What does a librarian do when she fractures her ankle and (gasp!) can’t go to work? You guessed it–she catches up on her reading and completes her annual Recommended Reading List! With a little help from the Nook presented by her son as a Mother’s Day gift, this (hopefully temporarily) incapacitated booklover has read books she never found the time for before. There’s a silver lining…
If you’d like to see my Recommended Reading List, here it is in its entirety. Since I compiled it for the Jewish school where I work, many titles are of interest to readers from a religious background. However, I’ve put an asterisk (*) next to those Jewish titles that have wider appeal.
Following the list, I’ve highlighted some of my favorites. Here goes.
Preschool
Altein, Chani. The Aleph Bais Trip on the Aleph Bais Ship.
Benenfeld, Rikki. I Go to School and others in series.
Berman, Seryl. Around the Shabbos Table.
Brown, Margaret Wise. Goodnight Moon.
Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Crum, Shutta. All on a Sleepy Night.
Degen, Bruce. Jamberry.
Dowdney, Anna. Llama Llama series.
Eastman, P.D. Are You My Mother?
Emerman, Ellen. Is It Shabbos Yet?
Finkelstein, Ruth. Big Like Me!
Fleming, Candace. Seven Hungry Babies.
Garo, Tomi. Spring Is Here.
Gravett, Emily. The Odd Egg.
Harris, Robie H. Maybe a Bear Ate It!
Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon.
“ “ Old Bear.
Hort, Lenny. The Seals on the Bus.
Johnston, Tony. Big Red Apple.
Keats, Ezra Jack. Hi, Cat!
Klein-Higger, Joni. Ten Tzedakah Pennies.
Koller, Jackie French. One Monkey Too Many and Seven Spunky Monkeys (sequel).
Maccarone, Grace. My Tooth Is About to Fall Out.
“ “ “What Is That?” Said the Cat.
Martin, Bill and Eric Carle. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You Hear?
Marzollo, Jean. I Am an Apple and others in series.
McMillan, Bruce. Eating Fractions.
“ “ One, Two, One Pair!
McPhail, David. The Day the Sheep Showed Up.
Murphy, Stuart J. A Pair of Socks.
Rathmann, Peggy. 10 Minutes till Bedtime.
Rey, H.A. and Margret. Curious George series.
Root, Phylllis. Oliver Finds His Way.
Rosenfeld, Dina. Five Alive! My Yom Tov Senses.
“ “ The King in the Field.
*Rouss, Sylvia. My Baby Brother: What a Miracle!
Schwebel, Devorah. Time for Torah.
Shulevitz, Uri. Snow.
Tafuri, Nancy. Blue Goose.
“ “ Have You Seen My Duckling?
“ “ Silly Little Goose!
*Weltscher, Goldie. The Jungle Swap.
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny Too.
“ “ Let’s Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!
“ “ My Friend Is Sad and others in series.
“ “ Time to Say “Please!”
Zytman, Leah. The Bravest Fireman.
Grade 1
Adler, David A. Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery and sequels.
Aragon, Jane Chelsea. Salt Hands.
Arnosky, Jim. Slow Down for Manatees.
Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry: Really, Really Angry.
Bottner, Barbara. Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t).
Brown, Marc. Arthur series.
Carle, Eric. Mister Seahorse.
“ “ “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth.
Child, Lauren. Charlie and Lola books.
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack Moo; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; and Duck for President.
“ “ Diary of a Spider and Diary of a Worm.
Crum, Shutta. All on a Sleepy Night.
“ “ A Family for Old Mill Farm.
“ “ Thunder-Boomer!
Demi. The Empty Pot.
Enderle, Dotti and Vicki Sansum. Grandpa for Sale.
Finchler, Judy and Kevin O’Mallery. Miss Malarkey Doesn’t Live in Room 10 and sequels.
French, Jackie. Diary of a Wombat.
Funke, Cornelia. The Princess Knight.
Hamilton, Kersten. This Is the Ocean.
Harrison, David. Caves: Mysteries Beneath Our Feet.
Klempner, Rebecca. A Dozen Daisies for Raizy: a Shavuos Story.
Koller, Jackie French. No Such Thing.
Kosofsky, Chaim. Much, Much Better.
Lester, Helen. Hooway for Wodney Wat.
Levy, Leah Braunstein. The Waiting Wall.
MacDonald, Amy. Cousin Ruth’s Tooth.
Martin, Bill, Jr., and John Archambault. Listen to the Rain.
Mayer, Mercer. There’s Something in My Attic.
Mayhew, James. The Knight Who Took All Day.
McElligott, Matthew. The Lion’s Share: a Tale of Halving Cake and Eating It, Too.
Mermelstein, Yael. A Car That Goes Far.
Munsch, Robert. Alligator Baby.
Noll, Amanda. I Need My Monster.
Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion & the Mouse.
Rathmann, Peggy. Officer Buckle and Gloria.
Ray, Jane. The Apple-Pip Princess.
Root, Phyllis. Oliver Finds His Way.
Rostoker-Gruber, Karen. Bandit.
Rylant, Cynthia. The High-Rise Private Eyes mysteries.
Sanderson, Ruth. Cinderella.
Seltzer, Sara Leah. A Day Full of Mitzvos.
Seuss, Dr. All Titles.
Sierra, Judy. Wild About Books.
Silverman, Judy. Rosie and the Mole.
Sunshine, Lori. I’m Really Not Tired.
Swanson, Susan Marie. The House in the Night.
Tessler, Manya. Yuki’s Ride Home.
Thomas, Shelley Moore. Good Night, Good Knight and sequels.
Tidhar, Dafna and Avrami. Busy Bees: the Story of Honey.
Van Handel, Esther. The Secret of the Leaves.
Weinfeld, Mimi. Funny Friday.
Weber, Doba. Dear Tree: a Tu B’Shvat Story.
Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and sequels.
Yee, Wong Herbert. Mouse and Mole stories.
Grade 2
*Ackerman, Karen. The Night Crossing.
Adler, David A. My Writing Day.
“ “ “ One Yellow Daffodil.
Arnosky, Jim. Slow Down for Manatees.
Bang, Molly. My Light.
Bang, Molly and Penny Chisholm. Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life.
Bauer, Marion Dane. Allison’s Wings.
Blitz, Shmuel. Bedtime Stories series.
Borden, Louise. The John Hancock Club.
Choi, Sook Nyul. The Best Older Sister.
Clements, Andrew. Brave Norman: a True Story and other Pets to the Rescue stories.
Cohen, Barbara. Molly’s Pilgrim and Make a Wish, Molly! (sequel)
Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 cows for America.
Delaney, Michael. Birdbrain Amos.
Demi. The Empty Pot.
Feuerman, Ruchama. The Marvelous Mix-Up and Other Stories of Reb Shalom.
Foreman, Michael. Seal Surfer.
Fritz, Jean. George Washington’s Mother.
Gravett, Emily. Meerkat Mail.
Hanna, Jack. Jungle Jack Hanna’s What Zookeepers Do.
Hatkoff, Juliana, et.al. Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again.
Jenkins, Martin. The Emperor’s Egg.
Kaposh, Mosh. The Moon, the Sun, and a Hot Dog Bun.
Keller, Laurie. Open Wide: Tooth School Inside.
“ “ The Scrambled States of America and The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.
Kerley, Barbara. What To Do About Alice?
Lester, Helen. Author: a True Story.
Lewis, Patrick J. A Bookworm’s Feast: a Potluck of Poems.
Maccarone, Grace. The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares.
McCully, Emily Arnold. Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor.
McElligott, Matthew. The Lion’s Share: a Story of Halving Cake and Eating It, Too.
Millman, Isaac. Moses Goes to a Concert and sequels.
Mortenson, Greg. Listen to the Wind: the Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea.
Nolan, Lucy. Down Girl and Sit series.
Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones series.
Pfeffer, Wendy. Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws.
Podwal, Mark. You Never Know: a Story of the Lamed-Vavniks.
Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker.
Pollack, Gadi. A Tale of Seven Sheep.
Rappaport, Doreen. The Boston Coffee Party.
Seuss, Dr. Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
“ “ The Lorax.
Shollar, Leah Perl. The Key Under the Pillow.
Shulman, Mark. Mom and Dad Are Palindromes.
Sierra, Judy. The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School.
Simon, Seymour. Super Storms.
Thaler, Mike. The Librarian from the Black Lagoon and others in series.
Weinberger, Messody. Birds.
Whelan, Gloria. Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers.
Wick, Walter and Jean Marzollo. I Spy series.
*Wieder, Joy Nelkin. The Great Potato Plan.
* “ “ “ The Secret Tunnel.
Yee, Wong Herbert. Mouse and Mole stories.
Grade 3
Abbott, Tony. The Secrets of Droon series.
Adler, David A. Cam Jansen series.
Alexander, Lloyd. Dream-of-Jade: the Emperor’s Cat.
Anholt, Laurence. Billy Beast and other Seriously Silly Stories.
Bang, Molly and Penny Chisholm. Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life.
*Blatt, Evelyn. More Precious Than Gold.
Blitz, Shmuel and Miriam Zakon. The Search for the Stones.
Bradley, Kimberly Brubak. One-of-a-Kind Mallie and Ruthie’s Gift.
Brandeis, Batsheva. Faiga Finds the Way.
Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 cows for America.
Delaney, Michael. Birdbrain Amos.
Duey, Kathleen. The Unicorn’s Secret series.
Foreman, Michael. Classic Fairy Tales.
Frankel, Pessie and Yocheved Leah Perkal. Mrs. Honig’s Cakes series.
Friedman, Laurie. Mallory on the Move and sequels.
Glick, Shifra. The Amazing Adventures of Bentzi and sequels.
*Goldin, Barbara. Cakes and Miracles.
Goodall, Jane. With Love.
Gutelle, Andrew. Nature’s Fury: the Power of Weather.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The Girl with 500 Middle Names.
Hermes, Patricia. Emma Dilemma and the New Nanny and sequels.
Hodge. Bears and other Kids Can Press Wildlife Series titles.
King-Smith, Dick. A Mouse Called Wolf.
Koller, Jackie French. The Dragonling series.
*Kranzler, Gershon. The Harpist of Granada.
Krohn, Genendel. The Miracle of the Rock and Other Stories.
Lane, Kathleen. Nana Cracks the Case!
Mazer, Anne. Sister Magic series.
Minor, Wendell. Yankee Doodle America: the spirit of 1776 from A to Z.
Nagda, Ann Whitehead. Dear Whiskers.
Ohr, Y. Following the Electricity Trail with Wizzy and Dizzy.
Osborne, Mary Pope. The Magic Tree House series.
Pape, Dovid Sholom. The Story Hour.
Pelleg, Tirtsa. The Story of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Perry, Phyllis Jean. Fribble Mouse Library Mysteries.
Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May Be a Genius and other poetry books.
Scieszka, John. Math Curse and Science Verse.
Shollar, Leah Perl. The Key Under the Pillow.
Soto, Gary. The Cat’s Meow.
Stowe, Cynthia. Not-So-Normal Norman
Talbott, Hudson. The United Tweets of America.
Tingle, Tim. Crossing Bok Chitto: a Choctaw Tale of Friendship.
Warner, Gertrude Chandler. The Boxcar Children series.
Whelan, Gloria. Hannah.
“ “ Next Spring an Oriole; Night of the Full Moon; and Shadow of the Wolf (sequels).
*Wieder, Joy Nelkin. The Great Potato Plan.
*” “ “ The Secret Tunnel.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Little House series.
Wilshinsky, Frieda. Manya’s Dream: a Story of Marie Curie.
Grade 4
Blitz, Shmuel and Miriam Zakon. The Search for the Stones.
Brittain, Bill. The Wish Giver.
Calanitte. The Adventures of the Gimmel Gang series.
“ The 3D Files.
Cerullo, Mary M. and Bill Curtsinger. Life Under Ice.
Chait, Baruch. The Incredible Voyage to Good Middos.
Cornelissen, Cornelia. Soft Rain.
Creech, Sharon. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.
Creel, Ann Howard. Nicki and Thanks to Nicki (sequel).
Danziger, Paula. The United Tates of America.
Davidson, Margaret. Helen Keller’s Teacher.
Deutsch, Stacia and Rhody Cohon. Blast to the Past series.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
“ ” “ The Tale of Despereaux.
Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl.
Fleischman, Sid. The Midnight Horse .
French, Jackie. How to Scratch a Wombat.
Fritz, Jean. Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus?
Funke, Cornelia. Ghosthunters series.
George, Jean Craighead. There’s an Owl in the Shower.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. All the Way Home.
Greenwald, Ze’ev. You Don’t Say! Halachos of Speech.
Hale, Bruce. Chet Gecko mysteries.
Hesse, Karen. The Cats in Krasinski Square.
A Journey with Rabbi Juravel series.
Kehret, Peg. The Stranger Next Door; Trapped; Spy Cat.
King-Smith, Dick. The Golden Goose.
“ “ “ The Midnight Horse.
“ “ “ The Stray.
Lewin, Ted. Gorilla Walk.
Lisle, Rebecca. Copper and Amethyst (sequel).
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall; Skylark; and Caleb’s Story (sequels).
Mayer-Skumanz, Lene. The Tower.
McKissack, Patricia. Scraps Of Time series.
Minor, Wendell. Yankee Doodle America: the spirit of 1776 from A to Z.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Adaline Falling Star.
Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May Be a Genius and other poetry titles.
Pringle, Laurence. Sharks! Strange and Wonderful.
Schlein, Miriam. The Year of the Panda.
Small, Rivkah. Diamonds in the Boathouse.
Turner, Ann Warren. Mississippi Mud.
Walder, Chaim. Kidspeak series.
“ “ Our Heroes.
Walfish, Miriam. Penina’s Plan; Penina’s Doll Factory; and Penina’s Adventure at Sea.
Wein, Berel. Of Heaven & Earth: Stories of the Chassidic Masters; Rambam; and Rashi Hakadosh: a Light After the Dark Ages.
White, E.B. Charlotte’s Web.
“ “ “ Stuart Little.
Winkler, Henry. Niagara Falls, or Does It? and other Hank Zipzer novels.
Woodruff, Elvira. George Washington’s Socks.
Yanofsky, Tsivia. Take Me to the Holy Land.
Yep, Laurence. Mia and Bravo, Mia! (sequel)
” ” When the Circus Came to Town.
Zakon, Miriam. Baker’s Dozen series.
Grade 5
Avi. Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?
Benjamin, Ruth. The Lost Treasure of Chelton and sequels.
Berry, James. Around the World in Eighty Poems.
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street.
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. A Little Princess.
Clements, Andrew. Frindle.
Corwin, Jeff. A Wild Life: the Authorized Biography.
Cottonwood, Joe. Quake!
Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat.
The Dear America series.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Magician’s Elephant.
Fleischman, Sid. The Midnight Horse.
French, Jackie. How to Scratch a Wombat.
Funke, Cornelia. Ghosthunters series.
“ “ Igraine the Brave.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Nory Ryan’s Song; Maggie’s Door; and House of Tailors (sequels).
“ “ “ Pictures of Hollis Woods.
“ “ “ Wild Girl.
Gutman, Dan. The Kid Who Ran for President and The Kid Who Became President.
Henry, Marguerite. Misty of Chincoteague.
Ibbotson, Eva. The Secret of Platform 13.
Kehret, Peg. Earthquake Terror.
“ “ Small Steps and Five Pages a Day (sequel).
“ “ The Stranger Next Door; Trapped; and Spy Cat (sequels).
Koller, Jackie French. The Keepers trilogy.
“ “ “ Someday.
Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking series.
Lord, Cynthia. Rules.
Marsden, Carolyn. Silk Umbrellas.
Marvin, Isabel R. A Bride for Anna’s Papa.
Matov, G. Tales of Tzaddikim.
Millman, M.C. Class-ified Information series.
O’Dell, Scott. Sing Down the Moon.
*Peterseil, Tehila. Safe Place.
* “ “ Unjust Cause.
Porter, Eleanor. Pollyanna.
Ruckman, Ivy. Night of the Twisters.
Seuling, Barbara. Cows Sweat Through Their Noses.
Shalom, A. Through the Flames of Aleppo.
Shields, Carol Diggory. American History, Fresh Squeezed! and other Brainjuice titles.
Simon, Seymour. Big Cats.
“ “ Tornadoes.
Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. Black and Blue Magic.
Stanley, Diane. The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine and The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy (sequel).
Sullivan, George. Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures.
Taylor, Theodore. The Cay and Timothy of the Cay (sequel).
Urban, Linda. A Crooked Kind of Perfect.
Vogiel, Eva. A Light for Greytowers.
Walfish, Miriam. The Jewel and the Journey.
Woods, Brenda. My Name Is Sally Little Song.
Yep, Laurence. Ribbons.
Yolen, Jane. Wizard’s Hall.
Grade 6
Alexander, Lloyd. The Gawgon and the Boy.
“ “ The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio.
Altein, Chani. Shining Star.
Alvarez, Julia. Return to Sender.
Avi. Midnight Magic.
Barrie, James M. Peter Pan.
Betancourt, Jeanne. My Name is Brain Brian.
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden.
Butler, Beverly. Witch’s Fire.
Chasen, Estelle. Chava’s Story.
Coombs, Kate. The Runaway Princess.
Danziger, Paula and Ann M. Martin. P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More.
Ferris, Jean. Once Upon a Marigold and Twice Upon a Marigold.
Flinker, Moshe. Moshe Flinker’s Diary.
Freedman, Russell. Children of the Wild West.
Fried, Leah. Nan’s Long Journey.
Fritz, Jean. The Double Life of Pocahontas.
Garland, Sherry. Silent Storm.
George, Jean Craighead. My Side of the Mountain and sequels.
Giblin, James Cross. The Many Rides of Paul Revere.
Griffin, Adele. Hannah Divided.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Double Identity.
“ “ “ The Shadow Children series.
Hahn, Mary Downing. Daphne’s Book.
Hale, Shannon. Goose Girl and sequels.
“ “ The Princess Academy.
Horvath, Polly. Everything on a Waffle.
Ibbotson, Eva. The Star of Kazan.
Jones, Elizabeth McDavid, et. al. The Night Flyers and other History Mysteries.
Karr, Kathleen. The Great Turkey Walk.
Madden, Kerry. Gentle’s Holler.
Martin, Ann M. Belle Teal.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Peter Pan in Scarlet (first authorized sequel to Peter Pan).
O’Meara, Donna. Into the Volcano.
Paterson, Katherine. Lyddie.
Perl, Lila and Lazan, Marion Blumenthal. Four Perfect Pebbles.
Rawls, Wilson. Summer of the Monkeys.
Rodman, Mary Ann. Yankee Girl.
*Schur, Maxine Rose. The Circlemaker.
Scott, Michael. Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.
Shalom, A. Keeper of the Crown.
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. Cat Running
“ “ “ Libby on Wednesday..
Trueit, Trudi Strain. Earthquakes.
Vogiel, Eva. A Weed Among the Roses and sequels.
Webster, Jean. Daddy Long Legs.
Whelan, Gloria. Angel on the Square and sequels.
“ “ Chu Ju’s House.
Wiederblank, Sara. Save Our School and Seven Up (sequel).
Wyss, Thelma Hatch. Bear Dancer: the Story of a Ute Girl.
Yep, Laurence. The Dragon Chronicles.
Grade 7
Alexander, Lloyd. The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio.
Altein, Chani. Shining Star.
Blos, Joan W. A Gathering of Days; Brothers of the Heart; and Letters from the Corrugated Castle.
Bond, Nancy. A String in the Harp.
Butler, Beverly. Light a Single Candle and Gift of Gold (sequel).
Cameron, Anne. Colibri.
Creech, Sharon. Bloomability.
Creedon, Catherine. Blue Wolf.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton.
Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much About Planet Earth.
Downer, John. Weird Nature.
Fleischman, Paul. Saturnalia.
Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart; Inkspell; and Inkdeath (sequels).
Furlong, Monica. Juniper; Wise Child; and Colman (sequels).
George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves and sequels.
Giblin, James Cross. The Many Rides of Paul Revere.
Gold, Avner. The Strasbourg Saga.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors.
Hale, Shannon. Princess Academy.
Hesse, Karen. Aleutian Sparrow.
Horvath, Polly. Everything on a Waffle.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils.
Ibbotson, Eva. The Dragonfly Pool.
Kindl, Patrice. Goose Chase.
Koller, Jackie French. Nothing to Fear.
Lazewnik, Libby. Forever and a Day.
McKinley, Robin. Beauty.
“ “ The Hero and the Crown.
Meyer, Carolyn. The Young Royals series.
Miklowitz, Gloria D. Secrets in the House of Delgado.
Myers, Walter Dean. At Her Majesty’s Request.
Nelson, Theresa. The Empress of Elsewhere.
O’Dell, Scott. Sarah Bishop.
Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard.
Perl, Lila and Lazan, Marion Blumenthal. Four Perfect Pebbles.
Rosen, Devorah. The Yellow Notebook.
Sherlock, Patti. Letters from Wolfie.
Shreve, Susan. The Gift of the Girl Who Couldn’t Hear.
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
Sturtevant, Katherine. At the Sign of the Star and A True and Faithful Narrative (sequel).
Taylor, Mildred E. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Trottier, Maxine. Sister to the Wolf.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Yep, Laurence. Child of the Owl and Thief of Hearts (sequel).
“ “ The Dragon Chronicles.
Grade 8
Altein, Chani. Puzzle Pieces.
Balgassi, Haemi. Tae’s Sonata.
Benjamin, Ruth. Yesterday’s Child.
Berry, Julie. The Amaranth Enchantment.
Blos, Joan W. A Gathering of Days; Brothers of the Heart; and Letters from the Corrugated Castle.
Cooney, Caroline B. The Ransom of Mercy Carter.
Crew, Linda. Children of the River.
Ernst, Kathleen. The Bravest Girl in Sharpsburg.
Fast, Howard. April Morning.
Firer, Benzion. The Twins.
Florans, Estie. Conquer the Darkness.
Goldberger, Moshe. One-Minute History Lessons.
Gray, Bettyanne. Manya’s Story.
Guttentag, Deborah. In the Dark.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors.
Jiang, Ji-Li. Red Scarf Girl.
Jordan, Sherryl. The Hunting of the Last Dragon.
Jurmain, Suzanne. Forbidden Schoolhouse: the Dramatic and True Story of Prudence Crandall.
Kent, Deborah. Why Me? series.
Kiszner, Libby M. Dear Libby.
Kline, Nancy. Elizabeth Blackwell: a Doctor’s Triumph.
Kosman, Miriam. Family for a While.
Levin, Menucha Chana. The Youngest Bride.
Millman, M.C. Amen Allowed.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Princess Ben.
Namioka, Lensey. Ties That Bind, Ties That Break and An Ocean Apart, a World Away (sequel).
Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn; Skybreaker; and Starbreaker (sequels).
Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15.
Pattou, Edith. East.
Peterseil, Tehila. The Secret Files of Lisa Weiss.
Pope, Elizabeth. The Perilous Gard.
Rosen, Devorah. The Yellow Notebook.
*Shalom, A. Musawi.
Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic.
“ “ Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Temple, Frances. The Ramsay Scallop.
Tingle, Rebecca. The Edge on the Sword and Far Traveler (sequel).
Touger, Malka. Just My Style.
Walfish, Miriam. Into the Fire.
Wells, Rosemary. Red Moon at Sharpsburg.
Wilson, Diane. Firehorse.
Wood, June Rae. The Man Who Loved Clowns.
Zeinert, Karen. Those Remarkable Women of the American Revolution.
Grades 9-10
Amory, Jay. The Fledging of Az Gabrielson and Pirates of the Relentless Desert (sequel).
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Barber, Nathan. Get Wise! Mastering Vocabulary Skills.
Bassara, M. Sun Inside Rain.
Bauer, Joan. Peeled.
Berry, Julie. The Amaranth Enchantment.
Buck, Pearl. East Wind: West Wind.
“ “ The Good Earth.
Caton, Tzippy. Invisible Me.
*Cohn, A. Rami. The Youngest Partisan.
Dansky, Miriam. Encore.
Eliav, Chaim. The Persecution.
Feldbrand, S. From Sarah to Sarah: and Other Fascinating Jewish Women Both Famous and Forgotten.
Ferber, Edna. Saratoga Trunk.
Ferris, Jean. Underground.
Freeman, Tzvi. Bringing Heaven Down to Earth series.
Gaines, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Gilbert, Barbara. Broken Chords.
Gottesman, Meir Uri. The Harp.
Goykadosh, Bracha. Footprints in the Sand.
“ “ Shadows on the Moon.
Hakakian, Roya. Journey from the Land of No.
Hart, Jack. A Writer’s Coach: the Complete Guide to Writing Strategies That Work.
Ibbotson, Eva. A Countess Below Stairs.
Kamkwamba, William. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Kent, Deborah. Belonging.
“ “ Why Me? series.
Koller, Jackie French. The Primrose Way.
Korobkin, Frieda Stolzberg. Throw Your Feet Over Your Shoulders: Beyond the Kindertransport.
Kurzweil, Arthur. On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.
Levinson, Yaakov. The Jewish Guide to Natural Nutrition.
Marillier, Juliet. Wildwood Dancing and Cybele’s Secret (sequel).
Mora, Pat. My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults.
Namioka, Lensey. April and the Dragon Lady.
Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn; Skybreaker; and Starclimber (sequels).
Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15.
Paolini, Christopher. Eragon; Eldest; and Brisingr (sequels).
Pearlman, Ruthie. Dark Tapestry; The Movement; and Carers Limited (sequels).
Pearson, Mary. The Adoration of Jenna Fox.
Perkins, Mitali. Secret Keeper.
Reeves, Richard. A Force of Nature: the Frontier Genius of Ernest Rutherford.
Roberts, Jason. A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became the World’s Greatest Traveler.
Schottenstein, Shevy. The Promise of Freedom.
Shaara, Jeff. Rise to Rebellion.
*Shalom, A. Musawi.
Spetner, Lee. Not By Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution.
Stutchbury, Bridget. Silence of the Songbirds.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.
Twerski, Abraham J. Simchah: It’s Not Just Happiness.
Vogiel, Eva. The Four Seasons of Golda Mirel.
Walfish, Miriam. The Stars Will Guide You.
Wells, Rosemary. Red Moon at Sharpsburg.
West, Jessamyn. The Friendly Persuasion.
White, T.H. The Sword in the Stone.
On a hot day, a farm family is trying to keep cool. Suddenly, dark clouds appear, ZZZZT!–lightning flashes, and Rumble-brum-brum, thunder sounds. Before the rain begins, everyone hurries to get ready and run inside where it is safe. The sound effects and colorful illustrations make you feel like you are in the middle of the thunderstorm, and the story is humorous enough to keep little ones from being frightened. Perfect for read-alouds and those who are fearful of thunder-boomers.
The Lion’s Share: a Story of Halving Cake and Eating It, Too by Matthew McElligott
Ant is thrilled to be invited to a party given by the king. She is less happy when she sees the poor behavior shown by the other guests, who eat sloppily and care only about themselves. The worst happens when the king passes the elephant a cake, inviting him to help himself, which he does by taking half. Each animal in turn takes half of what is left. By the time poor Ant receives the cake, there is only a crumb remaining to share with the king! What will she do? (Readers will enjoy this book so much they may not realize they are learning important math concepts as well as a lesson in proper manners.)
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully
When Mattie was a child, she could make almost anything with her father’s tools. By the time she was a teenager, Mattie’s talent for creating useful inventions was well known. However, when she designed the flat-bottomed paper bag we use today, a man claimed he invented it–because, as a woman, she “could not possibly understand the mechanical complexities of the machine” that produced them. The inventor’s battle for the right to manufacture the bags, together with sketches of her creations, make this an inspiring, exciting story.
The United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott
Join the fun as fifty state birds enter the United Tweets of America Pageant. You won’t be able to stop laughing as each contestant shows its stuff–and is occasionally irritated by a neighbor or pokes its beak into another’s page. The contest continues to a hilarious conclusion and an unforgettable rendition of “America the Beautiful.” A bit of information about each state is thrown in, but please don’t mistake this delightful book for an information resource!
The Safe Place by Tehila Peterseil
Kinneret has trouble in school. Understanding language and concentrating are so hard. Some teachers think that she is lazy. To make things worse, Kinneret is having nightmares, and her parents, while they care about her, are disappointed that she isn’t doing better. Sometimes she imagines a big white bird taking her away when everything is too much to handle. Just when Kinneret is giving up hope of ever finding her own “safe place,” a wonderful person enters her life.
A Wild Life by Jeff Corwin
If you’re not a wildlife lover, you might be after beginning to read Jeff Corwin’s autobiography! The famous biologist enthusiastically describes his early encounters with the animal world, and effectively talks about the importance of conserving natural resources around the world and in our own back yards. This eye-opening story is especially timely, as Corwin is, as of June 9, NBC/MSNBC’s new Wildlife and Science Expert.
Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman
Alice Ann Moxley is used to moving often; her FBI agent father is given assignments in new locations every couple of years. However, she has never been in a place like Jackson, Mississippi, before. Alice Ann’s father has been sent here to protect Black people registering to vote–an activity that seems natural to someone who lived in Chicago, but which is violently protested in the 1960s South. When Alice Ann has trouble making friends–several classmates think she is different and call her Yankee Girl–she thinks it might be easier to become friendly with Valerie, one of only two Black girls in her school. But Valerie is not interested in friendship with anyone, and Alice Ann must weigh her wish to be popular against knowing what is “the Right Thing” to do.
Musawi by A. Shalom
16-year-old Sophia has a dream: to escape from Syria, where she and her fellow Jews are oppressed but forbidden to leave, and go to Israel. Her parents expect her to marry a local boy, as her sister did, and she also wishes to please them. Meanwhile, there is talk of a safe route out of Syria. If it is discovered, does Sophia have the courage to leave everyone and everything behind and follow her dream? This fast-paced story will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last action-packed page.
Now, back to the books…
