Clovis Unified School District Supplemental Literature for Grade 4

Book Title
	Author
	Summary
	
18th Emergency, The
	Byars, Betsy
	When the toughest boy in school swears to kill him, twelve year-old Mouse finds little help from friends and must prepare for this emergency alone.
	
A Long Way from Chicago
	Peck, Richards
	A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.
	
A Night Without Stars
	Howe, James
	When eleven-year-old Maria must go to the hospital for open-heart surgery, she finds strength in her friendship with a badly scarred burn victim.
	
A Traitor Among the Boys
	Reynolds Naylor, Phyllis
	Young Peter Hartford doesn't understand his brothers' rivalry with the Malloy sisters, and gladly confides the boys' secret plot against the girls in return for homemade cookies. Hilarious pranks and surprising affections hatch and grow between the Malloy girls and the Hartford boys, until a blizzard ups the ante.
	
A Wrinkle in Time
	L'Engle, Madeleine
	Meg and Charles Wallace and Calvin O'Keefe search for Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while trying to solve the tesseract (wrinkle in time) problem. The story combines theology, fantasy, and science in a story of time and space travel and the power of good over evil.
	
Aliens Ate my Homework
	Coville, Bruce
	Rod is surprised when a miniature spaceship lands in his school science project and reveals five tiny aliens, who ask his help in apprehending an interstellar criminal.
	
Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit
	Danziger, Paula
	Unhappy over her parents' divorce and her mother's boyfriend Max, nine-year-old Amber finds her schoolwork suffering.
	
Anne Frank’s Story
	Ralph, Brenda Lewis
	Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank went into hiding from the Nazis with her family in 1942.
	
Aquamarine
	Anshaw, Carol
	Imagine how different your life would be if you had made other choices at a crucial turning point in the past. Aquamarine probes that idea through the character of Jesse Austin, a former Olympic swimmer who, at age 17, lost the gold medal in the Mexico City games--a loss that has haunted her ever since.
	
Arm of the Starfish, The
	L'Engle, Madeleine
	Adam Eddigton, a brilliant student of marine biology, is thrilled when he is selected to be the summer assistant to Dr. O'Keefe. As he travels to Dr. O'Keefe's laboratory, which is on a small island off the coast of Portugal, he meets the attractive Caroline Cuttter. She gives Adam a mysterious warning about a passenger he will meet on his next flight. When her warning comes true, Adam finds himself in the center of a power struggle between two groups of people--only one of which can be right.
	
Back Yard Angel
	Delton, Judy
	Although ten-year-old Angel loves her little brother Rags dearly, the constant responsibility of taking care of him weighs heavily on her young shoulders.
	
Ballad of the Civil War, The
	Stolz, Mary
	Weary of the war, a Union lieutenant recalls his life with his twin brother on their family's Virginia plantation and the events that led them to fight on different sides in the Civil War.
	
Balto and the Great Race
	Kimmel, Elizabeth
	Recounts how the sled dog Balto saved Nome, Alaska, in 1925 from a diphtheria epidemic by delivering medicine through a raging snowstorm.
	
Bandit’s Moon
	Fleischman, Sid
	Orphan Annyrose sets off to find her brother in the California gold fields, is held hostage by O. O. Mary, and rescued by the notorious outlaw Joaquin Murietta. Thinking Annyrose is a boy, Murietta

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		spares her life after she promises to teach him to read so that he can find out what is being said about him in newspapers and on posters.
	
Biddy Mason The Open Hand
	Ferris, Jeri Chase
	Recounts the life of Biddy Mason, a slave who found freedom in California in 1856, who practiced the philosophy of sharing as she nursed the sick, delivered babies, and started many philanthropic projects after becoming a wealthy landowner in Los Angeles.
	
Black Star, Bright Dawn
	O'Dell, Scott
	Bright Dawn never thought she would be taking her father's place in the Iditarod, the challenging and treacherous dogsled race that covers more than 1,000 miles between Anchorage and Nome. Bright Dawn loves the trail, but she comes to know its perils, too, when she has to depend on her lead dog, Black Star, not just for the race, but for her life.
	
Blue Willow
	Gates, Dorris
	A little girl, who wants most of all to have a real home and to go to a regular school, hopes that the valley her family has come to, which so resembles the pattern on her treasured blue willow plate, will be their permanent home.
	
Bound for Oregon
	Leeuwen, Jean Van
	The adventures of nine-year-old Mary Ellen Todd and her family as they travel from Arkansas across the Oregon Trail in 1852. Mary Ellen has to deal with not only the difficult and dangerous journey, but also with her feelings about her new stepmother, and her sadness over leaving her beloved grandmother behind in Arkansas.
	
Boy
	Dahl, Roald
	Anecdotes from the author's childhood are presented, which include summer vacations in Norway and life at an English boarding school. This author is well known for his book CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Language reflects the time of the author's youth.
	
Broccoli Tapes, The
	Slepian, Jan
	During a stay of several months in Hawaii with her family, Sara reports her experiences by tape back to her sixth grade class in Boston, detailing her "adoption" of a wild cat, a friendship with a troubled Hawaiian boy, and the death of a beloved grandmother.
	
Bud, Not Buddy
	Curtis, Christopher Paul
	Ten-year-old Bud - "not Buddy" - Caldwell is an orphan on the run during the Great Depression. He escapes from an abusive foster home to find the man he believes to be his father. One dilemma after another uncovers a tough character who perseveres and triumphs in his quest.
	
Bud, Snow and the Burly Bear-Scare
	Wallace, Bill and Carol
	A young moose, his mother, and his animal friends’ team up to fight a bully of a grizzly bear one long, hard winter, and make friends with some humans in the process.
	
Bunnicula
	Howe, Deborah; Howe, James
	When a little rabbit called Bunnicula enters the Monroe household, vegetables begin turning white, and Chester the cat is convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit who sucks the juices out of vegetables. This is the first in a series of rollicking stories about Harold, Chester, and Bunnicula.
	
By the Great Horned Spoon
	Fleischman, Sid
	It is 1849 and Jack Flagg stows away on a ship headed for the California gold fields where he plans to recoup his Auntie Arabella's fortune.
	
California Gold Rush
	Caughey, John Walton
	Describes adventures and disasters in the lives of people who rushed to the gold mines of California in 1848 and explains how this event sparked the state's development.
	
Castle in the Attic
	Winthrop, Elizabeth
	Ten-year-old William is so distraught at the idea of his beloved Nanny returning to England that, with the aid of a magic token, he shrinks her to toy size and keeps her in the model castle that had been her parting gift to him.
	
Chocolate Fever
	Robert Kimmel Smith
	Chocolate lovers will identify with Henry Green who eats chocolate wherever and however he wants. What a shock when he breaks out in a rash of brown spots that smell like chocolate! After running away

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		from the doctor at the hospital, Henry stands up to a gang of boys, hitches a ride with a truck driver and is hijacked along with him.
	
Courage in the Sky
	Kerby, Mona
	Follows the life of the pilot who was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by herself in a plane.
	
Cuckoo Child, The
	Freeman, Suzie
	Eleven-year-old Mia refuses to believe that her parents are not coming back after they're reported lost at sea.
	
Dame Shirley
	Rawls, Jim
	Relates how a series of letters, written by a woman known as Dame Shirley and published in a San Francisco magazine in 1854 and 1855, were instrumental in inciting the California gold rush.
	
Danger! Volcanoes
	Simon, Seymour
	Introduces the facts about volcanoes, what they are, why and how they erupt, different types of volcanoes found around the world, and the effects of some famous eruptions of the twentieth century.
	
Danny Champion of the World
	Dahl. Roald
	Danny's mother died when he was only four months old, and since that time he's been raised by his kind and gentle father. Despite missing his mother, Danny is well-adjusted boy who lives with his father in a caravan behind his father's gas station. Danny thinks he knows his father very well, but at age nine, he discovers that his father has been hiding a big secret: he's a poacher. When Danny uncovers his dad's secret, he is eager to join in the fun.
	
Daring to be Abigail
	Vail, Rachel
	During her summer at Camp Nashaquitsa, eleven-year-old Abby tries to reinvent herself, while worrying about her mother, missing her dead father, and getting to know her equally self-conscious bunkmates
	
Dew Drop Dead
	Howe, James
	While setting up a homeless shelter at the church, Sebastian and his friends, Corrie and David, solve the mystery of a dead man found in an abandoned inn.
	
Digger
	Pratchett, Terry
	A group of small creatures called gnomes, whose families have lived for generations hidden in a department store, are forced to flee to a country quarry, where they struggle against harsh weather, destructive humans, and dissension among themselves.
	
Donavan’s World Jar
	Degross, Monalisa
	When the jar that Donavan keeps his word collection in fills up, he finds a special way to give his words away and get something wonderful in return.
	
Donner Party
	Calabro, Marian
	The Westward Movement to California was a journey that required bravery, skill, and strong determination. One of the most remembered trips was the ill-fated journey of the Donner Party. The journey started in the spring of 1846 and ended when the party became trapped and snowbound in the wild Sierras. Many died, and those who survived did so at a tremendous cost.
	
Dragons in the Waters
	L'Engle, Madeleine
	A thirteen-year-old boy's trip to Venezuela with his cousin culminates in murder and the discovery of an unexpected bond with an Indian tribe, dating from the days of Simâon Bolâivar.
	
Dreadful Acts
	Ardagh, Philip
	Twelve-year-old Eddie Dickens survives encounters with an escape artist in a runaway hearse's coffin, a hot air balloon bearing the escape artist's lovely assistant, a gas explosion, and a jewel thief on the run.
	
Eat your Poison, Dear
	Howe, James
	Teen sleuth Sebastian Barth works to solve another mystery when his school is flooded with cases of food poisoning. Could the cafeteria's cook, Miss Swille, be out to kill the students?
	
Ella Enchanted
	Levine, Gail Carson
	This fairy tale adaptation presents Ella (Cinderella) with a very unusual problem. A gift from one of her godmothers was obedience, and now Ella's life is miserable because she must follow every command, even if it is contrary to her wishes. When a young prince appears, Ella hopes that he can help her break the spell that holds her.
	
Ellen Tebbits
	Cleary, Beverly
	Eight-year-old Ellen Tebbits and new-girl-in-town Austine Allen form a fast friendship when they bond over the embarrassing fact that both of their mothers make them wear long woolen underwear all winter. As their friendship blossoms, the girls support each other in school.

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Enchantress from the Stars
	Engdahl, Sylvia Louise
	This thought-provoking novel combines science fiction with fantasy and tells the story of contact on the planet Andrecia between three civilizations. Narratives from members of each group give the reader different versions of this interaction.
	
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers
	Sobol, Donald J.
	A stolen teacup. An extra set of footprints. Four very strange words. A pirates treasure. .And a race to find a cheater in Idaville's annual disgusting sneaker contest! These are just some of the ten
brain-twisting mysteries that Encyclopedia Brown must solve by using his famous computer like brain.
	
Esperanza Rising
	Pam Muñoz Ryan
	Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
	
Exploring the Night Sky
	Moore, Patrick
	In this title the author, a veteran astronomy writer, describes how to use binoculars for astronomical observation. He explains basic astronomy and the selection of binoculars, and then discusses the stars, clusters, nebulae, and galaxies that await the observer.
	
Eye of the Storm
	Crosson-Tower, Cynthia
	This Civil War history is based on the writings of a Union soldier who was captured and sent to Andersonville, the infamous Confederate prison where thousands died. Sneden survived the war and his papers reside in the Virginia Historical Society.
	
Flunking of Joshua J. Bates, The
	Shreve, Susan
	Driving home from the beach on Labor Day, Joshua receives some shocking news from his mother: he must repeat third grade.
	
Forgotten Door, The
	Key, Alexander
	The boy from another world learns the best and worst of Earth's civilization as he searches for the way back to his own planet.
	
Fourth Grade Rats
	Spinelli, Jerry
	On the first day of school, Suds wishes he could still be in the third grade where, according to school tradition, he would be a "Third Grade Angel" rather than a "Fourth Grade Rat." In order to be a true fourth grader, Suds is now supposed to not being afraid of spiders, not cry, push the younger kids off the swings, and say "no" to his mother. Is this really what being a true fourth grader is all about?
	
Freaky Friday
	Rodgers, Mary
	A thirteen-year-old girl gains a much more sympathetic understanding of her relationship with her mother when she has to spend a day in her mother's body.
	
Friendship, The
	Taylor, Mildred D.
	This short novel relates the circumstances of a confrontation between a white storekeeper and an elderly African American in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. Four observers witness the effects that racism and peer pressure have on the tenuous friendship between the two men. The dialogue uses language reflecting the times, and the story climaxes in violence, depicting a violation of human rights. An author's note explains the origin of the story.
	
Frindle
	Clements, Andrew
	When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly move beyond his control.
	
Gathering Blue
	Lowry, Lois
	Kira's world of the future is almost medieval, filled with violence, bleakness, anger and hostility. She has the unusual skill of embroidery and is given the honorable job of Threader. She enlists her friend Matt to go out into the unknown world to look for blue thread. This powerful story is bleak at times, but it also portrays hope, change, and enlightenment.
	
Gentle Ben
	Morey, Walt
	Traces the friendship between a boy and a bear in the rugged Alaskan Territory.
	
Ghost Hotel
	Weinberg, Larry
	Mysteriously drawn to an Indiana museum, a twelve-year-old paralyzed girl encounters ghosts who return her to a former life, where she attempts to save the son of a freed slave traveling by Underground Railroad in Kentucky.

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Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips
	Dadey, Debbie
	Eddie's Aunt Mathilda won't eat potato chips. She says her deceased husband, Jasper, loved them and they probably killed him! Now spooky things are happening in Aunt Mathilda's house.
	
Goblins in the Castle
	Coville, Bruce
	What moans at midnight in Toad-in-a-Cage Castle? Toad-in-a-Cage Castle was filled with secrets --secrets such as the hidden passages that led to every room, the long stairway that wound down to the dungeon, and the weird creature named Igor who lived there. But it was the mysterious night noises that bothered William the most -- the strange moans that drifted through the halls of the castle where he was raised.
	
Golden Compass, The
	Pullman, Philip
	Lyra, an orphan being raised by the Scholars of Jordan College, is a precocious child who lives a life of adventure on the roofs and in the catacombs of the college. A strange encounter one evening with her uncle and the continued disappearance of young children from the country thrust Lyra into a mystery and a quest found only in fantasy stories. This book is the first in a trilogy of high fantasy; the others are THE SUBTLE KNIFE and THE AMBER SPYGLASS.
	
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup
	Creech, Sharon
	Twelve-year-old Rosie and Bailey, the boy next door, have been best friends since infancy. When their friendship is strained because of a new girl in their neighborhood, Granny Torrelli knows just how to smooth over the rough spots.
	
Great Gilly Hopkins, The
	Paterson, Katherine
	Finding herself in the latest and most intolerable of a string of foster homes, an eleven-year-old who prides herself on her cleverness and unmanageability tries gamely to provoke the adults around her
	
Hannah of Fairfield
	Leeuwen, Jean Van
	For almost nine-year-old Hannah Perley of Fairfield, Connecticut, growing up means facing new challenges, from saving the life of a baby lamb to helping the family prepare to send her brother Ben to join the colonial soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.
	
Harriet the Spy
	Fitzhugh, Louise
	Intensely curious and intelligent, eleven-year-old Harriet M. Welsch aspires to become a writer and begins by keeping a secret notebook of her observations. When her friends discover the notebook, learn about her spying on them, and read her painfully blunt comments, they decide to teach Harriet a lesson.
	
Heartbeat
	Creech, Sharon
	Life has rhythms in the life of twelve-year-old Annie, who loves to run, as she ponders the many progressions of adolescence.
	
Henry and Beezus
	Cleary, Beverly
	Henry Huggins is determined to buy a shiny red bike to outdo that show-off Scooter McCarthy. But selling bubble gum to the kids at school to earn money only brings Henry trouble. His good friend Beezus and her little sister, Ramona, are determined to help Henry earn the money for the bicycle.
	
Hey, New Kid
	Duffey, Betsy
	Third-grader Jeremy dreads going to a new school when his family moves, so he decides to reinvent himself, hoping his new classmates will be impressed.

Holes

Sachar, Louis
	As further evidence of his family's bad fortune, which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a boys' juvenile detention center in the Texas desert. As punishment, the boys here must each dig a hole every day. Ultimately, Stanley "digs up the truth" -- and through his experience, finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
	
Holy Enchilada!
	Oliver, Lin
	Efforts to impress a visiting student from Japan cause Hank to hide his dyslexia while the gang makes enchiladas for a Multi-Cultural Day lunch, and Hank is afraid he was very wrong about the amount of chili powder called for in the recipe.
	
Homesick: My Own Story
	Fritz, Jean
	The author tells of her youth in 1920s China with the use of family photographs. She recounts detailed memories of picnics on the Great Wall, holidays in the foreign compound, her rebelliousness in British school, and her reaction to being the object of hostility as a foreigner.

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Honus and Me
	Gutman, Dan
	Twelve-year-old Joe, while cleaning out Miss Young's attic, finds the world's most valuable baseball card picturing Honus Wagner. Joe falls asleep wrestling with the thought of telling her about the card. Then he wakes up in the night to see Wagner in his bedroom, and they travel back in time to the 1909 World Series.
	
Horrible Harry at Halloween
	Kline, Suzy
	The students in Miss Mackle's third-grade class enjoy a day of Halloween surprises, including Harry's unusual costume.
	
How to Eat Fried Worms
	Rockwell, Thomas
	Billy will win $50 if he wins the bet he made that he will eat 15 worms, one per day. This story reflects contemporary language.
	
If that Breathes Fire, We’re Toast
	Stewart, Jennifer
	When eleven-year-old Rick and his mother move from San Diego to Tucson he is not too happy about the change, but when they get a fire-breathing, time-traveling dragon to replace their broken furnace, his new life starts to get more interesting.
	
If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand
	Dakos, Kallie
	The 38 poems in this collection capture the ups and downs of elementary school life with uncanny accuracy.
	
In Search of the Grand Canyon
	Fraser, Mary Ann
	In 1869 Major John Wesley Powell and nine other men set out to explore the unmapped areas of the Colorado River. They were the first people known to survive a trip down the rapids and through the sheer canyons. This account of their story is based on Powell's journals.
	
In-Between Days, The
	Bunting, Eve
	George thinks that his father's girlfriend, Caroline Best, is trying to take the place of his dead mother. He wishes she would just stay on the mainland, far away from his family's island home. So he plays a mean trick which he hopes will send her away forever. When George realizes how much his father and younger brother are hurt by his actions, he begins to rethink his feelings about Caroline.
	
Island Boy
	Cooney, Barbara
	Matthias, the youngest of 12 children, lives on an island in Maine and learns the island's secrets. As a grown man, he sails to faraway places but always returns to his beloved island.
	
Island of the Blue Dolphins
	O’Dell, Scott
	Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.
	
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
	Konigsburg, E. L.
	Two fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black child in a middle-income suburb, play at being apprentice witches.
	
Jennifer Murdley’s Toad
	Coville, Bruce
	Jennifer, a truly homely child, suffers at school and home over her bad looks. In the funny fantasy, Bufo, a talking toad, helps Jennifer deal with her inner and outer self, finds his own long-lost love, and brings all the disparate characters together in the final chapter.
	
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
	Neville, Emily
	Fourteen-year-old Dave and his lawyer dad never seem to see eye-to-eye. In fact, they are always arguing, which upsets Dave's mother causing her to have an asthma attack. Then Dave finds Cat, a stray, and adopts him. On his outings with Cat, Dave meets new friends and learns a lot about himself and his father.
	
Jim Abbott: He Beat the Odds
	Johnson, Rick
	A biography of the one-handed pitcher of the California Angels baseball team.
	
Johnny Appleseed
	Aliki
	Legendary Johnny Appleseed traveled west with a pouch of apple seeds, stopping to befriend and visit Indians and settlers and planting the seeds along the way.

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Journal of Wong Ming-Chung, The
	Yep, Lawerence
	A young Chinese boy nicknamed Runt records his experiences in a journal as he travels from southern China to California in 1852 to join his uncle during the Gold Rush.
	
Kensuke’s Kingdom
	Morpurgo, Michael
	When he and his family set off on an around-the-world sailing trip, a boy named Michael thinks he is in for the adventure of a lifetime. However, he gets more adventure than he ever imagined when he and his dog, Stella, fall overboard, eventually washing ashore on a small island.
	
King of the Wind
	Henry, Marguerite
	Sham and the stable boy Agba travel from Morocco to France to England where, at last, Sham's majesty is recognized and he becomes the "Godolphin Arabian," ancestor of the most superior Thoroughbred horses.
	
Later Gator
	Yep, Laurence
	Teddy finds that his imagination has gotten him into trouble once more, when he buys his younger brother Bobby an alligator for his birthday.
	
Library Card, The
	Miller, William
	The lives of four young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books.
	
Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The
	Lewis, C. S.
	Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist its ruler, the golden lion Aslan, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.
	
Little Oh
	Melmed, Laura Krauss
	A mother tells her son the story of Little Oh, a girl made of paper who becomes separated from her human mother.
	
Love That Dog
	Creech, Sharon
	Told in free verse, this story tells of a boy who comes to enjoy poetry through a wise teacher's introduction. His reluctance becomes interest, then enjoyment, and finally a passion for reading and writing poetry. Through poetry he is finally able to communicate his feelings and thoughts.
	
Lucy Whipple
	Cushman, Karen
	Desiring to return to Massachusetts, Lucy tries desperately to change her mother's mind about working in the gold fields of California. Writing helps Lucy to understand her conflicting feelings about this wild land.
	
M.C. Higgins, The Great
	Hamilton, Virginia
	As a slag heap, the result of strip mining, creeps closer to his house in the Ohio hills, fifteen-year-old M. C. is torn between trying to get his family away and fighting for the home they love.
	
Mama, I Want to Sing
	Higginsen, Vy
	In the late 1940s and early 1950s Doris Winter follows her dream to be a singer, eventually rising from church choir member to pop star.
	
Maniac Magee
	Spinelli, Jerry
	Maniac is an "on-his-own" kid searching for a place that he can call home. When he sees no difference between the people of the East Side and the West Side, others begin to realize that Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee is truly the "stuff" from which legends are made.
	
Matilda
	Dahl, Roald
	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.
	
Million Dollar Shot, The
	Gutman, Dan
	Eleven-year-old Eddie, who lives in a Louisiana trailer park with his widowed mother, gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals.
	
Miss Hickory
	Bailey, Carolyn Sherwin
	Miss Hickory, "a country woman whose body was an applewood twig and whose head was a hickory nut," must find a way to survive the fierce New Hampshire winter when her human caretaker leaves to spend the season in Boston.
	
Miss Rumphius
	Cooney, Barbara
	Great-Aunt Alice Rumphius promises her grandfather that when she grows up she will live by the sea, visit faraway places, and do something to make the world more beautiful. She accomplishes the first two but is stumped by the third until she becomes the Lupine Lady.
	
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
	Robert C. O'Brien
	Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.

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Mrs. Mack
	Polacco, Patricia
	Patricia has waited all of her ten years for this summer -- she is finally going to learn to ride a horse! But when her father drives her to a shabby stable in run-down Dogpatch, she can't believe her eyes. The tough-looking kids and scary old man next door don't help. How can she ride here? Then along comes Mrs. Mack with her snakeskin boots and big Southern smile. She knows everything about horses -- and kids. And, sure enough, Pat learns more than she ever imagined -- not just about horses, but people too.
	
My Side of the Mountain
	George, Jean Craighead
	Sam Gribley does what many young people dream of doing—he builds a treehouse in the Catskill Mountains, where he lives alone for a year. The story features his struggle for survival and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship. The sequel to this selection is THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.
	
Night of the Twisters
	Ruckman, Ivy
	A fictional account of the night freakish and devastating tornadoes hit Grand Island, Nebraska, as experienced by a twelve-year-old, his family, and friends.
	
Night Owls, The
	Denslow, Sharon Phillips
	William and his aunt, both night owls, stay up late and experience the wonder of a midsummer night.
	
Nothing’s Fair in 5th Grade
	Declements, Barthe
	Initially repelled by an overweight new student who has serious home problems, the fifth grade class finally learns to accept her.
	
Number the Stars
	Lowry, Lois
	In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be courageous when she helps to shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
	
Off and Running
	Soto, Gary
	Sensible and smart Miata is running for class president with her best friend, Anna, as her running mate. The girls are shocked to discover that they will be campaigning against Rudy and Alex--the class clowns. While Miata and Anna are serious, Rudy and Alex are loud and funny, and thus get more attention. Are Miata and Anna correct in thinking that the only way they can win the election is to change their personalities to be more like Rudy and Alex?
	
One and Only Ivan, The
	Applegate, Katherine
	Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home--and his own art--through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
	
Out of the Dust
	Hesse, Karen
	After an accident that kills her mother and newborn brother and renders her own hands useless, thirteen-year-old Billie Jo struggles to survive. The growing despair and devastation during Oklahoma's dust bowl years of the Great Depression are powerfully depicted in free verse format.
	
Patty Reed’s Doll
	Laurgaard, Rachel K.
	A wooden doll recalls the hope with which a group of pioneers begins their journey and the ordeals they face as they travel from Springfield, Illinois, to California.
	
Pet-Sitters, The
	Schecter, Ellen
	When ten-year-old DeVonn and his friends begin a pet-sitting business, DeVonn ends up caring for a very unusual cat which disappears while her owner is away.
	
Pirates Don’t Wear Pink Sunglasses
	Dadey, Debbie
	The kids of the Baily School return for another run-in with their increasingly bizarre teachers. In this story, the kids go to a camp where they believe the director is a werewolf and another staff member is a pirate.

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Pleasing the Ghost
	Creech, Sharon
	Dennis has been seeing ghosts, lots of ghosts, ever since the death of his father. Most of the ghosts come and go, but then Dennis receives a visit from the ghost of his Uncle Arvie. Uncle Arvie has lots of plans for Dennis: he needs his help to find a lost love letter, finish a painting, and dig up a buried treasure for Dennis's Aunt Julia, who is Arvie's widow. Dennis loves being haunted by his uncle but wonders if the ghost of his own father will ever come to visit him.
	
Pony Express, The
	Kroll, Steven
	A lively, fast-paced text and soft-colored oil painting illustrations bring the excitement of the Pony Express to the reader. Although this form of mail express lasted only 18 months, it was an important step in establishing postal service to the West.
	
PS Longer Letter Later
	Danziger, Paula; Martin, Ann M.
	This novel reflects the letters between two seventh-grade best friends after one moves away. The letters focus on everyday issues and explore parent-teen relationships and divorce.
	
Rabbit Hill
	Lawson, Robert
	The small animals who live at Rabbit Hill in the Connecticut countryside are excited when they hear that "big folks are coming" to inhabit the empty house on the property. The animals hope that the big folks will keep a proper garden to help maintain their lifestyle and watch carefully as the moving efforts begin.
	
Ramona and Her Father
	Cleary, Beverly
	Ramona is now in second grade and life at home changes when her father loses his job. She begins to see the important role that she plays in her family.
	
Ramona the Pest
	Cleary, Beverly
	Ramona is now in second grade and life at home changes when her father loses his job. She begins to see the important role that she plays in her family.
	
Ramona’s World
	Cleary, Beverly
	Follows the adventures of nine-year-old Ramona at home with big sister Beezus and baby sister Roberta and at school in Mrs. Meacham's class.
	
Rascal
	North, Sterling
	The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.
	
Real Thief
	Steig, William
	When Gawain the goose is deserted by his friends after being unjustly convicted of stealing from his beloved king, the real thief is tortured by his conscience.
	
Rescue Josh McGuire
	Mikaelsen, Ben
	When thirteen-year-old Josh runs away to the mountains of Montana with an orphaned bear cub destined for laboratory testing, they both must fight for their lives in a sudden snowstorm.
	
Return of the Indian
	Banks, Lynne Reid
	A year after he sends his Indian friend, Little Bear, back into the magic cupboard, Omri decides to bring him back, only to find that he is close to death and in need of help. Sequel to "The Indian in the Cupboard."
	
Return to Holiday Inn
	Howe, James
	In this sequel to "Howliday Inn," the Monroe family pets are again boarded at Chateau Bow-Wow, where some spooky goings-on serve as a distraction from the kennel's poor food.
	
Revolutionary War on Wednesday
	Osborne, Mary
	Using their magic tree house, Jack and Annie travel back to the time of the American Revolution and help General George Washington during his famous crossing of the Delaware River.
	
Ribsy
	Cleary, Beverly
	Separated from his owner, Henry Huggins, in a shopping center parking lot, an ordinary city dog begins a string of bewildering adventures.
	
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
	Taylor, Mildred D.
	A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.
	
Roller Skates
	Sawyer, Ruth
	Relates the incredible adventures of Professor William Waterman Sherman who in 1883 sets off in a balloon across the Pacific, survives the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, and is eventually picked up in the Atlantic.

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Sable
	Hesse, Karen
	When a stray dog shows up on the front porch of her Vermont farmhouse, Tate Marshall is delighted because she has always wanted a dog. But when Sable, named for her dark, silky fur, starts roaming, the neighbors become irate, and Sable has to go. Tate, however, has her heart set on getting her beloved dog back.
	
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
	Coerr, Eleanor B.
	This tale is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, who is hospitalized with the "atom bomb disease," leukemia. She races against time to fold 1,000 paper cranes, an act which according to legend will make her well again.
	
Scatherine Called Birdy
	Cushman, Karen
	The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.
	
Secret Indian
	Banks, Lynn
	In this third book about Omri and his magic cupboard, Omri and his friend Patrick must risk grownups' discovering their secret when they find themselves in need of a friend's toy plastic doctors to save wounded people from the dangerous world of the Old West which the cupboard enables them to enter.
	
Sideway Stories from Wayside School
	Sachar, Louis
	Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.
	
Sign of the Beaver, The
	Speare, Elizabeth George
	In late 18th-century Maine, 12-year-old Matthew is left alone in his family's newly built cabin for several weeks while his father returns to Massachusetts to fetch the entire family. A series of mishaps leads to Matthew's rescue by the chief of the Beaver tribe. Over a period of months, Matthew teaches an Indian boy, Attean, English, while he learns a great deal about hunting. When the tribe plans to travel, Matthew must make the most challenging decision of his life: to join them, or continue waiting for his family to return. A stirring pioneer tale of perseverance and cooperation.
	
Snow Angel, The
	O'Nan, Stewart
	This novel from is narrated by the now adult Arty Parkinson, who reflects on the painful winter of 1974 and the death of his beloved babysitter Annie Marchand. The stories of a young man's unraveling family and the circumstances surrounding the mystery of Annie's death work as a backdrop to this tale of love and loss.
	
Socks
	Woodruff, Elvira
	During a backyard slumber party, five children are transported back in time and find themselves crossing the Delaware with George Washington and his troops. This chapter book brings the conditions of the Revolutionary War to life for the young reader.
	
Soldier X
	Wulffson, Don
	In 1943 sixteen-year-old Erik experiences the horrors of war when he is drafted into the German army and sent to fight on the Russian front. The story is told in first-person narrative.
	
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
	Spinelli, Eileen
	An anonymous valentine box of chocolates mistakenly delivered to his address changes the life of the unsociable Mr. Hatch, turning him into a laughing friend who helps and appreciates all his neighbors.
	
Sounder
	Armstrong, William
	Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young African American boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and through his relationship with his devoted dog Sounder.
	
Stage Fright
	Hart, Ellen
	In a darkened Minneapolis theatre, sleuth Jane Lawless found aging actor Torald Werness
dead--impaled on part of the set he had just performed on. She also discovers she's a prime suspect. Yet Jane believes the motive for the murder lies within the dead man's family, a glamorous Midwestern theatrical dynasty, whose talented members give their best performances in real life. So she and her uninhibited crony Cordelia start digging into the family dirt, and discover a tangled web of deceit.

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Stone Fox
	Gardiner, John Reynolds
	In order to save his grandfather's Wyoming farm, Little Willy enters the National Dog Sled Races hoping to win the money to pay her back taxes. His formidable opponent is Stone Fox, who has never lost a race. The courageous Little Willy and his gallant dog, Searchlight, give the race their best try.
	
Strider
	Cleary, Beverly
	This sequel to DEAR MR. HENSHAW starts a few years after that book's conclusion and is told via the diary entries of the now 14-year-old Leigh Botts. A more confident and introspective writer than he was in the sixth grade, Leigh tells of his continuing friendship with Barry, the changes that have come into his parents' lives, his growing interest in a lovely classmate named Geneva, and his adoption of the stray dog he names Strider.
	
Stuart Little
	White, E. B.
	A heroic little mouse with very human qualities travels across the American countryside and finds himself involved in one adventure after another as he searches for his lost friend.
	
Stubby and the Puppy Pack
	Wallace, Nikki
	Kikki the cat is lonely when her best friend moves away, but the other cats in the neighborhood don't want to be her friend.
	
Summer of My German Soldier
	Greene, Bette
	Set in rural Arkansas during World War II, this story tells of an unlikely friendship between a twelve-year-old Jewish girl and a German prisoner of war. The girl goes through some shattering
experiences as she searches for the strength to survive in a bitterly unhappy family. The novel depicts abusive family relationships.
	
Summer of the Swans
	Byars, Betsy Cromer
	Fourteen-year-old Sara is jolted out of a period of discontent by the disappearance of her mentally handicapped ten-year-old brother, Charlie. She gains new insight into herself and her family as she forgets about her self-perceived miseries and realizes her love for Charlie.
	
Taking Sides
	Soto, Gary
	Fourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a white suburban neighborhood.
	
Teddy Bear’s Scrapbook
	Howe, Deborah
	One boring rainy afternoon Teddy Bear decides to bring out his scrapbook, which contains photographs and newspaper clippings from his long and illustrious past.
	
There’s a Girl in the Boy’s Bathroom
	Sachar, Louis
	An unmanageable, but lovable, eleven-year-old misfit learns to believe in himself when he gets to know the new school counselor, who is a sort of misfit too.
	
Tiger Rising, The
	Dicamillo, Kate
	Life changes for 12-year-old Rob Horton when he finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the Kentucky Star Motel. On the very same day, he meets Sistine Bailey and learns how to trust another person for the first time in his life.
	
Toothpaste Millionaire, The
	Merrill, Jean
	A young girl describes how her school friend made over a million dollars by creating and marketing a cheaper and better toothpaste.
	
Tornado
	Byars, Betsy Cromer
	Waiting out a tornado in a storm cellar becomes a time to share stories of a dog that was blown into a farmhand's life. In each chapter the farmhand tells one story about Tornado the dog and his amazing feats.
	
Treasure in a Stream
	Hoobler, Dorothy
	The lives of ten-year-old Amy and the members of her farming family are changed forever when gold is discovered on Mr. Sutter's land.
	
Trouble at Betts Pets
	Easton, Kelly
	A number of changes are taking place in fifth-grader Aaron's life: business at the family pet shop is declining, forcing his parents to consider selling the store; luxury condominiums are going up on the land that houses a community garden, displacing the homeless woman who lives there; and Aaron gets to know his seemingly perfect classmate Sharon when she begins to tutor him in math.
	
Tuck Everlasting
	Babbitt, Natalie
	The Tuck family has become ageless by drinking from a magic spring. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster and a greedy evil stranger discover their secret, the Tucks are determined to prevent a disaster.

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Turtle in Paradise
	Holm, Jennifer L.
	When 11-year-old Turtle's mother finds a new housekeeping job that doesn't allow children at the home, she is sent to live with relatives in Key West. Unfortunately, Turtle's mother neglects to tell Turtle's aunt about the arrival, resulting in a less-than-friendly welcome for poor Turtle. Quick-witted and intelligent, Turtle adjusts to her situation, discovering how kids her age in 1935 can make money. Although she can't become a member of her cousin's Diaper Gang (no girls allowed), which cares for difficult babies, Turtle stumbles across her very own treasure map and hopes she will be able to strike it rich.
	
Wanted… Mud Blossom
	Byars, Betsey
	The Blossom family has an especially eventful weekend during which Junior Blossom loses the school hamster and Paps dog Mud is put on trial for the hamster's murder!
	
Watsons go to Birmingham, The
	Curtis, Christopher Paul
	This story follows the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, as they travel south to visit their grandmother in Alabama. There they are confronted with the 1963 bombing of black churches. The book combines humorous characterization with important history.
	
Wayside School is Falling Down
	Sachar, Louis
	Humorous stories about the out-of-the-ordinary, 30-stories-high Wayside School. The teacher's trials and the students' antics make for a zany read-aloud book. This is a sequel to SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL.
	
Westing Game, The
	Raskin, Ellen
	This novel investigates the mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire. It introduces an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
	
What Eric Knew
	Howe, James
	When amateur detective Sebastian Barth's best friend, Eric Mather, moves away, Sebastian is understandably upset. His upset turns to concern when Eric begins sending mysterious notes, convincing Sebastian that there was more to the move than his friend originally let on.
	
Where the Red Fern Grows
	Rawls, Wilson
	This story of a young boy's childhood in the Ozarks features his intense relationship with two coon hounds and the many adventures they have while hunting. The story follows Billy from the time he only dreams of having dogs to the moment one of them is killed while saving its master.
	
Whipping Boy, The
	Fleischman, Sid
	Because disciplining the heir to the throne was forbidden, young Jemmy was taken from the streets and routinely punished in place of Prince Brat. When Prince Brat becomes bored, he decides to run away and take his whipping boy with him. Their identities are inadvertently exchanged, and high adventures and antics begin.
	
Wild Man Island
	Hobbs, Will
	The wilderness adventure of resourceful fourteen-year-old Andy, marooned on Alaska's remote Admiralty Island after a storm veers his kayak off course is depicted in this story. Andy encounters a myriad of perils, including animals, hunger, hypothermia, a maze of unexplored caves, and a mysterious wild man who holds the key to his rescue.
	
Wind in the Willows
	Grahame, Kenneth
	The humorous adventures of four animal friends, resourceful Rat, loyal Mole, exasperating Toad of Toad Hall and stern but wise Badger are related as they share life and habitat along a river in the English countryside.
	
Winter in the Big Woods
	Wilder, Laura Ingalls
	A little pioneer girl and her family spend the winter in their log cabin in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.
	
Wright Brothers, The
	Old, Wendie
	The story of the Wright Brothers is portrayed in brief, accessible chapters, beginning with their childhood fascination with flight and love of problem solving to their stunning achievement.

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Zia
	O'Dell, Scott
	Zia and her brother journey to San Nicolas Island to rescue Karana, who finds it hard to adjust to mission life as she continues to long for her island life. This is the sequel to ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS.

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