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

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.

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

Say Cheese and Die (DVD)

(1996). Goosebumps: Say Cheese and Die. 20th Century Fox.

This episode originally aired as part of the Goosebumps television series in the 1990's.

Starring: Ryan Gosling as Greg

Plot: Greg and his friends Shari and Bird go into the basement of an abondoned building where this creepy guy, Spidey, hangs out. Greg finds an old camera and takes a picture of Bird. Right after Bird falls down the stairs. When Greg looks at the picture he took he can't believe it! The picture shows Bird falling, even though Greg took the picture before Bird fell. Strange things keep happening after Greg takes pictures with the camera, like his dad's new car showed up totaled in the picture and the his dad gets in a car accident. Is the camera cursed and causing these terrible things to happen?

Interest level: Ages 8-12

Genre: Horror

Subjects/themes: horror, fantasy, series, curses, fortune telling.

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 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 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.

Nancy Drew: The Baby-Sitter Burglaries

Keene, C. (1996). The Baby-Sitter Burglaries. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Publishers.

Plot: Nancy Drew is on to a new mystery. There have been a string of burglaries in River Heights and each one is connected to a girl named Juanita Puentes, who has baby-sat for each family. What is more serious is that Juanita's boyfriend used to work for an alarm company, the same one used for each home burglarized. Nancy knows Juanita is innocent, so she is going solve this mystery and clear her name.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6

Subjects/themes: Mystery, sleuthing, friendship, magic, burglary, theft.

Other Nancy Drew Books by Carolyn Keene:

• The Vanishing Veil
• The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery
• The Wedding Day Mystery
• Mystery on Maui
• The Ghost of the Lantern Lady
• The Mistletoe Mystery

Annotation: Nancy Drew is onto a new mystery! Can she find out who has been burglarizing the people of River Heights before the police arrest her friend Juanita Puentes because she is connected to all the families? Read the book and find out!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Kinney, J. (2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. Amulet Books.

Plot: Greg Heffley wants only to stay inside, play video games and sleep in late. His mother has better ideas. She wants him to read, go outside, check out the community pool. Jeff doesn't like to read, he'd much rather stay inside in the air conditioning and he is scarred by the images of hairy men in the showers of the community pool locker rooms! Follow Greg's summer days as he gets into trouble, fights with his best friend Rowley and tries to spend "quality" father-son time with his dad.

Genre: Humor

Suggested reading level: Grades 4-7

Subjects/themes: family, summer, vacation, friendships, humor

Other Books in this Series:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Annotation: What do you like to do on your summer vacation? Greg Heffley likes to stay in and play video games, but his mom wants him to go outside and hang out with his friends. The thing is, when Greg gets out of the house is when he starts to get in trouble. Find out what happens in the fourth book of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series!