Mr. Popper's Penguins

Atwater, F. & Atwater, R. (1938). New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

Plot: Mr. Popper is a house painter who regrets not ever traveling, especially to the North and South Poles. He idolizes an explorer named Admiral Drake, whom he had written to. While listening to a broadcast from the Antarctic, Admiral Drake mentions Mr. Popper from Stillwater and says to expect a surprise. Soon a box arrives and inside is a penguin! Mr. Popper names him Captain Cook after another explorer. To keep Captain Cook cool, Mr. Popper keeps him in the fridge and has holes drilled for ventilation and a handle installed on the inside so Captain Cook can come in and out whenever he wants. Mrs. Popper makes sure to buy shrimp for him to eat, though sea food gets expensive and they don't have much money. As it is, the family will have to live off of beans till Spring. Captain Cook gets ill, and Mr. popper writes to a curator of an aquarium wwho writes back that it might be loneliness, so he sends a female penguin named Greta to Mr. Popper. Captain Cook and Greta get along fine and have 10 baby penguins. Now Mr. Popper has 12 penguins, and to deal with the cost he and Mrs. Popper decide to create an act with the penguins because they are so funny and cute and they'll call them Popper's Performing Penguins.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: penguins, explorations, follow your dreams, daydreaming, humor.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor 1939
• Young Reader's Choice Award 1941

Claudia and Mean Janine

Martin, A. M., & Telgemeier, R. (2008). New York, NY: Scholastic.

Plot: Claudia feels like her genius older sister Janine is the favorite. She always gets good grades and Claudia is a "C" student. Her parents think that Janine's studies are more important than Claudia being a part of the Baby-Sitter's Club, and are always asking her to do things that interfere with her baby-sitting duties instead of asking Janine. When Mimi, Claudia's grandmother, has a stroke after an argument with Claudia about fighting with Janine, Claudia feels like it was her fault. Claudia volunteers her time to help Mimi recuperate, while the rest of the baby-sitter's begin a new summer platgroup for their children that they baby-sit for. Will Claudia and Janine ever see eye to eye and get along?

Genre: Graphic novel

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: sibling rivalry, friendship, clubs, baby-sitting, summer, education.

Other books in this series:

• The Truth About Stacey
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Kristy's Great Idea

Twilight

Meyer, S. (2008). Twilight. Thorndike Press.

Plot: Bella Swan has just moved to Forks, Washington to live with her dad. She meets the handsome Edward Cullen, who at first seems repulsed by her, but later can't seem to stay away from her. Bella's friend Jacob tells her the stories of the Cold Ones and she puts the clues together. Edward is a vampire. After Edward saves her life in Port Angeles, the two decide not to fight it anymore and that they are going to be together. They are falling in love, passionately. Edward and his family of vampires don't drink human blood, but other vampires do and once they catch Bella's scent she is in serious danger!

Genre: Fantasy

Suggested reading level: Grades 6 & up

Subjects/themes: Vampires, love, family, Washington, school, death, revenge.

Awards:

• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2005
• Bluegrass Award 2007
• Garden State Children's Books Award 2008
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award 2008
• Garden State Teen Book Award 2008

The View From Saturday

Konigsburg, E. L. (1996). The View From Saturday. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Plot: Sixth graders from Epiphany Middle School in New York have never beaten the seventh and eighth graders during the Academic Bowl, but Mrs. Olinsky's team did it. They took it all the way to the championships and won that too. But the question remains: How did she choose her team? This book takes you on each journey that Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian went through before they became The Souls and the closest of friends, and a tea party that changed everything.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Suggested Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: Academic competition, prejudice, confidence, friendship, bullying, divorce, marriage, family.

Other books by E. L. Konigsburg:

• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth

Awards

• Newbery Medal

When You Reach Me

Stead, R. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, NY: Random House Publishing.

Plot: It is 1979 in New York City and Miranda has lost her best friend Sal after he got punched in the stomach and decided that he didn't want to be friends anymore. Miranda is helping her mom study up because she is going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid. The spare key is missing after Miranda received a strange note asking about the key and telling her that they are going to save the life of her friend. How does this person seem to know things about Miranda's life, things that haven't happened yet even? Miranda goes on to receive more creepy notes, even when working at Jimmy's Sandwich Shop while counting bread rolls during lunch time. Miranda makes many references in the story about her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, which she reads time and again.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-8

Subjects/themes: friendship, growing up, family, mystery, sci-fi

Awards:

• Newbery Medal 2010
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books 2010
• Book Sense Book of the Year 2010
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards 2010

Weekend

Pike, C. (1986). Weekend. New York, NY: Point.

Plot: Shani and her friends are going down to Mexico for a fun weekend at Lena and Robin's beachside house. Robin is ill and has to be on dialysis because her kidneys are failing. Someone has something other than fun planned and terrible things start to happen. Robin was poisoned at a party, which is the cause of her illness, and this person is going to find out who did it, no matter what.

Genre: Horror, thriller

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-9

Subjects/themes: Jealousy, revenge, friendship, family, kidney failure.

Other books by Christopher Pike:

• Remember Me
• Chain Letter
• Bury Me Deep
• Slumber Party
• Spellbound

Personal thoughts: Christopher Pike is one of my favorite authors alongside R. L. Stine because he writes amazing books for tweens and teens. They are always great reads, especially for mystery/thriller fans, though he has written awesome fantasy/sci-fi books as well. His books are classic and I highly recommend them.

The New Year's Party

Stine, R.L. (1995). The New Year's Party. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

*Fear Street Super Chiller series

Plot: A cruel joke was played on the new guy, P.J., at Reenie's party. Now P.J. has disappeared and his sister Liz is frantic to find him. Now people from the party are turning up dead, with their necks broken. Liz has invited kids from the last party to her New Year's Party. She has a secret, and doesn't plan on anyone leaving her party... alive.

Genre: Horror, thriller

Suggested reading level: Grades 6-9

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, revenge, death, school.

Other Fear Street Books:

• The Wrong Number
• Broken Hearts
• Silent Night
• The Stepsister
• Secret Admirer
• Halloween Party
• Bad Dreams

Personal thoughts: The Fear Street series were my favorite books to read when I was in middle school. My sister gave me the ultimate gift one year for Christmas: Fear Street books. I was so psyched! Rereading this one brought back so many memories, and I can't wait to start reading them all over again.

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P. M. (2002). Esperanza Rising. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Plot: On the eve of her 13th birthday Esperanza's father is killed by bandits, and her mother makes the difficult decision to take Esperanza to California with their trusted friends and servants. They leave after their home in  Mexico is burnt down by her father's brothers because her mother wouldn't marry one of them. It is difficult for Esperanza to get used to her new environment and living in a shack while her mother and the others pick vegetables and fruit, since she is used to being waited on and wearing the finest dresses. She overcomes many difficult obstacles, and proves herself to be a strong individual.

Genre: Historical fiction

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: Mexico, loss, family, prejudice, immigration, civil rights.

Other Books by Pam Munoz Ryan:

• The Dreamer
• Becoming Naomi Leon
• Paint the Wind

Awards:

• Pura Belpre Award

Welcome to Dead House

Stine, R.L. (1992). Welcome to Dead House. New York, NY: Scholastic.

*Goosebumps series #1

Plot: Josh and Amanda are moving to a new house with their parents and dog Petey. They both are unhappy about the move to the creepy old house and quiet town of Dark Falls. Who is this "Uncle" that left them the house and why does Petey keep barking at everyone from this town, when he's never done that before? Strange things keep happening to Amanda, like footsteps in her room, strange giggling in the night and the curtains in her room keep fluttering, even when the windows are closed. She could have sworn she saw a boy staring out her bedroom window and a girl standing at the foot of the stairs, but no one believes her. Is it her, or is their something weird going on in their new house?

Genre: Horror, mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6

Subjects/themes: ghosts, moving, friendship, family, haunting, death.

Other Goosebumps books:

• Beware, The Snowman
• Ghost Beach
• Night of the Living Dummy
• The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb

Rodrick Rules

Kinney, J. (2008). Rodrick Rules. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Plot: It is September, Greg Heffley has a new diary and he is about to start a new year of middle school. He didn't have the best summer like his friend Rowley, who went to South America and bragged about it. Greg's dad made him join the swim team, and his mom made his older brother Rodrick pick him up in his van after practice. She thought this would help them bond since they had been fighting a lot lately. Rodrick made him sit in the back with his drum set. Greg starts school and everyone remembers that he has the cheese touch, so he gives it to a new student who doesn't know about it yet. Greg is going to go through some interesting things this time, like playing a trick on his friend Chirag, watching while Ridrick throws a party while his parents are away, refusing to tape Rodrick's band at the talent show, and having Rodrick spill Greg's summer secret when he gets mad at him about the talent show.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: school, family, siblings, journals.

Other books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series:

• The Ugly Truth
• Dog Days
• The Last Straw
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Dodgeball Chronicles

Cammuso, F. (2008). The Dodgeball Chronicles. New York, NY: Graphix.

Plot: A hilarious take on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, this graphic novel's hero is Artie King, who is new to Camelot Middle School. He quickly becomes friends with Percy after meeting him and his tarantula Hannibal on the way to school. He soon learns about a locker with a legend attched to it. Locker #001XCL hasn't been opened in years and is said to only open to a person of true heart and if the rightful owner of the locker comes along he will rule the school. Artie is assigned the locker, opens it but then gets challenged by the school bullies named The Horde. They challenge Artie to a game of dodgeball, if the Horde wins they have to leave Artie and his friends alone. If they lose Artie has to show the leader of the Horde how to open the locker so he can rule the school. One big problem stands in Artie's way... he stinks at dodgeball.

Genre: Graphic novel

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-7

Subjects/themes: sports, dodgeball, bullies, friendship, school.

Other books in the Knights of the Lunch Table series:

• The Dragon Players

The Legend of Old Salty

Loux, M. (2008). The Legend of Old Salty. Portland, OR: Oni Press.

Plot: Brothers Jack and Benny are spending their vacation with their parents in Chowder Bay, Maine. Jack isn't too thrilled and wants to play his Gameboy the whole time. Once there the boys discover saltwater taffy candy and love it. While in the candy store Benny gets his hand pinched by a lobster, but before he can show anyone the lobster disappears. The candy store begs robbed of all it's saltwater taffy and the boys, with the help of an old fisherman named Angus, plan to find out who robbed the store. Angus has a hunch it was Old Salty, the legendary seamonster of Chowder Bay.

Genre: Graphic novel

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6

Subjects/themes: candy, legends, sea monsters, family, mystery, series 

Other books in the Salt Water Taffy series:

• A Climb up Mt. Barnabus
• The Truth About Dr. True

The Lightning Thief

Riordan, R. (2005). The Lightning Thief. Hyperion Books for Children.

Plot: 12 year old Percy Jackson gets into trouble a lot and doesn't do too well in school due to his dyslexia and ADHD. He just got kicked out of another school, Yancy Academy, during which a strange event occurred while on a school field trip with the math teacher, Ms. Dodds. Well, no one else remembers her, so Percy is confused. After school lets out, Percy returns home and goes on a trip with his mom Sally. They get an unexpected visit from Percy's best friend, Grover, who tells them they are in danger and they need to get to Camp Half-Blood right away. Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon and that Zeus thinks he is the one who stole his master bolt. Everyone believes it was Hades who stole it, so Percy goes on a quest to find Zeus' master bolt, rescue his mother, and return the bolt to Zeus to stop the gods from waging war on one another.

Genre: Fantasy, adventure

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: greek mythology, destiny, family, friendship

Awards:

• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
• American Library Association Notable Books for Children
• Mark Twain Award

Other Books in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series:

• The Sea of Monsters - Book2
• The Titan's Curse - Book 3
• The Battle of the Labyrinth - Book 4
• The Last Olympian - Book 5

The Fairy-Tale Detectives

Buckley, M. (2005). The Fairy-Tale Detectives. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Plot: Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are orphan sisters since they lost their parents a year and a half ago, literally. Their parents just disappeared one day. They have gone to live with their so-called grandmother, the one their father told them died a long time ago. Relda Grimm is her name, and she lives with Mr. Canis and a huge dog named Elvis. They live in a strange town called Ferry Port Landing, which houses the Everafters, fairty-tale creatures and characters. Sabrina and Daphne soon learn their true family history and what lies for them in the future, but first there is a mystery to solve involving giants, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and many more fantastical creatures!

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Adventure

Suggested reading level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: detectives, fairty-tales, family, mystery, legacy

Other books in The Sister's Grimm series:

• The Unusual Suspects
• The Problem Child
• Once Upon a Crime
• Magic and Other Misdemeanors
• Tales From the Hood
• The Everafter War
• The Inside Story

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Angleberger, T. (2010). The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Plot: Sixth grader Tommy, and his friends all think Dwight is weird and very strange. He does do things like sit in holes or pick his nose and say weird things. He makes an origami Yoda puppet and keeps it on his finger all the time. He starts telling people to ask Origami Yoda a question and he'll answer it. The strange thing is that Origami Yoda gives good advice, not that Dwight takes his own puppet's advice because he is still lame. So Tommy and his friend put together a case file of the accounts with Origami Yoda to figure out if he is real, because Dwight seems clueless so how could he be the one giving the advice?

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-7

Subjects/themes: origami, friendship, school

Similar books:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

The Baby-sitter's Club: The Truth About Stacey

Martin, A. M. & Telgemeier, R. (2006). The Baby-sitter's Club: The Truth About Stacey. New York, NY: Graphix.

Plot: Stacey McGill is fairly new to Stoneybrook, Connecticut and the Baby-sitter's Club. Her friends Claudia, Kristy and Mary Anne are all in the club. Stacey has diabetes and her parents are always checking to see if she is ok, if she is eating because she has lost weight, etc. More trouble comes along when a new baby-sitting agency sets up camp in their small town and starts taking away their clients. How will Stacey and the BSC save their jobs, and can Stacey handle the pressure caused by her disease and her overprotective parents?

Genre: Graphic Novel

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-7

Subjects/themes: friendship, diabetes, family, community

Other books in the series:

• Kristy's Great Idea
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Claudia and Mean Janine

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

Russell, R. R. (2009). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life. New York, NY: Aladdin.

Plot: Nikki Maxwell is starting a new private middle school because her dad was given a scholarship with his extemination contract with the school. She is in 8th grade and really wants a cell phone so she can fit in with the popular kids. Her mom gives her a diary instead. She is a budding artist and draws many scenes from school, especially of Mackenzie, the most popular girl at school, who isn't very friendly and talks about people behind their backs. She also has a huge crush on Brandon, who Mackenzie likes too. Nikki doesn't feel her parents get her at all, especially since they won't buy her an iPhone. Nikki makes a couple of friends, Chloe and Zooey, and enters an art contest at school. She is up against Mackenzie, so will she win the contest and get the guy?

Genre: Humor

Suggested Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Subjects/themes: school, growing up, parents/family, art.

Other Book in this series:

• Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

Similar Books:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
• Dear Dumb Diary series

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schwartz, A. (2010). More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing.
Illustrations by Brett Helquist.

Plot: A collection of scary stories about ghosts, vampires, and other strange events. Many will probably sound familiar, like when a girl and boy meet at a dance, the boy drops her off close to her house, and goes back to ask her something and finds out she died in a car accident earlier that night! How about 3 men in a nursing home with only one window, and when one dies the next one gets to be by the window. There are two left, one man describes the view as beautiful. He dies and finally the last man gets to see the beautiful outside world, only to find himself staring at a brick wall! There are many more stories to send chills down your back in this collection.

Genre: Horror

Recommended reading level: Grades 5-7

Subjects/themes: ghost stories, scary stories, death, hauntings, thrills and chills.

Other Books in this series:

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Annotation: Ever wonder what gives you those creepy feelings when you are all alone? Alvin Schwartz has come up with the answer with his collection of scary stories... read them, with the lights on!

Nancy Drew: The Mistletoe Mystery

Keene, C. (2002).  The Mistletoe Mystery. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Plot: It is the holiday season in River Heights, and Nancy Drew's friend Bess is working for a company called Special Effects, which is designing decorations for Albemarle's Department store. Bess has a good friend, Ali, who is working in the Wave department of Albemarle's and there was a huge theft of expensive dresses from there, and she is suspected of taking them. There has been some expensive equipment missing from the electronics department too. Bess knows her friend wouldn't do a thing like that, so she asks Nancy to investigate and find out who is stealing from Albemarle's and clear Ali's name.

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Reading Level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Detective work, Christmas, friendship, sleuthing

Other Books in this Series:

• The E-Mail Mystery
• Whispers in the Fog
• The Curse of the Black Cat
• The Secret in the Stars
• Mystery on the Menu

Annotation: Have you ever known in your gut that your friend was innocent of a crime they didn't commit? Well, Nancy Drew's friend Bess knows that Ali didn't steal the dresses from Albemarle's Department store, right? Find out who Nancy catches red-handed in this edition of the popular series by Carolyn Keene.

The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night

Stine, R. L. (2001). The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Plot: 10 creepy stories ranging from two friends who go out on Halloween, get invited to a party for dead people, only to find they are dead too! How about a young kid who plays a trick on his friend, making him into a snowman. He thinks he left him as a snowman too long and is frozen when the friend jumps out and scares him to death! Stories to check out in this collection are: The Halloween Dance; The Bad Baby-sitter; Revenge of the Snowman; How to Bargain with a Dragon; The Mummy's Dream; Are We There Yet?; Take Me with You; My Imaginary Friend; Losers; Can You Draw Me?

Note: This book isn't very scary at all, so I wouldn't recommend it for older tweens.

Genre: Horror

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-5

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, horror, voodoo, death, scary stories.

Other Books by R.L. Stine:

• Goosebumps series
• Fear Street series
• The Nightmare Room series

Annotation: R. L. Stine brings you a collection of 10 scary stories for young children that will keep you up till late at night. Read this book at your own risk!