F 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.
F 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....
F KEH	The Richest Kids in Town (age 8-11) by Peg Kehret humor ... friendship ... enterprise New to town and homesick for his old life, fourth-grader Peter teams up with a classmate to earn money for a trip to his old hometown but all their moneymaking schemes have unexpected results.
F COT	Millions (age 8-11) by Frank CottrellBoyce enterprise ... adventure ... humor It was a one-in-a-million chance. A bag crammed with cash comes tumbling out of the air and lands right at Damian's feet. Suddenly the Cunningham brothers are rich. Very rich. They can buy anything they want. There's just one problem: they have only seventeen days to spend all the money before it becomes worthless. And the crooks who stole the cash in the first place are closing in, fast. A funny, brilliantly clever and utterly thrilling novel that is, quite simply, unforgettable.
F 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.
F DAV	The Lemonade War Series (age 8-11) by Jacqueline Davies friendship ... brilliant protagonist ... enterprise ... math/science/technology Evan Treski is people-smart. He is good at talking with people, even grownups. His younger sister, Jessie, on the other hand, is math-smart...but not especially good at understanding people. She knows that feelings are her weakest subject. So when their lemonade war begins, there really is no telling who will win...and even more important, if their fight will ever end. title: The Lemonade War
F BAB	Jack Plank Tells Tales (age 8-11) by Natalie Babbitt humor ... enterprise ... authorship Because he is too nice to be a pirate, Jack Plank looks for a new career, but each night he tells tales of why the one job he looked into that day is wrong.
F 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 GUT	The Get Rich Quick Club (age 8-11) by Dan Gutman humor ... friendship ... enterprise We, the members of the Get Rich Quick Club, in order to form a more perfect summer, vow that we will figure out a way to make a million dollars by September. We agree that neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will prevent us from achieving our stated goal, till death do us part. Gina Tumolo and her Get Rich Quick Club are determined to make their summer pay off. They're going to make a pact and hatch a scheme, and their small-town life will never be the same again.
F O'C	How to Steal a Dog (age 8-11) by Barbara O'Connor growing up ... family ... enterprise Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is ``borrow'' the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.
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
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 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.
F 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.
F 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 sequel: The Million Dollar Putt
F 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.
F HOL	Paperboy (age 8-11) by Isabelle Holland bigotry ... family ... enterprise In 1881 in New York City, teenaged Kevin O'Donnell, ever conscious of the prejudice against the Irish poor, struggles to support his sick father and young sister by working as a messenger for a prominent newspaper, but finds his job threatened when he is falsely accused of stealing from his employer.
F 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: Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride
F 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.
F KIN	Ace: The Very Important Pig (age 8-11) by Dick King-Smith enterprise ... humor Ace is an intelligent, lovable, unlikely pig hero.
F 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.
F 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.
F FLE	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.
F 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
F 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?

Escondido Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:29 2012 Other themes and genres