The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

The Underneath is a very touching, poetic story. When Calico Mama hears a song, a song that perfectly describes the way she is feeling, she follows it. The songs source, a bloodhound named Ranger, belongs to Gar-Face. Calico Mama is going to have kittens, so she must hide them from Gar-Face if she stays with Ranger. Gar-Face would use them as Alligator bait if he found them. He won't though, if they stay in the Underneath. One day, however, the temptation grows just a bit too great...

My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe

This is a sweet little book. When Ida’s best friend, Elizabeth, moves away, Ida vows never to make another, and they promise to write to each other every week. However, when Stacey moves to town, Ida’s diligence is stretched to the limit. Stacey is smiley and so nice that Ida has to deliberately avoid her in order to keep from breaking her vow. Then, when Elizabeth stops writing back, Ida wonders if it would be so bad…

Paint The Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

This is a stirring horse story, by the same author who wrote Esperanza Rising. Maya had previously been used to a life where her grandmother had fired housekeepers for not pointing the pitcher handle the correct way, and would make Maya switch schools for not getting one hundred percent on a spelling test. When Maya’s grandmother passes away, however, she is sent to live with family she did not even know existed and her story changes forever.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

This was a very well paced book, with great characters.  Eleven-year-old Reynie Muldoon is used to doing things by himself.  However, when he reads a mysterious advertisement in the newspaper, meets the only people who have ever come close to understanding him, and finds out about the notorious and ever occurring plot to take over the world, in less than three days, he and his new found friends must work together to protect themselves and each other, as well as a plethora of ignorant bystanders.

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows

The Magic Half is a great book. Eleven year-old Miri is the middle child between two sets of twins. When she is sent to her room for smacking her brother with a shovel, she notices an eyeglass lens taped to the wall of her room. After she looks through the lens, she finds herself transported back in time to 1935. Miri then realizes that she is standing in front of a girl whose name is, as she later finds out, is Molly. Molly is also eleven and convinced that Miri is a fairy and has come to save her from her vicious cousin and her cruel aunt.

Esperanza Rising by Pamela Munoz Ryan

This is a wonderful little book. When Esperanza, the daughter of a wealthy rancher in Mexico, is forced to run away from the only home she’s ever had, leave behind her lavish lifestyle, and move to California in the midst of the Great Depression, she must dig deep and find strength she didn’t know she had. For example, when she first came to California, she could not even sweep a floor because she’d always had servants to do that for her. By the end, though, she was working in the fields with people who had been doing so for years.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

In the last installment of the Percy Jackson series, Camp Half-Blood is preparing for a battle with the evil titan lord Kronos, the Olympians are busy containing one of the most powerful monsters, and Mount Olympus is practically unguarded.

Even after a small victory that cost a precious and beloved life, the campers understand that their chances at winning this war are grim, but they know that the most important thing is to guard Mount Olympus. Percy realizes that his friend Nico’s plan may be their only hope, and with this realization in mind is forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

When Mr. Popper received a mysterious package from Antarctica he was delighted to find that it was a penguin. But when the Penguin, newly named Captain Cook, becomes lonely, they acquire a second penguin that just happens to be a female. Pretty soon, there are eggs, ten of them. For fun, the children, Bill and Janie, teach the penguins tricks such as climbing up ladders and pretending to fight, and for a while, everyone is happy. After a little bit, though, the penguin’s food starts to become too expensive and the threat of needing to get rid of them suddenly becomes very real. All the Poppers have gotten attached to the birds, however, so Mr. Popper is determined to keep them. One day, watching the Penguins parade around the house, he realizes that they would be good performers, and so when the Marvelous Marcos don’t show up at the circus, the Birds fill in, and so their careers begin…

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Five-year old Matilda had taught herself to read at the age of three. Unfortunately, her parents could not be more different from her. They discourage reading, scold her for talking, and leave her home alone nearly every afternoon. Finally, Matilda gets tired of having such horrific parents and decides to give them a taste of their own medicine. She puts superglue in her father’s hat, turns his hair blond, terrifies her mother so badly that she runs out of the house…. The list goes on and on. 

Matilda had never been grateful for her parents, but when she starts school it turns out to be a good thing that she has experience dealing with grown-ups. Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress, is even more terrible than her parents. If Matilda can get rid of her once and for all, she will be hailed a hero, but it may be that our heroine has finally met her match.