WIL |
Hetty Feather
(age 9-12) by Jacqueline Wilson adventure ... historical Publisher comments: London, 1876 and Hetty Feather is just a tiny baby when her mother leaves her at the Foundling Hospital. The Hospital cares for abandoned children -- but Hetty must first live with a foster family until she is big enough to go to school. Life in the countryside is hard but with her 'brothers' Jem and Gideon, she helps in the fields and plays imaginary games. Together they sneak off to visit the travelling circus and Hetty is mesmerised by the show, especially Madame Adeline and her performing horses. But Hetty's happiness is threatened once more when she is returned to the Foundling Hospital. The new life of awful uniforms and terrible food is a struggle for her. But now she has the chance to find her real mother. Could she really be the wonderful Madame Adeline? Or will Hetty find the truth is even more surprising? |
REI |
Guns for General Washington: A Story of the American Revolution
(age 9-12) by Seymour Reit war ... historical ... action ... adventure Catalog: Frustrated with life under seige in George Washington's army, nineteen-year-old Will Knox and his brother Colonel Henry Knox undertake the task of moving 183 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the dead of winter. |
RYS |
Search Behind the Lines
(age 9-12) by E. Ryss adventure ... historical ... war Catalog: Two children face the perils of the German occupation of Russia during World War II. |
WIL |
One Crazy Summer
(age 9-12) by Rita Williams-Garcia identity ... family ... historical Publisher comments: Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, One Crazy Summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 in search of the mother who abandoned them. |
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. |
LOW |
I Am Lavina Cumming
(age 9-12) by Susan Lowell historical Publisher comments: Lavina Cumming has spent her entire first ten years of life on the Bosque Ranch in Arizona Territory with her mother and father, five brothers, and her black mustang pony, Chummy. When her mother dies, her father decides it would be best if Lavina went to live with her aunt, where she can be brought up as a lady. Starting off at dawn on September 16, 1905, Lavina travels by train to Santa Cruz, California. Armed with the Cumming family motto — "courage" — she arrives in a world of two-story houses, automobiles, a new school, and her cousin, "awful Aggie." Trying her best to settle in, Lavina is as shocked as everyone else by the great earthquake that nearly demolishes the nearby city of San Francisco. In the aftermath of the quake, she must make a big decision about her future. Based on the true story of Susan Lowell's grandmother, this acclaimed book, which includes a short afterword by the author, offers a compelling look at life in early twentieth-century California and a girl struggling to find her place there. |
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. |
SHE |
The Little Riders
(age 9-12) by Margaretha Shemin war ... adventure ... historical Publisher comments: "Take care of the little riders," says Johanna's father to the eleven-year-old when he leaves her with his parents for an extended vacation in their Dutch village. And Johanna does. She loves the twelve metal figures on horseback who ride forth each hour from the clock on the ancient church tower. She would do anything to protect them, anything. And on night she risks her life to prove it. Set during the Second World War when the German army occupied Holland, The Little Riders is an exciting, moving adventure story. |
WIL |
Titanic Crossing
(age 9-12) by Barbara Williams family ... historical Catalog: In 1912, thirteen-year-old Albert considers his younger sister a pest, but things change when they travel with their mother and uncle aboard the Titanic and are caught up in its tragic sinking. |
HOL |
Turtle in Paradise
(age 9-12) by Jennifer Holm adventure ... growing up ... historical Publisher comments: Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. |
VAN |
Moon Over Manifest
(age 9-12) by Clare Vanderpool mystery ... historical Publisher comments: "The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I'd seen only in Gideon's stories: Manifest—A Town with a rich past and a bright future." Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was. Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it's just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to "Leave Well Enough Alone." Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest's history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest's secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town. |
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. |
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? |
American Girl History Mysteries (age 9-12) historical ... mystery Each mystery takes you to an exciting moment in American history. title: Circle of Fire by Evelyn Coleman F COL title: Danger at the Wild West Show by Alison Hart F HAR title: Enemy in the Fort by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC title: Gangsters at the Grand Atlantic by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC title: Ghost Light on Graveyard Shoal by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON title: Hoofbeats of Danger by Holly Hughes F HUG title: The Minstrel's Melody by Eleanora E. Tate F TAT title: Mystery at Chilkoot Pass by Barbara Steiner F STE title: Mystery of the Dark Tower by Evelyn Coleman F COL title: Mystery on Skull Island by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON title: The Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON title: Riddle of the Prairie Bride by Kathryn Reiss F REI title: Secrets on 26th Street by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON title: Shadows in the Glasshouse by Megan McDonald F MCD title: The Smuggler's Treasure by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC title: The Strange Case of Baby H by Kathryn Reiss F REI title: Trouble at Fort La Pointe by Kathleen Ernst F ERN title: Under Copp's Hill by Katherine Ayres F AYR title: Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayres F AYR title: Watcher in the Piney Woods by Elizabeth McDavid Jones F JON title: Whistler in the Dark by Kathleen Ernst F ERN | |
BLO |
A Gathering of Days: a New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32, a Novel
(age 9-12) by Joan W. Blos historical ... growing up ... letters/journal Catalog: The journal of a fourteen-year-old girl, kept the last year she lived on the family farm, records daily events in her small New Hampshire town, her father's remarriage, and the death of her best friend. |
COW |
Dar and the Spear-Thrower
(age 9-12) by Marjorie Cowley growing up ... historical Catalog: A young boy living 15,000 years ago in southeastern France is initiated into manhood by his clan and sets off on a journey to trade his valuable fire rocks for an ivory spear thrower. |
The 39 Clues (age 9-12) historical ... action ... adventure ... mystery Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice: one million dollars or a clue." Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents. title: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan F RIO title: One False Note by Gordon Korman F KOR title: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis F LER title: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson F WAT title: The Black Circle by Patrick Carman F CAR title: In Too Deep by Jude Watson F WAT title: Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan F RIO title: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix F HAD title: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis F LER title: The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman F KOR title: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park F PAR title: Cahills vs. Vespers: the Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman F KOR | |
YAM |
Striking It Rich: Treasures From Gold Mountain
(age 9-12) by Debbie Leung Yamada adventure ... historical Christie and Michael are visiting their grandparents' old store outside Oakland, California. For years they've heard stories from Auntie Mei about a mysterious room hidden somewhere in the store, but although they've looked, no one has ever found it. Its just a story. Or so they think, until the day they actually discover the hidden room. Hoping to find treasure, Christie and Michael find that they stumbled across letters written by early Chinese pioneers during the California Gold Rush. The letters offer a treasure that Christie and Michael never imagined. |
KER |
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
(age 9-12) by Judith Kerr family ... historical Anna was only nine years old in 1933, too busy with her school work and friends to take much notice of Adolf Hitler's face glaring out of political posters all over Berlin. Being Jewish, she thought, was just something you were because your parents and grandparents were Jewish. But then one day her father was unaccountably, frighteningly missing. Soon after, she and her brother, Max, were hurried out of Germany by their mother with alarming secrecy. Reunited in Switzerland, Anna and her family embark on an adventure that would go on for years, in several different countries. They learn many new things: new languages, how to cope with the wildest confusions, and how to be poor. Anna soon discovers that there are special skills to being a refugee. And as long as the family stayed together, that was all that really mattered. |
REI |
One-Eyed Charley, the California Whip
(age 9-12) by Randall Reinstedt historical A guest speaker tells the students in the one-roomed Manchester School about the rough mining days in California's past, and in particular, about the career of a stagecoach driver known as Charley Parkhurst. |
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? |
SMI |
Elephant Run
(age 9-12) by Roland Smith adventure ... action ... war ... historical In 1941, bombs drop from the night skies of London, demolishing the apartment Nick Freestone lives in with his mother. Deciding the situation in England is too unstable, Nick's mother sends him to live with his father in Burma, hoping he will be safer living on the family's teak plantation. But as soon as Nick arrives, trouble erupts in this remote Burmese elephant village. Japanese soldiers invade, and Nick's father is taken prisoner. Nick is stranded on the plantation, forced to work as a servant to the new rulers. As life in the village grows more dangerous for Nick and his young friend, Mya, they plan their daring escape. Setting off on elephant back, they will risk their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese POW camp. In this thrilling journey through the jungles of Burma, Roland Smith explores the far-reaching effects of World War II, while introducing readers to the fascinating world of wild timber elephants and their mahouts. |
SEL |
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a Novel in Words and Pictures
(age 9-12) by Brian Selznick the arts ... mystery ... math/science/technology ... historical Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. |
MOR |
War Horse
(age 9-12) by Michael Morpurgo action ... animals ... war ... historical This moving story tells of the truest of friendships in the worst of wars, as a horse is sold from his farm, taken from the gentle boy who was his master, to serve in the military during World War I. |
CUR |
Elijah of Buxton
(age 9-12) by Christopher Curtis bigotry ... adventure ... historical It's 1860, and eleven-year-old Elijah is a first-generation freeborn child. His Canadian town of Buxton, located just across the border from Detroit, serves as a haven for runaway slaves and their children, where Blacks can live free and govern themselves away from the horrors of pre-emancipation America. When the town's corrupt preacher steals money from a citizen who's been saving to buy his family's freedom, Elijah sets off for Detroit in pursuit. He encounters a group of captured runaway slaves; unable to save them all, he escapes with the youngest--a baby--and returns to Buxton a hero. |
The American Girl Mysteries (age 9-12) historical ... mystery ... spooky Characters from the American Girls series become embroiled in mysterious situations. title: The Stolen Sapphire: a Samantha Mystery by Sarah Masters Buckey F BUC | |
AVI |
Iron Thunder: the Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac: a Civil War Novel
(age 9-12) by Avi war ... historical When his father is killed fighting for the Union in the War Between the States, thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll must take a job to help support his family. He manages to find work at a bustling ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where dozens of men are frantically pounding together the strangest ship Tom has ever seen. A ship made of iron. Tom becomes assistant to the ship's inventor, a gruff, boastful man named Captain John Ericsson. He soon learns that the Union army has very important plans for this iron ship called the Monitor. It is supposed to fight the Confederate "sea monster" ... another ironclad ... the Merrimac. But Ericsson is practically the only person who believes the Monitor will float. Everyone else calls it "Ericsson's Folly" or "the iron coffin." Meanwhile, Tom's position as Ericsson's assistant has made him a target of Confederate spies, who offer him money for information about the ship. Tom finds himself caught between two certain dangers: an encounter with murderous spies and a battle at sea in an iron coffin.... |
HAR |
My Prairie Year: Based on the Diary of Elenore Plaisted
(age 9-12) by Brett Harvey letters/journal ... historical Nine-year old Elenore describes her experiences living with her family in the Dakota Territory in the late nineteenth century. |
UCH |
Journey Home
(age 9-12) by Yoshiko Uchida war ... family ... bigotry ... historical After their release from an American concentration camp, a Japanese-American girl and her family try to reconstruct their lives amidst strong anti-Japanese feelings which breed fear, distrust, and violence. |
PEC |
The Ghost Belonged to Me
(age 9-12) by Richard Peck historical ... spooky In 1913 in the Midwest a quartet of characters share adventures from exploding steamboats to "exorcizing" a ghost. "More death! More, if you do not stop it. Others lost, like me in the black water. Save them!" When Alexander first sees the eerie glow in the dormer window of the barn, it sets his heart pounding. And when he ventures into the barn in the dark of night, his breath catches in his throat. Suddenly Blossom Culp's words come back to him: "You can make contact with the Unseen...." Now there's a girl ghost standing right in front of him, telling him of great danger ahead. But is there time for Alexander to act on her warning? |
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. |
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. |
HES |
Letters from Rifka
(age 9-12) by Karen Hesse survival ... historical ... letters/journal In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to America. |
DIC |
Oliver Twist
(age 9-12) by Charles Dickens survival ... historical An adaptation of Dicken's story of the orphan forced to practice thievery and live a life of crime in nineteenth-century London. |
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 |
HAR |
Thunder From the Sea
(age 9-12) by Joan Hiatt Harlow family ... animals ... historical It's 1929 and thirteen-year-old Tom Campbell has always wanted a real family with a real house and a dog of his very own. Since he was three years old, the only home he has ever known has been the Mission orphanage. When he is sent to live and work with fisherman Enoch and his wife, Tom finally sees his dream wihin reach. And when he rescues a Newfoundland dog in the middle of a terrifying squall, Tom feels as if both he and the dog, which he names Thunder, have found a place to call home at last. But when Enoch's wife becomes pregnant and it looks like Thunder's owner might be found, Tom's wonderful new world is turned upside down. Will the Murrays still want Tom? And will Tom be forced to give up his beloved Thunder? |
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. |
MUK |
Gay-Neck: the Story of a Pigeon
(age 9-12) by Dhan Gopal Mukerji war ... adventure ... animals ... historical The story of the training of a carrier pigeon and its service during the First World War, revealing the bird's courageous and spirited adventures over the housetops of an Indian village, in the Himalayan Mountains, and on the French battlefield. |
KLA |
The Green Glass Sea
(age 9-12) by Ellen Klages math/science/technology ... brilliant protagonist ... friendship ... historical Publisher comments: It is 1943, and 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is traveling west on a train to live with her scientist father ... but no one, not her father nor the military guardians who accompany her, will tell her exactly where he is. When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, she learns why: he's working on a top secret government program. Over the next few years, Dewey gets to know eminent scientists, starts tinkering with her own mechanical projects, becomes friends with a budding artist who is as much of a misfit as she is ... and, all the while, has no idea how the Manhattan Project is about to change the world. sequel: White Sands, Red Menace |
LAU |
Patty Reeds Doll: the Story of the Donner Party
(age 9-12) by Rachel Laurgaard voyages/journeys ... historical ... survival A wooden doll recalls the hope with which a group of pioneers begins their journey and the ordeals they face as they travel from Springfield, Illinois, to California. |
IBB |
Journey to the River Sea
(age 9-12) by Eva Ibbotson historical ... adventure Maia, an orphan, is sent from England to live with unfamiliar cousins on a rubber plantation in South America. The brave, curious girl and her fierce but kind governess arrive in their new home, each with secret hopes of adventure. These are immediately quashed by the Carters, who hate their adopted land and its inhabitants. They are obsessed with re-creating England in the forest, right down to the watery puddings. It is only through friendship with a mysterious Indian boy and a runaway child actor that Maia and Miss Minton, her governess, find the excitement they longed for: an unexpected expedition into the heart of the Amazon, in search of a lost tribe and the legendary giant sloth. |
The Royal Diaries Series (age 9-12) princesses ... letters/journal ... historical Each novel in diary form follows the life of a royal figure from the past. Sometimes tragic, always exciting, these stories recall pivotal moments from history. title: Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess by Carolyn Meyer F MEY title: Anacaona, Golden Flower by Edwidge Danticat F DAN title: Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory F GRE title: Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory F GRE title: Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky F LAS title: Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer F MEY title: Jahanara, Princess of Princesses by Kathryn Lasky F LAS title: Kaiulani: the People's Princess by Ellen Emerson White F WHI title: Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South by Laurence Yep F YEP title: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky F LAS title: Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Without a Country by Kathryn Lasky F LAS title: Nzingha, Warrior Queen of Matamba by Patricia C. McKissack F MCK title: Weetamoo, Chief of the Pocassets by Patricia Clark Smith F SMI | |
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. |
CRO |
The Great American Elephant Chase
(age 9-12) by Gillian Cross voyages/journeys ... identity ... historical ... adventure ... humor In 1881 fifteen-year-old Tad helps a girl in her attempt to get a mighty Indian elephant to friends in Nebraska, while pursued by two unscrupulous villains who wish to take the elephant from her. |
NIX |
Young Americans Series (age 9-12) by Joan Lowery Nixon enterprise ... historical Each volume tells a personal story about life and work in Colonial Williamsburg. title: Ann's Story, 1747 title: Caesar's Story, 1759 title: Nancy's Story, 1765 title: Will's Story, 1771 |
WIB |
John Treegate's Musket
(age 9-12) by Leonard Wibberley adventure ... historical Peter Treegate, apprentice to a maker of barrel stoves in Boston in 1769, becomes a victim of his fellow apprentices and the uncertain time. |
STE |
Trouble for Lucy
(age 9-12) by Carla Stevens historical ... animals As she and her family travel the Oregon Trail in 1843, Lucy's puppies persist in creating trouble. |
SEW |
Black Beauty: the Autobiography of a Horse
(age 9-12) by Anna Sewell historical ... animals A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. |
SER |
The White Stag
(age 9-12) by Kate Seredy voyages/journeys ... historical ... folklore Retells the legendary story of the Huns' and Magyars' long migration from Asia to Europe where they hope to find a permanent home. |
ORL |
The Island on Bird Street
(age 9-12) by Uri Orlev war ... survival ... historical During World War II a Jewish boy is left on his own for months in a ruined house in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he must learn all the tricks of survival under constantly life-threatening conditions. |
O'D |
Island of the Blue Dolphins
(age 9-12) by Scott O'Dell survival ... adventure ... historical In the Pacific, there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea birds abound. Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery. |
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: 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 |
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. |
HOL |
Seabird
(age 9-12) by Holling C. Holling historical ... adventure ... nature An ivory gull carved by Ezra Brown in 1832 when he was a boy on a whaling ship brings luck to him and his descendants as they journey the seven seas. |
HOL |
Tree in the Trail
(age 9-12) by Holling C. Holling historical ... nature A struggling cottonwood sapling becomes a landmark to travelers, a peace-medicine tree, and after its death in 1834, a yoke which is used on the trail to Santa Fe. |
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. |
GIP |
Old Yeller
(age 9-12) by Fred Gipson adventure ... historical ... growing up ... friendship In the late 1860s in the Texas hill country, a big yellow dog and a fourteen-year-old boy form a close, loving relationship. |
LAW |
They Were Strong and Good
(age 9-12) by Robert Lawson historical Relates the story of the author's grandparents and parents, who, though not famous, helped build the United States. |
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? |
GUT |
Qwerty Stevens, Back in Time: the Edison Mystery
(age 9-12) by Dan Gutman adventure ... humor ... historical ... science fiction Thirteen-year-ole Robert "Qwerty" Stevens uses the time machine he finds in his backyard to visit Thomas Edison's workshop in 1879 and there helps develop the electric lightbulb, but then needs his sister's help to return to his own time. |
COV |
The Ghost Wore Gray
(age 9-12) by Bruce Coville war ... historical ... spooky ... mystery Sixth-grader Nina Tanleven convinced her architect father to let her best friend Chris go with them to stay in the old inn he's restoring. On the afternoon they arrive, the girls find a faded Civil War photograph of a very handsome Confederate soldier. Nina and Cris are stunned when the ghost of the young soldier suddenly appears at the dinner table that night! They realize he's the ghost who they've heard haunts the inn. When he appears to them again--no one else can see him--Nina and Chris know that the ghost is trying to tell them something. But what? To find out, the girls begin investigating the old country inn. And soon they are swept up in a frightening mystery that began more than one hundred years ago--a mystery involving danger, greed, a hidden room... and a buried treasure! |
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. |
DEA |
The Door in the Wall
(age 9-12) by Margeurite DeAngeli illness/loss ... knights/castles/dragons ... historical Robin, son of a nobleman, has always expected to learn the ways of knighthood, but this destiny is not to be. He falls ill and uses the use of his legs. Abandoned, forlorn, Robin discovers to his surprise that there is more than one way to serve his king. |
YEP |
When the Circus Came to Town
(age 9-12) by Laurence Yep bigotry ... historical ... friendship Ursula always wanted to see the circus. That is, until she caught smallpox. Now all she wants is to hide her scarred face. But Ah Sam, her parents' Chinese cook, has other ideas. He brings to town a magical circus and finds a way to give Ursula the confidence she needs to face the world. In return, Ursula finds a way to make Ah Sam happy. She creates the biggest, best Chinese New Year celebration that Whistle, Montana, has ever seen! |
SLO |
Finding Buck McHenry
(age 9-12) by Alfred Slote identity ... historical ... sports Eleven-year-old Jason, believing the school custodian Mack Henry to be Buck McHenry, a famous pitcher from the old Negro League, tries to enlist him as a coach for his Little League team by revealing his identity to the world. |
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! |
O'D |
Zia
(age 9-12) by Scott O'Dell adventure ... historical A young Indian girl, Zia, caught between the traditional world of her mother and the present world of the Mission, is helped by her aunt Karana whose story was told in ``Island of the Blue Dolphins.'' |
O'D |
Sing Down the Moon
(age 9-12) by Scott O'Dell adventure ... historical On a warm spring day in the Southwest, Bright Morning, a young Navajo, is taking her sheep to pasture. The sky is a deep blue against the red buttes of the canyon, and the fields and orchards promise a good growing season and a rich harvest. Happy at the beauty around her, she gazes across the peaceful valley that her tribe has called home for hundreds of years. Then, lifting her eyes toward the aspen grove, she sees two men. Spanish slavers. They are riding straight toward her. |
O'B |
Anita of Rancho del Mar
(age 9-12) by Elaine O'Brien family ... historical Life on a Spanish land-grant ranch in California in the 1830s, as seen through the adventures of young Anita and the Lorenzana family. |
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 title: Little Farm in the Ozarks title: In the Land of the Big Red Apple title: On the Other Side of the Hill |
LAW |
Mr. Revere and I
(age 9-12) by Robert Lawson animals ... historical The life of the Revere family and the doings of the Sons of Liberty as told from the point of view of Paul Revere's horse. |
LAS |
The Journal of Augustus Pelletier: the Lewis and Clark Expedition
(age 9-12) by Kathryn Lasky adventure ... historical ... letters/journal A fictional journal kept by twelve-year-old Augustus Pelletier, the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. |
KEL |
The Trumpeter of Krakow
(age 9-12) by Eric Kelley adventure ... folklore ... historical A Polish family in the Middle Ages guards a great secret treasure and a boy's memory of an earlier trumpeter of Krakow makes it possible for him to save his father. |
FOR |
Johnny Tremain
(age 9-12) by Ester Forbes war ... adventure ... historical A story filled with danger and excitement, Johnny Tremain tells of the turbulent, passionate times in Boston just before the Revolutionary War. Johnny, a young apprentice silversmith, is caught up in a dramatic involvement with James Otis, John Hancock,and John and Samuel Adams in the exciting currents and undercurrents that were to lead to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. |
LAW |
The Roman Mystery Series (age 9-12) by Caroline Lawrence mystery ... historical In the first of this series, Thieves of Ostia, the dogs on Flavia's street have started dying mysteriously, and she is determined to find out why. Her investigation leads her to three extraordinary people: Jonathan, her new neighbor; Nubia, an African slave; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. The four embark on a search for the killer--and that's when the excitement begins. title: The Thieves of Ostia: a Roman Mystery title: The Secrets of Vesuvius title: The Pirates of Pompeii title: The Assassins of Rome title: The Fugitive From Corinth title: The Dolphins of Laurentum title: The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina title: The Gladiators From Capua title: The Enemies of Jupiter title: The Colossus of Rhodes title: The Sirens of Surrentum title: The Charioteer of Delphi |
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 |
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. |
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 sequel: Grandfather's Dance |
GUT |
Dan Gutman's Baseball Card Adventures (age 9-12) by Dan Gutman historical ... sports With the help of baseball cards and other memorabilia, Joey is able to travel through time to meet some of the greatest sports stars in history. title: Abner & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Babe & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Honus & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Jackie & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Mickey & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Satch & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Shoeless Joe & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure title: Jim and Me: a Baseball Card Adventure |
FLE |
By the Great Horn Spoon!
(age 9-12) by Sid Fleischman historical ... adventure ... enterprise A gentleman's gentleman from Boston flees to the wilds of California during the Gold Rush and becomes a hero. |
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! |
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. |
CUS |
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
(age 9-12) by Karen Cushman growing up ... historical In 1849, a twelve-year-old girl who calls herself Lucy is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a small California mining town, where Lucy helps run a rough boarding house and looks for comfort in books while trying to find a way to get ``home.'' |
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. |
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. |