Here are some of my favorite books! Enjoy!
Books are arranged in order of reading level
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Q)
Mr. Popper painted and papered houses in the pretty little city of Stillwater. To look at him with his vacant expression and paint-spattered clothes and hair, one would never imagine that he would one day be the most famous person in Stillwater.
Once the house-painting season is over, Mr. Popper settles in for the winter to read his travel books. He dreams of going to Antarctica one day; in fact, he never tires of reading about the South Pole. But one day the South Pole comes to him, in the form of a penguin in a package sent from the Antarctic explorer Admiral Drake. The penguin, dubbed Captain Cook after the "gook" sound he makes, lives with the Popper family, puts a strain on their modest means, and creates quite a stir in little Stillwater. Mr. Popper and his penguin are photographed together during a stroll around town, and this sparks the interest of the national press.
Soon, Captain Cook has a companion. A penguin named Greta arrives by mail, and to keep them happy, Mr. Popper has a large freezing plant installed in his cellar, where Greta begins laying eggs, and two penguins turn into eight. What will Popper do with all these penguins? Well, teach them to perform, of course! And before long, they're a traveling act: the Popper Performing Penguins.
Little House on the Prairie (Q)
Laura Ingalls likes her little house in the big woods, which she shares with Ma and Pa, and her two, sisters Mary and Carrie. Winter is coming, and their log house is snug and warm. But the big woods are becoming crowded. Everyday, they hear the thud of an axe on a tree, and Pa wants to leave. In fact, he wants to move the entire family west, to Indian country.
Hatchet- Gary Paulsen (R)Winner of the 1988 Newbery Honor
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother has given him as a present — and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart ever since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair — it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.
My Teacher is an Alien (S)
Susan can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. She doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face — and realizes Mr. Smith is really an alien! Now it is up to Susan and her friends to get rid of the extraterrestrial visitor.
George Washington's Socks- Elvira Woodruff (T)
When five kids take a walk along Lake Levart late one night, a mysterious wooden rowboat beckons them aboard. As if in a trance, they all step inside. But what they don't realize is that this enchanted boat is headed backward in time, to the time of George Washington. And their neighborhood lake has been transformed into the icy Delaware River on the eve of the battle at Trenton. How will they ever find their way back to the safety of their familiar suburban homes?
As Matthew, Quentin, Hooter, Tony, and Katie experience the American Revolution firsthand and learn the sobering realities of war, Elvira Woodruff spins a compelling historic fantasy that won't soon be forgotten.
Chasing Vermeer- Blue Balliett (T)
This bewitching first novel is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art.
When a book of unexplainable occurences brings Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen: Seemingly unrelated events connect; an eccentric old woman seeks their company; an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has stumped even the FBI?
Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson (T)
In this classic novel, fifth grader Jesse Aaron's dreams of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns everybody, even him. But Jess and Leslie begin a friendship, and soon they discover a magical kingdom in the forest, where they reign as king and queen. The friendship between young Jess and Leslie grows as they meet in Terabithia, their secret hiding place, and only ends with the tragic death of one of them.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Kate DiCamillo (U)
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost.
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle: Even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
The Tale of Despereaux- Kate DiCamillo (U)
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish.
These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
Wonder- R.J. Palacio (U)August Pullman is not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. Sure, he's a huge Star Wars fan, he loves his dog, and he's got a pretty good sense of humor. But August was born with a craniofacial abnormality — a genetic defect that caused his facial features to be severely deformed. His life has never been "normal."
Despite his differences, August and his parents decide to transition him from home school to private school now that he's entering fifth grade. It's the start of middle school, they reason, so everyone will be new. But August has to deal with so much more than just being new. Will he make friends? Will he decide to stay at the school? And can the people around him learn to see past his appearance?
This brilliant, sensitive story — narrated not only by August, but also by his older sister, his classmates, and other kids in his life — takes an insightful look at how one person's differences can affect the lives of so many others.
Indian Captive- Lois Lenski (V)
Set in Colonial America, Little Mary is a little girl who, when captured by native Americans, learns to love them and refuses to leave when English soldiers try to rescue her.
Holes- Louis Sachar (V)
This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats.
Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.
Island of the Blue Dolphins- Scott O'Dell (V)
Karana, an Indian girl, lives happily with her people on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. It is an island in the Pacific that gets its name from its beautiful shape from above it looks like a dolphin lying on its side, "with its tail pointing toward sunrise," sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds thrive. Karana's people live in harmony among the other animals on and around the island as they have for generations. Her father is the chief of the village. And then one day a boat comes captained by a Russian man, who "looked at the little harbor as though it already belonged to him." The captain and his crew wish to hunt sea otter on their own terms. Their disregard for the ways of the Indians leads to bloody consequences, and Karana's family is destroyed, and eventually with the arrival of more white men, the entire community disappears from the island, save Karana.
For years she lives on the island alone, using the skills of her people to survive. For the first time, she modifies the skills only the men of her village had mastered. She makes a fence from the ribs of a whale. She builds a house. Eventually she becomes comfortable alone. She befriends one of the wild dogs, and the blue dolphins still give her strength. But she will not be alone for much longer.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH- Robert C. O'Brien (V)
When mouse widow Mrs. Frisby needs advice on how to move her children safely, she consults the rats who live under the rosebush. Not only do they help her, they tell her of their escape from a laboratory where experimentation had made them literate, and of the brave death of her husband.
Woods Runner- Gary Paulsen (Y)
Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston.
But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel's parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, moving silently, determined to find a way to rescue them. Each day he confronts the enemy, and the tragedy and horror of this war. But he also discovers allies, men and women working secretly for the patriot cause. And he learns that he must go deep into enemy territory to find his parents: all the way to the British headquarters, New York City.
Chains- Laurie Anderson (Z)
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom.
Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
Forge- Laurie Anderson (Z)
The Colonial Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is also where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of being discovered, for he is an escaped slave passing for a free man. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge, against her will. As the story builds to its exciting conclusion, she and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.
In this compelling sequel to the award-winning novel Chains, acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson brings the experiences of runaway slaves vividly to life as they forge their own paths in a world of obstacles — and in the midst of the American Revolution
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Q)
Mr. Popper painted and papered houses in the pretty little city of Stillwater. To look at him with his vacant expression and paint-spattered clothes and hair, one would never imagine that he would one day be the most famous person in Stillwater.
Once the house-painting season is over, Mr. Popper settles in for the winter to read his travel books. He dreams of going to Antarctica one day; in fact, he never tires of reading about the South Pole. But one day the South Pole comes to him, in the form of a penguin in a package sent from the Antarctic explorer Admiral Drake. The penguin, dubbed Captain Cook after the "gook" sound he makes, lives with the Popper family, puts a strain on their modest means, and creates quite a stir in little Stillwater. Mr. Popper and his penguin are photographed together during a stroll around town, and this sparks the interest of the national press.
Soon, Captain Cook has a companion. A penguin named Greta arrives by mail, and to keep them happy, Mr. Popper has a large freezing plant installed in his cellar, where Greta begins laying eggs, and two penguins turn into eight. What will Popper do with all these penguins? Well, teach them to perform, of course! And before long, they're a traveling act: the Popper Performing Penguins.
Little House on the Prairie (Q)
Laura Ingalls likes her little house in the big woods, which she shares with Ma and Pa, and her two, sisters Mary and Carrie. Winter is coming, and their log house is snug and warm. But the big woods are becoming crowded. Everyday, they hear the thud of an axe on a tree, and Pa wants to leave. In fact, he wants to move the entire family west, to Indian country.
Hatchet- Gary Paulsen (R)Winner of the 1988 Newbery Honor
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother has given him as a present — and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart ever since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair — it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.
My Teacher is an Alien (S)
Susan can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. She doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face — and realizes Mr. Smith is really an alien! Now it is up to Susan and her friends to get rid of the extraterrestrial visitor.
George Washington's Socks- Elvira Woodruff (T)
When five kids take a walk along Lake Levart late one night, a mysterious wooden rowboat beckons them aboard. As if in a trance, they all step inside. But what they don't realize is that this enchanted boat is headed backward in time, to the time of George Washington. And their neighborhood lake has been transformed into the icy Delaware River on the eve of the battle at Trenton. How will they ever find their way back to the safety of their familiar suburban homes?
As Matthew, Quentin, Hooter, Tony, and Katie experience the American Revolution firsthand and learn the sobering realities of war, Elvira Woodruff spins a compelling historic fantasy that won't soon be forgotten.
Chasing Vermeer- Blue Balliett (T)
This bewitching first novel is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art.
When a book of unexplainable occurences brings Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen: Seemingly unrelated events connect; an eccentric old woman seeks their company; an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has stumped even the FBI?
Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson (T)
In this classic novel, fifth grader Jesse Aaron's dreams of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns everybody, even him. But Jess and Leslie begin a friendship, and soon they discover a magical kingdom in the forest, where they reign as king and queen. The friendship between young Jess and Leslie grows as they meet in Terabithia, their secret hiding place, and only ends with the tragic death of one of them.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Kate DiCamillo (U)
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost.
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle: Even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
The Tale of Despereaux- Kate DiCamillo (U)
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish.
These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
Wonder- R.J. Palacio (U)August Pullman is not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. Sure, he's a huge Star Wars fan, he loves his dog, and he's got a pretty good sense of humor. But August was born with a craniofacial abnormality — a genetic defect that caused his facial features to be severely deformed. His life has never been "normal."
Despite his differences, August and his parents decide to transition him from home school to private school now that he's entering fifth grade. It's the start of middle school, they reason, so everyone will be new. But August has to deal with so much more than just being new. Will he make friends? Will he decide to stay at the school? And can the people around him learn to see past his appearance?
This brilliant, sensitive story — narrated not only by August, but also by his older sister, his classmates, and other kids in his life — takes an insightful look at how one person's differences can affect the lives of so many others.
Indian Captive- Lois Lenski (V)
Set in Colonial America, Little Mary is a little girl who, when captured by native Americans, learns to love them and refuses to leave when English soldiers try to rescue her.
Holes- Louis Sachar (V)
This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats.
Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.
Island of the Blue Dolphins- Scott O'Dell (V)
Karana, an Indian girl, lives happily with her people on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. It is an island in the Pacific that gets its name from its beautiful shape from above it looks like a dolphin lying on its side, "with its tail pointing toward sunrise," sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds thrive. Karana's people live in harmony among the other animals on and around the island as they have for generations. Her father is the chief of the village. And then one day a boat comes captained by a Russian man, who "looked at the little harbor as though it already belonged to him." The captain and his crew wish to hunt sea otter on their own terms. Their disregard for the ways of the Indians leads to bloody consequences, and Karana's family is destroyed, and eventually with the arrival of more white men, the entire community disappears from the island, save Karana.
For years she lives on the island alone, using the skills of her people to survive. For the first time, she modifies the skills only the men of her village had mastered. She makes a fence from the ribs of a whale. She builds a house. Eventually she becomes comfortable alone. She befriends one of the wild dogs, and the blue dolphins still give her strength. But she will not be alone for much longer.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH- Robert C. O'Brien (V)
When mouse widow Mrs. Frisby needs advice on how to move her children safely, she consults the rats who live under the rosebush. Not only do they help her, they tell her of their escape from a laboratory where experimentation had made them literate, and of the brave death of her husband.
Woods Runner- Gary Paulsen (Y)
Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston.
But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel's parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, moving silently, determined to find a way to rescue them. Each day he confronts the enemy, and the tragedy and horror of this war. But he also discovers allies, men and women working secretly for the patriot cause. And he learns that he must go deep into enemy territory to find his parents: all the way to the British headquarters, New York City.
Chains- Laurie Anderson (Z)
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom.
Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
Forge- Laurie Anderson (Z)
The Colonial Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is also where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of being discovered, for he is an escaped slave passing for a free man. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge, against her will. As the story builds to its exciting conclusion, she and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.
In this compelling sequel to the award-winning novel Chains, acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson brings the experiences of runaway slaves vividly to life as they forge their own paths in a world of obstacles — and in the midst of the American Revolution