This is an old revision of the document!
I know that the NLS already created a Newbery page in their Kids Zone, but it looks like its updates lag a bit.
Please feel free to add to or edit the list. I have not looked up many titles. I plan to work off of the NLS listing and see if more DB options are available, etc.
REFERENCES:
--- //[[dan.malosh@state.mn.us|Dan Malosh @ MN1A Regional]] 2013/05/30 15:22//
Author: Katherine Applegate
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Ivan the gorilla has lived comfortably for years in a down-and-out, circus-themed mall. But when baby elephant Ruby arrives, Ivan decides that he must find her a better life.
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Author: Steve Sheinkin
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Award-winning author recounts the history of the atom bomb and the race among the United States, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union to build–or steal–the deadly weapon during World War II.
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Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
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1860. Puppeteer Grisini and his two orphaned assistants are accused of kidnapping when a young girl vanishes shortly after they perform at her twelfth birthday party. The trio flees London–but the two orphans are caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival.
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Author: Sheila Turnage
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Author: Jack Gantos
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Norvelt, Pennsylvania; 1962. Twelve-year-old Jack Gantos is spending his summer grounded for various offenses and helping his elderly neighbor. As part of his duties, Jack must perform an unusual chore that involves the newly dead, molten wax, underage driving, and more.
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Author: Eugene Yelchin
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In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist. But when the police take his dad away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs.
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Author: Thanhha Lai
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Ten-year-old H ̉writes poems to chronicle the life-changing year of 1975, when H,̉ her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.
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Author: Clare Vanderpool
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Great Depression. Drifter Gideon Tucker sends his twelve-year-old daughter Abilene to stay with his friend Shady Howard, a saloon-owner-turned-pastor, in Manifest, Kansas, where Gideon grew up. Abilene discovers a cigar box full of papers and odds and ends that lead her to long-held secrets.
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Author: Joyce Sidman
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Twelve poems invite readers to the cool breezes of the nighttime forest to learn about the moon, mushrooms, trees, raccoons, snails, porcupines, crickets, moths, owls, spiders, efts (young newts), and bats. Natural history facts accompany each poem.
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Author: Margi Preus
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1841. Marooned on a remote island and near starvation, fourteen-year-old Manjiro and four fishing companions are rescued by an American whaling ship. Manjiro joins the crew and is the first Japanese man to come to America. Still, he dreams of going home to be a samurai.
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Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
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Oakland, California; 1968. Eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters Vonetta and Fern arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their poet mother Cecile, who abandoned them years ago. Cecile resents their presence–and sends them to a Black Panther summer camp.
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Author: Jennifer L. Holm
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In 1935, when money is scarce during the Great Depression, ten-year-old Turtle goes to Key West, Florida, to live with relatives she's never met. Her adventures with her cousins involve a treasure map, a hurricane, and an ornery grandmother.
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Author: Rebecca Stead
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New York City, 1979. Twelve-year-old Miranda helps her mother prepare to be on a television game show. Meanwhile Miranda tries to understand why her best friend Sal doesn't want to hang out anymore–and why someone is sending Miranda tiny notes from the future.
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Author: Phillip Hoose
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Uses interviews to provide a firsthand account of fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin’s arrest for refusing to give her bus seat to a white woman in 1955 Alabama. Explains the era’s racial segregation policy and the consequences of Claudette’s demand for her constitutional rights.
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Author: Jacqueline Kelly
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Texas, 1899. Being the only girl in the middle of six brothers, it is deemed odd that eleven-year-old Calpurnia Virginia Tate (Callie Vee) does not prefer knitting socks and learning cookery with her mother to roaming outdoors with her naturalist grandfather.
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Author: Rodman Philbrick
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After his evil uncle sells his brother Harold to be a soldier in the Civil War, twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, runs away from his home in Maine. Homer has extraordinary adventures en route to Gettysburg as he searches for Harold.
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Author: Grace Lin
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Minli, an adventurous girl, lives in a poor Chinese village near Fruitless Mountain. Inspired by her father’s stories, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon to restore the mountain’s bounty. Along the way, Minli encounters magical creatures, including a helpful dragon.
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Author: Neil Gaiman
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A toddler enters a cemetery pursued by the knife-wielding stranger who just murdered his family. Resident ghosts Mr. and Mrs. Owens protect and adopt the child, naming him Nobody “Bod” Owens. Bod's graveyard upbringing serves him well, but why was his family targeted?
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Author: Kathi Appelt
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In the alligator-filled bayous between Texas and Louisiana, long-suffering hound dog Ranger welcomes a stray, pregnant calico cat underneath his rundown porch. When his cruel owner Gar Face dispatches the mother cat, Ranger and the calico's two kittens form an unlikely family.
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Author: Margarita Engle
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Recounts the history of Cuba from 1850 to 1899 in free verse. Various voices reveal the troubled lives of slaves, rebels, nurses, and soldiers in the unending cycle of war.
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Author: Ingrid Law
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Thirteenth birthdays in the Beaumont family reveal a magical power unique to the honoree. After Fish learns to cause hurricanes and Rocket to make electricity, Mibs eagerly awaits her turn. But Poppa has a terrible accident and all Mibs wants is to save him.
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Author: Jacqueline Woodson
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Eleven-year-olds Neeka and her best friend meet newcomer “D Foster” and the three girls become a team. When their hero, rapper Tupac, is shot, they decide to have a “big purpose” as Tupac did and stay friends forever–but D's mom returns.
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by Laura Amy Schlitz
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Nineteen monologues and two dialogues about the ten- to fifteen- year-old sons and daughters of nobility and paupers living near an English manor in 1255. Interspersed between dramatic readings are background pieces on medieval customs and events, such as farming, falconry, the Crusades, and pilgrimages.
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Author: Jacqueline Woodson
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Winter 1971. Puzzling over a poem that says “Hope is the thing with feathers,” sixth-grader Frannie sees certain dilemmas in a new light: her classmate nicknamed Jesus Boy who claims he's not white, her pregnant mother's fears, a bully's anger, and her brother Sean's deafness.
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Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
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Buxton, Canada; 1860. Born free in a settlement for runaway slaves, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman discovers the horrors of slavery when he accompanies Mr. Leroy to Michigan. They track a thief who stole the money Mr. Leroy saved to buy his family’s freedom.
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Author: Gary D. Schmidt
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Long Island, 1967. Seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood knows that Mrs. Baker “hates his guts” because she would have Wednesday afternoons free if he went to catechism or Hebrew school like his classmates. Mrs. Baker worries about her husband in Vietnam and introduces a reluctant Holling to Shakespeare.
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by Susan Patron
Hard Pan, California: population forty-three. Convinced that her guardian, Brigitte, wants to return to France, ten-year-old Lucky Trimble runs away during a sandstorm with her dog, HMS Beagle. Lucky then encounters her five-year-old neighbor Miles, and the three of them have an adventure.
by Jennifer L. Holm
New Jersey, 1953. During the summer, eleven-year-old Penny carries her uncle Dominic’s lucky bean, almost loses her arm, reconciles with her mother’s beau, and discovers the cause of her father’s death. Best of all, she reunites her feuding family.
by Kirby Larson
Montana, 1918. Sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Inez Brooks arrives at the remote homestead claim she inherited from an unknown uncle. She expects hard work but does not anticipate the strong anti-German prejudice directed at her good neighbors, the Muellers.
by Cynthia Lord
Sometimes twelve-year-old Catherine resents her autistic brother, David, who breaks rules and gets all her parents’ attention. She meets Jason, a teenage nonverbal paraplegic, at David’s therapy center. As the two become friends, Catherine realizes that accepting differences matters more than any rules.
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Debbie—first met in All Alone in the Universe (RC 49604)—wishes something good would happen to her. She and other young teens in her hometown experience new thoughts and feelings, question their identities, and connect and disconnect as they search for meaning in life and love.
by Alan Armstrong
In this tale of talking barnyard animals, a feline descendent of Dick Whittington’s cat relates his ancestor’s legend. He further endears himself to the group by ridding the barn of rats. Meanwhile the animals encourage Abby to teach her dyslexic brother, Ben, to read.
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Traces the Hitler Youth movement’s development during the period 1926 to 1945, when it indoctrinated German children and teens in Nazi ideology and loyalty to Hitler. Features personal accounts of members such as Elisabeth Vetter, who betrayed her own parents for objecting to Hitler.
by Shannon Hale
When it is decreed that Prince Steffan of Danland will choose a bride from remote Mount Eskel, Miri and all the village girls–including newly arrived Britta–attend a princess academy to prepare them for the potential honor.
by Jacqueline Woodson
Sewing has helped the author's family find the road to freedom. This tradition began with mothers and daughters who made “show ways,” patchwork quilts designed to reveal escape routes from slavery.
by Cynthia Kadohata
Georgia, 1950s. Katie's close-knit Japanese American family puts up a brave front when Katie's older sister Lynn is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The family even goes into debt to buy a house, hoping Lynn's health will improve there. For grades 6-9.
BR 15996, volume 1 of 1
RC 59896
by Gennifer Choldenko
1935. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan moves to Alcatraz Island when his father takes a job at the maximum-security prison there. Moose struggles to make friends and cares for his older autistic sister while their mother applies for the girl's acceptance to a special school. For grades 6-9. 2004.
BR 15982, volume 1 of 2
BR 15982, volume 2 of 2
RC 58456
by Russell Freedman
Recounts the life of African American singer Marian Anderson and her “once-in-a-hundred-years” voice. Describes her Philadelphia childhood, intense training, successful career in Europe, triumphant return to America, and setbacks caused by racial discrimination. Highlights Anderson's successful 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance for 75,000 fans. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2004.
BR 17397
RC 58728
by Gary D. Schmidt
In 1911 Turner Buckminster hates being the son of the new minister in Phippsburg, Maine. Things improve for awhile when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from the poor, nearby Malaga Island community founded by former slaves. For grades 6-9 and older readers. Newbery Honor, Printz Honor. 2004.
BR 17293 volume 1 of 2
BR 17293 volume 2 of 2
RC 60079
by Kate DiCamillo
Despereaux, a small mouse, is condemned to the dungeon for falling in love with human Princess Pea. Despereaux meets the rat, Roscuro, while Mig, an upstairs serving girl, wishes to be a princess, too. All four meet with near disastrous results. For grades 3-6. 2003.
BR 15300
RC 57805
by Kevin Henkes
After Olive's death, twelve-year-old Martha reads an excerpt from Olive's journal and mourns her barely known classmate. Later, at her grandmother's beach house, Martha experiences loss, love, betrayal, and a renewed connection to her family. For grades 5-8. 2003.
BR 15265
RC 63636
by Jim Murphy
Describes the horrific events in Philadelphia in 1793 when citywide illness prevented Congress from convening. Thousands of people were dying, many unattended, and physicians of the time were unsure of the cause or treatment of the yellow-fever outbreak. For grades 6-9. 2003. For grades 6-9.
BR 17407
RC 57418
by Avi
In 1377 England, the manor steward falsely accuses a thirteen-year-old orphan of murder. Before he runs away, the boy learns his name from the village priest. On the road with Bear, a juggler, Crispin learns who his father is–and the reason the steward wants him dead. For grades 6-9.
BR 14606, volume 1 of 2
BR 14606, volume 2 of 2
RC 55295
by Nancy Farmer
In a future where humans despise clones, Matt has special privileges as the young clone of El Patrón–the 140-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire. When Matt gets a glimpse of his fate, he rebels. Some violence and some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. National Book Award. 2002.
BR 17298 volume 1 of 3
BR 17298 volume 2 of 3
BR 17298 volume 3 of 3
RC 55927
by Patricia Reilly Giff
A troublesome foster child, Hollis loves to draw pictures on paper and in her mind. Her favorite is one in which she fits in–with a father, mother, brother, and herself. Now Hollis lives with an artist, but still longs for the summer family that wanted to keep her. For grades 5-8. 2002.
BR 17398
RC 56220
by Carl Hiaasen
Middle school student Roy has just moved from Montana to south Florida. He befriends a boy named Mullet Fingers and his stepsister, who are trying to prevent a pancake-house chain from building a restaurant over a colony of burrowing owls. For grades 6-9. 2002.
BR 17274 volume 1 of 2
BR 17274 volume 2 of 2
RC 55550
by Ann M. Martin
Twelve-year-old Hattie experiences a tragic summer in 1960 when her young, mentally ill uncle Adam comes to stay with her grandparents. Hattie befriends him, but no one knows how to handle his moods, least of all Adam himself. For grades 6-9. 2002.
BR 16894
RC 55807
by Stephanie S. Tolan
Kicked out of several public schools, Jake winds up being home schooled with an eccentric family of artists at the Applewhite's Creative Academy. When the whole clan becomes involved in producing The Sound of Music, Jake discovers a few positive traits and talents of his own. For grades 5-8. 2002.
BR 17296
RC 55806
by Linda Sue Park
Tree-ear, an orphan in twelfth-century Korea, spends most of his time foraging for food for himself and Crane-man, an older companion. Tree-ear takes advantage of a mishap in master potter Min's yard to become his apprentice, learning a craft and gaining unforeseen rewards. For grades 5-8.
BR 14214, volume 1 of 1
RC 53670
by Polly Horvath
When Primrose's parents are lost at sea off Coal Harbour in Canada, she is cared for by a series of neighbors and relatives, including Miss Bowzer, who owns a restaurant where everything is served on a waffle. For grades 4-7.
BR 17295
RC 53669
by Marilyn Nelson
Award-winning poet's series of poems portraying incidents in the life of multitalented George Washington Carver (1864?-1943), the botanist and inventor. Covers his start as an orphaned slave eager for education, his friendship with Booker T. Washington, and his career as a researcher at Tuskegee Institute. For grades 6-9.
BR 17282
RC 53915
by Richard Peck
During the 1937 recession fifteen-year-old Mary Alice from Chicago is sent to live with feisty Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois. There she learns about small-town ways and grows to love her grandmother. Sequel to A Long Way from Chicago (RC 50305, BR 12129). For grades 6-9.
BR 12930, volume 1 of 1
RC 51259
by Joan Bauer
Sixteen-year-old Hope and her aunt Addie, a professional waitress/cook team, move to Wisconsin to help G.T. Stoop run his restaurant. Soon they become involved in removing the corrupt mayor from office, and Hope finds the father she needs. For junior and senior high readers.
BR 12927, volume 1 of 2
BR 12927, volume 2 of 2
RC 54218
Kate DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal and her preacher dad move to a new town in Florida during the summer. Opal is lonely until she adopts a big stray dog she names Winn-Dixie. The two soon make friends with the local librarian, the pet store manager, and a nearly-blind elderly neighbor. For grades 3-6.
BR 12917, volume 1 of 1
RC 50679
by Jack Gantos
In this sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (RC 48254) Joey is spending the summer with his long-absent alcoholic dad, who convinces Joey to stop wearing his medication patches. Soon wired again, Joey clashes with his dad's own out-of-control personality. For grades 5-8.
BR 17300
RC 51237
by Sharon Creech
Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic voyage by sailboat to visit Bompie, their grandfather in England. Also on board are three uncles and another cousin. The journey of discovery for all five becomes especially important for Sophie, who was adopted into the family only three years ago. For grades 5-8.
BR 17302 volume 1 of 2
BR 17302 volume 2 of 2
RC 50785
by Christopher Paul Curtis
During the Great Depression, ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy, runs away from his latest (bad) foster home in Flint, Michigan. He sets out for Grand Rapids in search of the man he believes to be his father–renowned bandleader Herman E. Calloway. For grades 4-7.
BR 12592, volume 1 of 1
RC 49311
by Audrey Couloumbis
Still reeling from the sudden death of their baby sister, Willa Jo and JoAnn (called “Little Sister”) are whisked away to an aunt's house while their mother, Noreen, recovers from depression. Unhappy with Aunt Patty's bossy ways, Willa Jo and the now mute Little Sister retreat to the roof. For grades 5-8.
BR 17286
RC 50374
Jennifer L. Holm
In 1899, twelve-year-old May Amelia lives with her Finnish American family in the small Washington community of Nasel. A tomboy with seven brothers, May becomes anxious about her family's bad luck. Some strong language. For grades 4-7.
BR 17367 volume 1 of 2
BR 17367 volume 2 of 2
RC 50217
by Tomie dePaola
The children's author tells some events from his childhood: experiencing a hurricane when he was four and seeing Walt Disney's movie about Snow White. He describes friends and relatives and the building of his new family home when he was five. A chapter book. For grades 2-4.
RC 49410
by Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats IV finds himself in a detention center for possessing stolen property that he didn't take. While digging holes under the summer Texas sun, he sees a fellow inmate running away–and follows him. Legends, loyalty, and buried treasure are revealed as Stanley learns to survive. For grades 5-8.
BR 12174, volume 1 of 2
BR 12174, volume 2 of 2
RC 47444
by Richard Peck
In eight short stories an old man reminisces about the week each summer he and his little sister spent with his grandmother. Joey likes the train ride and his feisty, independent grandmother, who tells “whoppers,” fishes, and shoots a shotgun. For grades 6-9.
BR 12129, volume 1 of 1
RC 50305
by Karen Hesse
Told in free verse, an account of two years in the life of Billie Jo Kelby, who at thirteen loses her mother and new baby brother in a terrible accident for which she is partly to blame. Life in Oklahoma in the mid-1930s is difficult, and Billie Jo can no longer play the piano–her one solace in the past. She seeks a way to heal her father and herself. For grades 6-9.
BR 11956, volume 1 of 1
RC 46712
by Gail Carson Levine
Ella was cursed at birth by a fairy–who thought she was bestowing a gift–to always be obedient. After her mother dies, Ella is at the mercy of two bossy girls and their mother. The enchantment even puts her love for Prince Charmont at risk, and Ella is determined to get rid of it. For grades 3-6.
BR 15992 volume 1 of 2
BR 15992 volume 2 of 2
RC 46186
by Patricia Reilly Giff
In the summer of 1944, Lily goes to Rockaway Beach, New York, with her grandmother. There Lily meets Albert, a young Hungarian refugee orphan who fled from the Nazis. When Lily tells lies to impress Albert, there are unexpected consequences. For grades 5-8.
BR 17375
RC 45659
by Jerry Spinelli
Palmer LaRue dreads turning ten, the age at which boys become wringers–those who break the necks of wounded birds at the town's annual pigeon shoot. A pigeon appears at Palmer's window and becomes his pet, a fact that the boy conceals until the day of the shoot, when he faces a tough moral decision. For grades 4-7.
BR 17372
RC 45801
by E.L. Konigsburg
Mrs. Olinski is hard-pressed to explain how she selected the four students who will represent the sixth grade in the Academic Bowl. But her choice of the four calling themselves “The Souls” was excellent. As the students prepare and compete, each reveals a reason for being part of the team. For grades 4-7.
BR 15490, volume 1 of 1
RC 43549
by Nancy Farmer
Eleven-year-old Nhamo flees from her village in Mozambique to avoid an arranged marriage. Traveling by canoe to her father's family home in Zimbabwe, Nhamo endures incredible hardships but has her mother's spirit to guide her. For grades 6-9.
RC 45799
by Eloise McGraw
Her father was human and her mother was Folk (a kingdom of small people who live under the moor), and that makes Moql an outcast in both groups. The Folk raise Moql until they realize she is part human. Then they exchange Moql for a human child in the village. As Moql becomes aware of her true identity, she wonders how to right the wrong of being a changeling. For grades 4-7.
RC 45148
by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen, who boasts he can steal anything, is in the king's prison. He is offered a chance of freedom by joining the king's scholar in trying to recover the legendary Hamiathes's Gift Stone. Gen accepts the offer but endures many psychological and physical dangers. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.
BR 11285, volume 1 of 2
BR 11285, volume 2 of 2
RC 47183
by Ruth White
When twelve-year-old Woodrow Prater's mother, Belle, mysteriously vanishes from the family's Appalachian shack, Woodrow moves into town to live with his grandparents. Beautiful next-door cousin Gypsy first seeks to discover cross-eyed Woodrow's secret and then comes to respect him for who he is. For grades 5-8.
BR 11318, volume 1 of 1
RC 45802
by Karen Cushman
The only name she has ever known is Brat. She does not know how old she is–probably twelve or thirteen; she has no family or home; and she is unwashed, hungry, and unloved. Brat is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by the town's midwife, who reluctantly gives her many jobs to do in return for a piece of dry bread and stale cheese. But Brat soon determines to become a midwife herself. For grades 6-9.
BR 15443, volume 1 of 1
RC 40833
by Carolyn Coman
Jamie wasn't sure what woke him up, but the first thing he saw was his baby sister, Nin, being thrown across the room by Van. The next thing he saw was his mother, Patty, catching Nin. Right then, Jamie and his mother and sister left the house and went to see her long-time friend Earl. Earl lets them live in his old trailer, and everything seems fine until Van shows up. Some strong language. For grades 3-6.
RC 41688
by Christopher Paul Curtis
The whole “Weird Watson” family drives from Michigan to visit Grandma Sands in Alabama. She is the only one who can put some sense into the head of Kenny's older brother, Byron, who acts up just too many times. The kids have never been to the South, where they experience segregation and racism. The family's sense of humor helps, but life there holds serious problems. Some strong language. For grades 5-8.
RC 41921
by Carol Fenner
Big and black and a good student, fifth-grader Yolanda is often the target of jokes but always has a snappy answer. When a new friend admiringly calls her a genius, it dawns on Yolanda who the real genius is. Her little brother, Andrew, is having trouble learning to read, but he can play amazing sounds on his harmonica. To lift Andrew's spirits, Yolanda devises a way to introduce him to Chicago's music world. For grades 4-7.
RC 41794
by Jim Murphy
An account of the conflagration that leveled much of Chicago in 1871. Chronicles events from the fire's outbreak and rapid spread to its extinguishment by rain, as reported by survivors and in documents of the period. Examines the origins, circumstances, and official failures that contributed to the disaster. For grades 5-8.
RC 44868
by Sharon Creech
A year ago, Sal's grieving mother left Sal and her father to visit Idaho and never returned. Sal's father has accepted that his wife is not coming back, but Sal has not. As she and her grandparents travel to Idaho to find her mother, Sal tells them “an extensively strange story” about her new friend Phoebe, whose mother also disappeared. And Sal gets to walk two moons in her mother's moccasins. For grades 3-6 and older readers.
BR 10280, volume 1 of 2 BR 10280, volume 2 of 2 RC 39621
by Karen Cushman
Life in the last decade of the thirteenth century as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl. Birdy, the daughter of a minor lord and lady in Lincolnshire, has been ordered by her older brother, a monk, to keep a journal for one year. She reluctantly agrees. In it Birdy portrays the tedium of life in the Middle Ages, the unending chores, the lowly role of women, and the selling of a girl in marriage to the highest bidder. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
RC 39832
by Nancy Farmer
Zimbabwe, 2194. Tendai, Rita, and Kuda, the three children of the general, are kidnapped by the She Elephant's minions when they venture one day into the dangerous streets of Harare. The children's worried parents consult a bumbling, unorthodox, mutated detective trio–the Ear, Eye, and Arm–and the chase is on, with the detectives always one step behind the kids, who fall in and out of the She Elephant's clutches. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
RC 39386
by Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a utopia: there is no hunger, no disease, no fear; the elderly are tenderly cared for, and every child has attentive parents. The society is uniformly run. Jonas eagerly awaits the Ceremony of Twelve, when twelve-year-olds receive assignments for their lifelong professions. He is selected to be the new Receiver of Memories. As such he learns of misery and pain, but also of joy and love. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
BR 09626, volume 1 of 1
RC 37689
by Jane Leslie Conly
Vernon Dibbs, still grieving over the death of his mother and barely noticed by his overworked father, is about to flunk the seventh grade. In his poor Baltimore neighborhood, he joins his friends in harassing Maxine, an alcoholic dubbed the “crazy lady,” and her son, who is mentally retarded. But in exchange for tutoring from a retired teacher, Vernon begins to help and to grow fond of Maxine and Ronald. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
RC 37956
by Laurence Yep
China, 1865. Fourteen-year-old Otter eagerly sails to California to join his father and his legendary uncle, Foxfire, as a laborer on the transcontinental railroad. Joining outcasts headed by Uncle Foxfire, a dreamer battling defeat by American racism and the fears of his Chinese companions, Otter begins a harrowing journey towards self-knowledge. Companion to Mountain Light (RC 26541), and Serpent's Children (RC 26540). For grades 6-9 and older readers.
BR 09550, volume 1 of 2
BR 09550, volume 2 of 2
RC 38610
by Russell Freedman
A portrait of one of the most influential women of the twentieth century, told partly through her own words. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, overcame both an unhappy childhood (her parents separated and had died by the time that she was ten) and a timid nature to become a vigorous, outspoken social activist and the first first lady with a public life and a career. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
RC 38664
by Cynthia Rylant
Orphaned at six and raised by an elderly West Virginia aunt and uncle with more devotion than money, Summer is twelve years old when Aunt May dies. While Summer's grief is profound, Uncle Ob seems absolutely unable to go on living without his beloved May–that is, until he decides her presence lingers nearby and that somehow he can contact her. Disappointed in his efforts, Uncle Ob comes to choose living over mourning. For grades 5-8.
BR 9884, volume 1 of 1
RC 36384
by Bruce Brooks
Rushing home to show off his report card on the last day of first grade, Asa is told of his parents' impending divorce. Soon thereafter he is introduced to Dave, his stepfather-to-be. Dave does not like Asa, who is smart and precocious. His mother becomes increasingly depressed, and objects only mildly to Dave's negative attitude towards her son. Slowly, Dave and Asa forge a relationship. For grades 5-8 and older readers. RC 37415
by Patricia McKissack
The author invites readers to gather in the “dark-thirty”–the eerie half hour just before dark, for ten tales inspired by African-American folklore and history. In We Organized a cruel owner is forced by magic to free his slaves; in Justice a KKK lynching victim returns to haunt; and in The 11:59 a porter knows when his time is up. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
RC 36183
by Walter Dean Myers
“I'm your father,” the man tells Jimmy Little in the dimly lit hall of his New York City tenement. They don't know each other. Crab, the father, has been in jail for nine years. Seriously ill, he has escaped from prison in an attempt to clear his name and win his son's respect. As they drive to Chicago, then to Crab's hometown in Arkansas, the police close in, and Jimmy sees the failure of his father's dreams. For junior and senior high and older readers.
RC 36958
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Sequel to Shiloh Season (RC44980). When Judd Travers appears to be mending his mean and angry ways, his young friend Marty is encouraged, despite rumors of Judd's involvement in criminal activities. Judd repays Marty's confidence by rescuing Marty's dog, Shiloh, from drowning. For grades 4-7.
BR 12872, volume 1 of 1
RC 46647
by Avi
Ninth grader Philip Malloy is barred from the track team because of a poor grade in English. Convinced that his teacher dislikes him, he concocts a scheme to get transferred from her homeroom. Instead of standing “at respectful, silent attention” during the national anthem, Philip hums. The issue is perceived to be one of patriotism, and the conflict explodes. For grades 6-9 and older readers.
BR 9114, volume 1 of 2
BR 9114, volume 2 of 2
RC 35549
by Russell Freedman
Although four years apart, Wilbur and Orville Wright were inseparable throughout their lives. From their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, the two set out to prove the possibility of powered, controlled, human flight. They succeeded in 1903, and, with dogged determination, were also successful in promoting their new flying machine and overcoming the government's lack of interest. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
RC 34862
by Jerry Spinelli
Part tall tale and part realistic fiction, this novel weaves together issues of homelessness, racial prejudice, and illiteracy. Orphaned at three, Jeffrey Magee, after eight unhappy years with relatives, takes off running one day. A year later he ends up 200 miles away in Two Mills, a highly segregated community. Magee, who is white, lives alternately with blacks and whites, proving the shared humanity of both. For grades 5-8.
BR 13320, volume 1 of 1
RC 33527
by Avi
An exciting seafaring adventure, set in 1832. Charlotte Doyle, thirteen, returning from school in England to join her family in Rhode Island, is deposited on a seedy ship with a ruthless, mad captain and a mutinous crew. Refusing to heed warnings about Captain Jaggery, Charlotte seeks his guidance and approval only to become his victim, a pariah to the entire crew, and a convicted murderer. For grades 5-8.
BR 13299, volume 1 of 2
BR 13299, volume 2 of 2
RC 33473
Author Marguerite Henry
Annotation:
The story of Sham, a magnificent Arabian stallion, and Agba, the stable boy who cares for him faithfully as they cross the seas from Morocco to England and France. When King Louis XV of France rejects the gift of this stallion, he does not know that the horse will become the founder of a strain of thoroughbreds, one of which will be Man o' War. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
Available Formats:
Reading time: 3 hours, 28 minutes
Author: Hendrik Willem van Loon
Annotation:
An account of man's history revealed through movements and ideas, from prehistoric times to the present. For junior and senior high readers.
Available Formats:
Author: Bernard Marshall
NOT AVAILABLE IN ANY FORMAT
Author: Padraic Colum
Annotation:
The strange and wondrous adventures of Jason and his brave Argonauts, who sought the famous Golden Fleece. Interwoven with their adventures are the mythical tales of Orpheus, Atalanta, Theseus, and Pandora and her secret box.
Available Formats:
Author: Charles Hawes
NOT AVAILABLE IN ANY FORMAT
Author: William Bowen
NOT AVAILABLE IN ANY FORMAT
Author: Cornelia Meigs
NOT AVAILABLE IN ANY FORMAT