F MAG	Seven Spiders Spinning (age 9-12) by Gregory Maguire traditions ... school ... humor Publisher comments: It's the discovery of the century: seven baby Siberian snow spiders frozen in a glacier. But as the spectacular chunk of ice is being trucked for analysis, the tiny tarantulas defrost — and escape. And when their beady spider eyes open for the very first time, they spy the seven members of a girls' club, the Tattletales. Each spider picks a girl and falls instantly in love. But love begins to sour when one of the spiders is captured by the Tattletales' classmate, Pearl. Six alarmed arachnids set off one by one to rescue their sibling. And as they get bigger, they get meaner ... which means major trouble for Pearl, the Tattletales, and the rival boys' club, the Copycats. Because there's only one thing worse than a love bite from a poisonous snow spider — and that's the bite of love gone bad! Halloween story.
F HIA	Scat (age 9-12) by Carl Hiaasen mystery ... adventure ... nature ... humor Publisher comments: Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved. But when the principal tries to tell the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta just don't buy it. No, they figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance. And he does! But not in the way they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture. That's life in the swamp, kids.
F TWA	The Prince and the Pauper (age 9-12) by Mark Twain adventure ... humor Publisher comments: Beloved classic follows the thrilling adventures of Tom Canty, a poor beggar boy, and Edward, Prince of Wales, after they exchange identities. Humor, excitement, and a plot that twists and turns track the lives of the changelings until the rightful prince appears to claim his crown.
F LOR	In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (age 9-12) by Bette Bao Lord friendship ... humor ... identity ... sports ... school Shirley Temple Wong sails from China to America with a heart full of dreams. Her new home is Brooklyn, New York. America is indeed a land full of wonders, but Shirley doesn't know any English, so it's hard to make friends. Then a miracle happens...baseball. It is 1947, and Jackie Robinson, star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is everyone's hero. Jackie Robinson is proving that a black man, the grandson of a slave, can make a difference in America and for Shirley as well, on the ball field and off, America becomes the land of opportunity.
F AHL	Woof! (age 9-12) by Allan Ahlberg humor ... animals Relates the extraordinary events that take place when, on an ordinary summer's evening, ten-year-old Eric Banks is turned into a Norfolk terrier.
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 ANG	The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (age 9-12) by Tom Angleberger humor ... school ... mystery Publisher comments: In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren't strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice. Dwight's classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.
F BRI	My Buddy, the King: a Novel (age 9-12) by Bill Brittain friendship ... humor ... mystery Catalog: When King Tokab of Mokobway is saved from choking on a frankfurter by Tim Quilt, they become fast friends and together outwit a plot to do in the king.
F SEI	Gully's Travels (age 9-12) by Tor Seidler voyages/journeys ... humor ... animals Publisher comments: After his master falls in love with a woman who is allergic to dogs, Gulliver, a refined Lhasa Apso, finds himself with a new master--Carlos, the doorman of his Manhattan apartment building. Carlos takes Gulliver to his home in Queens, where Gulliver finds himself among raucous humans and three deplorable mutts.
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 KOR	Swindle Series (age 9-12) by Gordon Korman adventure ... humor After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way...a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their inability to drive...but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his, even if hijinks ensue. title: Swindle title: Zoobreak
F FLE	The McBroom Tall Tales Series (age 9-12) by Sid Fleischman short stories ... humor McBroom tells hilarious tall tales about the old time farm life. title: McBroom and the Beanstalk title: McBroom Tells the Truth
F GRE	Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. (age 9-12) by Bette Greene friendship ... humor Eleven-year-old Beth thinks that Philip Hall likes her, but their on-again, off-again relationship sometimes makes her wonder.
F GRE	This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us! (age 9-12) by Gery Greer realistic ... friendship ... humor Peter and Scott excitedly plan a camping trip to a deserted island, only to arrive and discover that two girls with zany senses of humor are already in residence.
F LEV	The Magic Hat of Mortimer Wintergreen (age 9-12) by Myron Levoy humor ... voyages/journeys ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure In 1893, thirteen-year-old Joshua and his eleven-year-old sister, Amy, travel from South Dakota to New York City with the help of the mysterious Mortimer Wintergreen and his unpredictable magic hat.
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 HEN	The Ransom of Red Chief (age 9-12) by O Henry short stories ... humor It seemed like a good plan. Kidnap the banker's kid. Hold him for ransom. So what went wrong? Little Johnny is on the warpath in The Ransom of Red Chief.
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 YEE	Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time (age 9-12) by Lisa Yee humor ... friendship ... letters/journal ... brilliant protagonist Stanford Wong is having a bad summer. He flunks English and will have to trade basketball camp for summer school. Even worse, his mother has hired the world's biggest nerdball and most annoying genius, Millicent Min, to tutor him. And with family pressures mounting, how will be find a way to cope?
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 TWA	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (age 9-12) by Mark Twain adventure ... growing up ... humor The adventures of a mischievous young boy and his friends growing up in a Mississippi River town in the nineteenth century.
F SPI	Eggs (age 9-12) by Jerry Spinelli humor ... friendship ... illness/loss Mourning the loss of his mother, nine-year-old David forms an unlikely friendship with independent, quirky thirteen-year-old Primrose, as the two help each other deal with what is missing in their lives.
F SNO	The Ratbridge Chronicles (age 9-12) by Alan Snow humor ... fantasy ... magic Welcome to Ratbridge. But beware, for there is skulduggery afoot. Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed. Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over, and destroy, the entire town. With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher's evil plans, and find his way home? title: Here Be Monsters! An Adventure Involving Magic Trolls and Other Creatures
F PAU	Lawn Boy (age 9-12) by Gary Paulsen humor ... enterprise One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold. If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.
F KIN	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series (age 9-12) by Jeff Kinney letters/journal ... growing up ... humor ... school ... friendship It's a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you're ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary. title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever
F BUC	The Sisters Grimm Series (age 9-12) by Michael Buckley fantasy ... folklore ... humor ... mystery In the tradition of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a new humorous mystery of fantastic circumstances. The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy Tale Detectives introduces us to two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. Grandmother Grimm lives in a strange town in New York State, known for it's extraordinary number of unexplained and unusual crimes. As soon as the sisters arrive, they begin to unravel a mystery that leads to their ancestors' magical beginnings. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were actually detectives of the magical phenomenon perpetrated by the Everafters, a parallel race of magical beings. They soon discover it is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line and the two sisters are the sole heirs to this challenge! title: The Fairy-Tale Detectives title: The Unusual Suspects title: The Problem Child title: Once Upon a Crime title: Magic and Other Misdemeanors title: Tales From the Hood title: The Everafter War title: The Inside Story
F KAR	The Great Turkey Walk (age 9-12) by Kathleen Karr enterprise ... humor ... historical Big, brawny Simon Green, who's just completed third grade (for the fourth time), may not be book smart, but he's nobody's fool. When it's time to be done with school and make his way in the world, Simon hatches a plan that could earn him a bundle. He intends to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeys all the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they'll fetch a mighty price. In the year 1860, the hazards of such a trek are many - how does one shepherd the birds across a river, for instance? - but Simon is undaunted. Accompanied by a faithful drover, and eventually to be joined by two boon companions, he undertakes the biggest journey of his young life, in this high-spirited Wild Wild West adventure.
F 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!
F WIL	Bad Girls (age 9-12) by Jacqueline Wilson friendship ... school ... humor Mandy White is a good girl whom the bad girls like to pick on, until a bigger, badder girl makes her her special friend. Tanya is a foster child across the street, and she's nothing like good little Mandy. She's fun and she's tough and she wears really cool clothes. Of course, Mandy's overprotective mother wants her precious little daughter to have nothing to do with the new neighbor.
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 FLE	Chancy and the Grand Rascal (age 9-12) by Sid Fleischman adventure ... humor A tall tale about swindlers, liars, and cheats...and optimism that sustains them.
F IBB	Dial-a-Ghost (age 9-12) by Eva Ibbotson humor ... enterprise ... spooky The Dial-a-Ghost Agency finds good homes for ghosts. And Fulton and Frieda Snodde-Brittle are looking for a few frightening ghosts to accidentally scare their young cousin and heir, Oliver, to death. The ladies at the Dial-a-Ghost Agency have the perfect match: the Shriekers, two bloodstained and bickering horrors. But thanks to a mix-up at the agency, the Wilkinsons, a kind family of ghosts, arrive instead. Can they put a stop to the Snodde-Brittles' schemes before it's too late?
F COR	The Lion Boy Trilogy (age 9-12) by Zizou Corder action ... adventure ... science fiction ... humor Charlie Ashanti can speak Cat. He takes it for granted - but when his mum and dad go missing, the Cats are the only friends he can turn to. Setting out to find his parents, he stows away on an incredible circus ship bound for Paris. On board he meets six proud, beautiful lions who need his help. With danger close behind and uncertainty ahead, they embark together on the adventure of a lifetime. title: Lionboy: the First Book in a Trilogy title: Lion-boy: the Truth title: The Chase
F SAG	Septimus Heap Series (age 9-12) by Angie Sage magic ... fantasy ... humor ... action Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow ... a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? title: Magyk title: Flyte title: Physik title: Queste title: Syren
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 BUT	The Enormous Egg (age 9-12) by Oliver Butterworth humor ... enterprise Catalog: Twelve-year-old Nate Twitchell never had much excitement in his life, until one of his hens laid an egg the size of a melon, and the creature that hatched made world news.
F 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.
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 SNI	Lemony Snicket: the Unauthorized Autobiography (age 9-12) by Lemony Snicket humor ... letters/journal The elusive author provides a glimpse into his mysterious and sometimes confusing life, using fanciful letters, diary entries, and other miscellaneous documents as well as photographs and illustrations.
F SAC	Dogs Don't Tell Jokes (age 9-12) by Louis Sachar friendship ... humor ... school Twelve-year-old jokester Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian, it's the kids in his class who think he's just a goon. Winning the school talent show would be Gary's dream come true, but on the big night his dream nearly backfires--with hilarious results.
F PUL	I Was a Rat! (age 9-12) by Philip Pullman magic ... folklore ... humor I Was a Rat! So insists a scruffy boy named Roger. Maybe it's true. But what is he now? A terrifying monster running wild in the sewers? The Daily Scourge is sure of it. A victim of Rodent Delusionâ The hospital nurse says yes. A lucrative fairground freak? He is to Mr. Tapscrew. A champion wriggler and a budding thief? That's what Billy thinks. Or just an ordinary small boy, though a little ratty in his habits? Only three people believe this version of the story. And it may take a royal intervention, and a bit of magic, to convince the rest of the world.
F PEC	Soup (age 9-12) by Robert Newton Peck humor ... adventure ... friendship The adventures and misadventures of two boys growing up in a small Vermont town.
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 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 AVI	S.O.R. Losers (age 9-12) by Avi humor ... sports The South Orange River (S.O.R.) School is big on sports and famous for not losing a game all season. That all changes when the school insists that some seventh-grader non-jocks form a soccer team. The new team is sure that losing their first game 32-0 will put an end to their athletic adventure, but no such luck. Their parents insist they try harder. The whole school cheers them on, and the finally score...for the other team. And only the eleven members of the S.O.R. Losers team know the secret of their outstanding "success."
F COO	The Boggart (age 9-12) by Susan Cooper folklore ... humor ... spooky ... adventure When Emily and Jess Volnik's family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart: an invisible, mischievous spirit who's been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a rolltop desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks' home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same, for the Volniks or the Boggart. In a world that doesn't believe in magic, the Boggart's pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home, but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic.
F HAN	Ida B: and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World (age 9-12) by Katherine Hannigan illness/loss ... humor ... school ... growing up Who is Ida B. Applewood? She is a fourth grader like no other, living a life like no other, with a voice like no other, and her story will resonate long after you have put this book down. How does Ida B cope when outside forces (life, really) attempt to derail her and her family and her future? She enters her Black Period, and it is not pretty. But then, with the help of a patient teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her beloved apple trees, and parents who believe in the same things she does (even if they sometimes act as though they don't), the resilience that is the very essence of Ida B triumph...and Ida B. Applewood takes the hand that is extended and starts to grow up.
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 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 BAR	Peter and the Starcatchers Series (age 9-12) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson adventure ... magic ... humor In this fast-paced (and often hilarious) adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island, an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, take on bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil. title: Peter and the Starcatchers title: Peter and the Shadow Thieves title: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon title: Peter and the Sword of Mercy
F SAC	There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom (age 9-12) by Louis Sachar identity ... friendship ... school ... humor An unmanageable, but lovable, eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit too.
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 ROB	Henry Reed Adventures (age 9-12) by Keith Robertson realistic ... adventure ... humor ... enterprise Henry Reed has a talent for making things happen, and with his neighbor Midge in on the action, there's nothing they can't do. title: Henry Reed, Inc. title: Henry Reed's Big Show title: Henry Reed's Journey
F NAY	Boys Versus Girls Series (age 9-12) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor war ... realistic ... humor ... friendship Disgusted that a family with three girls moves into the house across the river, nine-year-old Wally and his three brothers declare a practical joke war on the girls. title: The Boys Start the War and The Girls Get Even title: The Girls Get Even title: The Girls' Revenge title: A Traitor Among the Boys title: A Spy Among the Girls title: Boys Against Girls
F JUS	The Phantom Tollbooth (age 9-12) by Norton Juster adventure ... humor Ten-year-old Milo travels through a magical tollbooth and embarks on a journey to the Kingdom of Wisdom, where he and a ``watch'' dog named Tock try to end the feud between numbers and words.
F FLE	The 13th Floor (age 9-12) by Sid Fleischman magic ... humor ... historical There's a mile-long word for the fear (and magic) of the number thirteen: triskaidekaphobia. In this comic fireworks of a novel, newly orphaned Buddy Stebbins stumbles onto the 13th floor of a shabby old building and finds himself transported aboard a leaking pirate ship in a howling storm--300 years in the past!
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 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