Happy Summer!

As the school year draws to a close this first week of summer, my thoughts naturally turn to the academic season just past and to the prospect of pleasurable reading ahead.  There have been many high points to this past year: the special needs first grader who did not like any books offered, until I waxed enthusiastic and “sold” her on a title–and became a library fan; the fifth graders who got into a lesson about plot predictability (which I entitled “Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover”) and were excited about borrowing the books I discussed; the kids who discovered the delights and many talents of Dr. Seuss; the thoughtful readers whose horizions were broadened by unforgettable books; and more.

This has truly been an unforgettable year with perhaps more than its share of highs and even a few lows on both a personal and professional level.  Nothing can compare to the unbridled joy of the birth of a new grandchild and the engagement and upcoming wedding of a daughter.  The presence of the newest member of our family at the festivities will make the occasion even more perfect.

My role as a bookloving grandma would not be complete without recommending a few books with which to while away the summery days  ahead.

Ginny likes kindergarten, but is having some problems–such as reading the same sentence twice and bumping into chairs.  When the school nurse discovers why, Ginny takes control of the situation.  An uplifting story.  Ages 5-7

Nana is definitely not your typical grandmother.  Much to her proper daughter’s dismay, she would rather be driving a backhoe than taking naps.  So when the police department advertises for a detective, Nana jumps at the chance for an exciting occupation.  Can this unconventional grandma, with the help of her grandkids, Eufala and Bog, solve the mystery of the missing Yumdums?  Ages 8-11  (Don’t miss the delightful sequel, Nana Takes the Reins!)

Move over, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey have arrived.  The two fifth-grade sleuths combine scientific know-how and powers of perception to solve one puzzle after another.  This series, spiced with a healthy dose of humor, is sure to be a hit with mystery fans and just about everybody else.  Ages 9-12

 

 

Julie Welsh isn’t exactly thrilled about a class assignment: write letters to a nursing home resident.  However, as a series of symptoms (pain, weakness, exhaustion) worsen, the fifth grader’s correspondence with wise Mrs. Kaplan becomes a source of inspiration.  When Julie receives the frightening diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, she is determined to live as normal life as possible–and succeeds beyond her expectations, thanks in part to help from an unexpected corner.  An unforgettable story.  Ages 9-12

On these warm days, enjoy a cool book!

Wedding Joy

 

As spring blossoms into summer, the Big Event in our family moves closer.  The feeling of wedding excitement is almost palpable now.  As (according to our tradition) the young couple saw each other for the final time until the wedding a week from tomorrow, and the parties involved put the finishing touches on yet another plan, we definitely experience a sensation of immediacy.  Whereas we were inching toward the goal, now it feels like we are racing.  With the anticipated arrivals of family members this week, the excitement is sure to build until it reaches a crescendo on the day of the wedding itself.  The joy each of us feels at this time is a marvelous thing.   Even mundane activities are a pleasure.  And the skies themselves are doing their part: the weather has been beautiful.  Who could ask for anything better? 

Books on My Mind

Yesterday was the deadline for completing my annual Recommended Reading List that is distributed to the parents of our students.  As happens every year, there was always “one more title” that I believed just HAD to be included!  After regaining focus and determining that this be a bibliography of some of the best reading out there, new or classic or in between, I believe I ended up with a pretty good list.  I’d like to share it with you.  (As it was prepared for a Jewish school, many titles are of interest to religious students, faculty, and parents.)  Enjoy!

Preschool

Altein, Chani.  The Aleph Bais Trip on the Aleph Bais Ship.

Altein, Chani.  Hashem Is Truly Everywhere.

Benenfeld, Rikki.  I Go to School and others in series.

Berman, Seryl.  Around the Shabbos Table.

Brown, Margaret Wise.  Goodnight Moon.

Carle, Eric.  “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth.

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.

Henkes, Kevin.  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).

Kugel, Bruria.  Effy Helps Out and sequels.

Maccarone, Grace.  My Tooth Is About to Fall Out.

Maccarone, Grace.  “What Is That?” Said the Cat.

Lyon, George Ella.  The Pirate of Kindergarten.

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.

McMillan, Bruce.  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.

Rosenfeld, Dina.  The King in the Field.

Rouss, Sylvia.  My Baby Brother: What a Miracle!

Schwebel, Devorah.  Time for Torah.

Shulevitz, Uri.  Snow.

Simhaee, Rebeka.  Sara Finds a Mitzva.

Tafuri, Nancy.  Blue Goose.

Tafuri, Nancy.  Have You Seen My Duckling?

Tafuri, Nancy.  Silly Little Goose!

Weltscher, Goldie.  The Jungle Swap.

Willems, Mo.  Knuffle Bunny series.

Willems, Mo.  Let’s Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!

Willems, Mo.  My Friend Is Sad and other Elephant and Piggy books.

Willems, Mo.  Time to Say “Please!”

Willems, Mo.  Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep!

Zytman, Leah.  The Bravest Fireman. 

Grade 1

Adler, David A.  Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery and sequels.

Aragon, Jane Chelsea.  Salt Hands.

Bang, Molly.  When Sophie Gets Angry: Really, Really Angry.

Beifus, Ruth.  A Book for Two.

Bottner, Barbara.  Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t).

Brown, Marc.  Arthur series.

Carle, Eric.  Mister Seahorse.

Child, Lauren.  Charlie and Lola books.

Cronin, Doreen.  Diary of a Spider and Diary of a Worm.

Crum, Shutta.  All on a Sleepy Night.

Crum, Shutta.  A Family for Old Mill Farm.

Crum, Shutta.  Thunder-Boomer!

Edwards, Julie Andrews.  The Very Fairy Princess and The Very Fairy Princess Talent Show.

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 Baby Wombat and Diary of a Wombat.

Funke, Cornelia.  The Princess Knight.

Hamilton, Kersten.  This Is the Ocean.

Harrison, David.  Caves: Mysteries Beneath Our Feet.

Karim, Roberta.  Mandy Sue Day.

Klempner, Rebecca.  A Dozen Daisies for Raizy: a Shavuos Story.

Koller, Jackie French.  No Such Thing.

Kosofsky, Chaim.  Much, Much Better.

Krasnesky, Thad.  That Cat Can’t Stay.

Levy, Leah Braunstein.  The Waiting Wall.

Lyon, George Ella.  The Pirate of Kindergarten.

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.

Pinkney, Jerry.  The Lion & the Mouse.

Rathmann, Peggy.  Officer Buckle and Gloria.

Ray, Jane.  The Apple-Pip Princess.

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.

Stead, Philip C. and Erin Stead.  A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

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 Booy, Simon.  Pobble’s Way.

Van Handel, Esther.  The Secret of the Leaves.

Weber, Doba.  Dear Tree: a Tu B’Shvat Story.

Willems, Mo.  City Dog, Country Frog.

Willems, Mo.  Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and sequels.

Winter, Jeanette.  Biblioburro: a true story from Colombia.

Yee, Wong Herbert.  Mouse and Mole stories. 

Grade 2

Ackerman, Karen.  The Night Crossing.

Adler, David A.  My Writing Day.

Adler, David A.  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.

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.

DiCamillo, Kate.  Bink & Gollie.

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.

Hest, Amy.  When Jessie Came Across the Sea.

Hyde, Heidi Smith.  Feivel’s Flying Horses.

Jenkins, Martin.  The Emperor’s Egg.

Kaposh, Mosh.  The Moon, the Sun, and a Hot Dog Bun.

Keller, Laurie.  The Scrambled States of America and The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.

Kerley, Barbara.  What To Do About Alice?

Krasnesky, Thad.  That Cat Can’t Stay.

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.

Nolan, Lucy.  Down Girl and Sit series.

Pfeffer, Wendy.  Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws.

Polacco, Patricia.  Thank You, Mr. Falker.

Pollack, Gadi.  A Tale of Seven Sheep.

Rappaport, Doreen.  The Boston Coffee Party.

Schonfeld, Rifka.  My Friend the Bully.

Seuss, Dr.  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.

Sierra, Judy.  Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf.

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.

Wieder, Joy Nelkin.  The Secret Tunnel.

Willems, Mo.  City Dog, Country Frog.

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.

Bauer, Marion Dane.  The Blue Ghost and sequels. (Note: Bauer’s The Secret of the Painted House not recommended.)

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.

Diamond, Chavi.  The Promise.

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.

Paterson, Katherine.  The King’s Equal.

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.

Ruddell, Deborah.  A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: a Forest of Poems.

Rylant, Cynthia.  The Cobble Street Cousins series.

Schlitz, Laura Amy.  The Night Fairy.

Scieszka, John.  Math Curse and Science Verse.

Shollar, Leah Perl.  The Key Under the Pillow.

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.

Whelan, Gloria.  Next Spring an Oriole; Night of the Full Moon; and Shadow of the Wolf (sequels).

Wieder, Joy Nelkin.  The Great Potato Plan.

Wieder, Joy Nelkin.  The Secret Tunnel.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.  The Little House series.

Grade 4

Blitz, Shmuel and Miriam Zakon.  The Search for the Stones.

Calanitte.  The Adventures of the Gimmel Gang series and 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.

DiCamillo, Kate.  The Tale of Despereaux.

Fleischman, Sid.  The Dream Stealer.

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.

Graff, Lisa.  The Thing About Georgie: a Novel.

Graff, Lisa.  Umbrella Summer.

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.

King-Smith, Dick.  The Golden Goose.

King-Smith, Dick.  The Stray.

King-Smith, Dick.  The Water Horse.

Lewin, Ted.  Gorilla Walk.

Lisle, Rebecca.  Copper and Amethyst (sequel).

Look, Lenore.  Alvin Ho series.

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.

Sidman, Joyce.  Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night and other poetry titles.

Silverstein, Shel.  Runny Babbit.

Small, Rivkah.  Diamonds in the Boathouse.

Torrey, Michele.  The Case of the Galloping Garbage and sequels (Doyle and Fossey Science Detectives).

Walder, Chaim.  Kidspeak series and Our Heroes.

Walfish, Miriam.  Penina’s Plan and other Jewish Girls Around the World novels.

Wein, Berel.  Of Heaven & Earth; Rambam; and Rashi Hakadosh.

White, E.B.  Charlotte’s Web.

White, E.B.  Stuart Little.

Winkler, Henry.  Niagara Falls, or Does It? and other Hank Zipzer novels.

Yanofsky, Tsivia.  Take Me to the Holy Land.

Yep, Laurence.  Mia and Bravo, Mia! (sequel)

Yep, Laurence.  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.

Bosch, Pseudonymous.  The Name of This Book Is Secret and sequels.

Burnett, Frances Hodgson.  A Little Princess.

Caper, William.  Florida Panthers: Struggle for Survival.

Clements, Andrew.  The School Story.

Corwin, Jeff.  A Wild Life: the Authorized Biography.

Cottonwood, Joe.  Quake!

Creech, Sharon.  Heartbeat.

DiCamillo, Kate.  The Magician’s Elephant. 

Draper, Sharon M.  Out of My Mind.

Fleischman, Sid.  The Midnight Horse.

French, Jackie.  How to Scratch a Wombat.

Funke, Cornelia.   Igraine the Brave.

Giblin, James Cross.  The Many Rides of Paul Revere.

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Nory Ryan’s Song; Maggie’s Door; and House of Tailors (sequels).

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Pictures of Hollis Woods.

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Wild Girl.

Graff, Lisa.  The Thing About Georgie: a Novel.

Graff, Lisa.  Umbrella Summer.

Henry, Marguerite.  Misty of Chincoteague.

Hubner, Chaya.  Leah Lamdan Mysteries.

Ibbotson, Eva.  The Secret of Platform 13.

Kehret, Peg.  My Brother Made Me Do It. 

Peg, Kehret.  Small Steps and Five Pages a Day (sequel).

Peg, Kehret.  The Stranger Next Door; Trapped; and Spy Cat (sequels).

Koller, Jackie French.  The Keepers trilogy.

Koller, Jackie French.  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.

McElligott, Matthew.  Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

Millman, M.C.  Class-ified Information series.

O’Dell, Scott.  Sing Down the Moon.

Peterseil, Tehila.  Safe Place and 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 and Tornadoes.

Sis, Peter.  The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.  Black and Blue Magic.

Soup, Cuthbert.  A Whole Nother Story and Another Whole Nother Story.

Stanley, Diane.  The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine and The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy .

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.

Van Cleve, Kathleen.  Drizzle.

Vogiel, Eva.  A Light for Greytowers.

Walfish, Miriam.  The Jewel and the Journey.

Woods, Brenda.  My Name Is Sally Little Song.

Grade 6

Alexander, Lloyd.  The Gawgon and the Boy.

Alexander, Lloyd.  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.

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.

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.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson.  The Shadow Children series.

Hahn, Mary Downing.  Daphne’s Book.

Hale, Shannon.  Goose Girl and sequels.

Hale, Shannon.  The Princess Academy.

Harrison, Michelle.  13 Treasures and 13 Curses (sequel).

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).

McElligott, Matthew.  Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

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

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.  Libby on Wednesday.

Trueit, Trudi Strain.  Earthquakes.

Vogiel, Eva.  A Weed Among the Roses and sequels.

Walfish, Miriam.  Into the Fire.

Webster, Jean.  Daddy Long Legs.

Whelan, Gloria.  Angel on the Square and sequels. 

Whelan, Gloria.  Chu Ju’s House.

Wiederblank, Sara.  Save Our School and Seven Up (sequel).

Wiles, Deborah.  Countdown.

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.

Baskin, Nora Raleigh.  Anything but Typical.

Blos, Joan W.  A Gathering of Days; Brothers of the Heart; 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.

Dowd, Siobhan.  The London Eye Mystery.

Downer, John.  Weird Nature.

Ferris, Jean.  Once Upon a Marigold and Twice Upon a Marigold.

Fleischman, Paul.  Saturnalia.

Funke, Cornelia.  Inkheart; Inkspell; and Inkdeath (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.

Hahn, Mary Downing.  The Old Willis Place.

Hale, Shannon.  Princess Academy.

Harrison, Michelle.  13 Treasures and 13 Curses (sequel).

Hesse, Karen.  Aleutian Sparrow.

Horvath, Polly.  Everything on a Waffle.

Hunt, Irene.  Across Five Aprils.

Ibbotson, Eva.  The Dragonfly Pool.

Jakubowicz, M.  All Eyes on Mindy Eisen.

Kindl, Patrice.  Goose Chase.

Koller, Jackie French.  Nothing to Fear.

Lazewnik, Libby.  Forever and a Day.

McKinley, Robin.  Beauty.

McKinley, Robin.  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.

Preus, Margie.  Heart of a Samurai.

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.

Walfish, Miriam.  Into the Fire.

Yep, Laurence.  Child of the Owl and Thief of Hearts (sequel).

Yep, Laurence.  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; 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.

Goykadosh, Bracha.  Go Bananas and Other Stories.

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).

Oppen, Kennth.  Half Brother.

Osa, Nancy.  Cuba 15.

Pattou, Edith.  East.

Peterseil, Tehila.  The Secret Files of Lisa Weiss.

Pope, Elizabeth.  The Perilous Gard.

Preus, Margie.  Heart of a Samurai.

Rosen, Devorah.  The Yellow Notebook.

Shalom, A.  Musawi.

Silverstein, Shel.  A Light in the Attic.

Silverstein, Shel.  Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Smith, Sherri L.  Flygirl.

Temple, Frances.  The Ramsay Scallop.

Tingle, Rebecca.  The Edge on the Sword and Far Traveler (sequel).

Touger, Malka.  Just My Style.

Traube, Shaindy.  Passing the Test.

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.

Bassara, M.  Sun Inside Rain.

Bauer, Joan.  Peeled.

Berry, Julie.  The Amaranth Enchantment.

Buck, Pearl.  East Wind: West Wind.

Buck, Pearl.  The Good Earth.

Bunce, Elizabeth C.  A Curse Dark as Gold.

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.

Gottesman, Meir Uri.  The Harp.

Goykadosh, Bracha.  Footprints in the Sand.

Goykadosh, Bracha.  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.

Kent, Deborah.  Belonging. 

Kent, Deborah.  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).

Oppel, Kenneth.  Half Brother.

Osa, Nancy.  Cuba 15.

Paolini, Christopher.  Eragon; Eldest; and Brisingr (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.

Shalom, A.  Musawi.

Smith, Sherri L.  Flygirl.

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.

Traube, Shaindy.  Passing the Test.

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.

Cool Books for Warm Weather

Incredible as it may seem as the temperature soars into the upper 80s and the real-feel approaches 100, it was only days ago that we were wondering when the damp and dreary weather would go away.  As we ditch the sweaters and jackets for more summery apparel, and an ice-cream truck (which is as sure a sign of warm weather as flowers and baby birds, and whose melodies evoke pleasant memories of summers past) becomes a welcome sight, the book lover finds a shady spot the perfect place to enjoy some quality reading.

Here are a few suggestions that will add to the pleasure of these balmy days.

What do you get when you combine a family on the run to keep the time machine the parents have invented from being taken away from them, a narrator who constantly interjects advice on any subject under the sun, a dog with psychic capabilities, and an assortment of characters (some more unsavory than others) in pursuit of the Cheesemans?  A rollicking good story, that’s what.  And there’s more to tickle your funny bone: Another Whole Nother Story!  Ages 9-12

Liz is helping her grandmother reluctantly pack her belongings in the family’s northern Minnesota cabin before it is sold.  One night, the nine-year-old is awakened by someone calling her by her full name–Elizabeth–which nobody uses.  When this occurrence is repeated, and Liz hears other voices as well, she discovers that her help is needed.  Can she act in time?  A great beginning to a wonderful series for young chapter-book readers who enjoy suspense.  Ages 7-9

Allie Finkle is (mostly) content with her life: so why do her parents want to sell their comfortable, modern home and move into an old house that needs major renovation (something her mom loves to do) and which might be haunted, even if it is big enough for the nine-year-old and her two little brothers to have their own rooms?  Is the promise of having a kitten of her own (not only the dog she must share with the rest of the family) and the prospect of a fun-loving girl her age next door worth giving up the good things Allie has now?  Readers who like Mallory and Emma Dilemma will become fans of Allie as well.