Blake, Robert J. Togo.
Philomel, 2002
AR BL : 3.8, Lexile: 480, Interest Level: Grades 1-5
In 1925, Togo, a Siberian husky who loves being a sled dog, leads
a team that rushes to bring diphtheria antitoxin from Anchorage to Nome,
Alaska.
Cook, Lisa. Martin
MacGregor's Snowman. ill. by Adam McCauley. Walker, 2003.
AR BL: 3.3, Interest Level: Grades PreK-2
While anxiously awaiting the arrival of snow, Martin MacGregor, who
built the biggest snowman in the neighborhood last year, tries to build
one with substitute materials.
Corey, Shana. Players
in Pigtails. ill. by Rebecca Gibbon. Scholastic, 2003.
AR BL: 3.4, Lexile: 350, Interest Level: Grades K-3
Katie Casey, a fictional character, helps start the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League, which gave women the opportunity to play
professional baseball while America was involved in World War II.
Cronin, Doreen. Diary
of a Worm. ill. by Harry Bliss. Joanna Cutler, 2003.
AR BL: 2.8, Lexile: 360, Interest Level: PreK-2
A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good
and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world.
Cuyler, Margery.
Skeleton Hiccups.
ill. by S.D. Schindler. McElderry, 2002.
AR BL: 1.3, Interest Level: PreK-2
Ghost tries to help Skeleton get rid of the hiccups.
Davies, Nicola. One
Tiny Turtle. ill. by Jane Chapman. Scholastic, 2001.
AR BL: 4.1, Lexile: 650, Interest Level: PreK-2
Lyrical words and bright, acrylic double-page pictures convey the
amazing facts about the Loggerhead turtle.
Diakite, Baba Wague.The Magic Gourd.
Scholastic, 2003.
AR BL: 2.4, Lexile 440, Interest Level: Grade PreK-2
Brother Rabbit and Chameleon teach a greedy king the importance of
generosity and friendship.
Falwell, Cathryn.Butterflies for Kiri.
Lee & Low, 2003.
AR BL: 3.9, Lexile: 600, Interest Level: Grades 2-4
Kiri, a Japanese American girl who loves to draw and paint, tries
to use the origami set she received for her birthday. Includes instructions
for making an origami butterfly.
Farris, Christine King. My
Brother Martin. ill. by Chris Soentpiet. Simon & Schuster,
2003.
AR BL: 5.0, Lexile: 970, Interest Level: Grades 2-5
A picturebook biography of Martin Luther King Jr. as told by his older
sister.
Fleming, Candace. Boxes
for Katje. ill. by Stacey Dressin-McQueen. Farrar, Straus,
& Giroux, 2003.
AR BL: 3.5, Lexile: 470, Interest Level: Grade K-2
After a young Dutch girl writes to her new American friend in thanks
for the care package sent after World War II, she begins to receive increasingly
larger boxes.
Florian, Douglas. Autumnblings:
Poems and Paintings. Greenwillow, 2003.
AR BL: 2.6, Interest Level: Grades 2-5
A richly illustrated anthology of poetry about the fall season, filled
with puns and humor.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. You
Read to Me, I'll Read to You. ill. by Michael Emberley. Little,
Brown, 2001.
AR BL: 2.1, Interest Level: PreK-2
The author combines short, rhymed lines to create stories that are
designed to promote reading and to be read by two readers.
Jenkins, Steven and Page, Robin.What
Do You Do with a Tail Like This? Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
AR BL: 3.0, Lexile: 740, Interest Level: Grades 1-4
This 2004 Caldecott Honor winner explores the
many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses,
feet, and tails.
Kalman, Maira. Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey. Putnam, 2002.
AR BL: 3.0, Lexile: 280, Interest Level: Grades K-2
A fireboat, launched in 1931, is retired after many years of fighting
fires along the Hudson River, but is saved from being scrapped and then
called into service again on September 11, 2001. Won the Boston Globe-Horn
Book Award in 2002.
Long, Melinda. How
I Became a Pirate. ill. by David Shannon. Harcourt, 2003.
AR BL: 2.3, Lexile: 470, Interest Level: Grades Pre-K-3
Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about
pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.
McBrier, Page. Beatrice's
Goat. ill. by Lori Lohstoeter. Scholastic, 2001.
AR BL: 4.0, Lexile: 640, Interest Level: Grades K-4
A young girl's dream of attending school in her small Ugandan village
is fulfilled after her family is given an income-producing goat. Based
on a true story about the work of Project Heifer.
Palatine, Margery. Bad
Boys. ill. by Henry Cole. HarperCollins, 2003.
AR BL: 2.7, Interest level: Grades 1-4
Two hungry wolves in disguise attempt to raid a sheep farm.
Recorvits, Helen. My
Name is Yoon. ill. by Gabi Swiatkowska. Frances Foster, 2003.
AR BL: 2.3, Lexile 230, Interest level: Grades K-2
Disliking her name as written in English, Korean-born Yoon, or "shining
wisdom," refers to herself as "cat," "bird," and "cupcake," as a way to
feel more comfortable in her new school and new country.
Taulbert, Clifton L. Little
Cliff and the Cold Place. ill. by E.B. Lewis. Dial, 2002.
AR BL: 3.9, Interest level: Grades 2-4
When Little Cliff hears about the cold Arctic in school and wants
to go there, his Poppa Joe finds an ingenious way to satisfy his curiosity
without leaving their small town.
Woodson, Jacqueline. Our
Gracie Aunt. ill. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion / Jump at
the Sun, 2002.
AR BL 2.6, Lexile: 370, Interest level: Grades 1-3.
When a brother and sister are taken to stay with their mother's sister
because their mother neglects them, they wonder if they will see their
mother again.
Beard, Darleen. The Babbs Switch Story, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2002.
Historical fiction, AR BL: 3.4, Interest Level: Grades 3-5
In 1924, twelve-year-old Ruthie finds her life in a small Oklahoma
town complicated by the behavior of her older sister Daphne, an object
of ridicule and dislike because of her limited mental abilities.
Bornstein, Ruth. Butterflies
and Lizards, Beryl and Me, Marshall Cavendish, 2002.
Historical fiction, AR BL: 3.6, Interest Level: Grades 4-6
In 1934, eleven-year-old Charlotte and her mother move to tiny Valley
Junction, Missouri, where Charlotte befriends an eccentric old woman
in spite of her mother's and others' warnings.
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.Halfway
to the Sky, Delacorte, 2003.
Modern Realism, AR BL: 3.8, Lexile: 480, Iterest Level: Grades 5-8
After her brother dies and her parents get a divorce, twelve-year-old
Dani sets out to hike the whole Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine
on her own.
Butler, Dori Hillestad. Trading
Places with Tank Talbott, Whitman, 2003.
Modern realism, AR BL: 3.4, Interest Level: Grades 3-5,
Jason, who would rather work on his horror movie screenplay than
learn to swim, finds an unlikely ally in Tank, the class bully, who is
being forced to take ballroom dance lessons.
Creech, Sharon. Granny
Torrelli Makes Soup, HarperCollins, 2003.
Modern realism, AR BL: 4.2, Lexile: 480, Interest Level: Grades
3-5
With the help of her wise old grandmother, twelve-year-old Rosie
manages to work out some problems in her relationship with her best friend,
Bailey, the boy next door.
Danziger, Paula. United
Tates of America, Scholastic, 2002.
Modern realism, AR BL: 4.4, Lexile: 640, Interest Level: Grades
4-7
Eleven-year-old aspiring artist Skate experiences many changes when
she enters middle school, finds her best friend drifting away from her,
and loses her beloved great-uncle.
DeFelice, Cynthia.
The Ghost of Cutler Creek, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.
Mystery, AR BL: 5.0., Interest Level: Grades 4-6
When Allie is contacted by the ghost of a dog, she and Dub investigate
the surly new boy at school and his father, who may be running a puppy
mill, to see if they are involved.
DiCamillo, Kate. The
Tale of Desperaux, Candlewick, 2003.
Fantasy, AR BL: 4.7, Lexile: 670, Interest Level: Grades 3-6
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents,
the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess,
and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. This book won the
2004 Newbery Medal.
DuPrau, Jeanne. The
City of Ember,
Random House, 2003.
Science Fiction, AR BL: 5.0, Lexile: 680, Interest Level: Grades
5-8
In the first book of this trilogy, Lina and Doon begin an adventure
to save their decaying underground city and its people.
Fleishman, Sid. Disappearing
Act, Harper Collins, 2003.
Suspense, AR BL: 3.9, Lexile: 550, Interest Level: Grades 3-6
After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and
they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old
Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California,
where they hope that new identities will keep them safe.
Foreman, Wilmot.
Summer of the Skunks,Front Street, 2003.
Historical fiction, AR BL: 3.9, Interest Level: Grades 4-6
Tells the story of ten-year-old Jill, her brothers, sister, and
parents and their life on a southern farm in the late 1940s.
Gutman, Dan. Race
for the Sky: the Kitty Hawk diaries of Johnny Moore,
Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Historical fiction, AR BL: 4.6, Interest Level: Grades 4-7
Ordered to practice his writing skills in the blank book his mother
gave him, fourteen-year-old Johnny would rather go fishing near his home
on North Carolina's Outer Banks and cannot think of anything important
to write until two "dingbatters" from Ohio arrive in 1900 and try to build
a flying machine.
Hobbs, Will. Jackie’s
Wild Seattle, HarperCollins, 2003.
Modern Realism, AR BL: 4.6, Lexile: 660, Interest Level: Grades
5-8
Fourteen-year-old Shannon and her little brother, Cody, spend the
summer with their uncle, helping at a wildlife rescue center named Jackie's
Wild Seattle.
Kehret, Peg. Escaping
the Giant Wave, Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Adventure Story, AR BL: 4.6, Interest Level: 4-6
When an earthquake creates a tsunami while thirteen-year-old Kyle
is babysitting his sister during a family vacation at a Pacific Coast
resort, he tries to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied
him for years.
Lasky, Kathryn. The
Capture, Scholastic, 2003.
Animal Fantasy, AR BL: 4.8, Lexile: 730, Interest Level:
Grades 3-5
A small barn owl is knocked from his family's nest
by his nasty older brother. He is then swooped up from the forest floor
by a pair of nefarious owls who hold him--along with many other owlets
of diverse species--captive in a kind of owl social reformatory.
Macy, Sue. Bull’s-Eye:
a Photobiography of Annie Oakley, National Geographic, 2001.
Biography, AR BL: 6.9, Lexile: 1190, Interest Level: 5-8
Born in the backwoods of Ohio, Annie Oakley overcame poverty and
abuse to achieve worldwide fame as a daring performer and markswoman.
Traveling with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, she delighted audiences
throughout the U.S. and Europe with her target shooting, trick shots,
and horseback riding stunts.
Marciano, John. Harold’s
Tail, Viking, 2003.
Animal Fantasy, AR BL: 4.5, Lexile: 710, Interest Level: Grades
3-5
As the result of an experiment stripping the fur from his tail,
Harold the squirrel finds himself homeless and mistaken for a rat on the
unfamiliar streets of New York City.
O’Connor, Jane. Emperor’s
Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China, Viking,
2002.
Non-fiction, AR BL: 6.8, Lexile: 980, Interest Level:
Grades 3-5
Describes the archaeological discovery of thousands of life-sized
terracotta warrior statues in northern China in 1974, and discusses the
emperor who had them created and placed near his tomb.
Seabrooke, Brenda. The
Haunting of Swain’s Fancy, Dutton, 2003.
Mystery/Ghost Story, AR BL: 4.1, Interest Levels: Grades 4-6
Eleven-year-old Taylor spends the summer with her father and his
new family in a historic house in West Virginia and, while contending
with hostility from her stepsister Nicole, attempts to solve the mystery
of ghosts who haunt the site.
Seidler, Tor. Brainboy
and the Deathmaster, HarperCollins, 2003.
Science Fiction, AR BL: 4.9, Lexile: 770, Interest Levels: Grades
4-7
When Darryl, a twelve-year-old orphan, is adopted by a technology
genius, he finds himself the star of his very own life-threatening video
game.
Please keep in mind that some of these titles on the Young Adult list may
not be appropriate for many middle school readers. The age range listed here
reflects the consensus of three review sources (SLJ, Bookist, and Kirkus).
However, please read the reviews carefully.
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. For
Freedom: The Story of a French Spy. Delacorte
Books for Young Readers, 2003.
Historical Fiction, Grades 7 and up
A teenager in Cherbourg, France continues her training to be an
opera singer while taking on the role as a spy for the French Resistance.
The novel is based on the true story of a Kingsport, TN resident.
Crutcher, Chris. King
of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Biography.
Greenwillow Books, 2003.
Autobiography, Grades 8 and up
Award-winning Young Adult Chris Crutcher tells of growing up in
Cascade, Idaho where his many misadventures and his rocky relationship
with his family while growing up in Cascade, Idaho influenced his eventually
becoming a writer.
Donnelly, Jennifer.
A Northern Light. Harcourt Children’s Books, 2003.
Historical Fiction, Grades 8 and up
In 1906, Mattie takes a job at a summer inn to earn money for college
against the wishes of her father and fiance and discovers the truth about
the death of an inn guest. This wonderful literary mix of historical fiction
and mystery won a Printz Honor and the Carnegie Medal in 2004.
DuPrau, Jeanne. The
City of Ember. Random House Books for Young Readers,
2003.
Science Fiction, Grades 5-8
In the first book of this trilogy, Lina and Doon begin an adventure
to save their decaying underground city and its people.
Going, K.L. Fat
Kid Rules the World. G.P. Putnam Publishers Group
Juvenile, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 9 and up
Depressed and weighing over 300 pounds, Troy tries to commit suicide
but is rescued by a homeless teenage guitarist who wants him to be the
drummer for his punk band. Going received a Printz Honor for this novel.
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx
Masquerade. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002.
Modern Realism/Poetry, Grades 8 and up
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high
school read aloud their poems revealing their innermost thoughts and fears.
This novel was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 2003.
Hale, Shannon. Goose
Girl. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2003.
Fantasy, Grades 6 and up
On her way to marry a prince she has never met, Ani is betrayed
by her guards and lady-in-waiting and must take on the guise of a goose
girl to survive until she can reclaim her crown.
Halliday, John. Shooting
Monarchs. Margaret K. McElderry, 2003.
Modern Realism, Suspense, Grades 9 and up
Two teenage boys who grow up under difficult circumstances turn
out very differently; one becomes a hero and the other a serial killer.
Hartinger, Brett. Geography Club. HarperTempest, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 9 and up
A group of gay and lesbian teenagers find mutual support when they
form the “Geography Club” at their high school.
Hautman, Pete.Sweetblood.
Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Dark Fantasy, Grades 9 and up
Lucy has gone from model student to being in trouble at school,
meeting with the proto-vampires she has met on the Internet, and refusing
to control her diabetes.
Holt, Kimberly Willis. Keeper
of the Night. Henry Holt & Company, Inc., 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 7 and up
Thirteen –year-old Isabel, living on Guam, assumes the role of
head of the house after her mother commits suicide, and her family is
thrown into emotional turmoil. The novel is told in short, lyrical chapters.
Jennings, Richard. My
Life of Crime. Houghton Mifflin/ Walter Lorraine Books,
2002.
Modern Realism, Grades 5-8
Fowler only wants to free a pathetic looking parrot free from its
cage at school but his good intentions instead set off an adventure filled
with ethical and legal implications.
Johnson, Angela. The
First Part Last. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing,
2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 8 and up
Teenager Bobby’s life changes forever when he becomes a father
and must care for his baby daughter. This novel is a prequel to Johnson's
Coretta Scott King Award winning novel Heaven and won the Printz
Medal and the CSK Medal for 2004.
Koja, Kathe.Buddha Boy.Farrar Strauss & Giroux, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 7 -10
For a school project, Justin teams up with Jinsen, a Buddhist who
is tormented by bullies but finds that his admiration for Jinsen’s devotion
to faith sparks a need to start thinking about his own beliefs.
Korman, Gordon. Son
of the Mob. Hyperion Press, 2002.
Humorous Story, Grades 8 and up
Vince, the son of a powerful Mob leader, begins dating Kendra,
the daughter of an FBI agent.
Lubar, David. Dunk.
Clarion Books, 2002.
Modern Realism Grades 7 and up
While working at the boardwalk dunk tank and hoping to become the
bozo, Chad faces the possibility of losing his best friend to serious
illness and finding that he is a loser like his father.
Mackler, Carolyn. The
Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. Candlewick
Press, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 8 and up
Feeling that she does not fit in with her family, Virginia struggles
with her self-image, her first physical relationship and disillusionment
with some of the people closest to her. Mackler won a Printz Honor for
this novel in 2004.
Martin, Ann C. A
Corner of the Universe. Scholastic, 2002.
Historical Fiction, Grades 6-9
The summer she turns twelve, Hattie befriends her autistic uncle
she never knew and a girl who works at the carnival that comes to town.
This powerful coming of age story was awarded a Newbery Honor in 2003.
Murphy, Jim. An
American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever
Epidemic of 1793. Clarion Books, 2003.
Non-fiction, Grades 6 and up
A well-researched narrative history of the Yellow Fever epidemic
of Philadelphia in 1793 that draws on first hand accounts of the people
who endured it. In 2004, this book won the Sibert Medal, The Boston Globe-Horn
Book Award, and a Newbery Honor.
Nolan, Han.When
We Were Saints. Harcourt Children’s Books, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 7-10
Archie accompanies deeply faithful Claire on a pilgrimage to the
Cloisters in New York City to see if he really is a saint as his grandfather
said he was.
Paolini, Christopher. Eragon.
Knopf, 2003.
Fantasy, Grades 6 and up
Eragon finds a "stone" that throws him into a life of the magic
and power of dragons, elves and monsters and into an ancient battle between
the forces of Good and Evil. Eragon is the first of three novels in the
Inheritence Trilogy.
Pattou, Edith. East.
Harcourt Children’s Books, 2003.
Fantasy, Grades 6 and up
In the multi-layered retelling of the Nordic tale "East of the
Moon, West of the Sun," Rose travels on the back of a white bear who
is a victim of an enchantment to a distant castle where she is nightly
confronted with a mystery and eventually must travel to the land
of the Troll Queen to save the bear.
Peck, Richard. The
River Between Us. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2003.
Historical Fiction, Grades 6 and up
In the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in
two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to seek refuge
in the north. Peck won the Scott O'Dell Medal for Historical Fiction
with this novel.
Simmons, Michael.Pool
Boy. Roaring Book Press, 2003.
Modern Realism, Grades 7-10
Brett’s life changes drastically when his father is jailed for
insider trading and he finds himself cleaning the pools of his former
neighbors.
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed.
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003.
Historical Fiction, Grades 6 and up
An orphan boyinitially known as Stop Thief in Nazi-occupied Warsaw
during World War II faces heartbreak, hope and the chance of survival.