Julia's Kitchen by Brenda A. Ferber

Cara Segal is at a sleepover the night a fire breaks out at her house, killing her mother and sister. Her father survives, but is so distraught over their loss that he is unable to answer Cara's questions, and he buries himself in his work. After 41 days of being the only one who can make Cara smile, her best friend, Marlee, tells her she wants the old Cara back. One day, Cara's father gives her a box of items that had survived the fire. Among other things, her mother's recipe box was intact. Cara begins to heal when she decides to keep her mother's homemade cookie business, Julia's Kitchen, alive.

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

Maya is unhappy living with her grandmother after a tragic accident takes the lives of her parents. Grandmother does not let Maya participate in any activities outside her home except school. When her grandmother passes away unexpectedly, Maya moves to Wyoming to live with her mother's family. There, Maya learns to ride a horse and begins to bloom. One day while trying to get closer to a wild Paint horse that her aunt named Artemesia, Maya gets caught in the middle of an earthquake. She manages to survive on her own for a week before Artemesia carries her back to her camp.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

One of the best children's books ever written. Billy Colman wants two coon hounds in the worst way. His parents don't have any extra money, so Billy works hard for two years to save $50 to buy the pups. When he gets them, he names them Old Dan and Little Ann. He teaches them to hunt racoons, and they rambles through the woods in the mountains all night long in complete freedom. Billy is strong, brave, honest, loyal and full of grit. Be prepare...you won't get through it without a good cry.

Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

Benjamin Franklin was a writer, a printer, a stateman and a musician. He was also an inventor of many modern conveniences we take for granted. This book shows how Ben's inventions were created THEN and how we use them NOW.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Twelve year-old Hollis Woods was abandoned at birth and spent her entire life moving from one foster home to another. Most of the families did not work out, and Hollis ended up running away several times. Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher takes Hollis in after her latest disaster. Josie encourages the talented Hollis to express herself with her pictures. Hollis's pictures tell the story of the family she stayed with the previous summer, the Regans. They wanted to adopt Hollis, but before they could, she ran away again. Steven Regan was critically injured in a car accident that Hollis thought was all her fault. When Josie begins to show signs of dementia, social workers intervene and remove Hollis once again. But by this time she's ready to be accepted as part of a permanent family - with the Regans -who did not give up on her.

Sable by Karen Hesse

Tate Marshall had always wanted a dog, so she was thrilled when a stray mutt showed up in her yard one day. After some convincing, Mam and Pap agreed to let Sable stay. Tate loved Sable and took good care of her. Before long, however, the neighbors began to complain about her dog. She had a bad habit of wandering off and stealing things. Mam and Pap are forced to find a new home for Sable, and Doc Winston agrees to take her to his fenced-in property. Tate's determination to get her dog back leads her to work hard to earn enough money to buy materials and build a fence in her own yard.

Harry the Poisonous Centipede by Lynne Reid Banks

Harry is a centipede, which in Latin means "one hundred legs". He's a creepy, crawly thing that would scare you half to death if he wasn't so cute. Harry isn't very brave, but his best friend George is. It's George that talks Harry into going up the Up-Pipe to the place where the Hoo-Mins live. Once they get there, the real adventure begins. Also read Harry the Poisonous Centipede's Big Adventure and Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea.

Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff

This is a story of the Irish Potato Famine which took place between 1845 and 1852. Twelve-year old Nory Ryan woke up one morning, went out to harvest potatoes as usual and found that there was a rotten smell coming from the potatoes in the field. Because potatoes were a large part of the Irish diet in those days, many people starved from lack of food. Nory shows courage as she helps her family find food and the hope to survive.

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.

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.

Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills

In preparation for the 4th grade Biography Tea, Riley O'Rourke and his classmates are assigned a famous person to research. Riley gets Teddy Roosevelt and his best friend, Grant, gets Mahatma Gandhi. Grant's family has enough money to give him a video game every time he gets an "A" on his report card. Riley's mom can't afford to give him any extras, even if he could get an "A". What Riley wants more than anything is to have a saxaphone and play in the school band. Riley is inspired by Teddy Roosevelt's determination and perseverence, and against all odds, he finds a way to get a saxaphone. Grant is inspired, too. He realizes that his video game collection isn't as important as he once thought.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

Before Bandit Wong leaves Shanghai, China in 1947 to move to New York City with her parents, she asks her grandfather to change her name to an American name so she'll fit in better. Bandit chooses the name Shirley Temple Wong since that's the only American name she knows. The Brooklyn Dodgers have a star black player named Jackie Robinson who becomes a hero to this 10-year old girl who is trying to fit into her new culture without abandoning her Chinese heritage.

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill

Who wants to be a millionaire? Rufus Mayflower doesn’t set out to be one, but when his mom sends him to the store to buy some toothpaste, he can't believe the price! He decides to create his own formula for a fraction of the cost. This is a great book for those kids who have an entrepreneurial spirit.

Star in the Storm by Joan Harlow

It's 1912 in Newfoundland, Canada, and all non-sheepherding dogs are being outlawed in Maggie's town. The mayor thinks that a dog is killing sheep. Maggie has a Newfoundland dog named Sirius. He is big and gentle, and she knows he is not the one killing sheep. In order to save his life, Maggie hides Sirius in the rocky cliffs above her house. One day a steamer ship crashes into the rocks during a storm. One hundred people are on board, and the ship is about to sink. Maggie knows Sirius can help save the people, but bringing him out of hiding will put him in danger.