A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer

Every day after school, Jonathan hangs out at the zoo in Anchorage, Alaska where his dad is a keeper. His favorite animal is a downy white goose named "Mama Goose". Jonathan feeds her popcorn, and she climbs into his lap. Meanwhile, a young brown bear whose mother has sent him off on his own wanders into Jonathan's yard searching for food. Jonathan becomes fond of the bear until it breaks into the zoo and accidentally kills Mama Goose. Jonathan wrestles with feelings of anger and revenge while he tries to understand that the bear named Trouble was just doing what any bear would have done.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

Mitty Blake has always lived in New York City, and even after 9/11, he has always felt safe. That all changes when Mitty begins to do research for his biology class. His topic is smallpox (otherwise known as Variola Major). One day as Mitty is leafing through a very old medical book his mom purchased at an estate sale, he comes across an envelope marked "Scabs - VM epidemic, 1902, Boston". Before Mitty realizes what they are, he pours them into his hand, crumbles them and rubs his nose after a sneeze. Can you get smallpox from dried up 100-year-old scabs? When bio-terrorists catch wind of the situation Mitty ends up worrying more about survival than a good grade on his report.

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor

When Georgina Hayes finds herself living in the family car after she, her mother and younger brother are evicted from their apartment, she becomes desperate to find a way to remedy the situation. Her mother is working two jobs and tries to convince Georgina that in time they will be able to have a home. Then Georgina sees a missing dog poster with a reward offer for $5,000. This sets in motion a plan to steal a dog and wait for the reward the owners are bound to offer.