YEE |
Millicent Min, Girl Genius
(age 9-12) by Lisa Yee humor ... friendship ... letters/journal ... brilliant protagonist Millicent Min is having a bad summer. Her fellow high school students hate her for setting the curve. Her fellow 11-year-olds hate her for going to high school. And her mother has arranged for her to tutor Stanford Wong, the poster boy for Chinese geekdom. But then Millie meets Emily Ebers. Emily doesn't know Millicent's IQ score. She actually thinks Millie is cool. And if Millie can hide her awards, ignore her grandmother's advice, swear her parents to silence, blackmail Stanford, and keep all her lies straight, she just might make her first friend. What's it gong to take? Sheer genius. |
ROB |
The Girl With the Silver Eyes
(age 9-12) by Willo Davis Roberts brilliant protagonist ... science fiction A 10-year-old girl, who has always looked different from other children, discovers that she not only has unusual powers but that there are others like her. |
GUT |
The Homework Machine
(age 9-12) by Dan Gutman brilliant protagonist ... enterprise ... humor ... friendship ... school Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don't want when you are keeping a secret. Before long, things start to get out of control, and Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Now the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail...or worse! |
DAH |
Fantastic Mr. Fox
(age 9-12) by Roald Dahl brilliant protagonist ... humor Fantastic Mr. Fox is on the run! The three meanest farmers around are out to get him. Fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don't know is that they're not dealing with just any fox. Mr. Fox would never surrender. But only the most fantastic plan ever can save him now. |
FIT |
Harriet the Spy
(age 9-12) by Louise Fitzhugh brilliant protagonist ... growing up ... realistic ... friendship 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? sequel: The Long Secret |
JAR |
The Bat-Poet
(age 9-12) by Randall Jarrell brilliant protagonist ... friendship ... poetry There was once a little brown bat who couldn't sleep days-he kept waking up and looking at the world. Before long he began to see things differently from the other bats, who from dawn to sunset never opened their eyes. The Bat-Poet is the story of how he tried to make the other bats see the world his way. |
FEN |
Yolonda's Genius
(age 9-12) by Carol Fenner brilliant protagonist ... family ... the arts After moving from Chicago to Grand River, Michigan, fifth grader Yolonda, big and strong for her age, determines to prove that her younger brother is not a slow learner but a true musical genius. |
O'B |
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
(age 9-12) by Robert C. O'Brien adventure ... brilliant protagonist Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill 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. sequel: Racso and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conley F CON sequel: RT, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conley F CON |
CUR |
Bud, Not Buddy
(age 9-12) by Christopher Curtis the arts ... identity ... voyages/journeys ... historical ... family ... brilliant protagonist Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. |
COL |
Artemis Fowl Series (age 9-12) by Eoin Colfer math/science/technology ... mystery ... adventure ... science fiction ... brilliant protagonist ... adventure ... action ... fantasy Artemis Fowl, a charming but villainous twelve-year-old, takes on the dangerous world of the Fairy People in this unforgettable story. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl opens up a riveting world of fantasy and mystery where anything, literally, is possible. title: Artemis Fowl title: The Artemis Fowl Files |