Battle of the Books 1997- Present
These books were used in the Suffolk County Battle of the Books competitions from 1997-2022. The year listed after the book is the year that it was a Battle title, not the year of publication. 
 
 
 
Abduction by Peg Kehret book cover.
Abduction!
by Peg Kehret

Thirteen-year-old Bonnie has a feeling of foreboding on the very day that her six-year-old brother Matt and their dog Pookie are abducted, and she becomes involved in a major search effort as well as a frightening adventure. (2011)
The Abracadabra Kid by Sid Fleischman book cover
The Abracadabra Kid
by Sid Fleischman

The award-winning author of The Whipping Boy relates his own tale of life as a magician, writer, and screenwriter, accompanied by black-and-white photographs and helpful advice for would-be writers. (2000)
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech book cover
Absolutely Normal Chaos
by Sharon Creech

Thirteen-year-old Mary Lou grows up considerably during the summer while learning about romance, homesickness, death, and her cousin's search for his biological father. (2001)
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott book cover
The Alchemyst
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 in motion to do so. (2012)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko book cover
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister. (2007, 2020)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko book cover
Al Capone Shines My Shoes
by Gennifer Choldenko

Living on Alcatraz in 1935 with his family and father who is employed as a guard, Moose decides to write prisoner Al Capone a note to see if he could use his influence to get his sister into the school of her dreams, but after it happens and he receives a note asking for a favor in return, Moose realizes that he has gotten in way over his head. (2011)
Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith book cover
Aliens on Vacation
by Clete Barrett Smith

Unhappy at being sent to stay with his grandmother at the inn she operates, The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, Scrub discovers that each room is actually a portal to space and the inn's visitors are aliens who are vacationing on Earth. (2013)
Amari and the night brothers
by B. B. Alston

Discovering that she has a supernaturally enhanced talent, Amari Peters enters a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, where she is considered the enemy, in order to find her missing brother. (2022)
The Amazon Papers by Beverly Keller book cover.
The Amazon Papers
by Beverly Keller

Athletic, straight-A student Iris finds herself in trouble for the first time in her life when her mother's vacation gives way to a wrecked car, two unlikely boyfriend prospects, and a zany scheme to fix everything. (1998)
Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix book cover.
Among the Hidden
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.(2000)
Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson Haddix book cover.
Among the Imposters 
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

In a future where the law limits a family to only two children, third-born Luke has been in hiding for twelve years, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong and he then enters boarding school under an assumed name. (2003)
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy book cover.
The Apothecary 
by Maile Meloy

Meeting fearless Benjamin Burrows when she moves to London in 1952, 14-year-old Janie Scott helps Benjamin on a quest to rescue his kidnapped father while protecting a sacred apothecary tome from dangerous Russian spies. A first children's novel by the award-winning author of A Family Daughter. (2014, 2015)
The Apprentice Witch
by James Nicol

Sent away in disgrace after failing her witch's assessment, Arianwyn learns that the remote community where she works as a magic apprentice is under the shadow of a dark hex infestation, a situation that is further complicated by a spiteful rival and mysterious dark elements that affect her magic. (2021)
Archvillain by Barry Lyga book cover.
Archvillain
by Barry Lyga

Twelve-year-old Kyle Camden develops greater mental agility and superpowers during a plasma storm that also brings Mighty Mike, an alien, to the town of Bouring, but while each does what he thinks is best, Kyle is labeled a villain and Mike a hero. (2013)
Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville book cover.
Armageddon Summer
by Jane Yolen

When Reverend Beelson proclaims that the world will end in the year 2000, Marina and Jed's parents take them to a mountain to witness the Righteous Conflagration that will end the world, but Marina and Jed begin a new love.  (2000).
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher book cover.
Athletic Shorts
by Chris Crutcher

A collection of short stories about athletes features characters from some of the author's best-loved novels and includes themes such as bigotry, heroism, and coming-of-age. (1997).
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle book cover.
The Art of Keeping Cool
by Janet Taylor Lisle

In 1942, Robert and his cousin Elliot uncover long-hidden family secrets while staying in their grandparents' Rhode Island town, where they also become involved with a German artist who is suspected of being a spy. (2003)
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer book cover.
Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. (2005)
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman book cover.
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
by Karen Cushman

Dragged along to California during the Gold Rush, shy and bookish Lucy intends to be miserable until she can return to her New England home and writes yearning letters to those she left behind. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice. (2001)
Bearstone by Will Hobbs book cover.
Bearstone
by Will Hobbs

A troubled Indian boy goes to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways help the boy become a man. (1997)
Beastly by Alex Flinn book cover.
Beastly
by Alex Flinn

Presents a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form. (2009)
Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White book cover.
Belle Prater's Boy
by Ruth White

When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives. (1999)
Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs book cover.
Belly Up
by Stuart Gibbs

Twelve-year-old Teddy investigates when a popular Texas zoo's star attraction--Henry the hippopotamus--is murdered. (2015)
Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer book cover.
Best Foot Forward
by Joan Bauer

Between school and Al-Anon meetings, Jenna Boller helps Mrs. Gladstone cope with escalating problems that result from the merger of Gladstone Shoes with Shoe Warehouse Corporation, while managing a new employee with a shoplifting record. (2007, 2008)
The Black Book of Secrets by F. E. Higgins book cover.
The Black Book of Secrets
by F. E. Higgins

After running away from his evil parents in the City, Ludlow Fitch meets Joe Zabbidou, a pawnbroker of secrets who enlists Ludlow as an apprentice to record the confessions of the townspeople of the remote village of Pagus Parvus. (2012)
The Boggart and the monster by Susan Cooper book cover.
The Boggart and the Monster
by Susan Cooper

In this companion volume to "The Boggart", the invisible and mischievous spirit living in the Scottish Castle Keep sets out to help save Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, one of its few remaining cousins. (1998)
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman book cover.
Book Scavenger
by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

After Emily and her family move to San Francisco, she teams up with new friend James to figure out the secrets of an odd book they find before the men who attacked Emily's hero solve the mystery or come after the friends. (2017, 2018)
The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H Ritter book cover.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball
by John H. Ritter

When Tom Gallagher makes an unnecessary statement, a series of events takes place that results in a major baseball game that will determine the fate of Dillontown, and now Tom must find a way to get the best coaches on his side in order to win the game and redeem himself. (2006)
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen book cover.
Brian's Winter
by Gary Paulsen

Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book "Hatchet," this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet. (1999)
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis book cover.
Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. (2002)
Catherine called Birdy by Karen Cushman book cover.
Catherine, Called Birdy
by Karen Cushman

The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off. (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
City spies
by James Ponti

Sara Martinez is facing years in the juvenile detention system for hacking into the foster care computer system to prove that her foster parents are crooks. But then she gets a second chance when a mysterious man offers her a chance to join a group of MI6 affiliated spies. (2022)
Change up: Myster at the World Series by John Feinstein book cover.
Change-up : Mystery at the World Series
by John Feinstein

While covering baseball's World Series, teenage sports reporters Stevie and Susan Carol investigate a rookie pitcher whose evasive answers during an interview reveal more than a few contradictions in his life story. (2014)
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett book cover.
Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett

When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. (1997)
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier book cover.
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier

A high-school freshman who refuses to participate in the annual fund-raising chocolate sale is forced to defend his convictions. (1997)
Eighth Grade Bites by Zac Brewer book cover.
Eighth Grade Bites
by Zac Brewer

In addition to being harassed by the principals and the bullies at his school, outcast Vlad has to find a way to curb his vampire cravings and hide his enlarged fangs, but when a substitute teacher becomes too inquisitive and he learns that he is being hunted by a vampire killer, Vlad's social life becomes the least of his concerns. (2012)
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen book cover.
Chomp
by Carl Hiaasen

When the difficult star of the reality television show "Expedition Survival" disappears while filming an episode in the Florida Everglades using animals from the wildlife refuge run by Wahoo Crane's family, Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon set out to findhim while avoiding Tuna's gun-happy father. (2013, 2014)
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley book cover.
Circus Mirandus
by Cassie Beasley

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn't approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other--the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather. The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for. (2018, 2019)
The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau book cover.
The City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau

In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. (2007, 2020)
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer book cover.
Close to Famous
by Joan Bauer

Twelve-year-old Foster McFee and her mother escape from her mother's abusive boyfriend and end up in the small town of Culpepper, West Virginia, where they use their strengths and challenge themselves to build a new life, with the help of the friends they make there. (2012) 
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney book cover.
Code Orange
by Caroline B. Cooney

While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing 100-year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York City. (2008)
The Collectors
by Jacqueline West

Overlooked in class, a hearing-impaired boy who collects lost or discarded trinkets discovers a dangerous underground world full of stolen wishes and the people who collect them. (2021)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman book cover.
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman

When Coraline attempts to leave her family's new flat, she discovers that she and her family are trapped by a dangerous presence, thus a battle between good and evil must take place in order to break out and set her loved ones free. (2006)
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce book cover.
Cosmic
by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Frequently mistaken for an adult because of his mature appearance, 12-year-old Liam tires of the few benefits he's been able to take advantage of as a result and cons his way onto a spaceship for civilians by pretending to be an adult chaperone, a situation that lands him between worlds far from home. (2012)
Crash by Jerry Spinelli book cover.
Crash
by Jerry Spinelli

Chronicles the zany antics and adventures of Crash Coogan, a vain, arrogant, and shallow seventh-grade super-athlete; his best friend Mike Deluca; Penn Webb, a dweeby, vegetarian Quaker kid; his environmentalist little sister; and cheerleader-turned-activist Jane Forbes. (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Crispin by Avi book cover.
Crispin : the Cross of Lead
by Avi

After being accused of a crime, thirteen-year-old Crispin becomes a wanted man and so must use a new identity and keep on the run in order to stay alive, in a suspenseful middle reader set in fourteenth-century England.(2005)
Danger Zone by David Klass book cover.
Danger Zone
by David Klass

As the only white basketball player on the American "Dream Team," Jimmy Doyle makes some discoveries about racism, prejudice, and politics when the team plays in an international tournament. (2005)
David and Della by Paul Zindel book cover.
David & Della
by Paul Zindel

Teenage playwright David Mahooley, suffering from a major case of writer's block, finds his world turned upside down by the eccentric and thoroughly adult actress and writing coach Della Jones, who urges David to write about true teenage love. (1997)
Dead End by Jack Gantos book cover.
Dead End in Norvelt
by Jack Gantos

In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, 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. (2014)
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede book cover.
Dealing with Dragons
by Patricia C. Wrede

Bored with her proper, circumscribed life as a princess, Cimorene runs away to join a powerful, fascinating dragon named Kazul and encounters a host of adventures along the way. (1997, 1998)
The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan book cover.
The Detective's Assistant
by Kate Hannigan

A tale inspired by the life of America's first female detective follows the experiences of 11-year-old orphan Nell Warne, who becomes an indispensable helper to her Pinkerton Detective Agency employee aunt, Kate. By the author of the Cupcake Cousins series. (2018)
Dogsong by Gary Paulsen book cover.
Dogsong
by Gary Paulsen

A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy takes a perilous and arduous dogsled trek across the frozen Alaskan wilderness, a journey that becomes a quest for self-discovery. (1997)
Don't Scream by Joan Lowery Nixon book cover.
Don't Scream
by Joan Lowery Nixon

Thinking that the year is looking up when two new boys enter her high school, Jes is unaware that one of the boys has been given a new identity by the government and the other is seeking revenge. (2001)
Down a Dark Hall by lois Duncan book cover.
Down a Dark Hall
by Lois Duncan

Suspicious and uneasy about the atmosphere at her new boarding school, fourteen-year-old Kit slowly realizes why she and the other three students at the school were selected. (2004)
Downsiders by Neal Shusterman book cover.
Downsiders
by Neal Shusterman

When fourteen-year-old Lindsay meets Talon, who lives in the secret Downsider community that evolved in the subterranean passages of the subway built in New York in 1867, she and her new friend try to bridge the differences between their two cultures. (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
Driver's Ed by Caroline B Cooney book cover.
Driver's Ed
by Caroline B. Cooney

Mr. Fielding's Driver's Ed class means impending freedom for Remy and Morgan, but it also means responsibility, as they learn after their innocent prank, stealing a stop sign, has deadly consequences. By the author of Don't Blame the Music. (2005)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine book cover.
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine

In a first novel and 1998 Newbery Honor Book based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against a childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein book cover.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
by Chris Grabenstein

Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape. (2015, 2016)
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan book cover.
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression. (2006) 
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney book cover.
The Face on the Milk Carton
by Caroline B. Cooney

A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity. (1998, 2016)
Far North by Will Hobbs book cover.
Far North 
by Will Hobbs

When their plane goes down in the remote frozen wilderness of Canada's Northwest Territories, fifteen-year-old Gabe Rogers and his roommate, Raymond Providence, a Dene Indian boy, must depend on each other as they struggle to survive the harsh subarctic winter and reach safety. (2003)
Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson book cover.
Fever, 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson

In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. (2003)
Flight 116 Is Down by Caroline B. Cooney book cover.
Flight #116 is Down
by Caroline B. Cooney

An award-winning dramatic thriller finds a young girl confronting her fears and making heroic efforts at the terrifying scene of a crashed 747. (2004)
Flush by Carl Hiaasen book cover.
Flush
by Carl Hiaasen

With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home. (2008, 2020)
Framed by James Ponti book cover.
Framed!
by James Ponti

In Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Florian Bates, a consulting detective for the FBI, and his best friend Margaret help thwart the biggest art heist in United States history. (2018)
From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler by E. L. Konigsburg book cover.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg

Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself. (2000, 2016)
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar book cover.
Fuzzy Mud
by Louis Sachar

Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world. (2018)
Gathering Blue by Louis Lowry book cover.
Gathering Blue
by Lois Lowry

Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians. (2003)
The Giver by Lois Lowry book cover.
The Giver
by Lois Lowry

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. (1999)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman book cover.
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. (2011)
Greetings From the Witness Protection by Jake Burt book cover.
Greetings from Witness Protection!
by Jake Burt

Nikki Demere is an orphan and a kleptomaniac, making her the perfect girl to portray the Trevors' daughter in witness protection, but she soon learns that the biggest threat to her new family's security comes from her own past. (2019)
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins book cover.
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. (2011, 2012)
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman book cover.
The Grimm Legacy
by Polly Shulman

After high school student Elizabeth, working as a page, gains access to the Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and the other pages are drawn into a series of frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods. (2014)
Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered by Gary Paulsen book cover.
Harris and Me
by Gary Paulsen

Sent to live with relatives on their farm because of his unhappy home life, an eleven-year-old city boy meets his rude, crude, trouble-minded distant cousin, Harris, and is given an introduction to a whole new world. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults. (1998)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling book cover.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J. K Rowling

When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school. (2001)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J. K. Rowling

During his third year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter must confront the devious and dangerous wizard responsible for his parents' deaths. (2002)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling book cover.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J. K Rowling

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. (2000, 2016)
Heat by Mike Lupica book cover.
Heat
by Mike Lupica

Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof. (2008)
Heist Society by Ally Carter book cover.
Heist Society
by Ally Carter

A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop's father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector. (2012)
Hidden Talents by David Lubar book cover.
Hidden Talents
by David Lubar

A debut young adult novel from a popular children's author tells the story of thirteen-year-old Martin Anderson, who arrives at the Edgewater Alternative School as an outcast but quickly finds his place among other teens with strange gifts. (2008, 2009)
Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace by Nan Marino book cover.
Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace
by Nan Marino

When musical prodigy, Elvis Ruby, completely freezes up on television, he is forced to hide out in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where he spends the summer working with his aunt and cousin at Piney Pete's Pancake Palace, the perfect place to remain anonymous until he meets Cecilia, a girl who can't seem to help blurting out whatever's on her mind. (2015)
Holes by Louis Sachar book cover.
Holes
by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is sent away to a boys' detention center where the warden instructs the boys to "build character" by digging holes everyday, but it doesn't take long for Stanley to figure out that the warden is up to something, and he decides to figure out what it is. Newbery Medal Winner.  (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan book cover.
Homeless Bird
by Gloria Whelan

Discovering that her arranged husband-to-be is too young and desperately ill, thirteen-year-old Koly knows that her life will never be the same after she is married and so must find a way to make things better for herself despite the difficulties she must endure due to family traditions in her native India. A National Book Award Winner. (2004) 
 
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen book cover.
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, befriends a mysterious boy who introduces him to potty-trained alligators, burrowing owls, and sparkly-tailed poisonous snakes. (2005)
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer book cover.
Hope was Here
by Joan Bauer

When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor. (2003, 2016)
The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman book cover.
The Hypnotists
by Gordon Korman

Discovering that his persuasive powers are linked to his hypnotist bloodlines when he is accepted into a special educational program for unusually gifted kids, Jackson Opus uncovers a sinister agenda that compels him to use his talents to save his family, friends and government. By the best-selling author of The 39 Clues, Book 2: One False Note. (2015) 
I'd Tell you I Love You but then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter book cover.
I'd Tell You I Love You, But then I'd Have to Kill You
by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan, who attends the spy school The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, can speak fourteen different languages, hack CIA computer codes, and kill a man seven different ways, but she is ill-prepared when she falls in love with an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. (2011)
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
by Dusti Bowling

Aven was born without arms and has trouble fitting in at her new school after her parents take a job at a dying western theme park, but she makes a new friend in a fellow disabled boy who helps her solve a mystery at the park. (2021)
The Iron Trial by Holly Black book cover.
The Iron Trial
by Holly Black

Warned away from magic all of his life, Callum endeavors to fail the trials that would admit him to the Magisterium only to be drawn into its ranks against his will and forced to confront dark elements from his past. (2017)
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell book cover.
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. (1997)
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos book cover.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
by Jack Gantos

To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. (2002)
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd book cover.
The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd

Missing her late mother while leading cemetery tours and trying to communicate with a famous ghost, Emma anticipates having a destiny-revealing dream that will enable her to talk with her mother's spirit only to confront a mystery about her family. (2018)
The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson book cover.
The Kingdom Keepers : Disney After Dark
by Ridley Pearson

Finn Whitman and his fellow DHIs, teenagers chosen to serve as actors for a new technology, must investigate strange occurrences at Disney theme park attractions, racing to uncover a supernatural force that could destroy the world. (2010)
Last Shot by John Feinstein book cover.
Last Shot
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. (2009)
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney book cover.
Revenge of the Witch
by Joseph Delaney

 (Despite knowing the doomed outcome of the apprentices before him, twelve-year-old Thomas Ward is determined to learn everything he will need to know to stay alive when his time comes to ward off boggarts, witches, ghosts, and other evil-spirited creatures from the land that he was born to protect. (2012, 2013)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan book cover.
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan

After learning that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea, Percy Jackson is sent to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods, and becomes involved in a quest to prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. (2009, 2010)
Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff book cover.
Lily's Crossing
by Patricia Reilly Giff

During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily's friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently (2000)
The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis book cover.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis

Four English school children enter the magic land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe and assist Aslan, the golden lion, in defeating the White Witch who has cursed the land with eternal winter. (2004)
Loot by Jude Watson book cover.
Loot
by Jude Watson

When Alfie McQuinn, the notorious jewel thief, is killed on a job, his last words to his son, March, are to "find jewels," and this instruction leads the boy to Jules, the twin sister he never knew he had--and the perfect partner to carry on the family business. (2017)
Love Among The Walnuts by Jean Ferris book cover.
Love Among the Walnuts
by Jean Ferris

Born and raised in isolation in a wealthy, eccentric family, Sandy is shocked when he, his parents, and their servants become victims of a vicious plot by his greedy uncles to incapacitate them and take their money. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.(2009)
The Man Who Was Poe by Avi book cover.
The Man Who Was Poe
by Avi

In Providence, R.I., in 1848, Edgar Allan Poe reluctantly investigates the problems of eleven-year-old Edmund, whose family has mysteriously disappeared and whose story suggests a new Poe tale with a ghastly final twist. (2006)
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli book cover.
Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli

After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary as he accomplishes athletic feats and other extraordinary exploits that awe his contemporaries. (1999)
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
by Pablo Cartaya

After a fight at school leaves Marcus facing suspension, Marcus's mother takes him and his brother to Puerto Rico to visit relatives they have never met, and while there Marcus starts searching for his father, who left their family ten years ago. (2021, 2022)
Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan book cover.
Marley : a Dog Like No Other
by John Grogan

Follows the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever that gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures. (2009)
Maximum Ride by James Patterson book cover.
Maximum Ride : the Angel Experiment
by James Patterson

After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "bird kids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. (2008)
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix book cover.
Found
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time. (2010, 2019)
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve book cover.
Mortal Engines
by Philip Reeve

In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by one girl and the memory of another. (2014)
Nessie quest
by Melissa Savage

Twelve-year-old Ru reluctantly joins her parents in Scotland for the summer, where she and new friends Dax and Hammy Beans search for the Loch Ness Monster (2022)
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman book cover.
No More Dead Dogs
by Gordon Korman

Truthful Wallace gives a thumbs-down to a book much to the chagrin of his English teacher, who sentences him to help with a stage version of the book but is unaware that Wallace's plot-improvement suggestions will wind up changing the entire production. (2005, 2006, 2007)
Nothing But the Truth: a Documentary Novel by Avi book cover.
Nothing But the Truth
by Avi

Determined to get even with English teacher Miss Narwin for keeping him off the track team, Philip Malloy decides to hum along with the tape of "The Star-Spangled Banner," in violation of school rules. (1999)
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris book cover.
Once Upon a Marigold
by Jean Ferris

In the style of The Princess Bride, a hilarious and clever tale follows Christian, who, while spying on the royal family, saves the life of Princess Marigold and falls madly in love with her, but a devious plot devised by her own mother, the Queen, to take over the kingdom threatens to destroy them. (2006)
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse book cover.
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse

A poem cycle that reads as a novel narrates the story of fifteen-year-old Billie Jo and her battle against the elements during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of 1934. (1999)
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg book cover.
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
by E. L. Konigsburg

Upon leaving an oppressive summer camp, twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane spearheads a campaign to preserve three unique towers her grand uncles have been building in their back yard for over forty years. (2007).
Peak by Roland Smith book cover.
Peak
by Roland Smith

After being arrested for scaling a New York skyscraper and then sent to live with his long-lost father and fellow climber, Peak Marcello finds it difficult to rebuild their bond, thus when his father suddenly pushes him to climb Mt. Everest, Peak must take into consideration his father's questionable motives. (2010)
Peeled by Joan Bauer book cover.
Peeled
by Joan Bauer

Thinking that the editor of the local paper is behind the hysteria surrounding ghostly sightings and strange happenings at the Ludlow house, high school newspaper reporter Hildy Biddle decides to investigate the strange events herself and ends up making enemies while uncovering facts that some feel should remain secret. (2010)
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm book cover.
Penny From Heaven
by Jennifer L. Holm

As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death. (2017)
Poached
by Stuart Gibbs

Twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy is the prime suspect when FunJungle's newly-acquired koala goes missing, thanks to a prank staged by middle school bully Vance Jessup. (2021)
Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz book cover.
Point Blank
by Anthony Horowitz

Fourteen-year-old Alex continues his work as a spy for the British MI6, investigating an exclusive school for boys in the French Alps. (2007)
Popular Clone by M.E. Castle book cover.
Popular Clone
by M. E. Castle

Tormented by bullies in school for his smaller size, 12-year-old Fisher Bas, the brainy son of Nobel Prize-winning parents, experiments with his mother's Advanced Growth Hormone to clone himself so that he can stay home while his double attends school, a plan that backfires when his clone proves unexpectedly popular. (2014)
QB1 by Mike Lupica book cover.
QB 1
by Mike Lupica

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Travel Team, Heat and Million Dollar Throw comes a cheer-worthy, family-friendly novel about 14-year-old Jake Cullen, who lives in the shadows of his father and older brother until he becomes the starting quarterback for the high school football team and finally gets his chance to shine. (2017)
Ready or Not: an All American Girl Novel by Meg Cabot book cover.
Ready or Not
by Meg Cabot

Now a high school junior, Samantha Madison tries to decide whether she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend David, who happens to be the President's son, in the sequel to All-American Girl. (2005)
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu book cover.
The Real Boy
by Anne Ursu

Spending his days working in the dark cellar of a powerful magician's shop, young misfit Oscar worries that the magic that has long protected his city is failing when children begin falling dangerously ill. By the award-winning author of Breadcrumbs. (2018)
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Bell book cover.
The Red Blazer Girls : the Ring of Rocamadour
by Michael D. Beil

Catholic-schooled seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly neighbor solve a puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago. (2011)
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan book cover.
The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan

Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane accidentally unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes the doctor to oblivion and forces his two children to embark on a dangerous journey to save him. (2013)
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson book cover.
The Rithmatist
by Brandon Sanderson

As Wild Chalklings threaten the American Isles and Rithmatists are humanity's only defense, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. (2015)
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan book cover.
The Ruins of Gorlan
by John Flanagan

When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and ends up protecting the kingdom from danger. (2010, 2011)
Ruby Electric by Theresa Nelson book cover.
Ruby Electric
by Theresa Nelson

Escaping into the fantasy world of the movies, where fathers don't disappear, mothers have no secrets, and little brothers don't cry over missing stuffed animals, twelve-year-old Ruby Miller, while performing community service for a crime she didn't commit, is forced to face the reality of her life. (2007)
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer book cover.
Rules of the Road
by Joan Bauer

Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who wants her to retire. (2002)
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix book cover.
Running Out of Time
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children. (2002)
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of the Moustache Mary by Wendelin Van Draanen book cover.
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary
by Wendelin Van Draanen

When Sammy Keyes, who is usually cool under pressure, is caught off guard at a New Year's Eve party and begins to doubt her instincts--she wonders how she can figure out who burned down Moustache Mary's pioneer cabin, how a 200-pound pig vanished, and why a boy wants to hold her hand. (2002)
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen book cover.
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
by Wendelin Van Draanen

Thirteen-year-old Sammy's penchant for speaking her mind gets her in trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the "seedy" hotel across the street from the seniors' building where she is living with her grandmother. (2004)
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man by Wendelin Van Draanen book cover.
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man
by Wendelin Van Draanen

On Halloween night, seventh grader Sammy stumbles onto a mystery involving a twenty-year-old family feud and some heirlooms stolen by a man in a skeleton costume. (2005)
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks book cover.
Save Me a Seat
by Sarah Weeks

Two boys, one white, one Indian-American, gain strength from each other from afar as they struggle to navigate middle school, family relationships and friendships. Co-written by the award-winning author of Pie. (2019)
Schooled by Gordon Korman book cover.
Schooled
by Gordon Korman

After his hippie grandmother ends up in the hospital, Cap Anderson is forced to leave the commune where he is homeschooled and attend Claverage Middle School, where his odd looks and behavior make him the target of bullies. (2010, 2017)
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson book cover.
The Secret of Platform 13
by Eva Ibbotson

Odge Gribble, a young hag, joins an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on a journey from their magical island kingdom to London through a tunnel which opens every nine years for nine days, to try and rescue the young prince who had been stolen asan infant nine years before. (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood book cover.
The Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary L. Blackwood

When Widge the orphan is ordered by his demanding master to steal Shakespeare¡s play, he feels he has no choice but to obey and soon finds himself in the Globe Theatre searching for his treasure. An ALA Notable Book. (2001)
Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher book cover.
Sidetracked
by Diana Harmon Asher

Seventh-grader Joseph Friedman, friendless, puny, and with ADD, spends most of his time hiding in the Resource Room, but when he reluctantly agrees to join the school's cross-country team, he befriends a tough, athletic new student, Heather (2019)
The SIsterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares book cover.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares

As they part for the summer, four friends, Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget, embark on a journey of self-discovery when they decide to share an old pair of worn jeans that were purchased from a thrift shop and form the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. (2004)
Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar book cover.
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
by David Lubar

Dealing with bullies, the separation of old friends, and unsuccessful romances as a high school student, Scott decides to write a journal for his younger sibling in order to give him a helpful guide for surviving all the dramas, struggles, and issues he will be forced to face when he gets put into the game. (2011)
Slider
by Pete Hautman

Hoping to win a cash prize in a pizza eating contest after racking up a tab on his mother's credit card, David must juggle his competitive eating training with the responsibility of looking after his autistic younger brother. (2021)
The Snake Stone by Berlie Doherty book cover.
The Snake-Stone
by Berlie Doherty

Fifteen-year-old James, a championship diver, finds himself torn between his dreams of Olympic glory, his love for his adoptive parents, and his desperate need to find his birth mother. (2001)
So B. It by Sarah Weeks book cover.
So B. It
by Sarah Weeks

Living with her mentally disabled mother who only knows just over twenty words, young Heidi has learned to live in her special world until a new word is suddenly used and repeated by her mother; causing Heidi to think it might be a key to a secret past about which she knows so little. (2006)
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane book cover.
So You Want to be a Wizard
by Diane Duane

Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she will not fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension. (2006)
Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers book cover.
Somewhere in the Darkness
by Walter Dean Myers

A teenage boy accompanies his father, who has recently escaped from prison, on a trip that turns out to be a time of often painful discovery for them both. (2004)
Song for a whale
by Lynne Kelly

Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales. (2022)
SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting book cover.
SOS Titanic
by Eve Bunting

Journeying to New York aboard the Titanic, Barry O'Neill resists leaving his grandparent's loving home to reunite with his parents and worries about the bullying Flynn brothers, only to find himself in the middle of a disaster. (1997, 1998)
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs book cover.
Space Case
by Stuart Gibbs

While living on a moon base with fellow lunarnauts, Dashiell Gibson investigates the murder of one of the moon's most prominent doctors. (2016, 2017)
Squashed by Joan Bauer book cover.
Squashed
by Joan Bauer

As sixteen-year-old Ellie pursues her two goals--growing the biggest pumpkin in Iowa and losing twenty pounds herself--she strengthens her relationship with her father and meets a young man with interests similar to her own. (2001)
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli book cover.
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever. (2003, 2019)
 
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz book cover.
Stormbreaker
by Anthony Horowitz

After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6. (2006, 2016)
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer book cover.
The Supernaturalist
by Eoin Colfer

In futuristic Satellite City, fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill escapes from his abusive orphanage and teams up with three other people who share his unusual ability to see supernatural creatures. (2006, 2007)
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan book cover.
Surviving the Applewhites
by Stephanie S. Tolan

Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had. (2013)
Sweetgrass by Jan Hudson book cover.
Sweetgrass
by Jan Hudson

Living on the western Canadian prairie in the nineteenth century, Sweetgrass, a fifteen-year-old Blackfoot Indian girl, saves her family from a smallpox epidemic and proves her maturity to her father. (1998)
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald book cover.
Swallowing Stones
by Joyce McDonald

Dual perspectives reveal the aftermath of seventeen-year-old Michael MacKenzie's birthday celebration during which he discharges an antique Winchester rifle and unknowingly kills the father of high school classmate Jenna Ward. (2004)
Sweet Friday Island by Theodore Taylor book cover.
Sweet Friday Island
by Theodore Taylor

Vacationing on what they think is an uninhabited island, fifteen-year-old Peg and her father find their adventure turned into a fight for survival. (1997)
Tangerine by Edward Bloor book cover.
Tangerine
by Edward Bloor

Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother, Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight. (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham book cover.
Theodore Boone : the Abduction
by John Grisham

When his best friend disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, thirteen-year-old Theo uses his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April. (2013)
The Thief: A Queen's Thief Novel by Megan Whalen Turner book cover.
The Thief 
by Megan Whalen Turner

Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone. (2001, 2018)
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements book cover.
Things Not Seen
by Andrew Clements

When fifteen-year-old Bobby suddenly becomes invisible, he has bigger problems on his hands than not being noticed by the popular kids at school, yet when his parents get into a car accident, Bobby is left alone and must find a way to break the spell in order to be seen once more. (2007).
Three Black Swans by Caroline Cooney book cover.
Three Black Swans
by Caroline B. Cooney

When sixteen-year-old Missy Vianello decides to try to convince her classmates that her cousin Claire is really her long-lost identical twin, she has no idea that the results of her prank will be so life-changing. (2013)
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage book cover.
Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage

Making a home in a small North Carolina town where she washed up as a baby during a hurricane 11 years earlier, sixth-grader Mo taps the power of her strong will and tough attitude when a lawman arrives in town to investigate a murder case that threatens to destabilize Mo's adopted family. (2015)
Travel Team by Mike Lupica book cover.
Travel Team
by Mike Lupica

When twelve-year-old Danny Walker is cut from the travel team for questionable reasons, his father and he decide to take matters in their own hands by joining forces with other determined kids to make a team of their own and prove the coach wrong in a show of strength on the court. (2007)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi book cover.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi

As the only passenger, and the only female, on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, thirteen-year-old Charlotte finds herself caught between a murderous captain and a mutinous crew. (1998)
True Legend by Mike Lupica book cover.
True Legend
by Mike Lupica

Fifteen-year-old Drew "True" Robinson loves being the best point-guard prospect in high school basketball, but learns the consequences of fame through a former player, as well as through the man who expects to be his manager when True reaches the NBA. (2015)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit book cover.
Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt

The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older (2000)
Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix book cover.
Turnabout
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Eighty-five years after participating in a flawed scientific experiment to reverse the aging process, Melly and Anny Beth face the fear of being unable to care for themselves as they continue to grow younger. (2009)
The Two Princesses of Bamarre book cover.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
by Gail Carson Levine

When her sister goes missing, shy Addie knows that she must muster all of her strength to take on a dangerous journey in order to find her, save her life, and save the future of their kingdom of Bamarre. (2008)
Ungifted by Gordon Korman book cover.
Ungifted
by Gordon Korman

Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school. (2014)
The Unteachables
by Gordon Korman

Isolated from the rest of their school, a notorious class of misfits, delinquents and academic underachievers embark on a year of unexpected changes with a burned-out teacher who has been shattered by a cheating scandal. (2022)
Vanished by James Ponti book cover.
Vanished!
by James Ponti

In Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Florian Bates, a consulting detective for the FBI, and his best friend Margaret must uncover the truth behind a series of private middle school pranks that may or may not involve the daughter of the President of the United States. (2019)
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg book cover.
The View from Saturday
by E. L. Konigsburg

Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition. (1999)
The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis book cover.
The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis

The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. (1999)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt book cover.
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D Schmidt

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns muchof value about the world he lives in. (2010)
The Westin Game by Ellen Raskin book cover.
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. (1998, 1999)
What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World by Henry Clark book cover.
What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World
by Henry Clark

Discovering a rare crayon between the cushions of a mysterious sofa found at their bus stop, River, Freak and Fiona unwittingly embark on a quest to save the world from an alien invasion unleashed by a criminal mastermind. (2016)
When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park book cover.
When My Name was Keoko
by Linda Sue Park

With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely. (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt book cover.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
by Kimberly Willis Holt

During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world. (2002)
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John book cover
The White Giraffe
by Lauren St. John

After moving to a wildlife game preserve in South Africa, Martine begins to hear rumors from the locals about a white giraffe that roams the land, but when her grandmother and others tell her that the animal does not exist, Martine has to wonder why they are covering up the truth after seeing it with her own eyes. (2009)
Williwaw by Tom Bodett book cover.
Williwaw!
by Tom Bodett

In their father's absence, thirteen-year-old September and her younger brother Ivan disobey his orders by taking the boat out on their Alaska bay, where they are caught in a terrifying storm called a williwaw. (2003)
Winterhouse by Ben Gutterson book cover.
Winterhouse
by Ben Guterson

A first entry in a planned trilogy set in a magical hotel filled with secrets finds orphan Elizabeth Somers shipped away by her malevolent guardians to a mysterious hotel, where she discovers a magic book of puzzles with ties to her host's sinister family and a fateful curse. (2019)
Wolf Rider by Avi book cover.
Wolf Rider
by Avi

After receiving an apparent crank call from a man claiming to have committed murder, fifteen-year-old Andy finds his close relationship with his father crumbling as he struggles to make everyone believe him. (2008)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle book cover.
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. (2005, 2017)
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