Books for Older Readers
Barnett, Mac
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity
Steve, a 12-year-old detective wanna-be, becomes involved in trying to find the missing Maguffin quilt in this tongue-in-check mystery involving ninja librarians, detective handbooks and a resourceful boy.
Barton, Chris
Two creative brothers, Bob and Joe Switzer, discovered a new kind of paint; these unusual, brilliant colors helped brighten people’s days, saved lives and helped win World War II.
Baskin, Nora Raleigh
A 12-year-old autistic boy with a talent for writing but limited social skills, narrates this novel as he tries to make sense of his differently wired life and somehow fit into a typical world.
Beil, Michael D
By following complicated clues designed as a scavenger hunt, three private school friends, melodramatic Sophia, brainy Margaret and wisecracking Rebecca, help an elderly neighbor solve an intriguing 20-year-old puzzle.
Berlin, Eric
Winston and his friends compete with other talented kids trying to solve clever brain-teasers on an all day puzzle hunt where the winning team will win $50,000 for their school.
Chaikin, Andrew
Mission Control, This is Apollo
Voyage back in time to July 20, 1969, the day Apollo 11 landed on the moon, and discover the events that led up to this mission and laid the groundwork for future space exploration.
Coy, John
In this hilarious yet honest story, four baseball teammates must adjust to a girl joining their team and deal with the rumored “atrocities” that happen in middle school.
Creech, Sharon.
A spunky American girl and a confused angel living in a sleepy Swiss town create small miracles as they work together to rescue a group of homeless children in this magical and charming tale.
Davis, Eleanor
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
Get ready for a high-tech adventure when three brilliant young inventors try to recover their stolen blueprints and prevent the evil thief from hatching his dastardly plans.
DiCamillo, Kate
When a fortune teller predicts that Peter’s dead sister is really alive and that an elephant will lead him to her, Peter begins a desperate search and finds love and family in this transformative f.
Ferrari, Michael
At the start of World War II, 11-year-old Bird is determined to fly planes like her absent father and together with a Japanese- American boy searches for a spy who has murdered a local man.
Fleming, Candace
Step right up to the three-ring circus of P.T. Barnum, the founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the greatest showman on earth, and learn about the mysterious man behind the curtain.
Franco, Betsy
The problem with a kitten is that, sooner or later, it becomes a CAT! Enjoy this highly visual and lyrical celebration of the furry, fiddly, finicky and fickle felines, hairballs included!
French, Susannah T.
11-year-old Julian and his friends use their imagination and spunk to fight corporate America as they try to save a stand of old-growth California redwood trees in this exciting eco-adventure.
Gifford, Clive
10 Kings & Queens Who Changed the World
Find out about ten illustrious kings and queens who built spectacular palaces, assembled fearsome armies, forged vast empires and forever changed the course of history.
Hiaasen, Carl
This madcap adventure mystery revolves around the disappearance of an unpopular and feared biology teacher during a field trip to the Florida Everglades and the efforts her students make to find her.
Holmes, Sara Lewis
An unorthodox and enthusiastic teacher, who uses improvisational acting techniques to motivate her class, teaches her students how to be open to new experiences and handle devastating ones by remaining positive.
Hoose, Phillip
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
This eye-opening book relates the story of Claudette Colvin who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person, nine months before Rosa Parks’ history-making protest.
Jonell, Lynne
Ten-year-old Christina discovers that the company her father works for is using neglected orphans to mine “zoom,” an extraordinary fuel that is worth millions in this fast-paced, quirky fantasy.
Jukes, Mavis
After moving with his divorced mom to California and leaving his rodeo dad in Idaho, 12-year-old Colt tries to adjust to his new life but is devastated when his beloved Maine coon cat disappears.
Kelly, Jacqueline
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
In 1899 Texas, Callie shuns the typical pursuits of a girl her age and prefers instead to study the natural world in her backyard, keeping careful notes and forging a special relationship with her grandfather. 2010 Newbery Honor Book
Korman, Gordon
Savannah and her friends have a plan to rescue her stolen monkey and other animals from a floating zoo; the only problem – what to do with all those animals once they are free.
Lin, Grace.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Seeking a better life for her family, Minli, with the help of a magical goldfish and a dragon that cannot fly, takes an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon. 2010 Newbery Honor Book
Lubar, David.
Tired of being unpopular and bullied, Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone, that changes him into a half-dead zombie, which he soon discovers has some real advantages.
Marino, Nan
Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies MAR Muscle Man McGinty Told Me
During the summer of 1969, ten-year-old Tamara deals with the anxiety and anger of her brother’s fighting in Vietnam and the loss of her best friend by bullying and tormenting the new foster child on the block.
Mason, Timothy
Middle-schoolers Phoebe and Rob discover a 250,000,000-year-old mammal-like reptile who has time-traveled to the future and must help him return to his own time in order to prevent the extinction of the human race.
Mass, Wendy
After celebrating their 11th birthday apart, former best friends Amanda and Leo are forced to relive the day over and over until they can resolve their problems and renew their friendship.
Montgomery, Sy
Saving the Ghost of the Mountain
Travel high into Mongolia's Altai Mountains with MON conservationists trying to save the elusive snow leopards.
Murphy, Jim
Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting
December 24, 1914: on this astonishing night during World MUR War I, enemy soldiers disobeyed their commanding officers, stopped fighting, declared a miraculous Christmas truce and celebrated the holiday together.
Patron, Susan
This quirky tale featuring the eccentric citizens of Hard Pan, California finds Lucky caught between being best friends with a girl or continuing her unusual friendship with knot-obsessed Lincoln as she plans for her 11th birthday.
Philbrick, Rodman
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
With a combination of courage, luck and his talent for telling lies when needed, Homer sets out to save his older brother who has been unjustly conscripted into the Union Army. 2010 Newbery Honor Book
Platt, Richard
London: From Roman Capital to Olympic City
Take a birds’ eye look at London from 3500 B.C. through the Roman invasion, Viking raids, the plague and Great Fire and learn how it rose again and again to become today’s dazzling modern metropolis.
Slayton, Fran Cannon
Jimmy recounts seven consecutive Halloween nights in a small railroad town in the 1940’s as he and his brothers make mischief and investigate a secret society.
Snyder, Laurel
Four kids stumble across a magic wall during their summer vacation and must figure out how the magic works, what to do with it and how to get along at the same time while traveling through time and space.
Stone, Tanya Lee
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who STO Dared to Dream
During the 1960’s, thirteen courageous women, later known as the Mercury 13, challenged social norms to prove that they could not only pass the grueling rigors of training but also become exceptional astronauts.
Sturm, James
This entertaining graphic novel seamlessly combines the adventures of an eager knight, his sidekicks and a gum-chewing dragon with lessons in the basic elements of cartooning and technique.
Thimmesh, Catherine
Get acquainted with your antiquated ancestor, Lucy, the spectacular specimen who walked upright 3.2 million years.
Turner, Pamela S
Meet scientist Dr. Tyrone Hayes as you follow him and his team investigating the effects of pesticides and enjoy the fabulous color photographs of many different types of frogs
Weitzman, David
Unearth this remarkable story of how Pharaoh Cheops' WEI wondrous craft, one of the most magnificent boats of the ancient world, was masterfully crafted, exhumed thousands of years later and carefully reconstructed once again.
Tween Books 2010
Troll’s Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales
In these clever and deliciously horrifying fractured fairy tales, the villains, including witches, the giant’s wife, a wolf, a troll and an elf, innocently explain how and why they became so evil and wicked.
Burg, Ann E
Matt Pin, a 12-year-old Vietnamese-American, was airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam in 1975 and adopted by a caring American family but is haunted by violent images of war and the family he left behind.
Carey, Benedict
Searching through claustrophobic tunnels, secret underground workstations and mountains of trash, a group of middle school misfits solve math clues left by their tutor and discover an evil plot masterminded by corrupt adults.
Harris, Lewis
Witty dialogue and quirky characters abound in this fast-paced story as Svetlana must use her special skills to stop her evil sixth-grade teacher who really is a vampire.
McCaughrean, Geraldine
Hoping to escape his aunt’s dire prediction that he will be dead by 14, Pepper tries to cheat death by jumping from one job to another leaving chaos and disaster in his wake.
Parry, Rosanne
With his brothers away and his father deployed to Iraq, an 11-year-old boy and his grandfather struggle to keep the family’s farm going in this powerful, coming-of-age story.
Scaletta, Kurtis
When the rain finally ends after falling for 22 years, a baseball game between two rival towns resumes pitting cocky and angry 12-year-old Roy against his mysterious and talented foster brother.
Stead, Rebecca
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on “The $20,000 Pyramid,” a 12-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seem to defy time and space. 2010 Newbery Award Winner
Wrede, Patricia
Perceived as unlucky because she is a 13th child, Eff moves with her family and her twin brother – seventh son of a seventh son – to the Western frontier, where they encounter magical mysteries and perils as she comes to realize her own powers.
Yohalem, Eve
Living in Ethiopia where her mother is the American ambassador, 13-year-old Lucy must use her wits, courage and survival skills to escape from the drug dealers who kidnapped her and left her alone in the African wild.