Books for 5th & 6th Graders, Summer 2004 J/F/CHO Choldenko, GenniferAl Capone Does My Shirts Moose isn’t thrilled when his father’s new job as a prison electrician forces his family to move to Alcatraz Island, a fifteen-acre floating federal prison that is home to hundreds of the countries worst criminals including the notorious gangster, Al Capone. 228 p. J/F/CODELL Codell, Esme RajiSahara Special When a personal letter Sahara wrote about her absent father ends up in her dreaded school file, Sahara decides to stop writing anything at all for school. Soon, she’s so far behind that she’s placed in Special Ed classes. 175 p. J/F/COLLINS Collins, SuzanneGregor the Overlander Gregor falls through a vent in his laundry room and lands in the Underland, a dark strange place populated by human-size cockroaches, bats and rats. The people of the Underland believe he is the prophesied Overlander who can save them from a coming war with the vicious rats. 311 p. J/F/COVILLE Coville, BruceJuliet Dove, Queen of Love Painfully shy Juliet Dove stumbles into a strange magic shop where the mysterious owner gives her an oddly alluring necklace. It takes Juliet a while to figure out that the amulet is magical, and makes the wearer irresistible to the opposite sex. 190 p. J/F/DOWELL Dowell, Frances O’RoarkWhere I’d Like to Be Maddie lives in a children’s home and doesn’t trust many people. But she takes a chance on Murphy, the tough-talking new kid. 232 p. J/F/DOWNER Downer, AnnHatching Magic When a pregnant dragon accidentally crosses a portal from the Middle Ages, Theodora tries to protect her from an evil wizard who wants the dragon for himself. 242 p. J/F/GORDON Gordon, AmyThe Gorillas of Gill Park Willy spends the summer at this aunt’s home in Gill Park, an unusual community with plenty of eccentric neighbors. Just when Willy is starting to feel at home, he uncovers a plot to convert the neighborhood into a mall. 247 p. J/F/GRUNWELL Grunwell, Jeanne MarieMind Games Six students who join Mr. Ennis’s Mad Science Club are assigned to do a group science fair project. They choose to research ESP, but end up reporting on much more than just science. And, in the ultimate ESP experiment, they attempt to pick the winning lottery number. 133 p. J/F/HALLIDAY Halliday, JohnPredicktions At his birth, a fortune teller predicts that Josh will put the sleepy town of Westlake on the map. Josh is trying to save Westlake, but his mystic board keeps misspelling its clues and sending him off in all the wrong directions. 183 p. J/F/HICKS Hicks, BettyAnimal House and Iz Elizabeth and her new stepbrothers implement their G.A.D. (Get A Dog) plan: they try to wear down their parents with a series of unusual alternative pets, such as a praying mantis and a pooping parrot. 172 p. J/F/JENNINGS Jennings, PatrickThe Wolving Time Laszlo is a poor, sheep-herding immigrant living in France during the 1500s. It’s not the most comfortable of lives, but certainly not the worst. Unless, of course, you’re a werewolf, which is what Laszlo happens to be. 197 p. J/F/KARR Karr, KathleenThe Seventh Knot Wick and Miles are spending the summer of 1896 traipsing around Europe with stuffy Uncle Eustace when they stumble upon a strange cult that is plotting to take over the world. 149 p. J/F/KEHRET Kehret, PegEscaping the Giant Wave During Kyle’s seaside vacation, an earthquake strikes and it’s up to Kyle to get his younger sister to safety before the tsunami wave hits. 151 p. J/F/MCCAUGHREAN McCaughrean, GeraldineStop the Train! During the 1893 Oklahoma Land Rush, Cissy’s family moves to the town of Florence. When the railroad begins a feud with the town, the squabbling citizens fight back, using every trick in the book. 289 p. J/F/MARTIN Martin, Ann M.The Meanest Doll in the World Two nice dolls, Anabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft, climb into the wrong knapsack, are carried off to school, and end up at the wrong house. Unfortunately, their new house is ruled over by Princess Mimi…the Meanest Doll in the World! 260 p. J/F/MUNDIS Mundis, HesterMy Chimp Friday When a nervous scientist drops off his secret research project at Rachel’s New York apartment for safe keeping, her family agrees to take in the adorable baby chimp. They don’t realize that others are trying to snatch the chimp out from under them. 168 p. J/F/NAIDOO Naidoo, BeverleyOut of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope This collection of powerful short stories, about young people of different races and ethnic groups, sheds light on significant moments of the 50-year reign of apartheid in South Africa. 175 p. J/F/SAID Said, S.F.Varjak Paw Varjak is a coddled cat living with a Contessa. Upon her death, a sinister relative arrives and, sensing danger, Varjak escapes to the city. It’s a perilous place of rough cat gangs, where cats are mysteriously vanishing across the city. 254 p. J/F/STAUFFACHER Stauffacher, SueDonuthead Franklin Delano Donuthead is afraid of just about everything, from his right arm that is slightly longer than his left, to the germs that seem to be everywhere. Everyday is ominous to him, and it only gets worse when Sarah, the new girl at school, bullies her way into his life. 144 p. J/F/VAN DRAANEN Van Draanen, WendelinSwear to Howdy Russell and Joey are best friends who love adventure and playing pranks. But when one of their practical jokes turns out tragically, Russell must choose between keeping their secret and doing the right thing. Even if doing the right thing means losing Joey as his friend. 126 p. J/F/WESTON Weston, MarthaAct I, Act II, Act Normal Topher Blakely has finally landed a big part in the Hope Springs Middle School annual play! Unfortunately, it’s going to be a geeky musical version of Rumpelstiltskin, and he’s been given the title role. 148 p. J/F/WHITE White, RuthTadpole Sisters Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and Georgia work very hard to make a livingin dirt-poor Appalachia. Then handsome, guitar-playing cousin Tad arrives and the girls rally to keep him out of the clutches of his abusive uncle. 198 p. J/811/WOODSON Woodson, JacquelineLocomotion Through poetry, Lonnie expresses his feelings and often profound thoughts on a variety of subjects. From the girl he likes, to the new boy in school, from being an African American, to his parents tragic death in a fire that left him and his sister orphans, Lonnie’s voice is afflicted, strong, and hopeful. 100 p. J/F/WRIGHT Wright, Betty RenCrandall’s Castle Charli and her new neighbor Sophia agree to help Uncle Will convert the rundown deserted mansion into a motel, but the girls discover that it’s haunted. When they realize just how mean the ghost is, they don’t want to go near the old house. 177 p. Prepared by Brian Crawford, Donna Dumtra-Froemming, and Sara Pemberton, May 2004