F WEL	Red Moon at Sharpsburg: a Novel (age 10+) by Rosemary Wells survival ... historical ... war Publisher comments: Award-winning author Rosemary Wells lays bare the senseless devastation of war in this stunning novel. As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known. A timeless heroine of inspiring drive and bravery, India holds on to her dream of forging a career in science, unheard-of for a woman, in the face of battle, starvation, and tragic loss. Rarely has the Southern perspective on the war been told so even-handedly for young adults as in this meticulously researched, poignant, and riveting novel.
F DUE	Silence and Lily: 1773 (age 10+) by Kathleen Duey adventure ... animals ... historical Publisher comments: The year is 1773, and in Boston, the tensions between the colonists and the British are heating up. For twelve-year-old Silence, the tensions at home are running high as well. All she wants is a chance to call Lily—a beautiful snow-white mare—her own. But Silence's mother does not think it fitting for a young girl to spend so much time out riding and being reckless. Then, in the days leading up to the dramatic Boston Tea Party, Silence learns that someone has been taking Lily out under the cover of darkness. When the whole family is threatened by the events, Silence begins to worry that if she doesn't do something drastic, she may lose Lily forever.
F CAR	Stealing Freedom (age 10+) by Elisa Carbone bigotry ... adventure ... voyages/journeys ... historical Publisher comments: The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann's family -- the only joy she knows -- is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad.
F BON	Zora and Me (age 10+) by Victoria Bond historical ... adventure ... identity Publisher comments: Whether she’s telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is a riveting storyteller. Her latest creation is a shape-shifting gator man who lurks in the marshes, waiting to steal human souls. But when boastful Sonny Wrapped loses a wrestling match with an elusive alligator named Ghost — and a man is found murdered by the railroad tracks soon after — young Zora’s tales of a mythical evil creature take on an ominous and far more complicated complexion, jeopardizing the peace and security of an entire town and forcing three children to come to terms with the dual-edged power of pretending. Zora’s best friend, Carrie, narrates this coming-of-age story set in the Eden-like town of Eatonville, Florida, where justice isn’t merely an exercise in retribution, but a testimony to the power of community, love, and pride.
F PAR	A Long Walk to Water, a Novel Based on a True Story (age 10+) by Linda Sue Park historical ... survival ... adventure Publisher comments: A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nyas in an astonishing and moving way.
F ALC	Louisa May Alcott's Little Women Books (age 10+) by Louisa May Alcott historical ... growing up ... family Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England. title: Little Women title: Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy title: Jo's Boys title: Little Men: Life at Plumfield With Jo's Boys
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 LAR	Hattie Big Sky (age 10+) by Kirby Larson family ... historical Publisher comments: Alone in the world, teen-aged Hattie is driven to prove up on her uncle's homesteading claim. For years, sixteen-year-old Hattie's been shuttled between relatives. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she courageously leaves Iowa to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim near Vida, Montana. With a stubborn stick-to-itiveness, Hattie faces frost, drought and blizzards. Despite many hardships, Hattie forges ahead, sharing her adventures with her friends — especially Charlie, fighting in France — through letters and articles for her hometown paper. Her backbreaking quest for a home is lightened by her neighbors, the Muellers. But she feels threatened by pressure to be a "Loyal" American, forbidding friendships with folks of German descent. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home.
F ALE	The Gawgon and the Boy (age 10+) by Lloyd Alexander historical ... adventure ... school In Depression-era Philadelphia, when eleven-year-old David is too ill to attend school, he is tutored by the unique and adventurous Aunt Annie, whose teaching combines with his imagination to greatly enrich his life.
F AYR	Stealing South: a Story of the Underground Railroad (age 10+) by Katherine Ayres historical ... adventure ... voyages/journeys Will Spencer's family has always helped slaves passing through on the Underground Railroad. Now, as Will prepares to leave town and seek his fortune as a peddler, he promises a runaway slave that he will steal his older brother out of the South ... an adventure that will take him into the heart of slavery's evil.
F AVI	The Book Without Words: a Fable of Medieval Magic (age 10+) by Avi folklore ... historical ... fantasy ... magic Thorston, an alchemist who has spent his life trying to decipher the secret to immortality contained in the Book Without Words, is on the brink of realizing his dream when he drops dead, leaving Odo, a talking raven, and Sybil, a servant who was about to be sacrificed to Thorston's plan, to reap the rewards of his work.
F AVI	Shadrack's Crossing: a Novel (age 10+) by Avi historical Living on a poor island in 1932, a young boy determines, despite his family's bitter opposition, to identify and somehow bring to justice the liquor smugglers who have been terrorizing the island.
F AIK	Midnight Is a Place (age 10+) by Joan Aiken adventure ... mystery ... historical ... spooky Publisher comments: Lucas Bell is lonely and miserable at Midnight Court, a vast, brooding house owned by his intolerable guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby. When a mysterious carriage brings a visitor to the house, Lucas hopes hes found a friend at last. But the newcomer, Anna Marie, is unfriendly and spoiled—and French. Just when Lucas thinks things cant get any worse, disastrous circumstances force him and Anna Marie, parentless and penniless, into the dark and unfriendly streets of Blastburn.
F CLA	Secrets of Greymoor (age 10+) by Clara Gillow Clark mystery ... historical ... school Publisher comments: In this nineteenth-century mystery, a spunky girl strives to decipher a code in order to recover her familys lost fortune. No one ever talks about Hatties grandfather, whos been hidden in the Utica Insane Asylum ever since he squandered Grandmothers fortune and started hearing voices in the walls. When a telegram arrives with news of Grandfathers death, old wounds are reopened and financial ruin looms once again. But its not until Hattie intercepts a threatening notice from the tax collector that she realizes theyre in danger of losing everything including the family estate. A mysterious book containing a code written by Grandfather leads Hattie to believe that Grandmothers fortune may not be lost after all, however, and though she works feverishly to crack the code, every step forward leads to another riddle. Are the contents of the book simply the ravings of a madman, or is it possible that there was more to Grandfather than met the eye?
F JAR	The Deptford Histories Series (age 10+) by Robin Jarvis adventure ... action ... historical ... spooky ... fantasy Publisher comments: The year is 1664 when young Will Godwin comes to London. In order to survive, he becomes an assistant to a wicked alchemist, Elias Theophratus Spittle. On an errand one freezing night, Will finds a mother cat and her three kittens, and brings the family back to his master's lab. Among the bubbling bottles and evil smelling jars of his master's apothecary shop unfolds an extraordinary tale of villainy, sorcery, and murder. title: The Alchemist's Cat title: The Oaken Throne title: Thomas
F JAR	The Deptford Mice Trilogy (age 10+) by Robin Jarvis adventure ... historical ... spooky ... fantasy Publisher comments: In the British tradition of Redwall comes this trilogy that is sure to capture fans both young and old. In the sewers of Deptford, there lurks a dark presence that fills the tunnels with fear. The rats worship it in the blackness and name it "Jupiter, Lord of All." Into this twilight realm wanders a small and frightened mouse, the unwitting trigger of a chain of events that hurtles the Deptford mice into a world of heroic adventure and terror. title: The Dark Portal title: The Crystal Prison title: The Final Reckoning
F HAN	The Healer's Keep (age 10+) by Victoria Hanley historical ... school ... fantasy Publisher comments: Something is threatening the legendary Healer’s Keep, where students gifted in the healing arts are trained. Will they learn enough in time to keep the darkness at bay? Or will the Shadow King turn their gifts against them and once again walk the world?
F UPD	The Montmorency Series (age 10+) by Eleanor Updale mystery ... action ... adventure ... historical Publisher comments: When a petty thief falls through a glass roof while fleeing from the police, it should have been the death of him. Instead, it marks the beginning of a whole new life. Soon he has become the most successful...and elusive...burglar in Victorian London, plotting daring raids and using London's new sewer system to escape. He adopts a dual existence to fit his new lifestyle, taking on the roles of a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency and his corrupt servant, Scarper. title: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? title: Montmorency on the Rocks: Doctor, Aristocrat, Murderer? title: Montmorency and the Assassins title: Montmorency's Revenge
F SPI	Milkweed: A Novel (age 10+) by Jerry Spinelli bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham. He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he's a boy who realizes it's safest of all to be nobody. Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable...Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II...and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan.
F SCH	Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness (age 10+) by Gary Schmidt folklore ... bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: A testament to the power of stories, and how they may bring hope even in times of darkness. As night falls, the women gather their children to listen to Mara tell her stories. They are stories of light and hope and freedom, stories of despair and stories of miracles, stories of expected pain and stories of unexpected joy--all told in the darkness of the concentration camp barracks. Gary Schmidt has skillfully woven together stories from such sources as the Jewish religious scholar, Martin Buber; Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel; and folklorists, Steve Zeitlin and Yaffa Eliach. Combining lore of the past with tales born in the concentration camps, Mara's stories speak to us from a time that must never be forgotten.
F ORL	Run, Boy, Run: A Novel (age 10+) by Uri Orlev adventure ... bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical ... identity Publisher comments: "'Srulik, there's no time. I want you to remember what I'm going to tell you. You have to stay alive. You have to! Get someone to teach you how to act like a Christian, how to cross yourself and pray. . . . The most important thing, Srulik,' he said, talking fast, 'is to forget your name. Wipe it from your memory. . . . But even if you forget everything, even if you forget me and Mama—never forget that you're a Jew.'" And so, at only eight years old, Srulik Frydman says goodbye to his father for the last time and becomes Jurek Staniak, an orphan on the run in the Polish countryside at the height of the Holocaust. With the danger of capture by German soldiers ever-present, Jurek must fight against starvation, the punishing Polish winters, and widespread anti-Semitism as he desperately searches for refuge. Told with the unflinching honesty and unique perspective of such a young child, Run, Boy, Run is the extraordinary account of one boy's struggle to stay alive in the face of almost insurmountable odds, a story all the more incredible because it is true.
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 NAP	Stones in Water (age 10+) by Donna Jo Napoli bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: When Roberto sneaks off to see a movie in his Italian village, German soldiers raid the theater and pack them onto a train bound for a work camp. Roberto and his best friend, Samuele, vow to stick together. But Samuele has a terrible secret which, if discovered, could get them both killed.
F LAS	The Night Journey (age 10+) by Kathryn Lasky bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: Thirteen-year-old Rachel dreads the afternoons she has to spend with her great- grandmother, Nana Sashie-until Sashie begins to reminisce about her childhood in Russia and Rachel finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of memories. As the events and characters of Sashie's past come to life, Rachel discovers a distant country and time, a time when Jews were forced to serve in the Czar's armies or were murdered in pogroms, a time when nine-year-old Sashie devised a wonderful plan to save her family from danger. . . .
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 DRU	Jacob's Rescue: A Holocaust Story (age 10+) by Malka Drucker bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: Once Jacob Gutgeld lived with his family in a beautiful house in Warsaw, Poland. He went to school and played hide-and-seek in the woods with his friends. But everything changed the day the Nazi soldiers invaded in 1939. Suddenly it wasn't safe to be Jewish anymore.
F CHE	Marika (age 10+) by Andrea Cheng bigotry ... war ... survival ... historical ... identity Publisher comments: Marika has a Jewish heritage but she's a practicing Catholic. Although her father says religion is unimportant, he advises her not to act so Jewish. It's not a good time to be Jewish in Budapest. Marika has heard bits and pieces about the war, and knows about bad things happening to Jews in other countries. But she's convinced that those horrible acts cannot happen near her home. She's more concerned about surviving her parents' separation. By the time Marika is 11 years old, she has helped her father and uncle forge identity papers that will prove they are not a Jewish family. When Hungary is eventually occupied by the Nazis, Marika and her mother are taken away to a school where all Jewish people are gathered. Marika's father bribes a man to buy her freedom but not her mother's. The Jewish Holocaust in Budapest is characterized by its late and swift occurrence. Marika's story reflects these tragic events.
F HUR	The Unsigned Valentine: and Other Events in the Life of Emma Meade (age 10+) by Johanna Hurwitz realistic ... family ... historical Publisher comments: At fifteen, Emma Meade is old enough for just about anything. Old enough to leave school, old enough to help around the farm, and old enough to notice when handsome Cole Berry takes an interest in her. But is fifteen old enough to fall in love? Emma's father doesn't think so, and when Cole starts spending time with her, Papa forbids Emma to see him again. Will Cole wait for Emma to grow up? Or will he turn his attentions elsewhere? This heartwarming story by Johanna Hurwitz transports readers to the countryside of Vermont in 1911, where the Meade family battles harsh weather and endures good and bad times together. Old friends of Emma's, who met her in Faraway Summer, will be delighted to read more about her life, while new friends will relish this warm, genuine romance.
F CHO	Year of Impossible Goodbyes (age 10+) by Sook Nyul Choi adventure ... bigotry ... historical Catalog: A young Korean girl survives the oppressive Japanese and Russian occupation of North Korea during the 1940s, to later escape to freedom in South Korea.
F BRU	Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two (age 10+) by Joseph Bruchac adventure ... math/science/technology ... war ... historical Publisher comments: The United States is at war, and sixteen-year-old Ned Begay wants to join the cause, especially when he hears that Navajos are being specifically recruited by the Marine Corps. So he claims he's old enough to enlist, breezes his way through boot camp, and suddenly finds himself involved in a top-secret task, one that's exclusively performed by Navajos. He has become a code talker. Now Ned must brave some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with his native Navajo language as code, send crucial messages back and forth to aid in the conflict against Japan. His experiences in the Pacific, from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima and beyond, will leave him forever changed.
F BEL	Nick of Time (age 10+) by Ted Bell war ... science fiction ... action ... adventure ... survival ... historical Publisher comments: In the grand tradition of epic novels like Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island comes a wondrous tale of time travel, adventure, and riches, in which twelve-year-old Nick McIver sets out to become "the hero of his own life." The setting is England, 1939, on the eve of war. Nick and his younger sister, Kate, live in a lighthouse on the smallest of the Channel Islands. Nick and Kate come to the aid of their father who is engaged in a desperate war of espionage with German U-boat wolf packs that are circling the islands. The information they provide to Winston Churchill is vital as he tries to warn England of the imminent Nazi invasion. One day Nick discovers an old sea chest, left for him by his ancestor, Captain Nicholas McIver of the Royal Navy. Inside, he finds a time machine and a desperate plea for help from the captain. He uses the machine to return to the year 1805. Captain McIver and, indeed, Admiral Nelson's entire fleet are threatened by the treachery of the French and the mutinous Captain Billy Blood. Nick must reach deep inside, using his wits, courage, and daring to rescue the imperiled British sailors. His sister, Kate, meanwhile, has enlisted the aid of two of England's most brilliant "scientific detectives," Lord Hawke and Commander Hobbes, to thwart the invading Nazis. She and Nick must face England's underwater enemies, a challenge made all the more difficult when they discover the existence of Germany's supersecret submarine. In this striking adventure, Nick must fight ruthless enemies across two different centuries, on land and sea, to help defeat those determined to destroy his home and his family.
F DUR	The Beaded Moccasins: The Story of Mary Campbell (age 10+) by Lynda Durrant identity ... historical Publisher comments: May 11, 1759. On the morning of Mary Campbell's 12th birthday, her life takes a terrifying turn for the worse. She is kidnapped by the fearsome Delaware Indians and taken from her family in Pennsylvania, all the way to Delaware on foot. Mary refuses to adopt any of the Delaware ways and holds on to the memory of her family as tightly as she does her dreams for escape. But in order to survive, Mary pretends to be learning and not planning her escape. As the seasons change, Mary realizes with surprise that she is no longer pretending. When the chance comes for Mary to leave, she is not sure that she wants to return to her old life. Is she Mary Campbell or Woman-Who-Saved-The-Corn?
F DUR	My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier (age 10+) by Lynda Durrant identity ... historical Publisher comments: Jennie Hodgers dressed as a boy for the first time in order to help support her impoverished Irish family with a shepherd’s wages. Then her arrival in America confirmed her belief that the world offers better opportunities to young men than to young women. So Jennie maintained her outward identity as Albert Cashier, serving as a grocery clerk in Queens, New York; as a farmhand in Ohio; and as a recruit in the 95th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. Not only did she survive three years in combat with her true identity undiscovered, she chose to continue living as Albert for nearly all of her life. Combining careful research with vivid insight, Lynda Durrant portrays Albert Cashier as a soldier who served his adopted country and his comrades with loyalty and heroism, and Jennie Hodgers as a woman of a woman of astonishing strength, courage, and adaptability...a woman sometimes at war with her own secrets.
F ELL	Give Me Liberty (age 10+) by L. M. Elliott historical Publisher comments: For thirteen-year-old Nathaniel, an indentured servant in colonial Virginia, life is hard. Though things improve with the help of a kind master named Basil (who shares music, books, and philosophies on equality) around him the climate is heating up. It's 1775 and colonists are enraged by England's taxation. Patrick Henry's words "give me liberty, or give me death" become the sounding call and the American Revolution is about to errupt. Nathaniel and Basil must make a choice about joining the fight and face a larger conundrum about the true meaning of liberty.
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 RIN	The Redheaded Princess: A Novel (age 10+) by Ann Rinaldi princesses ... historical Publisher comments: Growing up, Elizabeth fears she can never be Queen. Although she is the King's daughter, no woman can ever hope to rule over men in England, especially when her mother has been executed for treason. For all her royal blood, Elizabeth's life is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Sometimes she is welcome in the royal court; other times she is cast out into the countryside. With her position constantly changing, the Princess must navigate a sea of shifting loyalties and dangerous affections. At stake is her life, for beheading is not uncommon among the factions that war for the Crown. With the vivid human touch that has made her one of the foremost writers of historical fiction, Ann Rinaldi brings to life the heart and soul of the young Elizabeth I. It's a portrait of a great leader as she may have been as she found her way to the glorious destiny that lay before her.
F COM	Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (age 10+) by Ying Chang Compestine family ... growing up ... historical Publisher comments: Nine-year-old Ling is very comfortable in her life; her parents are both dedicated surgeons in the best hospital in Wuhan. But when Comrade Li, one of Mao's political officers, moves into a room in their apartment, Ling begins to witness the gradual disintegration of her world. In an atmosphere of increasing mistrust, Ling fears for the safety of her neighbors and, soon, for herself and family. Over the course of four years, Ling manages to grow and blossom, even as she suffers more horrors than many people face in a lifetime.
F COO	Victory (age 10+) by Susan Cooper voyages/journeys ... adventure ... historical Publisher comments: Sam Robbins is a farm boy, kidnapped to serve on HMS Victory, the ship on which Lord Nelson will die a hero's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Molly Jennings is a twenty-first-century English girl transplanted to the United States by her stepfather's job, who's fighting her own battle against loss and loneliness. Two lives that couldn't be more different, two hundred years apart, are linked by a tiny scrap of fraying cloth, tucked into an old book. It draws Molly into Sam's world, to a moment in time that changed history, a frightening shared moment that holds the key to secrets from the past and hope for the future.
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 WYN	Rex Zero and the End of the World (age 10+) by Tim Wynne-Jones family ... historical ... growing up Eleven-year-old Rex and his family move from Ottawa from Vancouver in the summer of 1962 when it seems everyone is nervous about the possibility of nuclear war between America and Russia, but his thoughts about the possible end of the world take second place to the mystery creature hiding out in the local park.
F WYN	Rex Zero, King of Nothing (age 10+) by Tim Wynne-Jones family ... historical ... growing up Rex-Norton-Norton, an eleven-year-old boy living in Ottawa in 1962, faces several confusing mysteries, including his father's troubling secrets from World War II, the problems of a beautiful but unhappy woman named Natasha, what to do about his mean and vindictive teacher, and whether or not he should even be concerned about such things.
F PEC	Fair Weather: a Novel (age 10+) by Richard Peck family ... humor ... historical In 1893, thirteen-year-old Rosie and members of her family travel from their Illinois farm to Chicago to visit Aunt Euterpe and attend the World's Columbian Exposition which, along with an encounter with Buffalo Bill and Lillian Russell, turns out to be a life-changing experience for everyone.
F YEP	Dragon's Gate (age 10+) by Laurence Yep adventure ... historical When he accidentally kills a Manchu, a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy is sent to America to join his father, an uncle, and other Chinese working to build a tunnel for the transcontinental railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1867.
F CLI	A Month of Seven Days (age 10+) by Shirley Climo war ... adventure ... historical When twelve-year-old Zoe's Georgia home is taken over by Union soldiers, she uses all her ingenuity to drive them away.
F LEW	Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze (age 10+) by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis growing up ... historical When Young Fu arrives with his mother in bustling 1920s Chungking, all he has seen of the world is the rural farming village where he has grown up. He knows nothing of city life. But the city, with its wonders and dangers, fascinates the 13-year-old boy, and he sets out to make the best of what it has to offer him.
F WOL	Someone Named Eva (age 10+) by Joan Wolf war ... bigotry ... historical ... identity On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Milada’s grandmother says, "Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always." Milada promises, but she doesn’t understand her grandmother’s words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget? Then the Nazis take Milada away from her family and send her to a Lebensborn center in Poland. There, she is told she fits the Aryan ideal: her blond hair and blue eyes are the right color; her head and nose, the right size. She is given a new name, Eva, and trained to become the perfect German citizen, to be the hope of Germany's future, and to forget she was ever a Czech girl named Milada. Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda and movingly portrays a young girl's struggle to hold on to her identity and her hope in the face of a regime intent on destroying both.
F WIN	Counting on Grace (age 10+) by Elizabeth Winthrop school ... historical 1910. Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must leave school and go to work as a “doffers” on their mothers’ looms in the mill. Grace’s mother is the best worker, fast and powerful, and Grace desperately wants to help her. But she’s left handed and doffing is a right-handed job. Grace’s every mistake costs her mother, and the family. She only feels capable on Sundays, when she and Arthur receive special lessons from their teacher. Together they write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in Pownal. A few weeks later a man with a camera shows up. It is the famous reformer Lewis Hine, undercover, collecting evidence for the Child Labor Board. Grace’s brief acquaintance with Hine and the photos he takes of her are a gift that changes her sense of herself, her future, and her family’s future.
F SPR	The Enola Holmes Mystery Series (age 10+) by Nancy Springer historical ... mystery A new series featuring Sherlock Holmes' much-younger sister Enola begins. When her mother disappears, Enola is determined to find her and sets out to the heart of London. There Enola becomes involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess. title: The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery title: The Case of the Lefthanded Lady: An Enola Holmes Mystery title: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery title: The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: An Enola Holmes Mystery title: The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan: An Enola Holmes Mystery
F SCH	The Wednesday Wars (age 10+) by Gary Schmidt school ... humor ... growing up ... historical Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn't like Holling, he's sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation...the Big M...in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.
F SCH	A Drowned Maiden's Hair: a Melodrama (age 10+) by Laura Amy Schlitz spooky ... historical Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence. So when the charming Miss Hyacinth chooses her to take home, the girl is pleased but baffled, until it becomes clear that she's needed to help stage elaborate seances for bereaved patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a secret child, she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience --- until a shocking betrayal shows just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with fascinating details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively novel features a feisty heroine whom readers will not soon forget.
F ROY	Yellow Star (age 10+) by Jennifer Rozines Roy bigotry ... survival ... war ... family ... historical From 1939, when Syvia is four and a half years old, to 1945 when she has just turned ten, a Jewish girl and her family struggle to survive in Poland's Lodz ghetto during the Nazi occupation.
F PEC	On the Wings of Heroes (age 10+) by Richard Peck war ... growing up ... historical Davy Bowman's brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy's brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy's homefront boyhood. There's an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad's heart. It's an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry. Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Peck's very finest novels, an unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a family's love.
F PAU	The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West (age 10+) by Gary Paulsen adventure ... historical Born into slavery, Bass Reeves became the most successful US Marshal of the Wild West. Many "heroic lawmen" of the Wild West, familiar to us through television and film, were actually violent scoundrels and outlaws themselves. But of all the sheriffs of the frontier, one man stands out as a true hero: Bass Reeves. He was the most successful Federal Marshal in the US in his day. True to the mythical code of the West, he never drew his gun first. He brought hundreds of fugitives to justice, was shot at countless times, and never hit. Bass Reeves was a black man, born into slavery. And though the laws of his country enslaved him and his mother, when he became a free man he served the law, with such courage and honor that he became a legend.
F PAT	Bread and Roses, Too (age 10+) by Katherine Paterson survival ... family ... historical Rosas mother is singing again, for the first time since Papa died in an accident in the mills. But instead of filling their cramped tenement apartment with Italian lullabies, Mamma is out on the streets singing union songs, and Rosa is terrified that her mother and older sister, Anna, are endangering their lives by marching against the corrupt mill owners. After all, didnt Miss Finch tell the class that the strikers are nothing but rabble-rousers, an uneducated, violent mob? Suppose Mamma and Anna are jailed or, worse, killed? What will happen to Rosa and little Ricci? When Rosa is sent to Vermont with other children to live with strangers until the strike is over, she fears she will never see her family again. Then, on the train, a boy begs her to pretend that he is her brother. Alone and far from home, she agrees to protect him...even though she suspects that he is hiding some terrible secret.
F MOW	The Guild Trilogy (age 10+) by Joshua Mowll historical ... letters/journal ... action ... adventure A sister and brother's search for their missing parents uncovers a mysterious secret society in an action-filled sea-and-land saga centered in 1920s Shanghai. For Joshua Mowll, it was the surprise of a lifetime. There, among the archives inherited from his great-aunt Rebecca MacKenzie, was a 1920s journal recounting the thrilling and dangerous adventures of fifteen-year-old Rebecca and her younger brother, Doug, in the wake of their parents' mysterious disappearance in the deserts of China. Now carefully re-created, the siblings' tale begins aboard the Expedient, their uncle's enigmatic research ship, and moves at a breathless pace through the streets of Shanghai and on to a terrifying island fortress. Along the way, Doug and Becca encounter an ancient order of Chinese mercenaries, a brutal pirate warlord, a feisty Texan heiress, and a stolen cache of a volatile explosive called zoridium. By their saga's end, the intrepid duo has exposed a murderous plot involving their parents and uncovered a high-minded secret society hidden from the world for hundreds of years. title: Operation Red Jericho title: Operation Typhoon Shore title: Operation Storm City
F MIL	Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller (age 10+) by Sarah Elizabeth Miller enterprise ... historical Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job: teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire. For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer.
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 MAS	Young Founders Series (age 10+) by Elizabeth Massie historical America comes of age...as seen through the eyes of its young founders. Stories of hardship, ambiguity, and ultimately deciding what to fight for and what to resist. title: 1870: Not With Our Blood: A Novel of the Irish in America title: 1609: Winter of the Dead: A Novel About the Founding of Jamestown title: 1683: A House Divided: A Novel of the Civil War title: 1776: Son of Liberty: A Novel of the American Revolution
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	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 FLE	Walk Across the Sea (age 10+) by Susan Fletcher historical ... bigotry The first time Eliza sees Wah Chung, he is squatting beside some rocks on the pathway to her island. Eliza's island is the one on which the lighthouse (operated and maintained by her father) stands, sending its beacon of safety to ships at sea. The pathway to the island is a treacherous one, engulfed by water when the tide is high, passable only when the tide is low and reveals the secret life of the sea on the rocks and in the pools that remain. Although Eliza is careful to avoid Wah Chung as he paints among the rocks (after all, he is a Chinaman), when a "sneaker wave" approaches the passage, it is Wah Chung who warns her and then rescues Eliza's goat, Parthenia, before both are swept away. It is a simple act of kindness, but one that causes Eliza to doubt many things. Are the Celestials, as the Chinese immigrants are called, such a threat to their small town? Are they really heathens, as her father claims? And what should she do when the townspeople conspire to expel these people forcibly? How will Eliza act, in the face of her father's strong beliefs and his duties as the lighthouse keeper, when Wah Chung comes to her for help in return?
F COU	The Misadventures of Maude March, or, Trouble Rides a Fast Horse (age 10+) by Audrey Couloumbis adventure ... historical The papers call Maude notorious. But 12-year-old Sallie knows her big sister didn't do the things the stories say . . . not on purpose anyway. In fact, she and Maude have made a fresh start and are trying to live on the up-and-up. But just when the girls are settling into their new life, Maude is arrested ... and before you can say "jailbreak," the orphaned sisters are back on the run! Sequel to The Misadventures of Maude March.
F COU	Maude March on the Run! Or, Trouble is Her Middle Name (age 10+) by Audrey Couloumbis adventure ... historical Eleven-year-old Sallie March is a whip-smart tomboy and voracious reader of Western adventure novels. When she and her sister Maude escape their self-serving guardians for the wilds of the frontier, they begin an adventure the likes of which Sallie has only read about. This time however, the "wanted woman" isn't a dime-novel villian, it's Sallie's very own sister! What follows is not the lies the papers printed, but the honest-to-goodness truth of how two sisters went from being orphans to being outlaws ... and lived to tell the tale!
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 CAR	Blood on the River: James Town 1607 (age 10+) by Elisa Carbone historical Traveling to the New World in 1606 as the page to Captain John Smith, twelve-year-old orphan Samuel Collier settles in the new colony of James Town, where he must quickly learn to distinguish between friend and foe.
F BLO	Letters From the Corrugated Castle: a novel of Gold Rush California, 1850-1852 (age 10+) by Joan W. Blos adventure ... letters/journal ... historical "Dear Cousin Sallie, I begin with words I never thought to write: I am not an orphan!" Thirteen-year-old Eldora has always believed that her mother died when she was very little, and for nine years she has lived with people that she calls Aunt and Uncle. The year is 1850, and all three have exchanged their quiet lives in New Bedford, Massachusetts, for new ones in San Francisco, the rapidly growing city that is the heart of the California Gold Rush. Shortly after their arrival, they receive a letter from an unknown woman who believes she is Eldora's mother. She is eager to meet her long-lost daughter, and a visit is arranged. As Eldora deals with her conflicting feelings about this news, she must also adjust to the challenges ... and dangers ... of living in a brash and growing city. She finds herself teaching English to two Mexicano children and beginning to learn Spanish, and an unlikely friendship with a boy named Luke introduces her to the hard, sometimes humorous, and often violent world of the mining camps. Every day seems to bring something different and new to consider. But can Eldora discover where ... and to whom ... she belongs?
F BLO	Brothers of the Heart: a Story of the Old Northwest, 1837-1838 (age 10+) by Joan W. Blos letters/journal ... adventure ... growing up ... survival ... historical Fourteen-year-old Shem spends six months in the Michigan wilderness alone with a dying Indian woman, who helps him, not only to survive, but to mature to the point where he can return to his family and the difficulties of life as a cripple in a frontier village.
F AVI	The Seer of Shadows (age 10+) by Avi historical ... spooky The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Horace Carpetine has been raised to believe in science and rationality. So as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer, he thinks of his trade as a scientific art. But when wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht orders a photographic portrait, strange things begin to happen. Horace's first real photographs reveal a frightful likeness: it's the image of the Von Machts' dead daughter, Eleanora. Pegg, the Von Machts' black servant girl, then leads him to the truth about who Eleanora really was and how she actually died. Joined in friendship, Pegg and Horace soon realize that his photographs are evoking both Eleanora's image and her ghost. Eleanora returns, a vengeful wraith intent on punishing those who abused her.
F YOL	The Devil's Arithmetic (age 10+) by Jane Yolen identity ... war ... historical Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder ... she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942, where she becomes caught up in the tragedy of the time.
F YOL	Sword of the Rightful King: a Novel of King Arthur (age 10+) by Jane Yolen fantasy ... adventure ... historical ... knights/castles/dragons ... magic The newly crowned King Arthur is unsure of himself; worse, the people are unsure of him. Too many people want the throne, and treachery is everywhere. Merlin must do something before the king is betrayed, or murdered, or--worst of all--gets married. So Merlin magically places a sword into a slab of rock, lets it be known that whosoever removes the blade will rule all of England, and invites any man who would dare, to try to pull out the sword. After a bit of showmanship, Arthur will draw the blade (with a little magical help, of course), and the people will rally around the young king. Except someone else pulls the sword out first. . . .
F GRE	Out of Many Waters (age 10+) by Jacqueline Dembar Greene bigotry ... family ... adventure ... historical Kidnapped from their parents during the Portuguese Inquisition and sent to work as slaves at a monastery in Brazil, two Jewish sisters attempt to make their way back to Europe to find their parents, but instead one becomes part of a group founding the first Jewish settlement in the United States.
F SNY	And Condors Danced (age 10+) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder historical ... growing up ... illness/loss The year Carly turns eleven, 1907, is filled with playing detective, watching condors, observing a fierce feud involving her family's Southern California ranch, and coping with unexpected tragedies.
F LAT	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (age 10+) by Jean Lee Latham brilliant protagonist ... voyages/journeys ... math/science/technology ... historical Readers today are still fascinated by "Nat," an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor's world ... Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn't promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by "log, lead, and lookout." Nat's long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the "Sailors' Bible"), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero.
F KRE	The Printer's Apprentice (age 10+) by Stephen Krensky authorship ... historical In 1735 in New York City, a young printer's apprentice learns about the importance of freedom of speech when the printer Peter Zenger is arrested and tried for writing articles criticizing the government.
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 DOY	Uncle Ronald (age 10+) by Brian Doyle illness/loss ... family ... historical Humor and tragedy merge in this story of a family, and a culture, in crisis. At 112, Mickey McGuire is Canada's oldest citizen, but he remembers with perfect clarity the events beginning in Ottawa in 1895. That year, without investigating the cause of his daily fainting spells, school authorities decide that 12-year-old Mickey should stay home. But home is a problematic place, the site of frequent beatings of Mickey and his mother by his violent alcoholic father. Determined to spare her son further trauma, Mickey's mother sends him to stay on her family's farm run by her brother and twin sisters. Strong and tender, Uncle Ronald is wise in the ways of horses, geese, and men.
F DOH	Street Child (age 10+) by Berlie Doherty survival ... historical ... school A novel based on the life of Jim Jarvis, a young orphan who escapes the workhouse in London in the 1860s and survives brutal treatment and desparate circumstances until he is taken by Dr. Barnardo, founder of a school for the city's ragged children.
F DEF	Lostman's River (age 10+) by Cynthia C. DeFelice adventure ... historical ... nature Lostman's River is home to Tyler MacCauley and his family, just as it is to thousands of birds and other wildlife that share Nature's piece of the Earth. But greed and profit have brought great danger into the swampland. And when Tyler and his family dare to trust a stranger, they find out, to their horror, that they have jeopardized not only the land and all who live there, but their own future as well.
F DUB	Abenaki Captive (age 10+) by Muriel Dubois adventure ... historical In 1752, nineteen-year-old Abenaki warrior Ogistin is present when a band of his people capture an English trapper, John Stark, and as Stark is carried into captivity in Canada a bond of hate and competition develops between him and Ogistin.
F FOX	One-Eyed Cat: a Novel (age 10+) by Paula Fox growing up ... animals ... historical Ned fired the forbidden rifle just once, at a flickering shadow in the autumn moonlight. But someone ... a face, fleetingly seen staring at him from an attic window ... was watching. And when a one-eyed cat turns up at an elderly neighbor's woodshed, Ned is caught in a web of guilt, fear, and shame that he cannot escape ... until another moonlit night, come spring, brings redemption and surprising revelations.
F FRI	Early Thunder (age 10+) by Jean Fritz growing up ... historical Traces a youth's growth to maturity as he resolves his political conflicts in pre-revolutionary Salem, a center of high feeling between the British and colonists.
F HOL	Penny From Heaven (age 10+) by Jennifer Holm growing up ... family ... historical As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death. It's 1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and baseball. But nothing's that easy in Penny's family. For starters, she can't go swimming because her mother's afraid she'll catch polio at the pool. To make matters worse, her favorite uncle is living in a car. Her Nonny cries every time her father's name is mentioned. And the two sides of her family aren't speaking to each other!
F KAR	Oh Those Harper Girls! or, Young and Dangerous (age 10+) by Kathleen Karr enterprise ... humor ... historical In West Texas in 1869, Lily and her five older sisters participate in a series of misguided schemes to save their father's ranch.
F LAW	Lord of the Nutcracker Men (age 10+) by Iain Lawrence family ... historical ... war Ten-year-old Johnny eagerly plays at war with the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. He demolishes imaginary foes. But in 1914 Germany looms as the real enemy of Europe, and all too soon Johnny's father is swept up in the war to end all wars. He proudly enlists with his British countrymen to fight at the front in France. The war, though, is nothing like what any soldier or person at home expected. The letters that arrive from Johnny's dad reveal the ugly realities of combat ... and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious fights. But when these games seem to foretell his dad's real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father's fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man's land, and the outcome of the war itself.
F LYO	Letters From a Slave Girl the Story of Harriet Jacobs (age 10+) by Mary E. Lyons letters/journal ... historical ... survival Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery; it's the only life she has ever known. Now, with the death of her mistress, there is a chance she will be given her freedom, and for the first time Harriet feels hopeful. But hoping can be dangerous, because disappointment is devastating. Harriet has one last hope, though: escape to the North. And as she faces numerous ordeals, this hope gives her the strength she needs to survive.
F DEF	The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (age 10+) by Daniel Defoe historical ... adventure ... survival This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... Consistently popular since its first publication in 1719, Daniel Defoe's story of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal.
F DEF	Robinson Crusoe (age 10+) by Daniel Defoe historical ... adventure ... survival This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... Consistently popular since its first publication in 1719, Daniel Defoe's story of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal.
F FOX	The Slave Dancer (age 10+) by Paula Fox historical Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo.
F LEN	Strawberry Girl (age 10+) by Lois Lenski historical Birdie Boyer and her hard working family raise strawberries in Florida, but have to face the dislike of their neighbors.
F CON	Prairie Songs (age 10+) by Pam Conrad historical ... identity Luisa loves the Nebraska prairie, the only home she's ever known. It's a lonely place, but it's the wonderful kind of loneliness that comes of stillness and open sky and oneness with the land. A different kind of beauty enters Louisa's world when the new doctor and his wife, Emmeline, move to the prairie from New York City. Emmeline is the most beautiful person Louisa has ever seen, and she teaches Louisa to love poetry. But she is also frail and unsuited to pioneer life. Louisa wonders whether Emmeline will ever come to love the prairie as she herself does.
F COL	Who Is Carrie? (age 10+) by James Lincoln Collier mystery ... identity ... historical Publisher comments: Carrie has been a kitchen slave in Sam Fraunces's tavern in New York City for as long as she can remember. But after she narrowly escapes a kidnapper, Carrie becomes more curious about her mysterious past. After all, she doesn't even know her own last name. When her friend Dan Arabus comes to town, he talks about his dream of buying his mother's freedom with the Continental notes his father left him. Following his lead, Carrie eventually stumbles on the startling truth about her own family.
F COL	War Comes to Willy Freeman (age 10+) by James Lincoln Collier war ... adventure ... historical Catalog: A free thirteen-year-old black girl in Connecticut is caught up in the horror of the Revolutionary War and the danger of being returned to slavery when her patriot father is killed by the British and her mother disappears.
F COL	My Brother Sam is Dead (age 10+) by James Lincoln Collier war ... family ... historical Publisher comments: All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave, and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British, including Tim and Sam's father. With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice ... between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats ... and between his brother and his father.
F COL	Jump Ship to Freedom (age 10+) by James Lincoln Collier adventure ... historical Catalog: In 1787 a fourteen-year-old slave, anxious to buy freedom for himself and his mother, escapes from his dishonest master and tries to find help in cashing the solidier's notes received by his father for fighting in the Revolution.
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 CLA	Secret of the Andes (age 10+) by Ann Nolan Clark historical ... identity Catalog: An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his Inca ancestors.
F CLA	Hill Hawk Hattie (age 10+) by Clara Gillow Clark adventure ... historical ... illness/loss Catalog: Angry and lonely after her mother dies, eleven-year-old Hattie pretends to be a boy and joins her father on a adventure-filled rafting trip down the Delaware River in the late 1800s to transport logs from New York to Philadelphia.
F CUT	My Wartime Summers (age 10+) by Jane Cutler war ... growing up ... historical Over four memorable summmers, Ellen and her friends follow the war taking place far away but that still touches their lives.
F BUR	Wrango (age 10+) by Brian Burks bigotry ... historical ... adventure The War Between the States is over, and George McJunkin and his family are among the slaves who've won their freedom. Trouble is, the McJunkins still live in a tiny shack, and the money George's father brings in barely keeps food on the table. George's parents say the times are changing. They say someday in Rogers Prairie, Texas, there will be a school for black children. They say someday the family will own the blacksmith shop where George's father still toils for the man who used to own them. But George isn't so sure about someday. Between 1867 and 1895, more than five thousand black cowboys helped drive ten million cattle up the Chisholm Trail from Texas. One such cowboy was George McJunkin, who set out from Rogers Prairie for the adventure that would change his life.
F BRA	The Halloween Tree (age 10+) by Ray Bradbury traditions ... historical ... adventure ... folklore ... spooky Meet the mysterious Mr. Moonshroud, who leads eight boys on a journey back through the centuries to discover the real meaning of Halloween. Prose of exquisite beauty will send shivers of delight ... and terror ... through readers, who will want to take this trip over and over again, long after the last jack-o'-lantern has gone dark.
F CAM	The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods (age 10+) by Ann Cameron growing up ... identity ... historical ... family Amanda Woods is discovering that there are some things in life that you just can't change, like who your parents are or how your older sister treats you, but she is determined to change what she can. To begin with, she's not going to be just plain Amanda Woods (the girl her mother seems to think is just average). She's going to be Amanda K. Woods - someone who is proud and strong and sure of herself, someone who can have a French pen pal and a best friend of her own choosing, someone who finds four-leaf clovers and can get perfect scores on her math homework. There is more to Amanda than anyone else can see, things about her that Amanda herself doesn't even know yet, but she's finding out.
F AYR	North by Night: a Story of the Underground Railroad (age 10+) by Katherine Ayres letters/journal ... adventure ... historical Sixteen-year-old Lucy Spencer believes in the work she and her family are doing to help fugitive slaves escape to Canada. Yet, what will Lucy do when asked to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave all she loves behind.
F YOU	Moving Mama to Town (age 10+) by Ronder Thomas Young growing up ... historical ... family In 1947, his head filled with the advice and wisdom of his runaway father, thirteen-year-old Freddy moves his mother from their Georgia farm into town and takes on the challenge of holding his family together.
F YEP	The Star Fisher (age 10+) by Laurence Yep bigotry ... historical Fifteen-year-old Joan Lee and her family find the adjustment hard when they move from Ohio to West Virginia in the 1920s.
F YEP	Dragonwings (age 10+) by Laurence Yep historical ... family ... enterprise In the early twentieth century a young Chinese boy joins his father in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.
F WIS	Mustang Flats (age 10+) by G. Clifton Wisler war ... animals ... historical ... adventure ... family When his father returns from the war in 1865, fourteen-year-old Alby finds his beloved Pa a changed man and can only hope that they will be friends again.
F UCH	Journey to Topaz: a Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation (age 10+) by Yoshiko Uchida identity ... survival ... bigotry ... historical After the Pearl Harbor attack, an eleven-year-old Japanese-American girl and her family are forced to go to an aliens camp in Utah.
F TOM	The Forestwife (age 10+) by Theresa Tomlinson adventure ... folklore ... historical In England during the reign of King Richard I, fifteen-year-old Marian escapes from an arranged marriage to live with a community of forest folk that includes a daring young outlaw named Robert.
F STE	Kidnapped: the Adventures of David Balfour (age 10+) by Robert Louis Stevenson historical ... adventure A sixteen-year-old orphan is kidnapped by his villainous uncle, but later escapes and becomes involved in the struggle of the Scottish highlanders against English rule.
F SPE	The Witch of Blackbird Pond (age 10+) by Elizabeth George Speare magic ... bigotry ... historical Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!
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 ROB	Mississippi Chariot (age 10+) by Harriette Robinet family ... bigotry ... historical In Mississippi in 1936, twelve-year-old Shortning Bread Jackson tries to help his falsely convicted father while dealing with the troubled racial climate in his town.
F PAT	Jip: His Story (age 10+) by Katherine Paterson identity ... historical After tumbling off back of a wagon, Jip was brought to live at the town poor farm. He has been content to do chores and tend animals; until the day the lunatic arrives. He seems terrifying and less than human, but as the weeks pass. Jip sees the man he truly is. So, when a menacing stranger comes to town, claiming to have been sent by Jip's grieving father, Jip turns to his new friend to make sense of his past.
F PAT	Lyddie (age 10+) by Katherine Paterson enterprise ... historical Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to gain her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.
F NEU	Gaps in Stone Walls (age 10+) by John Neufeld mystery ... historical Twelve-year-old Merry Skiffe, who lives on Martha's Vineyard in the 1880s, runs away from home because she is suspected of having committed a murder.
F MYE	The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner (age 10+) by Walter Dean Myers enterprise ... historical ... mystery ... adventure Artemis Bonner wants to set the record straight. He's just arrived in Tombstone, Arizona, to avenge the murder of his uncle Ugly Ned Bonner. And if he happens to stumble across the gold mine his uncle described on his deathbed, then would be just fine, too. The murderous scalawag Catfish Grimes and his equally odious campaignion Lucy Featherdip are on the loose. They're desperate to find the gold mine and claim it for themselves as Artemis and his sidekick, Frolic, chase the pair from Mexico to the Alaskan Territory and back again. Artemis and Catfish are headed for a showdown in front of the Bird Cage Saloon...the exact spot where Uncle Ugly met his Untimely Demise. Here's the whole story; and the Truth as well.
F MOR	Waiting for Anya (age 10+) by Michael Morpurgo war ... survival ... adventure ... historical Jo and Benjamin devise an elaborate escape plan to save a band of Jewish children in Vichy, France during World War II.
F HEN	Wish Me Luck (age 10+) by James Heneghan war ... voyages/journeys ... historical ... adventure ... survival While on an ocean voyage to Canada during World War II, to escape the air raids in his Liverpool home, twelve-year-old Jaimie Monaghan faces another kind of life-threatening situation.
F HAN	The Seer and the Sword (age 10+) by Victoria Hanley princesses ... fantasy ... historical Princess Torina, who has the ability to see the future, and her friend Landen, who seeks a sword that belongs to his conquered kingdom, are separated when a treacherous murderer gains power, but from exile each works to restore peace and the rightful rulers.
F FAV	Through the Wormhole (age 10+) by Robert J. Favole science fiction ... historical ... adventure Action and suspense propel the reader through this time travel adventure. Michael and Kate are modern teens who travel to 1778 to save the 20-year old General Lafayette, and John Banks, Michael's great, great, etc, grandfather, an African American patriot. In the end, the success of their mission, and their very survival, depend on facing off their personal demons.
F FLE	Bull Run (age 10+) by Paul Fleischman war ... historical Northerners, Southerners, generals, couriers, dreaming boys, and worried sisters describe the glory, the horror, the thrill, and the disillusionment of the first battle of the Civil War.
F HOR	The Happy Yellow Car (age 10+) by Polly Horvath historical ... humor ... family Gunther Grunt buys a new car with the money his wife has been saving to send their twelve-year-old daughter, Betty, to college. To make matters worse, Betty has been elected Pork-Fry Queen by her classmates and now she doesn't have the money needed to buy flowers for the teacher. What follows is a comedic chain of events that teaches the Grunts about the value of family. Set in the Great Depression.
F HES	Witness (age 10+) by Karen Hesse mystery ... bigotry ... historical Leanora Sutter. Esther Hirsh. Merlin Van Tornhout. Johnny Reeves. These characters are among the unforgettable cast inhabiting a small Vermont town in 1924. A town that turns against its own when the Ku Klux Klan moves in. No one is safe, especially the two youngest, twelve-year-old Leanora, an African-American girl, and six-year-old Esther, who is Jewish. In this story of a community on the brink of disaster, told through the haunting and impassioned voices of its inhabitants, Newbery Award winner Karen Hesse takes readers into the hearts and minds of those who bear witness.
F HES	Stowaway (age 10+) by Karen Hesse adventure ... voyages/journeys ... historical ... letters/journal It is known that in the summer of 1768, Captain James Cook sailed from England on H.M.S Endeavour, beginning a three-year voyage around the world on a secret mission to discover an unknown continent at the bottom of the globe. What is less known is that a boy by the name of Nicholas Young was a stowaway on that ship. Newbery winner Karen Hesse re-creates Cook's momentous voyage through the eyes of this remarkable boy, creating a fictional journal filled with fierce hurricanes, warring natives, and disease, as Nick discovers new lands, incredible creatures, and lifelong friends.
F CON	Our House: the Stories of Levittown (age 10+) by Pam Conrad historical ... short stories Six stories, one from each decade from the 1940s to the 1990s, about children growing up in Levittown, New York.
F CHO	Al Capone Does My Shirts (age 10+) by Gennifer Choldenko growing up ... historical ... family Publisher comments: Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder. When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he knows right off she's trouble. But she's also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents? expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away. sequel: Al Capone Shines My Shoes
F AVI	Encounter at Easton (age 10+) by Avi adventure ... historical The doomed flight of two young indentured servants from their unkind master brings together an unlikely assortment of people in a mid-eighteenth-century Pennsylvania town.
F FAR	The Sea of Trolls (age 10+) by Nancy Farmer action ... folklore ... fantasy ... adventure ... historical Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. ``It seems that things are stirring across the water,'' the Bard had warned. ``Ships are being built, swords are being forged.'' ``Is that bad?'' Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers. ``Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them.'' The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. Nancy Farmer has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than ``Just say no to pillaging.'' sequel: The Land of the Silver Apples
F WOO	Dear Levi (age 10+) by Elvira Woodruff adventure ... historical ... letters/journal Twelve-year-old Austin Ives writes letters to his younger brother describing his three-thousand-mile journey from their home in Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1851.
F WIS	Mr. Lincoln's Drummer (age 10+) by G. Clifton Wisler war ... adventure ... historical Recounts the courageous exploits of Willie Johnston, an eleven-year-old Civil War drummer, who became the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
F WAT	So Far From the Bamboo Grove (age 10+) by Yoko Kawashima Watkins war ... historical ... adventure ... survival Though Japanese, eleven-year-old Yoko has lived with her family in northern Korea near the border with China all her life. But when the Second World War comes to an end, Japanese on the Korean peninsula are suddenly in terrible danger; the Korean people want control of their homeland and they want to punish the Japanese, who have occupied their nation for many years. Yoko, her mother and sister are forced to flee from their beautiful house with its peaceful bamboo grove. Their journey is terrifying, and remarkable. It's a true story of courage and survival. sequel: My Brother, My Sister, and I
F TAY	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (age 10+) by Mildred D. Taylor family ... bigotry ... historical The story of one African American family fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.
F RIN	Amelia's War (age 10+) by Ann Rinaldi war ... family ... historical As the Civil War rages, Amelia's Maryland town is beset by divisions. Even she and her best friend Josh disagree. Amelia vows not to take sides, until the Confederate troops march into town...led by Josh's uncle.
F RIC	The Light in the Forest (age 10+) by Conrad Richter identity ... historical ... family Though reared as a Lenni Lenape Indian, fifteen-year-old True Son, once called John Camera Butler, was ordered back to the white man. It was impossible for True Son to believe that his people were white and not Indian. He had learned to hate the white man. And now he learned to hate his new father, his new house, his new family. He hated the name John Butler. Where did he belong now--and where could he go?
F PAU	Tucket Adventures Series (age 10+) by Gary Paulsen historical ... adventure ... survival In the first book, Mr. Tucket, Fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is heading west on the Oregon Trail with his family by wagon train. When he receives a rifle for his birthday, he is thrilled that he is being treated like an adult. But Francis lags behind to practice shooting and is captured by Pawnees. It will take wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one-armed mountain man named Mr. Grimes to help Francis become the man who will be called Mr. Tucket. title: Mr. Tucket title: Call Me Francis Tucket title: Tucket's Gold title: Tucket's Home
F PAT	The Master Puppeteer (age 10+) by Katherine Patterson the arts ... historical ... enterprise Who is the man called Sabura, the mysterious bandit who robs the rich and helps the poor? And what is his connection with Yosida, the harsh and ill-tempered master of feudal Japan's most famous puppet theater? Young Jiro, an apprentice to Yosida, is determined to find out, even at risk to his own life.
F PAR	A Single Shard (age 10+) by Linda Sue Park the arts ... voyages/journeys ... historical ... enterprise Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters' village. For a long time he is content living with Crane-man under a bridge barely surviving on scraps of food. All that changes when he sees master potter Min making his beautiful pottery. Tree-ear sneaks back to Min's workplace and dreams of creating his own pots someday. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage. Though the work is long and hard, Tree-ear is eager to learn. Then he is sent to the King's Court to show the master's pottery. Little does Tree-ear know that this difficult and dangerous journey will change his life forever.
F MCC	The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen (age 10+) by Geraldine McCaughrean enterprise ... historical ... the arts Publisher comments: Ever since the magnificent Miss Loucien gave up teaching to join the Bright Lights Theater Company, school days have lacked a certain . . . drama . . . especially for Cissy, who longs for a life in show business, and Kookie, who craves adventure. But when a diphtheria outbreak interrupts the dull routine, Cissy and Kookie are evacuated to the doubtful safety of the Bright Lights� summer home�a shipwrecked paddle steamer on the flooded Missouri River. Thus begins a wild and unpredictable journey downstream serving up grand performances, aggrieved river gamblers, irate lawmen, and perilous races. And when at long last Cissy steps into the limelight, the stakes are higher than she ever imagined.
F MCC	Stop the Train! (age 10+) by Geraldine McCaughrean enterprise ... historical Cissy Sissney and her family are staking their claim. Along with a handful of other entrepreneurs, they've stepped off the train into the brand-new town of Florence, Oklahoma, and started building a future. But the president of the railroad says no more trains will stop in Florence, ever. Without the railroad, the town can't survive. So it's up to Cissy, her family, friends, and neighbors to stop the train any way they can.
F LEV	Journey to America (age 10+) by Sonia Levitin survival ... historical ... family A Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938 endures innumerable separations before they are once again united. sequel: Silver Days sequel: Annie's Promise
F HAM	The House of Dies Drear (age 10+) by Virginia Hamilton spooky ... historical ... mystery The house held secrets, Thomas knew, even before he first saw it looming gray and massive on its ledge of rock. It had a century-old legend - two fugitive slaves had been killed by bounty hunters after leaving its passageways, and Dies Drear himself, the abolitionist who has made the house into a station on the Underground Railroad, had been murdered there. The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms... sequel: The Mystery of Drear House
F CUS	Rodzina (age 10+) by Karen Cushman identity ... survival ... historical ... family One of a group of orphans, 12-year-old Rodzina boards a train on a cold day in March 1881. She's reluctant to leave Chicago, the only home she can remember, and she knows there's no substitute for the family she has lost. As the train rattles westward, Rodzina unwittingly begins to develop attachments to her fellow travelers, and to accept the idea that there might be good homes for orphans--maybe even for a big, combative Polish girl. But no placement seems right for the formidable Rodzina, and she cleverly finds a way out of one bad situation after another, until at last she finds the family that is right for her.
F TUR	Maroo of the Winter Caves (age 10+) by Ann Turnbull family ... historical ... survival ... nature Maroo, a girl of the late Ice Age, must take charge after her father is killed, and lead her little brother, mother, and aged grandmother to the safety of the winter camp before the first blizzards strike.
F 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 RYA	Esperanza Rising (age 10+) by Pam Munoz Ryan identity ... historical ... family Esperanza Ortega has fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and the promise of one day rising to her mother's position presiding over all of Rancho de las Rosas. But tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee from Mexico to California and settle in a farm labor camp. There, Esperanza must confront the challenges that come with her difficult circumstances.
F PEA	The Sky Is Falling (age 10+) by Kit Pearson war ... identity ... adventure ... historical The experiences of a young girl and her small brother who are evacuated to Canada at the beginning of World War II. They struggle with being strangers in a strange land, even as they come to terms with the evil they left back home.
F PEC	A Year Down Yonder (age 10+) by Richard Peck short stories ... historical ... family During the recession of 1937, fifteen-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty, larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois and comes to a better understanding of this fearsome woman.
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 HES	Out of the Dust (age 10+) by Karen Hesse letters/journal ... historical ... poetry In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
F GIF	Nory Ryan's Song (age 10+) by Patricia Reilly Giff survival ... historical ... adventure As the potato blight that leads to the Irish Famine takes its toll on her family, 12-year-old Nory Ryan must summon the courage and ingenuity to find food, to find hope, and to find a way to help her family survive. sequel: Maggie's Door sequel: Water Street
F AVI	The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (age 10+) by Avi adventure ... historical ... voyages/journeys Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger aboard a seedy ship on a transatlantic voyage from England to America in 1832, becomes caught up in a feud between the murderous captain and his mutinous crew.
F AVI	Crispin: The Cross of Lead (age 10+) by Avi adventure ... historical Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret. sequel: Crispin: at the Edge of the World

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