Home of the Brave
by Katherine Applegate
Kek, an African refugee, arrives at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, where he is confronted by many new and discomforting things: a very different climate, a very different language, and a fifth-grade classroom full of strangers. He longs for his missing mother, but finds great comfort in the company of a cow and her owner. 249 pp.

All Stations! Distress!: April 15, 1912: The Day the Titanic Sank
by Don Brown
The tragedy of the sinking of the ill-fated ship Titanic on its maiden voyage is viewed from the perspective of her captain, who did not slow down for icebergs because he thought the threat of any real danger was unlikely. The shipping line was confident that the ship was unsinkable, so it provided lifeboats for only half of its passengers, resulting in the loss of 1,300 lives, including 52 children. 64 pp.

The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale
by Willy Claflin
Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling takes a humorous turn in this version of his story, as Maynard the Moose tells the oh, so sad story of a Moose that thinks he is a ducky. Mother ducky cannot figure out why her one ducky is so uglified. Plus, he trips when he waddles, he sinks when he paddles, and he carries a sign that says “quack,” because all he can say is “Gronk! Arooo!” 32 pp.

Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku
by Ellie Crowe
Surfing was not known outside of Hawaii until Duke Kahanamoku introduced it to the world. Kahanamoku was good at all water sports, but it was swimming that made him known throughout the world. This shy man won three Olympic gold medals in swimming. Although his dream that surfing might become an Olympic sport never happened, his influence on the sport brought him the name, “The Father of Modern Surfing.” 48 pp.

14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy
A young Maasai man receiving his education in America returns home for a visit several months after the bombing of the World Trade Center. Following the tribe’s oral tradition, he tells his people the story. Although the Maasai are fierce warriors, their hearts bleed with compassion when they hear of so much suffering and injustice. What can they give to ease the pain of these Americans? 32 pp.

Umbrella Summer
by Lisa Graff
Ever since Annie’s older brother Jared died, she has become obsessed with being safe. After all, the world is full of dangers, from bug bites to bicycle riding. With the help of her family and friends plus the lessons learned from a certain famous pig and spider from children’s literature, Annie learns life is meant to be lived to its fullest. 240 pp.

Pirates
by David L. Harrison
Through poetry and realistic paintings, David Harrison and Dan Burr reveal what a pirate’s life was really like. It was a life of long days at sea, filth and disease, little money, and harsh treatment for breaking the pirate rules. As the first verse of Harrison’s poem “Ship’s Rules” says, “You’ve joined the Pirate Brotherhood, let no man here forget it. If you do, I promise you you’ll live—if you live—to regret it.” 48 pp.

That Book Woman
by Heather Henson
Cal can’t understand all the reading his sister Lark does. He has much better things to do, such as helping his Pap with the plowing and taking care of the sheep. One day, a lady on a horse comes up the Kentucky mountainside with books for them. During a hard winter, the packhorse librarian comes through the freezing weather to deliver books. Cal wonders what is so special about them, and he asks Lark to help him decipher their wonder. 40 pp.

Down Down Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
by Steve Jenkins
Steve Jenkins takes the reader from the surface of the ocean down to the ocean floor. Along the way are some of the most extreme and unusual animals on earth: vast schools of plankton, bizarre jellyfish, 2,000-pound groupers, and schools of squid that rise and fall through the water column as the sun rises and sets. Fascinating creatures lie in wait at every level of the ocean. 40 pp.

Dying to Meet You: 43 Cemetery Road, Book 1
by Kate Klise
I.B. Grumply is suffering from writer’s block and he thinks moving to this quiet old Victorian mansion will solve his problem. But the house’s ghostly residents have something very different in mind for him. This humorous tale is told through letters, emails, and newspaper articles. Add in comical illustrations, and the reader becomes a happy resident at 43 Old Cemetery Road. 160 pp.

11 Birthdays
by Wendy Mass
Best friends Amanda and Leo, born on the same day in the same hospital, and have always celebrated their birthdays together. That is – until this year, when there will be two parties. Amanda doesn’t like to think about the rift in their friendship; she just wants the day to be over. Unfortunately, she keeps waking up and re-living this birthday all over again, and again, and again. She soon learns that Leo is having the same experience. 272 pp.

The Hinky Pink: An Old Tale
by Megan McDonald
Back in Old Italy, most girls wanted to be a princess, but not Anabel. She was a talented seamstress and she dreamed of making a dress for a princess for dancing the tarantella at a ball. When Princess Isabella Caramella Gorgonzola sends for Anabel to make her a dress for the Butterfly Ball, Anabel’s dream is about to come true. With only one week to make the dress, Anabel must get her sleep. But each night, something pinches her and steals her bed covers: it’s a hinky pink. Will it ruin her dream? 48 pp.

Squirrel’s World
by Lisa Moser
Squirrel loves his friends and wants to help them whenever he can. When Squirrel helps gather food for Mouse’s nest, Mouse ends up under a big pile of apples. Then Squirrel plays games with Turtle, who just wants to sleep. Squirrel tries to help Rabbit get a leaf from the river so Rabbit won’t have to get wet, but his eagerness gets Rabbit soaked. Sometimes Squirrel is so helpful that his friends are happy to see him go. 48 pp.

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems)
by Linda Sue Park
Linda Sue Park introduces the reader to sijo, a type of poem that originated in Korea. Like haiku, it has a set number of syllables and lines, with an unexpected twist in the last line. In this book, Park takes familiar topics of children and puts them in sijo poetry. Carefully crafted and deceptively simple, Park’s sijo are a pleasure to read and an irresistible invitation to experiment with an unfamiliar poetic form. 48 pp.

Mudshark
by Gary Paulsen
If you hate to laugh out loud, don’t read Mudshark. From the principal’s announcements at the beginning of each chapter to the escaped gerbil, disappearing erasers, and a psychic parrot, readers will find themselves letting laughs escape. Amid the laughs, the Mudshark Detective Agency, with it’s one and only employee Lyle Williams (aka Mudshark), has mysteries to solve. 96 pp.

Sparrow Girl
by Sara Pennypacker
This story is based on actual events from China’s Sparrow War in 1958. The citizens of China were told to beat drums and ignite firecrackers for three days—literally scaring the birds to death, to prevent them from eating the farmer’s crops. One child, Ming-Li saves seven sparrows and hides them from her village. When locusts and worms eat all the crops—because the bugs and insects no longer have natural enemies—there is a famine. Ming-Li’s secret is able to save her village. 40 pp.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow
by James Rollins
Jake and Kady’s archeologist parents have been missing for three years. Their parents left behind two halves of a gold Mayan coin, and Jake and Kady each wear one of the halves around their neck. While visiting a special Mayan artifact collection, Jake puts his half of the coin into a hole in a golden pyramid at the exhibition. Immediately, he and Kady are flying through time to a world inhabited by dinosaurs, mythical monsters, people from ancient civilizations all over the world, and the evil shadowy figure of the Skull King. 416 pp.

The Cabinet of Wonders
by Marie Rutkoski
Petra’s father, an expert in metal, has been commissioned by the Prince of Bohemia to make the world’s first astrological clock. On the day her father finally returns home from Prague, he has no eyes; the Prince has stolen them to wear. Petra and her pet robotic spider Astrophil go to the castle determined to bring back her father’s eyes. 288 pp.

Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet
by Graham Salisbury
Fourth-grader Calvin lives with his mom and little sister. Mom says: “You’re the man of the house.” The problem is that being responsible is not one of Calvin’s best qualities; plus, trouble just seems drawn to him like metal to a magnet. Besides the problem with trouble, Calvin has to deal with bullies and giving up his room to a fifteen-year-old girl living with them for a year. Calvin gets to live in a shed in the garage. Calvin Coconut just may go coconuts! 160 pp.

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
by Dan T. Yaccarino
As quoted in this biography, Jacques Cousteau stated, “The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish.” Jacques Cousteau was a weak child and turned to the ocean and swimming to develop strength. And his love of tinkering helped him discover just how things worked. When he became an adult, these two interests led him on his life’s quest to learn about the oceans and the life teeming within, by inventing equipment to aid in man’s exploration of the seas. In other words, he found a way to “become a fish.” 40 pp.