F HAM	The Bells of Christmas (age 9-12) by Virginia Hamilton family ... traditions ... historical Catalog: Twelve-year-old Jason describes the wonderful Christmas of 1890 that he and his family celebrate in their home in Springfield, Ohio.
F NAY	Maudie in the Middle (age 9-12) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor family ... historical Catalog: Maudie, one of a large family growing up in Iowa in the early 1900s, seems to attract nothing but trouble when all she wants is to be noticed for herself; and when a crisis hits the family she finally accomplishes this in the best way possible.
F KEL	The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (age 9-12) by Jacqueline Kelly family ... nature ... historical Publisher comments: Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.
F CRE	Chasing Redbird (age 9-12) by Sharon Creech growing up ... identity ... family ... illness/loss It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny uncovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change. Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself, was to find out where it went.
F AUC	Pick of the Litter (age 9-12) by Mary Jane Auch humor ... identity ... family An eleven-year-old adopted child realizes that being an only child has its advantages when her mother becomes pregnant after years of sterility.
F KER	Greetings From Planet Earth (age 9-12) by Barbara Kerley war ... family ... historical Publisher comments: If you had one minute to describe life on Earth, what would you say? It's 1977, and Theo and his class are creating a golden record inspired by the one Voyager 2 will carry into space as a greeting from Earth. But as Theo searches for an original answer to his teacher's question, other questions begin to surface: What happened to his father in Vietnam? And why has his mother been keeping secrets all these years?
F STE	When You Reach Me (age 9-12) by Rebecca Stead mystery ... family Publisher commments: This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.
F BOY	Charlie Pippin (age 9-12) by Candy Dawson Boyd war ... illness/loss ... friendship ... family Catalog: Spunky eleven-year-old Charlie hopes to understand her rigid father by finding out everything she can about the Vietnam War, the war that let him survive but killed his dreams.
F HOR	My One Hundred Adventures (age 9-12) by Polly Horvath family ... growing up ... adventure Publisher comments: Jane is 12 years old, and she is ready for adventures, to move beyond the world of her siblings and single mother and their house by the sea, and step into the "know-not what." And, over the summer, adventures do seem to find Jane, whether it's a thrilling ride in a hot-air balloon, the appearances of a slew of possible fathers, or a weird new friendship with a preacher and psychic wannabe. Most important, there's Jane's discovery of what lies at the heart of all great adventures: that it's not what happens to you that matters, but what you learn about yourself.
F JOH	Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio (age 9-12) by Tony Johnston family ... traditions Publisher comments: Los Angeles is a place of movie stars and fast cars and people who are too rich and people who are too poor. An area of freeway chases and drive-bys and death. But there's another L.A., one where warmth and humor and humanity pervade. Where a tacqueria sign declares: "One cause, one people, one taco." This L.A. is a place where random acts of generosity and goodwill improve the lives of the community. Any Small Goodness is a novel filled with hope, love, and warmth.
F LOW	The Willoughbys (age 9-12) by Lois Lowry family ... adventure ... humor Publisher comments: Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good old-fashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature.
F KEH	Earthquake Terror (age 9-12) by Peg Kehret action ... family ... survival When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where his family had been camping, twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives.
F LOW	Switcharound (age 9-12) by Lois Lowry humor ... family Forced to spend a summer with their father and his "new" family, Caroline, age eleven, and J.P., age thirteen, are given unpleasant responsibilities for which they are determined to get revenge.
F ROB	To Grandmother's House We Go (age 9-12) by Willo Davis Roberts family ... mystery To avoid foster home care while their mother is recuperating from illness, three children run off to the home of a grandmother they have never seen, where they find a cold reception and a terrible secret.
F HAH	Time For Andrew: a Ghost Story (age 9-12) by Mary Downing Hahn family ... mystery ... spooky Aunt Blythe's house gives Andrew the creeps, full of dark rooms, creaky noises, and the sound of a woman sobbing somewhere in the shadows. Then, in the middle of the night, Andrew awakens to find a boy standing in his room...a boy who is Andrew's double, except he looks as if he's come from the grave. He wants to follow him, to a place where he will meet the spirits of long-dead ancestors...a place from which Andrew may never return.
F HAH	Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story (age 9-12) by Mary Downing Hahn family ... mystery ... spooky Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we're stuck with her...our "poor stepsister" who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire. But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend, out in the graveyard behind our home: a girl named Helen who died with her family in a mysterious fire over a hundred years ago. Now her ghost returns to lure children into the pond...to drown! I don't want to believe in ghosts, but I've followed Heather into the graveyard and watch her talk to Helen. And I'm terrified. Not for myself, but for Heather...
F LOW	Us and Uncle Fraud (age 9-12) by Lois Lowry family ... humor ... adventure Mysterious things begin to happen after Uncle Claude comes to stay with his sister's family. Is Uncle Claude a thief, an imposter, or just a dream weaver?
F SPE	Calico Captive (age 9-12) by Elizabeth George Speare family ... war ... historical Early one morning in the year 1754 the stillness of Charlestown, New Hampshire, was shattered by shrill war whoops and the terror of an Indian raid. Young Miriam Willard, on a day which had promised new happiness, found herself instead a captive on a forest trail, caught up in the ebb and flow of the French and Indian War. It was a horrowing march north. Miriam could only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food, the next icy stream to be crossed. What waits at the end of the trail--besides an Indian quantlet and a life of slavery?
F WHY	The Unvisibles (age 9-12) by Ian Whybrow adventure ... friendship ... family ... humor Two very different boys live next door but have taken pains to avoid each other. Oliver is rowdy and loud and doesn't mind being in constant trouble one bit. Nicky is so quiet and self-effacing that he is nearly invisible. One day Oliver finds himself in desperate need of help from his next-door neighbor.
F URB	A Crooked Kind of Perfect (age 9-12) by Linda Urban enterprise ... humor ... the arts ... family Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day. Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises, and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.
F BYA	The Glory Girl (age 9-12) by Betsy Cromer Byars identity ... family ... the arts Anna Glory, the one non-singing member of a gospel-singing family, feels left out, like her misfit Uncle Newt, until the day the family bus is involved in a terrible accident.
F CHR	Fighting Tackle (age 9-12) by Matt Christopher sports ... family When he becomes stronger but slower, Terry must deal with being moved from defensive safety to offensive tackle on his football team and with the fact that his younger brother, who was born with Down's Syndrome, is becoming a faster runner.
F GAT	Blue Willow (age 9-12) by Doris Gates friendship ... family A little girl, who wants most of all to have a real home and to go to a regular school, hopes that the valley her family has come to, which so resembles the pattern on her treasured blue willow plate, will be their permanent home.
F MAH	The Haunting (age 9-12) by Margaret Mahy family ... spooky After a shy and rather withdrawn eight-year-old begins receiving frightening supernatural images and messages, he learns about a family legacy which could be considered a curse or a rare gift.
F ROB	Megan's Island (age 9-12) by Willo Davis Roberts family ... mystery First eleven-year-old Megan is astonished when her mother insists on taking her and her younger brother up to the lake cottage a week before school is out; then they find mysterious strangers following them.
F ROB	Scared Stiff (age 9-12) by Willo Davis Roberts family ... mystery When their mother disappears, two brothers go to stay with a great uncle in a mobile home park next to an abandoned amusement park and begin a search which puts them in danger.
F WYS	The Swiss Family Robinson (age 9-12) by Johann Wyss family ... adventure ... survival For six days and nights, a storm tosses the Robinson family's ship around on the sea, before dashing it on the rocks off a deserted island. All the sailors are gone. The family is alone! But nothing can keep the cheerful Swiss family Robinson down for long. The family quickly settles into their new home--mining the shipwreck for supplies, discovering valuable resources on the island and animal friends, and even turning the treetops into their own lofty aerie. Life is a nonstop adventure with the Swiss Family Robinson!
F KON	About the B'nai Bagels (age 9-12) by E. L. Konigsburg realistic ... family ... sports ... growing up Mark Seltzer thought he had enough aggravation studying for his Bar Mitzvah and losing his best friend. It's the last straw when his mother becomes the new manager of his Little League baseball team and drags his older brother, Spencer, along as the coach. No one knows what to expect with a mother for a manager, but soon Mark and the other players are surprised to see how much they're improving due to coach Spencer's strategy and helpful hints from "Mother Bagel." It looks like nothing can stop them from becoming champs--until Mark hears some startling news!
F HUN	Up a Road Slowly (age 9-12) by Irene Hunt family ... growing up After her mother's death, Julie goes to live with Aunt Cordelia, a spinster schoolteacher, where she experiences many emotions and changes as she grows from seven to eighteen.
F HOL	The Promised Land (age 9-12) by Isabelle Holland family ... historical ... bigotry Orphaned by their mother's death, two Irish Catholic sisters find a home with a kind Protestant couple on the Kansas frontier, but their new life is suddenly threatened by the appearance of their uncle, who is determined to take them back to New York and their "true" religion. Sequel to The Journey Home.
F HOL	The Journey Home (age 9-12) by Isabelle Holland family ... historical ... illness/loss Orphaned by their mother's death, two Irish Catholic sisters find a home with a kind Protestant couple on the Kansas frontier. Their new life is far different than that which they had known in New York, and the girls find tension between the need to stay true to their heritage and religious beliefs and the need to adapt to their new life. See also the sequel, The Promised Land.
F ERD	The Birchbark House Series (age 9-12) by Louise Erdrich family ... nature ... historical Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847. title: The Birchbark House
F WIL	The Story of Tracy Beaker (age 9-12) by Jacqueline Wilson humor ... family Tracy Beaker's NOT exactly sure what her mother does, because Tracy has been in foster care for as long as she can remember. Maybe one day Tracy's mother will show up and reclaim her long-lost daughter, but in the meantime, Tracy's doing everything she can to take care of herself, even though she has to share her birthday cake. Then a journalist shows up to write a story about their orphanage, and she and Tracy strike up a special friendship.
F PAT	The Hard Pan Trilogy (age 9-12) by Susan Patron humor ... growing up ... survival ... illness/loss ... friendship ... family Publisher comments: Lucky, age ten, can't wait another day. The meanness gland in her heart and the crevices full of questions in her brain make running away from Hard Pan, California (population 43), the rock-bottom only choice she has. It's all Brigitte's fault ... for wanting to go back to France. Guardians are supposed to stay put and look after girls in their care! Instead Lucky is sure that she'll be abandoned to some orphanage in Los Angeles. She'll have to lose her friends Miles and Lincoln. Just as bad, she'll have to give up eavesdropping on twelve-step anonymous programs where the interesting talk is all about Higher Powers. Lucky needs her own ... and quick. But she hadn't planned on a dust storm. Or needing to lug the world's heaviest survival-kit backpack into the desert. title: The Higher Power of Lucky
F LOR	Rules (age 9-12) by Cynthia Lord growing up ... friendship ... family Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
F KRU	Onion John (age 9-12) by Joseph Krumgold family ... friendship His friendship with the town odd-jobs man, Onion John, causes a conflict between Andy and his father.
F SPY	Heidi (age 9-12) by Johanna Spyri family A Swiss orphan is heartbroken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home in the mountains to go to school and to care for an invalid girl in the city.
F CLE	Mitch and Amy (age 9-12) by Beverly Cleary school ... family Publisher comments: Mitch and Amy both think being twins is fun, but that doesn't stop them from squabbling. Amy is good at reading. Mitch is a math whiz. Amy likes to play pretend. Mitch would rather skateboard. They never want to watch the same television show. And they always try to get the better of each other. Then the school bully starts picking on Mitch and on Amy, too. Now the twins have something rotten in common: Alan Hibbler. This twosome must set aside their squabbles and band together to defeat a bully!
F CLE	Emily's Runaway Imagination (age 9-12) by Beverly Cleary historical ... family ... humor ... enterprise Catalog: Emily's imagination helps bring a library to her town of Pitchfork, Oregon.
F CAR	Aunt Morbelia and the Screaming Skulls (age 9-12) by Joan Davenport Carris humor ... spooky ... family ... mystery The peaceful life of a boy with dyslexia is interrupted when his great-aunt, who has a morbid fascination with ghosts and death omens, moves in.
F ALM	Skellig (age 9-12) by David Almond magic ... family ... spooky Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage....What is this thing beneath the spiders' webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never before seen? The only person Michael can confide in is his new friend, Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael's world changes forever.
F SLO	The Trading Game (age 9-12) by Alfred Slote family ... enterprise ... sports Andy loves to collect baseball cards, but most of all, he loves his grandfather, an ex-Major League baseball player who thinks that baseball card collecting is a useless hobby. When Andy must choose to either play by his grandfather's rules or do whatever it takes to trade for his grandfather's baseball card, he learns a valuable lesson on hero worship.
F WIG	Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (age 9-12) by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin historical ... growing up ... family Talkative, ten-year-old Rebecca goes to live with her spinster aunts, one harsh and demanding, the other soft and sentimental, with whom she spends seven difficult but rewarding years growing up.
F PAT	Come Sing, Jimmy Jo (age 9-12) by Katherine Paterson family ... the arts When his family becomes a successful country music group and makes him a featured singer, eleven-year-old James has to deal with big changes in all aspects of his life, even his name.
F NIX	Orphan Train Children (age 9-12) by Joan Lowery Nixon family ... historical With the help of the Children's Aid Society, each adventure finds a young person exploring a crucial moment in our nation's history, and a family struggling to define itself. title: David's Search title: Keeping Secrets title: A Dangerous Promise title: A Place to Belong title: Caught in the Act title: A Family Apart title: In the Face of Danger
F HUN	Across Five Aprils (age 9-12) by Irene Hunt war ... family ... growing up ... historical Young Jethro Creighton grows from a boy to a man when he is left to take care of the family farm in Illinois during the difficult years of the Civil War.
F HEL	On Being Sarah (age 9-12) by Elizabeth S. Helfman friendship ... family Even though life with cerebral palsy isn't easy for twelve-year-old Sarah, she manages with the help of her loving family and several new friends.
F HAD	Shadow Children Series (age 9-12) by Margaret Peterson Haddix adventure ... family ... science fiction Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend. Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside. Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows; does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to? title: Among the Hidden title: Among the Free title: Among the Enemy title: Among the Barons title: Among the Brave title: Among the Impostors title: Among the Betrayed
F GUC	Come Morning (age 9-12) by Leslie D. Guccione family ... historical Twelve-year-old Freedom, the son of a freed slave living in Delaware in the early 1850s, takes over his father's work in the Underground Railroad when his father disappears.
F WAL	Coyote Autumn (age 9-12) by Bill Wallace family ... nature ... animals You Can't Keep A Coyote! They're Wild! Brad has always wanted a dog, so when he catches the little coyote, he decides to keep it. He couldn't have a dog when his family lived in a Chicago apartment, but now that they've moved to rural Oklahoma anything seems possible. Even rescuing an orphaned coyote pup...and keeping it a secret from his parents. With his friend Nolan's help, Brad is determined to tame Scooter, train him, play with him, and hide him in an old dog pen behind the barn. It almost works...until Mom and Dad discover his secret, and Scooter steals their hearts and gives them all a coyote's-eye view of what it's like to live in the dangerous world of men.
F SNY	Gib Rides Home (age 9-12) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder identity ... mystery ... historical ... family Gib Whittaker's life at Lovell House Orphanage in the early 1900s is pretty bleak. But along with hours of chores, bad food, and paddlings, the boys do get some schooling, and reading and writing are better than scrubbing floors. Still, Gib's fondest dream is to have a real family. So when Georgie Olson is adopted, Gib can't help being jealous, even when he finds out that the "adoption" really means being farmed out to work as unpaid labor until the age of 18. When Gib himself is farmed out, he arrives at the home he has always dreamed of. But he's soon aware of barely concealed tensions and secrets kept hidden from him.
F HOR	The Pepins and Their Problems (age 9-12) by Polly Horvath humor ... family Horvath invites readers to guide the plight of a problem-prone family. Whether it's waking up to find toads in their shoes, becoming trapped on the roof, or searching for cheese when their cow makes only lemonade, the Pepin family always seem to get into the most bizarre scrapes. Lucky for them, they have an author with large psychic antennae and great problem-solving readers who can join the Pepins on their hilarious adventures. And they need all the help they can get!
F HAM	Zeely (age 9-12) by Virginia Hamilton identity ... family ... friendship Geeder's summer at her uncle's farm is made special because of her friendship with a very tall, composed woman who raises hogs and who closely resembles the magazine photograph of a Watutsi queen.
F GRA	Adam of the Road (age 9-12) by Elizabeth Janet Gray voyages/journeys ... historical ... family Eleven-year-old Adam loved to travel throughout thirteenth-century England with his father, a wandering minstrel, and his dog, Nick. But when Nick is stolen and his father disappears, Adam suddenly finds himself alone. He searches the same roads he traveled with his father, meeting various people along the way. But will Adam ever find his father and dog and end his desperate search?
F CRE	The Wanderer (age 9-12) by Sharon Creech identity ... adventure ... family ... illness/loss ... voyages/journeys "The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in." Thirteen-year-old Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure and a chance for discovery as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination, and its passengers search for their places in the world.
F CRE	Replay: a New Book (age 9-12) by Sharon Creech family ... growing up ... the arts Leo's papa stood in the doorway, gazing down at him. "Leo, you make gold from pebbles," and the way he said it, Leo could tell that this was a good thing. He may have been given a bit part in the school play ... but Leo dreams he is the biggest star on Broadway. Sure, his big, noisy family makes him feel like a sardine squashed in a tin ... but in his fantasy he gets all the attention he wants. Yes, his papa seems sad and distracted ... but Leo imagines him as a boy, tap-dancing and singing with delight. That's why they call Leo "fog boy." He's always dreaming, always replaying things in his brain. He fantasizes about who he is in order to discover who he will become. As an actor in the school play, he is poised and ready for the curtain to open. But in the play that is his life, Leo is eager to discover what part will be his.
F CRE	Granny Torrelli Makes Soup (age 9-12) by Sharon Creech growing up ... family ... friendship Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today. Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don't always get along, that's true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her warm words and family recipes. She understands from experience that life's twists and turns can't rattle the unique bond between two lifelong pals.
F CLE	The Janitor's Boy (age 9-12) by Andrew Clements family ... school It was the perfect crime. Unfortunately, it also led to the perfect punishment. When Jack Rankin gets busted for defacing a school desk with a huge wad of disgusting, watermelon bubble gum, the principal sentences him to three weeks of after-school gum cleanup for the chief custodian. The problem is, Jack's anger at the chief custodian was the reason for his gum project in the first place. The chief custodian happens to be Jack's dad. But doing time in the school basement after hours reveals some pretty surprising things: about the school, about Jack's father, and about Jack himself.
F BYA	The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown (age 9-12) by Betsy Cromer Byars school ... family ... friendship ... growing up When Bingo has to keep a notebook for school, all he can come up with are questions. Like how could I fall in love with three girls in three minutes? But not even his teacher, Mr. Mark, has the answers. In fact Mr. Mark has been acting pretty weird lately, and he's getting weirder. Is there more wrong with Mr. Mark than Bingo can handle?
F BYA	Bingo Brown and the Language of Love (age 9-12) by Betsy Cromer Byars family ... friendship ... growing up As twelve-year-old Bingo Brown strives for the triumphs of today and steels himself against the tribulations of tomorrow, he discovers that he will have to undergo a few more trials and triumphs before growing up.
F BYA	The Not-Just-Anybody Family (age 9-12) by Betsy Cromer Byars humor ... realistic ... family ... friendship When Junior Blossom wakes up in the hospital, his last memory is of crouching on the barn roof with cloth wings tied to his arms, and of Maggie and Vern in the yard below, urging him to fly. That had been just before Junior spotted a police car approaching the farm in a cloud of dust. Meanwhile Pap, the children's grandfather, sits in disgrace in the city jail. He was arrested for disturbing the peace after his pickup truck accidentally dumped 2,147 beer and soda cans (worth $107.35) on Spring Street. With their mother away on the rodeo circuit, it's up to Maggie and Vern to find a way to rescue Pap and Junior. How will they solve their family problems? sequel: The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady sequel: A Blossom Promise
F BLU	It's Not the End of the World (age 9-12) by Judy Blume illness/loss ... family Karen has decided she'll never get married. Just look at her parents. All they do is fight. And now Karen's dad has moved out of the house and they're talking about divorce. But despite their fighting, Karen is sure they can work it out if they really try. Can Karen hold the family together-or is that really the best solution?
F ARM	Sounder (age 9-12) by William Howard Armstrong bigotry ... historical ... family The boy's father is a sharecropper, struggling to feed his family in hard times. Night after night, he and his great coon dog, Sounder, return to the cabin empty-handed. Then, one morning, almost like a miracle, a sweet-smelling ham is cooking in the family's kitchen. At last the family will have a good meal. But that night, an angry sheriff and his deputies come, and the boy's life will never be the same.
F ARM	Whittington (age 9-12) by Alan Armstrong authorship ... folklore ... family ... fantasy Abby and Ben come to the barn every day to help feed the animals. Abby shares her worry that Ben can't really read yet and that he refuses to go to Special Ed. Whittington the cat and the Lady, the leader of the barnyard animals, decide that Abby should give Ben reading lessons in the barn. It is a balm for Ben when, having toughed out the daily lesson, Whittington comes to tell, in tantalizing installments, the story handed down to him from his nameless forebearer, Dick Whittington's cat: the legend of the lad born into poverty in rural England during the Black Death, who runs away to London to seek his fortune. This is an unforgettable tale about how learning to read saves one little boy. It is about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling and how, if you have loved ones surrounding you and good stories to tell, to listen to, and to read, you have just about everything of value in this world.
F WRI	The Dollhouse Murders (age 9-12) by Betty Ren Wright spooky ... family ... mystery Catalog: A dollhouse filled with a ghostly light in the middle of the night and dolls that have moved from where she last left them lead Amy and her retarded sister to unravel the mystery surrounding grisly murders that took place years ago.
F WRI	Haunted Summer (age 9-12) by Betty Ren Wright family ... mystery ... spooky Catalog: Shy nine-year-old Abby surprises herself, her equally timid babysitter, and her older brother when they are haunted by a ghost that is trying to reclaim a stolen music box.
F WOJ	Shadow of a Bull (age 9-12) by Maia Wojciechowska identity ... family ... growing up Manolo Olivar has to make a decision: to follow in his famous father's shadow and become a bullfighter, or to follow his heart and become a doctor.
F WHI	Stuart Little (age 9-12) by E. B. White family ... adventure The debonair mouse, Stuart Little, sets out into the world to seek out his dearest friend. Born to a family of humans, he finds more adventure than he bargains for.
F WHI	Belle Prater's Boy (age 9-12) by Ruth White illness/loss ... growing up ... friendship ... family When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives.
F ROW	The Harry Potter Series (age 9-12) by J. K. Rowling fantasy ... adventure ... family ... school ... magic As the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opens, all Harry Potter knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley, a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry (and anyone who reads about him) will find unforgettable. title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
F PEC	A Long Way From Chicago (age 9-12) by Richard Peck humor ... historical ... family ... short stories Join Joey and his sister Mary Alice as they spend nine unforgettable summers with the worst influence imaginable--their grandmother!
F PAT	The Great Gilly Hopkins (age 9-12) by Katherine Paterson identity ... family ... friendship An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.
F PAR	The Graduation of Jake Moon (age 9-12) by Barbara Park family ... illness/loss Life hasn't been the same for Jake Moon since his grandfather, Skelly, got Alzheimer's disease. At first Jake thought, no big deal, it was just a disease that made old people forget where they put their car keys. But he was wrong. It is a big deal. A very big deal. He used to love spending time with his grandfather...but now he is mostly stuck fastening the Velcro on Skelly's sneakers, or wiping rice off his chin. It's like all of a sudden he's the grown-up, and Skelly's the kid. How can the one person Jake could always count on be fading as fast as, well, as the moon.
F MAC	Rocky Ridge Series (age 9-12) by Roger Lea MacBride family ... historical Meet Rose Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter, and the last of the Little House girls. Rose and her parents, Laura and Almanzo, say good-bye to Ma and Pa Ingalls and Laura's sisters. In a covered wagon containing all their possessions, they make their way across the drought-stricken Midwest to the lush green valleys of southern Missouri. The journey is long and not always easy, but at the end is the promise of a new home and a new life for the Wilders. title: Little House on Rocky Ridge
F LOW	Anastasia Series (age 9-12) by Lois Lowry growing up ... realistic ... humor ... family To Anastasia Krupnik, being ten is very confusing. For one thing, she has this awful teacher who can't understand why Anastasia doesn't capitalize or punctuate her poems. Then, there's Washburn Cummings, a very interesting sixth-grade boy who doesn't even know she is alive. Even her parents have become difficult. On top of that, they're going to have a baby, at their age! It's enough to make a kid want to do something terrible. Anastasia knows that if she didn't have her secret green notebook to write in, she would never make it to her eleventh birthday. Fans of Anastasia will enjoy this author's books about her little brother Sam as well. title: Anastasia Krupnik title: Anastasia, Absolutely title: Anastasia Has the Answers title: Anastasia on Her Own
F JAR	The Animal Family (age 9-12) by Randall Jarrell humor ... family This is the story of how, one by one, a man found himself a family. Almost nowhere in fiction is there a stranger, dearer, or funnier family--and the life that the members of The Animal Family live together, there in the wilderness beside the sea, is as extraordinary and as enchanting as the family itself.
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 HAM	M.C. Higgins, the Great (age 9-12) by Virginia Hamilton growing up ... family Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his gleaming, forty-foot steel pole, towering over his home on Sarah's Mountain. Stretched before him are rolling hills and shady valleys. But behind him lie the wounds of strip mining, including a mountain of rubble that may one day fall and bury his home. M.C. dreams of escape for himself and his family. And, one day, atop his pole, he thinks he sees it, two strangers are making their way toward Sarah's Mountain. One has the ability to make M.C.'s mother famous. And the other has a kind of freedom that M.C. has never even considered.
F MON	Anne of Green Gables Series (age 9-12) by Lucy Maud Montgomery family ... friendship Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert had planned to adopt a boy to help out around Green Gables farm. But waiting for Matthew at the train station is freckle-faced, red-headed Anne Shirley...a talkative eleven-year-old orphan with a heart full of dreams and a desperate longing for a home. From the minute Anne sets foot in Matthew's buggy, Green Gables will never be the same! title: Anne of Green Gables title: Anne of Avonlea title: Anne of Windy Poplars title: Anne of Ingleside title: Rilla of Ingleside title: Rainbow Valley
F LEV	Dave at Night (age 9-12) by Gail Carson Levine the arts ... historical ... family When orphaned Dave is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys where he is treated cruelly, he sneaks out at night and is welcomed into the music- and culture-filled world of the Harlem Renaissance.
F FUN	The Thief Lord (age 9-12) by Cornelia Funke family ... adventure Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy, where hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets. Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run for their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself ``the Thief Lord.''
F TAY	All-of-a-Kind Family Series (age 9-12) by Sydney Taylor identity ... historical ... family Five sisters who live with their parents in New York City at the turn of the century enjoy doing everything together, especially when it involves holidays and surprises. But no one can prepare them for the biggest surprise of all in this warm, sincere tale. title: All-of-a-Kind Family title: Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family
F ROD	Freaky Friday (age 9-12) by Mary Rodgers identity ... humor ... adventure ... family Annabel thinks her mom has the best life. If she were a grown-up, she could do whatever she wanted! Then one morning she wakes up to find she's turned into her mother . . . and she soon discovers it's not as easy as it looks! sequel: A Billion for Boris
F PAR	The Kite Fighters (age 9-12) by Linda Sue Park identity ... historical ... family In Korea in 1473, eleven-year-old Young-sup overcomes his rivalry with his older brother Kee-sup, who as the first-born son receives special treatment from their father, and combines his kite-flying skill with Kee-sup's kite-making skill in an attempt to win the New Year kite-fighting competition.
F NOR	The Borrowers Series (age 9-12) by Mary Norton fantasy ... adventure ... family A family of tiny people live underneath the boards of an English home and ``borrow'' what they need. title: The Borrowers
F MAC	Sarah, Plain and Tall (age 9-12) by Patricia MacLachlan historical ... family When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother. sequel: Skylark sequel: Caleb's Story
F LEW	The Chronicles of Narnia (age 9-12) by C. S. Lewis war ... family ... fantasy ... adventure In the first book of this series, ``The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'', Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe title: The Magician's Nephew title: The Horse and His Boy title: Prince Caspian title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader title: The Silver Chair title: The Last Battle
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!
F ENR	The Saturdays (age 9-12) by Elizabeth Enright adventure ... family Four New York City siblings decide to pool their resources so that each can do a special thing on the Saturday that is his turn to receive the combined allowances.
F DOR	Morning Girl (age 9-12) by Michael Dorris family ... historical Set on a Bahamian island in 1492, the story tells of a native family living in a vibrant community that strives to coexist with the natural world.
F DAH	Danny the Champion of the World (age 9-12) by Roald Dahl humor ... adventure ... family Danny's life seems perfect: his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. And when Danny discovers his father's secret, he's off on the adventure of a lifetime. Here's Roald Dahl's famous story about a 9-year-old boy, his dad, and a daring and hilarious pheasant-snatching expedition. Just as important, it's the story of the love between a boy and his father who, in Danny's own words, is ``the most marvelous and exciting father a boy ever had.''
F CUR	The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 (age 9-12) by Christopher Curtis historical ... humor ... bigotry ... family Enter the hilarious world of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron, who's 13 and an ``official juvenile delinquent.'' When Momma and Dad decide it's time for a visit to Grandma, Dad comes home with the amazing Ultra-Glide, and the Watsons set out on a trip like no other. They're heading South. They're going to Birmingham, Alabama, toward one of the darkest moments in America's history.
F 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.
F BLU	Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (age 9-12) by Judy Blume realistic ... humor ... family Living with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter feel like a fourth grade nothing. Fudge is never far from trouble. He's a two-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter's had enough. sequel: Superfudge sequel: Double Fudge sequel: Fudge-a-mania

El Carmelo Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:28 2012 Other themes and genres