The Year of Miss Agnes
Kirkpatrick Hill Aladdin c2000 113 pages
Grades 2-5
A story about a one room school house set in Alaska in 1948. Miss Agnes is different from all the other teachers who didn't last in the rural setting. Ten year-old Frederick tells the story of the new teacher and how she changed their lives.
The Seven Woders of Sassafras Springs
Betty G. Birney Alladdin c2005 210 pages
Grades 3-5
Eben MaAllister sets our to find seven wonders in his home town after reading about the Seven Wonders of the World. A good read aloud about the wonders he discovers in his own home town .
The Road from Home
David Kherdian Beech TreePaperbacks c1979 238 pages
Setting: Turkey, Syria, and Greece
Time; 1907-1924
Biography of the author's mother telling the story of the Turkish government attempt to destory the Armenian population.
Newbery honor, ALA notable book
Save Queen of Sheba
Louise Moeri Puffin Books c1981 116 pages

A good story to supplement lessons on westward expansion .David and his sister, Queen Sheba,
survive an Indian attack while on the trail west. The story tells of his efforts to save himself and his sister and find their parents.
Pocket Poems

selected by Bobbi Katz Dutton Children's Books c2004
Good selection of short poems...use for A Poem in Your Pocket Day
The Frog Wore Red Suspenders
Jack Prelutsky Greenwillow Books, c2002

A great book of poetry. The Little Brown Toad is my grandkids favorite....we love reciting it together.
Use for atlas lessons since most poems are about a location in the USA
Dear Levi Letters from the Overland Trail
Elvira Woodruff Yearling,c1994 119 pages.

Set in 1851, Austin tells about his wagon train trip across the Overland Trail to his brother Levi through letters he writes. Austin is going west to take over their father's claim . Not all the stories have happy endings. Enough adventure for to keep 2nd -4th graders interested. A good historical fiction read to accompany westward expansion lessons.
The Bronze Pen
Zilpha Keatley Snyder Atheneum c2008 200 pages
Audrey Abbot enters a magical cave and is given a bronze pen by an old woman who tells her to "use it wisely and to good purpose". Audrey shares the secret of the bronze pen with Lizzie, her best friend, and together they teat its powers.
A fantasy for grades 3-5
Francie
Karen English, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, c1999 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
199 pages.
Francie her mother and younger brother, Prez, are waiting in Alabama for their father who is working in Chicago to send for them. Francie must work for wealthy white families as she struggles with her place in the world and waiting for her father to keep his promises. Francie tries to help the boy she was tutoring escape arrest and puts the black community in danger. A good read detailing the pre Civil -rights era.
Grades 3-6
Gib Rides Home
Gib is an orphan around the early 1900's. He realizes the older he gets the less likely he will be adopted. But he also finds out that most older boys are "farmed out" for cheap labor. This is his story of his "adoption" and the home he finally finds of his dreams.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Zulu priest, Stephen Kumalo leaves his South African village to find out the fate of his son and his sister in the city of Johannesburg. He tries to bring his family back from the brink of destruction. This book was written before the apartheid laws were in place in South Africa. Racial tension dominates the book. A story of great love and compassion that braces both sides of the races.

Red Blade and the Black Bear by Virgina F. Voight

An Indian boy befriends an orphaned cub and the bond between them grows stronger as each has the chance to save the life of the other.

The Stronghold by Mollie Hunter

Setting takes place during the time of the Druids - priests in Scotland. Coll, crippled in youth during a Roman raid for slaves, tries to convine the Chief that his plan for a stronghold he designed over many years is the best answer to thwart the raiders from Rome. Gripping story.
Nurk the Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew
by Ursula Vernon Harcourt c2008 131 pages.
Nurk, a small shrew ,goes on an adventure to find the owner of a letter mistakenly mailed to him. This is a great fantasy, and a good read aloud. Readers will care what happens to Nurk and enjoy reading about his adventures.
Perloo the Bold
Avi Scholastic c1998 223 pages.
Perloo, a shy quiet rabbit who would rather stay in his warm home by himself and read is forced into the politics of the Montmers by Lucabara. Jolaine, the granter ,has made him the next leader after her death rather than her son Berwig. What follows is the exciting story of Perloo's adventures as he must lead the Montmers , bring peace with the Felbarts, and survive the attacks of Berwig.
Grades 3 and up.
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Little Brown and Company c2007 485 pages.
After passing a series of test four children, Reynie, Kate, Constance and Sticky are selected to go on a secret mission . They are sent to the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where they become spies for Mr. Benedict. A good science fiction read for 5th and up.
Schooled by Gordon Korman. Hyperion Publishers c2007. 208 pages.
Capricorn Anderson has lived alone with his Grandmother, Rain, on a commune until she falls and breaks her hip. Cap must stay in a foster home while she recovers and attend school for the first time. The story follows Cap as he must learn how to function around people and make sense of the
new society he finds himself living in.
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. Puffin Books c2002. 251 pages.
Bobby Phillips wakes up one morning and is invisible. Bobby and his parents along with his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it. An interseting science fiction read for older Clements fans.
Ruins of Gorlan Book 1 of Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. Puffin Books, c2005 249 pages.
Fifteen -year-old Will after being rejected for battle school is chosen by Halt to become a Ranger.
The Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom and fight against Morgarath who is planning a battle to take over the kingdom. Will story is interesting to follow as he battles bullies learns about who he is and what he can accomplish.
Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly, Madison, Alan. Schwarta and Wade Books, c2007
Velma Gratch follows two older sisters to school. What will make Velma special? Velma finds the answer on the class trip to the Butterfly Conservatory. Interesting text and vivid pictures make this a good read aloud for K-3.
The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau Yearling, c2004 338 pages.

This book continues the story of Lina and Doon as they lead the people of Ember to safety.
Escaping from their underground world they find the small city of Sparks. At first the people of Sparks are willing to help the refugees but soon differences between the two groups grow.
This is an interesting story of the way Lina and Doon help resolve the conflicts that arise.
The characters are round and develope throughout the story. The plot is interesting and holds your attention to the end.