F BUS	Circus of the Wolves (age 8-11) by Jack Bushnell adventure ... nature ... animals Kael, a black timber wolf, is captured and performs for a circus, until he has the opportunity to escape.
F ENG	Holding On (age 8-11) by Diana Engel family ... nature ... the arts Twelve-year-old Thomas, who likes to draw, is dismayed when his mother leaves him with his eccentric great-uncle Tano for an extended visit, until the two of them explore the natural world around the isolated house and work together on a stained glass panel.
F YAM	The Call of the Wild (age 8-11) by Mitsu Yamamoto historical ... adventure ... nature ... animals A specially adapted version of Jack London's story of the story of Buck, a young dog snatched away from an easy life in California and transported to the Far North. Buck becomes the strongest and fiercest sled dog in all of Alaska. But deep inside, he feels the urge to be free of man's rule and to heed the call of the wild.
F TAY	Song of the Trees (age 8-11) by Mildred D. Taylor historical ... nature With the depression bearing down on her family and food in short supply, Cassie Logan isn't sure where her next meal will come from. But there is one thing that she knows will always be there-the whispering trees outside her window. Cassie's trees are a steady source of comfort to her, but they also happen to be worth a lot of money. When Mr. Andersen tries to force Big Ma to sell their valuable trees, Cassie can't just sit by and let it happen. She knows that her family needs the money, but something tells her that they need the trees just as much.
F HEN	Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West (age 8-11) by Marguerite Henry historical ... animals ... nature A fictional retelling, from the point of view of Annie Bronn Johnston, of how she fought to protect the American wild horse, the mustang, from extinction because of professional killers who chased the horses for personal gain.
F LIS	The Great Dimpole Oak (age 8-11) by Janet Taylor Lisle realistic ... friendship ... nature The citizens of Dimpole rally together to save an historic oak tree from being cut down, an oak that is as much a part of the town as the citizens themselves.
F HIL	Toughboy and Sister (age 8-11) by Kirkpatrick Hill nature ... adventure ... survival The death of their father strands ten-year-old Toughboy and his younger sister at a remote fishing cabin on the Yukon River near Ruby, Alaska, where they spend a summer trying to cope with dwindling food supplies and hostile wildlife. sequel: Winter Camp
F GEO	Who Really Killed Cock Robin? (age 8-11) by Jean Craighead George nature ... mystery Citizens of Saddleboro are proud to say that theirs is the cleanest town around. So they can't ignore the mysterious death of their mascot, Cock Robin. Some people would like to blame the citizens themselves, but one boy, Tony Isidoro, suspects there's more to the story.
F GLE	Toad Heaven (age 8-11) by Morris Gleitzman humor ... nature ... adventure Limpy is on a quest to find toad heaven. A place where cane toads won't be blown up with bike pumps or bashed over the head with folding chairs. Limpy's determined to find this place if it takes him the rest of his life, but his plans are waylaid when he's kidnapped by some sinister-looking humans and tossed into a bucket. Will Limpy be able to save cane toads? Will he be able to find toad heaven? First he has to get out of the bucket . . . in this hysterically funny sequel to Toad Rage. sequel: Toad Away
F GLE	Toad Rage (age 8-11) by Morris Gleitzman humor ... nature ... adventure Limpy's family reckons humans don't hate cane toads, but Limpy knows otherwise. He's spotted the signs: the cross looks, the unkind comments, the way they squash cane toads with their cars. Limpy is desperate to save his species from ending up as pancakes. Somehow he must make humans see how fabulous cane toads really are. Risking everything, he sets off on a wart-tinglingly dangerous and daring journey to . . . the Olympics?
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 MOR	Kavik the Wolf Dog (age 8-11) by Walt Morey friendship ... nature ... survival ... adventure ... animals Following instinct alone, a wolf-dog embarks on a fantastic journey over 2000 miles from Washington to Alaska to return to the boy who once saved his life.
F LAW	Rabbit Hill (age 8-11) by Robert Lawson friendship ... nature When humans move to the hill, the families already in residence worry about whether they will be good neighbors or not.

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