Book Recommendation List

Fantasy
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Chima Williams
The BFG by Roald Dahl. Sophie is saved by the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) and
finds herself in a strange environment. 1982.
The Boggart by Susan Cooper. When the Volnik family in Toronto inherits an
ancient castle in Scotland, they also inherit the Boggart, a mischievous spirit that
has lived there for centuries. 1993.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. The fate of the peaceful kingdom of
Prydain hangs in the balance as a young pig keeper and a great warrior battle
the forces of evil. 1964.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. Adventures in the supernatural as Will
Stanton takes part in the eternal conflict between good and evil.1973.
The Dark Stairs: A Herculeah Jones Mystery by Betsy Byars. The daughter of
a police detective and a private eye becomes a sleuth in this fast-paced mystery.
1994.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. The first adventures of
four children who go into the magical land of Narnia. 1950.
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Justin. When Milo receives a tollbooth as a gift,
he finds that it admits him to a land where many adventures take place. l961.

Science Fiction

H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute for Villainous Education by Mark Walden
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Epic by Conor Kostick
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Adventure
The Cay by Theodore Taylor. Blind American boy and an old West Indian native
are stranded on a Caribbean island.1969.
 Hatchet by Gary Paulson. Following a plane crash, a boy survives 54 days in the
Canadian wilderness. 1988.
The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton. A family tries to unravel the
secrets of their new home which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.
1968.
The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander. Vesper Holly and her guardian set
sail for the tiny country of Illyria in search of treasure only to find themselves in
the middle of a war. 1986.
Julie by Jean Craighead George. In this sequel to Julie of the Wolves, Julie
returns to live with her father in their Inuit village. 1994.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Sam Gribley spends a
winter alone in the Catskill Mountains. 1959.
The Scorpio Ghosts and the Black Hole Gang by Kathy Kennedy Tapp. Four
children are bored with their parents' idea of renovating an old schoolhouse in
Wisconsin, until they meet a floating ghost. 1987.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. Children smuggle gold out of occupied
Norway on their sleds. 1942.
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. Little Willy competes against the Indian
Stone Face in the National Dogsled Races. 1980.
Trouble River by Betsy Byars. A thrilling historical adventure about young Dewey
and his feisty grandmother fighting for their lives on a river raft.1969.
Casing Vermeer by Blue Balliot; a puzzle-filled mystery about two kids trying to
track down an art thief.

Historical
Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia
Hamilton. The account of the escape, the recapture, and the sensational 1854
trial of a fugitive slave. 1988.
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War
Spy by S. Reit. In 1861, Emma Edmonds joined the Union Army disguised as a
boy. She went on to serve her country as a master spy. 1988.
Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen. A fictionalized account of the journey
of nine-year-old Mary Ellen Todd and her family along the Oregon Trail in 1852.
1994.
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. Set in the 14th century, the
classic story of one boy's personal heroism when he loses the use of his legs.
1949.
A Family Apart (The Orphan Train series) by Joan Lowrey Nixon. The story of
Frances Mary and the other Kelly children sent to St. Louis in the mid-19th
century to live with frontier families. 1987.
Johnny Tremain: A Novel For Young and Old by Esther Forbes. Story of a
young silversmith's apprentice, who plays an important part in the American
Revolution. 1943.
 My Brother Sam is Dead by James L. Collier. Recounts tragedy that strikes the
Meeker family during the American Revolution when one son joins the Rebel
forces.1974.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowrey. Best friends Annemarie Johansen and Ellen
Rosen must pretend to be sisters when Ellen's parents go into hiding to escape a
Nazi roundup. 1989.
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell. The tragic forced march of the Indians to
Fort Sumner in 1864, told by a young Navajo girl. 1970.
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox. Fourteen-year-old Jessie is kidnapped and
forced aboard an American slave ship bound for Africa. 1973.
Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare. In 1687, Kit Tyler befriends an
old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself
standing trial for witchcraft. 1958.

Humorous
Aliens for Breakfast
by Jonathon Etra. Finding an intergalactic special agent in his cereal box,
Richard joins in a fight to save Earth from the Dranes, one of whom is
masquerading as a student in Richard's class. 1988.
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe and James Howe. A
dog named Harold tells the story of a rabbit many believe to be a vampire. 1979.
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith. Henry Green develops the first
recorded case of chocolate fever. 1989.
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald. The shrewdest con artist west of the
Mississippi during the early 1900s was 10-year-old Tom Fitzgerald, alias The
Great Brain. 1967.
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell. In this very funny story, Billy
takes on a bet -- he will eat 15 worms a day. 1972.
Kevin Corbett Eats Flies by P. Hermes. Kevin and his friend conspire to prevent
Kevin's father from moving himself and Kevin yet again. 1986.

Below are some recommendations based on category instead or genre.

Challenging Structures
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
Unusual Perspectives or Points of View
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grant

Ambiguous Endings
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Giver by Lois Lowry

Thought Provoking Content: Social and Emotional Issues

Thought Provoking Content: Historical and Cultural Themes

Role Models
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis

Gifted Protagonists
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart