Novel Suggestions
Feel free to choose from these suggestions or your own! The only require is that it should be a fictional novel.
ADVENTURE and MYSTERY
The Merlin Saga by T.A. Barron: The Merlin Saga tells the complete story of Merlin’s life and times spanning 12 exciting novels. The saga includes The Lost Years of Merlin epic, which chronicle the origins of the greatest of all wizards; Merlin’s Dragon trilogy , where you meet the powerful dragon in the universe – who is also Merlin’s best friend; The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy), which take place in Merlin’s world a thousand years after the wizard’s youth; and The Book of Magic, an illustrated companion volume that reveals the secrets of many characters and places in Merlin’s worlds.
The Atlantis Saga by T.A. Barron: This is not just another tale of the destruction of Atlantis. Instead, it is the secret, untold story of the creation of Atlantis. You will discover exactly how Atlantis was created, what people — young heroes, greedy masterminds, and all sorts of bizarre, surprising creatures — fought to make it happen, and how this magical place gained such power from the wonders of nature.
Vango Between Earth and Sky by Timothee de Fombelle (2016)
A thrilling historical adventure set in the mid-1930s, this novel opens with a dramatic scene in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris where 19-year-old Vango is about to become a priest. Just before he is ordained, he is falsely accused of a murder. After scaling the Cathedral, the teen's exploits unfold across rooftops, on land and sea, and even by the Graf Zeppelin airship.
Into the Killing Seas by Michael Spradlin (2015)
In 1945, twelve-year-old Patrick and his younger brother Teddy stowaway on the U.S.S. Indianapolis in a desperate attempt to get back to the Philippines where they last saw their parents, just before the Japanese invasion--but when the ship is sunk they find themselves clinging to a piece of debris without food or water, and with hungry sharks circling.
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang (2015)
In the mid-20th century, San Francisco’s Chinatown is in the grip of a vicious tong. Can Hank, an unlikely super hero, defeat it? Dramatic detailed graphic art.
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick (2014)
Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers--a skill at which she's remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind. But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City
Skink: No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen (2014)
A one-eyed wandering vigilante, presumed dead, joins forces with Richard to search for his missing cousin.
Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin (2014)
When twelve-year-old Arcady is sent to a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state in Soviet Russia, soccer becomes a way to secure extra rations, respect, and protection but it may also be his way out if he can believe in and love another person--and himself.
Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (2014)
Luc is an orphan, living in debt slavery in Gabon, until he meets a Professor who claims to be studying chimpanzees, and they head off into the jungle--but when the Professor disappears, Luc has to fend for himself and join forces with the chimps to save their forest. One of a series.
Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge (2014)
Penelope Tredwell is the feisty thirteen-year-old orphan heiress of the bestselling magazine, The Penny Dreadful. Her masterly tales of the macabre are gripping Victorian Britain, even if no one knows she's the real author. One day a letter she receives from the governor of the notorious Bedlam madhouse plunges her into a terrifying adventure.
Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool (2013)
At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mother's death and placed in a boy's boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin (2011)
On the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Sasha’s world is overturned when his father is arrested by Stalin’s guard. Yelchin deftly crafts a stark and compelling story of a child’s lost idealism.
Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong (2010)
In 1982, twelve-year-old Vonlai and his family escape from Laos to a Thai refugee camp where they spend four long years struggling and hoping to reach America.
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes (2010)
A young girl struggles courageously to survive during Hurricane Katrina as she deals with her ailing foster mother.
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (2009)
Alone in the Arctic wilderness with his father’s corpse and a menacing stranger, Sig learns of a dangerous bargain made eleven years earlier in 1899 Nome, Alaska.
Claws by Dan Greenberg (2009)
Fourteen-year-old Cody trades one dangerous situation for another when he runs away from his abusive mother and takes a job caring for lions and tigers on a Texas ranch, where one of the owners has supposedly gone missing.
The Blazer Girls: The Rock of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil (2009)
Seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann find themselves on a scavenger hunt set up for a girl they never met, in search of a legendary ring reputed to grant wishes. First in The Blazer Girls series.
Airman by Eoin Colfer (2008)
In the late nineteenth century, when Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, he is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds under brutal conditions while he plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison by way of a flying machine that he must design, build, and hardest of all, trust to carry him to safety.
The Book Thief by Markus Zuskak (2006)
Death tells the story of a young German girl, Liesel, whose book-stealing and story-telling talents during World War II help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
Alex Rider: Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz (2003)
Reluctant teenage-spy Alex Rider, on a routine mission at the Wimbledon tennis championships, gets caught up in Chinese gangs, illegal nuclear weapons, and the suspect plans of his Russian host.
Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn (1995)
While staying at the remote and reputedly haunted Maine inn run by her father and pregnant stepmother, sixteen-year-old Cynda feels increasingly isolated from her father's new family and finds solace in the attentions of a charming but mysterious guest. Also try other ghostly mysteries by Hahn, such as The Doll in the Garden, All the Lovely Ones and Wait Till Helen Comes.
SCHOOL, FRIENDSHIP, IDENTITY
Gone Craxy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia (2015)
This is the final volume of a trilogy about three sisters. In this installment, the sisters learn surprising family secrets during a visit to their grandmother in Alabama. Coretta Scott King Author Award winner.
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle (2015)
In this poetic memoir, Margarita Engle, the first Latina woman to receive a Newbery Honor, tells of growing up as a child of two cultures during the Cold War. Pura Belpre Award winner.
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk (2016)
Twelve year old Anna must learn to stand up for what’s right in the face of a manipulative and violent bully who targets people Anna cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran.
Raymie NIghtingale by Kate DiCamillos (2016)
Hoping that if she wins a local beauty pageant her father will come home, Raymie practices twirling a baton and performing good deeds as she is drawn into an unlikely friendship with a drama queen and a
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton (2015)
In 1969 Mimi and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi's mixed-race background (half black, half Japanese) and interest in "boyish" topics like astronomy make her feel like an outsider.
Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead (2015)
As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvacious Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend--or more than friend--Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: “What is my purpose?”
Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman (2015) National Book Award winner, 2015.
A teenage boy struggles with schizophrena, finding comfort in studying deep underwater exploration. Based on the real experience of the author’s son.
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (2015)
Suzy wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced caused her friend’s death.
George by Alex Gina (2015)
Knowing herself to be a girl despite her outwardly male appearance, George is denied a female role in the class play before teaming up with a friend to reveal her true self.
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Allison Levy (2014)
Relates the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets as they make their way through a school year, Kindergarten through sixth grade, and deal with a grumpy new neighbor. (Sequel: The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island 2016)
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle (2014)
An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of "E.T."
The Short Seller by Elissa Brent Weissman (2013)
Look out Wall Street: twelve-year-old Lindy Sachs is about to make some serious cash. It all starts when she is granted $100 and access to her father’s online trading account as a way to alleviate her boredom while home sick from school--and learns that taking on the stock market is filled with more drama than she can handle.
Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington (2013)
Twelve-year-old Sarah writes letters to her hero, To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, for help understanding her mentally ill mother, her first real crush, and life in her small Texas town, all in the course of one momentous summer.
Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg (2013)
Revenge of the girl with the great personality / Elizabeth Eulberg.Tired of being the girl with the great personality who is constantly overshadowed by pretty girls, especially her pageant-princess little sister, sixteen-year-old Lexi Anderson decides to take on the pageant world herself and show the pretty girls and the boys who adore them, including her crush Logan, that she can play that game too.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2012)
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, where he endures the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (2011)
Hà and her family flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South. In spare yet vivid verse, she chronicles her yearlong struggle to find her place in a new and shifting world.
As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins (2010)
Fifteen-year-old Roy discovers that camp is cancelled and then experiences humorous adventures that transform his life.
Looks by Madeleine George (2008)
Meghan, the invisible fat girl, and Aimee, overlooked and anorexic, form an uneasy alliance to get revenge on a mutual enemy.
Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Maas (2005)
Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the death of her beloved cat, Mango.
The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake (1998)
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka Madison, insecure about her very dark skin, rejects the support of a new teacher, Miss Saunders, whose skin looks blotched because of a rare medical condition--but soon Maleeka begins to see that Miss Saunders could be a role model, and that she must learn to love herself and accept love from others.
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli (1997)
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (1967)
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parents’ death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
FANTASY
Icebreaker by Lian Tanner (2015)
Petrel is an outcast on the ancient ship, an icebreaker, that has been following the same course for 300 years. In that time, the ship's crew has forgotten its original purpose and broken into three warring tribes. Everyone has a tribe except Petrol. Nicknamed the Nothing Girl, Petrel has been ostracized ever since her parents were thrown overboard as punishment for a terrible crime.
The One Safe Place by Tania Unsworth (2015)
In a near future world of heat, greed, and hunger, Devin earns a coveted spot in a home for abandoned children that promises unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family, but Devin discovers the home's horrific true mission when he investigates its intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children.
Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson (2015)
When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big brother, Ari chose her big brother. There's just one problem—Gage doesn't actually have a place to live.
Nightbird by Alice Hoffman (2015)
Twig, is practically ignored by classmates and other residents of Sidwell, Massachusetts, but gets along fine with just her mother and brother, whose presence must be kept secret, until descendants of the witch who cursed her family move in next door and want to be her friends.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (2015)
Dorothy has returned to Oz and, with help from her three famous pals, has become a horrible despot.
Sparkers by Eleanor Glewwe (2015)
When fourteen-year-old Marah uncovers a government plot to eliminate a rival class by spreading disease, she races to find a cure
The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein (2015)
Twelve-year-old Billy, worried that his parents may divorce, discovers that an island in the middle of the lake near his summer rental cottage is the testing grounds of the mysterious Dr. Libris, who may have invented a way to make the characters in books come alive.
Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook (2015)
Shay needs to find her brother, Odin, who has escaped from “Singular,” an organization that experiments on animals.
A Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville (2015)
A fractured-fairy-tale-type of fantasy, this is the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as told by young Teddy's governess, who came to work at the Vaughn family estate shortly after a mysterious golden-haired girl, ragged and dirty, entered the home and soon became a beloved foster child.
The Sign of the Cat by Lynne Jonell (2015)
Duncan has a secret ability to speak cat, a skill that comes in handy when he is kidnapped.
The Second Guard by J. D. Vaughn (2015)
In a re-imagined South American civilization that was never destroyed by European incursions, families are required to send their second-born children to serve as soldiers or servants when they turn 15. Talimendra Sanchez Kalloryn of the Magda River Traders is eager to prove herself in the Queen's army, along with her friends Zarif and Chey. As Tali's training intensifies, she begins to see clues that the queendom may be flawed beneath a seamless surface, and that treachery threatens the throne, the Guard, and the entire society.
Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull (2014)
Whisked through a portal to The Outskirts, an in-between world, sixth-grader Cole must rescue his friends and find his way back home--before his existence is forgotten.
Uncaged by John Sanford (2014)
When an animal rights action at a research lab goes wrong, a terrible secret is exposed, and Shay must find her brother Odin before the researchers at Singular Corp can silence both of them
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty (2013)
Madeleine is struggling to cope with poverty and her mother's illness and Elliot of the Kingdom of Cello in a parallel world where colors are villainous and his father is missing, begin exchanging notes through a crack between their worlds.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein (2013)
Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the unusual new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.
Steelheart: The Reckoning Book 1 (2013)
At age eight, David watched as his father was killed by an Epic, a human with superhuman powers, and now, ten years later, he joins the Reckoners--the only people who are trying to kill the Epics and end their tyranny.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (2012)
When the death of a royal prince threatens the fragile peace between humans and dragons in Goredd, court musician Seraphina is drawn into the murder investigation. But even as she aids Prince Lucian in his mission to uncover the murderer, Seraphina conceals a dangerous secret of her own—her half-human, half-dragon heritage. First of a series.
The Outcasts by John Flanagan (2011)
Hal, Stig, and the other outcasts do not have the size and strength of the Skandians, but when they face off against the Wolves and the Sharks in an ultimate race for survival, they hope that their courage and cunning are enough to help them win in a game that everyone seems to think is a matter of life and death. First of the Brotherband Chronicles series.
A Web of Air by Philip Reeve (2011)
In Mayda, a post-apocalyptic city off the coast of Portugal, a brilliant young engineer and a mysterious recluse race to build a flying machine, unaware that powerful enemies will kill to possess--or destroy--their new technology.Sequel to Fever Crumb.
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (2010)
In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel (2010)
Garth, a sickly boy, is accidentally pulled into the ghost world. Here he discovers his special powers, using them to fight evil.
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman (2010)
When teenager Elizabeth becomes a page at a Manhattan library that circulates material objects, not books, she gets involved in fantastic, scary, suspenseful happenings.
Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers (2010)
by Pendred Noyce, illustrated by Joan Charles
Thirteen-year-old cousins Daphne and Ivan stumble into a world where punctuation attacks the people. They encounter keepers and enemies but emerge triumphant.
The Ring of Five by Eoín McNamee (2010)
Kidnapped on his way to boarding school, Danny finds himself in a school for spies with his life in danger.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (2010)
A series of fractured fairy tales are pulled together in a humorous, scary narrative.
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Series, beginning in 2010)
Brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane unites his two children for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, hoping to set things right for his family after the death of the children's mother. Instead, he awakens the gods of Egypt and unleashes the worst of them, the god Set, who banishes Julius to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Any Rick Riordan series!
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton (2010)
Persimmony has wonderful adventures with strange, outlandish creatures on the isolated little island on which they all live.
13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (2010)
Bedeviled by evil fairies that only she can see, thirteen-year-old Tanya is sent to stay with her cold and distant grandmother at Elvesden Manor, where she and the caretaker's son solve a disturbing mystery that leads them to the discovery that Tanya's life is in danger.
Bloodline by Katy Moran (2009)
Paolini and Tolkien fans will be drawn into the brutal world of Dark Age Britain where Essa fights for his life, his identity and those he loves.
Jolted: New Starker's Rules for Survival by Arthur G. Slade (2009)
Many of Newton Starker's ancestors, including his mother, have been killed by lightning strikes, so when he enrolls at the eccentric Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, he tries to be a model student so that he can avoid the same fate.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death. First of a trilogy.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Series, beginning in 2006)
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon. Sent to Camp Half Blood, he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena, who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
Pretties or Uglies or Specials by Scott Westerfield (Series beginning in 2005)
Living in a conformist future world where everyone has an operation at the age of sixteen to make them “beautiful,” a few girls risk everything to challenge the social order.
The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley (Sisters Grimm series beginning in 2005)
Although filled with anger over her parents' disappearance, eleven-year-old Sabrina Grimm--along with her grandmother, sister, and several fairy-tale characters--tries to discover who has killed her teacher.
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (2003)
Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace. First of a trilogy, The Bartimaeus Trilogy.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
In a society in which books are outlawed, Montag, a regimented fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, meets a revolutionary school teacher who dares to read. Suddenly he finds himself a hunted fugitive, forced to choose not only between two women, but between personal safety and intellectual freedom.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1950)
In this science fiction classic, the first Earth people to attempt the colonization of Mars try to build their new world in the image of the civilization they left behind.
HISTORICAL FICTION
The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale (2015)
Relates, in graphic novel format, the story of Araminta Ross, who was born a slave in Delaware but eventually escaped north to freedom. Changing her name to Harriet Tubman, she became an "abductor" on the Underground Railroad, risking her life to help other slaves reach freedom. One of a series, The Hazardous Tales.
The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman (2014)
When Jade Moon, born in the unlucky year of the Fire Horse, and her father immigrate to America in 1923 and are detained at Angel Island Immigration Station, Jade Moon is determined to find a way through and prove that she is not cursed.
A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo (2014)
Joseph and his older brother flee occupied Paris after they are beaten up because they are Jewish. Can they make it to the free zone?
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis (2014)
In 1901 Benji, an African Canadian, and Red, an Irish Canadian, both thirteen, meet and uncover the identity of the madman of Piney Woods.
Brotherhood by Anne Westrick (2013)
The year is 1867, and the South has lost the Civil War. Those on the lowest rungs, like Shad's family, fear that the freed slaves will take the few jobs available. In this climate of despair and fear, a group has formed. Today we know it as the KKK.
Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (2013)
A graphically rendered account of China's Boxer Rebellion in 1898 is told from the perspective of Little Bao, who joins an army of kung fu-trained commoners who fight for freedom from the oppression inflicted by foreign missionaries and soldiers. By the creator of the National Book Award finalist, American Born Chinese.
Saints by Gene Luen Yang (2013)
A companion volume to Boxers graphically depicts China's 1898 Boxer Rebellion from the perspective of a young Christian convert and neglected fourth daughter who struggles with divided loyalties that compel her to make the ultimate sacrifice for her faith.
Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein (2010)
When her correspondence with Sir Walter Raleigh, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, is discovered, Cate is sent to Roanoke as punishment.
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen (2010)
From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out for New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes.
Black Storm Comin’ by Diane Wilson (2005)
Twelve-year-old Colton, son of an African-American mother and a white father, takes a job with the Pony Express in 1860 after his father abandons the family on their California-bound wagon train, and risks his life to deliver an important letter that may affect the growing conflict between the North and South.
CLASSICS
Around the World in 100 Days by Gary Blackwood (2010)
In England in 1891, Harry Fogg sets off in his motor car on an adventure-filled journey around the world. Inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days.
Holes by Louis Sachar (1999 Newbery Medal winner)
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune, which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert, where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (1974)
You wouldn't think that Jerry Renault’s refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control.
Watership Down by Richard Adams (1974)
Chronicles the adventures of a group of rabbits searching for a safe place to establish a new warren where they can live in peace.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (1973)
A rebel named Randle Patrick McMurphy is committed to a mental ward and challenges the authority of its dictatorial head nurse.
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene (1973)
When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (1969)
Philip, an adolescent white boy who is blinded in a torpedo attack at sea during World War II, acquires a new type of vision, courage, and love when he is stranded on a tiny Caribbean island with Timothy, a kind elderly black man.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (1967)
Recounts the story of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders--one an orthodox Jew, the other the son of a Hasidic rabbi--and the course of their friendship as they grow up in Brooklyn.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1963 Newbery Medal winner)
Three extraterrestrial beings take Meg, her brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin to rescue her father, who is trapped in another world.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (1961)
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (1957)
In a small town in 1928, a twelve-year-old boy savors the magic of childhood and the wonders of summer.
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson (1956)
In the late 1860s in the Texas hill country, a big yellow dog and a fourteen-year-old boy form a close, loving relationship.
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1938)
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet.
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (1937)
Ten-year-oldTen-year-old Jody learns about life and death through her ownership of a beautiful red pony.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937)
The adventures of the well-to-do hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who lived happily in his comfortable home until a wandering wizard granted his wish.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (1908)
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm, and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in mid-nineteenth-century New England.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)
The classic account of a shipwrecked Englishman and his survival on a desert island.