY, SY. QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO.
It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey—but isn’t a monkey, either.
It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what’s a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing
Matschie’s tree kangaroo, which makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea’s cloud
forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals. (Publisher)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. ULTIMATE WEIRD BUT TRUE.
Did you know that a great white shark can weigh as much as 15 gorillas, that you drink the same
water as the dinosaurs did, or that there’s a car that drives underwater? This supersized,
hardcover addition to the blockbuster Weird But True series, Ultimate Weird But True is packed
1,000 amazing facts and eye-popping photos that prove truth really is stranger than fiction. With a
colorful, metallic cover, a kid-friendly design, and a wacky sense of humor, this stunning book will
give kids a winning combination of smarts and fun. (Publisher)
NELSON, KADIR. WE ARE THE SHIP.
The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial
discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats
on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the
first half of the twentieth century. (Pulisher)
NORTH, STERLING. RASCAL.
Nothing's surprising at the North residence. Not even eleven-year-old Sterling's new pet raccoon.
Rascal is only a baby when young Sterling brings him home to join his unusual family. The
mischievous raccoon and Sterling are partners and best friends for a perfect year of adventure—
swimming, fishing, exploring the countryside together—until the spring day when everything
suddenly changes and Sterling realizes he must let Rascal go. (Publisher)
List for Students Going into 5 20
O’CONNOR, GEORGE. ZEUS, KING OF THE GODS. (SERIES)
An illustrated retelling of the Greek myth that details the story of Zeus, describing his boyhood
through his reign as the ruler of the Olympian Pantheon. (Publisher)
PRELUTSKY, JACK, editor. THE RANDOM HOUE BOOK OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN.
Poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky selects 500 poems appropriate for children for this
compendium and includes the works of such noted poets as Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes,
Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, and Shel Silverstein. These classic and familiar
poems are joined by full-color illustrations from a Caldecott Medalist. (Publisher)
TELGEMEIER, RAINA. SMILE.
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls,
severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with onagain, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth
attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion,
and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. (Publisher)
THINMESH, CATHERINE. GIRLS THINK OF EVERYTHING.
Tells the story of how women throughout the ages have responded to situations confronting them
in daily life by inventing such items as correction fluid, space helmets, and disposable diapers.
(Publisher)