F
AHL
Woof! (age 9-12)
by Allan Ahlberg
humor ... animals
Relates the extraordinary events that take place when, on an ordinary summer's evening, ten-year-old Eric Banks is turned into a Norfolk terrier.
F
BRO
The Heartland Series (age 9-12)
by Lauren Brooke
growing up ... animals
Heartwarming stories of Amy's life at the Heartland Horse Farm.
title: Heartland: Coming Home
title: After the Storm
title: Breaking Free
title: Come What May
title: Darkest Hour
title: Every New Day
title: Everything Changes
title: Out of the Darkness
title: Sooner or Later
title: Taking Chances
title: Thicker Than Water
title: Tomorrow's Promise
title: True Enough
F
BUR
The Incredible Journey (age 9-12)
by Sheila Every Burnford
nature ... animals ... adventure ... survival
Publisher comments: Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love.
F
WAL
No Dogs Allowed! (age 9-12)
by Bill Wallace
illness/loss ... animals
After losing the old horse she had grown up with, Kristine decides she can never get close to another pet again. But when she receives a new pup, Kristine learns what it means to love, to lose, and to open one's heart to new friendships and fresh love.
F
TOL
Listen! (age 9-12)
by Stephanie Tolan
friendship ... animals ... illness/loss ... survival
Charley knows a lot about pain. She endures it when she walks on her newly shattered leg, she sees it when her father buries himself in an eighty-hour work week, and she runs from it when she sees photographs her mother took before her death. Then one day, Charley meets a wild, abused dog that knows as much about pain as she does, and, despite herself, she feels an immediate connection and vows to help him. But how will one heartbroken girl help mend the battered spirit of an untamable dog?
F
RYA
Paint the Wind (age 9-12)
by Pam Munoz Ryan
family ... animals ... illness/loss ... growing up
Maya is a captive. In Grandmother's house in California, every word and action is strictly monitored, and even Maya's memories of her mother have been erased, except within the imaginary world she has created. A world away, in the rugged Wyoming wilderness, a tobiano Paint horse called Artemisia runs free, belonging only to the stars. 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 captivity and freedom, about holding on and letting go.
F
LOI
Wings (age 9-12)
by William Loizeaux
illness/loss ... animals ... growing up
At first it looks like a small gray ball of fluff, its head a cloud of frizzy feathers, fine as dandelion seeds. The baby bird isn’t even strong enough to spread its wings, but ten-year-old Nick is determined to save it. Together with his best friend, he coaxes the wild bird he names Marcy to eat worms and take rides on their fingers. Then he watches, amazed, as she finally opens her wings, and flies! As Marcy grows, so does Nick, forced to make some hard choices about friends and family. And for the first time he dares to ask questions about the death of his soldier father. But other questions loom in the air: Will Marcy try to fly away? And will Nick be able to let her go?
F
BRY
The Saddle Club Series (age 9-12)
by Bonnie Bryant
animals ... friendship
Carole Hanson and Stevie Lake have been best friends ever since they met at Pine Hollow Stables. So when Lisa Atwood joins their riding group, the girls aren't sure she's got what it takes. Lisa may be the smartest student in the classroom, but she's got a lot to learn when it comes to horses. . . .
title: Horse Crazy
title: Horse Shy
title: Horse Power
title: Trail Mates
title: Horse Play
title: Riding Camp
title: Horse Wise
title: Rodeo Rider
title: Carole: the Inside Story
F
TAM
The Junkyard Dog (age 9-12)
by Erika Tamar
growing up ... family ... animals
With the advice of her stepfather, eleven-year-old Katie takes on the job of feeding an abused junkyard dog and building it a doghouse for shelter during the hard winter.
F
SAL
Bambi: a Life in the Woods (age 9-12)
by Felix Salten
nature ... animals ... growing up
Describes the life of a deer in the forest as he grows into a beautiful stag. Bambi's life in the woods begins happily. But winter comes, and Bambi learns that the woods hold danger ... and things he doesn't understand. The first snowfall makes food hard to find. Bambi's father, a handsome stag, roams the forest, but leaves Bambi and his mother alone. Then there is Man. He comes to the forest with weapons that can wound an animal. He does terrible things to Gobo, to Bambi's mother, and even to Bambi. But He can't keep Bambi from growing into a handsome stag himself and becoming...the Prince of the Forest.
F
LOF
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (age 9-12)
by Hugh Lofting
animals ... adventure ... fantasy
When his colleague Long Arrow disappears, Dr. Dolittle sets off with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog, Jip, and Polynesia the parrot on an adventurous voyage over tropical seas to floating Spidermonkey Island.
F
KJE
Snow Dog (age 9-12)
by Jim Kjelgaard
survival ... adventure ... animals
The steel-gray Husky Chiri was just a puppy when he watched the black wolf kill his mother and two brothers. Left alone inthe snow-covered land of the coyote, caribou, and gizzly, Chiri learned to fend for himself, to hunt and survive by his keen instinct and natural intelligence. Now full-grown and full of courage and cunning, Chiri forms a tentative bond with trapper Link Stevens, the only human he's ever learned to trust. But the Husky knows that one day soon he will have to face the black wolf again--and this time only one of them will survive.
F
MAR
A Dog's Life: the Autobiography of a Stray (age 9-12)
by Ann Matthews Martin
adventure ... survival ... animals
Squirrel and her brother Bone begin their lives in a toolshed behind a summer house. Their mother nurtures them and teaches them the many skills they will need to survive as stray dogs. But when their mother is suddenly taken from them, the puppies are forced to make their own way in the world, facing humans both gentle and brutal, busy highways, other animals, and the changing seasons. When Bone and Squirrel become separated, Squirrel must fend for herself, and in the process makes two friends who in very different ways define her fate.
F
MUK
Gay-Neck: the Story of a Pigeon (age 9-12)
by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
war ... adventure ... animals ... historical
The story of the training of a carrier pigeon and its service during the First World War, revealing the bird's courageous and spirited adventures over the housetops of an Indian village, in the Himalayan Mountains, and on the French battlefield.
F
KJE
Big Red (age 9-12)
by Jim Kjelgaard
growing up ... nature ... animals
From the moment Danny sees the beautiful Irish setter, he knows Red is the dog for him. Fast and smart, strong and noble, Red is the only dog Danny wants by his side. Soon, neither boy nor dog can stand to be apart. Together Danny and Red face many dangers in the harsh Wintapi wilderness that they call home. But the greatest test of their courage and friendship will come from an enemy more cunning than any they've known before--a bear who is the undisputed king of the wilderness, a savage killer called Old Majesty.
F
MOR
Gentle Ben (age 9-12)
by Walt Morey
friendship ... nature ... animals
The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Andersen, especially after the death of his older brother, Jamie. But in time Mark finds someone else to love--Ben, an Alaskan brown bear so huge that no one else dares come near him.
F
FAR
The Black Stallion Series (age 9-12)
by Walter Farley
survival ... adventure ... animals
A shipwreck leaves young Alec stranded on a deserted island with a wild stallion. Dependent on each other for survival, boy and horse learn to trust and love each other as they establish an amazing friendship that lasts a lifetime.
title: The Black Stallion
F
SEW
Black Beauty: the Autobiography of a Horse (age 9-12)
by Anna Sewell
historical ... animals
A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters.
F
RAW
Where the Red Fern Grows (age 9-12)
by Wilson Rawls
adventure ... animals ... illness/loss
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
F
SMI
The Captain's Dog: My Journey With the Lewis and Clark Tribe (age 9-12)
by Roland Smith
adventure ... historical ... animals
Born the runt of his litter and gambled away to a rusty old riverman, the Newfoundland pup Seaman doesn't imagine his life will be marked by any kind of glory-beyond chasing down rats. But when he meets Captain Meriwether Lewis, Seaman finds himself on a path that will make history. Sharing the curiosity and strength of spirit of his new master, Seaman proves himself a valuable companion at every turn. This is the thrilling tale of America's greatest journey of discovery, as seen through the keen, compassionate eyes of a remarkable dog.
F
LAW
Mr. Revere and I (age 9-12)
by Robert Lawson
animals ... historical
The life of the Revere family and the doings of the Sons of Liberty as told from the point of view of Paul Revere's horse.
F
AVI
The Good Dog (age 9-12)
by Avi
family ... adventure ... animals
McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack. As McKinley and his boy try to save the wolf from a vicious man, no one can foresee what will happen.
F
APP
Animorphs Megamorphs Series (age 9-12)
by K. A. Applegate
action ... growing up ... animals ... science fiction ... adventure
Fans of the original Animorphs series will love these heart-pounding adventures, told from each character's point of view.
title: The Andalite's Gift
title: In the Time of Dinosaurs
title: The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
F
APP
Animorphs Series (age 9-12)
by K. A. Applegate
action ... growing up ... animals ... science fiction ... adventure
This fantastic, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat series can best be described as an ``X-Files'' for kids--plus a whole lot more! Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco are the Animorphs--five kids who can change into any animal they touch.
title: The Invasion
title: The Visitor
title: The Encounter
title: The Message
title: The Capture
title: The Stranger
title: The Alien
title: The Secret
title: The Android
title: The Forgotten
title: The Reaction
title: The Change
title: The Unknown
title: The Warning
title: The Underground
title: The Decision
title: The Departure
title: The Pretender
title: The Suspicion
title: The Extreme
title: The Escape
title: The Discovery
title: The Solution
title: The Threat
F
GEO
My Side of the Mountain (age 9-12)
by Jean Craighead George
survival ... animals ... nature ... adventure
Runaway Sam Gribley is surviving in the Catskill Mountains with only a penknife, a ball of cord, 40 dollars, and some flint and steel. Along the way, he learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that will change his life forever.
sequel: On the Far Side of the Mountain
F
NAY
Shiloh (age 9-12)
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
friendship ... animals
One summer Sunday, Marty comes across a young beagle on the road just past the old Shiloh schoolhouses and the trouble begins. What do you do when a dog you suspect is being mistreated runs away and comes to you? When it is someone else's dog? Marty puts his courage on the line, and discovers in the process that it is not always easy to separate right from wrong. Sometimes, however, you do almost anything to save a dog.
sequel: Saving Shiloh
F
EST
Pinky Pye (age 9-12)
by Eleanor Estes
animals ... family
In Pinky Pye, the Pye family adds another member. A furious black kitten abandoned on their doorstep endears itself to the whole family--even Ginger--and foreshadows another addition to the Pye family that will change their lives forever.
F
EST
Ginger Pye (age 9-12)
by Eleanor Estes
animals ... family
Meet Ginger Pye, the smartest dog you'll ever know. Jerry Pye and his sister, Rachel, feel pretty smart themselves for buying Ginger. It was the best dollar they ever spent. Ginger steals everybody's heart . . . until someone steals him!

Addison Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:24 2012
Other themes and genres