F STO	Deep Down Popular: a Novel (age 10+) by Phoebe Stone realistic ... school ... friendship Publisher comments: 6th-grader Jessie Lou is deeply, madly, passionately in love with Conrad Parker Smith. Too bad she's a tomboy with only one on-again, off-again friend, and hair so short you can't spit on it. Too bad he's the most popular boy in their small-town school. But then Conrad hurts his leg and suddenly can't keep up with his old pursuits anymore. Jessie Lou and Conrad start spending a lot more time together, but she can't help wonder -- is she just a substitute friend? And will Conrad forget her when his leg brace comes off and he's king of the school once again?
F KIM	The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt (age 10+) by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel friendship ... identity ... school Publisher comments: Moxie Roosevelt Kipper is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary name, but that is about to change. She's starting boarding school, and it's time to reinvent herself, to become worthy of a name like "Moxie." So she tries a bunch of personalities to try to figure out which one suits her best. But she quickly loses track of who she actually is and who she's supposed to be at any given moment! And as Moxie deals with new friendships and new situations, she comes to realize that boarding school is not what it seems and she's not the only one who isn't what she claims to be.
F COO	Gossip from the Girls' Room: a Blogtastic! Novel (age 10+) by Rose Cooper friendship ... school ... letters/journal Publisher comments: Gossip from the Girls' Room fills readers in on all there is to learn about middle school life at Middlebrooke, where Sofia has her very own blog and discusses all the juicy gossip that comes out of the Girls' room; read along to find out just what happens when class is not in session.
F CHO	If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period (age 10+) by Gennifer Choldenko identity ... friendship ... growing up ... school Publisher comments: Kirsten's parents are barely speaking to each other, and her best friend has fallen under the spell of the school's queen bee, Brianna. It seems like only Kirsten's younger science-geek sister is on her side. Walker's goal is to survive at the new white private school his mom has sent him to because she thinks he's going to screw up like his cousin. But he's a good kid. So is his friend Matteo, though no one knows why he’ll do absolutely anything that hot blond Brianna asks of him. But all of this feels almost trivial when Kirsten and Walker discover a secret that shakes them both to the core. Fast paced, marvelously funny, and brutally honest, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period touches on universal truths about human nature.
F SAL	Under the Blood-Red Sun (age 10+) by Graham Salisbury war ... identity ... friendship ... historical Publisher comments: Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan, and came to America to escape poverty. World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, the Rats. But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi's father and grandfather are arrested. It's a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn't change: the loyalty of Tomi's buddies, the Rats.
F SNY	Fool's Gold (age 10+) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder realistic ... adventure ... friendship Publisher comments: For as long as he can remember, people have warned fourteen-year-old Rudy and other kids in the neighborhood not to play in Pyramid Hill's abandoned gold mines. Even Rudy's best friend, Barney, a true daredevil, won't go near those cavernous death traps. That is, until Tyler Lewis moves in from L.A. Ty's determined to go in, and he's got a map.
F PER	Marleen: The Horror Queen (age 10+) by Lila Perl school ... friendship Catalog: After moving to a new neighborhood, Marleen fights those who don't appreciate her by setting herself up as a "ruler of hideous forces" but soon wonders if revenge is what she really wants.
F ADL	That Horse Whiskey (age 10+) by Carole S. Adler friendship ... animals Disappointed when her father cannot fulfill his promise of buying her a horse for her thirteenth birthday, Lainey throws her energy into training a neighbor's cantankerous horse, with whom she soon falls in love.
F AVI	Man From the Sky (age 10+) by Avi friendship ... enterprise ... adventure Everyone knows that Jamie is a dreamer. When he looks up at the sky, instead of clouds he sees knights and dragons from centuries past and fabulous creatures from far-off lands. But one day he looks up and sees something even more incredible: a man in a business suit parachuting from a plane.
F VEG	Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade): A Novel (age 10+) by Denise Vega humor ... school ... letters/journal ... friendship Catalog: Seventh-grader Erin Swift writes about her friends and classmates in her private blog, but when it accidentally gets posted on the school Intranet site, she learns some important lessons about friendship.
F BLE	Hoop Girlz (age 10+) by Lucy Jane Bledsoe friendship ... sports Publisher comments: When ten-year-old River, who is crazy about basketball, is not chosen to play on the A-Team, she decides to play her heart out for the B-Team, a team that proves to be unusually talented.
F HAN	Shug (age 10+) by Jenny Han growing up ... friendship Publisher comments: Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there's nothing worse than being twelve. She's too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there's not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren't acting so dear anymore — especially Mark.
F TOL	Surviving the Applewhites (age 10+) by Stephanie S. Tolan humor ... growing up ... school ... friendship Publisher comments: Will anyone take on Jake Semple? Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state. Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D., a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake. Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze, but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems?
F PIE	Circle of Magic Series (age 10+) by Tamora Pierce adventure ... friendship ... magic ... fantasy Publisher comments: Here begins the tale of Daja, Briar, Tris, and Sandry--four children brought to Winding Cirle Temple for training in crafts and magic. They are outcasts in their homeland. But in this magical place, they are valued and respected for their special powers. title: Sandry's Book title: Tris's Book title: Daja's Book title: Briar's Book
F LUB	Flip (age 10+) by David Lubar friendship ... fantasy ... science fiction Publisher comments: If you could become anyone in the world, who would you be? Did you ever wish you could be anyone else but who you are? Twins Ryan and Taylor do it all the time. Now their dream is about to come true. They've discovered mysterious alien disks that allow they to "flip"--to become legendary heroes from the past. But who?
F VOI	Bad Girls Series (age 10+) by Cynthia Voigt growing up ... friendship ... school Catalog: After meeting on the first day in Mrs. Chemsky's fifth-grade class, Margalo and Mikey help each other in and out of trouble, as they try to maintain a friendship while each asserts her independence. title: Bad Girls title: Bad Girls in Love title: It's Not Easy Being Bad title: Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do?
F ORG	The Devil in Vienna (age 10+) by Doris Orgel friendship ... bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: Inge Dorenwald and Lieselotte Vessely have been best friends for most of their thirteen years. They share secrets, fears, hopes and even the same birthday. It never mattered that Inge was Jewish and that Lieselotte was the daughter of a Nazi SS officer--until now. Hitler and Nazism are infiltrating Vienna, Austria, in 1938 and suddenly it is forbidden for the girls to continue seeing each other. Despite the danger, Inge and Liselotte struggle to keep their friendship alive. But will they be able to do it?
F GLA	Emil and Karl (age 10+) by Jacob Glatstein friendship ... bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: This is a unique work. It is one of the first books written for young readers describing the early days of the event that has since come to be known as the Holocaust. Originally written in Yiddish in 1938, it is one of the most accomplished works of children's literature in this language. It is also the only book for young readers by Glatshteyn, a major American Yiddish poet, novelist, and essayist. Written in the form of a suspense novel, Emil and Karl draws readers into the dilemmas faced by two young boys--one Jewish, the other not--when they suddenly find themselves without families or homes in Vienna on the eve of World War II. Because the book was written before World War II, and before the full revelations of the Third Reich's persecution of Jews and other civilians, it offers a fascinating look at life during this period and the moral challenges people faced under Nazism. It is also a taut, gripping, page-turner of the first order.
F FRE	In the Cards Series (age 10+) by Mariah Fredericks school ... humor ... friendship Publisher comments: What if, for once, the losers won out against the uber-cools? GeekGirl gets GreekGod? It'd turn the school upside down. But that's what Zoe's World, a website that Eberly's eighth-grade girls check out daily, is suggesting. Only Anna, Eve, and Syd know that the cards, the mysterious tarot deck elderly Mrs. Rosemont left Anna (along with a psycho cat, Mouli) are responsible. Or may be responsible...if you believe in that sort of thing. title: Fame title: Love
F HOF	Aquamarine (age 10+) by Alice Hoffman fantasy ... growing up ... friendship Publisher comments: Hailey and Claire are spending their last summer together when they discover something at the bottom of the murky pool at the Capri Beach Club. There in the depths is a mysterious and beautiful creature with a sharp tongue and a broken heart: a mermaid named Aquamarine who has left her six sisters to search for love on land. Now, as this mythological yet very real being starts to fade in the burning August sun, a rescue is begun. On the edge of growing up, during a summer that is the hottest on record, Hailey and Claire are discovering that life can take an unpredictable course, friendship is forever, and magic can be found in the most unexpected places.
F CHO	Sudden Impact (age 10+) by Lesley Choyce friendship ... illness/loss ... sports Publisher comments: The heavy fullback went down right on top of him. I heard this terrifying scream come out of Kurt. Kurt was not usually a screamer. I'd never heard him utter the slightest whimper of pain, ever. He was as tough as they come. A whistle blew. The ball had missed the net. Nobody knew what I knew. I was over the rickety fence and running onto the field. The referee pulled the Fairview goon off of Kurt, but Kurt was still curled over on the grass. Coach Kenner yelled at me to get off the field. He and Jason both came chasing after me. They thought I'd lost my mind. A kid falls down in a soccer game, big deal. But I knew better. When Kurt is hurt in a soccer game and ends up in the hospital Tina tries to help him, but nobody will tell her what is wrong, and Kurt's parents don't want her around. Tina learns that Kurt needs a donor with a rare blood type, and she finds a match in Kurt's soccer rival Jason. Jason agrees to donate his blood to Kurt, but when Kurt disappears from the hospital, the situtation becomes desparate. Then Kurt's rival is in a tragic accident that may change everything.
F BRO	Martyn Pig (age 10+) by Kevin Brooks humor ... friendship ... family ... illness/loss Publisher comments: Meet Martyn Pig. His name may be bad, but his life is worse. His mother is gone, his father hates him, but things can't get any worse--or so he thinks until his father dies in a sudden accident.
F BAU	Stand Tall (age 10+) by Joan Bauer realistic ... growing up ... friendship ... family ... humor Publisher comments: Size matters, but Tree needs convincing. At six feet, three and a half inches, he's the tallest seventh grader in the history of his school, and people expect big things. But he's not good at basketball, he looks much older than he feels, and his parents' divorce is all too new. He copes by helping people like his grandpa, a Vietnam vet who's just had part of a leg amputated, and Sophie, a new girl who's being taunted at school. Taking things apart helps, too. He learned that from Grandpa. And in the process of seeing how lamps get rewired and laser pens work, in Grandpa's powerful memories of the Vietnam War, in helping an old soldier learn to walk again, in Sophie's insistence that Tree be himself, he begins to heal from the divorce and learns to stand tall. But when a flood threatens his home, Tree's newfound confidence is put to the test.
F HEN	Bird Lake Moon (age 10+) by Kevin Henkes illness/loss ... family ... friendship ... spooky Publisher comments: Spencer thought the house might be haunted. Mitch knew it wasn't. And he knew why. The whole time Spencer and Mitch hung out together at Bird Lake that summer, there were secrets keeping them apart. And maybe a secret knowledge keeping them together, too...together like members of the same tribe. Like friends.
F IBB	The Dragonfly Pool (age 10+) by Eva Ibbotson adventure ... friendship ... fantasy Publisher comments: At first Tally doesn't want to go to the boarding school called Delderton. But she soon discovers that it is a wonderful place where freedom and self-expression are valued. Tally organizes a ragtag dance troupe so the school can participate in an international folk dancing festival in Bergania in the summer of 1939. There she befriends Karil, the crown prince, who would love nothing more than to have ordinary friends and attend a school like Delderton. When Karilas father is assassinated, it is up to Tally and her friends to help Karil escape the Nazis and the bleak future he has inherited.
F KAR	Minerva Clark Series (age 10+) by Karen Karbo friendship ... identity ... mystery Publisher comments: Minerva Clark is a typical thirteen-year-old girl: she hates her hair, she hates her legs (which somehow manage to look both too fat and too skinny at the same time), and don't get her started on her gigantor bootie. On top of all this puberty, she's being raised by three older brothers, none of whom really get her. But when a fateful encounter with a lightning storm rewires her sense of self, Minerva Clark becomes anything but a typical teen. With a brazen new attitude and a nose for trouble, Minerva soon finds herself drawn inexplicably to the scene of a murder and determined to track down the killer. If only all the clues weren't pointing so close to someone she knows… title: Minerva Clark Gets a Clue title: Minerva Clark Goes to the Dogs title: Minerva Clark Gives up the Ghost
F MAS	Every Soul a Star: a Novel (age 10+) by Wendy Mass identity ... friendship ... growing up Publisher comments: And as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, I realize that I never saw real beauty until now. At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. It's also were three lives are about to be changed forever: Ally likes the simple things in life--labyrinths, star-gazing, and comet-hunting. Her home, the Moon Shadow campground, is a part of who she is, and she refuses to imagine it any other way. Popular and gorgeous (everybody says so), Bree is a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide? Overweight and awkward, Jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined and making friends in the most unexpected situations. Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.
F KUR	The Storyteller's Beads (age 10+) by Jane Kurtz realistic ... adventure ... historical ... friendship ... bigotry Publisher comments: Rahel knew it was written in the holy books that her people, Ethiopian Jews, would someday return to Jerusalem. But she didn't imagine that the journey would be so difficult. Blinded as a child and now forced to leave her parents, Rahel has only her brother and her grandmother's storytelling beads to guide her on this pilgrimage. Life is no simpler for Sahay, whose family was killed by the raiding military. Now her uncle, her last remaining relative, is rushing her through the night, far away from the only home she's ever known. To make matters worse, there are Falashas, Ethiopian Jews, in their escape party. When soldiers on horseback order the men of the group to return to their villages, Rahel and Sahay must overcome their fear and prejudice. Turning to each other to survive, they discover the power of stories and the healing qualities of friendship.
F MYR	Twelve (age 10+) by Lauren Myracle realistic ... humor ... friendship ... growing up Publisher comments: The only thing more exciting than being eleven . . . is turning twelve! Winnie Perry went through a lot when she was eleven, from shifting friendships to her teenage sister's mood swings. But now that Winnie is twelve and one step closer to being a teenager herself, there is so much more to deal with. Will her new friendship with Dinah last? Can she handle the pressures of junior high? And, most important, will Winnie survive bra shopping (in public!) with Mom? Bestselling author Lauren Myracle again sharply observes a year in the life of a winning young heroine whose humor, daring, and compassion for others is infectious and unforgettable.
F MYR	Thirteen (age 10+) by Lauren Myracle realistic ... humor ... friendship ... growing up Publisher comments: Winnie Perry is a teenager at last! And its a really big deal. A "ginormous" deal, which, wouldnt you know it, brings ginormous problems along with it. Winnies bff #1 is growing up too slowly, while her bff #2 is growing up too fast, leaving Winnie stuck in the middle. Winnies boyfriend, Lars, is fabulous except when he's not. And as for Winnies family, well, BIG changes are in the air. Bestselling author Lauren Myracle concludes her enormously popular trilogy about a winning young heroine whose humor, daring, and compassion for others is infectious and unforgettable.
F WOO	After Tupac and D Foster (age 10+) by Jacqueline Woodson growing up ... illness/loss ... the arts ... friendship Publisher comments: The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend's lives, the world opens up for them. D comes from a world vastly different from their safe Queens neighborhood, and through her, the girls see another side of life that includes loss, foster families and an amount of freedom that makes the girls envious. Although all of them are crazy about Tupac Shakur's rap music, D is the one who truly understands the place where he's coming from, and through knowing D, Tupac's lyrics become more personal for all of them. The girls are thirteen when D's mom swoops in to reclaim Dand as magically as she appeared, she now disappears from their lives. Tupac is gone, too, after another shooting; this time fatal. As the narrator looks back, she sees lives suspended in time, and realizes that even all-too-brief connections can touch deeply.
F BAS	Basketball (or Something Like It) (age 10+) by Nora Raleigh Baskin realistic ... friendship ... family ... sports Publisher comments: Ever since his sudden move from the city to the suburbs, the one place Jeremy feels at home is on the basketball court. But North Bridge is not like any place Jeremy has ever played before. Back home, there would be twenty or thirty kids and maybe three or four balls. He'd wait for a ball, pick a spot, and shoot. Here the kids didn't have to wait at all. Balls were flying everywhere. Jeremy even saw two jerks get hit in the head because there were so many balls. And the parents. They were always there, and there were so many of them, at the clinics, at the tryouts, everywhere. Who's playing anyway? Maybe if Jeremy wasn't displaced and living with his grandmother, he'd feel as though he fit in. Jeremy figures the only way out is to take the car and leave. Just walk away from his teammates, Hank and Nathan, and Anabel. It's just a game, after all, isn't it?
F HOL	When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (age 10+) by Kimberly Willis Holt growing up ... friendship ... historical Publisher comments: Nothing ever happens in Toby's small Texas town. Nothing much until this summer that's full of big changes. It's tough for Toby when his mother leaves home to become a country singer. And Toby takes it hard when his best friend Cal's older brother goes off to fight in Vietnam. But now their sleepy town is about to get an even bigger jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver, billed as the fattest boy in the world. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other, a summer sure to change his life.
F LUP	The Big Field (age 10+) by Mike Lupica action ... friendship ... sports ... family Publisher comments: For Hutch, shortstop has always been home. It's where his father once played professionally, before injuries relegated him to watching games on TV instead of playing them. And it's where Hutch himself has always played and starred. Until now. The arrival of Darryl "D-Will" Williams, the top shortstop prospect from Florida since A-Rod, means Hutch is displaced, in more ways than one. Second base feels like second fiddle, and when he sees his father giving fielding tips to D-Will...the same father who can't be bothered to show up to watch his son play. Hutch feels betrayed. With the summer league championship on the line, just how far is Hutch willing to bend to be a good teammate?
F ABB	Firegirl (age 10+) by Tony Abbott illness/loss ... identity ... friendship Publisher comments: Tom's a normal seventh-grader, negotiating a slightly prickly stage in his long friendship with Jeff...The arrival of new girl Jessica Feeney, however, changes everything; Jessica, who is attending a local hospital for treatment, has been badly burned by a fire, and her terrible disfigurement shocks the class into confusion. This isn't the usual book about adjustment to difference; instead, Abbott brilliantly explores the kids' struggle to manage the intrusion of abnormality in their lives...this is a thoughtful exploration of a brief interlude's lasting impact.
F LOW	Rabble Starkey (age 10+) by Lois Lowry family ... friendship Many things change for twelve-year-old Rabble Starkey, her mother, and her best friend, Veronica Bigelow when Veronica's mother becomes mentally incapacitated and the Starkeys move in with the Bigelows.
F VAN	Flipped (age 10+) by Wendelin Van Draanen humor ... friendship ... growing up The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: "My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss." He says: "It's been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort." But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he's thinking there's more to her than meets the eye, she's thinking that he's not quite all he seemed. This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny new voices. Wendelin Van Draanen is at her best here with a knockout cast of quirky characters and a hilarious series of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But underlying the humor are two teens in transition. They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with.
F TAR	Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree (age 10+) by Lauren Tarshis brilliant protagonist ... friendship ... school Emma-Jean Lazarus is the smartest and strangest girl at William Gladstone Middle School. Her classmates don't understand her, but that's okay because Emma-Jean doesn't quite get them either. But one afternoon, all that changes when she sees Colleen Pomerantz crying in the girl's room. It is through Colleen that Emma-Jean gets a glimpse into what it is really like to be a seventh grader. And what she finds will send her tumbling out of a tree and questioning why she ever got involved in the first place.
F STE	The Mysterious Benedict Society Series (age 10+) by Trenton Lee Stewart friendship ... science fiction ... brilliant protagonist ... adventure ... school "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? title: The Mysterious Benedict Society title: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey title: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
F SPI	Stargirl (age 10+) by Jerry Spinelli growing up ... friendship ... school ... identity In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever. sequel: Love, Stargirl
F MCK	A Friendship for Today (age 10+) by Pat McKissack bigotry ... friendship ... historical In 1954 Missouri, 12-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history as one of the first African-American students to enter the all-white school in her town. When the girl who has shown her the most cruelty becomes an unlikely confidante, Rosemary learns important truths about the power of friendship to overcome prejudice.
F LAS	The Last Girls of Pompeii (age 10+) by Kathryn Lasky friendship ... historical In Pompeii, in the summer of A.D. 79, Julia and Mitka appear to lead opposite lives. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy ship-builder; Mitka is an orphan. Julia bears the Curse of Venusa withered arm; Mitkas beauty turns heads. Julia is free; Mitka is her slave. Then Julia learns that her parents are planning to put her in the service of the Temple of Damia, the center of a cultish new religion, and Mitka will be sold to an awful man who plans to make her his concubine. But when Mt. Vesuvius erupts, Julias and Mitkas fates are forever altered, forcing them both to face the true meaning of freedom.
F KAD	Kira kira (age 10+) by Cynthia Kadohata bigotry ... family ... friendship ... illness/loss kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): glittering; shining. Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering, kira-kira, in the future.
F KAD	Kira-kira (age 10+) by Cynthia Kadohata bigotry ... family ... friendship ... illness/loss kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): glittering; shining. Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering, kira-kira, in the future.
F KAD	Weedflower (age 10+) by Cynthia Kadohata friendship ... bigotry ... historical ... war ... identity Twelve-year-old Sumiko feels her life has been made up of two parts: before Pearl Harbor and after it. The good part and the bad part. Raised on a flower farm in California, Sumiko is used to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Even when the other kids tease her, she always has had her flowers and family to go home to. That all changes after the horrific events of Pearl Harbor. Other Americans start to suspect that all Japanese people are spies for the emperor, even if, like Sumiko, they were born in the United States As suspicions grow, Sumiko and her family find themselves being shipped to an internment camp in one of the hottest deserts in the United States. The vivid color of her previous life is gone forever, and now dust storms regularly choke the sky and seep into every crack of the military barrack that is her new home. Sumiko soon discovers that the camp is on an Indian reservation and that the Japanese are as unwanted there as they'd been at home. But then she meets a young Mohave boy who might just become her first real friend...if he can ever stop being angry about the fact that the internment camp is on his tribe's land.
F KAD	Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam (age 10+) by Cynthia Kadohata historical ... adventure ... friendship ... animals ... war CRACKER IS ONE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY'S MOST VALUABLE WEAPONS: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She's a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too. Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he's going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant (and everyone else who didn't think he was cut out for war) wrong. But sometimes Rick can't help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad's hardware store. When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn't so sure about this new owner. He's going to have to prove himself to her before she's going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive.
F FRE	The Mother-Daughter Book Club (age 10+) by Heather Vogel Frederick authorship ... family ... friendship Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month. But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do? sequel: Much Ado About Anne
F DIC	The Tiger Rising (age 10+) by Kate DiCamillo illness/loss ... growing up ... friendship Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger ... a real-life, very large tiger ... pacing back and forth in a cage. What's more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things ... like memories, and heartaches, and tigers ... can't be locked up forever.
F CHE	My Friend the Enemy (age 10+) by J.B. Cheaney friendship ... bigotry ... historical ... war Hating the Japanese was simple before she met Sogoji. Pearl Harbor was bombed on Hazel Anderson's birthday and she's been on the lookout for enemies ever since. She scours the skies above Mount Hood with her binoculars, hoping to make some crucial observation, or uncover the hideout of enemy spies. But what she discovers instead is a 15-year-old orphan, hiding out, trying to avoid being sent to an internment camp. Sogoji was born in America. He's eager to help Hazel with the war effort. Is this lonely boy really the enemy? In this thought-provoking story of patriotism, loyalty, and belonging, Hazel must decide what it means to be a true American, and a true friend.
F BRY	Beacon Street Girls Series (age 10+) by Annie Bryant friendship Yikes! As if being the new girl isn't bad enough, Charlotte just made the biggest cafeteria blunder in the history of Abigail Adams Junior High. There's no way that Katani, Avery, and Maeve will want anything to do with her now. Can a mysterious landlady, a romantic evening gone wrong, and a cryptic key to nowhere help four very different girls become the best of friends? Or will they remain worst enemies forever? title: Worst Enemies, Best Friends title: Bad News / Good News title: Letters From the Heart title: Out of Bounds title: Promises, Promises title: Lake Rescue title: Freaked Out title: Lucky Charm title: Fashion Frenzy title: Just Kidding title: Ghost Town title: Time's Up title: Charlotte in Paris title: Maeve on the Red Carpet
F BOL	Little Divas (age 10+) by Philana Marie Boles friendship ... family ... growing up THE "GOOD" GIRL: Cassidy has let her parents, her strong-willed cousin and best friend, Rikki, and cruel classmates push her around long enough. Before school starts, she WILL become independent. THE "BAD" GIRL: Rikki also wants independence, mostly from her preacher father and perfect older sister. But secretly she doesn't mind having her goody-goody cousin around to keep her in line. Without Cassidy, it would be easy to go too far. THE "NEW" GIRL: Golden is new to town, and she's got all the freedom she wants. What she needs is a parent to actually listen to her. But at least she has some new friends to help her deal. For all three girls, life is changing fast. If they're going to make it to seventh grade, they'd better summon their inner divas ... because sometimes having a little attitude and a little respect for yourself is the only way to get what you want.
F BLU	Here's to You, Rachel Robinson (age 10+) by Judy Blume brilliant protagonist ... school ... family ... friendship It's the end of seventh grade, and the stress of trying to be perfect is getting to Rachel. She's tired of being the straight-A student on every teacher's wish list. Plus she's busy dealing with her sister's junior prom mishaps, and harboring a secret crush on her brother's tutor. But most importantly, she's working to keep her friendship with Stephanie and Alison strong. Could it be that real life is much more interesting than perfect life? If you're equipped with a good sense of humor, it is!
F BLU	Just as Long as We're Together (age 10+) by Judy Blume school ... family ... friendship Rachel is Stephanie's best friend. Since the second grade they have shared all their secrets, good and bad. So when Alison moves in, Stephanie hopes that the three of them can be best friends because Stephanie really likes Alison. After all, they have even more to share now, including seventh grade and Jeremy Dragon, the cutest boy in junior high. Even though the three of them live in a quiet Connecticut neighborhood, there's a lot going on in their lives. Stephanie wishes her father didn't have to work so far from home and she worries that Rachel's talents will get in the way of their friendship. Rachel and Alison have to deal with the changes in their own lives, yet Stephanie is sure everything will work out fine--"just as long as we're together...."
F BLU	BFF: Best Friends Forever: Two Novels (age 10+) by Judy Blume school ... family ... friendship Contains two novels by Judy Blume including "Just as Long as We're Together," in which Stephanie's relationship with her best friend, Rachel, changes during her first year in junior high as she tries to hide a family problem and meets a new girl from California; and "Here's to You, Rachel Robinson," in which Rachel's life is disrupted when her brother Charles is expelled from boarding school and returns home.
F SNY	The Changeling (age 10+) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder growing up ... friendship Ivy Carson belonged to the notorious Carson family, which lived in a run-down house in suburban Rosewood. But Ivy was not a typical Carson. There was something wonderful about her. Ivy explained it by saying that she was a changeling, a child of supernatural parents who had been exchanged for the real Ivy Carson at birth.
F HEI	Precious Gold, Precious Jade (age 10+) by Sharon Heisel friendship ... historical ... bigotry A young woman befriends a Chinese family despite the racism and fear that overwhelm the residents of her small western mining town at the end of the gold rush.
F FAR	Marrying Malcolm Murgatroyd (age 10+) by Mame Farrell friendship Hannah Billings hates being teased about marrying Malcolm Murgatroyd, the most unpopular and misunderstood boy in her sixth-grade class, until he reveals his true personality when her brother succumbs to muscular dystrophy.
F SAC	The Boy Who Lost His Face (age 10+) by Louis Sachar school ... growing up ... friendship David is only trying to be cool when he helps some of the popular kids steal Old Lady Bayfield's cane. But when the plan backfires, he's the one the "old witch" curses. Now David can't seem to do anything right. Is it the Bayfield curse at work? Or is David simply turning into a total loser?
F HOL	The Broadway Ballplayers (age 10+) by Haureen Holohan friendship ... sports Meet the Ballplayers, a fearless five with a passion for sports, hanging with friends, and life on Broadway Avenue. As the new summer basketball league kicks off, these five friends team up to form the Broadway Ballplayers. But Molly and the others run into some serious competition both on and off the court. Can they bring the championship home to Broadway Avenue? title: The Broadway Ballplayers: Friday Nights by Molly title: The Broadway Ballplayers: Everybody's Favorite by Penny title: The Broadway Ballplayers: Don't Stop by Angel title: The Broadway Ballplayers: Left Out by Rosie title: The Broadway Ballplayers: Sideline Blues by Will
F CON	The Frog Princess of Pelham (age 10+) by Ellen Conford princesses ... friendship ... folklore ... humor When a kiss from Danny turns Chandler, a wealthy but lonely orphan, into a frog, Danny's humorous attempts to change her back into a human land the pair on a television talk show.
F CLI	The Man Who Sang in the Dark (age 10+) by Eth Clifford friendship ... family ... historical Catalog: Ten-year-old Leah, her young brother, and their recently widowed mother begin forging a new life for themselves through friendship with a blind man and the other inhabitants of their boarding house in Philadelphia during the Depression.
F AND	The Bus People (age 10+) by Rachel Anderson identity ... school ... friendship The lives of the passengers on Bertram's "fruit-cake bus" are shaped by the experiences and problems each has faced because of different disabilities.
F YUM	The Friends (age 10+) by Kazumi Yumoto friendship ... illness/loss Curious about death, three sixth-grade boys decide to spy on an old man waiting for him to die, but they end up becoming his friends.
F SCH	Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (age 10+) by Gary D. Schmidt bigotry ... friendship ... historical It only takes a few hours for Turner Buckminster to start hating Phippsburg, Maine. No one in town will let him forget that he's a minister's son, even if he doesn't act like one. But then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart and sassy girl from a poor nearby island community founded by former slaves. Despite his father's-and the town's-disapproval of their friendship, Turner spends time with Lizzie, and it opens up a whole new world to him, filled with the mystery and wonder of Maine's rocky coast.
F HAL	Princess Academy (age 10+) by Shannon Hale princesses ... fantasy ... friendship ... school Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess. Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.
F GOD	Listen to the Nightingale (age 10+) by Rumer Godden friendship ... growing up ... the arts When she wins a scholarship to a famous ballet school, Lottie, an orphan reared by the costume mistress for a London ballet company, is torn between her lifelong dream and her love for other important things her life.
F FLE	Flying Solo (age 10+) by Ralph Fletcher friendship ... school ... illness/loss Rachel, having chosen to be mute following the sudden death of a classmate, shares responsibility with the other sixth-graders who decide not to report that the substitute teacher failed to show up.
F WAU	Space Race (age 10+) by Sylvia Waugh friendship ... family ... science fiction Every night before going to sleep, 11-year-old Thomas Derwent says to his father, "Nallytan, Vateelin mesht." It's the one thing he remembers from the language of The Other Place, and Thomas has never thought much about it. Until now. Now, because his father has told him that they're leaving. Not just the small town in England where they live, but Earth. They're returning to The Other Place, the planet of Ormingat, from which they came five years before. It was so long ago, though, that Thomas can't remember anything about his life there. All he knows is his life on Earth, and he can't imagine leaving the places and people he loves so much. But the only other option is to stay behind. Alone.
F SPI	Crash (age 10+) by Jerry Spinelli family ... friendship ... growing up Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
F SAC	Holes (age 10+) by Louis Sachar humor ... mystery ... friendship Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys ``build character'' by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment, and redemption. sequel: Small Steps
F BYA	The Pinballs (age 10+) by Betsy Cromer Byars growing up ... friendship ... family You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.
F SNY	The Egypt Game (age 10+) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder spooky ... adventure ... friendship The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she's not sure they'll have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard behind the A-Z Antiques and Curio Shop, Melanie and April decide it's the perfect spot for Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians instead of two. Everyone thinks it's just a game, until strange things begin happening to the players. Has the Egypt Game gone too far? sequel: The Gypsy Game
F HEN	Olive's Ocean (age 10+) by Kevin Henkes illness/loss ... growing up ... friendship ``Olive Barstow was dead. She'd been hit by a car on Monroe Street while riding her bicycle weeks ago. That was about all Martha knew.'' Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends. But they weren't, and now all that is left are eerie connections between two girls who were in the same grade at school and who both kept the same secret without knowing it. Now Martha can't stop thinking about Olive. A family summer on Cape Cod should help banish those thoughts; instead, they seep in everywhere.
F FIN	Bad Dreams (age 10+) by Anne Fine spooky ... school ... friendship Despite her preference for books over friends, Melanie gradually becomes involved with a new classmate, and realizes that her her friend has a special gift that is also a burden.
F DOW	Where I'd Like to Be (age 10+) by Frances O'Roark Dowell identity ... friendship ... family A ghost saved twelve-year-old Maddie's life when she was an infant, her Granny Lane claims, so Maddie must always remember that she is special. But it's hard to feel special when you've spent your life shuffled from one foster home to another. She longs for a place to call home. Then one day, a new girl, Murphy, shows up at the Home armed with tales about exotic travels, being able tot fly, and boys who recite poetry to wild horses. When Murphy offers Maddie something she has never had before, Maddie begins to wonder if she has finally found someone who feels like home.
F PAT	The Same Stuff as Stars (age 10+) by Katherine Patterson growing up ... friendship ... family When Angel's self-absorbed mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor great-grandmother, the eleven-year-old girl worries not only about her mother and brother, her imprisoned father, the frail old woman, but also about a mysterious man who begins sharing with her the wonder of the stars.
F TAY	The Cay (age 10+) by Theodore Taylor voyages/journeys ... friendship ... bigotry ... adventure ... historical When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion. sequel: Timothy of the Cay
F SPI	Maniac Magee : a Novel (age 10+) by Jerry Spinelli folklore ... humor ... bigotry ... realistic ... friendship ... sports After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
F PAT	Bridge to Terabithia (age 10+) by Katherine Paterson realistic ... friendship Jess Aaron's greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new kid, a new girl, boldly crosses over to the boys' side of the playground and outruns everyone. That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. It doesn't matter to Jess that Leslie dresses funny, or that her family has a lot of money, but no TV. Leslie has amazing imagination.
F NAY	The Alice Series (age 10+) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor friendship ... school ... identity ... realistic ... growing up Eleven-year-old, motherless Alice decides she needs a gorgeous role model who does everything right. Denied her wish to be in lovely Miss Cole's class, she learns that what she needs is not always what she expects. title: The Agony of Alice title: Achingly Alice title: Alice Alone title: All But Alice title: Alice in Rapture, Sort of title: Alice in April title: Alice in Lace title: Alice the Brave title: Alice in the Know title: Alice on Her Way title: Alice on the Outside title: Dangerously Alice title: The Grooming of Alice title: Including Alice title: Outrageously Alice title: Patiently Alice title: Reluctantly Alice
F LOW	Number the Stars (age 10+) by Lois Lowry survival ... bigotry ... friendship ... historical In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
F HOE	Una Cuestion de Tiempo (age 10+) by Michael Hoeye the arts ... mystery ... adventure ... friendship Hermux Tantamoq is an average mouse who works in his watch shop by day and spends his evenings at home. Nothing extraordinary has ever happened to him, but that changes when Linka Perflinger, daredevil aviatrix, drops off her watch to be repaired and steals his heart. But when a shady-looking rat tries to claim the repaired watch instead of Linka, Hermux knows something's gone wrong. Before long, Hermux is entangled in the convoluted schemes of an eccentric cosmetics tycoon, a sinister plastic surgeon, and a squad of ruthless lab rats. Hermux is caught up in a deadly race against time.
F HOE	Hermux Tantamoq Adventures (age 10+) by Michael Hoeye the arts ... mystery ... adventure ... friendship Hermux Tantamoq is an average mouse who works in his watch shop by day and spends his evenings at home. Nothing extraordinary has ever happened to him, but that changes when Linka Perflinger, daredevil aviatrix, drops off her watch to be repaired and steals his heart. But when a shady-looking rat tries to claim the repaired watch instead of Linka, Hermux knows something's gone wrong. Before long, Hermux is entangled in the convoluted schemes of an eccentric cosmetics tycoon, a sinister plastic surgeon, and a squad of ruthless lab rats. Hermux is caught up in a deadly race against time. title: Time Stops for No Mouse title: The Sands of Time: a [new] Hermux Tantamoq Adventure title: No Time Like Show Time: a Hermux Tantamoq Adventure title: Time to Smell the Roses: a Hermux Tantamoq Adventure
F CRE	Walk Two Moons (age 10+) by Sharon Creech illness/loss ... identity ... growing up ... friendship ... voyages/journeys ... family As Salamanca travels cross-country with her eccentric grandparents, she tells the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a ``potential lunatic,'' and whose mother disappeared--just like Sal's.
F BYN	Molly Moon Series (age 10+) by Georgia Byng identity ... mystery ... magic ... adventure ... friendship ... family Molly Moon is no ordinary orphan. When she finds a mysterious old book on hypnotism, she discovers she can make people do whatever she wants. But a sinister stranger is watching her every move, and he'll do anything to steal her hypnotic secret... title: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism title: Molly Moon Stops the World title: Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure title: Molly Moon, Micky Minus, and the Mind Machine title: Molly Moon and the Morphing Mystery

Sat Aug 25 11:55:25 2012 Other themes and genres