Books for 4th Grade
By
Author Last Name
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
If
you need help finding these books or want to know
about other good books, just ask your librarian.
| J
Fiction Armstrong |
Whittington |
Dick
Whittington was a poor boy who later became the Lord Mayor
of London and a very rich and kind man. It was said he got
his fame and fortune due to his cat. This Whittington claims
to be descended from that cat. He tells the story to the
barn animals that have accepted him into their family. |
J Fiction Asch * |
Star Jumper |
Alex will do anything to get away from his pesky little brother. So with his genius inventing skills, he decides it's time to build a spaceship and travel to the other end of the universe!
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J Fiction Asch * |
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Molly and Jake are two young wild mice that live between
the walls at a school. When they try to teach Dexter, the
escaped class gerbil, how to survive outside of his cage,
all three find themselves in danger.
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| J
Fiction Avi* |
Poppy's
Return |
The
adventures of Poppy the Deermouse continue, but now her
teen-age son, Ragweed Junior, dyes his fur black and hangs
out with a skunk. Junior is rude; he skulks and sulks and
thinks his parents, Poppy and Rye, are too old for words.
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| J Fiction Babbitt |
Jack Plank Tells Tales |
When a pirate ship falls on hard times, Jack Plank is let go because he is not very good at plundering and is left in the Caribbean town of Saltwash. The other people in his boarding house wonder if he is actually good at any job. It seems that he has a excuse for not taking any of the jobs 11-year-old Nina suggests, explaining with tales from an eventful past why none are the right job for him.
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J Fiction Banerjee |
Looking for Bapu |
After his grandfather dies, Anu decides he will do anything to keep his spirit nearby. What will work: shaving his head like a Hindu holy man or secretly visiting the mysterious Karnak?
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| J Fiction Barshaw |
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Eleanor McDougal is Ellie *McDoodle* because she likes to draw. So when she has to travel with Aunt Ug, Uncle Ewing and her annoying cousins to camp out at Higgins Lake, Ellie has a pen and a sketch book and draws and writes about the trip.
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| J
Fiction Beard |
Operation
Clean Sweep |
Cornelius
feels like a spineless jellyfish! Will he ever have the
courage to tell Dad that Mom is secretly running for mayor
against him? |
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J Fiction Boughton |
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Nikki and Tyler try to run a business renting puppies
instead of giving them away.
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J Fiction Bowdish |
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In the summer of 1953, Sam and his mother move from West
Virginia to Brooklyn, New York, to live with his grandfather.
Sam's grandfather doesn't say much and doesn't seem like
he's in a good mood most of the time. In the neighborhood,
everyone likes Sam's grandfather. He even has a nickname-Bugsy.
Why doesn't Bugsy want his grandson around?
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| J Fiction Bowe |
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Although she is determined not to have another best friend, Ida Mae is curious about Stacey, the new girl in school, so she pretends to be somebody else to uncover Stacey's secrets.
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| J
Fiction Bradley |
The
President's Daughter |
Ethel's
father isn't an ordinary father. He's a cowboy, war hero
and politician as well as being President Theodore Roosevelt.
Ethel isn't ordinary either. She's willful, adventurous
and independent. How will this "first daughter"
handle her first year in the spotlight? With courage to
rival that of her father, of course! |
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| J Fiction Brockmeier |
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Dwayne's blue jeans can talk! He hears a cry for help in the grooves of his jeans. Dwayne decides to take the lead.
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J Fiction Bunting * |
The Lambkins |
Kidnapped. That's bad enough, but Kyle, Mac, Tanya and Lulu have been shrunk to the size of dolls and kept trapped in a dollhouse by Mrs. Shepherd who would never hurt them — as long as they don't make her angry.
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| J
Fiction Butler |
Tank Talbott's Guide to Girls |
Tank Talbott has a secret that he cannot share even with his best friend. In order to pass 5th grade, Tank must be tutored in math and write everyday in a notebook on his guide to girls. He will have to be alert, and not let his stepsister Mollie find out. |
| J
Fiction Byars
* |
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WOOF, a group of dogs, get together at night and hear stories written by dogs worldwide and from history. You'll laugh with the dogs.
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J Fiction Carbone |
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After Sarah loses most of her hair in a bubble gum accident,
she starts to wear a baseball cap. Her best friends, Christina
and Olivia each have something they want to hide about
themselves too. Once they know each other's secrets, they
decide not to hide who they are and together face the
world as they truly are. |
| J Fiction Carmody* |
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Gentle, timid Little Fur is an elf-troll girl that lives in a magical forest as a healer. An unlikely heroine, Little Fur is given the task of saving the ancient trees and the earth spirit they contain from the human "fire-loving" burners. |
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J Fiction Clements * |
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Popular kids rarely ever get caught pulling pranks.
That's why others consider them "cool." Hart's luck
runs out when he shoots a rubber band at Mr. Meinert.
Hart ends up getting an unusual punishment. Much to
the teacher's surprise, the task that is meant to humble
this "wise guy" student has the opposite effect.
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J Fiction Cowell |
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Meet Hiccup and Toothless-a Viking boy and his tiny dragon!
Can these two unlikely heroes save the village from giant
dragons?
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J Fiction Curtis * |
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money |
Steven and his friend Russell are on the trail of discovering the origins of a quadrillion dollar bill, and running from everyone who wants it!
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J Fiction Doyle |
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Just wait until you meet the Gigglers. Who are the Gigglers
you ask? Well, they are the creatures who look after children
and make sure that adults, parents and teachers treat
kids fairly. If adults are mean and unfair-then look out,
they get punished with the giggler treatment, and believe
me, it's not pretty! (Hint: it has something to do with
poo on the shoe!)
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J Fiction Dunbar |
The Truth Cookie |
That ex-supermodel Varaminta le Bone is all smiles and sweetness in front of my Dad, but she becomes a witch once his back is turned. Now he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life by proposing marriage to her! I need to find a way to make Varaminta show her true colors.
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*Try
other books by this author too!
J Fiction Edwards |
The Great American Mousical |
The mice are putting on a great mousical, but everything seems to be going wrong. The star of the show is gone, believed to be the victim of a mousetrap. Now, rumors say the theatre itself is to be demolished.
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J Fiction Evans |
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The Wilson family arrives at the San Francisco Hotel to
find that there are no regular rooms available. At the
hotel, they find a room called Otis and move in. The Wilsons
spend their vacation going up and down and greeting the
many people who visit their room. They are sleeping in
the hotel elevator! This vacation turns out to be the
best one the Wilsons have ever had.
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J Fiction Fine |
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Melanie would rather read, than talk to people. When her
teacher asks her to help Imogen, the new girl in her class
to settle in, Melanie isn't very happy. As Melanie gets
to know Imogen, she discovers that there is something
very strange about her. Imogen can tell what is going
to happen in a book by just touching it. She can also
feel what the characters are feeling. Melanie can see
that this is truly a curse. What will Melanie have to
do to save her friend and destroy the magic?
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| J Fiction Finney* |
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Jack the Dog (called Big Yellow Stupid by the cats) is SO HAPPY to be friends with you and tell you about his friend the police dog and the Flying Feathery who can bark and what happened when his Packleader went to London. Woof! Woof!
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| J Fiction Funke* |
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Igraine wants to be a knight, not a magician like the rest of her family. When her castle home is threatened, it is up to her to prove her worth.
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J Fiction Gantos * |
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On the way to Cape Hatteras and a new beginning, Jack
wonders aloud about how do you go about making new friends?
His parents' suggestions are absolutely no help. Will
he be able to figure it out before he has to start 4th
grade in his new school?
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| J
Fiction Gantos * |
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Joey
Pigza, who once swallowed a key, but now has his meds, is feeling great.
For the first time in years he is going to spend the summer with his
dad. When he meets his dad, a grown-up version of his old hyperactive
self, Joey wants to do whatever it takes to be a good son, even when
he fears it will not do him any good at all.
|
J Fiction Gay * |
Travels With My Family |
Hurricanes, tornados, ravenous alligators; when my family goes on vacation they go "off the beaten path"— which means going places no one in their right mind would ever travel to.
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J Fiction Giff * |
Eleven |
—"ing," were the last letters, and the first part was "Miss". If only Sam knew how to read that old newspaper clipping, he would have known why a picture of himself at age 3 was in it. Was he missing or kidnapped? It's hard to think that Mack really wasn't his grandfather.
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J Fiction Glaser |
Bridge to America: Based on a True Story |
Nine year-old Fivel feels responsible for his family's safety while his father is working in America. His father will send for the family when he earns enough money, but with each passing day life becomes more difficult in Poland in 1920.
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J Fiction Gleitzman |
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Limpy the cane toad can't figure out why humans hate
them, and why so many of his relatives end up squashed
on the highway. He is determined to change their attitudes
towards cane toads by becoming a mascot at the Olympics.
Learn some fun Australian words like "puffed," "squiz,"
and "stack me."
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J Fiction Gutman* |
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Joe Stoshack has the ability to travel back in time with
his vintage baseball cards. Joe wants to know if Babe
Ruth really did call his home run hit during game three
of the Chicago Cubs-New York Yankees World Series. Witnesses
never did agree. The only way to find out is to slip back
seventy years and see for himself. |
J Fiction Gutman* |
Homework Machine |
Someone finally invented a machine that does your homework for you! But the teacher is getting suspicious, and even the police are asking questions. How could such a dream machine cause so much trouble?
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| J Fiction Haddix * |
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Dexter's feelings and actions are hard for him to understand as he deals with his father's illness, living with his grandmother, and attending a new school.
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J Fiction Hale * |
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There is a cheating ring at Emerson Hicky Elementary and
Chet Gecko's friend Shirley Chameleon has been fingered
as the ringleader. Shirley hires Chet to clear her name,
but when Chet is accused of cheating, things really change.
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| J Fiction Hanson |
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When Bob the rat is caught by two cats, he tells them stories to distract them from eating him. Gulp!
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| J
Fiction Hazen |
Mermaid
Mary Margaret |
Mary
Margaret has "always" wanted to be a mermaid.
Her mom thinks it's because she watched that mermaid video
one too many times. Mary thinks it started when she was
a baby and her beloved late Grandpa would gently float her,
his "sweet little Mermaid Mary", in a warm soothing
bath. Now Mary is accompanying her grieving Grandma on the
Mediterranean cruise her grandparents were supposed to enjoy
together. Who would have guessed that,in their sadness,
Mary's mermaid dream would have a chance to come true? |
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J Fiction Herman |
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When Michael Brown's mother marries Mr. Jordan, everything
changes. His mother and step-father decide to change
his last name to Jordan, which means his name is now
Michael Jordan. Can he live up to the name? The other
kids expect him to be great at basketball, but Michael
can't even dribble the ball, let alone swoosh it through
the hoop. How can the new Michael Jordan fit in, when
he's no good at basketball?
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| J Fiction Hirsch * |
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A kid can't just tell a grownup that she thinks the grownup did an awful thing. But when Hazel comes up with a plan to make things right, she's the one that gets punished. Unless she can get Mr. Davies to confess, no one will trust her again.
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| J
Fiction Horvath* |
The
Pepins and Their Problems |
The
poor Pepins create and solve so many of their mishaps in
this zany and witty book that it is hard to count them all!
Be a part of this hilarious tale of absurd characters as
the author appeals to you, the reader, for suggestions to
their outrageous predicaments. |
J Fiction Jennings |
Out Standing in My Field |
One book, nine innings... Experience Pee Wee baseball as the Brewers take on the Tigers through bad pitches, missed balls, rain, wind and crazy coaches.
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J Fiction Jones |
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Harvey Ryan's mother writes books for children. The problem,
is that his mother uses Harvey as the main character in
her books. The whole world knows what's going on in Harvey's
life. To get his mother to stop, Harvey and his best friend
decide to get his mother and his principal together. This
brings on a whole new set of problems.
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J Fiction Kennedy |
Me and the Pumpkin Queen |
Mildred has always dreamed of growing a one-thousand-pound pumpkin and winning first prize in her town's famous Pumpkin Fair. Maybe this will be her year.
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J Fiction Kerrin * |
Martin Bridge on the Lookout! |
Cripes. Martin has to play with pesty classmate, Laila. Who knew she could be a watery whiz with balloons?
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| J
Fiction Kirk |
Rex
Tabby: Cat Detective |
Rex
is the world's best detective on the trail of Ma Manx's
kittens that escaped from the crime scene leaving Ma to
be put in jail. Will Rex catch them or will the kittens
free Ma out of the slammer? Detective lessons at the end
of each chapter get you thinking like a detective! |
*Try
other books by this author too!
| J Fiction Laybourn |
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What happened to Ned? Everyone around him can do magic, but he doesn't have a bit! The other students at his fancy new school use magic to fly, play, do math and try all sorts of tricks. Ned can barely escape the jinxed chairs, but his lack of magic may just be what saves him. |
| J Fiction Lombard |
|
It's not easy to be the new girl in school, let alone one who doesn't speak English and is trying to make friends. Drita's grandmother says that "sometimes there is more to people than meets the eye." It seems like everyone has some adjustments to make, no matter where you are from or what language you speak.
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| J
Fiction Marsden |
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Binh and her family are sure their financial problems will be solved when their relative arrives from America, since everyone knows all Americans are rich. |
| J
Fiction Martinez |
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It's 1941 and Pedrito lives in southern Texas, right along the Mexican border. The only life he knows is his life on the farm, helping his father plant watermelons, and tending to farm animals. His world becomes bigger and scarier when he starts to attend school, where he is not permitted to speak any Spanish. Now Pedrito has new worries, like how will he let the teacher know when he has to go pee? |
| J
Fiction Maynard |
|
Jed
wants to be a firefighter when he gets older. He has always studied
fires, but ever since a fire got out of control in his backyard, the
townspeople have looked at him funny. Now, a year later, there have
been some suspicious fires and the town thinks its Jed. Jed's father
is the volunteer fire chief. When he is injured in a fire, Jed decides
to find out who is setting the blazes.
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| J
Fiction McKissack* |
Abby
Takes a Stand |
"What
gave you the idea you could come in here?!" In front
of the staring lunch crowd, the manager yelled at Abby like
she was a pesty gnat. But she was not a pest. Abby was a
young girl who wanted to eat lunch like everyone else. She
also happened to be black. Abby takes her stand against
the lunch counter when she understands that freedom, like
a menu, is about having choices. |
J
Fiction Mead* |
|
Isabella longs for an above-ground swimming pool. Money is tight for her family, so it's up to Isabella to come up with a way to earn some of the money for the pool, but will her motto, "I won't share 'cuz it's not fair!," get in her way? |
| J
Fiction Morgenstern |
It
Happened at School: Two Tales |
Sharing
and fun abound in these two short stories centering on life
in the classroom. From crazy projects to a fax machine that
spouts unending love messages for the teacher, these tales
will make you smile. |
| J
Fiction Morris |
Come,
Llamas |
JT
is so excited! Snow is having her baby and his grandfather
says the first llama born will be his and the start of his
own herd. He knows that being a llama rancher in Alaska
is not an easy job, but it is the life he wants. |
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J Fiction Nagda * |
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"Meo-o-ow!" the scruffy kitten pleads, eyeing Rana through
the sliding glass door. The kitty looks as friendless as
Rana feels at her new school. Her mom has said "maybe" to
the cat now called "Tiger." That's before Tiger licks the
butter and puts his paws into grandma's chapattis (Indian
bread.)
|
J Fiction Napoli * |
Ugly |
Ugly, named by his "duck" siblings, is different from the rest of his family — so different, that his own mother ejects him from the colony. Can Ugly survive the harsh winter with the help of new friends and find his true self?
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| J
Fiction Newman |
Hachiko
Waits |
Every
day Hachi accompanies Professor Ueno to the Shibuya train
station in Japan. Every afternoon the dog returns to greet
his master who arrives on the 3 p.m. train. One day the
professor becomes ill and dies while he is at the university.
Hachi continues to wait. |
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J Fiction Obrist |
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If you like to solve mysteries, this book is for you. There
are forty short illustrated stories that give you all the
clues needed to figure out the mysteries yourself. Try not
to peek at the answers!
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| J
Fiction Patterson |
The Winner's Walk |
Noah, a lovable stray dog adopted by Case's family, can answer the telephone and load the dishwasher! Someone MUST be out there looking for such a special dog, and Case is getting more attached to him everyday.... |
| J
Fiction Paulsen* |
Molly
McGinty Has a Really Good Day |
What
a day! Important notebook goes missing + 1 wacky grandmother
spending the day at school = a torn skirt, a black eye,
and a completely unimaginable day filled with unpredictable
events. |
| J
Fiction Perkins |
Rickshaw Girl |
"You can help your father," Naima laments to her friend, Saleem. "Why can't I help mine?" Naima is a girl, and girls stay home to help their mothers. And sometimes her beloved father looks so tired from driving his rickshaw for paying customers every day. But maybe there is a way Naima, a girl who loves to paint traditional Pakistani designs, can help her family after all. |
J Fiction Potter |
Pish Posh |
Clara Frankofile is a fabulously wealthy 11-year-old snob. She decides who is "In" and who is "Out" at the Pish Posh, her parents' fashionable restaurant. Her rich, tidy world is turned upside-down when she banishes Dr. Piff from Pish Posh and finds a mystery to solve right under her nose.
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J Fiction Proimos |
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Just how bad can middle school be? Well, when Keanu Dungston
gives you a superwedgie in front of the whole school, it
couldn't get any worse. Can Ricky Smootz, aka Cowboy Boy,
find his inner crazy cowboy to fight back?
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| J
Fiction Pullman* |
The
Scarecrow and His Servant |
When
a bolt of lightening brings Scarecrow to life, he sets out
to lead a life of glory and adventure, accompanied by his
faithful servant Jack, a young orphaned boy. Together, Scarecrow
and Jack fight battles with brigands, broken hearts, and
Scarecrow's greatest foe, birds. |
| J
Fiction Regan |
|
Kaley is excited about the class assignment of emailing children in other countries. The trouble begins with her first cyberpal who is a BOY and is very rude. The second emailing pal wants to write to one of Kaley's classmates instead so Kaley needs to look for someone else to write to, again and again.
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| J
Fiction Reiche |
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Conversational,
literary and inventive, Freddy is a superior hamster who truly believes
he is meant to do great things . . . .this is his autobiography.
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J Fiction Roberts |
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Jason is determined to be a contestant on the quiz show
Masquerade Mania, but first he has to create a costume,
get away from a copycat, and learn how to camp out!
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| J
Fiction Rossell |
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With the passing of Jack's Great-Uncle Mungo, Jack inherits the Pirate Curse from the famous pirate, Blackstrap Morgan and must confront a vengeful group of pirates or spend the rest of his life running!
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*Try
other books by this author too!
|
J Fiction Sepulveda |
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Little Lucky, a baby seagull, needs to learn how to fly
to survive. It's up to her adopted "Mommy"- Zorba, a large
male black cat and his cat buddies, to teach her!
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| J
Fiction Spinelli |
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Diana lives in a yellow house
With a bird's nest on the door.
Her father loses his job,
So she doesn't live
By Rose anymore. |
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J Fiction Staples * |
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He has traveled for miles, a frayed rope collar around his
neck. She knows from the minute he finds her,he is the dog
she has always dreamed of owning. He becomes her constant
companion; and her best friend. She loves him with her whole
heart. How can she convince her father to let him stay?
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| J
Fiction Stewart |
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A ten-year-old boy,orphaned and raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, boards his parents magical Aeronautical Snow Chariot and sets its special compass to "Home," where he uncovers a plot that threatens his mermaid godmothers and others.
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J Fiction Tripp |
Pete & Fremont |
Pete the Poodle loves the limelight of the circus. When he misses jumping through a flaming hoop - twice, he fears that his rival Lolly will take his place as lead dog. Suddenly, a very grumpy bear named Fremont joins the circus and Pete is the only one who can talk to him.
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J Fiction Trueit |
Julep O'Toole: Confessions of a Middle Child |
Julep is squashed between her almost perfect older sister and her asthmatic/allergy stricken younger brother. She wants to break out from being invisible to everyone (except her best friends). Just when she gets invited to a party by the most popular girl in school, an emergency happens at home. Maybe Julep is destined to be invisible forever.
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| J
Fiction Trumbore |
Genie
in the Book |
"What
is your fondest wish?" the Genie in the book asked
Will. That is a hard one, but in the meantime, could the
Genie take him to Queensland, Australia to catch the waves
on his boogie board? Yes, the Genie could--and did. |
J Fiction Van Draanen * |
|
Nolan Byrd is a fifth grade math genius. Because his teacher
stated, "You shred, man!", Nolan anonymously opens shredderman.com
and begins to expose a school bully.
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J
Fiction Van
Leeuwen |
|
Two
brothers are left alone to take care of their family's new
Ohio homestead in 1803, but when their family hasn't returned
after six weeks and winter sets in, the boys wonder how
they will survive without a gun or food. |
J Fiction Vande Velde |
Three Good Deeds |
The old witch has turned Howard into a goose and the only way he can become human again is to perform three good deeds. Is that even possible when all he can say is "Honk?"
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| J
Fiction Wallace |
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Before
Jenny's mother died, she wrote a letter to Jenny's grandfather telling
him that Jenny would be coming to live with him. When the coach Jenny
is traveling in drops her off at a deserted road, she starts to think
something is wrong. After she reaches the house, she knows something
is wrong. Not only has her mother's letter not been received, her uncle
doubts that there even is a granddaughter. Rather than be sent back
to China, Jenny is forced to live in the cellar as a servant.
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| J
Fiction Weeks |
Regular Guy |
Guy
Strang has the weirdest parents in the whole 6th grade, come to think
of it, they are the weirdest parents ever. Then he finds out that
Bob-O, the weirdest kid in school, was born on the same day as Guy
and in the same hospital. He decides that they somehow must have
been switched at birth. To prove his theory he convinces Bob-O to
trade places for a weekend.and what a weekend it turns out to be!
(Then read the sequel, Guy Time)
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| J
Fiction Wiley |
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Basil's very un-extraordinary life in a lighthouse in Maine completely changes when he is whisked away to a floating city in the sky. But Basil soon finds out life in the sky is complicated when he gets caught up in a battle to save the world. |
J Fiction Wyss |
Bear Dancer: The Story of a Ute Girl |
She is captured by Cheyenne warriors and later rescued by American soldiers. They name her "Susan," but in her heart she is "Elk Girl."
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| J
Fiction Yep |
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A
little brother can be a pest, but Arnie-zilla, the school bully, is a larger than life problem for Teddy and Bobby. These two brothers join forces
to defend themselves as they face threats from gigantic Arnie. Their
schemes and a little bug or two change everything!
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J Fiction Young |
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What's it like to be a turtle? Well, Winchell is about to
find out as he takes a crazy, mixed-up, time-traveling journey
on which he discovers a lot about himself, as well as those
around him.
|
*Try
other books by this author too!
Compiled
by Santa Clara County Library
Children's Services Librarians
2004 - 2008
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