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 […]
by Lois Lowry Jonas has grown up in an “ideal,” well-ordered community, where life is easy and comfortable and everyone is always polite. When, at 12, his classmates are assigned to their adult jobs for training, Jonas is not assigned. Instead he is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory. He learns from the […]
by Will James This book is the story of a wild range horse, Smoky, from birth through his time helping his favorite cowboy wrangle cattle and beyond, offering a look at cowboy culture and the life of a horse in the west from a horse’s perspective. Despite the fact that the horse’s perspective is very […]
by Gail Carson Levine Evie, a 15-year-old healer, isn’t expecting her best friend Wormy to propose, nor that a fairy will punish her for refusing. Yet suddenly she is an ogre, with only 62 days to accept another marriage proposal if she ever wants to be human again. She has to rely on her wits […]
by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi Three siblings move to their crazy great-aunt’s odd house after their parents’ divorce and find a field guide in the attic, full of pictures and descriptions of fairies. They discover that a) the fairies from the guide are real and b) there are more than one living in and […]
by Eric P. Kelly When Joseph’s family home is destroyed by enemies, he and his family must flee to Krakow. But why are evil men after them, and who is really behind it? And what is the family secret that is for the king of Poland’s ears alone? I was pleasantly surprised by this story. […]