by Louis Sachar When Stanley Yelnats is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, he has the choice either to go to prison or to Green Lake correctional camp. In the camp (where there is no actual lake), convicts are forced to dig five-foot holes, one a day, every day. But Stanley soon realizes that […]
by Neil Gaiman As a toddler, Nobody Owens climbs out of his crib and wanders out the front door and up the hill to the nearby cemetery, away from the house where the rest of his family is being murdered in their sleep. The ghostly citizens of the graveyard protect him from the killer who […]
by Kelly Barnhill A baby is taken from her screaming mother to be left in the woods for the (make believe) witch in the annual Day of Sacrifice. The (very real) witch rescues an abandoned baby and feeds her starlight on the way to finding her a new, loving home. Except that she accidentally feeds […]
by Ellen Raskin Eccentric millionaire Sam Westing has no heir, or rather, he has sixteen of them. These heirs must participate in the game set out in the old man’s will if they want a chance to win the whole inheritance. This is a fun and intriguing puzzle mystery with a kooky cast of characters, […]
by Scott O’Dell Karana’s people have always lived undisturbed on the Island of the Blue Dolphins—that is, until the Aleuts came to hunt otter and ended up killing half of the villagers. The rest of the villagers welcome the chance to leave the island a couple of years later when a ship comes to take […]
by Kazu Kibuishi After Emily’s father dies, her family moves to mysteriously missing great-grandfather’s house. When her mother is abducted by a monster in the basement, Emily and her brother must rescue her or risk losing another parent. I had mixed feelings about this book. I really like the premise, characters, and art. But there […]
by Sharon Creech Sal goes on a 6-day road trip across the country with her grandparents to see the truth of her mother’s disappearance for herself. On the way, she tells them the story of her friend Phoebe, which parallels her own and helps her process the events of her own life. This book was […]
by Louise Erdrich Follow Omakayas, a young Ojibwa girl, through one year, spring to spring, and see how it will change her life forever. This is a well-told, beautiful story with rich characters. The cultural details immerse the reader in Omakayas’ world. The chapters on smallpox are a bit intense, so use caution with younger […]
by Robert C. O’Brien Mrs. Frisby’s youngest son Timothy is ill, too ill to leave their cinderblock mouse house. Unfortunately, the house is in the middle of a field that the farmer is going to plow in less than a week, which will destroy the house—and anyone in it. Can Mrs. Frisby find anyone able […]
by J.K. Rowling In a distant, marshy corner of a peaceful and prosperous kingdom lives a hideous, deadly monster—or so the tales say. No one takes the stories of the Ickabog too seriously until the king decides to ride to the marsh to prove, once and for all, if the legends are true. This was […]