Duck, Duck Dinosaur: Snowy Surprise
Author: Kallie George
Year: 2017
BL: N/A
AR: N/A
32 pages
It is winter time and the snow is all around and surprises too. Feather, Flap, and Spike want to play, but it might be too cold or not?. This I Can Read book is ideal for kindergartners or kids who are starting to read by themselves. Text contains repetition and simple sentences.
Subjects: winter stories, dinosaurs, playtime . Ages 5-6.
Copy Of -Captain Awesome Takes Flight
Author: Stan Kirby
Year: 2017
BL: 4.1
AR: 1.0 point
117 pages
From the series Captain Awesome, "Takes Flight" brings Eugene on a surprise family vacation. Little does he know that the flight attendant is none other than evil Fun E. Racer. Will she spoiled his first plane trip? This title will appeal boys in third grade and up. Books has big font and black and white illustrations throughout.
Subjects: super heroes, flight attendants, vacation, hmorous story. Ages 8-10.
Owl Diaries: A Woodland Weeding
ISBN: 9780545825580
Author: Rebecca Elliot
Year: 2016
Book Level: 2.9
AR Points: 0.5
From the series "Owl Diaries," children will enjoy following Eva and her class as they get ready for their teacher's wedding. This book continuous the creative set up of the series with charming illustrations blended with a graphic novel and regular fiction format.
Subject: fiction, elementary school, weddings. For ages 6-9. 68 pages.
The Thank You Book
ISBN: 9781423178286
Author: Mo Willems
Year: 2006
It is time to say good bye to Elephant and Piggie. As the last book in the series, Piggie makes sure to thank every friend he has encountered on the way. However, it appears Piggie is forgetting to show his gratitude to someone very important. Children will have fun discovering who Piggie is forgetting to include.
Subjects: fiction, gratitude, friendship, humorous story. For preschool and kindergarten age children. 57 pages.
Dream Big Little Pig
ISBN: 9781402252754
Author: Kristi Yamaguchi
Year: 2011
Poppy is a girl pig that has big dreams. She dreams to be a singer, a ballerina and a model. Great book to read in the kindergarten classroom to talk about talents, dreams and hard work to achieve those dreams.
Subjects: ambition, persistance, pigs, dreams
My House is Alive
ISBN: 9781771471367
Author: Scot Ritchie
Year: 2016
There are lots of noises that come from your house. Read this picture book to learn what is behind your house's noises. Great read for a science unit covering sounds.
Subjects: Picture book, house sounds and informational story. For ages K-2
Magic Tree House #54: Balto of the Blue Dawn
ISBN: 9780553510850
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Year: 2016
Book Level: 3.9
AR Points: 2.0
Osborne's addition to the popular series Magic Tree House takes us to 1925 Nome, Alaska. Here, Jack and Annie will face an empty town in quarantine in winter time. Diphteria is attacking people, and the hospital is in terrible need of medicine. Kids will enjoy this fast reading plot, which will make you travel in time and meet dog hero Balto.
Subjects: sled dog racing, Alaska, time travel, Balto. Ages 8-10. 117 pages./.;
Because of an Acorn
ISBN: 978145211242
Author: Lola M. Schaefer
Year: 2016
This easy to read picture book describes the circle of life wonderfully. A great read for a science unit on the ecosystem and the balance of life. Perfect for K-2.
Subjects: ecosystem, forest, picture book
Cici: A Fairy Tale Believe Your Eyes
Ten-year-old Cici is having a difficult time adjusting now that her parents have separated. However, when Grandma arrives to help out, Cici discovers she comes from a family of fairies and has magical powers. This charming graphic novel will appeal to primary grade girls, who are ok talking about some family issues.
Subjects: graphic novel, divorce, fairies, multicultural story, humorous story. Ages 6-9. 47 pages.
Rocket And Groot: Stranded On Planter Strip Mall
ISBN: 9781484714522
Author: Tom Angleberger
Year: 2016
Captain Rocket and Groot arrived to a peculair planet after suffering a shipwrecked. This humorous story and hilarious illustrations will appeal kids, who like silly stories.
Subjects: humorous story, superheroes. for ages 8-12. 223 pages.
Dear Dragon Grows A Garden
ISBN: 9781599535784
Author: Margaret Hillert
Year: 2015
Book Level: 1.1
AR Points: 0.5
A boy and his dad are growing a vegetable garden. Excellent read to introduce your kindergartener to the benefits of growing your own vegetable garden. Perfect for kindergarteners who are ready to read by themselves.
Beginner Reader
Dear Dragon Goes To The Dentist
ISBN: 9781599535777
Author: Margaret Hillert
Year: 2015
Book Level: 1.1
AR Points: 0.5
Visiting the dentist can be scary, but when you take your Dragon you can learn a few things to keep your teeth healthy. Hillert’s “Dear Dragon” series will surely engage your kindergartener while reassuring his reading and comprehension skills.
Begginer Reader
Haggis And Tank Unleashed: Digging For Dinos
ISBN: 9780545818896
Author: Jessica Young
Year: 2016
Book Level: 2.5
AR Points: 0.5
Haggis the dog wakes up to his usual grooming one morning, while Tank the dog is entertained with her dinosaur book. Suddenly, the doggy friends spot a mysterious bone, which is sticking out from the ground. The emergent reader will have fun with this adventure story filled with dinosaurs, volcano eruptions and other surprises. This early chapter book mixes the format of regular fiction with that of graphic novels to bring an entertaining story that will appeal elementary school children. For ages 6-8.
Subjects: dog stories, dinosaurs, imagination
Cosmic Commandos
Author: Chris Eliopoulos
Year: 2017
Twins JeremyThis graphic novel
Subjects: graphic novel, super heroes
Girls Who Code
Author: Stacia Deutsch
Year: 2017
Pages: 137
Lucy wants to be a computer programmer like her mom. Now, in sixth grade, Lucy can't wait to be in her first Coding Club. But what happens when you are team up with kids you do not know and you start receiving coding messaged you can't understand? This chapter book will appeal to girls who are fun of clubs, computers, and school friendship stories.
Subjects: Clubs, friendship, coding club, fiction chapter book. Ages 7-10
Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo
Author: Jon Scieszka
Year: 2017
Pages: 152
Frank Einstein is a kid scientist and inventor who decides to study ecology with his robots Klink and Klank. In their quest, they realize something is threatening the forest.
Book contains illustrations throughout the pages.
Subjects: kid genius, inventors, artificial intelligence, robots. Ages 8-11.
March of the Mini Beasts
ISBN: 9781481457293
Author: Adan Hoper
Year: 2016
Pages: 125
Whiz second graders Gabriel, Laura and Cesar are trying to sell chocolate bars to raise money for their school's science club when they arrive to Dr. Bunsen's house. There, Dr. Bunsen shows the kids his latest invention, a growth ray that makes things grow. Only sometimes experiments go wrong or in this case gain life. This fast moving chapter book will appeal to kids, who like science experiment stories mixed with adventure and humor. Reluctant readers will appreciate the big font and black and white amusing illustrations.
Subjects: science experiments, adventure, inventions, multicultural and humorous story. For ages 6-8. 125 pages.
The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide
Author: Chris Colfer
Year: 2017
Pages: 434
Beloved series The Land of Stories comes to an end with this last adventure where twins Alex and Conner have to crusade for order between the fairy-tale land and the human world. Not an easy task when Alex goes missing and the evil characters are determined to defeat Conner. Do not miss this final adventure!
Subjects: adventure, fantasy, fairytale characters. Ages 9+
Copy Of -Warriors: Darkest Night
Author: Erin Hunter
Year: 2017
Pages: 303
From Hunter's series "Warriors: A Vision of Shadows" comes book four with a new adventure after Darktail has been defeated. Nevertheless, some of the warrior clans are doubtful of the SkyClan place and must do their best to remain united to endure this delicate time of adjustment.
Subjects: cats, survival, adventure. Ages 9+
Copy Of -Alex Rider Never Say Die
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Year: 2017
Pages: 349
From the New York Times best selling series Alex Rider, comes another novel filled with mystery and adventure. Main character Alex is coping with the death of his friend Jack when he receives an e-mail that suggests Jack is not dead after all. This title will appeal to boys who are following the series or a reader who likes stories mixed with spies and travel filled adventures.
Subjects: spies, adventure, terrorism. Ages 9+
The Blackthorn Key
BL:4.6
AR: 10 points
Author: Kevin Sands
Year: 2015
371 pages
Fourteen-year-old year old Christopher is an apothecary apprentice living with his Master, Benedict, in London. The year is 1665 and a series of mysterious murders are afflicting the apothecaries of the city. When Master Benedict suffers the same fate, it will be up to Christopher to unravel the secret behind a key connected to a secret society.
Subjects: supernatural, secret societies, apprentices, 17th-century London. Ages 9-12
Wings of Fire: Darkess of Dragons (book 10)
BL: 5.3
AR: 14 points
Author: Tui T. Sutherland
Year: 2017
Pages: 385
As the sequel continues, Qibli is trying to rewrite history, stop Darkstalker, and end the war. To achieve this task, Qibli will need magic and help from the dragon's powerful scroll. Followers of the "Wings of Fire" will enjoy this book full of fantasy, adventure, and the fight against evil.
Subjects: dragons, magics, good and evil. Ages 9-12.
The Book of Dust
Author: Philip Pullman
Year: 2017
pages: 449
When Malcolm finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust, he finds himself embroiled in a tale of intrigue featuring enforcement agents from the Magisterium, a woman with an evil monkey daemon, and a baby named Lyra.
Publisher's notes
Subjects: spy stories, England. Ages 9+
I lived on Butterfly Hill
Author: Marjorie Agosin
Year: 2014
BL: 4.9
AR: 13 points
454 pages
Celeste is an eleven-year-old Chilean girl whose parents have to go into hiding to escape government persecution. Soon, Celeste is in danger too and has to escape seeking refugee in Maine, U.S. This novel will appeal a mature reader who enjoys historical fiction plots and social issues.
Subjects: historical fiction, dictatorships, Chile, family, refugees. Ages 9+
The Inn Between
Author: Marina Cohen
Year: 2016
BL: 4.3
AR: 5.0
Good read for children, who like scary stories based on ghosts and haunted places. Fourth-graders will have fun trying to solve this mystery.
Subjects: fiction, horror tales, haunted places, friendship. Ages 8 up. 195 pages.
Space Out
Author: Stuart Gibbs
Year: 2016
BL: 5.2
AR Pts: 10
The year is 2041 and 12-year-old Dashiell is having a hard time living at the space colony Moon Base Alpha. In this novel, the reader will realize that even if your home is in outer space, tweens are faced with similar issues as if their homes were on Planet Earth. This novel will surely appeals children who enjoy science fiction stories with a mystery to solve.
Subjects: science fiction, detective novel, human-alien encounters. Gr 5-8. 336 pages.
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook
Author: Leslie Connor
BL: 3.8
AR Pts: 11
This is a novel for a mature reader, who will learn of Perry, a boy, who is raised secretly by his mom in a correctional facility in Nebraska. This prison is what Perry considers his home, so when the district attorney VanLeer decides to place Perry on a foster home, the boy will have to teach a thing or two to vain VanLeer about the true meaning of home.
Subjects: fiction, foster families, correctional facilities. 378 pages. Gr 5-7
The World's Greatest Adventure Machine
ISBN: 9780399552823
Year: 2017
Pages: 307
Trevor, Devin, Nika, and Cameron have won a contest to try a roller coaster ride called the Adventure Machine. None of them knows how much they will last, but they will try it anyways. Will it be dangerous? will they need to have a contingency plan in case of emergency? Older kids will relate to the characters and the adventurous tone of this novel.
-Subjects: Humorous stories, ghosts, adventure, science fiction. Ages 8-12
Middle School: Just My Rotten Luck
Author: James Patterson
Year: 2015
BL: 4.3
AR: 5 points
Runner and cartoonist Rafe Khatchadorian starts a new year of middle school at
HVMS Hills Village Middle School. Everything feels the same including the bullying of his nemesis Miller the Killer. Will Rafe's year improve? He is doing well on his art class and joins the flag-football team. The seventh book of the the "Middle School" series has a humorous tone that will appeal the reader who enjoys books like the "Wimpy Kid."
Subjects: humorous stories, bullying, futball. Ages 9-12. 301 pages
Ghosts
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Year: 2016
BL: 206
AR: 1.0 point
Catrina's sister Maya suffers from cystic fibrosis, a degenerative disease that affects breathing and digestion, prompting the family to move to Bahía De La Luna, a town with better weather conditions. However, the town is too cold and foggy for Catrina, but not for ghosts who love to hang out there specially on El Día De Los Muertos. This popular graphic novel will appeal a reader who enjoys friendly ghost stories blend with realistic fiction.
Subject: graphic novels, cystic fibrosis, ghosts, family, moving. Ages 8-12. 239 pages
Doll Bones
Author: Holly Black
Year: 2013
BL: 5.4
AR: 7 points
Middle graders Zach, Alice, and Poppy have always been friends embarking on imaginary journeys with their figure toys. Their favorite one is porcelain doll on a cabinet display that appears very real. Soon, the friends will learn that the doll is made of the ashes of a dead girl concealing the sad story of a mourning father. There is only course of action: find the resting place of the girl to reunite her with her ashes. This novel will appeal to kids who like scary stories mixed with ghosts and adventure.
Subject: scary stories, trapped souls, ghouts, friendship, adventure. Ages 9+. 244 pages
Bot Wars
Author: J. V. Kade
Year: 2013
Book Level:4.2
AR: 10 points
Aiden is a twelve-year-old boy whose father has been missing since the onset of the Bot Wars, where machines took over. However, nothing is black and white and Aiden joins the Meta-Rise, a resistance group based on bots and humans that believe in peaceful coexistence. This title will appeal boys who enjoy futuristic topics blend with robots and warfare.
Subjects: science fiction, robots, wars, missing persons, fathers and sons. Ages 9-12. 356 pages
11 Before 12
ISBN: 9780062411747
Year: 2017
Pages: 396
Kaylan and Arianna used to love the pool, freeze dances, and chasing the ice cream truck. Now, they need to focus on their 12th birthday and make a wish list of things they want to do before the big celebration.
Subjects: friendship, middle school, birthday parties. Ages: 8-12
Royal Crush
ISBN: 9781250111524
Year: 2017
Pages: 314
Princess Olivia is almost thirteen, but wonders if attending the school field trip is a good idea now that her sister Mia is expecting twins. Following the royal mess characteristics in the series "From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess," the reader will enjoy this humorous sequel.
Subjects: school field trips, princesses, diaries. Ages 8-12
Dirt
Author: Orenstein
Year: 2017
Pages: 212
Since mother died four years ago, life has not been easy for eleven-year-old Yonder. Now it is only dad and the social worker, but Yonder does not feel like speaking or going to school. The only one that appears to lessen the pain is a pony named Dirt. This is a heartwarming story about the friendship of a girl who is mourning and a little mischievous pony that has problems on his own.
Subjects: fathers & daughters, foster homes, human-animal relationship. Ages 8-12.
Tumble & Blue
Author: Cassie Beasley
Year: 2017 (available September)
"An immersive, supernatural middle grade adventure. Hear the whispers of long-kept family secrets in shadowed corners. Feel the humidity of a languid Georgia summer. Beasley, author of Circus Mirandus, weaves the tale of two tweens spending the summer looking for the way out of an ancestral curse..." extract from School Library Journal review
Subjects: Adventure stories, supernatural stories. Gr. 4-6
How To Capture An Invisible Cat
ISBN: 9781619638402
Author: Paul Tobin
Year: 2016
Fifth grader Nate is a school genious in trouble, one of his experiements has turned into a danger to society. Nate's pet Proton, is now an gigantic, odorless and invisible cat. Now, it is up to Delphine, to help his friend to find a solution for this scientific dilemma. Funny story for middle school kids.
Subjects: science experiments, humorous story, adventure. 260 pages. Gr 4 Up
One for Sorrow
Author: Mary D. Hhn
Year: 2017
Pages: 293
When Annie Browne joined the Pearce Academy for Girls in Mount Pleasant, she did not know how to make friends when unpopular Elsie Schneider befriended her. The class really disliked Elsie for her character and German descent, which did not help in 1918. Soon, Annie started to tease and bully Elsie like everyone else until Elsie succumbed to the epidemic influenza. Will Elsie's ghost be able to forgive? This is a good match for older kids who enjoy historical fiction scary novels.
Subjects: ghost stories, friendship, WWI, influenza epidemic
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls
BL: 4.9
AR Points: 10
Year: 2012
Author: Claire
Victoria's best friend goes missing and the clues lead to the creepiest home in town, which is an orphanage run by Mrs. Cavendish. 343 Pages
Subjects: missing children, orphanages, friendship, scary story. Ages 9-12.
Wonder
ISBN: 9780375869020
Author: R. J. Palacio
Year: 2012
Book Level: 4.8
AR Points 11
10-year-old August Pullman knows he is not an ordinary kid. His face is disfigured from birth and has been home schooled up until now. His favorite Holiday is Halloween, because on this one day, he gets to be like any other kid, just “normal.” Now in 5th grade, school with other kids appears like a nightmare especially when dealing with bully Julian. However, even Julian has a past. Palacio goes deeper into the personality of the characters and makes sure the reader sees through the eyes of the antagonist. This is a story about courage, kindness and friendship. But remember, bullies usually start as victims.
Subjects: Bullying, human abnormalities, slef-importance and middle school.
Adam & Thomas
ISBN: 9781609806347
Author: Aharon Applefeld
Year: 2015
Adam and Thomas are two nine-year-old classmates, who share a similar destiny. Their moms have left them in the forrest before returning to the getto. This is a story about survival and the path of two refugees and the people they meet. The lyricism of the narrative will cautivate the reader while infusing a sense of humanitarian hope even in times of war.
Subject: holocaust story, survival, refugees, World War II. Batchelder Honor Book. Pages 149. Gr 4-6
Ranger In Time
ISBN: 9780545639217
Author: Kate Messner
Year: 2016
Book Level: 4.2
AR Points: 2.0
From the series “Ranger in Time,” golden retriever Ranger will travel in time to the days of American slavery, where he will befriend Sarah. This chapter book will appeal children, who like historical fiction, adventure and animal stories.
Subjects: Dog stories, African American, time travel
The Only Girl In School
ISBN: 9780545829960
Author: Natalie Standiford
Year: 2016
Book Level: 4.1
AR Points: 5.0
Fifth grader Claire has a unique predicament. She is the only girl at school after her best friend, Bess, moved to California. Claire likes horse riding and she is great at regattas, but she can’t figure out a way to coexist with the boys, especially Webby, who is making her life very difficult at school. This chapter novel in epistolary form will provide an insight on social isolation with a narrative that will appeal and entertain the middle school children.
Subjects: social isolation, friendship, middle school
Pax
ISBN: 9780062377012
Author: Sara Pennypacker
Year: 2016
Book Level: 5.3
AR Points: 8.0
Have you ever had a pet that you loved very much? Peter has the most peculiar pet. His pet is a fox and his name is Pax. However, when Peter's dad enrolls in military service, Peter is forced to let Pax go. Things are never simple when we lose something we love and sometimes we must do everything it takes to get it back. The noble narrative will appeal more mature children.
Subjects: fiction, foxes, pets, human-animal relationships. For middle grades. 276 pages.
I Survived: The Hindenburg Disaster, 1937
ISBN: 9780545868600
Author: Lauren Tarshis
Year: 2016
Book Level: 5.0
AR Points: 2.0
Do you see yourself flying of a gigantic zeppelin, which almost at landing starts to break apart with fire after a blast? This is exactly what happened to Hugo and his family. Written in epistolary form, this title will not dissapoint fans of the "I survived" series.
Subject: fiction, Hindenburg airship, aircraft accident, survival
Booked
ISBN: 9780544570986
Author: Kwame Alexander
Year: 2016
Eighth-grader Nicholas hate books, likes a girl called April and loves fútbol. The heart-to-heart novel in verse has all the ingredients a tween and teen might like. The clever narrative of this Newbery Award winner story, will make you laugh, sorrow, wonder and hope. Life in complicated, especially for a middle schooler, whose life might be falling apart.
Subjects: novel in verse, soccer, self-esteem, parents divorce
Just My Rotten Luck
ISBN: 9780316284776
Author: James Paterson
Year: 2015
Book Level: 4.3
AR Points: 5.0
Middle schooler and cartoonist Rafe Khatchadorian is determined to change his karma. He will make things right by addressing nemesis and teammate, Miller the Killer, surviving special needs enrolment and getting through middle school with a favorable notoriety as a football hero. That is right, Rafe might not be the academic type of kid, but he has legs that can run and an artistic touch. This humorous story will surely appeal middle graders while providing an insight on standing up to bullying.
subjects: bullying, futball, friendship, art, humorous stories, middle school stories
The Land of Forgotten Girls
ISBN: 9780062238641
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
Year: 2016
Sisters Sol and Dominga (Ming) are having a hard time with their stepmother Vea. Death had visited the family of the girls too and now their mom and sister Amelia are gone. To make things more pressing, even their dad decided to abandon Sol and Ming. This realistic fiction novel will appeal to mature children, who like stories with a touch of reality and hope.
Subjects: fiction, Philippines immigrants, abandonment, sisters, Louisiana. For middle grades. 299 pages.
The Curse of the King
Author: Peter Lerangis
Year: 2014
BL: 4.3
AR: 8.0
From the series Seven Wonders comes a story that combines adventure with mystery and mythology.
Subjects: Seven wonders of the world, frienship, Zeus (Greek deity)
The Big dark
ISBN: 9780545789752
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Year: 2016
Book Level: 5.1
AR Points: 6.0
When Harmony, a small town in New Hampshire is affected by a solar incident that leaves the whole town in darkness, people must find a way to maintain order and avoid succumbing to social unrest. Charlie Cobb is in the middle of this electrical circuits shut-down adventuring through the winter to find a place that can provide medicine for his diabetic mother. This is a story about survival and determination, which will appeal to middle school children.
Subjects: survival stories, families, electric power failures
The Hero Two Doors Down
ISBN: 9780545804516
Author: Sharon Robinson
Year: 2016
Book Level: 4.3
AR Points: 4.0
Eight-year-old Stephen lives in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. The year is 1948 and racial animosity is in the air, especially for the family of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who is moving into this neighborhood. Based on true events, this is a story about race relations, discrimination, but most of all friendship. Moving story to brake the barriers of racial discriminations. For ages 9 and up.
Subjects: Jakie Robinson, baseball players, race relations
The Education Of Avy Blake
ISBN: 9780399162787
Author: Ellen Airgood
Year: 2015
Book Level: 4.8
AR Points: 7.0
Eleven-year-old Avy Blake loves to draw, write and make movies. However, her life has not been easy. Her dysfunctional mom has made it difficult for Avy to find the nurturing home she dreams about. But Avy is not alone. She finds support living with her friend, Pairie, and her family. All is well until Avy’s mom is back, asking for a second chance with her daughter. Will Avy finally find a loving and safe home with her mom? This is a story about resilience, hope and the ability to cope with adversity. For ages 10 and up.
Subjects: mothers and daughters, dysfunctional families and friendship.
The Bolds
Author: Julian Clary
Year: 2015
BL: 5.1
AR: 3.0
A family of hyenas moves to London and tries to live as humans. Will their prying neighbor ruin the family's prospects of living nice suburban life?
Subjects: Humorous Stories, hyenas, impersonation
Spine Shivers
ISBN: 9781496502209
Author: J. A. Darke
Year: 2016
Book Level: 4.7
AR Poins: 2.0
If you are a horror story fan, you might like this chapter book about people acting in a sinister manner after a mudslide in California.
Subject: fiction-horror, mudslides, rescue work. For middle grades. 118 pages.
El Deafo
ISBN: 9781419710209
Author: Cece Bell
Year: 2014
Book Level: 2.7
AR Points: 2.0
Cece was four years olds when she suffered from meningitis losing her hearing almost completely. This graphic novel biography tells us the story of a girl, who does not want to be considered differently because she wears a hearing device. Cece goes to school and sleepover parties and enjoys most things girls her age enjoy. It is not easy being deaf, people talk loud at you or exaggerate their body language thinking that Cece will understand better. However this book is far from a drama. The amusing and delightful plot will entertain the reader while providing an insight into the world of a deaf person. For Cece it is not the ability to hear that matters, but the choices we make when we face a disability.
Subjects: Deaf children, friendship, humorous stories, women's biography and graphic novels.
The Land OF Stories: A Grimm Warning
ISBN: 9780316406826
Author: Chris Colfer
Year: 2014
Book Level: 5.8
AR Points: 19
Have you ever dreamed with a magical land inhabited by your most beloved fairy tale characters? Chris Colfer’s third book from his series "The Land of Stories" will take you there. In “A Grimm Warning” the Land of Stories is in danger as war is approaching. Queen Red, from the Red Riding Hood Kingdom, has lost her crown to Little Bo Peep, who is trying hard to hide her true intentions as a new queen. In this spectacular plot, siblings Conner and Alex will face fantastic adventures trying to defeat General Marquis and his Grande Armée. But remember, in this story everything is possible, and secrets can only be kept for so long as Little Bo Peep and the Mask Man know very well.
Subjects: Magic, fairy tales, war stories and brothers and sisters.
Sisters
ISBN: 9781481426404
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Year: 2014
Book Level: 2.4
AR Points: 1.0
Telgemier's graphic novel is infused with humoritic narrative that takes us back to the author's younger years when her sister Amara was born and then back to present time. As the family is taking a road trip from San Francisco to Colorado the sisters have to endure the normal truffles of sisterhood and face the more profound issues that becomes more evident between her parents.
Subjects: Interpersonal relations, sisters, humorous stories and families.
Kinda Like Brothers
ISBN: 9780545224963
Athtor: Coe Booth
Year: 2014
Book Level: 4.3
AR Points: 8
Gr 5 and up – For Jarrett, life is not that simple. His single mom insists in fostering other children, school is not doing well, and it is embarrassingly hard to talk to the girl he likes. To make matters worse, Jarrett has to deal with the latest addition to the family, a slightly older foster kid, who is making his life miserable, and be weary of the police that is harassing kids in the neighborhood. The first person narrative is sincere and filled with social issues. However, the use of heavy slang language, depiction of children’s abuse and racist language, while can certainly attract mature teen readers, might overwhelm younger ones.
Subjects: Foster families, middle school and single mothers.
One Came Home
ISBN: 9780375869259
Author: Amy Timberlake
Year: 2013
Book Level: 4.8
AR Points: 9.0
Thirteen-year-old Georgina is an honest, brave and outspoken girl, who is searching for her lost sister Agatha. Nobody knows what really happened, but town’s people think she is dead, as a body is found wearing Agatha’s dress. For Georgie, her sister’s disappearance makes no sense. Agatha loves birds and perhaps she just left following the “pigeoners.” This Newbery Honor Book offers an insight into nineteenth century Wisconsin with a narrative that will intrigue the reader. Good read for children, who like historical fiction.
Historical Fiction