Peter and the Starcatchers

 

Adventure and fantasy fans take note.  This was AMAZING.  It is the prequel to the classic Peter Pan story.  It answers the questions of who is Peter?  Why is he on Neverland?  How can he fly?  Why does Hook hate him so much?  It is a story of treasure and pirates and good vs. evil.   It is the first of four in the series.  (FIC BAR)

Holes

 

This is an oldie but a goodie...a Newbery Award-winning novel written by Louis Sachar in 1999.  It is three stories in one, beautifully woven together.  Stanley has been sent to Camp Greenlake, a rehabilitation facility for deliquent youths.  There, he and the other boys dig holes to build character.  It is also the story of Stanley's ancestor whose actions cursed the family for generations.  Lastly it is the story of a beautiful and caring white teacher who fell in love with a black man during a time in American when that was not o.k.  A lovable main character, a nasty antagonist, and a mystery all make this a must-read.  

Scar Island

 

This was yet another Dan Gemeinhart book I had to read. Since Good Dog was a bit mature in its content, I was hoping this one would be more appropriate for grades 4-5. The concept of the story reminded me of Sachar's Holes - troubled kids being sent to a rehabilitation facilty where a horrible, mean warden rules their lives and makes them miserable.  But that is where the similarities end. This one was spooky. The setting is a crumbling building, an island in itself in the ocean, that used to be an asylum. Jonathan is sent there for doing something terrible and he welcomes the idea of his rehabilitation. But shortly after he arrives, something happens to change the boys' situation.  Decisions are made. And here is where I started seeing similarities with Lord Of The Flies.  One of the boys decides he is in charge.  One small boy challenges him and knows it won't end well.  I was engrossed in this tale from start to finish.  I loved Johnathan's internal struggle.  I also loved the characters of Colin and especially the librarian, of course, whose books bring comfort to the boys.  

Before the Ever After

 

Jacqueline Woodson has written many children's books, including the award-winning Brown Girl Dreaming and Harbor Me.  They all deal with the struggles of people of color in our country.  This one, written in verse (like a poem) concentrates on the devastating effect of football on the brains of its players.  ZJ's dad is a famous football player who is starting to forget things, repeat things, and who has angry outbursts.  Because this story is set prior to the recent revelations about concussions and brain trauma, their family struggles with an answer.  ZJ wants his old dad back... the one who plays and makes music with him.  It was so beautifully written.  I loved getting wrapped up in her story of pride, and loss, and love and hope.  I especially loved ZJ's crew and their love for each other.  (FIC WOO)

Good Dog

 

I love this author.  He wrote one of my favorites, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, so I HAD to read this one.  I wasn't disappointed.  It was unique, engaging, and heartwarming.  Brodie the dog has died.  While in the limbo place before doggy heaven, he remembers that his boy is in danger.  He risks his eternity by "going back" to help him.  While there, he faces not only soul-sucking hellhounds, but also the reason he is dead.  I liked this book a lot, but given its mature content, I would say hold off until you are in middle school.

Indian No More

 

This is a historical fiction story based on the real experience of the author, an Umpqua native from Oregon.  She and her family were forced to move when their tribal lands were stripped from them and they were told they were no longer "Indian" in the late 1950's.  At this time, America is full of hate for whom they consider outsiders, not just natives.  And Regina sees that racism first-hand as her family tries to make a new life in L.A.  I think this story is important to tell and it should be read.  However, given the racist language and its mature content, I think it is more appropriate for a middle-school library. 

The Haunted Library: The Ghost in the Attic

This is a fun beginning-chapter-book series by Dori Hillestad Butler that I will soon be adding to our collection.  Claire lives upstairs in a library with her grandmother, the librarian, and her parents.  She is able to see and talk to the ghosts that live there.  Each book is a mystery that she and her ghost friend, Kaz, need to solve.  In  this one, a neighbor thinks she has a ghost in her attic and Claire and Kaz take the case.   But an overarching problem in all the books is for Kaz to find his ghost family that he was separated from.  (E BUT)

Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Roost

 

Roxie is back in this sequel.  She and her best friend, Norman, are heading on a vacation with her eccentric uncle.  But as soon as they arrive, they realize the Hooligans have stowed away.  They aren't as bad as they used to be, since Roxie saved everyone from the theives in the first book, but she is still nervous abou them staying the week.  She quickly realizes that they may be of help, as a new threat followed her uncle on their vacation.  Will she be able to save the day like last time?

Echo Mountain

 

As soon as I saw the author of this one, I knew this was a must-read.  Her Wolf Hollow was one of my all-time favorite books.  I have read it aloud to many a class.  In this story, her female protagonist is similar in age and strength of character.  Ellie and her family are struggling living in Maine during the Great Depression.  They move to the side of a mountain and build a new home.  But shortly after finishing the home, the father is felled by a tree and is in a coma.  Ellie is blamed.  She needs her father to wake up and tell everyone the truth.  Ellie is different from others in her family.  She knows her father does not need lullabies to wake him up.  Her attempts enrage her mother and sister and get her punished.  But when she meets the hag at the top of the mountain, things begin to change.  Ellie finds her talents and her strength, and maybe a friend along the way.    

A Wolf Called Wander

 

This Roseann Parry novel is based on the true story of a tagged wolf pup from Oregon who, in the span of three years, traveled one thousand miles to a new home.  She describes the event that may have forced a pup to leave his pack and the perilous journey he may have faced in finding his new home.  I enjoyed the story, but I especially enjoyed the final chapters of the book which document the real pup's history.  Parry also provides some information about the area and all its wildlife...much of which was presented in Wander's exciting story.

Eventown

 

Can a town be too perfect?  Not for the family of Elodee, who need an escape and a restart.  Elodee remembers a great vacation there once and is excited to begin a new life in Eventown, but when her family starts forgetting who they are and where they came from, Elodee pushes back and breaks the rules in town.  That is not allowed in Eventown.  It is a beautiful story, akin to The Giver, about the power of memory and how it shapes who we are.  (FIC HAY)

The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown

 

Crystal Allen challenges readers to rethink their definition of a bully in this realistic fiction story.  Mya gets paired with the class "bully" for Spirit week competitions, and her best "friend" Naomi is angry.  Mya tries and tries to make it better, to apologize, but Naomi doesn't listen.  Mya soon realizes that maybe her partner, and Naomi as well, aren't who everyone thinks they are.  (FIC ALL)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

 

Kate DiCamillo has written some of my favorite books, including Tale Of Despereaux.  This beautiful fantasy story is the story of Edward, a vain and self-absorbed china rabbit, who gets thrown off a ship and is lost at sea.  A fisherman catches him and brings him home, beginning a series of owners in his life that change his character and make him a better "person".  Funny at times, gut-wrenchingly sad in others, the ending of this story is magical.  (FIC DIC)

When Friendship Followed Me Home

This was a sweet story of the power of friendship.  Ben lives with his adoptive mom.  He is an avid reader and bullied a lot at school.  Through his friend, the librarian at his local library, he not only meets a cute dog named Flip, who becomes his, but also Halley - a girl unlike anyone he has ever met before.  Their passion for books and reading cement a true, tight friendship.  They decide to write a fantastical story together that parallels their lives a bit.  But as they do that, their worlds change and they are both faced with some serious challenges.  This was a bit mature in content and occasional language.  I would not recommend it for anyone younger than 5th grade.  (FIC GRI)

The Goose Girl

Oh, how I loved this series, the Books of Bayern, by Shannon Hale.  This first in the series centers around Ani, a princess with the power to talk and understand animals.  She is sent by her mother, the queen, far away to marry a prince of a neighboring kingdom.  En route, though, someone attempts to kill her.  She escapes and goes into hiding, where she pretends to be a lowly peasant girl.  She meets friends with special powers and they learn who she is and help her get the throne back.  It was a beautiful, exciting world to get lost in.  (FIC HAL)  

The Lightning Thief

In this first installment in the Percy Jackson series, we meet Percy, a teenager who thinks he is going out of his mind because he keep s seeing weird things happening  His mother finally assures him he is not, and that he is seeing them because he is actually a demi-god, a child of a human and a god.  He is the child of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.  He is sent to Camp Half-Blood where all half-bloods train and learn about their powers.  It is there he meets two friends who will accompany him on a quest to return a stolen lightning bolt to Zeus himself to avert a war between the gods.  It an action-packed, thrilling book.  If you like mythology, you will love this series, as well as his others, based on Egyptian and Roman gods, too. (FIC RIO)

Out of My Mind

 

Sometimes a book just smacks you in the face.  This was it.  Melody battles cerebral palsy and is trapped in a wheelchair.  But her mind works perfectly... even better than most.  She has a photographic memory and is brilliant.  But no one knows that because she can't speak.  Everyone assumes she is mentally handicapped as well.  When she gets an assistive technology that enables her to speak, it changes her world.  But changing people's views and prejudices is much harder.  This was a beautiful story that challenges how we see and judge people with disabilities.  A must-read.  (FIC DRA)

The Chronicles of Narnia #1 - Magician's Nephew

 

This is the prequel to the more famous story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  It tells of the ring that transports the two main characters to other realms where they unknowingly release the white witch from a spell and meet Aslan, who creates the world of Narnia.  I love back-stories and since Lion, Witch and Wardrobe had so many unexplainable things, this story made sense of many of them for me... particularly where the wardrobe came from.  (FIC LEW)