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Book Lists
All books listed below are available in the GRAIS Media Center
Suggested fiction titles listed by genre
Historical Fiction
Crispin : the cross of lead
Author: Avi
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Author: Avi
Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger aboard a seedy ship on a transatlantic voyage from England to America in 1832, becomes caught up in a feud between the murderous captain and his mutinous crew.
Bud, not Buddy
Author: 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.
Jim Ugly
Author: Sid Fleischman
The adventures of twelve-year-old Jake and Jim Ugly, his father's part-mongrel, part-wolf dog, as they travel through the Old West trying to find out what really happened to Jake's actor father.
The Cabin Faced West
Author: Jean Fritz
Ten-year-old Ann overcomes loneliness and learns to appreciate the importance of her role in settling the wilderness of western Pennsylvania.
Lily's Crossing
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Lily's friendship with a young hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently.
Stepping on the Cracks
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
In 1944, while her brother is overseas fighting in World War II, eleven-year-old Margaret gets a new view of the school bully Gordy when she finds him hiding his own brother, an army deserter, and decides to help him.
Joshua's Song
Author: Joan Hiatt Harlow
Needing to earn money after his father's death during the influenza epidemic of 1918, thirtee-year-old Joshua works as a newspaper boy in Boston, one day finding himself in the vicinity of an explosion that send tons of molasses coursing through the streets.
Realistic Fiction
The Revealers
Author: Doug Wilhelm
Tired of being bullied and picked on, three seventh-grade outcasts join forces and, using scientific methods and the power of the Internet, begin to create a new atmosphere at Parkland Middle School.
Everything on a Waffle
Author: Polly Horvath
Eleven-year-old Primrose, who lives in a small fishing village in British Columbia, recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea.
The Summer of the Swans
Author: Betsy Byars
A teenage girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally retarded brother gets lost.
Muggie Maggie
Author: Beverly Cleary
Maggie resists learning cursive writing in the third grade, until she discovers that knowing how to read and write cursive promises to open up an entirely new world of knowledge for her.
Frindle
Author: Andrew Clements
When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs
Author: Jamie Gilson
When his parents host a Vietnamese family that has come to settle in their town, Harvey enjoys Americanizing twelve-year-old Tuan.
On My Honor
Author: Marion Dane Bauer
When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their disobedience.
Walk Two Moons
Author: Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
One Eyed Cat
Author: Paula Fox
An eleven-year-old shoots a stray cat with his new air rifle, subsequently suffers from guilt, and eventually assumes responsibility for it.
Pictures of Hollis Woods
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.
Olive's Ocean
Author: Kevin Henkes
On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Author: Katherine Patterson
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly.
Holes
Author: 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 hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Mystery
Windcatcher
Author: Avi
While learning to sail during a visit to his grandmother's at the Connecticut shore, eleven-year-old Tony becomes excited about the rumors of sunken treasure in the area and starts following a couple who seem to be making a mysterious search for something.
Chasing Vermeer
Author: Balliett Blue
When seemingly unrelated and strange 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.
The Monsters of Morley Manor
Author: Bruce Coville
Anthony and his younger sister discover that the monster figures he got in an unusual box at an estate sale are alive, but they have no way of knowing that the "monsters" will lead them on fantastical adventures to other worlds in an effort to try to save Earth.
The Alley
Author: Eleanor Estes
Ten-year-old Connie, who lives in the Brooklyn neigborhood called The Alley, investigates a burglary with her friend Billy Maloon.
Bandit's Moon
Author: Sid Fleischman
Twelve-year-old Annyrose, left behind when her brother joins the Gold Rush, escapes the unscrupulous woman she is staying with and sets out on a grand adventure with the notorious bandit Joaquin Murieta and his band of outlaws.
Afternoon on the Amazon
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Eight-year-old Jack, his seven-year-old sister, Annie, and Peanut the mouse ride in a tree house to the Amazon rain forests, where they encounter giant ants, flesh-eating piranhas, hungry crocodiles, and wild jaguars.
Bunnicula : a rabbit-tale of mystery
Author: Deborah Howe
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.
Odysseus in the Serpant Maze
Author: Jane Yolen
Thirteen-year-old Odysseus, who longs to be a hero, has many opportunities to prove himself during an adventure which involves pirates and satyrs, a trip to Crete's Labyrinth, and the two young girls, Penelope and Helen, who play a major role in his future life.
Fantasy, Magic & Science Fiction
The Fire Within
Author: Chris D'Lacey
College student David Rain rents a room in an unusual boardinghouse full of clay dragons, not realizing that they, along with some lively squirrels, will help jumpstart his writing career.
The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
The Borrowers
Author: Mary Norton
Miniature people who live in an old country house by borrowing things from the humans are forced to emigrate from their home under the clock.
Dragon Rider
Author: Cornelia Funke
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.
Ella Enchanted
Author: 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.
James and the Giant Peach
Author: Roald Dahl
A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach.
The Capture
Author: Katherine Lasky
Soren, a barn owl that is captured and taken to a special school for orphaned owls, is befriended by elf owl Gylfie and together the two set out to discover what is really going on at St. Aegolius Academy.
Humor
No Talking
Author: Andrew Clements
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.
The Willoughbys
Author: Lois Lowry
A tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, in which the four Willoughby children set out to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Author: 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.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Author: Roald Dahl
Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.
Double Fudge
Author: Judy Blume
His younger brother's obsession with money and the discovery of long-lost cousins Flora and Fauna provide many embarrassing moments for twelve-year-old Peter.
Mrs. Roopy is Loopy
Author: Dan Gutman
A.J. and his classmates are convinced that new school librarian, Mrs. Roopy, has multiple personality disorder because she keeps pretending to be famous people.
Henry Huggins
Author: Beverly Cleary
When Henry adopts Ribsy, a dog of no particular breed, humorous adventures follow.
The Kid in the Red Jacket
Author: Barbara Park
When ten-year-old Howard has to move with his family to a distant state, he is forced to live on a street named Chester Pewe, adjust to a new school, and get used to being shadowed by the little girl in a nearby house.
McBroom Tells a Lie
Author: Sid Fleischman
A farmer and his family save their amazing one-acre farm by using a Popcornmobile, frozen sunlight, and lightning bugs.
Mr. Poppers Penguins
Author: Richard Atwater
Mr. Popper starts out with one penguin in his house, but before he knows it there are twelve.
Nasty Stinky Sneakers
Author: Eve Bunting
Will ten-year-old Colin find his missing stinky sneakers in time to enter The Stinkiest Sneakers in the World contest?.
Niagara Falls, or does it?
Author: Henry Winkler
Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and Frankie are excitedly preparing for a magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when Hank's creative alternative to an English essay lands him in detention and grounded the week of the show.
Adventure & Suspense
The End of the Beginning : being the adventures of a small snail (and an even smaller ant)
Author: Avi
Avon the snail and Edward, a take-charge ant, set off together on a journey to an undetermined destination in search of unspecified adventures.
Igraine the Brave
Author: Cornelia Funke
The daughter of two magicians, twelve-year-old Igraine wants nothing more than to be a knight; and when their castle is attacked by a treacherous neighbor bent on stealing their singing magic books, Igraine has an opportunity to demonstrate her bravery.
Stuart Little
Author: E. B. White
After being adopted by a human family, a tiny mouse sets out to win over his resentful new brother and the family feline while fending off a gang of cats who want him out of the house.
Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulson
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
The classic story of a mischievous 19th-century boy in a Mississippi River town and his friends, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher, as they run away from home, witness a murder, and find treasure in a cave.
Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast
Author: Jane Yolen
Twelve-year-old Atalanta discovers a home and friendship with a bear, misunderstanding from town-dwellers, and grudging respect from the great hunter Orion, as together they pursue mysterious creature that killed her father.
To Build a Fire
Author: Jack London
A tenderfoot attempts to hike through the Yukon snows with his dog in order to reach a mining claim.
Biography
Through My Eyes
Author: Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.
Rosa
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Presents an illustrated account of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, and the subsequent bus boycott by the black community.
First to Fly: How Wilbur & Orville Wright Invented the Airplane
Author: Peter Busby
A look at the lives of the Wright brothers, from their childhood interest in flight, through their study of successful gliders and other flying machines, to their triumphs at Kitty Hawk and beyond.
Hannah's Recommended Picks
The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
The Frog Princess
Author: E. D. Baker
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again.
The Sister's Grimm
Author: Michael Buckley
Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have always believed to be dead.
The Star of Kazan
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Annika, a twelve-year-old foundling in late nineteenth-century Vienna, inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, and soon afterwards a woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother arrives and takes her to live in a strangely decrepit mansion in Germany.
Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl, a teen who animates quiet Mica High with her colorful personality, suddenly finds herself shunned for her refusal to conform.
Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-oldBrian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball
Author: John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.
Olivia Kidney
Author: Ellen Potter
Twelve-year-old Olivia explores her new apartment building and finds a psychic, talking lizards, a shrunken ex-pirate, an exiled princess, ghosts, and other unusual characters.
Marley : a dog like no other
Author: John Grogan
A special adaptation of the author's book "Marley & Me" for young readers, in which he shares the story of his golden retriever Marley, and tells of the love his family has for the dog.
The BFG
Author: Roald Dahl
Kidsnatched from her orphange by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.
Joyful Noise : poems for two voices
Author: Paul Flesichman
A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.
Babymouse
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.
Non Fiction
They Were Strong and Good
Author: Robert Lawson
Relates the story of the author's grandparents and parents, who, though not famous, helped build the United States.
Volcano: the eruption and healing of Mount St. Helens
Author:
An account of how and why Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980 and the destruction it caused, and a discussion of the return of life to that area.
Using Literature for Teaching 6 Trait Writing
Ideas
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Presents a series of loosely related drawings each accompanied by a title and a caption which the reader may use to make up his or her own story.
The Important Book
Author: Margaret Brown Wise
Points out important qualities in such things as an apple, rain, and a spoon.
Strega Nona : an original tale
Author: Tomie De Paola
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.
A Drop of Water : a book of science and wonder
Author: Walter Wick
Describes the origins, characteristics, and uses of water.
The Disappearing Alphabet
Author: Richard Wilbur
A collection of twenty-six short poems pondering what the world would be like if any letters of the alphabet should disappear.
Dirty Laundry Pile : a poem in different voices
Author: various
A scarecrow, washing machine, cow, and other objects and animals express themselves in this collection of poems.
The Paper Crane
Author: Molly Bang
A mysterious man enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes alive and dances.
Trouble on the T-ball Team
Author: Eve Bunting
Linda feels left out as the only one on her first-grade T-ball team who hasn't lost a tooth.
Fables
Author: Arnold Lobel
Twenty original fables about an array of animal characters from crocodile to ostrich.
Jumanji
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game.
Moira's Birthday
Author: Robert Munsch
Moira invites too many kids to her birthday party with humorous consequences.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Author: Mark Teague
A schoolboy tell his class about his summer vacation, during which he joined a group of cowboys and stopped a cattle stampede.
Thank you Mr. Falkner
Author: Patricia Polacco
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
A Grain of Rice
Author: Helena Clare Pittman
A clever, cheerful, hard-working farmer's son wins the hand of a Chinese princess by outwitting her father the Emperor, who treasures his daughter more than all the rice in China.
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth
Author: Pat McKissack
After her mother catches her in an untruth, Libby Sullivan promises never to lie again, but soon she must learn that it is not always kind to blurt out the whole truth either.
The Giant Jam Sandwich
Author: John Vernon Lord
The clever villagers of Itching Down get rid of a pestilence of four million wasps by trapping them in an enormous strawberry jam sandwich.
Weslandia
Author: Paul Fleischman
Wesley's garden produces a crop of huge, strange plants which provide him with clothing, shelter, food, and drink, thus helping him create his own civilization and changing his life.
Miss Rumphius
Author: Barbara Cooney
As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.
It's Disgusting--and we ate it! : true food facts from around the world--and throughout history
Author: James Solheim
A collection of poems, facts, statistics, and stories about unusual foods and eating habits both contemporary and historical.
On the Day You Were Born
Author: Debra Frasier
The earth celebrates the birth of a new baby in an environmental story that includes factual information on the natural features of the planet, the sun, moon and stars, animals and people.
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups
Author: David Wiesniewski
A humorous revelation of the real reasons why adults tell children to do things, such as "Eat your vegetables," "Comb your hair," and "Don't blow bubbles in your milk.".
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
Author: Mem Fox
A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore that of an elderly friend.
Out of the Ocean
Author: Debra Frasier
A young girl and her mother walk along the beach and marvel at the treasures cast up by the sea and the wonders of the world around them.
Up North at the Cabin
Author: Marsha Wilson Chall
Summer vacation up north at the cabin provides memorable experiences with the water, the animals, and the other faces of nature.
A Quiet Place
Author: Douglas Wood
Text and illustrations describe some of the special places that one can go to be quiet and alone and to imagine, such as a woods, a seashore, a library, or inside oneself.
Players in Pigtails
Author: Shana Corey
Katie Casey, a fictional character, helps start the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which gave women the opportunity to play professional baseball while America was involved in World War II.
Organization
People
Author: Peter Spier
Emphasizes the differences among the four billion people on earth.
Courage
Author: Bernard Waber
Provides examples of the many kinds of courage found in everyday life and in unusual circumstances, from tasting the vegetable before making a face to being a firefighter or police officer.
The Great Kapok Tree
Author: Lynne Cherry
The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rain forest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.
Click, Clack, Moo : cows that type
Author: Doreen Cronin
When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.
Seedfolks
Author: Paul Fleischman
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled, inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and, in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed.
I am the dog, I am the cat
Author: Donald Hall
A dog and a cat take turns explaining what is wonderful about being who they are.
When Lightening Comes in a Jar
Author: Patricia Polacco
A young girl describes the family reunion at her grandmother's house, from the food and baseball and photos to the flickering fireflies on the lawn.
The Old Woman Who Named Things
Author: Cynthia Rylant
An old woman who has outlived all her friends is reluctant to become too attached to the stray dog that visits her each day.
Dear Mrs. Larue : letters from obedience school
Author: Mark Teague
Gertrude LaRue receives typewritten and paw-written letters from her dog Ike, entreating her to let him leave the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy and come back home.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Presents a series of loosely related drawings each accompanied by a title and a caption which the reader may use to make up his or her own story.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Author: Ruby Bridges
On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.
What you never knew about fingers, forks & chopsticks
Author: Patricia Lauber
Describes changes in eating customs throughout the centuries and the origins of table manners.
The Legend of the Blue Bonnet
Author: Tomie De Paola
A retelling of the Comanche Indian legend of how a little girl's sacrifice brought the flower called bluebonnet to Texas.
Avalanche
Author: Stephen Kramer
Discusses different types of avalanches, how they form, where they happen, and how to keep safe when traveling in snowy mountains.
What do you do when something wants to eat you?
Author: Steve Jenkins
Describes how various animals, including an octopus, a bombadier beetle, a puff adder, and a gliding frog, escape danger.
The Deep-sea Floor
Author: Sneed Collard
Reveals the animal life that lives in the deepest oceans and examines the technology that allows scientists to conduct research in areas characterized by trenches, vents, and seeps.
How Many Days to America?
Author: Eve Bunting
Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America where they have a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The Trumpet of the Swan
Author: E. B. White
A voiceless trumpeter swan named Louis, attempting to win the love of a beautiful swan named Serena, learns to play a trumpet stolen for him by his father, and then finds himself far from his wilderness home when he sets out to become a trumpeter and pay his father back.
The Journey
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Left by their mother with their grandparents, two children feel as if their past has been erased until Grandfather finds a way to restore it to them.
Through My Eyes
Author: Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960.
The Secret Shortcut
Author: Mark Teague
Because Wendell and Floyd have a problem getting to school on time, they decide to take a shortcut which, however, leads to unexpected adventures.
Voice
Diary of a Worm
Author: Doreen Cronin
A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world.
Joyful Noise : poems for two voices
Author: Paul Fleischman
A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Author: Jon Scieszka
The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.
The Twits
Author: Roald Dahl
The misadventures of two terrible old people who enjoy playing nasty tricks and are finally outwitted by a family of monkeys.
Love that Dog
Author: Sharon Creech
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
Because of Winn-Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
No More Dead Dogs
Author: Gordon Korman
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.
Loser
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
Amos & Boris
Author: William Steig
Amos the mouse and Boris the whale have little in common except that they are both mammals and save each other's lives.
Dear Mrs. Larue
Author: Mark Teague
Gertrude LaRue receives typewritten and paw-written letters from her dog Ike, entreating her to let him leave the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy and come back home.
Charlotte's Web
Author: E. B. White
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
Word Choice
Mud
Author: Mary Lyn Ray
As winter melts into spring, the frozen earth turns into magnificent mud.
Once there was a bull--frog
Author: Rick Walton
A bullfrog in the Old West loses his hop in this lively tale where each page must be turned to complete the previous image.
Under the Quilt of the Night
Author: Deborah Hopkinson
A young girl flees from the farm where she has been worked as a slave and uses the Underground Railroad to escape to freedom in the north.
Boy : tales of childhood
Author: Roald Dahl
Presents humorous anecdotes from the author's childhood, including his summer vacations in Norway and life at an English boarding school.
Come on, rain!
Author: Karen Hesse
A young girl eagerly awaits a coming rainstorm to bring relief from the oppressive summer heat.
Frederick
Author: Leo Leonni
Frederick, the poet mouse, stores up something special for the long, cold winter.
Sentence Fluency
Joyful noise : poems for two voices
Author: Paul Fleischman
A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.
Harriet, you'll drive me wild!
Author: Mem Fox
When a young girl has a series of mishaps at home one day, her mother tries not to lose her temper-- and does not quite succeed.
Frindle
Author: Andrew Clements
When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.
A Pocketful of Poems
Author: Nikki Grimes
Poems and haiku verses provides glimpses of life in the city.
Cool Melons -- turn to frogs! : the life and poems of Issa
Author: Matthew Gollub
A biography and introduction to the work of the Japanese haiku poet whose love for nature finds expression in the more than thirty poems included in this book.
The Trumpet of the Swan
Author: E. B. White
A voiceless trumpeter swan named Louis, attempting to win the love of a beautiful swan named Serena, learns to play a trumpet stolen for him by his father, and then finds himself far from his wilderness home when he sets out to become a trumpeter and pay his father back.
Conventions
Punctuation takes a vacation
Author: Robin Pulver
When all the punctuation marks in Mr. Wright's class decide to take a vacation, the students discover just how difficult life can be without them.
Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What is an adverb?
Author: Brian P. Cleary
Rhyming text and illustrations present numerous examples of adverbs and their functions.
Everyday Math 4th grade
Recommended Trade Books by Lesson Number
Math Curse
Author: Jon Scieszka
Lesson # 1.1 Multiples
When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes
Author: Tana Hoban
Lesson # 1.3 Shapes
Photographs of familiar objects such as a chair, barrettes, and a manhole cover introduce shapes.
The Greedy Triangle
Author: Marilyn Burns
Lesson # 1.5 Polygons
Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and angles until it doesn't know which side is up.
How Much is a Million?
Author: David Schwartzr:
Lesson # 2.3 & 5.8 Numeration
Text and pictures try to make possible the conceptualization of a million, a billion, and a trillion.
If You Made a Million
Author: David Schwartz
Lesson # 2.3 & 5.8 Numeration
Describes the various forms which money can take, including coins, paper money, and personal checks, and how it can be used to make purchases, pay off loans, or build interest in the bank.
Sea Squares
Author: Joy N. Hulme
Lesson # 3.1 Multiplication
Rhyming text and illustrations of such sea animals as whale, gulls, clown fish, and seal provide opportunities to practice counting and squaring numbers from one to ten.
National Geographic Atlas for Young Explorers
Author: National Geographic Society 1999
Lesson # 3.5 Problem Solving
Presents over one hundred pages of color physical, political, and thematic maps of the world, its continents, its regions, and each ocean's floor, and covers the earth's makeup, continental drift, geologic activity, and how to read a map.
A Remainder of One
Author: Elinor J. Pinczes
Lesson # 6.4 Division
When the queen of the bugs demands that her army march in even lines, Private Joe divides the marchers into more and more lines so that he will not be left out of the parade.
Do You Wanna Bet? Your chance to find out about probability
Author: Jean Cushman
Lesson # 7.11 Probability
Two boys find that the most ordinary events and activities such as card games, coin flips, sports scores and statistics, and even weather prediction are dependent on the subtle interplay of many factors of chance and probability.
Only One
Author: Marc Harshman
Lesson # 7.2 Fractions
A counting book which explains how single things together make something totally different such as: ten cents make one dime, twelve eggs make one dozen and so on.
Grandfather Tang's Story
Author: Ann Tompert
Lesson # 7.3 Shapes
Grandfather tells a story about shape-changing fox fairies who try to best each other until a hunter brings danger to both of them.
Shadows and Reflections
Author: Tana Hoban
Lesson # 10.1 Geometry
Photographs without text feature shadows and reflections of various objects, animals, and people.
Reflections
Author: Ann Jonas
Lesson # 10.1 Geometry
Chronicles a child's busy day by the sea, in a forest, and then home with the hope of going to a carnival or concert. The illustrations change when the book is turned upside down.
Round Trip
Author: Ann Jonas
Lesson # 10.1 Geometry
Black-and-white illustrations and text record the sights on a day trip to the city and back home again to the country. The trip to the city is read from front to back and the return trip, from back to front, upside down.
How the Second Grade Got $8205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty
Author: Nathan Zelman
Lesson # 10.6 Money
Chronicles the triumphs and setbacks of the second grade as they try a variety of schemes to raise money for a trip to the Statue of Liberty.
Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?
Author: Robert E. Wells
Lesson # 11.1 Measurement
Illustrates the concept of big, bigger, and biggest by comparing the physical measurements of such large things as a blue whale, a mountain, a star, and the universe.
What's Smaller than a Pygmy Shrew?
Author: Robert E. Wells
Lesson # 11.1 Measurement
Shows how microscopes are used to see the tiniest parts of the universe. Helps readers understand that the size of any object may be viewed in relation to things smaller and things larger.
Ed Emberley's Big Green Drawing Book
Author: Ed Emberley
Lesson # 11.3 Shapes
Step-by-step instructions for drawing people and animals using line and circle combinations.
The King's Chessboard
Author: David Birch
Lesson # 11.7 Multiples
A proud king, too vain to admit what he does not know, learns a valuable lesson when he readily grants his wise man a special request.
One Grain of Rice : a mathematical folktale
Author: Demi
Lesson # 11.7 Multiples
A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl.
A Grain of Rice
Author: Helena Clare Pittman
Lesson # 11.7 Multiples
A clever, cheerful, hard-working farmer's son wins the hand of a Chinese princess by outwitting her father the Emperor, who treasures his daughter more than all the rice in China.
Everyday Math 5th grade
Recommended Trade Books by Lesson Number
Counting on Frank
Author: Rod Clement
Lesson # 2.1 Problem Solving
A boy and his dog present amusing counting, size comparison, and mathematical facts.
How Much is a Million?
Author: David Schwartz
Lesson # 2.10 Numeration
Text and pictures try to make possible the conceptualization of a million, a billion, and a trillion.
The Greedy Triangle
Author: Marilyn Burns
Lesson # 3.7 Polygons
Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and angles until it doesn't know which side is up.
A Cloak for the Dreamer
Author: Aileen Friedman
Lesson # 3.8 Geometry
When a tailor asks each of his three sons to make a cloak for the archduke, the third son's design reveals his desire to travel the world rather than follow in his father's footsteps.
Grandfather Tang's Story
Author: Ann Tompert
Lesson # 3.10 Geometry
Grandfather tells a story about shape-changing fox fairies who try to best each other until a hunter brings danger to both of them.
The King's Chessboard
Author: David Birch
Lesson # 7.3 Multiplication
A proud king, too vain to admit what he does not know, learns a valuable lesson when he readily grants his wise man a special request.
Spaghetti and Meatballs for All
Author: Marilyn Burns
Lesson # 9.5 Measurement
The seating for a family reunion gets complicated as people rearrange the tables and chairs to seat additional guests.
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Lesson # 10.8 Measurement
Describes the life and work of Eratosthenes, the Greek geographer and astronomer who accurately measured the circumference of the Earth.
Who Sank the Boat
Author: Pamela Allen
Lesson # 11.5 Measurement
The reader is invited to guess who causes the boat to sink when five animal friends of varying sizes decide to go for a row.
Jumanji
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Lesson # 12.2 Probability
Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game.
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