*Items may be found in multiple locations. Check the catalog or ask a librarian for assistance.

Adventure

Aiken, Joan. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. [AR BL 6.5, Pts. 7.0] After two children are chased by wolves and their parents are lost at sea, they escape and travel 400 miles to London.  

Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 8.0] As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious.  

George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves. [AR BL 5.8, Pts. 6.0] Miyax, or Julie to her San Francisco friends, runs away from her small Eskimo village and becomes lost in the Alaskan wilderness.  To survive, she copies the behavior of wolves and is eventually accepted into their pack.    

Gidwitz, Adam. The Inquisitor’s Tale. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 11.0] On a dark night in 1242, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children and their adventures with history, religion, and farting dragons.  

Hesse, Karen. Stowaway. [AR BL 6.1, Pts. 11.0] A fictionalized journal relates the experiences of a young stowaway from 1768 to 1771 aboard the Endeavor which sailed around the world under Captain James Cook.  

Konigsburg, E.L. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. [AR BL 4.7, Pts. 5.0] Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelveyear-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.  

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. The Book of Boy. [AR BL 4.3, Pts. 6.0] In 1350, a boy with a large hump on his back becomes the servant of a shadowy pilgrim on his way to Rome, who pulls the boy into a dangerous expedition across Europe to gather the seven precious relics of Saint Peter.  

Paulsen, Gary.  Hatchet. [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 7.0] After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.  

Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck. [AR BL 5.4, Pts. 4.0] Twelve-year old Ben, whose story is told in words, loses both his mother and his hearing and leaves home to seek the father he never knew, while Rose, whose story is told in pictures, is also compelled to search for the something missing in her life.  

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. [AR BL 8.0, Pts. 12.0] The classic adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the early nineteenth century.  

Vanderpool, Clare. Navigating Early. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 11.0] At the end of World War II, two boys share an incredible quest on the Appalachian Trail, where they deal with pirates, buried secrets, and extraordinary encounters. 

Animals  

Busby, Cylin. The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs. [AR BL 6.1, Pts. 11.0] The story of cat Jacob Tibbs, runt of the litter, and his exploits on the high seas as a ship’s mouser.  

Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 5.0] A story about a 14 year old boy, Travis, and an old yellow dog he loves.      Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 7.0] Young Alec Ramsay is shipwrecked on a desert island with a horse destined to play an important part in his life.  Following their rescue their adventure continues in America.  

Pennypacker, Sara. Pax. [AR BL 5.3. Pts. 8.0] After being forced to give up his pet fox, Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.  

Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 11.0] Billy Coleman works and saves to buy two red-bone hunting hounds while his grandfather provides him with support and lessons in growing up.  
Taylor, Theodore. The Trouble with Tuck. [AR BL 5.5, Pts. 4.0] A young girl trains her blind dog to follow and trust a guide dog. 

Realistic  

Creech, Sharon. Bloomability. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 7.0] When her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Lugano, Switzerland, to attend an international school, thirteen-year-old Dinnie discovers an expanding world and her place within it.  

Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 5.0] To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.  

Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. [AR BL5.2, Pts. 9.0] Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. 

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. [AR BL 4.8, Pts. 11.0] Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.  

Patron, Susan. The Higher Power of Lucky. [AR BL 5.9, Pts. 5.0] Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, 10-year-old Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the “Higher Power” that will bring stability to her life.  

Philbrick, W. Rodman. Freak the Mighty. [AR BL 5.5, Pts. 5.0] At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.  

Reynolds, Jason. As Brave As You. [AR BL 4.8, Pts. 11.0] When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires--literally. 

Stead, Rebecca. Goodbye, Stranger. [AR BL 3.9, Pts. 7.0] As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with Em, Tab, and new friend Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight.  

Science Fiction/Fantasy    

Baum, Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. [AR BL 7.0, Pts. 7.0] After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas.  

Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl.[AR BL 5.0, Pts. 9.0] When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a nasty troll.  

DuPrau, Jeanne. The City of Ember. (Books of Ember #1) [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 9.0] 
Doon and Lina live in an underground world where the lights continually go out, leaving them in darkness. They are determined to save the city.  

Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising. [AR BL 6.2, Pts. 13.0] On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.  

Jacques, Brian. Redwall. (Redwall #1) [AR BL 5.6, Pts. 16.0] When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy.  

L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. [AR BL 4.7, Pts. 7.0] Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. [AR BL4.6, Pts. 8.0] In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.  

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Chronicles of Narnia #2) [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 1.0] Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.  

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 7.0] Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.  

McCann, Lisa. The Unwanteds. (The Unwanteds #1) [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 11.0] In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.  

Messenger, Shannon. Keeper of the Lost Cities. (Keeper of the Lost Cities #1) [AR BL 4.2, Pts. 14.0] At age twelve, Sophie learns that the remarkable abilities that have always caused her to stand out identify her as an elf, and after being brought to Eternalia to hone her skills, discovers that she has secrets buried in her memory for which some would kill.  

Shusterman, Neal. The Dark Side of Nowhere. [AR BL 5.8, Pts. 8.0] Fourteen-year-old Jason faces an identity crisis after discovering that he is the son of aliens who stayed on earth following a botched invasion mission.  

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. [AR BL 6.6, Pts. 16.0] Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.  

Historical Fiction  

Avi. Crispin: the Cross of Lead. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 7.0] 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.

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. The War that Saved My Life. [AR BL 4.1, Pts. 9.0] A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.     

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons go to Birmingham—1963. [AR BL 5.0, Pts. 8.0] The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in 1963.  

Gratz, Alan. Grenade. [AR BL 5.2, 7.0] In April 1945, fourteen-year-old Hideki, who was drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps, is handed two grenades and told to kill American soldiers. He just wants to find his family.  

Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 9.0] When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.  

Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. [AR BL 6.6, Pts. 10.0] Young Jethro Creighton grows from a boy to a man when he is left to take care of the family farm in Illinois during the difficult years of the Civil War.  

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Echo. [AR BL 4.9, Pts. 13.0] Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica—and decades later three children, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California find themselves caught up in the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the 20th century, struggling to keep their families intact and tied together by the same harmonica.  

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. [AR BL 5.3, Pts.6.0] Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to work in the labor camps of Southern California on the eve of the Great Depression.  

Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. [AR BL 5.7, Pts. 9.0] A young girl from Barbados visits her Puritan relatives in Connecticut only to become the object of a seventeenth-century witch hunt.     

Humorous  

Angleberger, Tom. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. [AR BL 4.7, Pts. 3.0] Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.  

Cowell, Cressida. How to Train Your Dragon. [AR BL 6.6, Pts. 5.0] Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the tribe of Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.  

Karr, Kathleen. The Great Turkey Walk. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 6.0] In 1860, a somewhat simple-minded fifteen-year-old boy attempts to herd one thousand turkeys from Missouri to Denver, Colorado, in hopes of selling them at a profit.  

Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. [AR BL 4.5, Pts. 5.0] Eight-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsal for school paly where in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but also his life as well.  

McCloskey, Robert. Homer Price. [AR BL 6.0, Pts. 5.0] This classic tale offers six episodes in the life of Homer Price including one in which he and his pet skunk capture four bandits and another about a donut machine on the rampage.                       

Patterson, James. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. (Middle School #1)  [AR BL 4.5, Pts 4.0] When Rafe enters middle school, he teams up with his best friend to create a game to make school more fun by trying to break every rule in the school's code of conduct.

Peck, Richard. A Long Way from Chicago. [AR BL: 5.0, Pts. 5.0] A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother. 

Roy, James. Max Quigley: Technically Not a Bully. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 5.0] After playing a prank on one of his "geeky" classmates, sixth-grader Max Quigley's punishment is to be tutored by him.  

Mystery  

Bosch, Pseudonymous. The Name of this Book is Secret. (Secret Series #1) [AR BL 5.6, Pts. 9.0] Two 11-year-old misfits try to solve the mystery of a dead magician and stop the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais, who are searching for the secret of immortality. 

Cavendish, Grace. Assassin. (Lady Grace Mysteries #1) [AR 5.8, Pts. 6.0] Thirteen-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, favorite Maid of Honour of Elizabeth I, must solve a murder mystery and clear the name of her betrothed.  

Kittscher, Kristen. The Wig in the Window. (The Young and Yang Series #1)  [AR BL 5.1, Pts. 10.0] When their game of neighborhood spying takes a dark turn one night, pre-teen sleuths Sophie Young and Grace Yang find themselves caught in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with their bizarre guidance counselor, who may be hiding something sinister.  

Roberts, Willo Davis. View from the Cherry Tree. [AR BL 5.2, Pts. 7.0] Rob admits having seen a murder, but no one believes him, except the murderer.  

Raskin, Ellen. Westing Game. [AR BL 5.3, Pts. 8.0] The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the mystery of his death before they can claim their inheritance.  

Stuart, Trenton L. Mysterious Benedict Society. [AR BL 5.6 Pts. 18.0] After passing a mind-bending test, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go under cover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.  

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. The Egypt Game.* [AR BL: 6.4, Pts. 7.0]
It is only a game for six children, until an oracle tells the truth and a murderer appears.