Books for 5th and 6th Graders, Summer 2006 J/F ANDERSON Anderson, M.T.Whales On Stilts Mad scientist Larry and his remote-controlled laser-eyed whales are planning to take over the world, so it’s up to Lily and her mad-cap friends to save the planet! 188 p. J/F/ARNOLD Arnold, LouiseGolden & Grey (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost) With no friends and a bully picking on him, Tom dreads each school day until Arthur, a ghost boy, decides to give him a helping hand. However, once Tom learns to “see” ghosts, he’s visited by all kinds of poltergeists, causing funny, frightening and embarrassing moments. 267 p. J/F/AUCH Auch, Mary JaneWing Nut Grady has finally found a place to call home, but his terrible mistake may jeopardize his life with this new-found family. 231 p. J/F/BACCALARIO Baccalario, PierdomenicoThe Door to Time Jason and Julia’s family move into eerie Argo Manor, where they stum-ble upon a series of clues and an ancient door that they hope will lead to treasure but instead lead to something even more extraordinary. 222 p. J/F/BALLIETT Balliett, BlueThe Wright 3 Calder, Petra and Tommy know that Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House is a work of art, brimming with undiscovered secrets and mysteries yet unsolved. But the house is scheduled to be torn down—unless the Wright 3 can halt the demolition. 318 p. J/F/BANKS Banks, Lynne ReidTiger, Tiger The Roman Emperor’s daughter Aurelia is delighted with her new tiger cub, but she resents the slave boy Julius, the animal’s trainer. Even-tually she and Julius become good friends, a situation that may send both him and her beloved pet to their deaths in the Colosseum. 195 p. J/F/BIRDSALL Birdsall, JeanneThe Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy The Penderwick kids are supposed to have a quiet summer vacation in the country. Instead, they nearly burn down their cottage, cross paths with an angry bull, and lose a valuable rabbit. 262 p. J/F/BUCKLEY Buckley, MichaelThe Sisters Grimm: Fairy-Tale Detectives Orphans Daphne and Sabrina are sent to live in a town inhabited by both humans and fairy tale characters. When a giant kidnaps their grandmother, the girls must solve a mystery to rescue her. 284 p. J/F/CODELL Codell, Esmé RajiDiary of a Fairy Godmother Hunky Dory, a wicked witch in training, decides that her true gift is granting wishes. To the dismay of her family, she is expelled from charm school and opens a wish-granting business, where her clients are all fairy tale characters. 170 p. J/F/COLFER Colfer, EoinHalf Moon Investigations There’s a petty crime wave, and accusations are flying back and forth at school. Fletcher Moon is a very good detective, but his questions and investigations are making everyone mad at him. 290 p. J/F/CORBETT Corbett, SueFree Baseball Felix Piloto, the ultimate baseball fan, can’t believe it when his mother sends a babysitter with him to the home opener. He is mistaken for the visiting team’s bat boy and is soon traveling with the team. 152 p. J/F/DEFELICE DeFelice, CynthiaThe Missing Manatee From his boat, Skeeter sees a dead manatee floating in the river. When he realizes it has been shot, he vows to find the person responsible. 181 p. J/F/DUBLE Duble, Kathleen BennerThe Sacrifice When the witchcraft scare spreads from Salem to Abigail’s village, fingers are pointed at Abigail and her sisters. They are arrested, jailed, and may be put to death unless their mother can save them. 211 p. J/F/FALCONE Falcone, L.M.Walking With the Dead While at a museum, Alex removes a gold coin from an ancient corpse. Needing the coin to cross the River Styx, the corpse pursues Alex into the Greek Underworld where Alex must battle the god Hades. 196 p. J/F/GOING Going, K.L.The Liberation of Gabriel King Gabriel is afraid of everything including spiders, killer robots, cows, and, especially, fifth grade. When Frita, his brave best friend, attempts to “cure” Gabriel of his fears, she realizes that she may need his help to overcome some fears of her own. 151 p. J/F/GUTMAN Gutman, DanThe Homework Machine Four kids, known around school as the D Squad, get into a heap of problems with their teachers, classmates, parents and the police over their invention and use of a homework machine. 146 p. J/F/HADDIX Haddix, Margaret PetersonDouble Identity Bethany makes the shocking discovery that she is the clone of a sister who died many years ago. When she begins to question her existence, Bethany uncovers even more secrets about her past. 218 p. J/F HEARN Hearn, JulieSign of the Raven A disembodied voice lures Tom into a time gap inhabited by freakish lost souls who have been trapped since the 1800s. As Tom tries to free these souls from their cruel imprisonment, he is torn between the past and present, good and evil, and life and death. 328 p. J/F/HICKS Hicks, BettyOut of Order When her mother remarries, Lily inherits a stepsister, stepbrother and a lot of grief, but the kids manage to pull together and host a charity Rock–Paper–Scissors Tournament. 169 p. J/370.92/JUR Jurmain, SuzanneThe Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students Prudence faced insults, vandalism, violence and prison in her attempt to open a school for African American girls in 1833. 150 p. J/F/PULLMAN Pullman, PhilipThe Scarecrow and His Servant The lightning bolt may have given him life, but Mr. Scarecrow still needs some intellectual help, and so he enlists the boy Jack as his servant. The two embark on a series of dangerous adventures, all the while trying to avoid the clutches of the evil Buffaloni family. 229 p. J/F/SCHIRRIPA Schirripa, StevenNicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family After Nicky’s summer camp plans are cancelled, he is sent to grandma’s house in Brooklyn where he learns how to be “goomba” and experiences hair-raising adventures with his new friend, Tommy. 167 p. J/F/SILBERBERG Silberberg, AlanPond Scum The animals living in a pond are in an uproar when Oliver and his family move nearby. Oliver uncovers a strange gem that allows him to transform into an animal, and he makes a new amphibian friend at the pond. Together they try to create an alliance between humans and pond animals, for their mutual defense. 284 p. J/F/WILES Wiles, DebbieEach Little Bird That Sings Comfort Snowberger enjoys living and working with her family at their funeral home business. A visit from her cousin and problems with her best friend create a challenging summer for Comfort and her family. 247 p. Prepared by Donna Drumtra-Froemming, Rachel Andrews and Diane Jakosz, May 2006