Grades 5 – 6
Summer Reading 2011
Crispin: the End of Time by Avi
This is the final book in the medieval adventure trilogy that began with Crispin: The Cross of Lead.
The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker
When Princess Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only her sister, Princess Annie is awake, and only Annie, who is blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.
The Danger Box by Blue Balliett
Left by his father on his grandparents' doorstep as a baby, Zoomy has grown up happily with them in a small Michigan town. He has never known his cruel, troubled, alcoholic father, who leaves behind a mysterious box, probably stolen, for safekeeping. The box's contents set in motion a chain of experiences.
The Case That Time Forgot by Tracy Barrett
Xena and Xander Holmes use clues from their ancestor Sherlock Holmes’s casebook when they are asked to find an ancient Egyptian artifact that has been missing for years.
Tumtum & Nutmeg: The Rose Cottage Tales by Emily Bearn
Wealthy, married mice Tumtum and Nutmeg have a series of adventures as they try to help the impoverished human children, Arthur and Lucy Mildew. This is the sequel to Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall.
Small Persons With Wings by Ellen Boorem
When Mellie Turpin's grandfather dies and leaves her family his run-down inn and bar, she learns that for generations her family members have been fairy guardians, and now the fairies want an important ring returned.
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
12-year old Liam looks like he's thirty. He feels as if he is stuck between two worlds. Liam cons his way into being the adult chaperone on the first space ship to take civilians into space. But when the ship is stuck 230,000 miles from home, being mistaken for an adult is not good.
Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon by Chris Bradford
In 1613 Japan, English orphan Jack Fletcher's determination to keep the rutter, his father's navigational logbook, safe at all costs places his friends, daimyo Takatomi, and others in great danger.
Molly Moon & the Morphing Mystery by Georgia Byng
Molly Moon has acquired the skill of morphing which allows her to inhabit any creature that she wants.
Blast From the Past by Meg Cabot
Allie is excited about her class field trip until she was assigned a buddy, her ex - best friend from her old school. This is the 6th book in the Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls series.
Murder Afloat by Jane Leslie Conly
In 1880s Baltimore, 14-year-old Benjamin Orville is going on a routine errand for his mother when he is kidnapped and forced onto an oyster schooner going out to sea and becomes a crew member. Ben gradually adapts to life on the Ella Dawn even as he yearns for his family, and he also discovers a love for the water and life at sea. Unfortunately, he makes an enemy of the captain of the vessel.
Starfish: a Novel by James Crowley
In the early part of the 1900s, Beatrice and Lionel, two Blackfoot Indian children, escape from the Chalk Bluff Indian Boarding School in Montana to find their grandfather, and must elude their pursuers and make a life for themselves in the wilderness.
Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum
A kingdom is at war, a princess has been kidnapped by a dragon queen and a brave squire volunteers to set out on a quest to rescue her.
Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
In 1573, the crippled, shunned and poor Meggy Swann goes to London where she meets her father and discovers that although her legs are weak and bent, she has a great deal of inner strength.
The Search For Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
A twelve-year-old human girl called Eva Nine lives in isolation with a robot on what appears to be an alien world populated with bizarre life forms.
Falling In by Frances O’Roark Dowell
Middle School student Isabelle Bean follows the squeak of a mouse and falls into a parallel universe where she meets an old woman thought to be a witch and children hiding from her.
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
The first in the Ember series in which two hundred years after the city of Ember is built as a refuge for humanity, the lights in the refuge are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save the city.
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
Jack, a young wizard in training, has to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. After Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia, the familiars have to save their loyals.
The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan
Halt, Will and Horace set out for Hibernia where they encounter a quasi-religious group called the Outsiders. This is book 8 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series.
Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick
Four girls and their mothers, continue their mother-daughter book club via videoconference between Massachusetts and England, reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
The Case of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dog by Martha Freeman
Seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cameron, daughters of the first female president--and owners of a very rambunctious dog--play detective when a baton belonging to the director of the Marine Band goes missing at the White House.
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences.
The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Newton Fusco
In a Massachusetts town during the Depression in the 1930s, Charlie Anne and Phoebe, the black girl who moves next door, form a friendship that begins to transform their community.
Out of the Woods by Lyn Gardner
Temporarily abandoned by their adventurous father, the Eden sisters encounter a villainous witch, Belladonna, who pretends she has become their stepmother in order to obtain (and consume) Aurora's heart. This is the sequel to Into the Woods.
Storyteller by Patricia Reilly Giff
While staying with her aunt, Elizabeth finds a portrait of her ancestor, Eliza, known as Zee, from the American Revolution era. The lives of these two girls echo one another as each finds her own strength.
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
In 1961 after Castro has come to power in Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucia and her seven-year-old brother are sent to the United States when her parents, who are not in favor of the new regime, fear that the children will be taken away from them.
My Life In Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
When the local homecoming queen shows up at Lucy Desberg's family's struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, word gets out, and Lucy soon has a line of makeover customers.
Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
A perfect murder. A faceless witness. The only person who knows the truth is thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone. Because he knows so much - maybe too much - he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial.
Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman
On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, become part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files and fend off strange assassins. This is the first title in The Genius Files series.
The Talent Show by Dan Gutman
The residents of Cape Bluff, Kansas, come together as a community to put on a talent show as a fund-raiser after a tornado has destroyed much of the area.
Claim To Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Sixteen-year-old Lindsay, a former child star, finds out that she can hear what anyone says about her. She hides from this ability until she sees it as an asset, especially when she learns that she is not alone.
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
In nineteenth century London, twelve-year-old Florence Crutchfield leaves an orphanage to live with her great-uncle, great-aunt and her sickly cousin, but she soon realizes that there is another resident who wishes to do her harm.
Secret of the Night Ponies by Joan Hiatt Harlow
In 1965 Newfoundland, 13 year old Jessie rescues a herd of wild ponies and kidnaps an orphan girl who is being mistreated by her guardians.
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
Living with seven brothers and her father, who thinks girls are useless, a thirteen-year-old Finnish American farm girl is determined to prove her worth when an enterprising gentleman tries to purchase their cash-strapped family settlement in Washington State in 1900. This is the sequel to Our Only May Amelia.
The Crimson Cap by Ellen Howard
In 1684, wearing his father's faded cap, eleven-year-old Pierre Talon joins explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier on an ill-fated expedition to seek the Mississippi River
Emmy and the Home For Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell
Emmy Addison and her friends got rid of the evil Miss Barmy, the nanny who nearly ruined Emmy's life. Miss Barmy is now a rat. This book is the companion to Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat.
Nature Girl by Jane Kelley
While spending the summer in Vermont, eleven – year – old Megan gets lost on the Appalachian Trail and decides to hike to Massachusetts to visit her best friend.
Emily Windsnap and the Siren’s Secret by Liz Kessler
Neptune tells Emily and her merman father and human mother to return to Brightport to try to make humans and merpeople work more closely together.
The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Moxie Roosevelt Kipper has endured 13 years of being an ordinary girl with an unordinary name. Now that she's entered boarding school, it's time to reinvent herself. She'll become unusual--someone worthy of a name like Moxie.
The Dragon In the Library by Kate Klimo
This book is a story of a magical library filled with shelf elves and reveals the secrets of the gigantic red book that Jesse and Daisy discovered in "The Dragon in the Sock Drawer." This is the third fantasy book in the Dragon Keepers series.
Framed by Gordon Korman
Griffin Bing is in big trouble when a Super Bowl ring disappears from his middle school’s display case and is replaced by Griffin’s retainer. This is the third title featuring Griffin and his friends.
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R. L. LaFevers
Being able to detect black magic isn’t always good, and for Theodosia Throckmorton, it can be a tricky business! When Sticky Will drags Theo to a magic show featuring the Great Awi Bubu, she quickly senses there is more to the magician than he lets on, Theodosia and her friends are pursued in a race for one of the most guarded ancient secrets of all time. This is part of the Theodosia series.
Hawksmaid by Kathryn Lasky
Matty becomes a master falconer and joins Robin Hood and his Merry Men to rob from the rich and give to the poor.
Shadow Wolf by Kathryn Lasky
After earning the right to return to the wolf pack that abandoned him, the exiled Faolan joins the clan as a lowly "gnaw wolf," but his goal is to rise in the pack order. This is the second title in the Wolves of the Beyond series.
Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham
Ludelphia Bennett, a ten-year-old African American girl in 1932 Gee’s Bend, makes a quilt that includes the adventures that she encountered when she left home to find medical help for her sick mother.
Scumble by Ingrid Law
Mibs’s cousin Ledge is disappointed to discover that his “savvy” – the magical power unique to each member of their family – is to make things fall apart. This book is the companion title to Savvy.
Danger and Diamonds: A Mystery At Sea by Elizabeth Levy
Eleven-year-old Philippa Bath, who loves mysteries, lives aboard a cruise ship where her parents are employees, and when the new captain and his son arrive, along with some royal guests, she is sure that something is wrong.
Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
The state of Maine has a plan to shut down eleven-year-old Tess’s island's schoolhouse, which would force Tess's family to move to the mainland and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. The islanders’ plan to keep the schoolhouse open is to increase the school numbers by having several families take in foster children.
Alvin Ho Allergic To Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-Made Catastrophes by Lenore Lord
When second grader Alvin Ho is invited to a birthday party given by a girl , he dreads going.
Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
A bored Princess Patricia Priscilla makes her chambermaid switch identities with her so she can attend the village school.
The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
Ruthie thinks nothing exciting will ever happen to her until her sixth-grade class visits the Art Institute of Chicago, where she and her best friend Jack discover a magic key that shrinks them and allows them to explore a collection of sixty-eight miniature rooms from various time periods and places.
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Four children have been chosen to compete in a national candymakers contest. Who will invent the winning candy?
Girl’s Best Friend by Leslie Margolis
Twelve-year-old dog walker Maggie, along with her twin brother and her best friend, investigates someone she thinks is stealing pets.
The Legend of the King by Gerald Morris
Former squire Terence is still adjusting to knighthood when the White Horsemen, led by ruthless Mordred, threaten King Arthur. To protect Camelot, Terence and others embark on a dangerous, difficult quest culminating in an epic, brutal battle between good and evil. This final title in the Squire's Tale series brings to a conclusion the story based on the Arthurian Legend.
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
Fourteen-year-old Jason Walker is transported to a strange world called Lyrian, where he and Rachel, who was also drawn there from our world, and a few rebels, hope to piece together the Word that can destroy the malicious wizard emperor, Surroth.
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Twelve-year-old twins Jaide and Jack Shield are sent to live with an unknown relative named Grandma X when their house mysteriously explodes. They learn that they are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers, who must protect humanity from The Evil trying to break into earth's dimension.
Eliza’s Freedom Road by Jerdine Nolen
A twelve-year-old slave girl writes in a journal where she documents her journey via the Underground Railroad from Alexandria, Virginia, to freedom in St. Catherines, Canada.
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor
Owen Jester’s family has to move to his grandfather’s house in Georgia after his father loses his job. Owen has many adventures, including the capture of the biggest, greenest, slimiest, most beautiful bullfrog in the world.
The Song of the Lioness series, The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce
A series of stories that all take place in the land of Tortall.
Bird In a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
In 1936, three children meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans in New York State, and while not all three are orphans, they are all dealing with grief and loss which together, along with the help of a sympathetic staff member and the boxing matches of Joe Louis, they manage to overcome.
A Dog’s Way Home by Bobbie Pyron
After a car accident strands them at opposite ends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, eleven-year-old Abby and her beloved sheltie Tam overcome months filled with challenges to find their way back to each other.
No Such Thing As Dragons by Philip Reeve
A young, mute boy who is apprenticed to a dragon-slayer suspects that the winged beasts do not exist, until he--and his master--learn the truth.
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. This is book one in The Heroes of Olympus series.
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London and her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane. Dr. Kane unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and the children are forced to flee for their lives in this first installment of the Kane Chronicles.
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
A fictionalized biography of the famous poet Pablo Neruda, who grew up a shy child and ridiculed by his overbearing father but became widely read.
Magyk by Angie Sage
This is the first book in the Septimus Heap series in which the seventh son of a seventh son, who is destined to have deep magical powers, is revealed. But in order to protect him, his identity must remain a secret.
It’s Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder
Twelve-year-old Isabel is dying to get out of Oregon. She learns of a baking contest. If she can come up with a winning recipe, she might have a chance of competing in the bake-off in New York City!
Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors
Farm boy Homer Pudding’s explorer uncle dies and leaves him a droopy dog with a mysterious coin hidden on its collar.
Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
Finding a wall, a painting, and a book behind a grille in their historical Fifth Avenue apartment, twelve-year-old CJ, his nine-year-old sister Brid, and six-year-old Patrick Smithfork start to decipher clues that send them on an architectural treasure hunt.
Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder
When her father suddenly quits his job, the almost-ten-year-old, friendless Penny and her neglectful parents leave their privileged life in the city for a ramshackle property in the eccentric town of Thrush Junction, Tennessee.
The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye by Nancy Springer
Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes seeks the missing Duquessa del Campo in the seedy side of nineteenth century London. This is part of the Enola Holmes Mystery series.
Gator On the Loose! by Sue Stauffacher
A small alligator has mysteriously arrived at the city pool which will seriously interfere with opening day, especially Keisha Carter's cannonball practice.
The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone
During World War II, eleven-year-old Felicity is sent from London to Bottlebay, Maine, to live with her grandmother, aunt, uncle, and a reclusive boy who helps her decode mysterious letters that contain the truth about her missing parents.
The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
Wise-cracking djinni Bartimaeus finds himself at the court of King Solomon with an unpleasant master, a sinister servant, and King Solomon's magic ring.
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge, who longs for heroic adventures, overhears a secret that pushes her into the middle of a dangerous mission that could destroy the island on which she lives.
Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas
Griffin Penshine is always making wishes. But when a sinister old woman tricks her into accepting a box of eleven shiny Indian Head pennies from 1897, Griffin soon learns these are no ordinary pennies, but stolen wishes.
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past.
Sports Camp by Rich Wallace
Eleven – year – old Riley Liston tries to fit in at the summer sports camp where he is one of the youngest boys.
Elvis & Olive Super Detectives by Stephanie Watson
Best friends Natalie, age ten, and Annie, age nine, form a detective agency to solve neighborhood mysteries.
The Shadows by Jacqueline West
When eleven-year-old Olive and her parents move into an old Victorian mansion, she finds that she can travel inside the creepy antique paintings to a sinister world. This is the first book in the Books of Elsewhere series.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
A Boy and His Bot by Daniel H. Wilson
When timid young Code falls down a hole into Mekhos, where everything is made of metal and circuitry, he must obtain the legendary Robonomicon from evil Immortalis in order to save the robots of this subterranean world and return home.
Chestnut King by N. D. Wilson
Henry York found 99 cupboards hidden behind his bedroom wall which were doors to entirely new worlds. Unfortunately, Henry’s discovery freed an ancient, undying witch, whose hunger for power would destroy every world connected to the cupboards-and every person whom Henry loves. Henry must seek out the legendary Chestnut King for help. This is the final book in the 100 Cupboards trilogy.
President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston
To gain leadership skills needed to run a cupcake-baking empire when she grows up, Brianna runs for president of the fifth grade--expecting little competition--until a new girl enters the race.
The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
Book 2 in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series in which fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley, a governess trained at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, takes the three Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place to London, England, and learns they are under a curse.