F
BIR
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (age 8-11)
by Betty Birney
family ... identity ... adventure
When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring o his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras even his best pal, Jeb...and so, for now, Eben figures he's stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up. All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben's moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stang up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he's been craving for ... a trip out West. Eben doesn't reckon he'll have any luck ... he can't think of even one thing that would be called interesting, let alone wonderous, in Sassafras, but he figures he'll give it a try; there's nothing else to do in Sassafras anyway. But what he finds will take him on the adventure of his life.
F
COS
Fire Mate (age 8-11)
by Olga Cossi
friendship ... identity ... historical ... animals
An Indian girl develops a special relationship with the St. Bernard puppy she finds abandoned by dognappers in the forest. The two are inseparable until the dog's owners show up to claim him.
F
ARN
Golden and Grey: an Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost (age 8-11)
by Louise Arnold
humor ... identity ... friendship ... school
When a downhearted ghost becomes the "invisible friend" of an eleven-year-old boy who is an outcast in his new school, the two help each other find their place in their respective worlds.
sequel: Golden and Grey, the Nightmares that Ghosts Have
F
ALE
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man (age 8-11)
by Lloyd Alexander
identity ... magic
When he begins dealing with humanity, Lionel the cat begins to understand why his wizard master was reluctant to change him into a man.
F
CLE
Lost and Found (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
humor ... identity ... school
Publisher comments: Although it's a drag to be constantly mistaken for each other, in truth, during those first days at a new school, there's nothing better than having a twin brother there with you. But on day one of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay is on his own. No big deal. It's a pretty nice school, good kids, too. But Jay quickly discovers a major mistake: No one seems to know a thing about his brother. Ray's not on the attendance lists, doesn't have a locker, doesn't even have a student folder. Jay almost tells the school (almost) but then decides that this lost information could be very...useful. And fun. As Ray and Jay exploit a clerical oversight, they each find new views on friendship, honesty, what it means to be a twin, and what it means to be yourself. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and true-to-life, this clever novel is classic Andrew Clements times two: twins!
F
HUR
Aldo Applesauce (age 8-11)
by Johanna Hurwitz
identity ... friendship
When he and his family move to the suburbs, shy Aldo has difficulty finding new friends, but he soon finds his own way.
F
KIN
Three Terrible Trins (age 8-11)
by Dick King-Smith
action ... identity
Three mice brothers, ignoring the class system separating the four clans of rodents in their farmhouse, befriend a lower class mouse and form a team to fight cats.
F
FRI
Homesick, My Own Story (age 8-11)
by Jean Fritz
identity ... historical
This fictionalized autobiography tells the heartwarming story of a little girl growing up in an unfamiliar place. While other girls her age were enjoying their childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. Jean Fritz tells her captivating story of the difficulties of living in a unfamiliar country at such a difficult time.
F
MAC
No More Nice (age 8-11)
by Amy MacDonald
humor ... identity
Eleven-year-old Simon has been raised to be extremely well-behaved, but when he goes to visit his unconventional great-aunt he discovers that not everyone has the same ideas about good manners.
F
BRA
One-of-a-kind Mallie (age 8-11)
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
war ... identity ... historical
Living in Indiana during World War I, ten-year-old Mallie longs to be seen as different from her identical twin and finds an example of individuality in the gypsies who moved into her community.
F
BRI
Caddie Woodlawn (age 8-11)
by Carol Ryrie Brink
family ... identity ... adventure ... historical
Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brothers' dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors...neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all.
sequel: Magical Melons
F
BAN
A Prairie Year (age 8-11)
by Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet
short stories ... identity ... growing up
The year begins with hockey, icefishing, and a snowmobile race. Spring brings renewal: the arrival of piglets, baby chicks in the farm kitchen; and outside, the fields are seeded. In summer, there's a dinosaur park to be visited; a calf is groomed for the fair and wheat tested between grandfather's fingers. In fall, a farm auction becomes a party, trick-or-treating is done by pick-up truck, and Clydesdales are driven by teams competing at the world's great farm fair. The glorious year ends with the arrival of Santa on the main street at night in a pickup truck, while beyond in the dark is the infinite mystery of the prairies.
My Name Is America Series (age 8-11)
war ... identity ... letters/journal ... historical
Each volume in the My Name is America series recounts an exciting slice of life from America's history, told in the voice of a boy living in that time and place.
title: The Journal of Biddy Owens: the Negro Leagues, Birmingham, Alabama, 1948 by Walter Dean Myers F MYE
title: The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp, California, 1942 by Barry Denenberg F DEN
title: The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce: a Pilgrim Boy, Plymouth 1620 by Ann Rinaldi F RIN
title: The Journal of Jesse Smoke: a Cherokee Boy, Trail of Tears, 1838 by Joseph Bruchac F BRU
title: The Journal of Joshua Loper: a Black Cowboy, The Chisholm Trail, 1871 by Walter Dean Myers F MYE
title: The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty: United States Marine Corps, Khe Sanh, Vietnam, 1968 by Ellen Emerson White F WHI
title: The Journal of William Thomas Emerson: a Revolutionary War Patriot, Boston, Massachusetts, 1774 by Barry Denenberg F DEN
title: The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: a Chinese Miner, California, 1852 by Laurence Yep F YEP
Dear Canada Series (age 8-11)
identity ... letters/journal ... historical
Each volume in the Dear Canada series recounts an exciting slice of life from Canada's history, told in the voice of a girl living in that time and place.
title: A Trail of Broken Dreams: the Gold Rush Diary of Harriet Palmer by Barbara Haworth-Attard F HAW
Dear America Series (age 8-11)
war ... identity ... letters/journal ... historical
Each volume in the Dear America series recounts an exciting slice of life from America's history, told in the voice of a girl living in that time and place.
title: A Line in the Sand: the Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas, 1835 by Sherry Garland F GAR
title: A Coal Miner's Bride: the Diary of Annetka Kaminski, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti F BAR
title: A Light in the Storm: the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861 by Karen Hesse F HES
title: A Picture of Freedom: the Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia, 1859 by Patricia C. McKissack F MCK
title: Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: the Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, Booneville, Missoura, 1847 by Kristiana Gregory F GRE
title: Color Me Dark: the Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North, Chicago, Illinois, 1919 by Patricia C. McKissack F MCK
title: My Heart is on the Ground: the Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania, 1880 by Ann Rinaldi F RIN
title: Christmas After All: the Diary of Minnie Swift by Kathryn Lasky F LAS
title: Dreams in the Golden Country: the Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 by Kathryn Lasky F LAS
title: I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: the Diary of Patsy,a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865 by Joyce Hansen F HAN
title: I Walk in Dread: the Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691 by Lisa Rowe Fraustino F FRA
title: A Journey to the New World: the Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, Plimoth Colony, 1620 by Kathryn Lasky F LAS
title: My Face to the Wind: the Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska, 1881 by Jim Murphy F MUR
title: My Secret War: the World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York, 1941 by Mary Pope Osborne F OSB
title: One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: the Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York, 1938 by Barry Denenberg F DEN
title: So Far from Home: the Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847 by Barry Denenberg F DEN
title: Standing in the Light: the Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 by Mary Pope Osborne F OSB
title: The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: the Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864 by Ann Turner F TUR
title: The Great Railroad Race: the Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory, 1868 by Kristiana Gregory F GRE
title: Voyage on the Great Titanic: the Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 by Ellen Emerson White F WHI
title: When Christmas Comes Again: the World War I Diary of Simone Spencer, New York City to the Western Front, 1917 by Beth Seidel Levine F LEV
title: When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: the Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 by Barry Denenberg F DEN
title: The Winter of Red Snow: the Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania 1777-1778 by Kristiana Gregory F GRE
title: West to a Land of Plenty: the Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi, New York to Idaho Territory, 1883 by Jim Murphy F MUR
F
WAL
Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World (age 8-11)
by Mildred Pitts Walter
identity ... family ... growing up
Suffering in a family full of females, ten-year-old Justin feels that cleaning and keeping house are women's work until he spends time on his beloved grandfather's ranch.
F
SOT
The Pool Party (age 8-11)
by Gary Soto
humor ... identity ... family
While helping his father and grandfather work as gardeners in Fresno, California, ten-year-old Rudy sees some differences between his Mexican-American family and the wealthy families that live nearby.
F
SHR
The Formerly Great Alexander Family (age 8-11)
by Susan Shreve
identity ... family
Ten-year-old Liam is stunned to learn that his perfect family is about to be ruined when his parents announce that they are getting a divorce.
F
AVI
Tom, Babette, and Simon (age 8-11)
by Avi
princesses ... identity ... growing up ... short stories
Three original stories in which a boy and a cat change places, a young man learns the price of selfishness, and an invisible princess finds herself.
F
CHE
Shanghai Messenger (age 8-11)
by Andrea Cheng
identity ... voyages/journeys ... family ... poetry
A free-verse novel about eleven-year-old Xiao Mei's visit with her extended family in China, where the Chinese-American girl finds many differences but also the similarities that bind a family together.
F
UCH
A Jar of Dreams (age 8-11)
by Yoshiko Uchida
bigotry ... identity ... historical ... family
Eleven-year-old Rinko grows up in a closely-knit Japanese American family in Northern California during the Depression, a time of great prejudice.
sequel: The Best Bad Thing
F
TES
Some Kind of Pride (age 8-11)
by Maria Testa
identity ... family ... sports
Eleven-year-old Ruth is the star shortstop in her small Maine town, and now a reporter is coming to interview her for Sports Illustrated magazine. She's at the top of her game. Then she overhears her father in the crowd: ``Real major-league talent. But I can't help thinking what a shame it is that it's all wasted on a girl.'' Suddenly Ruth is doubting herself, her dream, and the game she loves. In search of answers, she looks to those closest to her: her best friend, Ellie, a self-proclaimed feminist; her father, a famous sportswriter; and her mother, a firefighter hero, who died eight years ago. But Ruth knows the truth lies within herself.
F
STA
Donuthead (age 8-11)
by Sue Stauffacher
identity ... friendship ... humor
Franklin Delano Donuthead, a fifth-grader obsessed with hygiene and safety, finds an unlikely friend and protector in Sarah Kervick, the tough new student who lives in a dirty trailer, bonds with his mother, and is as ``irregular'' as he is.
F
SPI
Wringer (age 8-11)
by Jerry Spinelli
identity ... friendship ... nature ... growing up
For as long as he can remember, Palmer LaRue has dreaded the day he turns ten, the day he'll take his place beside all the other ten-year-old boys in town, the day he'll be a wringer. But Palmer doesn't want to be a wringer. It's one of the first things he learned about himself and it's one of the biggest things he has to hide.
F
SPI
Loser (age 8-11)
by Jerry Spinelli
identity ... realistic ... school ... family
Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like ``Jabip.'' Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become ``hero.''
F
LOT
Wings to Fly (age 8-11)
by Celia Barker Lottridge
identity ... adventure ... historical ... growing up
The Ferrier family moved from the United States to Curlew, Alberta, and built a homestead in the middle of the vast prairie. Now 11-year-old Josie has settled into her new home and she dreams about the future. Will Josie be a teacher like Miss Barnett? Will she be like her new friend Margaret's sad mother, who can't bear to unpack her fine English china in the crude sod house that is her prairie home? Or could she learn to fly airplanes like her heroine, Katherine Stinson? As Josie searches for answers, she learns, all too frighteningly, how brutal a prairie winter can be. See also the prequel, Ticket to Canada.
F
LOT
Ticket to Canada (age 8-11)
by Celia Barker Lottridge
identity ... adventure ... historical ... growing up
It is 1915. Endless stretches of grassland against a boundless sky are all Sam Ferrier sees when he and his father arrive in Curlew, Alberta, to build a new house for their family. He wonders why his restless father would move them to this lonely, barren place, so different from Iowa. But after the house gets built and the family joins them, Sam gradually discovers that there is much more to the prairie than he realized. The tall grasses hide a mysterious collection of gleaming white skulls. Torrential thunderstorms appear with startling swiftness out of a clear-blue sky. And when one day he finds that his little brother has suddenly disappeared, Sam discovers that this new land can be both awesome and terrifying. Also published as Ticket to Curlew. See also the sequel, Wings to Fly.
F
HUR
Faraway Summer (age 8-11)
by Johanna Hurwitz
identity ... friendship ... letters/journal ... family
In the summer of 1910, Dossi is surprised and terrified to discover that her sister is sending her to a Vermont farm on a charity-sponsored vacation. The landscape and the people of Vermont are very different from her urban Jewish tenement, but Dossi is enchanted by the big blue sky and the peaceful countryside. She longs to make the daughter of her Christian host family her friend, and she fills a journal with her thoughts, fears, and impressions of a universe very different from her own. And soon Dossi begins to realize that, sometimes, worlds apart are not so far away from each other after all.
F
KON
The View From Saturday (age 8-11)
by E. L. Konigsburg
realistic ... identity ... friendship ... brilliant protagonist
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
F
SAC
Call Me Ruth (age 8-11)
by Marilyn Sachs
identity ... family ... historical
The daughter of a Russian immigrant family, newly arrived in Manhattan in 1908, has conflicting feelings about her mother's increasingly radical union involvement.
F
EAG
Full Moon Stories: Thirteen Native American Legends (age 8-11)
by EagleWalkingTurtle
identity ... family ... historical ... short stories
Grandpa Iron tells thirteen stories, one for each full moon of the year, that convey some of the traditions and beliefs of Native Americans, particularly his Arapaho people.
F
DAH
Matilda (age 8-11)
by Roald Dahl
identity ... brilliant protagonist ... school ... humor
Publisher comments: Matilda is a genius. Unfortunately, her family treats her like a dolt. Her crooked car-salesman father and loud, bingo-obsessed mother think Matilda's only talent is as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong in their miserable lives. But it's not long before the sweet and sensitive child decides to fight back. Faced with practical jokes of sheer brilliance, her parents don't stand a chance.

Barron Park Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:26 2012
Other themes and genres