ROB |
The Amazing Valvano and the Mystery of the Hooded Rat
(age 8-11) by Mary Robinson mystery ... school ... the arts Catalog: Maria is excited about her plans to perform a magic act in the school talent show until her pet rat, an integral part of the act, is kidnapped. |
SCI |
Spaceheadz Series (age 8-11) by Jon Scieszka school ... science fiction ... humor Publisher comments: Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn't hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently aren't kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ. But with a hamster as their leader, "kids" who talk like walking advertisements, and Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment? title: Spaceheadz |
FRE |
Fourth Grade Weirdo
(age 8-11) by Martha Freeman humor ... mystery ... school Publisher comments: Dexter is like a square peg in a round hole: he just can't fit in. All the kids in his class enjoy the zany things their teacher Mr. Ditzwinkle does to make learning fun. All except Dexter, the weirdo who prefers the same routine. But when things start disappearing from school, Dexter is surprised that his teacher is suspected. Dexter thinks Mr. Ditzwinkle is odd, but he knows he's not a crook. Can Dexter the weirdo prove it by catching the real thief? |
ROB |
Wendy and the Bullies
(age 8-11) by Nancy Robinson friendship ... school ... humor Publisher comments: Wendy and Karen are so afraid of bullies that they have a Bully Log which charts bullies' descriptions and behavior patterns, a Bully Map which shows where the bullies hang out, and a Strategic War Room where they dream up fanciful plans to rid themselves of bullies forever. |
WEE |
Oggie Cooder
(age 8-11) by Sarah Weeks school ... humor Publisher comments: Oggie Cooder has a talent — he can charve better than anyone else in Truman Elementary School. (Charving, for the uninitiated, is the carving of a piece of cheese with one's teeth.) Oggie doesn't think this is anything special — but his whole school will soon be disagreeing with him. Because after he inadvertantly charves during a nationwide hunt for unusual talents, his charving puts him on the path to fame and forture. Suddenly, he's the star of the school . . . but he's not sure that he wants to shine that way. |
TAS |
My Life As a Book
(age 8-11) by Janet Tashjian humor ... mystery ... school Publisher comments: Summer's finally here, and Derek Fallon is looking forward to pelting the UPS truck with water balloons, climbing onto the garage roof, and conducting silly investigations. But when his parents decide to send him to Learning Camp, Derek's dreams of fun come to an end. Ever since hes been labeled a "reluctant reader," his mom has pushed him to read "real" books; something other than his beloved Calvin & Hobbes. As Derek forges unexpected friendships and uncovers a family secret involving himself (in diapers! no less), he realizes that adventures and surprises are around the corner, complete with curve balls. |
VER |
Dragonbreath Series (age 8-11) by Ursula Vernon humor ... fantasy ... school Publisher comments: It's not easy for Danny Dragonbreath to be the sole mythical creature in a school for reptiles and amphibians - especially because he can't breathe fire like other dragons (as the school bully loves to remind him). But having a unique family comes in handy sometimes, like when his sea-serpent cousin takes Danny and his best iguana friend on a mindboggling underwater tour, complete with vomiting sea cucumbers and giant squid. It sure beats reading the encyclopedia to research his ocean report. title: Dragonbreath |
PEI |
Big Nate Series (age 8-11) by Lincoln Peirce humor ... school Publisher comments: Aspiring cartoonist Nate Wright is the star of Big Nate, the daily and Sunday comic strip distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association since 1991. Nate is eleven years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the all-time record holder for detentions in school history. He's a self-described genius and sixth grade Renaissance Man. Equipped with only a #2 pencil and the unshakable belief that he is #1, Nate fights a daily battle against overzealous teachers, undercooked cafeteria food and all-around conventionality. He's the original rebel without a clue, alternately abrasive and endearing to classmates and teachers alike. Nate blazes an unforgettable trail through the sixth grade at P.S. 38, earning straight A's in laughs along the way. title: Big Nate Strikes Again title: Big Nate in a Class by Himself |
CRE |
Bloomability
(age 8-11) by Sharon Creech identity ... growing up ... family ... school Thirteen-year-old Domenica Santolina Doone, better known as Dinnie, is accustomed to change. Her family is constantly moving from town to town as her father searches for ``opportunity''. But when her aunt and uncle whisk her far away to an international school in Switzerland, she's not sure she's ready to face this ``opportunity'' alone. |
VAN |
Smart Dog
(age 8-11) by Vivian Vande Velde brilliant protagonist ... friendship ... school ... animals Fifth grader Amy Prochenko is wildly unpopular. Then one day Amy meets Sherlock, a dog on the run from a university lab. Sherlock is not like other dogs: He can talk, he's smarter than most of Amy's classmates--and he needs Amy's help. Suddenly Amy's life is full of danger and excitement, and she finds she is becoming, of all things, popular. Best of all, she discovers in Sherlock the sort of friend she's always longed for--and one she must protect no matter what the cost. |
AMA |
The Riot Brothers Series (age 8-11) by Mary Amato short stories ... adventure ... humor ... school Orville and Wilbur Riot have no shortage of daily adventures. Sometimes they are undercover detectives. Other times they challenge each other to see who can get the most underwear on his head in exactly thirty seconds. Having trouble keeping up with Wilbur and Orville? Follow the Riot Brother Rule Number 4: Run, do not walk, whenever possible. title: Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All title: Drooling and Dangerous: the Riot Brothers Return! title: Take the Mummy and Run: The Riot Brothers Are on a Roll |
CLE |
Extra Credit
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements school ... friendship ... identity Publisher comments: It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork. She just doesn't like doing it. And consequently, Abby will have to repeat sixth grade, unless she meets some specific conditions, including taking on an extra credit project: find a pen pal in a distant country. But when Abby's first letter arrives at a small school in Afghanistan, complications arise. The elders agree that any letters going back to America must be written well, but the only qualified English-speaking student is a boy. And in this village, it's not proper for a boy to correspond with a girl. So, Sadeed's sister will dictate and sign the letters for him. But what about the villagers who believe that girls should not be anywhere near a school? And what about those who believe that any contact with Americans is...unhealthy? As letters flow back and forth between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of central Asia, across cultural and religious divides, through the minefields of different lifestyles and traditions, a small group of children begin to speak and listen to each other. And in just a few short weeks, they make important discoveries about their communities, about their world, and most of all, about themselves. |
CLE |
Lost and Found
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements humor ... identity ... school Publisher comments: Although it's a drag to be constantly mistaken for each other, in truth, during those first days at a new school, there's nothing better than having a twin brother there with you. But on day one of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay is on his own. No big deal. It's a pretty nice school, good kids, too. But Jay quickly discovers a major mistake: No one seems to know a thing about his brother. Ray's not on the attendance lists, doesn't have a locker, doesn't even have a student folder. Jay almost tells the school (almost) but then decides that this lost information could be very...useful. And fun. As Ray and Jay exploit a clerical oversight, they each find new views on friendship, honesty, what it means to be a twin, and what it means to be yourself. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and true-to-life, this clever novel is classic Andrew Clements times two: twins! |
LOO |
Alvin Ho Series (age 8-11) by Lenore Look friendship ... growing up ... school Publisher comments: Alvin Ho is an Asian American second grader who is afraid of everything--elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He's so afraid of school that, while he's there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home he's a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, so he can be just like his dad. title: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things |
MAS |
Princess School Series (age 8-11) by Jane B. Mason princesses ... friendship ... school ... fantasy ... humor Publisher comments: With her feet bare (those glass slippers don't fit) and her second-hand gown splattered with mud (thanks, evil stepsisters), Ella's first day of Princess School is off to a lousy start. If she can only find her fairy godmother before the first class begins, Ella is sure she'll put things right. But her FG is off at a convention and Ella is on her own--she'll have to get through the first weeks of Princess School without any bobbity-boo. Ella is terrified--until she meets silly Snow, spunky Rapunzel, and beautiful, sheltered Rose. She begins to realize that with these friends, Princess School could be a LOT of fun. title: If the Shoe Fits title: Let Down Your Hair title: Apple-y Ever After |
ROB |
Veronica Meets Her Match
(age 8-11) by Nancy Robinson school ... friendship Veronica's fervent attempts to gain peer acceptance continue as she claims the new girl as her own special friend. |
ROB |
Veronica the Show-off
(age 8-11) by Nancy Robinson school ... friendship Although lonely and desperately in need of friends, Veronica overwhelms her new classmates with her outrageous behavior in a bid for attention. |
HUT |
Follow That Bus!
(age 8-11) by Pat Hutchins adventure ... school ... mystery Two bank robbers find that a group of second graders visiting a farm are more than they bargained for. |
PRY |
Poison Ivy and Eyebrow Wigs
(age 8-11) by Bonnie Pryor family ... identity ... school Nine-year-old Martin has a busy year in the fourth grade as he tries to find his own identity both at school and among his large and busy family. |
PRY |
Vinegar Pancakes and Vanishing Cream
(age 8-11) by Bonnie Pryor family ... identity ... school Surrounded by siblings who are either athletic, smart, or cute, Martin wonders who he is while enduring a wild camping trip, disasters in the kitchen, and other family escapades. |
KUR |
Leon and the Champion Chip
(age 8-11) by Allen Kurzwell school ... humor ... math/science/technology Leon arrives in fifth grade armed with a backpack full of pens and pencils, binders and notebooks . . . plus a rag doll that's the spitting image of Henry Lumpkin, the bully who has Leon in his sights. If the doll works the way it's supposed to, Leon (and his buddies P.W. and Lily-Matisse) won't have to worry about Lumpkin the Pumpkin! Better still, Leon has a fabulous new teacher, Mr. Sparks, who conducts science experiments using that most miraculous of research materials: the potato chip. And a good thing, too. Mr. Sparks's lab work will come in handy when Leon is forced to take on Alphonse "The Chippopotamus" Cipollini at the annual Chipapalooza! Chip-Off. Sequel to Leon and the Spitting Image |
FLE |
The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
(age 8-11) by Candace Fleming humor ... school An unlikely teacher takes over the disorderly fourth-grade class of Aesop Elementary School with surprising results. |
CHR |
Johnny No Hit
(age 8-11) by Matt Christopher school ... sports Threatened by a beating if he hits against Roy's pitching, Johnny almost loses a ballgame for his team. |
CLE |
No Talking
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements friendship ... realistic ... humor ... school The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea ... a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls. How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she's losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos? This funny and surprising book is about language and thought, about words unspoken, words spoken in anger, and especially about the power of words spoken in kindness...with or without a bullhorn. |
TOL |
Darci and the Dance Contest
(age 8-11) by Martha Tolles school ... friendship Anxious to make friends in her new school, sixth-grader Darci finds herself drawn into an uneasy relationship with the capricious Lisa and her circle of friends. |
SOT |
Off and Running
(age 8-11) by Gary Soto humor ... school When they learn that Rudy Herrera and Alex Garcia, two fifth-grade class clowns, plan to run against them in the school elections, Miata and her friend Ana know that they face a difficult race. |
KRE |
The Wilder Summer
(age 8-11) by Stephen Krensky school ... friendship Charlie Wilder is unenthusiastic about summer camp until he sets eyes on Lydia Travers, but getting to know Lydia turns out to be far more complicated than he had ever anticipated. |
MCK |
Fourth Grade Is a Jinx
(age 8-11) by Colleen O'Shaughnessy McKenna realistic ... school ... family When fourth grader Collette sees her own mother take over the job of teaching her class, life becomes more embarrassing and chaotic than she can stand. |
WOO |
Awfully Short for the Fourth Grade
(age 8-11) by Elvira Woodruff magic ... fantasy ... adventure ... school Noah Murphy carries his plastic "little guys" everywhere. One day, while sitting on the school bus with his younger brother, Jess, Noah makes a wish using magic powder from the toy machine. Noah looks at his little guys--Commander Falcon and Sergeant Gordy and three headless green aliens. "Let them all come to life, all my guys. And let me be their size, so I can have an adventure with them." That's when the bus hits a bump and strange things start to happen. Will the fourth grade at Roosevelt School ever be the same again? |
VAN |
Benjy in Business
(age 8-11) by Jean Van Leeuwen enterprise ... sports ... school Benjy needs a new catcher's mit, and decides to go into business to earn the money to buy it. He tries everything from lemonade stands to dog-washing operations, and learns more than the value of a dollar along the way. |
VAN |
Benjy the Football Hero
(age 8-11) by Jean Van Leeuwen school ... sports Benjy discovers that brains work better than brawn when it comes to beating the other fourth grade class's football team. |
GIL |
Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub
(age 8-11) by Jamie Gilson friendship ... school The boys and girls in the fourth grade devise a contest to "sink their substitute teacher by making her cry. |
GIL |
Sticks and Stones and Skeleton Bones
(age 8-11) by Jamie Gilson friendship ... school Hobie, whose fifth grade class is meeting in a shopping mall because the school was devastated by a flood, has a disagreement with his best friend Nick that escalates into a big fight as the day continues. |
GIL |
Do Bananas Chew Gum?
(age 8-11) by Jamie Gilson humor ... school Able to read and write at only a second grade level, sixth-grader Sam Mott considers himself dumb until he is prompted to cooperate with those who think something can be done about his problem. |
LIT |
Mine for Keeps
(age 8-11) by Jean Little school ... illness/loss ... family Sarah Jane Copeland expects special treatment when she returns home after spending five years at a cerebral palsy center, but her family treats her as an able member. |
WIN |
Hank Zipzer Series (age 8-11) by Henry Winkler school ... friendship ... humor Life (and school) isn't easy for Hank, but he always finds a way out of the hilarious situations he finds himself in. title: Niagara Falls, Or Does It? title: I Got a D in Salami title: Day of the Iguana title: The Zippity Zinger title: The Night I Flunked My Field Trip title: Holy Enchilada! title: Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade! title: Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up? title: My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: a Halloween Tail |
STE |
Fergus Crane
(age 8-11) by Paul Stewart voyages/journeys ... science fiction ... school ... humor ... adventure Fergus Crane has an almost ordinary life, having lessons taught by rather odd teachers on the school ship Betty Jeanne and helping his mother in the bakery. But then a mysterious flying box appears at the window of his waterfront home and Fergus is plunged headlong into an exciting adventure! The box is followed by a winged mechanical horse that whisks him off to meet his long-lost uncle and his penguin helpers, Finn, Bill, and Jackson. Fergus finds out that his teachers are not quite what they seem ... they're actually pirates! Can Fergus and his winged horse save his schoolmates on the far-off Fire Island? And who else will he find there? |
COV |
I Was a Sixth Grade Alien
(age 8-11) by Bruce Coville science fiction ... school ... humor The aliens have finally made contact! But when the first ambassador from another planet arrives, he insists that his son, Pleskit Meenom, be treated like any other citizen on Earth. Which is why Pleskit has become the first purple kid in Ms. Weintraub's sixth grade class. For Tim Tompkins, who has been waiting his entire life to meet an alien, this is like a dream come true. But when Pleskit invites Tim back to the embassy and they stumble across a plan to sabotage the alien mission, Tim's dream becomes a life-threatening nightmare. |
CLE |
Room One: a Mystery or Two
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements friendship ... mystery ... school Catalog: A young boy living in rural western Nebraska investigates the connection between a mysterious face in the window of an empty house and the possible closing of the one-room school he attends. |
CLE |
The Report Card
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements friendship ... brilliant protagonist ... school catalog: Fifth-grader Nora Rowley has always hidden the fact that she is a genius from everyone because all she wants is to be normal, but when she comes up with a plan to prove that grades are not important, things begin to get out of control. |
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. |
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. |
COU |
Frankenbug
(age 8-11) by Steven Cousins science fiction ... humor ... animals ... school Inspired by the movie Frankenstein, bug-lover Adam Cricklestein decides to create a monster bug that will protect him from the school bully, Jeb McAllister. |
DEC |
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
(age 8-11) by Barthe DeClements friendship ... school ... humor It isn't easy to be the new kid, as the fifth graders soon discover. |
SPI |
Fourth Grade Rats
(age 8-11) by Jerry Spinelli school ... humor ... realistic ... friendship Suds faces the transition to fourth grade with a bit of uncertainty, but soon finds that he has what it takes in this funny and touching school story. |
CLE |
Otis Spofford
(age 8-11) by Beverly Cleary humor ... school ... realistic ... friendship There was nothing Otis Spofford liked better than stirring up a little excitement, particularly at school. A less resourceful teacher than Mrs. Gitler would have found him pretty hard to take. But even Mrs. Gitler did not entirely relish the bullfight at the fiesta arranged for the P.T.A. meeting. Otis was disappointed at not being the toreador, but as the front half of the bull he managed to steal the whole show, to the annoyance of his classmates and his teacher. It was then that Mrs. Gitler suggested that Otis might someday get his comeuppance. |
CLE |
Ellen Tebbits
(age 8-11) by Beverly Cleary the arts ... school ... realistic ... friendship Ellen was eight years old and wore bands on her teeth. Her best friend had just moved away and she missed her. Still, as she walked to the Spofford School of the Dance one Saturday, she was almost glad she had no best friend. Best friends do not have secrets from each other, and Ellen had a secret she did not want to share with anyone. But by the time the dancing lesson was over (surely the most devastating dancing lesson on record), Ellen had found a best friend and shared her secret. The best friend was Austine, and the secret was that Ellen was wearing woolen underwear. So was Austine! |
HIL |
The Year of Miss Agnes
(age 8-11) by Kirkpatrick Hill humor ... school Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn't have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard. But Miss Agnes is different. For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write, but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came? |
HES |
Just Juice
(age 8-11) by Karen Hesse realistic ... school ... family Letters and numbers still don't make sense to Juice Faulstich. She'd rather skip school and spend the day at home in the North Carolina hills. But when the bank threatens to repossess her family's home, Juice faces her first life-sized problem. |
CRE |
Love That Dog
(age 8-11) by Sharon Creech illness/loss ... animals ... authorship ... school ... poetry Jack hate poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, won't stop giving her class poetry assignments, and Jack can't avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns he does have something to say. sequel: Hate That Cat |
SAC |
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
(age 8-11) by Louis Sachar humor ... school Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways. sequel: Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger sequel: Wayside School is Falling Down |
ROC |
How to Eat Fried Worms
(age 8-11) by Thomas Rockwell realistic ... friendship ... school ... humor Billy makes a bet, then has to make good on it...fifteen worms in fifteen days. As hilarious as it is disgusting, Billy stands up for what's right in his own way. |
ROB |
The Best School Year Ever
(age 8-11) by Barbara Robinson humor ... school The Worst Kids in the History of the World! When anything goes wrong at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, from the hexing of Bus Six to the mysterious disappearance of the kindergarten gerbil, it's sure to have a Herdman behind it. The Herdmans are more than famous-they're outlaws. They smoke cigars, lie, and set fire to things, and that's only when they bother to come to school! Then a school project forces the students to think of compliments for all their classmates-including the Herdmans. Is it possible that behind their outrageous pranks there may be something good about this crazy clan after all? |
MAZ |
The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes Series (age 8-11) by Anne Mazer friendship ... school This series follows the friendships and foibles of fifth-grader Abby Hayes. title: The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword title: The Declaration of Independence title: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining title: Everything New Under the Sun title: Good Things Come in Small Packages title: The More, the Merrier title: Out of Sight, Out of Mind title: Reach for the Stars title: Some Things Never Change title: Too Close for Comfort title: Two Heads Are Better Than One title: Look Before You Leap title: Have Wheels, Will Travel title: The Best is Yet to Come title: Knowledge is Power title: That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles title: Now You See It, Now You Don't title: It's Music To My Ears title: Home is Where the Heart Is title: All That Glitters Isn't Gold |
KLI |
Regarding the Fountain
(age 8-11) by Kate Klise mystery ... letters/journal ... humor ... school The Dry Creek Middle School drinking fountain has sprung a leak, so principal Walter Russ dashes off a request to Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc. We need a new drinking fountain. Please send a catalog. Designer Flo Waters responds: ``I'd be delighted...but please understand that all of my fountains are custom-made.'' Soon the fountain project takes on a life of its own, one chronicled in letters, postcards, memos, transcripts, and official documents. sequel: Regarding the Sink: Where, Oh Where, Did Waters Go? sequel: Regarding the Trees: a Splintered Saga Rooted in Secrets sequel: Regarding the Bathrooms: a Privy to the Past sequel: Regarding the Bees: a Lesson, in Letters, on Honey, Dating, and Other Sticky Subjects |
DAH |
Matilda
(age 8-11) by Roald Dahl identity ... brilliant protagonist ... school ... humor Publisher comments: Matilda is a genius. Unfortunately, her family treats her like a dolt. Her crooked car-salesman father and loud, bingo-obsessed mother think Matilda's only talent is as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong in their miserable lives. But it's not long before the sweet and sensitive child decides to fight back. Faced with practical jokes of sheer brilliance, her parents don't stand a chance. |
COV |
My Teacher is an Alien
(age 8-11) by Bruce Coville humor ... fantasy ... school ... science fiction Publisher comments: Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face ... and she realizes that "Mr. Smith" is really an alien! sequel: My Teacher Flunked the Planet sequel: My Teacher Fried My Brains sequel: My Teacher Glows in the Dark |
CLE |
The School Story
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements authorship ... school ... brilliant protagonist Publisher comments: Twelve-year-old Natalie Nelson has written a powerful school story. It's a short novel called "The Cheater," and her best friend Zoe is certain it should be published. All Natalie has to do is give the manuscript to her mom, an editor at a big publishing house. However Natalie doesn't want any favors from her mom. Spurred into action, Natalie invents a pen name for herself and Zoe becomes a self-styled literary agent. Will the girls succeed? |
CLE |
The Landry News
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements authorship ... realistic ... school ... brilliant protagonist Publisher comments: Cara Landry is a budding journalist. When she posts a scathing editorial about her burned-out teacher on the bulletin board one afternoon, everything changes. Prodded into action for the first time in years, Mr. Larson challenges his fifth-grade students to create a real newspaper. Soon The Landry News gets more attention than either Cara or her teacher bargained for. |
CLE |
Frindle
(age 8-11) by Andrew Clements brilliant protagonist ... realistic ... school Catalog: When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. |
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? |
AMA |
The Word Eater
(age 8-11) by Mary Amato fantasy ... magic ... school Catalog: Lerner Chanse, a new student at Cleveland Park Middle School, finds a worm that magically makes things disappear, and she hopes it will help her fit in, or get revenge, at her hated school. |