The BFG
by Roald Dahl Kidsnatched from her orphange by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants. F
Case of the Lion Dance
by Laurence Yep When $2000 is stolen during the opening of a restaurant, Lily and her aunt, a Chinese American movie actress, search for the thief throughout San Francisco's Chinatown. RF, S
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
by Paula Danziger When the unconventional English teacher who helped her conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, thirteen-year-old Marcy Lewis uses her new found courage to campaign for the teacher's reinstatement. RF
The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden After Chester lands, in the Times Square subway station, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby newsstand. There, he has the good fortune to make three new friends: Mario, a little boy whose parents run the falling newsstand, Tucker, a fast-talking Broadway mouse, and Tucker's sidekick, Harry the Cat. The escapades of these four friends in bustling New York City makes for lively listening and humorous entertainment. And somehow, they manage to bring a taste of success to the nearly bankrupt newsstand. F, S
Defenders
by Ann McGovern The Defenders tells the exciting and tragic story of three great Indian leaders, who fought bravely for their people's freedom and their right to live on their own lands. B
Do the Funky Pickle
by Jerry Spinelli Eddie's struggle to win the affections of Sunny is complicated by a dance called the Funky Pickle and an orange-haired girl called Angelpuss. RF
Eleanor
by Barbara Cooney Presents the childhood of Eleanor Roosevelt, who married a president of the United States and became known as a great humanitarian. B
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine 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. F
Everybody Else's Family Said Yes
by Paula Danziger Matthew cannot resist the temptation to play practical jokes on his older sister and all the girls in his class at school, so by the time of the big party for his eleventh birthday they have all declared war on him. RF
The Forgotten Door
by Alexander Key A boy able to talk to animals and read people's minds finds himself in danger after falling through a door to the strange planet Earth. SF
Great African Americans in History
by Pat Rediger Full-color and black-and-white photos highlight fascinating biographical accounts of 13 African Americans distinguished in history. Among those featured are Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, Bessie Coleman, W.E.B. DuBois, Harriet Tubman, and others. B, S
I Was a Sixth Grade Alien
by Bruce Coville When aliens come to Earth on an interplanetary trade mission, sixth-grader Tim makes friends with the ambassador's son and together they uncover a plot to sabotage the mission. F, S
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
by Jack Gantos To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. RF, S
Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West
by Steven Kroll Introduces Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their expedition of 1804-6 through the Louisiana Territory, opening the land from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. I
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young Three sisters staying home alone are endangered by a hungry wolf who is disguised as their grandmother. TL
Matilda
by Roald Dahl Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security. F
Max and Me and the Time Machine
by Gery Greer and Bob Ruddick When Steve brings home a time machine he bought for $2.50 at a garage sale, Max is suspicious. There' s no such thing as time travel. Or time machines. Then they both end up in the year 1250 in medieval England — Steve as Sir Robert Marshall and Max as his horse! — and Max must admit the machine works. SF
Mr. President: A Book of U.S. Presidents
by George Sullivan Check out these quick and easy bios of all the U.S. Presidents—from George Washington to the brand new President of the new millennium!
Which President was nicknamed "the little magician"? Which President fought in a war at the age of 13? Which President lived with a bullet in his shoulder for fifty years? In Mr. President, you will answer these questions and many more!
B
The Peddler's Gift
by Maxine Rose Schuer A young boy in turn-of-the-century rural Russia learns that appearances are often deceiving after he steals and then tries to return a dreidel to the traveling peddler Shnook. HF
Poppy
by Avi Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas. F, S
Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar Kids will have fun solving more than 50 mathematical brain teasers while reading this great collection of stories from Wayside School--where students laugh as much as they learn. I, S
Sleepers, Wake
by Paul Samuel Jacobs Dody, a space pioneer of the future, wakes long before anyone else during his ship's journey and grows old while his family continues to sleep. SF
Sounder
by William Armstrong Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and through his relationship with his devoted dog Sounder. RF