Everest (Series) by Gordon Korman. The ultimate test of endurance and skill for a group of kids—to be the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest. Some are not ready for the challenge and some will stop at nothing to get to the top.


ANIMAL STORIES

Black Stallion by Walter Farley. A wild Arabian stallion and the boy who trained him. 1941.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. Beautiful story of a friendship between Wilbur, a gentle young pig, and the beautiful and intelligent spider who saved his life. 1952.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. When Marty finds a mistreated puppy, he knows he should return it to the rightful owner, but struggles with this as he know the puppy will be abused again. 1991.

Sounder by William H. Armstrong. Wrongly accused, an innocent man and his son are saved from pursuers by their loyal dog, Sounder.1969.

Trouble With Tuck by Theordore Taylor. A girl trains her blind dog to follow & trust a guide dog of his own. 1981

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. After spending weeks training his dogs, Billy enters the annual coon-hunt contest and wins. 1974.


FAMILY & FRIENDS

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Story of a boy and a girl, two fifth-graders, who build an imaginary kingdom of art, literature and friendship -- until tragedy occurs. 1977.

Coco Grimes by Mary Stolz. Thomas, who has just turned 11, is dying to go to Miami to meet Coco Grimes, a man who once played baseball in the Negro Leagues. 1994.

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Eleven-year-old Gilly is placed in a new foster home with an unusual foster mother. 1978.

Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs by Jamie Gilson. Harvey looks forward to the arrival of a Vietnamese refugee family and their son, but runs into trouble with the prejudice of his American friend Quint. 1985.

More Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron. More episodes in the life of Julian, including a bet with his best friend, a science project, and what happens when his brother decides to be Superboy. 1989.

On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer. Twelve-year-old Joel must learn to live with fear and grief after his his friend Tony drowns in a treacherous river. 1986.

Pinballs by Betsy Byars. Two boys and a girl meet in the foster home where they've been sent to live. 1977.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Peter Hatcher's trials and tribulations, most of which are caused by his two-year-old pesky brother, Fudge. 1972.

Wanted: Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars. The Blossom family has an eventful weekend during which Pap's dog Mud is put on trial for the murder of the school hamster. 1991.

Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera Cleaver. An Appalachian girl is determined to fulfill her father's last request to keep the family together. 1969.

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 Borrowers by Mary Norton. Little people, no taller than a pencil, live in old houses and borrow what they need from humans.1953.

Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. A Connecticut cricket is transported in a picnic basket to New York's Times Square. l960.

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 Giver by Lois Lowry. A haunting story in which a boy who inhabits a seemingly ideal world experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. 1993.

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.

The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh. A family of living, intelligent, life-sized rag dolls live undiscovered in a London flat. 1995.

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.

The Sea Egg by L.M. Boston. A brief episode of magic perfectly captured in this adventure of two brothers whose egg-shaped rock hatches into a baby merman. 1967.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Mysterious story about the Tuck family, whose members drink from a magical spring and never grow old. 1975. .
Passager. By Jane Yolen. The first book in the Young Merlin Trilogy introduces us to the young Merlin, who magically survives being abandoned in the forest as a boy. Hobby and Merlin complete the trilogy. Harcourt, 1996

Dealing with Dragons. By Patricia Wrede. A feisty princess with a mind of her own volunteers to be a servant to a dragon. (Series). Harcourt, l990.

HUMOROUS

Everything on a Waffle,by Polly Horvath

Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowrey. Anastasia's tenth year has some good things like falling in love and getting to know her grandmother and some bad things like finding out her mother is going to have a baby. 1979.

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.


SCHOOL

The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson. The incorrigible Herdmans from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are back in this book of laugh-out-loud adventures.1994.

The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown by Betsy Byars. During Bingo's sixth-grade year, he falls in love three times for starters. 1988.

Class President by Johanna Hurwitz. Fifth grade holds a lot of changes for Julio Sanchez, especially after being elected class president. 1990.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Precocious, overprivileged Harriet darts around her Manhattan neighborhood ferreting out and writing down the worst and best on her scene, sparing no one. 1964.

Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli. After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his friends.1990.

Thirteen Ways to Sing a Sub by Jamie Gilson. The girls in Room 4A challenge the boys to see who can first make their substitute teacher cry.1982.

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar. More zany episodes with the children who inhabit the world's wackiest elementary school. 1994.

Frindle by Andrew Clements. Andrew and his teacher struggle over the use of a new word in this funny story about the power of language. *and many more by Andrew Clements.


SPORTS


Me, Mop and the Moondance Kid by Walter Dean Myers. Mop wants to star in Little League baseball, hoping she will get adopted by the couple coaching her team.1988.

No Arm in Left Field by Matt Christopher. The new kid in town tries out for the baseball team, but his weak throwing arm causes friction between him and the shortstop. *Or other Matt Christopher books

*Matt Christopher has some great sports biographies

Outside Shooter by Thomas Dygard. Story of a first-year coach and his challenge to shape up an uncontrollable yet talented player. 1990.

Skinnybones by Barbara Parks. Tale of a Little League misfit. 1982.

S.O.R. Losers by Avi. Everyone at South Orange River Middle School is expected to participate in one sport each year, and this is the story of a soccer team that would rather be doing something else. 1984.

The Trading Game by Alfred Slote. The baseball card Andy longs to add to his almost complete collection is the one for his own grandfather in this fast-paced and funny story. 1990.


SCARY STORIES

Something Upstairs: A Tale of Ghosts by Avi. To set the spirit of a young African American slave to rest, a contemporary boy must travel back in time to 1800. 1988.

McMummy by Betsy Byars. In this combination of the funny and bizarre, a boy faces off against a sinister, humming pea pod that's growing in the greenhouse of an eccentric professor.

The Dark Way by Virginia Hamilton. The retelling of 24 myths and folktales from around the world filled with monsters, devils and phantoms "eager to leap into the corners of our imaginations." 1990.

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. Strange things happen in the old doll house Amy finds in the attic. 1983.

The Secret of Lizard Island by Ernest Herndon. When a mix-up sends 12-year-old Eric to the South Pacific on a mission, the boy finds himself on a remote island where scientists seem to be growing 30-foot lizards. 1994.

Seven Spiders Spinning by Gregory Maguire. Ice Age spiders thaw out in modern-day Vermont in a neat combination of clever wit and delicious thrills. 1994.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. With genuinely creepy illustrations, this collection of American folklore should be read with the lights on. 1981.

The Thing at the Foot of the Bed and Other Scary Tales by Maria Leach. Thirty-five stories about ghosts, some scary and some funny. 1959.

The Ghost Came Calling by Betsy Ren Wright. Chad likes the rundown cabin at the lake until he discovers it's haunted by a ghost who doesn't want company. 1994.



FROM BOOKS TO MOVIES
The following books have all been made into movies. Read the book, then watch the movie. Or, vice versa. Some of the other books in this list are also available on video. Ask your librarian.


Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. A powerful story of a 14-year-old boy and the ugly stray dog he comes to love. 1956.

Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith. A piglet destined for butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheepdog, and discovers a special secret to success. 1985.

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. The adventures of a Labrador retriever, a terrier, and a Siamese cat, who journey 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to return home. 1961. (Movie version also known as: Homeward Bound.)

The Indian In the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks. A boy receives a
plastic toy Indian which comes to life. 1980.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A little girl, brought from India to England, is treated like a princess until her father dies. 1984.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. A group of rats are given human intelligence by a series of laboratory experiments. 1971.

The Rescuers by Margery Sharp. The Prisoners' Aid Society of mice want to free a Norwegian poet from the dungeon of the Black Castle.1974.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Three children find a secret garden and make it bloom again; the garden, in turn, changes the children.1962.