Letters to Leo

Author	Elisabeth Dahl
ISBN	1419705261

Genie Kunkle may look like your average fifth grader, but she notices things her classmates don’t. When the school year begins, she’s elected class blogger, and it’s her job to record her class’s “wishes, hopes, and dreams.” But Genie has never been the center of attention, and she struggles...

Author	Patricia Polacco
ISBN	0399257039

After spending the summer with her artist grandmother, Trisha knows she wants to be an artist, too. She's thrilled when her sketches get her into Miss Chew's special art class at the high school. A substitute teacher tells her she's wasting time on art when she should be studying - but fortunately, this...

Author	Holly Hobbie
ISBN	0316203343

Look carefully. There may be a gem in your garden.


For nearly four decades, watercolorist Holly Hobbie has drawn inspiration from the wonders of nature. During one especially hard winter, she found herself imagining the story of a determined toad's spring journey. Her vivid depiction...

Author	Margarita Engle
ISBN	0547581319

Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them?But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank...

Author	Marion Dane Bauer
ISBN	1442434236

From Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer comes the tale of a boy who needs a dog, and a dog who needs a boya match made in heaven, if only the two can meet.

Mark is a boy who needs a dog. But he can't get his mom on board with his plan.
Buddy is a dog who needs a boy. Buddy has an owner already, but not one...

Author	Marilyn Sue Shank
ISBN	0375989692

It’s about keeping the faith.

Growing up poor in 1953 in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia doesn’t bother Lydia Hawkins. She treasures her tight-knit family. There’s her loving mama, now widowed; her whip-smart younger brother, BJ, who has cystic fibrosis; and wise old Gran....

Author	Natalie Dias Lorenzi
ISBN	1580894348

American-born Skye knows very little of her Japanese heritage. Her father taught her to speak the language, but when their estranged Japanese family, including Skye's grandfather, suddenly move to the United States, Skye must be prepared to give up her All-Star soccer dreams to take Japanese lessons...

Author	Judith Viorst
ISBN	1442435798

This is the second collaboration between Judith Viorst and Lane Smith featuring a little girl named Lulu.

Have I mentioned that I love Judith Viorst's books? I've read several of her children's books with our girls and I've read all of her books about the decades of a woman's life. She is such...

Author	Peter Johnson
ISBN	0061988901

For fans of Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee, Gary D. Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars, and Jack Gantos's Joey Pigza Books comes a hilarious and poignant slice-of-life novel from critically acclaimed author and poet Peter Johnson.

When an author comes to speak to his class in a rundown area of Providence,...

Author	Sally Murphy
ISBN	0763648213

At school, Pearl is a group of one, and at home her beloved granny is fading. A poignant gem of a tale about independence, grief, and finding your place.

Pearl likes to write poems, but despite the insistence of her teacher, Ms. Bruff, Pearl's poems don't rhyme, and neither does she. She wishes...

Author	R.P. Harris
ISBN	0811877817

Ten-year-old Tua—Thai for "peanut"—has everything she needs at home in Chiang Mai, Thailand, except for one thing she's always wanted: a sister. In the market one day, Tua makes an accidental acquaintance—one with wise, loving eyes, remarkable strength, and a very curious trunk. And when...

Author	Doreen Cronin
ISBN	0061779962

The Legend of Diamond Lil, second book in the illustrated J.J. Tully mystery series, is perfect for elementary-school kids who love adventure and animals. New York Times bestselling author Doreen Cronin brings the same wonderful humor to the JJ. Tully whodunits that she did to her beloved picture...

Author	Frank Cottrell Boyce
ISBN	0763659576

Buckle your seatbelt for the first-ever follow up to Ian Fleming’s only children’s story.

When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car . . . and it wants its...

Author	Ann Cameron
ISBN	0374380007

Spunky the dog would be happy to share all of his secrets, if only his human family spoke his language. But no matter how hard he tries to talk, it's all "yerf!" to them. Through a series of unfortunate miscommunications, his family decides that Spunky wants a friend--specifically, a cat. Spunky can't...

Author	Kate Klise
ISBN	0547519745

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR FAN IS A PHANTOM?

The talented trio at Spence Mansion loves getting fan mail. But when a strange letter arrives saying that the end is near, it's clear something sinister is afoot. Even worse, the Ghastly Post Office is preparing to close, which will make it difficult to...

Author	Cynthia Lord
ISBN	0545635969

In this charming illustrated chapter book series by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord, the Shelter Pet Squad kids find the perfect homes for animals in need!

Suzannah's always wanted a pet of her own, but she lives in an apartment where there are absolutely no pets allowed. What she CAN do is...

Author	Kate Messner
ISBN	0545142458

A funny, accessible chapter-book series about an irrepressible third grader.

Marty McGuire's third-grade class has a special assignment: Save the Earth! Even more exciting, the best project wins a special award. Marty's pretty sure her classmates' ideas won't stand a chance against her...

Author	David A. Adler
ISBN	1402287216

Danny Cohen's new friend is 100% weird.

New to Danny's fourth grade class, Calvin Waffle has a knack for following his classmates around to collect data for his science experiments. He carries jelly beans everywhere, and claims his father is a spy. Danny isn't quite sure just what to make of...

Author	Hilary McKay
ISBN	1407117378

Lulu and the Duck in the Park was quite the adventure. I found the book to be fun-loving, clever, and bright. I loved the educational component associated with the story and the diversity that was depicted through the presented relationships. I loved that Lulu was of ethnic origin. I thought this served...

Author	Michael D. Beil
ISBN	0375867406

Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are back in an all-new Red Blazer Girls caper. In the third installment, Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and...

Author

Sally Grindley

Dear D.J. Lucas,
My uncle bought me one of your books for Christmas. It's called Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boy? I want to be a writer. I want to write a story now. Please will you help me?
Love from Max

And so begins Max's funny correspondence with his favorite author, the world-famous...

Author	Jim Murphy
ISBN	0439691842

Two-time Newbery Honor Book author has written an amazing account of one of America's most famous hoaxes!

When a 10-foot tall purported "petrified man" is unearthed from a backyard in upstate New York in 1869, the discovery immediately turns into a spectacle of epic proportions. News of the...

Author	Michael Northrop
ISBN	0545297141

When a young slugger gets hit by a pitch, he needs more than practice to get back his game.

Sixth grader Jack Mogens has it all figured out: He's got his batting routine down, and his outfielding earns him a starting spot alongside his best friend Andy on their Little League team, the Tall Pines...

Author	Jeanette Winter
ISBN	0375870229

Renowned picture book author and illustrator Jeanette Winter brings us the enchanting story of a boy named Kali who lived thousands and thousands of years ago. Kali must learn to hunt, like the rest of the men in his tribe. But when Kali plucks the string on his bow, he forgets about shooting arrows, and...

Author	Gerald Morris
ISBN	0547680856

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant knights of the roundtable.      While most of King Arthur’s knights freely chose a life of duty, for Sir Balin the Ill-Fated, destiny was foretold in a prophecy. And seriously, "ill-fated"...