Great Books for Fun, Thrills and Chills!

ALEXANDER, LLOYD, The Book of Three:
For Harry Potter fans, here is the first book in the series The Prydain Chronicles, when Taran begins to suspect that he will not always be a pig herder--especially when the magic pig is stolen by evil enemies.

ASCH, FRANK, Journey to Terezor:
Matt and his sister have been kidnapped to another planet. How can they find a way back to Earth?

BELLAIRS, JOHN, Secret of the Underground Room, The Letter, the Witch and the Ring, Mansion in the Mist:
Spooky mysteries by a master storyteller.

BURCH, ROBERT, Ida Early comes over the Mountain:  
There's nobody like hired girl Ida, who has a unique way of doing everything, including rescuing a family from sadness.

BYARS, BETSY, The Pinballs:
This foster home may be the last stop for losers, but that doesn't mean that the unusual kids can't help each other.

BYARS, BETSY, Trouble River:
Dewey's Grandma doesn't want his help escaping from danger.  

CLEMENT, ANDREW, Frindle:
A war begins when a boy decides to use an invented word, "frindle", instead of "pen" in school.

COOPER, SUSAN, The Dark is Rising:
A fantasy adventure series you'll love, if you are a Harry Potter fan.

COVILLE, BRUCE, Jennifer Murdley's Toad:
"If Jennifer Murdley hadn't been forced to wear her brother's underpants to school, the whole thing might never have happened."

CURTIS, PAUL, Bud, Not Buddy:
Bud runs away from the orphanage to find his father. Can the few clues he has lead him to the right person? Newbery Award 2000 winner. Also, The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963.

DAHL, ROALD, Matilda:
Smart girl. Mean parents. The Trunchbull. Danger! Can Matilda save Miss Honey from the evil Trunchbull? Compare the book to the movie.

DEAR AMERICA Series, (various authors)
Fictional but exceptionally realistic diaries of girls at various points in American history.

DILLON, BARBARA, What's Happened to Harry?:
A witch turns Harry into a poodle at Halloween. How can he tell his family that he's not their pet dog?

ERICKSON, Hank the Cowdog (series):
Hank thinks he is the first line of defense for the ranch, but sometimes he gets things a little mixed up.

FLEISCHMAN, SID, The Ghost in the Noonday Sun:
Pirate Captain Scratch kidnaps young Oliver because he was born at the stroke of midnight. Exciting, challenging read!

FREEDMAN, RUSSELL,
The Wright Brothers: How they Invented the Airplane:  
Well researched biography about brothers who were obsessed with flying. Great photos.

GEORGE, JEAN CRAIGHEAD, My Side of the Mountain:  
City boy Sam Gribley spends a year all alone in the Catskills.  

GUTMAN, DAN, The Babe and Me, Jackie and Me, and Honus and Me:
Travel back in time to meet the greatest stars of baseball.

HAMILTON, VIRGINIA, The People Could Fly:
African American folktales, written for great read-alouds! Try "Taily-po" one dark night.

HESSE, KAREN, Letters from Rifka:
During World War 2, Rifka is separated from her family and has to stay in Denmark while they move to the US. When she finally leaves Europe, she has to stay in Ellis Island's hospital, not knowing if she will be accepted as an immigrant.

JAFFE, NINA, The Cow of No Color:
Riddle stories from around the world.

JAMES, MARY, Shoebag:
Shoebag used to be a cockroach but somehow got turned into a human. But he can still see things from the cockroach point of view!  

LEWIS, C.S., The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe:
Lucy hides in an old wardrobe and finds the secret passage to another world, Narnia. The unforgettable beginning of the Chronicles of Narnia.

LORD, BETTY BAO, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson:
It is 1947. Can a young Chinese girl become a part of her class in Brookyn? The Brooklyn Dodgers, with Jackie Robinson, inspire her to try.

LOWRY, LOIS, Number the Stars:
The Nazis have invaded Denmark and are rounding up all Jews. Can Annemarie's family help Ellen's family escape to safety?

NAYLOR, PHYLLIS REYNOLDS, Shiloh:
Even though the dog is being mistreated by the owner, Marty can't do anything about it. Or can he?

NAYLOR, PHYLLIS REYNOLDS, The Fear Place:
Afraid of heights, a boy must climb a treacherous mountainside to rescue his brother. He looks back to find a mountain lion on his trail.

NIXON, JOAN LOWRY, A Family Apart:
When her son is caught stealing, Mother decides to send her children west on the Orphan Trains, to be adopted. Heartbreaking, exciting historical fiction. Part of a series.

PARK, BARBARA, Mick Harte Was Here:
Phoebe just wants to tell us about Mick, not make us cry. But we do laugh!

PARK, BARBARA, Don't Make Me Smile:
Charlie's parents want him to be happy, even though they are getting divorced. Funny, but he doesn't feel like smiling.

PECK, ROBERT NEWTON, Soup:
Soup and Rob get into lots of scrapes in their little town.  

ROBINSON, BARBARA, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever:  
The Herdmans are baaaad. They are in the church pageant. Uh-oh!

ROWLING, J.K., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
Perfect books to share with your parents. Don't miss Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the latest in the series!

SACHAR, LOUIS, Holes:
Being punished for a crime you didn't commit seemed bad enough, but things only get worse.

SCIESZKA, JON, The Time-Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table, Your Mother Was a Neanderthal; The Good , the Bad , and the Goofy; Tut-Tut, 2095, Summer Reading is Killing Me:
Sam, Fred and Joe time travel on a series of hilarious adventures.

SCHWARTZ, ALVIN, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:
A collection of great ghost stories perfect for sleep-overs or campfires.

SMITH, ROBERT KIMMEL, Bobby Baseball:
Bobby is sure he will be a major league pitcher someday. His Little League coach, who happens to be his dad, isn't so sure.  

WALLACE, BILL, A Dog Called Kitty:
Attacked by a rabid dog when he was little, Ricky doesn't want anything to do with the miserable stray that shows up on the farm.  

WRIGHT, BETTY WREN, The Dollhouse Murders:
Spooky things happen when a dollhouse is discovered in the attic.

YOLEN, JANE, The Young Merlin Trilogy: Hobby, Passager, and Merlin:
Good introduction to the saga of King Arthur from another viewpoint.

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