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WEE
Pie (age 8-11)
by Sarah Weeks
illness/loss ... friendship ... enterprise
Publisher comments: When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner ... including Alice's mother and some of Alice's friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy . . . and it's up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do.
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MAN
Be a Perfect Person In Just Three Days! (age 8-11)
by Stephen Manes
enterprise ... humor
One day at the library, a book falls off the top shelf and hits Milo on the head. It's called Be a Perfect in Just Three Days! The book's author, Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish, doesn't look too perfect himself, In the picture on the back cover he's wearing a clown nose, and mustard is dripping down his chin. Milo figures the boor is worth a try anyway. Perfect is obviously the perfect thing to be! But who's ever heard of wearing a stalk of broccoli around your neck for twenty-four hours? And that's only the first day....
sequel: Make Four Million Dollars By Next Thursday!
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GIL
Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man (age 8-11)
by Jamie Gilson
family ... enterprise
When the family health food store burns down, 12-year-old-Mitch is even more determined to win first prize in a Bakeathon with his special gingerbread.
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NAY
Eddie, Incorporated (age 8-11)
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
friendship ... enterprise
Twelve-year-old Eddie decides to go into business for himself with two friends and soon discovers that a business is not a simple thing.
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KEN
Me and the Pumpkin Queen (age 8-11)
by Marlane Kennedy
family ... illness/loss ... enterprise
Mildred's Guide to Growing a Giant Pumpkin 1. Get the right seeds. These days, no one grows a Pumpkin Show winner without Howard Dill's Atlantic Giant seeds. 2. Convince your dad that having a pumpkin patch in your backyard is a good idea. 3. Make sure that your dogs stay far, far away from your seedlings. 4. Don't let your busybody aunt interfere with your "pumpkin obsession," no matter how much she wishes you were interested in boys or clothes or anything other than pumpkins. 5. Find a best friend who can help out in a pinch. 6. Never, ever, ever give up.
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KIN
Pigs Might Fly: a Novel (age 8-11)
by Dick King-Smith
enterprise ... humor ... growing up
Daggie Dogfoot, the runt of the litter, is in danger. The pigman, who takes all runts from their pens, is coming for him! But Daggie is a pig of remarkable qualities, and he's not about to let the Pigman get him. Instead, he runs away and decides to learn how to fly. But when he tries leaping off a cliff, he discovers another talent, a talent he'll need to save the entire farm.
F
MAN
Chocolate-Covered Ants (age 8-11)
by Stephen Manes
enterprise ... humor
Max and his little brother Adam make a bet about eating chocolate-covered ants.
F
HIC
The Peter Potts Book of World Records: a True Account of the Astounding Feats of Peter Potts and Joey Gootz as Witnessed and Sworn to by Me, Peter Potts (age 8-11)
by Clifford B. Hicks
humor ... enterprise ... family
Although he is angry and confused because of the impending arrival of his older sister's baby in a family he thinks is already perfect, twelve-year-old Pete finds a welcome distraction in his best friend's disastrous attempts to set several new world records.
F
FIT
The Great Brain Series (age 8-11)
by John D. Fitzgerald
adventure ... humor ... brilliant protagonist ... enterprise
The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old. Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit. When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day. Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top ... and line his pockets in the process.
title: The Great Brain
title: More Adventures of the Great Brain
title: Me and My Little Brain
title: The Return of the Great Brain
F
CLE
The Last Holiday Concert (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
enterprise ... the arts ... school
Publisher comments: It all started when Hart Evans zinged a rubber band that hit Mr. Meinert, the chorus director. Actually, it started before that, when Mr. Meinert learned he was out of a job because the town budget couldn't afford music and art teachers. Mr. Meinert got so mad at Hart that he told the sixth graders he'd had it ... they could produce the big holiday concert on their own. Or not. It was all up to them. What happens when a teacher steps aside and lets the kids run the show? Not what Mr. Meinert would have predicted. And not what Hart Evans would have guessed, not at all.
F
CLE
Lunch Money (age 8-11)
by Andrew Clements
humor ... friendship ... authorship ... school ... enterprise
Catalog: Twelve-year-old Greg, who has always been good at moneymaking projects, is surprised to find himself teaming up with his lifelong rival, Maura, to create a series of comic books to sell at school.
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BUT
The Trouble With Jenny's Ear (age 8-11)
by Oliver Butterworth
math/science/technology ... friendship ... humor ... enterprise
Catalog: Two boys experiment with electronics, and meet with extraordinary results. Jenny can hear people's thoughts!
F
CUR
The Flint Future Detectives Series (age 8-11)
by Christopher Curtis
brilliant protagonist ... mystery ... enterprise ... humor
In the first book, Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, Mr. Chickee, the genial blind man in the neighborhood, gives 9-year-old Steven a mysterious bill with 15 zeros on it and the image of a familiar but startling face. Could it be a quadrillion dollar bill? Could it be real? Well, Agent Fondoo of the U.S. Treasury Department and his team of Secret Government Agents are determined to get that money back! But Steven and his best friends, Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, are more than a match for the Feds. After all, Steven is the president of the Flint Future Detectives Club, and the inventor of fantastic spying and detecting equipment such as the Snoopeeze 9000!
title: Mr. Chickee's Funny Money
title: Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission
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WHI
Charlotte's Web (age 8-11)
by E. B. White
friendship ... animals ... enterprise
Wilbur the pig is desolate when he discovers he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner, until his spider friend Charlotte comes up with a plan to save him.
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HEN
Born to Trot (age 8-11)
by Marguerite Henry
enterprise ... animals
As he learns about the famous Hambletonian, sire of the American trotter, young Gib White dreams of some day having his own filly become a champion trotter.
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GUT
The Million Dollar Kick (age 8-11)
by Dan Gutman
enterprise ... sports
Whisper Nelson remembers scoring a point for the opposing team in her last soccer match four years ago. So when she wins a chance to kick a goal past a professional soccer player for a million dollars, she is torn. Should she risk further humiliation and failure in front of all of Oklahoma City?
sequel: The Million Dollar Shot
sequel: The Million Dollar Strike
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ATW
Mr. Popper's Penguins (age 8-11)
by Richard and Florence Atwater
enterprise ... humor
Mr. Popper starts out with one penguin in his house, but before he knows it there are twelve.
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SEL
The Cricket in Times Square Series (age 8-11)
by George Selden
friendship ... enterprise
The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.
title: The Cricket in Times Square
title: Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse
title: Chester Cricket's New Home
title: Tucker's Countryside
title: The Old Meadow
title: Harry Cat's Pet Puppy
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MER
The Toothpaste Millionaire (age 8-11)
by Jean Merrill
humor ... math/science/technology ... enterprise ... brilliant protagonist
Sixth-grader Rufus Mayflower doesn't set out to become a millionaire. He just wants to save on toothpaste. Betting he can make a gallon of his own for the same price as one tube from the store, Rufus develops a step-by-step plan with help from his friends, classmates, and math teacher. By the time he reaches the eighth grade, Rufus makes more than a gallon - he makes a million!
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MCC
Homer Price (age 8-11)
by Robert McCloskey
math/science/technology ... humor ... enterprise ... brilliant protagonist
Six episodes in the life of Homer Price including one in which he and his pet skunk capture four bandits and another about a donut machine on the rampage, pushing out donuts just as regular as a clock can tick.
sequel: Centerburg Tales
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LEV
My Life As a Fifth-Grade Comedian (age 8-11)
by Elizabeth Levy
enterprise ... school ... humor
Bobby's constant clowning has the principal threatening to send him to the School for Intervention, just one step away from reform school. Luckily, Bobby's teacher gives him one last chance: to organize a schoolwide laugh-off and get teachers and students to compete. Bobby knows he's got to make the contest a success. Will he be able to prove to everybody that he's finally got his act together?
F
KIN
A Mouse Called Wolf (age 8-11)
by Dick King-Smith
adventure ... enterprise ... the arts
Wolfgang Amadeus Mouse (``Wolf,'' for short) has a big name for such a little mouse. But the name fits. His favorite pastime is listening to Mrs. Honeybee, the lady of the house, play the piano. If only he could sing along to the music! One day, to his surprise, out of his mouth comes a perfect melody. It's not long before Wolf is singing everything he can imagine, all to Mrs. Honeybee's accompaniment. Then an accident leaves Mrs. Honeybee in danger, and it's up to Wolf to save her...the only way he knows how.
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KIN
Babe: The Gallant Pig (age 8-11)
by Dick King-Smith
brilliant protagonist ... enterprise ... humor
A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success.
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KIN
Ace: The Very Important Pig (age 8-11)
by Dick King-Smith
enterprise ... humor
Ace is an intelligent, lovable, unlikely pig hero.
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HEN
Stormy: Misty's Foal (age 8-11)
by Marguerite Henry
enterprise ... adventure ... animals
A raging storm slashes across Assateague and Chincoteague islands. Water is everywhere! The wild ponies and the people must battle for their lives. In the midst of the storm, Misty-the famous mare of Chincoteague-is about to give birth. Paul and Maureen are frantic with worry as the storm rages on... will Misty and her colt survive? This is the thrilling story of the hurricane that destroyed the wild herds of Assateague, and how strength and love helped rebuild them.
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HEN
Misty of Chincoteague (age 8-11)
by Marguerite Henry
enterprise ... adventure ... animals
Nobody could capture the Phantom, the wildest mare on the island. Paul and Maureen had their hearts set on owning her. They worked hard to earn the money she would cost. On Pony Penning Day, Paul not only brings in the Phantom, but her newborn colt as well. Can Paul and Maureen possibly earn enough to buy them both?
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GAR
Stone Fox (age 8-11)
by John Reynolds Gardiner
adventure ... enterprise
Ten-year-old Willy needs to win the big dogsled race in order to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm, but that means beating the huge Indian mountain man, Stone Fox.
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FLE
Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (age 8-11)
by Ian Fleming
fantasy ... enterprise
Two children persuade their father, an inventor, to purchase and restore an old car which turns out to have magical powers.
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DUB
The Twenty-One Balloons (age 8-11)
by William Pene Dubois
enterprise ... adventure ... voyages/journeys
Publisher comments: When Prof. William Waterman Sherman was found adrift in the Atlantic clinging to the debris of twenty-one balloons, all America was rocked with curiosity.
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DAH
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (age 8-11)
by Roald Dahl
enterprise ... humor
Publisher comments: Candy for life and a tour of Willie Wonka's top-secret chocolate factory was the prize for buying a candy bar containing a Golden Ticket. Here is the exciting, hilarious, and delicious story of the five prizewinners.
sequel: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
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AVI
The Secret School (age 8-11)
by Avi
enterprise ... school
Publisher comments: More than anything, Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. To do that, she must finish eighth grade, then go on to high school. But her dream falters when the one-room school in her remote Colorado town shuts down. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Ida can't be it. Or can she?

Duveneck Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:27 2012
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