F
SMI
Jaguar (age 10+)
by Roland Smith
nature ... family ... adventure ... action
While accompanying his father on an expedition up the Amazon River to a jaguar preserve in Brazil, fourteen-year-old Jacob must contend with dangerous animals and fortune hunters.
F
SMI
The Last Lobo (age 10+)
by Roland Smith
nature ... family ... adventure ... action
Jacob returns with his grandfather to the Hopi reservation where he was born, and quickly discovers that the Hopi are divided over a lobo, a Mexican wolf, which some say is hunting on the reservation. The lobo is an endangered species, and Jake knows that if the lobo does exist, he must do everything he can to save it.
F
GEO
The Talking Earth (age 10+)
by Jean Craighead George
adventure ... survival ... folklore ... nature
Billie Wind ventures out alone into the Florida Everglades to test the legends of her Indian ancestors and learns the importance of listening to the earth's vital messages.
F
LON
The Call of the Wild (age 10+)
by Jack London
historical ... adventure ... nature ... animals
The Call of the Wild centers on Buck, a dog bred for a life of ease on a California estate, who is kidnapped and sold to Klondike gold hunters. To survive the biting cold and his ruthless masters, Buck must listen to the Call and learn the ways of his wolf-ancestors who guide him from within.
F
LON
White Fang (age 10+)
by Jack London
adventure ... nature ... animals
White Fang tells the story of a half-wolf, half-dog nearly destroyed by the vicious cruelty of mankind. Brought to the very brink of his existence, White Fang is lucky enough to experience the one thing that can save him ... human love. Slowly, the ferocious White Fang grows into a creature capable of bravery, loyalty, and affection.
F
HIA
Flush (age 10+)
by Carl Hiaasen
humor ... adventure ... nature
Noahs dad is sure that the owner of a casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor. Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad had failed, and do whatever it takes to prove that the boat owner is dumping illegally.
F
RAW
The Yearling (age 10+)
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
nature ... growing up ... animals
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet.
F
O'D
The Black Pearl (age 10+)
by Scott O'Dell
nature ... spooky ... adventure
From the depths of a cave in the Vermilion Sea, Ramon Salazar has wrested a black pearl so lustrous and captivating that his father, an expert pearl dealer, is certain Ramon has found the legendary Pearl of Heaven. Such a treasure is sure to bring great joy to the villagers of their tiny coastal town, and even greater renown to the Salazar name. No diver, not even the swaggering Gaspar Ruiz, has ever found a pearl like this! But is there a price to pay for a prize so great? When a terrible tragedy strikes the village, old Luzons warning about El Diablo returns to haunt Ramon. If El Diablo actually exists, it will take all Ramons courage to face the winged creature waiting for him offshore.
F
GEO
Dipper of Copper Creek (age 10+)
by Jean Craighead George
growing up ... adventure ... nature ... animals
Doug is spending the summer in the Colorado Rockies, prospecting for gold with his grandfather. One day, he comes across the strangest bird he has ever seen--the water ouzel, who nests behind waterfalls. Soon Doug is fascinated with the Dipper of Copper Creek and, after an avalance, finds himself raising an ouzel of his own.
F
MOW
Owls in the Family (age 10+)
by Farley Mowat
humor ... family ... realistic ... animals ... nature
A young boy's life gets considerably more interesting when he adopts a pair of owlets as pets.
F
TUR
Maroo of the Winter Caves (age 10+)
by Ann Turnbull
family ... historical ... survival ... nature
Maroo, a girl of the late Ice Age, must take charge after her father is killed, and lead her little brother, mother, and aged grandmother to the safety of the winter camp before the first blizzards strike.
F
HIA
Hoot (age 10+)
by Carl Hiaasen
mystery ... nature ... humor
If Dana hadn't been sinking his thumbs into Roy's temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and...here's the odd part...wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy's trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
F
GEO
Julie of the Wolves (age 10+)
by Jean Craighead George
identity ... survival ... nature ... adventure
To her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness.

Palo Verde Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:34 2012
Other themes and genres