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Great Reads for Grades 5,6,7
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Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book
by Tom Angleberger
Harvey, upset when his Darth Paper finger puppet brings humiliation, gets Dwight suspended, but Origami Yoda asks Tommy and Kellan, now in seventh grade, to make a new casefile to persuade the School Board to reinstate Dwight. Call Number: J ANGLEBER
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Racing the Moon
by Alan W. Armstrong
Meeting an army scientist in 1947, eleven-year-old Alexis and her impulsive brother, Chuck, build a rocket before a shared interest in space travel inspires a series of adventures including a sailing trip down the Potomac to an island on the Chesapeake. Call Number: J ARMSTRON
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Beyond Lucky
by Sarah Aronson
Believing his luck has changed for the better after finding a rare soccer card, aspiring young goalie Ari Fish finds his athletic skills floundering in the face of a dispute between his best friend and the new girl on the team, who accuse each other of stealing the card. Call Number: J ARONSON
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The Danger Box
by Blue Balliett
A science-enhanced historical tale by the Edgar Award- and Agatha Award-winning author of Chasing Vermeer follows the adventures of a sight-impaired boy from a small town whose life is upended by a mischievous girl, a mysterious notebook and a menacing stranger. Call Number: J BALLIETT
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Peter and the Starcatchers
by Dave Barry
While young orphan Peter and his friends are sent away to an island ruled by the villainous King Zarboff and are forced to set sail aboard the Never Land, Peter decides he must take action into his own hands if he ever plans to escape. Call Number: J BARRY
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The Lacemaker and the Princess
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
In 1788, eleven-year-old Isabelle, living with her lacemaker grandmother and mother near the palace of Versailles, becomes close friends with Marie Antoinette's daughter, Princess Therese, and finds their relationship complicated not only by their different social class but by the growing political unrest and resentment of the French people. Call Number: J BRADLEY
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The Bad Apple
by T. R. Burns
After accidentally killing a substitute teacher with an apple, twelve-year-old Seamus Hinkle is sent to Kilter Academy where, in order to excel as he always has, he must behave badly and pull pranks on his teachers, but along with new friends Lemon and Elinor he discovers that there is more to the Academy than meets the eye. Series: Merits of Mischief Call Number: J BURNS
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Vanished
by Sheela Chari
Eleven-year-old Neela must solve the mystery when her beautiful but cursed veena, a classical Indian musical instrument, goes missing. Call Number: J CHARI
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The White Mountains
by John Christopher
Young Will Parker and his companions make a perilous journey toward an outpost of freedom where they hope to escape from the ruling Tripods, who capture mature human beings and make them docile, obedient servants. Call Number: J CHRISTOP
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Gregor the Overlander
by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy. Series: Underland Chronicles Call Number: J/YA COLLINS
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
When the eldest son of the family becomes a troublemaker, the Watsons travel to Grandma's Alabama home and witness the bombing of the Birmingham church, in a story told from the perspective of nine-year-old Kenny Watson. Call Number: J CURTIS
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The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. Series: Maze Runner Call Number: YA DASHNER
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The Door in the Wall
by Marguerite De Angeli
The crippled son of a powerful nobleman sets out to prove his courage and his right to be recognized by the king. Call Number: J DEA
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The Search for WondLa
by Tony DiTerlizzi
Eva Nine doesn't know any other humans and she's never even been outside. She lives underground, where a robot named Muthr cares for her and teaches her survival skills. Eva wants to go exploring, but it isn't until her home is destroyed that she gets a chance. Call Number: J DITERLIZ
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The London Eye Mystery
by Siobhan Dowd
When Salim doesn't come back from his ride on the London Eye, his cousins Ted and Kat turn to the authorities for help, but when they offer no viable suggestions, the two use their sleuthing skills to figure out what actually happened. Call Number: J DOWD
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Mockingbird
by Kathryn Erskine
Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father. Call Number: J/YA ERSKINE
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Last Shot : a Final Four Mystery
by John Feinstein
After winning the prize of a press pass to New Orleans to watch the Final Four, Steven and his fellow winner, Susan, delight in all the behind-the-scenes activities, but when they overhear a blackmail plot involving an MSU star player that could result in the big game being thrown, the two junior guest reporters know that it is up to them to break the story and put a stop to the devious plan. Call Number: J/YA FEINSTEI
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The Gollywhopper Games
by Jody Feldman
Twelve-year-old Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other children at extraordinary puzzles, stunts, and more in hopes of a fresh start for his family, which has been ostracized since his father was falsely accused of embezzling from Golly Toy and Game Company. Call Number: J FELDMAN
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Ghost Knight
by Cornelia Caroline Funke
Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft and new friend Ella summon the ghost of Sir William Longspee, who may be able to protect Jon from a group of ghosts that threatens him harm from the day he arrives at Salisbury Cathedral's boarding school. Call Number: J FUNKE
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The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard. Call Number: J/YA GAIMAN
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Dead End in Norvelt
by Jack Gantos
In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, 12-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore. Call Number: J/YA GANTOS
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The Crossroads
by Chris Grabenstein
When the family moves back to his father's hometown, Zack is told the story of the crazed killer and the accident at the crossroads that took forty lives, causing Zack to believe in the rumor of the evil spirit that lives in the tree. Series: Haunted Mysteries Call Number: J/YA GRABENST
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Unstoppable
by Tim Green
A tale inspired by interviews with real-life cancer survivors and the author's experiences as a defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons traces the challenges faced by foster kid and aspiring NFL athlete Harrison, who receives a devastating diagnosis after a routine sports injury. Call Number: J GREEN
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Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
by John Grisham
At the age of thirteen, Theodore Boone dreamed of being a great trial lawyer someday. Little did he know he would be dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial, where a cold-blooded killer is about to be released. Only Theo knows the truth and won't stop until justice is served. Series: Theodore Boone Call Number: J GRISHAM
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Funny Business
by Jon Scieszka
A collection of humorous stories featuring a teenaged mummy, a homicidal turkey and the world’s largest pool of chocolate milk includes works by such writers as Adam Rex, Eoin Colfer, Kate DiCamillo and David Lubar. Series: Guys Read Call Number: J GUYSREAD
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The Missing
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Jonah and his friend Chip discover that they, as well as 36 other children, are missing children from history, who were kidnapped by time travelers. Call Number: J HADDIX
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Closed for the Season: A Mystery Story
by Mary Downing Hahn
Determined to find out who killed Myrtle Donaldson and where all the money she managed for the Magic Forest has gone, friends Logan and Arthur enter the old amusement park to search for clues, causing them to investigate powerful families with long histories in their small Maryland town. Call Number: J HAHN
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13 Treasures
by Michelle Harrison
Tortured by evil fairies who rouse her from sleep night after night, Tanya is banished to her grandmother's secluded countryside manor and discovers dark secrets in a mysterious nearby wood that threaten to trap her in the fairy realm. Series: 13 Treasures Trilogy Call Number: J/YA HARRISON
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Junonia
by Kevin Henkes
The week of her 10th birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel Island, Florida, where Alice has friends and family to celebrate with her, and she knows that everything will be perfect--but what happens when things don't turn out exactly as she expects? Call Number: J HENKES
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Chomp
by Carl Hiaasen
Spending his days in a zoo beside his volatile animal wrangler father, Wahoo Cray struggles to control his father's temper when the latter takes a job with an egocentric reality nature show host. Call Number: J/YA HIAASEN
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Take Me to the River
by Will Hobbs
When North Carolina fourteen-year-old Dylan Sands joins his fifteen-year-old cousin Rio in running the Rio Grande River, they face a tropical storm and a fugitive kidnapper. Call Number: J HOBBS
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Small as an Elephant
by Jennifer Jacobson
Abandoned by his mother in an Acadia National Park campground, Jack tries to make his way back to Boston before anyone figures out what is going on, with only a small toy elephant for company. Call Number: J/YA JACOBSON
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Redwall
by Brian Jacques
When Redwall Abbey is threatened by the evil rat Cluny, it is up to Matthias, a young mouse, to destroy the enemy. Call Number: J JACQUES
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The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
Milo, a bored young boy, drives his small electric car through a toy tollbooth and finds himself in the Land Beyond where he meets enchanting characters, including Tock, the gigantic watchdog. Together, these characters teach Milo the importance of words and numbers and provide a cure for his boredom. Call Number: J JUSTER
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Chained
by Lynne Kelly
To settle a family debt, 10-year-old Hastin leaves his desert village in India to work as a circus elephant keeper but many challenges await him, including trying to keep Nandita, a sweet elephant, safe from the cruel circus owner. Call Number: J KELLY
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A Year Without Autumn
by Liz Kessler
Twelve-year-old Jenni's much-anticipated vacation with her family and best friend Autumn goes awry when an old elevator transports her to a future in which everything has changed, and she must not only return to her time but find a way to prevent what she has seen from coming true. Call Number: J KESSLER
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal
by Jeff Kinney
Greg records his sixth-grade experiences in middle school with his best friend Rowley. They are undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, but when Rowley grows popular, Greg must take measures to save their friendship. Series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Call Number: J/YA KINNEY
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Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
by R. L. La Fevers
When mummies go missing all over London, eleven-year-old Theodosia Throckmorton puts aside her fight against the Serpents of Chaos to save her father, who is suspected in the thefts, all the while avoiding a string of new governesses. Call Number: J LAFEVERS
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A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government. Call Number: J LENGLE
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Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. Call Number: J/YA LEVINE
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The Batboy
by Mike Lupica
Landing a dream summer job as a batboy for his hometown's major-league team, fourteen-year-old Brian longs to win back the baseball-loving father who abandoned the family, a circumstance that is complicated by his unlikely friendship with a player who was banned for using steroids. Call Number: J LUPICA
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The Sixty-Eight Rooms
by Marianne Malone
An adventure inspired by the Thorne Rooms, an exhibition of 68 exquisitely crafted miniature rooms in the Children's Galleries of the Chicago Art Institute, envisions a magical key that enables people to shrink to a small enough size to visit the rooms directly and discover hidden secrets and the mysterious activities of previous visitors. Call Number: J MALONE
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13 Gifts
by Wendy Mass
When soon-to-be-13 Tara spends her summer with her bratty cousin Emily St. Claire in Willow Falls as punishment for a stunt-gone-wrong, she decides that it's time to break out of her shell. Call Number: J MASS
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Fablehaven
by Brandon Mull
Unaware that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven, Kendra and her brother, Seth, venture into this magical land filled with dangerous and plotting witches, imps, and fairies and learn quickly about the evil forces that are unleashed when rules are broken. Call Number: J MULL
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life. Call Number: J ODELL
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Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life
by James Patterson
When Rafe Kane enters middle school, he teams up with his best friend, "Leo the Silent," to create a game to make school more fun by trying to break every rule in the school's code of conduct. Call Number: YA PATTERSO
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Woods Runner
by Gary Paulsen
Hunting for food to support his family on the frontier of an American colony far from the hostilities of the Revolutionary War, 13-year-old Samuel is astonished when his parents are arrested by soldiers, a situation that forces him to make his way to the British headquarters in New York City. Call Number: YA PAULSEN
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The Teacher's Funeral : a Comedy in Three Parts
by Richard Peck
Set in a rural farm town in 1904, Russell is hopeful that they will close the school down now that their teacher has died, but when a replacement is named and it is Russell's sister, the two know that they are going to have quite an eventful year together as Russell tries to sabotage her plans at every turn. Call Number: J PECK
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Winterling
by Sarah Prineas
Spirited young Fer travels through the Way to a magical world in which beings part human and part animal serve an evil ruler known as the Lady, and where Fer hopes to learn about her long-lost parents and her own identity. Sequel: Summerkin Call Number: J PRINEAS
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The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
Living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College, Lyra hears rumors of a magical dust that supposedly possesses powers that can unite whole universes, and begins a difficult and dangerous journey to find it. Call Number: YA PULLMAN
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The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance. Call Number: J/YA RASKIN
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The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan
Brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane unites his children, Sadie and Carter, for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, hoping to set things right for his family after the death of the children's mother. Instead, he awakens the gods of Egypt and unleashes the worst of them, the god Set, who banishes Julius to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Series: Kane Chronicles Call Number: J RIORDAN
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Holes
by Louis Sachar
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself. Call Number: J SACHAR
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Magyk
by Angie Sage
After his son is kidnapped by the midwife, Septimus Heap stumbles upon an abandoned newborn in the snow and takes her home to raise her as his own daughter, but the mysteries surrounding his adopted child and missing son soon overwhelm him and lead him on a search for the truth with the help of magic characters and their spells, charms, and potions. Call Number: J SAGE
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Mudville
by Kurtis Scaletta
When the non-stop rain that has been falling on the town of Moundville for the past twenty-two years finally stops one summer day, Roy is certain that the time has come for his baseball team to call for a rematch with their greatest rivals, Sinister Bend, in order to finish what was started over two decades ago! Call Number: J SCALETTA
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A Drowned Maiden's Hair : a Melodrama
by Laura Amy Schlitz
When Maud is chosen by the seemingly sweet Miss Hyacinth and her sister, she, excited to leave the orphanage, finds her new home a place of corruption and cruelty when she is forced to help stage elaborate seances to swindle wealthy patrons out of their money. Call Number: J/YA SCHILTZ
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The aAlchemyst : the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael Scott
When the legend that Nicholas Flamel lives due to his ability to make the elixir for life is discovered to be true, Dr. John Dee begins his plot to steal the Book of Abraham the Mage from him in order to rule the world, but knowing that they are the only ones with the power to stop him, Josh and Sophie quickly set their own plan to do so. Call Number: YA SCOTT
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Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures
by Brian Selznick
Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures. Call Number: J SELZNICK
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Letters from Wolfie
by Patti Sherlock
Thirteen-year-old Mark donates his dog, Wolfie, to the Army's scout program during the Vietnam War, but when the Army won't say when--or if--the dogs will be returned to their owners, Mark grows more unsure of his decision to send Wolfie, in a gripping story about loyalty, dissent, patriotism, and the heartbreaking contradictions of war. Call Number: J SHERLOCK
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Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus
by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Follow the story of three middle-school outcasts who, after being repeatedly tormented by a popular clique, enter a talent show as part of a strategic revenge plot. Call Number: YA SITOMER
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Storm Runners
by Roland Smith
Twelve-year-old Chase Masters travels the country with his father, a "storm runner," but he is tested in ways he never could have imagined when he and a new friend are caught in a hurricane near St. Petersburg, Florida. Series: Storm Runners Call Number: J SMITH
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Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie
by Jordan Sonnenblick
When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family. Call Number: YA SONNENBL
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Maniac Magee : a Novel
by Jerry Spinelli
The classic award-winning story about a young boy who finds himself, when he escapes an unbearable situation, is filled with humor and truth. Call Number: J/YA SPINELLI
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The Case of the Missing Marquess : an Enola Holmes Mystery
by Nancy Springer
While searching the clues to her missing mother's whereabouts, fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, suddenly gets involved in the kidnapping of a young Marquess and must put the search for her mother on hold in order to save the spoiled girl from her dangerous captors. Call Number: J SPRINGER
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When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. Call Number: J STEAD
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
As the only four children to pass the series of tests provided, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are asked to go on a secret mission as undercover agents at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and quickly realize they will have to use their collective wit to get their important task complete. Call Number: J STEWART
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My Life as a Book
by Janet Tashjian
Dubbed a "reluctant reader" by his teacher, 12-year-old Derek Fallon spends summer vacation at Learning Camp, learning important lessons even though he does not complete his summer reading list. Call Number: YA TASHJIAN
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. Taylor
This winner of the 1977 Newbery Medal tells of one family's struggle to overcome the prejudices and hate they face in the deep south of Mississippi during the Great Depression. Call Number: J TAYLOR
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Smile
by Raina Telgemeier
An autobiography describes how the author lost two of her front teeth in an accident when she was twelve and her subsequent struggles with various corrective dental techniques throughout adolescence. Call Number: J 921 TEL
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The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit, lives an unremarkable life until Gandalf, the wizard, chooses him for a dangerous quest. Call Number: J/YA TOLKIEN
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Moon over Manifest
by Clare Vanderpool
Twelve-year-old Abilene is the daughter of a drifter who 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. Call Number: J VANDERPO
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H.I.V.E.: Higher-Institute-of-Villainous-Education
by Mark Walden
Kidnapped and taken to H.I.V.E. where he will be trained in everything villainous by Dr. Nero and his staff, Otto finds himself on an island far away from his family, friends, and home and so must work with a group of other kidnapped students to break out before it's too late. Series: H.I.V.E. Call Number: YA WALDEN
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Dealing with Dragons
by Patricia C. Wrede
Determined not to be pushed into a marriage to a boring and proper prince, Princess Cimerene flees her kingdom and becomes an assistant to the dragon Kazul. Series: Enchanted Forest Chronicles Call Number: J/YA WREDE
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Crow
by Barbara Wright
Historical Fiction. Eleven-year-old Moses Thomas lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. His father manages Wilmington's Daily Record, "the only Negro daily [newspaper] in the South," and believes that their town is a good place for a black family to raise children. And it is -- until a mob of angry white people attacks the offices of the Daily Record and ousts Wilmington's black elected officials, taking what little power the town's black citizens hold. Call Number: J WRIGHT
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