Picture a small boy with no name, no friends or family, and only the ability to steal things without getting caught.  He is a gypsy child, running and running, with nowhere to go and all alone.  Within pages, you realize that this boy is caught in the middle of Warsaw, Poland, as it is being invaded by the Nazis during World War 2 in 1940.  As the Nazis round up all the Jews in Warsaw and imprison them behind a large wall, our hero's story takes flight.  He begins to understand the world, making friends and finding a way to survive at a time when all around him are suffering horribly. 

This is a powerful story about a young boy who experiences firsthand the horror of the Holocaust.  It brings a fresh perspective on this very dark point in human history, but does so in a way that leaves the reader hopeful, as you realize that even in the darkest hour, there are those willing to fight back, and those able to keep hope alive.  Milkweed is an emotionally powerful story, and not one to read lightly.  For teens curious about the human side of the Holocaust, or simply wanting to read an unforgettable, moving story, this is the book for you.

You're about to get kicked out of your school, but is it your fault your math teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill you? Percy's not sure why he's got such bad luck, or what is really going on. When the minotaur appears and chases him all the way to an unusual summer camp where he seems to be protected, things get even weirder, but at least he gets some answers.

Twelve-year old Percy Jackson is a funny, tough, and smart kid - the kind of main character we all love to read about. This first book of his adventures has him deep inside the world of Greek gods, fighting to return Zeus's lighning bolt before things get really ugly. This book is HOT with so many kids at my school, and has been for years. I've only read the first book, but it was so captivating and fun to read that I'll polish off the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series soon, for sure.

If you love adventure, books full of action, monstrous creatures attacking middle-school students, and Greek mythology, this is a sure winner. I'd recommend finding a nice guide to Greek mythology, and having it next to you as you read.

When an author is this good, people take notice. Yes, I am a HUGE fan of Suzanne Collins' The Underland Chronicles, but her latest series is even better. While not an ideal series for my usual crowd (fourth graders), this mature series is perfect for teens through adults who are looking for an intoxicating new series that will capture their imagination and win their hearts. The first book is The Hunger Games, the second Catching Fire, and that's it for now.

In a fantastical future world, set in the country of Panem, which occupies the land of the United States, a cruel and controlling government rules its twelve districts with an iron fist. Each year all of the districts must provide two children to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised battle to the death. Of the 24 children selected, there can only be one survivor. Katniss is good with a bow, as she has been hunting since she was old enough to string a bow, but does she have what it takes to survive the Hunger Games? And if she does, what then?


This series brims with interesting characters, big ideas, emotional drama, action, and of course, love. There is death, romance, violence, anger, kindness, and everything else required to keep a reader on the edge of his seat until the last page, and to toss the book down and run to the bookstore, begging for the next volume in the series. Yes, it's that good.

The theme of the stories has some similarities to Margaret Peterson Haddix's The Shadow Children series, and I think readers of those books (Among the Hidden, etc.) will also fall head over heels for this series.

Read the first two books, get yourself a mockingjay pin, and join me in pacing impatiently while we wait for the next book.

Check out this Barnes and Noble page about The Hunger Games, and be sure to watch the B&N Studio VIDEO!!

Imagine a world in which large airships, zeppelins, sailed the skies in place of jets, carrying people and cargo around the world.   In this world, young Matt Cruise has found his dream job on the airship Aurora.  This was the ship his father had worked on, and it was Matt's destiny to follow in his father's footsteps.  Follow along as Matt has adventure after adventure, and you will begin to wish YOU could sail on the Aurora too.

At first, I loved this book because of its excellent descriptions of this alternate history, and the amazing airships.  Before long, though, I realized that this was really quite an adventurous story, and whenever I thought the story had settled down, the author threw in some more twists and turns.  It's a great book for those who love adventure stories, for those who have an interest in airships or even sea-faring ships, and for anyone who simply loves a well-written story.  This is the first in a trilogy, and it seems that the author has only gotten better after his Silverwing series.

Matt was just a boy when his dad took him deep into Maine territory to build a cabin in the wilderness. When his dad left to get the rest of the family from Boston, Matt was left alone... but not really. This is the captivating story of Matt's adventures in the woods, and it will have you on the edge of your seat. Angry bees and bears, nasty thieves, a mangy mutt, two books, and an unforgettable encounter with a local native tribe keep Matt more busy than he ever expected.

Not only will you enjoy this book, but it will make you think. How can two boys from totally different backgrounds move beyond their prejudices and become friends? What was it like long ago when white settlers began overtaking Native American land? How can a young boy survive alone in the wilderness? These and many more questions will be answered by the time you finish this timeless classic.

I'm reading this aloud to my class of fourth graders, and it's a hit.

It turns out that the island of Manhatten in New York City was actually loaned to humans from the shape-shifting creatures called Kurbs hundreds of years ago.  As part of their agreement, the Kurbs will continue to let humans live on the island, and will provide them with heat and light, if each year a human is able to find a small item that the Kurbs hide somewhere on the island (a bus token), and return it to a secret location.  The year this story takes place, the human responsible for this is having a bit of trouble due to a nasty old man, a lying father, a curious boy, a loyal dog, and some spying birds.  Will she be able to find and return the token in time, or will the Kurbs take the island back, and allow the entire city to freeze to death?

This graphic novel is brimming with suspense, fantasy, heartbreak, and joy.  The characters are lovable and frustrating (except for the bad guy and his birds, who will get your blood boiling), the illustrations are AMAZING, and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat.   

This FABULOUS and engaging story features one of the oddest and most interesting group of characters that I have ever encountered.  The ultra-strict teacher who goes missing, the teenage delinquent who people suspect has done something terrible to his teacher, two brave kids, wild dude living in the Everglades, and then all the bad guys.  Luckily, Mr. Hiaasen is an author who believes that the bad guys should get what they deserve, so the reader will finish this book with a broad grin and a sense of justice accomplished.

Read this if you love mysteries, adventures, wilderness, saving endangered species, kids outsmarting nasty adults, Florida (especially the Everglades and other swamps), or AMAZING writing.  I've read every book the author has written for adults or children, and this was my favorite so far.

What would it be like to live on the famous Alcatraz Island when it was still a prison full of dangerous criminals?  That's what Moose was wondering, until he and his parents moved there one day in 1935, and he found out. 

This is an interesting story about a boy who is trying his hardest to stay out of trouble, his family, and the oddball mix of friends he makes on the island.  Moose's sister, Natalie, could really use a special school, but his family will never be able to afford it if the Warden finds out what schemes Moose and his daughter have been cooking up at their school, and fires Moose's dad!  

The story includes some good baseball writing, emotional family drama, true historical facts about the island, and a bunch of interesting characters. 

This is my favorite story yet by this talented teacher-turned-mystery-writer.  I met her once at a Barnes and Noble author reading, and Ms. Balliett is every bit as interesting as her books suggest.

In this, the third in the Chasing Vermeer series, three children must use all of their knowledge and talent to solve the mystery of a vanished statue.  This is no ordinary statue, but a huge piece of modern art that disappeared from a charming English village one night.  There are so many clues that pop up, but which ones are the right ones to follow?  Calder Pillay thought he had the mystery solved, but then HE disappeared!  Can his friends Petra and Tommy save him and solve the mystery before it's too late?

This series is challenging for many readers, but in a good way.  Start with Chasing Vermeer, and if you like it, continue with the series, and your life will be a little bit better for having made that choice.

In this interesting book, four girls who have nothing in common are thrown together in a wild quest to find the lost shoe from The Wizard of Oz.  That's right, this book takes that classic story in a totally new direction, with evil witches, a strange ancient piano teacher with talking dogs, and the storm of the century. 

The real delight in reading this book is meeting the four girls, who are so different and so interesting.  Each has a different talent, and they seem to hate each other, even though they live on the same block (on Gumm Street).  The way in which they come together is very well-written, and the whole book just has a nice flow, with lots of unexpected twists and turns, plenty of mystery, and lots of adventure.  Stay tuned for more books in this series, which are sure to become crowd favorites for many young readers, boys and girls alike.

Young Aaron has a lot of problems: His parents are having trouble keeping their pet shop open because of money problems, animals are going missing, and his teacher just assigned him to be partners with the most know-it-all girl in his class.  How could things get worse?  Oh yeah, he thinks the upstairs of his new home may be haunted. 

This isn't the most wonderful book - in fact, it felt like the story wasn't that well thought-out - but it is a good story for animal lovers and those who enjoy hanging out in pet stores.  There are really likeable characters, and it's funny to watch Aaron and his new prissy partner figure out how to get along.  Let's hope this author keeps writing, and improves her style along the way.

What if a ten-year-old girl was put on the jury of a murder trial, and the jury was hidden away in a fancy hotel in the middle of an amusement park for the month-long trial?  What if that girl's teacher made her write a journal about her experience since she was missing so much school?  What if that girl snuck out and actually solved the crime before the trial was over?  Read this creative story and you'll have know exactly what if!   

This is a PHENOMENAL book!  The Klise sisters are extremely talented, and when they get together, the books they produce are hard to put down.  This book, like all of their stories, is told through a variety of drawings and words, put together in a very engaging and interesting way.  It's kind of like a graphic novel, but smarter, and less comic-bookish.  You need to think a lot while you read this book, and you can keep up with the unraveling mystery, maybe even solving it before the author does if you pay enough attention.  I cannot stress it enough - go read this book!

I first picked this up because I love Scrabble, and the cover appealed to me. (So sue me, even Mister K judges a book by its cover occasionally!)  Once I started reading, I was hooked.  This is definitely a book for older readers (TEEN section), but it really captures what it's like to be a preteen boy who's allergic to everything, has a crazily overprotective mother who can't hold a job for more than a year, living in the basement of a convicted felon's house, and playing Scrabble with professionals.  If you like that stuff, read this book.  If that sounds weird, read it anyway, and you'll probably be as impressed as I was.  Let's hope this Canadian author keeps up the good work and brings us more interesting books like this.

Fake names, weird collections, competition with a really smart girl, and some pretty cool science.  This book has all of this and more!  I'd put off reading this for a while because it looked kind of silly, but boy was I wrong.  It's a great book!  The writing really pulls you in and gets you caring about these characters, with plenty of funny little twists to hold your interest.  The story is a good one, and this should be a good series.

Phineas is a pretty cool kid, and an interesting main character.  Read this stories if you like science, school stories, authors who seem to get what it's like to be a kid, and series books.

Mister K is not afraid to read books for girls!  Yes, this is definitely a book for girls, though I enjoyed it a little too. 

Allie Finkle is a spunky fifth grader who makes sense of life by keeping a list of her own rules (for girls only).  She has to deal with two annoying little brothers, and the author does a great job of showing us what it's like to be a young girl (I think).  The voice of the main character in this series is wonderful, and I imagine this will become the new favorite series of fourth and fifth grade girls as soon as they read the first book.  Guys, you could try it too, I'm just guessing it's going to be a bigger hit with the young ladies.

In this first book of the series, Allie is dealing with her family's decision to move to a new house (that she is sure is haunted), and she needs to figure out how to make new friends and keep the old.  Read this if you like great realistic fiction, girl stories, and series with funny characters.

Dan Gutman has been on fire lately, writing book after book (after book).  Unfortunately, that many books makes it likely that some will be better (or worse) than others.  This is not going to be the best book you've ever read.  In fact, it's kind of dumb.  However, the way it is told may hold your interest, and makes it worth reading. 

The main character is a kid who accidentally hits his head while helping set up for a school book fair.  He has some wild dreams in which he is transported to a number of different stories, each one representing a type of book genre.  He'll spend one chapter in an animal story, one in a mystery, one in a Western, another in a girl's friendship story, and of course he'll visit a science fiction story too.  It was amazing how many different types of stories the author came up with to include in this book.

Read this if you're curious about different genres, and want to see what the different types of books are like.  Choose the style in this book that you like best, then go find more books like that (written by different authors), and read happily.

You might wonder how (or why) an author would mess with such a great book as The Homework Machine, and whether a sequel could possibly be as good as the original.  Surprise: It is!  Like the first book, this story is told through police interviews of each of the major players, which include the four students from the first book and a new cast of characters as well. 

This is the story of four students who happen to live near the Grand Canyon, and who also happen to have invented and used a machine to do their homework for them. After they destroyed the machine (see the first book for that story), it turns out one little part of the machine remained, and that is the focus of this book.  Once it's discovered that this little part, the "brain" of the machine, can be used by its owner to do just about anything, the race is on as good and nasty folks alike try to find it and use it for their own purposes.

This is a good book, but don't read it unless you've read The Homework Machine first.

Andrew Clement, who is the master of school stories, adds an internation twist to his usual smart-kids-solving-their-own-problems-when-the-adults-around-them-make-dumb-decisions story plot.  Abby is a failing sixth grader in Illinois who agrees on an extra credit project to try to save her grades.  Sadeed is a 12-year-old boy from a small village in Afghanistan, and the two of them become the most unlikely of pen pals.  There's a lot more to this story than you'd expect, and you will likely learn something by the time you're done reading it.  Yes, you should read it, kid and teacher/parent alike.

One big theme in this book is children from very different lives becoming friends, but other important topics in the story include: Life in Afghanistan, rock-climbing, keeping secrets, brother-sister relationships, and the beauty and  importance of writing letters.

If you've read Coraline or any of Gaiman's other books, you know this author writes spooky, weird stories.  This book, which happened to with the NEWBERY Award (impressive, to a point), is... a spooky, weird story.  It is, however, a very interesting, well-written, and worth-reading weird spooky story! 

Imagine a toddler who somehow escapes his house while his parents are being murdered, and who toddles his way to a graveyard, where the ghosts agree to raise him as their own child.  That's how the story begins, and that toddler, who the ghosts name Nobody Owens, grows up not only learning everything the ghosts, ghouls, witches, and other supernatural beings can teach him, but wanting to seek revenge for the murder of his family members.  It's an exciting, interesting story, but it's not for the faint of heart. 

The story is based on the classic book The Jungle Book, written by British author Rudyard Kipling in the late 1800's.  While that story (turned into a Disney movie, which is nowhere near as interesting as the book) focuses on a boy who is raised by jungle animals, this book, as I said, involves ghosts raising an orphan in a cemetery.  That part isn't as spooky as you'd expect, and it's a lot more interesting than any other ghost story you're likely to read.  The Graveyard Book is set in modern-day England, which adds an interesting twist for American readers.

Read this if you want to see why it won the Newbery, if you're interested in spooky, well-told tales, or if you have simply always wanted to be adopted by ghosts yourself, and to live in a centuries-old crypt in a lonely graveyard.

When poor Jane is moved from the big city to the suburbs, she worries that she'll never fit in, and will never find a friend who understands her.  Rather than mope around, she takes the situation into her own hands, finds some unlikely friends, and turns the quiet suburban community on its ear along the way!

This is a great graphic novel, aimed mainly at teens (due to relationship content), but readable for tweens as well.  Great illustrations and a fun plot combine with spunky, believable characters to make this book shine.  It's short, thought-provoking, and realistic.  Read this if you love art, if you've ever felt lonely or like you don't fit in, or if you've ever been the victim of a terrorist bombing and fallen in love with an unconscious artist whose name you don't know.  Right, I guess you'd better just read it.

This book is a quick-paced historical adventure, the only drawback being that it's written with kind of an old-timey voice, and today's readers won't understand some of the words used.  The author tried to fix that by adding a dictionary (glossary) to the back of the book, but I'm not sure how much that will help the average fourth grade reader.  This is such a new book (published three months ago), that I haven't talked to any kids who've read it, and I may be (as I usually am) pleasantly surprised by how they don't get bothered by language as much as I do.
Read this if you like rollicking tales of the old west, or if you want to see what happens to a boy the age of today's sixth graders who has to survive on his own in a wild city at a wild time in the wild west.  It's funny (if you get the jokes), historically accurate (with an afterward explaining everything at the end), and a book you can learn from at the same time as you enjoy yourself.  It's a book with a cool cover, a boring title, and unforgettable characters.
If you like this, you may also enjoy The Misadventures of Maude March and Gary Paulsen's Mr. Tucket stories.

This book has nothing to do with bunyips, naked or otherwise.  What's a bunyip?  No clue. What I do know is that this book tells the story of one sixth grade class in Australia with their wild new peace-loving vegetarian hippie teacher.  What makes the book really cool is that the entire thing is written in poems!  Each page has a poem from a different character's point of view, and as you read through the book, you begin to really recognize each character's voice and style, in a way you wouldn't in a regular novel.  Don't be scared by the poetry - it is super-easy to read, and actually makes the book very enjoyable.  What you will love about this book is how the author shows the kids in the class intertacting with each other and the teacher.  There's a lot of funny stuff going on at this school!

The author is Australian, and the story is set there.  American students may not know what some of the words mean at first, but they'll figure it out pretty quickly.  Read this book if you enjoy funny school stories, poetry, creative ways of writing a novel, naked bunyips, punks, rap, or peace-loving vegetarian hippie teachers who make school very interesting for their students.

What team in their right mind would play an entire season in nothing but their underwear?  This group of seventh-graders had something to prove, and they did it in boxers and briefs, turning their lousy record into an undefeated district championship.  Was it the great coaching? The kids' natural ability?  Or was it that when you take off your clothes and go in front of the crowd, you've got nothing left to lose?

This is a very nice story about Kirby, a kid who stinks at basketball, but wants to join the team to find out who his father is (makes sense once you start reading).  It's funny writing too, kind of  like Regular Guy by Sarah Weeks, but with a sports theme.  It's kind of like Travel Team because a bunch of losers end up improving at basketball, but this book is shorter and has less actual basketball action.  That's one thing I would change about the book: Add more on-court action!  Otherwise, it has a good plot, interesting characters, a bit of mystery, scary cafeteria food, and a happy, surprising ending.  If you like basketball or sports in general, funny school stories, or realistic fiction with happy endings, give this a try.

This is a GREAT book!  Whether you love basketball or any sport, or if you're a total couch potato, this is a story that will grab your interest and not let go until the last page, when you'll wipe a tear from your eye and say, "Write another one just like that, Mr. Lupica!"  What's so great about it?  First of all, it's the story of an underdog, which everyone loves.  The short kids all got cut from their seventh-grade basketball team, and they form their own team and join the league.  Mr. Perfect's dad coaches the first team, and the shortest kid's no-good dad appears from nowhere to coach the second team.  It's excellent sports writing, great emotional writing about friends, families, and enemies, and is full of examples that you can't always judge people by their past, because they may have more to them than you think. 

Mike Lupica is a sports writer for magazines and newspapers, and has turned himself into a top-quality children's fiction author.  If you like Dan Gutman's writing, you'll like this even more.  Trust me, and check out Travel Team for yourself.  Warning: You might want to have a basketball handy, because this story will make you want to put the book down and shoot a few hoops between chapters.

If you were a Viking lad centuries ago, and wanted to learn how to train a pet dragon, this would be the book for you.  In the present time, though, it's a good book for readers who like a funny, somewhat violent story, kind of like the BFG by Roald Dahl in that way.  Not as sweet, though.  It's a good book, though not amazing. The descriptions of characters are interesting, there are a lot of funny bits, and the writing is good.  This book definitely builds toward the end, and gets more interesting as you keep reading.  It's kind of like a goofy mini version of Eragon, but you'd have to read it to see what I mean.   If you like dragons or Vikings, give it a shot.  If you prefer nice school stories like those by Andrew Clements, read one of those instead.

This book is an example of an author pretending that a character in the book actually wrote the book.  I don't really like that, but it does work for some authors, like Lemony Snicket.  For this book it was fine, but it does make the book hard to find in the library, as you're not sure whether it's filed under the real or the fake author.

How does a dorky boy with a passion for potato chips outsmart the class bully, become a hero of his school, and have the best school year ever?  It's all in this book, and you're going to love it.   Leon and his two best friends have a number of adventures in their school, including trying to create a voodoo doll to gain control over the school bully.  Apparently they did this successfully in the first book in the series, Leon and the Spitting Image, but I didn't read that one, and it wasn't necessary to fully enjoy this tale.  The three kids encounter a wacky science teacher who decides that the class should study nothing but potato chips for the entire year, and this turns out to be  a very important part of the plot.  There are many other sub-plots too, and they tie together nicely by the end.

It's a book that reminds me of an Andrew Clements book mixed with Dork in Disguise by Carol Gorman.  The kids end up outsmarting the adults, and making it a happy ending, while making the adults learn something along the way.  Read this if you love potato chips, good stories where characters solve their own problems, if you are interested in science, or if you just like good books.

This is a terribly delightful tale about children who want to get rid of their nasty parents, and nasty parents who want to get rid of their four children.  It's written in kind of an old-fashion style, with a Lemony Snicket kind of twist. You'll find yourself laughing and thinking to yourself, "But that's not really funny, it's horrible!"  The characters are very well done, and the author is an amazing writer, so that the story flows and never gives you a chance to get bored.  There are multiple story lines that all come together in the end, and what starts as a horrendous story (imagine what terribly nasty people might do when they found a baby on their doorstep), and ends sweetly, in a funny kind of way.

Read this if you like funny books that are not just about underwear jokes.  It is a must for fans of Lemony Snicket, as well.

This is an author I'd love to meet.  If you've read his books, you'll understand, and if you haven't:  This guy is both incredibly smart and a terrific writer!  The sequel picks up where The Mysterious Benedict Society left off, and finds four interesting children coming together to solve a mystery that is far larger and more dangerous than they could have expected.  They must escape from the safety of their families and homes, head out across the ocean on their own, and travel to strange new lands in order to save their mentor and friend, Mr. Benedict, from certain doom at the hands of his evil mastermind brother. 

The writing in this book is crystal-clear, the characters full of character, and the plot interesting from the get-go, though moreso to those readers smart enough to have read the first book first.  The writing is a bit like Lemony Snicket's, though more challenging (and rewarding), and this would be a good series for the reader who has finished A Series of Unfortunate Events, and would like to try something along the same lines, but even more thought-provoking.  The book also resembles the Harry Potter series in a way, as the main characters keep learning more about themselves and each other, and finding ways to use their powers for good rather than evil.

What do you get when you mix talking bones, dumb giant rat creatures, a cow-racing grandma, and a big red dragon all together?  A very interesting and well-designed graphic novel.  This is the first book in the Bone series, and the first I have read, though I've seen kids reading these for years.  I expected a simplistic plot, but was surprised by the quality and interest of the story.  This is a great series for lovers of graphic novels, and a very good introduction to the genre for those who expect graphic novels to just be big comic books.  It is, in a way, but it has as much in common with a novel as it does a typical comic.  Pick up this book and you'll see what I mean.

One thing Jeff Smith does is to create very enjoyable pictures, not just the striking characters, but the way he sets up scenes with pictures.  I'm hooked.

This short picture book is very cute, written and illustrated by the same person in a very funny way.  There are more in the series, so we haven't seen the end of Scaredy Squirrel!

An unexpected twist in this book was that the author retold many traditional fairy tales from a rat's point of view.  The stories Bob told the cats included Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rumpelstilskin, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Three Little Pigs.  It's an interesting idea for a book, but the way it's told, through the eyes of a trapped rat, didn't do much for me, and I don't think the author pulled it off quite as well as she could have.  Nonetheless, it's a good book, especially for those who like talking animals and retold fairy tales. 

Wouldn't it be weird to have an identical twin, when your parents can't even tell you apart?  Imagine the trouble you could cause at school...  Well, that's just about what happens in this excellent book by Andrew Clements, one of my favorite authors of school stories.  Jay and Ray Grayson just moved to a new school, and Ray is sick on the first day.  Somehow it seems like the school made a mistake, because Ray isn't even on the attendance list!  Jay decides to take advantage of this, and from then on, the two twins act like there is only one of them.  You guessed it, they go to school on alternating days, Jay on Monday, Ray on Tuesday, and so on.  This could get pretty confusing, don' t you think?  Read this book to see how long Ray and Jay can pull this trick off, and what kinds of interesting situations they have to deal with along the way.

This book is even more interesting because it turns out Andrew Clements has twins of his own, so he really knows the kind of thing that can happen.  It's a great book, and another of this author's wonderful stories about daring children.

This is a pretty punny book.  That's a dumb joke, right?  Actually, it's a pun, and that's what this book is full of.  It's the story of a boy who bumps into a grumpy old guy in the library, and the guy puts a spell on the kid so he can only talk in puns.  The kid has to go on some missions in order to find the cure for the curse.

It's a pretty interesting story, especially for people who like playing with words and language (like me).  You'll learn a little, and will probably enjoy the short, interesting story.  However, I greatly prefer this author's other books, such as Flip, Invasion of the Road Weenies, and True Talents.  In other words, while this is a good story, it's not the author's best work.  Read it anyway, and see what YOU think!

How terrible is your life? Chances are, it could have been worse. There are many ways to learn about history, but this series takes one of the most interesting views: How awful life was for people living in different places and times throughout human history. Want to know how rough it was to be a Roman Soldier, or to be an American Colonist or Egyptian King? This series will tell you.

With hilarious and descriptive pictures and only a couple paragraphs per page, these books get a lot of information across in a very simple way. They're not easy books, but will hold a lot of appeal for young readers (think fourth grade reading level and up) who want to learn more about the world.

To see a full list of titles in the series, visit your library website, or go to the publisher's site.

What would you do if your magician parents accidentally turned themselves into pigs, your castle is about to be attacked by an evil neighbor and his army, and the only hope is for you to find and bring home some hair from a giant's head? If you're anything like brave young Igraine, you'd get your suit of armor on, mount your horse, and head out on a dangerous adventure.

This book (by the author of Dragon Rider, Inkheart, and The Thief Lord) is a wonderfully funny story that many readers will fall in love with. It contains magic, dancing books, talking cats, brave children, evil men, sorrowful (sad) knights, kind giants, and enough adventure to last a lifetime. Read this if you're ready for a rollicking romp!

Interesting note: All of Cornelia Funke's books are translated from German, and the author draws all of her own illustrations.

Eddie is a girl who likes lists. She has a list for just about everything in her life, including all the reasons she should remember to snap the colored rubber bands around her wrist. The only thing she hadn't planned for is what to do when her best friend Sally's grandmother, who she has grown very close to, gets sick. Oh, snap.

There are a lot of interesting things about this book, including the way the author SLOWLY gives the reader clues as to what's really going on in the story. The characters are interesting, and the writing will really make you feel like you're figuring things out along with Eddie. It's a lovely story, though the ending is sad. Life can be very difficult when somebody is very sick, and it's not always clear how to handle that type of situation. Read this book and figure it out along with Eddie and Sally.

How do you explain a mysterious airplane landing one night, with no passengers except for 36 babies? It's an interesting way to begin a book, but that's exactly what this author did, and the book will have you on the edge of your seat from that point on.

The story really focuses on 13-year old Jonah, his friend Chip, and his bossy younger sister Katherine. Together, these three find out some unbelievable secrets, get stuck in some situations that you'll be surprised by (think: TIME TRAVELING GHOSTS), and have to take control of their own future. It's a very interesting book, with characters that you feel like you already know. The author does an amazing job of telling this story at just the right pace, keeping your interest without giving everything away too quickly. The way the book ends is kind of cruel - the main characters are being whisked away to an unknown future, and the reader just wants to know what happens next!

Read this book if you like mysterious stories about realistic children who find themselves in very unusual situations! It's realistic, but there's definitely some fantasy throughout the book. I can't wait for the rest of the series to be published.

An evil rat king, a brave mouse maiden, a powerful badger leader, four daring hares, and more squirrels and moles than you can keep track of. That's what this book has to offer, as well as wild storms at sea, bloody fights, daring rescues, and much more adventure than you would ever hope for. If you love long, challenging books full of adventure and amazing characters, you've found your next book!

If you have never read one of Brian Jacques' Redwall books, you are really missing out. It is truly one of the best series I have ever read, and you can read any of the 19 books in any order you like. The characters are woodland animals in a place very much like England, but hundreds of years ago, before electricity or modern technology. The animals seem just like people, but they have all of the characteristics of their species too. It's hard to explain, so take a peek at the author's website at www.redwall.org to learn more about the series.

The books are difficult for normal fourth grade readers, but I recommend checking out the audio book versions, which are read by a cast of actors and actresses, including the author himself as narrator. (That's how I read this one myself, to be honest, and it was better than reading it myself!)

What if a 12-year-old boy ran for president? And if he did, what if he really had a chance to WIN? That's what this story is about, and it's a good one. Judson Moon is just a normal middle school student who likes to make people laugh, but his friend Lane, who is really into politics, has big plans for him. Before you know it, Moon's life is turned upside down as he learns what it takes to try to win a presidential election. You won't know if he makes it unless you read the book!

I like Dan Gutman's writing because it's funny, and has a nice flow to it. This book is no exception, but it can be challenging keeping up with all the political details. It's a good resource for learning a little about how elections work, but you also may want to check out Dan's book Landslide (see below) for more specific information about U.S. elections.

Read The Kid Who Ran For President if you like stories about kids who dare to try difficult things (kind of like Andrew Clements' stories), interesting realistic fiction, or books that keep you guessing until the end. For a hint of how the book ends, keep your eyes open for the sequel, and the title may give you a clue.

(Dan Gutman's nonfiction book Landslide is a nice companion to his novel.)

What good is a book with no words? Even though I (Mister K) love to read, and have a passion for words, I fell in love with this wordless graphic novel about a dog and his robot friend.

With some pretty simple and interesting pictures, the author tells the story of a dog who builds a robot, and becomes its best friend. After a trip to the beach where the robot gets rusty, the dog is forced to leave his metal friend behind, and he gets lonely. The book contains the robots attempts to find new friends, but they all end up leaving, too. In his dreams, the robot hopes to meet up with his friend once more, and at the end of the book... Well, you'll be happy with the ending, I'll tell you that.

Although this is an unusual book, it's well worth picking up. You won't be disappointed.

This is the amazing true story of Jim Thorpe, a Native American student and athlete from the early 1900's who became a star in several different sports and became world-famous. It is also the story of how the U.S. government educated Indian students, and about what life was like for those children growing up during an interesting time in American history.

The book is told from the first-person perspective of young Jim Thorpe, with the author providing an original and entertaining voice for the narrator. It is a work of historical fiction, though all events are true and accurate.

Read this book if you enjoy football, baseball, basketball, or track and field, of if you'd like to hear about how those sports got started in the first place. It's a great book for lovers of biography and history, for those who are interested in Native American history, and for anyone who loves a good story.

As fourth grader Jack Henry's family drives to their new house on the coast of North Carolina, they discover that the roads are all underwater from a flood. The fact that Jack's dad decides to drive through anyway will tell you a little about this wild family.

In this book, young Jack starts a new school where the principal tricks him into being his spy, he falls in love with his teacher, makes a new friend who helps him blow up some toys, and he has plenty of adventures as he tries to figure out what kind of person he is. His dad tells him that he should always tell people what they want to hear, while his mom says he should always tell the truth. Who does he listen to? Read the book!

This is a great series by the author of the Joey Pigza books (which are not as good). Each book focuses on one year of the author's childhood, so these are memoirs (autobiographies) that are possibly true... it's tough to tell for sure. Read this if you want to know what it's like growing up as a boy, or if you're just in the mood for a hilarious story.

This is the story of Elijah, an eleven-year-old boy who was born in the town of Buxton, a settlement of freed and escaped slaves in Canada. Although he is living in the 1800's, Elijah will remind many young readers today of themselves: He is full of energy, curious and eager to please, and able to get himself into all kinds of trouble in spite of his parents' warnings. Like Mr. Curtis's other books (Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963), the characters in this story are not only believable, but unforgettable.

Although the story is fiction, the town of Buxton was a real settlement for free slaves, and is still around today. History buffs willl love this book, as will anyone interested in adventure, funny characters, and dangerous situations. The ending is the best part - be ready to laugh, cry, and cheer!

What happens when a fourth-grade teacher puts a blank notebook in the back of her classroom with these words written on the cover: "Please write in this book"? In this funny story, we get the answer to that question by reading the responses that the students actually wrote. (Remember that this is fiction, and the students weren't real, folks!)

This is a really interesting book, not just because of the great illustrations, but for the story it tells. The reader gets to watch a major classroom fight unfold, grow out of control, and then get solved, all within entries in the class notebook. From disgusting Luke, to fact-loving Milton and bossy Lizzy, every reader will find a character to love.

Read this book if you like to laugh, enjoy goofy illustrations, or just want a quick book that will bring a smile to your face. We can only hope that Ms. Amato (who also wrote The Word Eater and other books), will write more like this.

In this amazing, mature-audiences-only story of one boy's growing up, author Sherman Alexie pulls the reader into the life of a smart, brave, troubled boy, Junior, a Spokane Indian. Junior wants to make something of his life, and gets his parents to enroll him in the all-white high school in the farm town down the road, where he can start fresh, and have more opportunities. The problem is that he doesn't end up fitting in anywhere he turns. On the reservation, they hate him for leaving, and in his new school, though he is accepted, he never really feels like he fits in or belongs.

This story is not one to be taken lightly. Based on the author's own experiences, this book explores some difficult issues of race, the problems facing Native Americans on reservations, feelings of exclusion and loss, and death. It is a story that will stay in your head well after you have finished reading it, long after your tears have dried. I would not recommend this book for elementary school students in general, though some could surely appreciate and understand the story. Some parts are a bit vulgar, though in a way most boys will understand and appreciate more than their mothers would like. It's billed as a Teen book, but adults will appreciate it too.

One of the coolest things about this book is the way it is illustrated. The illustrator, Ellen Forney, filled the book with cartoons that were supposedly drawn by Junior as he told his story. The drawings help to tell the story, bring it alive, and make you laugh your head off.

How can a lonely, strangely-dressed fourth grade boy rocket from anonymity (when nobody knows you) to FAME in the blink of an eye? And how on earth could eating processed American cheese have anything to do with it? As weird as this sounds, Ms. Weeks answers these questions in a hilarious page-turner of a novel with great illustrations and lovable characters.

Oggie Cooder has a special gift, charving (for a definition, try reading the book), which is really what the whole book is about. Or maybe it's about the difference between being happy and being popular. Then again, maybe the big idea is that the friends we've been looking for may be those who have been there by our side all along. How about you stop trying to figure out what the book is about, go get yourself a copy, and just read it. You'll get a good laugh, and won't regret it. Besides, it's pretty short, so you'll be able to finish quickly and move on to Sarah Weeks' other great book, Regular Guy.

When Griffin found an old baseball card, he figured it would be worth a lot of money. A local collector gave him a little money for it and told him it was basically worthless. What do you think Griffin did when he found out that the guy swindled him out of some big bucks, that the card is really worth a million bucks? He got group of oddball sixth-grade friends together and made a plan to steal it back!

This book has some good description and interesting characters, and is a pleasure to read. It reminds me of Dan Gutman's The Homework Machine (a great story), except that this book has more characters, getting into a lot more trouble!
There is plenty of action, a good ending (though it could be better), and it will appeal to a wide arrange of readers.

It all began with a strange test, and it ended with... well, I can't tell you that. What I can say is that four very special (and different) children were selected to participate in a top-secret, incredibly dangerous mission, and that time was running out. The children each possessed very different skills, all of which ended up working together to defeat the strangest enemy any of the children could have imagined.

This book may seem odd, and it is odd, but it is truly one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read. Mr. Stewart's characters are interestingly quirky, and very memorable. The writing is smart and lively, and the tale holds your interest all the way to the end of this very long (nearly 500 page) book. It is a book worth checking out, and one that will surely not disappoint. Lovers of mysteries and adventures will all enjoy this, as will readers of E.L. Konigsburg, whose characters would surely get along with Mr. Stewart's.

I wouldn't have known of this book were it not for Mrs. V coming in and reading it to my class, reminding me how fun it is to be read to, and creating instant fans of all of my students, who have been clamoring for the local library to acquire more copies.

Alone in the wilderness. High in the Catskill Mountains New York with nothing but a few pairs of clothes and nature all around you. Could you survive a winter? Sam did, and that's what this exciting book is all about.

What would it be like to wander away from your crowded home one day and walk into the wilderness, and stay there? Young Sam Gribley did just that, and the way he survives in the woods will amaze you and keep you reading long after your bedtime has come and gone.

If you liked Hatchet or Getting Air, you're sure to love this story, and the rest of the series. In fact, most students that I've seen read this book ended up calling it one of their all-time favorites. Check it out yourself and see why it's still so popular, fifty years after it was first published!

Have you ever swallowed your house key? Joey Pigza, who narrates this story about a year in his fictional life, did just that one day at school, along with a ton of other things that hurt himself and others. Joey is a good kid, at least that's what he tells us, but he's got "dud meds," which explains some of his wild behavior in school and at home. Joey has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and this is the story of how he and his family deal with that, and how he learns to live with his wild mood swings and tricky family situation. By the end of the book, you'll be sure to agree with Joey that he really is a good kid, but also a very funny one.

This is a great story for lovers of action, humor, school stories, and for anyone who enjoys interesting characters. The way the book is written in the first person makes it even more interesting, and may make you want to read the entire series. For more info, check out Jack Gantos' website at http://www.jackgantos.com/.

12-year old Baron has a tough life. Not only is he the shortest kid in the 8th grade at his new school in upstate New York, but his being Mohawk sets him apart even more. Add to that the fact that his parents are both marines fighting overseas in dangerous places, while he lives with his grandmother, and he's not very happy. At school, Baron has to deal with bullies, but luckily he finds a friend in the kindly school librarian, who helps him escape his troubles through good books (You go, Librarian!)

When the eighth grade heads out for their annual wilderness camping trip, even Baron is excited, but it doesn't take long for things to go very wrong. It wouldn't be fair to give too much away, but let me say that this is a more SCARY book than you would expect. The campers become trapped, good people turn out to be bad, and one scary staff member at the camp is out for blood. Being a member of the Mohawk Bear Clan, Baron has always been fascinated with bears, especially a legend about a half-bear, half-man called the bearwalker who leaves his victim's bones piled up in a cave. He soon recognizes that this deranged man may in fact be a bearwalker, and that he alone can save all of their lives.

This book is GREAT! It's labeled as a children's book, but seems to be a bit more of a teen story, although I think advanced fourth graders could handle it. The reader learns a lot about the Mohawk people and their legends (the author himself is of that tribe, see his website), and gets a good scare in the process. This story left chills running down my spine...

Normally, if a character in a book throws himself off the top of a skyscraper, it's a problem. For John Thyme (better known as stunt kid Johnny Hangtime), the main character in this action-filled story, it's just another day of work. Johnny is a 13-year old responsible for all of the wacky, dangerous stunts in Hollywood director Roland Rivers' blockbuster films. The problem? While Johnny does all the stunts, stuck-up actor and Hollywood star Ricky Corvette, sucks up all the fame. There are even bigger problems though, when Johnny is asked to do the most dangerous stunt of all, the one that his stunt-man dad died trying three years earlier. This book will have you at the edge of your seat from start to finish, not just from the fast-paced excitement of Johnny's stunts, but trying to figure out what will come next. Action fans, adrenaline junkies, movie buffs, this book is for you! While this is not Dan Gutman's most award-winning book, it is his personal favorite of all of his books, according to his website. Pick up your own copy, and you may find that it's one of your new favorites too.

Just for fun, here's an interview with Mr. Gutman, featuring questions from kids and teachers around the world.

I recently went to see David Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) speak, and found him captivating. Yes, he's just a weird guy with an odd sense of humor who happens to be a writer of children's literature, but in doing so, he gives hope to all of us weird guys with odd senses of humor that we may one day achieve some level of success. Here's a video interview with Mr. Handler from the Barnes and Noble Booksellers website for your viewing enjoyment.

What's it like to be a twelve-year old girl? I wouldn't know, but I bet it's not easy. It's probably even more difficult when everything your family does seems to center around your little brother with Autism. This is the situation that our main character Catherine finds herself in, and life with her brother David is really getting on her nerves, especially since she seems to be the one mainly in charge of watching out for him, and teaching him the rules of how to get along in this world.

When Catherine tries to make new friends, things really get complicated. The new girl next door who she really wants to be friends with is one of those "perfect" girls who seem too good for everyone, and the boy she is getting to know just happens to be in a wheelchair, and isn't able to talk. Somehow, Catherine must find a way to make sense of her world, and by the end of the book she does. It's not easy though, and this book shows that life isn't always clean, and that family and friendships can be a bit messy.

This is a great book, and I'm excited to read more by the author. She really gives us interesting characters and puts them into realistic situations that make the reader reflect on his or her own life. This will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic fiction, friendship stories, and characters who struggle and grow because of it.

This fourth book by the mysterious Georgia Byng is her best yet, and considering how WONDERFUL this series is, that's a real compliment.

Molly, her friends, and her loyal pup Petula spend this book going back in time (Or is it forward? It's tough to keep track) to rescue someone very important. I can't tell you who without ruining some of the suspense of earlier books in the series, but it's really not important. In each book, Molly discovers new powers and learns to use them to do good deeds, and this book is no different. One thing I love about this series is that Molly is a very realistic character, and the reader gets the feeling that she's far from perfect, just like us. Mrs. Byng really knows how to pull the reader in and hold our attention, and though this book takes a long time to read, it's a tough one to put down. There are a number of outrageous characters, some wild situations, and an ending that is full of shocks, but still satisfying and well worth the read. If you haven't started the series yet, what are you waiting for, you fool?

Check out the Meet Molly Moon website for all kinds of cool stuff, and to learn more.
(Special thanks to FGD Eggplant for loaning me this book, and to her and Em for letting me join the MM fan club!)

Can this be the perfect book for fourth grade boys? (They're a picky crowd, if you haven't noticed.) Really, it's a great book for anyone who loves a good adventure, and WOW is it an adventure.

Three teenage boys and one sister are traveling by plane from the east coast to California for a skateboarding competition, and are psyched. Their plane is full of old ladies heading to a knitting convention, and the boys strike up a friendship with one kind knitter as the plane takes off. Before long, though, terrorists take over the plane and threaten to blow it up. The kids and grannies work together to solve this problem, and as if this isn't enough of an adventure, they soon discover that the plane is about to crash deep in the Canadian wilderness. The only survivors are the kids, their friend the knitter, and a friendly flight attendant. Can they survive in the wild until their rescuers find them? It's not likely, except for one lucky fact - the youngest kid, Julia, is not only a brilliant Girl Scout, but has been reading Gary Paulsen's book Hatchet, in which the main character found himself in a very similar situation. What happens to our heroes? Do they ever skate again? If you're lucky enough to get your hands on this captivating book, you won't be willing to set it down until you've found out.

This is a MUST-READ for any middle age boy, anyone who likes to skate (board, that is), readers who love nature and the wilderness, and of course, anyone who has enjoyed the fabulous story Hatchet. It seems that Mr. Gutman had been reading Mr. Paulsen's book when he wrote this story, and we readers are lucky that he did, as this is the best Gutman yet.

I have always been impressed by how much third and fourth graders liked Dan Gutman's The Million Dollar Shot, which I agree is a pretty good book. I assumed that this book was just a take-off on that book, and wouldn't be as good. When my student MG convinced me to read it, though, it knocked my socks off!

This is the story of Whisper Nelson, a grumpy seventh grader who hates sports, who somehow ends up in a contest to win a million dollars. Against all odds, she wins the contest, and the money will all be hers... if she can score a penalty kick against one of the greatest soccer goalies of all time. Unfortunately, the only goal Whisper ever scored was in her own team's net during the one soccer game she played in her life. Will Whisper find a way to win the money? You will read the book to find the answer, but you will fall in love with the book for the quality of the writing and the story. This book will hold you captivated from the first page to the very end, and will become a favorite of many readers. It's not really about soccer, it's more about... life. Things don't always happen like we want them to, and sometimes the only thing to do is just go with it and see what happens. Grab your own copy of this book, and see what happens when Whisper does just that.

This book will appeal to sports fans, those readers who enjoy great realistic fiction and a bit of suspense, and any fan of Dan Gutman. I'm not a big fan of his Baseball Card series, but I'm really coming to appreciate his work, and he's becoming one of my favorite children's novelists (and that's saying something!)

So you're sitting in your bedroom minding your own business, just doing your homework, when suddenly an arrow whips toward you, snatching your hat and thunking it into the wall. Personally, I'd freak out. This book's main character though, 12-year-old Kevin, is pretty cool about it. It turns out that a 12th century Korean archer had been transported from his own time in Korea to Kevin's house in New York in 1998. The book tells the story of Kevin and his new archer friend, Chu-Mong, trying to figure out how to get the archer back to his own time. The author does a good job of making this fantasy situation feel like a normal realistic fiction tale, and she really lets the readers experience the whole adventure as if we were sitting right next to Kevin.

This story is full of action and suspense, and is also a bit of a mystery. The writing is clear, fast, and easy to follow, and the book never slows down enough for the reader to lose interest. The ending is satisfying, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end. This book will satisfy anyone who likes... good books! Readers who like Korean (or any) history, archery, and characters stuck in impossible situations who have to struggle to solve them will especially appreciate this story.

Check out the author's website. There's more to it than it first appears. Remember that she also wrote the wonderful Newbery winner A Single Shard.

Anyone who's spent any time on this site will know that I'm a HUGE Andrew Clements fan. It should really be saying something, then, when I say that this is my favorite of his books so far. Sure, I loved Landry News and School Story, and The Report Card, and I have a soft spot for Room One, but this book may top them all.

Can not talking for two days make you a better person? Or will it just make you better than the other gender? These are some pretty odd questions, but they're important to this story. Imagine an entire fifth-grade group of students who just love to talk, and nobody can get them to be quiet. They're so bad that the principal has to stand in the cafeteria every day and shout into her megaphone just to be heard. Got it? Now imagine that they were all suddenly silent, and you could hear a pin drop in that same cafeteria. A little weird, right? Absolutely, and that's the beauty of this story. Not only is it an amazing book about two kids who decide to have a little contest and learn a lot about what it really means to be leaders, but the concept of the story has my teacher brain spinning. For two full days, fifth-graders Dave and Lynsey lead the boys and girls in a no-talking contest, and the result amazes everyone, especially their grumpy principal.

Read this book if you love school stories, if you have ever wondered whether boys or girls talk more, or if you are one of those folks who has always known that kids are really smarter than their teachers.

Woof. There aren't many books that can make you feel like a dog, but this is definitely one of them. Ann Martin tells this amazing story about a stray dog (named Squirrel) from the dog's point of view, and by the end of the story, I had a strange urge to curl up and lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, head between my paws.

I love this book for many reasons, one of them being the way it made me see the world from a dog's-eye-view. The writing is lovely, almost poetic, and flows so smoothly you could almost forget you're reading. The story begins with Squirrel, her brother, and their mother living in a shed behind a human family's house. From this moment on, the book holds the readers attention without a single slow section. There is adventure, fighting, hunger, freezing, and a whole range of emotions, and you really will experience all of these things as if you were a four-legged furball! The book feels very mature to me, and I think it's a wonderful read for children (ages 8 and up will get the most out of it), adults, and especially dog lovers. This is a must-read!

Take four fifth-graders with nothing in common, sit them together at a table, have one of them accidentally confess a secret, and you'll be amazed at what happens. This is what happened in The Homework Machine, and the title will give you a hint about the nature of the secret. This is a very good school story, and a lot different than what you can usually expect from Mr. Gutman. He's famous for his sports books (like The Million Dollar Shot), but this book has nothing to do with sports, and is mainly about computers and friendships. It's probably not what you'd expect, but if you read it, you're probably going to really enjoy yourself.

This book has an interesting format: It is written in the form of notes from a detective who is interviewing the characters. Yes, they are in trouble for something big! The idea is that each of them came into the police station and recorded his or her statement on tape, and then somebody typed it all up into this book. This sounds like it would be hard to follow, with the speaker changing every couple of pages, but it actually makes it even more interesting and enjoyable to read, and is a neat idea for future novelists to try themselves.

What if you had a machine that would make your toys grow to full size and come to life? Sounds cool, doesn't it? That's what ten-year old twins Lacey and Casey Nicefolk thought too, and these farm kids decided to transform a toy model of an old-fashioned airplane into transportation for a cross-country adventure, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. For the trip, the only things the kids planned to bring were their dog (Floopy the basset hound) and a bottle of grape soda called Vin Fiz. Along the way, the kids have all sorts of unbelievable adventures, but I can't tell you what, or even if they made it home again. If you want to know, read the book!

Although this story was full of adventure, I didn't love the writing. The author tried to pack too much excitement into some parts of the book, while other sections were a bit boring. Also, the character names were a little too cute for my tastes, and the writing felt a little dreamy in the ways the sentences and paragraphs looped together. It felt like the author was trying to make it kind of old-fashioned, and I guess that worked. On the bright side, Mr. Cussler used a superb number of interesting adjectives, just enough to give this book some challenge.

How do you know whether to use the word which or that? How do you choose between I and me in a sentence about you and your friend going to the library? What are the correct rules for using that pesky apostrophe? Why wasn't a grammar book this simple written a long time ago? The first three questions can be answered by reading Ms. O'Conner's Woe is I jr., the fourth is pointless, since the book has obviously been written.

This is a fabulous grammar handbook for students, most appropriate for fourth graders and above. The author clearly lays out all of the rules that parents and teachers not only want their children to follow, but often forget themselves. Rules are taught in a fun, simple way, with many useful examples. In addition, the book is full of poems and pictures to illustrate the rules, and to help them stick. Although the author seems to have tried a little too hard at times to appeal to children (lots of name-dropping of characters from children's books, and a lot of silly little comments in parentheses), I haven't yet used the book with children, and this may be the perfect approach to take. In a dark sea of grammar guides, this one shines!

When fourth-grader Steven Carter is given a dollar bill from his blind neighbor Mr. Chickee for helping him out, he doesn't think anything of it... until he looks more closely. The bill actually has 15 zeroes (a quadrillion dollars?) and features the face of the famous soul singer James Brown. Luckily, Steven is a detective, and leads Flint's Future Detectives in his town of Flint, Michigan (also the hometown of the author!) When he and his parents take the money to the U.S. Treasury Department, they realize that it might not be such FUNNY money after all. When secret government agents start hunting down Steven to get the money back, things get exciting.

Along with his younger friend Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, Steven must stop at nothing to keep Mr. Chickee's money safe and get to the bottom of this mystery.

This story is odd and tricky, but is hilarious and very rewarding. Steven is a great lead character, and the rest of the folks in this book are pretty interesting too. Read this book if you like Curtis's writing (he also wrote The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 and Bud, Not Buddy), if you enjoy surprises, unbelievable situations, big dogs, secret agents, and young detectives.

Fletcher Moon is the youngest detective in his Irish town, and he can prove it with the badge he earned through an on-line detective school. Perhaps he had been showing off that badge a bit much, though, because one day it was stolen, which began a long series of problems for Fletcher. Called "Half-Moon" because of his short size, Fletcher has to fight to earn people's respect, and he ends up having to fight to prove himself innocent of the same crimes he's investigating.

This book is full of wonderfully interesting characters, such as Red Sharkey, a trouble-making teenager from a family known for their criminal ways, and April Devereaux, a pretty-in-pink rich girl who gets pretty much anything she wants. Add to this an oddball principal who draws mean pictures of her students, a burning playhouse, stolen hair, a secret society, and a surprise talent show performance, and you have a book that is hilarious, intelligent, unforgettable, and a fabulous mystery.

This book will appeal to readers of Mr. Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, mystery fans, and anyone who likes reading about underdogs who manage to come out on top in the end. Though this book is billed for 9-12 year olds, it's a bit more challenging than your average fourth-grade book.

This incredible book begins with 11-year-old Gregor feeling sour about having to babysit his two-year old sister, Boots, instead of going to summer camp. If only his dad hadn't disappeared two years earlier, leaving his mom to care for their family by herself. The plot takes a major turn as Gregor and his little sister accidentally fall through a loose grate in their laundry room, falling nearly forever into the great unknown, much like Alice on her way to Wonderland. Far from Wonderland, though, Gregor soon discovers not only are he and Boots in a place called the Underworld, filled with all sorts of creatures like the giant cockroaches that capture them, but that there may actually be a reason he is there. Among the giant bats, spiders, rats, and cockroaches is a community of humans, who reveal a strange prophecy that will change Gregor's life forever.

Imagine a summer camp in Missouri run by six adult siblings who, years before, used to be a popular family musical group. At this camp run by The Harmony family, once known as the Harmony Family Singers, brothers and sisters are invited to come and learn how to get along with one another. In this story, six children come to the camp, but find that things are a LOT different than they had expected! Instead of your normal summer camp, these kiddos were made to work hard, eat terrible food, wear hideous clothing, and much worse, while the Harmony siblings sat back and plotted their comeback musical tour. Just when you think this is bad enough, it turns out that something much more terrible is actually going on at camp Happy Harmony, and it's up to the children to save the day, before somebody gets away with MURDER!

Who are these women? If you already know, I congratulate you on your excellent taste in reading materials! If you don't, keep checking back, because I'm planning a review of their unforgettable Regarding the... series, which is not to be missed. Can't wait? Click their picture to learn more. (dedicated to Green Bean and Eggplant Fenna)

My fans (hi Mom!) have long wondered why I haven't graced this page with any reviews of J. K. Rowling's famous Harry Potter series. Hmm... I guess I wasn't ready until now, after I've finished the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I loved it, including the ending). I've been a Potter fan since the first book came out, shortly before I started teaching, and became a devoted member of Dumbledore's Army long before its existence. There's no reason to focus on the last book, so let's take a look at the series as a whole.

• Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone


• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix


• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

As you likely know, the books are HUGE, the last four being quite large enough to use to knock out your older sister with when she tries to spoil the plot of the books for you. The first three are relatively easy, good for fourth graders in both content and difficulty, but the last four build up in a progression of difficulty, with the language, length, and content becoming much more challenging and "dark" toward the end. In fact, I wouldn't recommend the fifth book and beyond to anyone younger than fifth grade. With that said, I must admit that a major theme in these books is the importance of NOT UNDERESTIMATING children's ability, so I'll try not to. On the other hand, the characters in the books are all at least eleven years old, which may be the ideal age to read them as well.

Read this series if you love fantasy, magic, incredible stories, well-craftd interesting characters, British authors, and... you get the idea. If you want to know more, just ask your friends, and you'll likely find plenty of fans to talk to.

So, what's up with Nancy Drew? That's what all of my readers wanted to know (didn't you?), so I set off to find out. I chose the 20th book in Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew Mystery Series, which was written over 70 years ago. It tells the tale of Nancy, a wealthy city socialite (popular girl in town), who stumbled across a series of odd coincidences, and used them to take her shot at solving several mysteries. Along the way, Nancy made several new friends, including a rich old woman who gives her very expensive gifts, and a nasty man who turns out not to be who he claimed he was. Of course, like any good detective, Nancy solves the puzzles in the end, and the bad guys get their due.

I wonder how well my students could relate to a story like this. The characters are complex, the plot has some good twists and turns, and the setting is very unlike most children's books I've read. Nancy is an older girl, with her own expensive car, boyfriends, and rich father who doesn't seem to deny her anything. She is used to high society, and goes to all sorts of fancy parties. The time period is interesting, but the writing seems best for slightly older readers, though I'm curious as to how much interest they'd have in books from this era. I'm curious to know what you, the readers, think of Nancy Drew.

This seemingly cute book is really a realistic, occasionally bloody look at the lives and habits of wolf families. That may not sound like your type of thing, but you may be surprised. Bauer wrote this book as the fictional story of the smallest guy in a new litter of pups, named Runt by his father, the leader of the pack. Time after time, little Runt disappoints his father and family, and just can't seem to do anything right. In time, though, Runt finds a way to prove to his family that he's just as important as any of them, and the ending is sweet without being the least bit sappy.

You may guess that a book about a girl named Comfort Snowberger and her dog, Dismay, who live in a funeral parlor would be a little strange. If so you'd be right, but in the best way imaginable. In this charming Southern story, the author introduces us to a cast of characters, mainly Comfort's family and friends, who are each portrayed richly and imaginatively, and a town that seems to come alive as you read. Comfort and her family run the local cemetery and funeral parlor in Snapfinger, Mississippi, and they have a hand in every death that happens in the area. Because of this, Comfort has become very comfortable with the idea of death, at least until her favorite great-great-Aunt Florentine passes away in the family's vegetable garden at the age of 94. While she is dealing with the loss of her beloved aunt, Comfort has some death-defying adventures, loses and finds a best friend, is forced to spend a lot of time with her annoying younger cousin, Peach, and finally learns a thing or two about life, and about death, all from the places you'd least expect.

This seems like a novel about death, and in a way it is. In another way, though, it is entirely about life and how wonderful it is. Don't worry, it's not a depressing book (though there are a few weepy parts), and it's not all about dead people, even though it takes place in a funeral home. This book reminds me of Richard Peck's funny novels, except young readers will like this one better, I'm positive. Each Little Bird is ideal for readers who enjoy adventure, drama, dogs, great character description, and really wonderful, bright writing.

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of kids’ books out there about orphans? This is one more on that list, but it’s one of the best. Reminiscent of Katherine Paterson’s The Great Gilly Hopkins, this story focuses on Hollis Woods, a troublesome girl with no family, shifting from home to home, never staying long before running away. Is she really as bad as everyone thinks, though? Or has she just had a streak of bad luck? Follow Hollis through this book as she meets some new folks who will change her life forever, gets herself into more trouble than she ever would have imagined, and finds salvation in a way you wouldn’t have expected.

This immensely enjoyable story follows an interesting format, bouncing between the present and flashbacks of Hollis’s past homes, and focusing on a new picture in each chapter. The pictures are those that Hollis (quite a gifted artist) drew, and though they’re never shown, the reader can picture them as clear as day. The format helps the book build to an exciting, emotional climax that will leave you breathless, but smiling.

This book is appropriate for a good fourth grade reader, but can be enjoyed for years beyond that without feeling too childish. It will appeal to readers who enjoy stories about strong girls, the importance of family, becoming artists, and journeys that bring characters understanding about themselves.

What do you do when your mom, who left you with her own mother when you were young, tries to kidnap you from the only real home you've known?

From an author notable for her stories about brave girls comes this tale of Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw, a young girl with a grandma, brother, good friends, and big problems. The story takes place in the town of Lemon Tree, California, and varies between Naomi's school, her grandma's trailer park in the middle of an avocado plantation, and exotic Oaxaca, Mexico. The story includes adventure, suspense, joy, anger, a terrible boyfriend, a daring escape, lots of carvings (sculpture from bars of soap) and a very cool librarian, among other things.

This is the book for you if you like twists and turns, emotional stories, tales about kids who overcome problems, Mexico, or different types of art. What an incredible book!

Pentominoes, an Alfred Hitchcock movie, legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright's pocket talisman, three friends who don't all get along, and a beautiful turn-of-the-century house that's about to be destroyed. Odd as it may sound, this combination of diverse elements adds up to one of the best mysteries I've ever read. Does it sound a bit confusing? That's because it is, and this book is not for the faint of heart or lazy of mind.

What has curly red hair, a baby brother with a million vegetable nicknames, and the ability to drive her teacher, principal, and neighbors absolutely bonkers? Third grader Clementine, of course! She is a spunky little girl who lives with her parents and brother in the basement of a large city apartment building, where her dad is in charge of maintenance. Clementine tends to think a little different than most people, and things she sees as perfectly fine (coloring her friend's head and hair bright red with ultra-permanent markers) don't make as much sense to other people. While most adults would use words like inattentive and hyperactive to describe her, kids would just say funny.

This charming book is basically a collection of related short stories about Clementine, describing a week of her life. Most of the incidents are very funny, but there are some tender moments too, and everything seems to work out in the end. It is a good book for readers looking for a laugh, especially those who enjoy Judy Moody and Junie B. Jones stories.

Ted is just a normal fifth-grader in his small town, except for one little catch - he's the only fifth-grader! His town's population has been shrinking, and now the school is down to one small group of kids, and nobody knows what will happen if even more people leave the town. Will the school just close?

Ted, who considers himself a junior detective, sets off to solve this problem and save the school. Along the way he discovers a mystery in an abandoned house on the edge of town, where he has his paper route. Soon he's wrapped up in far more than he had ever bargained for, and he's trying to save much more than his school. He's a bright, brave kid, but can he do it all on his own? I'm afraid you'll just have to read the book to find out.

This is one of Andrew Clements's best books, in my mind. Although it involves a school, it's not as school-centered as many of his other stories, and he explores concepts that are new to him: small-town living, families of soldiers who are away at war, and some familiar concepts, such as what young people are capable of accomplishing on their own, and at what point they need to inform and involve adults about their plans. For some reason the book is not illustrated by my favorite, Brian Selznick, but Chris Blair does a passable job with the pictures.

Read this book if you like mysteries, school stories, brave child characters, and long bike rides while trying to carry groceries. Read the book, and you'll understand.

What happens when a humongous, kind-hearted, talkative panda bear moves into your neighborhood? For three children, the answer is: fun! Stillwater the panda leads the children in a series of everyday adventures, introducing them to Japanese and Chinese culture, and telling them his own version of traditional Zen stories, to help teach them lessons for how to live good lives. The book is lavishly illustrated, interestingly written, and thought-provoking. My class loved the idea of hanging out with a giant panda bear, and they made some good connections to the stories Stillwater told. I enjoyed everything about this book, and though it won't do everything for everybody, it is ideal for readers interested in Asian cultures, traditional stories with funny, modern twists, and anyone willing to stop and reflect on their own life while they read.

The year: 1206. The place: Norway. The evil Baglers have taken over the kingdom, and the only hope for Norway's future is to help the infant prince Hakon escape the Bagler soldiers. The brave Birkebeiners, loyal to their dead king and to their country, were the only ones who could help. Over three days, a small band of Birkebeiners carried the prince over Norway's most treacherous mountains through incredibly deep snow and the harshest storms, fighting to save the 8-pound prince. Did they make it? I'm afraid you'll have to read the book yourself to answer that question.

Imagine that you are in sixth grade, a member of your school's chorus (choir), and preparing for the big Winter Concert. The students are so terrible and uninterested that the teacher just throws his hands in the air and says "That's it! I'm done! This concert is yours, and now you're in charge. Good luck." How would you and your friends react to that? Would the class become chaos, and the concert become a big joke? Would you beg the teacher to forgive you? Would somebody tell the principal?

Two friends, a goofy dog, and a magical kingdom... This beautifully written story tells the tale of Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke, two oddballs who meet up at a point in their lives (5th grade) when they both desperately need a friend. Through their friendship, the two enjoy the happiest days of their lives, creating a magical kingdom in the woods near their farm, which they christen Terabithia, with themselves as rulers. Are these good times too good to last? Can their friendship survive school bullies, annoying sisters, and all of the other things that can happen to children living in the country? With the quality of the writing, your eyes will be glued to the book as you find out. Prepare to smell funny, because this book is so good you may not even take time off to shower!

How could sledding save a country? It was the middle of winter in 1940, and the people of Norway couldn't remember the last time there had been such a long, cold, snowy winter. Hitler and the Germans had already taken over Poland, and the people of Norway believed that they were next. And then one night it happened, German soldiers appeared from sea and from the sky, adding Norway to the German Empire. The village where 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom and his friends lived had a large supply of gold that they had to keep safe from the Germans. The only way to get it to safety was to go right through the German camp. The solution? The children of the village would sneak the gold on a long sled ride down to the sea, past the German sentries, to where Peter's Uncle Victor waited with a boat that would take the gold safely to America. The only problem? There was $9,000,000 worth of gold bullion, which was many tons!


This book is for people who are interested in military fiction, historical fiction, and sledding! This book is good for readers third grade and older, who have some understanding of World War 2. Read this book if you're curious about how the unlikiest of children could become national heroes.


Special thanks to Billy, both for introducing me to this book, lending it to me to read, and for doing the brain-work for this recommendation!

Nora was very upset by the C on her report card... because she wanted it to be a D! What could drive an intelligent student to get bad grades on purpose? What in the world does this have to do with her best friend, Stephen, who thinks he's dumb because of some low test scores? What will happen when her parents find out? You guessed it, you need to read the book to find out.

Andrew Clements does it again with this story, creating a smart, courageous student character who gets into trouble, finds a friend and a teacher to help, and ends up making the world a better place in some small way. This may be a common theme in Clements' writing, but it works, and we love it. Apart from Room One and The School Story, this is my (Mister K's) favorite book by the author. With writers like Andrew Clements out there, we readers are a lucky bunch.

Read this if you like school, hate grades and tests, enjoy fun, easy-to-read descriptive writing, and if you're looking for inspiration to make a difference in the world yourself.

Kira-kira is a word that means things that glitter, and brings to mind the sun's reflections sparkling on the ocean, or to be less literal, all the wonderful small moments in life. In this book for middle schoolers or more able upper-elementary readers, the story centers on Katie and her sister Lyn, two Japanese-American girls stuck out of place in Georgia during the 1950's and 60's. Their parents both work ridiculously long hours at poultry plants, they are always poor, and their neighbors and the girls' classmates ignore them. This was a time and place when it was not easy to be "different," and there were only a handful of Japanese in the South. Though the family managed to deal with racism and ignorance, there were bigger problems that they could not control, and which finally changed their lives. Characters change through the course of the book, and we come to understand quite a bit about their lives, hopes, worries, and weaknesses.

Once a dork, always a dork? Not according to Jerry Flack, who decided to start his life at a new school as a Cool Kid, getting rid of his glasses, unfashionable clothes, and dorky reputation. Despite a little trouble seeing things (he wore glasses for a reason!), and with the help of his new nerdy friend Brenda, Jerry managed to become a cool kid after all, and he set his sights on Cinnamon, the cool girl of his dreams. In the end though, Jerry had to decide what was more important, fitting in with the cool gang, or being yourself.

Nolan Byrd is tired of being terrorized and humiliated by Bubba, the school bully, while the teachers and principal do nothing about it. A smart kid, Nolan decides to take matters into his own hands, and he turns a school project into a mission to do something about Bubba, once and for all.

This is a truly wonderful story that will appeal to anyone who's ever been teased or bullied, like I was in elementary school. It is very well-written, a study of believable characters, and a very interesting fifth-grade classroom, all told first-hand from Nolan's point of view. It's a feel-good book, at least at the end, when the bad guys get what's coming to them.

The illustrations every few pages really add to the story, making the reading experience even better. Readers who enjoy lots of action, nerdy kids who turn out to be not-so-nerdy, and stories where the good guys win will all love this book, and I'm guessing everybody else will, too.

Imagine that you are a warrior monk in 17th century China, and your monastery has just been attacked by a sixteen-year old former brother of yours and his army. As you and your remaining four brothers escape with your lives, you realize that nothing will ever be the same again. Thus begins one of the most exciting series I've come across in some time, the Five Ancestors by Jeff Stone. The first book is Tiger, named after one of the five brothers who were the youngest warrior monks ever to have been trained in China. There are many special things about these boys, ranging from 11 to 13 years old, one of which being that each of them has a strange connection with a certain animal, and each has been trained by their Grandmaster in a special style of kung fu, very similar to the way that animal would fight.

This is one of those books where you just come to love the main character (no, not like that... you just like him a lot, don't worry, kids). Paul, who is a seventh grader with an older brother and two parents, just moved from Texas to a new community called Tangerine, Florida. Strange things happen in Tangerine, including gigantic sinkholes that swallow schools, giant goldfish mysteriously disappearing from a local pond, evil older brothers doing terrible things (okay, that's normal), and children who can see perfectly well having to wear thick eyeglasses.

Tangerine is really Paul's story, about how he figures out who he really is, and what he really wants. It's not easy for him, but eventually he figures things out, and there are huge consequences for everyone involved. It is a challenging book, not becasue of a bunch of big words, but because the author really makes you think about things, like the differences between rich and poor communities, the importance of being loyal to friends and family, and when doing the right thing is more important than doing the easy thing. This book will appeal to advanced readers who like realistic fiction with a mysterious twist, as well as soccer fans, people who like growing tangerines, and actually, anyone who likes great stories. It's not a happy book, but it's not a weeper either. It's just like reality, full of both good and bad stuff.

Alex Rider was just a normal English schoolboy, studying hard, riding his mountain bike around, learning karate... until his uncle and only living relative was mysteriously killed. Soon Alex's world turned upside down as he discovered the truth about his uncle, and as he became the next young spy in the British Secret Service. Like a junior James Bond, Alex was forced to take part in a daring plot to save the British people from the most terrible enemy they had yet faced, but was he ready for the challenge?

This book is full of adventure, is fast-paced and captivating, and will steal the hearts of many readers who love stories about spies, crime, and tough teens. The book is written for teens, and has some advanced concepts and depictions of violence, but nothing too bloody or gorey, and acceptable for students as young as advanced fourth graders. It is a well-written tale that keeps you turning pages, anxious to see just how Alex will save himself and his country.

Imagine that the North Pole is the headquarters of many santas, some of which have turned bad. Those bad santas drive shiny silver cars, and coerce parents into paying big bucks for their kids' presents, and they've got an army of oversized nutcracker men to enforce their decisions. The good santas are those who have resisted the shift in power from the old days, and who still travel in flying caravans pulled by reindeer, spreading Christmas magic to children, trying not to get caught by the new bad santas. This story finds the last of the good santas crashing to Earth in the middle of a quiet suburban street, where Niklaus, the santa, befriends two local children (all taking place in England), who help him to set things right.

This is a wonderful, charming story, that will delight anyone who reads it, Santa-fan or not. The pictures spread over multiple pages help to picture some of the odder situations that are described, such as the mischievous, foul-mouthed elves who help Niklaus by making toys, among other things. This book will not disappoint.

Greg is a sixth grader with a knack for making money. He doesn't just like money, he LIVES for it! When he comes up with a plan to begin making his millions in his very own school, watch out. Unfortunately, the principal has other plans. This story has an unexpected, heart-warming ending, which Andrew Clements is so good at writing. Along the way, Greg has to deal with his biggest rival, his classmate and neighbor Maura, and learns that they have more in common than he thought. Another important character is Mr. Z, Greg's nervous, number-crazy math teacher, who learns something about himself too. As a teacher, that story line was very appealing.

Reading this story, you start off thinking it's about one thing, and somewhere along the way realize it's about something else altogether. In the Clements spirit, this book will appeal to lovers of school stories, brave children, bumbling teachers, and realistic adventures. This is a great book for any book-loving 4th or 5th grader.

Natalie Nelson was a writer, a real writer. Yes, she was also a young student, but who's to say that only adults can publish their stories? Not Zoe, her best friend-turned-literary agent, that's for sure. Zoe was no writer, but she was a talker, and a planner. After Zoe read Natalie's latest manuscript, called The School Story, and was blown away by its quality, the two girls hatched an incredible plan to get it published. These smart, brave girls enlisted the help of a kind English teacher, a lawyer father, a post office box, fake phone message company, pen names, and all types of various tricks and schemes, all to try to get Natalie's story published.

Why did the girls go to all this work when Mrs. Nelson already happened to be an editor for a children's book company? There's a good answer, but you'll have to read the book to find out. Did their scheme work? Was Zoe's help enough to get the book published? Can kids really pull this kind of thing off? Read the book.

Andrew Clements always does a great job of describing his characters, making them likeable and realistic, and this book is no exception. This story is an exciting realistic adventure about kids who believe they can do great things, and who aren't afraid to try. Along the way, the book provides some very interesting insight about what really happens behind the scenes of the book publishing industry.

It's one thing to be able to stop the world, but travel through time? In this third installment of Georgia Byng's Molly Moon series, Molly learns to do just that, though not by her own choice. In this long and somewhat complicated story, Molly is kidnapped by a nasty, power-hungry maharaja from the past, along with four other versions of herself, all for a very disturbing reason. Although Molly has her friends to help, in the end she must rely on herself and her Pug, Petula, to solve the problem.

What would YOU do with the power to hypnotize? In this second book of the series, young Molly Moon had decided to use her powers only for good, and to take it easy for a while with her friends. Of course this wasn't meant to be, and soon Molly found herself in a daring and difficult quest to save the world.

Like the first Molly Moon book (Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, also reviewed on this blog), this is a fabulous story, excitingly told and full of crystal clear details and interesting characters. Author Georgia Byng has gotten better with experience, and this book tops the first in every way. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery, adventure, brave girls and their dogs, lots of twists and curves in the plot, and surprise endings.

An old hag with pale brown teeth and brilliant unblinking eyes? These are the nice words that Roald Dahl uses to describe young George's grandmother, and you would cringe to hear the rest of his descriptions! When George's mother is gone shopping and George is left to take care of his wicked and nasty grandmother, this polite boy eventually decides he can't take any more of her terrible meanness. What happens next is so wild you'd never believe me if I wrote it, so you'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.

In classic Roald Dahl fashion, this story shows how smart children can outsmart cruel adults when they need to, and in amazingly creative ways. This book is ideal for readers who love courageous and inventive children, funny writing, and incredibly clear description. Young writers can look to Mr. Dahl's use of words to help add sparkle to their own writing. Caution: Whatever you read in this book, don't try it at home!

Do you have STRANGE parents? Do you sometimes wonder how those weird people could possibly have produced someone as normal and wonderful as you? That's the question that begins this delightful, mysterious story about a boy named Guy and his own wacky parents.

Sharp teeth, eye tattoos, shiny hooks, troubled orphans, and no roast beef. All of these strange elements will be important in this dreadful story.

This book tells the tale of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, three orphans who must find a way to escape the clutches of evil Count Olaf. This one-eyebrowed actor will stop at nothing to get his filthy, greedy hands on the Baudelaire fortune.

This is a somewhat challenging book, full of big words and tricky concepts. The reader must be ready to think a lot, and should have a box of tissues handy for all of the sad and unfortunate events that the children experience. This book is just right for readers who like sad stories, difficult words, weird phrases, and children who use their natural abilities (and schema) to solve their own problems.

Thank you to my wonderful fourth graders for their help with this recommendation!

What good IS a comma? In this children's version of British punctuation fiend Lynne Truss's bestseller, pictures and simple sentences are imaginatively combined to answer this question in a clear, funny way. Rather than replace the original book (a punctuation guide for adults), this picture book supplements it nicely.

Though this is a very short and simple book, targeted toward young audiences (3rd grade, it is said), I think it is a must-read for readers and writers of every stripe and age.

This is a classic story about a boy and his dog. The only problem is, the dog isn't really his! The cute beagle that Marty decided to name 'Shiloh' ran away from Judd Travers, a mean, violent man. What can Marty do to keep Shiloh safe from Judd? There's the main plot of this delightful book.

A must for animal lovers, this story gives the reader an intimate (up-close) view of Marty's love for the dog, and does an excellent job of describing the characters and the setting. The book is set in the South, and the characters' dialogue is written with that accent in mind, which at times gets a wee bit confusing for some young readers. In all, this is a very enjoyable book, whether you are a fan of adorable beagles or not. It's a solid book for the average fourth grade reader, but is fine for both older and younger folks. This book kicks off a series of three, all of which are just as good as the first.

Peter Hatcher just can't win. No matter how hard this fourth-grade boy tries, he just can't shake his annoying little brother, Fudge. Through many wild and hilarious situations, this book tells the tale of the Hatcher family, focusing on Peter and Fudge's interactions, with Peter playing the part of worn out, totally annoyed older brother, and Fudge being... well, Fudge. How naughty can one little boy be? Just read to find out. This book will delight readers who enjoy realistic fiction, straight-forward stories about children in funny situations, and anyone who enjoys laughing aloud while they read. If you like this one, you're sure to enjoy the rest of Judy Blume's Fudge series.

This is a delightful story about four young, smart, and funny American girls, their Latin-speaking botanist father, and their faithful dog, Hound. The Penderwick family organized a summer vacation, sight unseen, to a cottage called Arundel somewhere on the Northeast coast of the U.S. Little did they know that Arundel was actually just the guest cottage to a mansion, belonging to the decidedly TERRIBLE Mrs. Tifton (thanks for correcting me, Mollie), and her very interesting son Jeffrey. The story centers on the Penderwick girls' adventures with Jeffrey and Hound, and is a rollicking good adventure for lovers of smart realistic fiction. The writer doesn't dumb down her language, so the reader must be smart her/himself to follow along. This is a charming story, a classic-to-be, and in fact was a winner of the National Book Award.

Watch out for seasickness! This is the story of young Sophie, two of her older boy cousins, and three of her uncles, all of whom sail a small boat across the Atlantic Ocean from the U.S. to England. Along the way, they learn quite a bit about one another and themselves. This is a voyage of discovery, of adventure, and a quest for things the characters don't even realize they are looking for until they've found them.

This classic story by E.B. White tells the barnyard tale of a girl, a pig, a spider, and many other lovable characters fighting to save a life. The animals talk and make plans, the humans argue and do the weird things that humans always do, and the story moves along until the most unthinkable tragedy happens... but it's not what you think.

Mr. White is well known for the quality of his writing, and this book is a perfect example. He paints wonderful pictures in the reader's mind, and every time I read this story I find myself closing my eyes to imagine the landscape he creates. The reader learns to love each and every character, and in the end, is left with a bit of sadness, but lots of hope.

This is one of those books that seems quite easy, but that captivates readers of any age, and that delivers different messages and emotions to each reader. It really does deserve to be considered a classic.

Basketball lovers and NCAA fans, here's your new favorite book. Set at the NCAA finals tournament, this mystery focuses on two teenage writers who have been chosen by Sports Illustrated to be sports writers for the weekend, and follows them as they rush to solve a crime they learned about by accident. This story is very realistic, is a true mystery, and gives the reader a great inside view of college basketball. If you love reading the sports section and realistic mystery novels, you really need to pick up a copy of sports writer John Feinstein's Last Shot. I don't really care for college basketball one way or the other, but this book had me hooked from the very beginning, and I simply couldn't put it down. The writing is fresh and funny, and the characters are so believable you'll think you've known them for years. Some of the concepts are a bit advanced, targeted for ages 10 and up, so keep that in mind.

Thank goodness for Anthea Bell. If it weren't for this translator, we English-reading book lovers woulndn't be able to read this book, originally written in German. Author Cornelia Funke (also wrote Inkheart and Thief Lord), has created a wonderful adventure about a boy, a dragon, and a strange creature called a brownie. These three characters are joined on a quest to find the lost kingdom of the dragons, and their mission is the last hope for the endangered dragons of Scotland. There is a very scary bad guy in this book, as well as many other interesting characters. The plot rolls right along, holding your interest, and sticking in your brain even when you're not reading. This is a fabulous, well-told story, full of adventure magical happenings, but also strangely believable, kind of like Harry Potter and Eragon. Dragon lovers, adventure fans, and lovers of good, long books that you'll want to tell your friends about will all find something they'll love in Dragon Rider.

A boy, a girl, and a tiger. Quite an adventure, right? Well, it's not exactly what you'd expect... This is a touching story about a 12-year-old boy and his father, living in a hotel down in rural Florida. This book tells the tale of Rob's coming to terms with his life, and is an example of how people need time and care in order to recover from sad events in their lives. The girl, Sistine, is my favorite character, and from the time she enters Rob's life on the school bus one morning, nothing is ever the same. The book can be kind of sad, but by end you will be happy, and maybe in tears. Unfortunately, you may just end up scratching your head, wondering what that was all about. Author Kate DiCamillo writes in a way that adults tend to appreciate, but which younger students sometimes have trouble understanding. Read this book if you like emotional stories about friendships, family, and the importance of not losing hope.

Want to laugh so hard you nearly fall out of your seat? Read this book. Author Louis Sachar is at his best when he's telling silly stories about the teachers and students of Wayside School, a ridiculous place where anything can happen. This book is full of unlikely happenings, tricky wordplay, and enough goofy scenes to bring a smile to anyone's face. Read this when you need cheering up, then try creating your own characters to add to the school.

Have you ever read an ART MYSTERY? Make this your first. This is one of my all-time favorite books, along with the sequel, The Wright 3. The author, Blue Balliett, was a teacher herself, much like the teacher in the book, and lives in the same area in Chicago in which the story takes place. In short, two students (Calder and Petra) get involved in the search for a stolen painting, and use their unique problem solving abilities to track down the thief. This book is full of puzzles and mysteries, and the reader can use the clues in the pictures to help solve the puzzle. Speaking of the pictures, they're drawn by Brett Helquist (think Unfortunate Events), and are works of art themselves. This is a challenging book, and will be most rewarding for accomplished readers who love a challenge, who enjoy mysteries, and who appreciate famous art.

This book is a true classic, loved by all who read it, and re-read by many. Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (who has written MANY books), tells the tale of a boy and his dog, and the struggles he faces to keep that dog safe. Marty, the boy, found the dog one day while walking home, named it Shiloh, and hid him from the cruel owner, Judd Travers. Readers will love reading about Marty and Shiloh's adventures together, and will want to go on and read the rest of the series. This book is a must for animal lovers, and readers who love good writing and well-told tales.

An evil librarian who has the stealth of a ninja and a potato gun hidden under her desk? This funny book by the author of Artemis Fowl follows two brothers to their local public library, where they have their fair share of adventures, get into some big trouble, and discover a thing or two about Spud Murphy, the feared librarian. This is a great book for fans of humorous, well-written books. It is just right for readers who are in the mood for a smart, pretty quick read, and a good laugh.

Thanks to my buddy Yasha for introducing me to this series.

How would being able to hypnotize change your life? Molly Moon was just a lonely girl leading a troubled life in a terrible English orphanage, until she discovered a book on hypnotism. From that point on in Georgia Byng's first book in the Molly Moon series, Molly's life changed drastically. This book is full of good people and villains, tough choices, deception, fame, and intrigue (mystery). This is a WONDERFUL book, sure to be loved by all (most) who read it. I recommend it to people who like magic (hypnotism, at least), lucky and smart kids, fame and fortune, cute pugs, and girls with strong personalities.

Is young Rowan up to the task of saving his village from an unknown fate? The boy certainly hopes so, as he sets off with the strongest villagers (against their better judgment) to discover why the river their village depends on has begun to dry up. As the group climbs the mysterious mountain, all kinds of strange things happen, and only the strongest survive. This is a fun mystery, full of magic and adventure. There are two sequels, though I haven't read them. This book is good enough to stand on its own, no question. Read this if you like mystical adventures, with riddles, danger, and strange enemies.

This author also wrote the Deltora Quest series.

If your dad was Janitor at your school, how would you like it? For fifth-grader Jack, it stinks. That's why he decides to create the biggest disaster he can think of for the janitor to clean up. Sadly for Jack, he gets caught, which leads to a different set of adventures. This Andrew Clements book (like all of them) is fun to read, funny, and very well-written. Readers will especially love the way it ends. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys school stories or good books about realistic characters.

What would you do if your mom got pushed over the edge of the Grand Canyon? (she survives, don't worry.) Would you blame the obvious suspect, or give him the benefit of the doubt? This is a problem for brothers Jack and Ashley, the main characters in this Mysteries in our National Parks series, as they try to protect their mom and figure out who's out to get her. This story is a gripping mystery, weaving nature and technology together to help solve the mystery, and protect some endangered California condors at the same time. These books are great for readers who love mysteries, nature, and good series. The plots make you think, and the characters have to make decisions that aren't always easy, just like in our own lives.

What if you found a door under your basement stairs that opened to another world, where flying pillow people battled magic bad guys? Sure, it would be weird, but that's what happened to the main characters in this first book in The Secrets of Droon series, by Tony Abbot. The three main characters (children named Eric, Julie, and Neal), experience the first of many adventures into the mysterious land of Droon, where they become an important part of that world's quest for freedom from evil dudes. This is a great series for readers who have outgrown the Magic Tree House books, and who like books similar to the Time Warp Trio. The books are pretty short, and there are a ton of them in the series.

Do you like the idea of brave warrior squirrels? Me too, which is why this book appealed to me so strongly. When I read Urchin of the Riding Stars, by M. I. McAllister, I didn't know what I was in for. I had expected an adventure story about squirrels who defended their homes, kind of like a Redwall (great series!) book, but I got SO MUCH more than I had bargained for.

This is truly an grand tale, focusing on the troubled kingdom of Mistmantle, a hidden island inhabited by four types of animals; squirrels, otters, moles, and hedgehogs. The animals had lived in peace until some cruel creature began his quest to take over the island for his own evil purposes. Our hero is Urchin, a small pale squirrel who nobody expected much of. Can this most unlikely of heroes save his island? This book is a rollicking adventure story, incredibly well-written, and deserving of much praise. Read this if you like Redwall (you should), Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Eragon, and big books like that.

People always ask me "What's your favorite book?" There's no easy answer, but Eragon is somewhere near the top of the list. Why? You'd really have to read it to find out, and that is an undertaking that requires a major time commitment, trust me. Even if you could read it fast, it's so good that you wouldn't want to. There's so much to keep track of in this epic fantastic adventure, from the history of dragons to the secrets of special types of fighters, and then there are the various types of creatures and kingdoms to remember... this book will take over your life while you're reading it, and for a while after too. I could say this is simply a story about a boy and a dragon, but it's much, much more than that. If Harry Potter is small change to you and the Lord of the Rings trilogy is on your to-read list, you've got to read Eragon (and don't forget the sequel, Eldest, which is even better!)

P.S. A movie based on this book will hit the theaters soon.

Would you eat 15 worms for 50 bucks? Billy decided he would, and that's the main plot of this timeless classic by Thomas Rockwell. This book is even older than Mister K, if you can believe it! If a book that old is still as popular as this one, you know it's good. This book serves up a diet of worms in every form you can imagine, and some you'd rather not. If you like funny books about boys getting themselves into trouble, this is the book for you. It's a good fourth-grade read, but could interest both older and younger readers.

This book is now a classic, a favorite of many third graders and up, and there's good reason: it's a great story! Author Kate DiCamillo weaves together the stories of many different people in this book, all of them somehow having to do with the main character, Opal, and her dog, Winn-Dixie. In this book, it is the relationships between characters that really make it a great story, and worth reading. The dog is cute, and there are some funny parts, but mostly it's a book that touches your heart and leaves you wanting more. It has been a trend for younger students to read this, but I think the older the reader is, the more she/he will get out of this book. If you read it in third grade, read it again in fourth and fifth, and as an adult. You'll find new things to love about this book every time, I guarantee it.

This is an epic story by Kate DiCamillo, author of such wonderful books as Because of Winn-Dixie and Tiger Rising. It tells the tale of the young, brave mouse, Despereaux Trilling, and his quest to find his own human princess. Another story happens in the book, that of an evil rat, and when the stories of these two main characters collide, hold on to your seat. This book is a grand, swashbuckling adventure, but uses some confusing vocabulary (for the elementary reader), and some awkward, fancy writing that doesn't make it the easiest book to read. Those who persist, though, will find their reading efforts were worthwhile, because the ending brings everything together beautifully.

Terrific! This story, the first in a series of three by mother/daughter author combo Zizou Corder (read the book jacket and you'll understand), is simply a fabulous adventure. Set in Africa, England, and around the world in the not-so-distant future, this book imagines what life will be like when we've used up all of our natural resources for energy and must live more simply, but also what could happen if the Corporation (a large corporation, if you can imagine) tried to take over the world. Our main character is a boy, Charlie, who makes unlikely friends and discovers some odd but useful abilities in his quest to find his captured scientist parents. Just trust me, it's a great book. This is ideal for fourth graders and up, and will appeal to those who like adventure, animals, courageous main characters, and fine writing.

Smart and edgy. This book by adult crime-story writer Elmore Leonard is about what you'd expect from him: lots of saucy attitude, tough-guy language between the animals, and great dialogue. The story takes place in the hills near Hollywood, CA, and follows a street-smart coyote who really wants to become a house dog, and a house dog who really wants to run with the wild coyotes. The plot is focused on these animals, and the dialogue is so good you sometimes forget you're reading the words of animals. This story has some mature language, and is not for younger readers. I would say grades 5 and up would be the target audience.

Thrilling and full of smart dialogue and lots of action! This book by John Fardell takes you on a rescue mission to a fantastic bad-guys lair in the Arctic, all to rescue six brilliant professors. The main characters are Sam, a mild-mannered but courageous 11-year-old English schoolboy, and his two new friends Ben and Zara, whose uncle is one of the captured professors. This book will appeal to adventure lovers, people who love snow, inventors and those who love reading about wild inventions, and anyone who loves a good story. The author is English (currently lives in Scotland) and this was originally published in Great Britain, so American readers may learn some new words along the way.

Nicholas was written in the 1970's by Frenchman René Goscinny, and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, a famous cartoonist. This hilarious collection of stories tell of a French schoolboy named Nicholas and his all-male classmates. I think that if Louis Sachar would try writing like Roald Dahl, and incorporate bits of the Madeline books (can you imagine?), Nicholas is what you'd expect as a result. Given the original audience, the book's vocabulary will be a bit strange and challenging for lower readers, but I think high 4th grade readers and above will love this book, especially anyone who would like a bit smarter version of the Wayside School books.

The Penultimate Peril is the second-to-last (penultimate) book in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Set in the depressing and confusing Hotel Denouement , the Baudelaire orphans are more confused and alone than ever. As this series comes to an end, the siblings are forced to do terrible things, or at least that's how it seems. How will the series end? What will become of the Baudelaires? Will they meet back up with the Quagmires, or learn the true nature of the Snickets? We've got to wait until this October 13th to find out. This book (and the entire series) will appeal to middle-grade readers who can handle big words, mature and scary situations, and sad stories. Readers who enjoy mysteries and series should also take a look at Mr. Snicket's work.

Mandy, written by acress Julie Andrews Edwards (think The Sound of Music), is an incredibly sweet, touching, well-written book. You may be surprised that this male teacher was in tears at one point during my reading! Mandy is a young girl at an English orphanage, longing for something, some place she can call her own. When she discovers an abandoned cottage nearby, she begins the adventure that leads her to lose almost everything, and to then find something altogether different, and even better. Girls will love this, but it's not a girls-only book. Read this if you like nice, sweet stories with a slightly mischievous twist.

Broken Blade, by Will Durbin (Minnesota author), is a great historical novel! Set in the year 1800, this story takes the reader from Quebec, Canada, to Grand Portage (now part of Minnesota), across the Great Lakes in canoe. The main character is Pierre, a boy who must take his father's place on a 2,400 paddling journey. Along the way Pierre has many adventures, and author takes the reader right into his life along the way. This book was very well written, and will appeal to 4th grade (and up) readers who love adventure, the outdoors, canoeing, and history.

Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a "what if" type of futuristic fiction. In this story, the author portrays a society in which families are only allowed to have two children. Luke is that third child in his family, and he must stay hidden in his house, at least until... Sorry, can't tell you that! Are there other third children too? What would happen if they were caught? How did this two child rule come to be? What is Luke going to do? There are so many reasons for you to read this book, that you should be ashamed if you're still reading this, rather than running to the library to get a copy.
This book will excite kids who wonder "what if" about the future. Fans of science fiction and fantasy will likely be interested, as well as people who don't like their third sibling (joke!). It's well-written, and fans will be happy that this is only the first book in the Shadow Children series.

This follow up to Louis Sachar's bestselling book Holes is a completely different bird. The plot focuses on two kids from Camp Green Lake (in the first book), Armpit and X-Ray, and really zooms in on Armpit's life after camp. The story is great, but really seems to be for an older audience, more mature audience than Holes. There are moments of racial tension, an exploration of what it's like to be a famous singer, allusions to parent infidelity, and a decent amount of content related to scalping concert tickets illegally. I enjoyed it, and I'm sure other readers will too, but I'd say it's solidly in the TEEN category, not elementary school.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief is the first book in Wendelin Van Draanen's hilarious Sammy Keyes series. These books are modern-day mysteries centered around Sammy, the troublemaking teenage girl who always seems to solve the crimes before the police do. (I think Nancy Drew had better move over and make room for Sammy!)

This is a great series for girls and boys around 4th grade and higher, readers who enjoy mysteries and funny, smart characters. It's also fine to start the series with Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man.