The following are suggestions for summer reading and read-alouds.  In most cases, the titles listed are just a sampling of the many works produced by these authors.  Enjoy exploring more of their books.

Angleberger, Tom
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda series
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.

Blume, Judy
Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing
Living with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth-grade nothing.  Fudge is a two-year-old terror who gets away with everything. When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle, it’s the last straw.   How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?

Bosch, Pseudonymous
The Name of This Book Is Secret series
Two eleven-year-old misfits try to solve the mystery of a dead magician and stop the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais, who are searching for the secret of immortality.

Buckley, Michael
The Sisters Grimm: the Fairy Tale Detectives series
Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother whom they have always believed to be dead.

Catling, Patrick
Chocolate Touch
A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate.

Christopher, Matt
Baseball Turnaround
Sandy is drawn unknowingly into a shoplifting incident, but when his community service involves baseball he meets people who help him finally put the past behind him.

Conlan, Kathy
Under the Ice
Imagine suiting up and slipping into water so cold that exposed skin can freeze in seconds and equipment can suddenly seize up. These are the dangers that Kathy Conlan faces when she goes to work. Kathy is a marine biologist who has scuba-dived in oceans off the Arctic and Antarctic—two of the most hostile environments on Earth.

Cotler, Steve
Cheesie Mack series
Ronald “Cheesie” Mack engages in fifth-grade shenanigans such as tormenting his sister and getting into plenty of trouble with his best friend George.  Will he survive and be able to make it to middle school?

Cowell, Cressida
How To Train Your Dragon series
Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

Creech, Sharon
Castle Corona
Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives may be changed forever.

Dahl, Roald
James and the Giant Peach
A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach.

Davies, Jacqueline
Lemonade War series
Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade.  As the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars. Includes mathematical calculations and tips for running a successful lemonade stand.

Davies, Nicola
Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth
Animals adapt to their surroundings for survival. Learn how they survive in conditions that humans never would. 

Dowd, Siobhan
London Eye Mystery
Ted, whose brain is “wired differently,” and his impatient sister Kat work together to solve the mystery of what happened to their cousin Salim, who disappeared from the London Eye ferris wheel. 

Funke, Cornelia
Dragon Rider
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, embarks on a quest with a brownie and an orphan boy to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven. Along the way, they encounter friendly and unfriendly creatures and struggle to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy. 

George, Jean Craighead
My Side of the Mountain
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.

Gidwitz, Adam
A Tale Dark and Grimm series
Follow Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering both wicked creatures and kindly strangers.

Grisham, John
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer series
With attorneys for parents, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most lawyers do.  When a high-profile murder trial comes to his small town and Theo gets pulled in, it’s up to this amateur attorney to save the day.

Gutman, Dan
Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable series
On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.

Gutman, Dan
Get Rich Quick Club
Summer vacation in their small Maine town does not look too promising until twelve-year-old Gina and four of her friends make a pact to become millionaires before school starts in September.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Among the Hidden
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family’s farm, until another “third” convinces him that the government is wrong. 

Hatkoff, Craig
Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
The true story of two great friends: a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee. 

Hicks, Betty
The Worm Whisperer
Ellison Ellis Coffey, a lonely fifth-grader, discovers he might have the gift of talking to bugs and decides to use his ability to win his town’s annual Woolly Worm Race.

Howe, James
Bunnicula series
Harold the dog and Chester the cat are suspicious of the new pet rabbit, who seems to drain his vegetables of their juice. Can the new bunny be a vampire?

Johnson, Rebecca
Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures
Presents new animals discovered during a ten-year project of documenting sea life, describing new species of such creatures as jellyfish, octopuses, squids, sea worms, and crabs, found along coral reefs, ocean mountain ranges, and in the dark zone.

Joyce, William
Guardians series
Warrior Nicholas St. North finds himself embroiled in a battle with the evil Nightmare King, which he can only win if he finds five other Guardians.

Kerley, Barbara
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
The true story of Victorian artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who built life-sized models of dinosaurs in the hope of educating the world about what these awe-inspiring ancient animals were like.

L’Engle, Madeleine
A Wrinkle in Time
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers during their search for Meg’s father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Lisle, Janet Taylor
Highway Cats
A hard-bitten group of mangy highway cats is changed forever after the mysterious arrival of three kittens.

Lynch, Chris
Cyberia series
In Zane’s world, technology has progressed so that every pet has a microchip in it that allows the pet to talk.  When a strictly contraband wild animal, a mole, comes into his life, Zane learns that the pets aren’t actually saying what the chip is translating. In fact, they aren’t happy that all animals have been domesticated. So they enlist Zane to help them fight back and ensure their freedom.

Margolin, Phillip
Vanishing Acts
In Portland, Oregon, between soccer games and beginning seventh grade, twelve-year-old Madison Kincaid and new classmate Jake try to track down her missing best friend, while also helping her attorney father solve a missing-persons case. 

Markle, Sandra
Animal Heroes: True Rescue Stories
Nine stories, based on interviews with the grateful survivors, describe how brave animals rescued people in catastrophic circumstances. 

Markle, Sandra
Rescues!
A woman is buried in an avalanche. Miners are trapped underground. Who will come to their rescue? Learn how rescuers use their brains, as well as their bravery, to rescue people in trouble all over the world. 

Marrin, Albert
Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People
Get ready to look at rats in a whole new way. These intelligent, compassionate creatures are greatly misunderstood. 

Mass, Wendy
11 Birthdays
Amanda and Leo, former best friends with the same birthday, had a falling out on their tenth birthday and have not spoken since, but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their eleventh birthday repeats itself again and again.

McCarthy, Meghan
Aliens are Coming! The True Account of the 1939 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast
Account of the practical joke that fooled American radio listeners and made Orson Welles famous.

Montgomery, R. A.
Choose Your Own Adventure series
Whether you sail on the Titanic or track the Abominable Snowman, you create your own adventure as you make choices and face the consequences. 

Myracle, Lauren
Ten
Winnie celebrates her unique style through her first year with a double-digit age as she has many new experiences, from the high of spending time in New York with her aunt and big sister, to the low of her two best friends suddenly becoming interested in boys. 

Night, P.J.
You’re Invited to a Creepover series
Each book in this creepy series revolves around a sleepover. In It’s All Downhill from Here, Maggie’s parents want to buy the old Wharton Mansion and turn it into a ski lodge, but the ghost who lives there has other plans.

Oliver, Lin
Almost Identical
Once inseparable best friends, thirteen-year-old identical twins Sammie and Charlie begin to grow apart when they make new friends and join different clubs as seventh-graders at a brand new school. 

Pascoe, Elaine
Fooled You! Fakes and Hoaxes Through the Years
Crop circles. Aliens on earth. Fairies caught on film. Giant cats. What do these phenomena have in common? Read about the stories behind them and why people were so easily fooled. 

Paulsen, Jim and Gary
Road Trip
A father and son embark on a road trip to a distant animal shelter to save a homeless border collie puppy.

Peirce, Lincoln
Big Nate series
Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.

Peot, Margaret
Inkblot: Drip, Splat and Squish Your Way to Creativity
Teaches how to change inkblots into works of art and to use them as keys to creativity. 

Pringle, Laurence
Billions of Years, Amazing Changes
Ever since Charles Darwin revealed his landmark ideas about evolution in 1859, new findings have confirmed, expanded, and refined his concepts. With a perfect blend of science and art, this book captures natural marvels, including awe-inspiring fossils, life forms, and geological wonders.

Reeve, Philip
No Such Thing as Dragons
A young mute boy who is apprenticed to a dragon-slayer suspects that the winged beasts do not exist, until he and his master learn the truth.

Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter series
Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Schlitz, Laura Amy
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village
A collection of short one-person plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth-century English manor.

Scieszka, Jon
Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka
How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? He grew up as one of six brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.

Scieszka, Jon, ed.
The Sports Pages
A collection of sports stories featuring everything from fighting to friendship, set everywhere from the tennis court to the hockey rink. 

Selznick, Brian
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Settel, Joanne
Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts about How Animals Adapt
Describes examples of animal behavior that may strike humans as disgusting, including the “gross” ways animals find food, shelter, and safety in the natural world.

Simon, Coco
Cupcake Diaries series
Katie starts the Cupcake Club with her new middle-school friends Mia, Emma, and Alexis. At first she is nervous about beginning middle school, but she soon discovers that nothing is sweeter than starting from scratch with new friends. 

Snicket, Lemony
“Who Could That Be At This Hour?”
Thirteen-year-old Lemony Snicket begins his apprenticeship with S. Theodora Markson of the secretive V.F.D. in the tiny dot of a town called Stain’d By The Sea, where he helps investigate the theft of a statue.

Spinelli, Eileen
The Dancing Pancake
Eleven-year-old Belinda “Bindi” Winkler and her family find their way through tough times with the love and support of the community that grows around their newly opened restaurant, “The Dancing Pancake.”

Stead, Rebecca
When You Reach Me
In the 1980s, as her mother prepares to be a contestant on a television game show, Miranda tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space. 

Stern, A.J.
Frankly, Frannie series
Frannie is a girl who likes to manage things, but sometimes things seem unmanageable.

Tang, Greg
The Grapes of Math: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles series
Illustrated riddles introduce strategies for solving a variety of math problems. 

Tashjian, Janet
My Life as a Book
Dubbed a “reluctant reader” by his teacher, twelve-year-old Derek spends vacation learning important lessons even though he does not complete his summer reading list. 

Tarshis, Lauren
I Survived series
This series describes earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters through the eyes of kids who were present for them. In one of the books, ten-year-old George is aboard the Titanic with his aunt and sister when the ship collides with an iceberg and begins to sink. How will he survive?

Various
The 39 Clues series
Meet the Cahills, the most powerful family the world has ever known. The source of their power is a mystery that can only be unraveled by assembling 39 clues that have been hidden around the world throughout history.

Various
Dear America series
Told in the form of diaries, this series of historical fiction tells the adventures of individual girls and boys in critical points of American history.

Vernon, Ursula
Dragonbreath series
The zany adventures of Danny Dragonbreath and his friend Wendell the Iguana.

Winkler, Henry
Mind if I Read Your Mind? series
Billy Broccoli and his sidekick Hoover the Ghost plan to win a school competition on mind-reading, with Hoover using his supernatural powers to edge out the competition.

Yaccarino, Dan
Go, Go America
A collection of odd facts, including festivals, contests, and laws, about the 50 states.

The above list was compiled by Wakefield’s K-4 reading teachers
and the librarians of Lucius Beebe Memorial Library.

The following are suggestions for summer reading and read-alouds.  In most cases, the titles listed are just a sampling of the many works produced by these authors.  Enjoy exploring more of their books.

Abbott, Tony
Goofballs series
Long-time friends and fellow sleuths Jeff, Brian, Mara and Kelly, known as the Goofballs, solve mysteries and have lots of fun.

Adler, David A.
Cam Jansen series
A fifth-grader with a photographic memory solves mysteries.

Atinuke
Anna Hibiscus series
Anna Hibiscus, who lives in Africa with her whole family, likes to splash in the sea and have parties for her aunties, but she would really love to see snow.

Barnholdt, Lauren
Hailey Twitch series
The hilarious adventures of second-grader Hailey Twitch and her friend Maybelle, who just happens to be a 200-year-old sprite that only Hailey can see.

Barrows, Annie
Ivy and Bean series
Second-graders Ivy and Bean live next door to each other and together they can handle whatever challenges come their way.

Blume, Judy
The Pain & the Great One series
First-grader Jake (“the Pain”) and third-grader Abigail (“the Great One”) are siblings who envy each other.

Cleary, Beverly
Ramona series
This humorous series follows Ramona Quimby and her family and friends as she has adventures and grows up.

Clements, Andrew
Jake Drake series
Jake’s a typical kid. Why does he always seem to be in trouble?

Collard, Sneed B.
Wings
Discusses the animals that have wings, various types of wings, and how they are used.

Dahl, Roald
The Enormous Crocodile
The enormous crocodile devises secret plans and a few clever tricks to secure his lunch only to be foiled by his neighbors.

DiCamillo, Kate
Bink & Gollie
Two roller-skating best friends, one tiny and one tall, share comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.

Draper, Sharon
Sassy series
It’s hard to get respect when you’re only nine, you’re the youngest in your family, and everyone calls you Little Sister instead of Sassy.  But Sassy has imagination and style and finds that whatever problem comes her way, she has just the thing to solve it in her marvelous Sassy Sack.

Friedman, Laurie
Mallory series
Eight-year-old Mallory McDonald is a lively character with a penchant for jokes and creative situations that have comical results.

George, Jean Craighead
The Wolves Are Back
For over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. After having been gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem.

Heidbreder, Robert
Noisy Poems for a Busy Day
Short, silly poems full of onomatopoeia and humor will delight poetry fans of all ages.

Hicks, Betty
Gym Shorts series
Action-filled sports books that pack the energy of the gym into short novels.

Hillman, Ben
How Big Is It?
How deep was the ice above New York in the ice ages?  How long is a giant squid?  Who is taller, a polar bear or a basketball player?  Once you read one of these books, you will want to know more.

Hopping, Lorraine
Wild Weather: Tornadoes!
Two people follow tornadoes in the Midwest to study them and learn about them.

Janeczko, Paul
A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout
A varied collection of lively rhymes, tricky tongue-twisters, poems for more than one voice, bilingual poems, and many others.

Jenkins, Steve
Living Color
Red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink—animals can be startlingly colorful. Why are they found in so many shades, tints, and hues? Find out how animals use color to warn predators, signal friends, attract a mate, or hide from their enemies.

Jurmain, Suzanne
Worst of Friends
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson put aside their differences in the name of friendship.

Katz, Susan
Mrs. Brown on Exhibit
Poems about what the students in Mrs. Brown’s class see and do during their school field trips to a variety of museums.

Krulik, Nancy
Katie Kazoo Switcheroo series
Katie Carew is an ordinary girl with an unusual problem: she keeps turning into other things.

Landon, Lucinda
Meg Mackintosh series
Detective Meg Mackintosh solves a series of mysteries. The reader is encouraged to solve the mystery along with Meg.

Larson, Kirby
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival
Bobbi, a dog, and Bob Cat are the best of friends. When their hometown of New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina, many lost everything. But not Bobbi and Bob Cat—they still had each other and survived by staying together.

Le Guin, Ursula K.
Catwings series
Four young cats just happen to be able to fly.

Look, Lenore
Ruby Lu series
Almost-eight-year-old Ruby Lu spends time with her baby brother, goes to Chinese school, performs magic tricks and learns to drive on the mean streets of New York.

McDonald, Megan
Judy Moody series
Third-grader Judy Moody has a mood to fit every occasion and a face to go with it.

McDonald, Megan
Stink series
More raucous adventures follow Judy Moody’s little brother, Stink.

McKay, Hilary
Lulu and the Duck in the Park
Lulu loves animals. When she discovers an abandoned duck egg, she enlists the help of her friend Mellie to learn about raising ducks and attempts to nurture the egg until it hatches.

Meadows, Daisy
Rainbow Magic Fairies series
Jack Frost and his goblins are always trying to cause trouble for the Rainbow Magic Fairies.

Miles, Ellen
Puppy Place series
The Petersons are a foster family for young dogs. They have a puppy of their own, Buddy, but they love to help find the perfect owners for dogs in need.

Mills, Claudia
How Oliver Olson Changed the World
Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.

Montgomery, Lewis
Milo & Jazz series
Detectives-in-training Milo and Jazz join forces to tackle cases.

Muntean, Michaela
Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs
After a circus accident rendered Luciano Anastasini unable to perform his circus stunts, he undertook the task of training rescue dogs to perform a circus act.

Napoli, Donna Jo
Sly the Sleuth series
Sly the Sleuth, also known as Sylvia, solves mysteries for her friends and neighbors through her detective agency, Sleuth for Hire.

O’Brien, Patrick
You Are the First Kid on Mars
Using the most up-to-date designs and theories of what it will take to establish a base on Mars, you are off on an incredible journey of over 35 million miles to the red planet.

Payne, Nina
Four in All
This perfectly simple 56-word poem encapsulates a child’s world, from the up close and personal (“eyes ears nose mouth”) to its far-reaching corners (“east west north south”).

Peterson, John
The Littles series
The Littles are a family of tiny people who live in the Bigg family’s house. Mr. Little is only six inches tall, and he is big for a Little. The Littles develop a plan to get rid of the mice in the Biggs’ house.

Prelutsky, Jack
Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems
An illustrated collection of humorous poems on a variety of topics.

Raczka, Bob
Guyku
Raczka and Peter Reynolds present a humorous haiku collection perfect for guys (big and small) that celebrates outdoor fun throughout the seasons.

Robbins, Ken
For Good Measure: The Way We Say How Much, How Far, How Heavy, How Big, How Old
The mile gets its name from the term mille passus, which means “a thousand paces.” The abbreviation for pound (lb.) comes from the Latin libra pondo. Feet, pounds, quarts, miles: these are words we use every day. But where did they originate and what do they actually mean?

Rosenstock, Barb
The Camping Trip That Changed America
In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt read John Muir’s book on the Sierra Nevada, which ended with a plea for government to save the vanishing forests. The president asked Muir to take him camping in the Yosemite wilderness. Two months later, Roosevelt followed his knowledgeable guide into the mountains, through the valley, and among the giant sequoia trees.

Roy, Ron
Capital Mysteries series
KC Corcoran and her friend Marshall Li live in Washington, D.C.  They often find themselves solving mysteries at the White House, the Smithsonian, and other famous sites.  Sometimes their friend, President Zachary Thornton, helps them.

Scieszka, Jon
Time Warp Trio series
With the help of a magic book, Joe, Sam and Fred are able to travel through time.

Silverstein, Shel
Where the Sidewalk Ends
A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author’s own drawings.

Smith, Lane
Abe Lincoln’s Dream
When Quincy gets separated from her class tour at the White House, she encounters a strange man in a stovepipe hat and updates him about what’s happened since he’s been gone.

Stewart, Melissa
Tell Me Why, Tell Me How series
This series answers basic questions about complex topics such as how fish breathe underwater and how chameleons change colors.

Stilton, Geronimo
Geronimo Stilton series
Geronimo Stilton is the mild-mannered editor of The Rodent’s Gazette, the largest newspaper on Mouse Island.

Stone, Rex
Dinosaur Cove series
Tom and Jamie can’t believe their luck when they find a secret entrance to a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs. You are sure to find your favorite dinosaur in Dinosaur Cove, but you might wish you hadn’t!

Sweet, Melissa
Balloons Over Broadway
The story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg and his long-lasting gift to America: the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Tavares, Matt
There Goes Ted Williams
Legendary Red Sox player Ted Williams hits home run after home run and, in between seasons, flies planes in several wars.

Thomas, Peggy
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
To some, he was “Professor Nuts Peterson,” but to the world he was Roger Tory Peterson. This is the story of the American artist, activist, and passionate bird lover and creator of the Peterson Field Guides.

Van Allsburg, Chris
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
When the dog he is caring for runs away from Alan into the forbidden garden of a retired dog-hating magician, a spell seems to be cast over the contrary dog.

Various
Flat Stanley series
After a bulletin board falls on Stanley, he finds that being flat has its advantages.

Watson, Tom
Stick Dog
Stick Dog and his four friends (Stripes, Mutt, Poo-Poo and Karen) will do anything to steal some sweet-smelling hamburgers from a family at Picasso Park.

The above list was compiled by Wakefield’s K-4 reading teachers
and the librarians of Lucius Beebe Memorial Library.

The following are suggestions for summer reading and read-alouds.  In most cases, the titles listed are just a sampling of the many works produced by these authors.  Enjoy exploring more of their books.

Adler, David A.
Young Cam Jansen series
Cam Jansen uses her photographic memory to collect clues and solve mysteries and crimes.

Agee, Jon
The Retired Kid
Although he enjoys some aspects of his retirement, eight-year-old Brian gains a new perspective on his job of being a child after spending time in Florida’s Happy Sunset Retirement Community.

Aston, Dianna
An Egg is Quiet
Introduces readers to more than sixty types of eggs and an array of egg facts.

Banks, Kate
Monkeys and the Universe
Max and his older brother Pete learn about stars, planets, and galaxies when their father takes them to an astronomical observatory.

Bauer, Marion Dane
The Golden Ghost
On a bike outing to the abandoned houses by the old cement mill, Delsie and her friend Todd discover one of the houses is not empty–and a ghost dog haunts the area.

Brett, Jan
The Three Snow Bears
Retells the story of Goldilocks and features a family of polar bears in an Inuit village.

Burleigh, Robert
Flight of the Last Dragon
Ultimon, the dragon king, hides in a world that he no longer rules.  Then one night, a shooting star summons him to take his throne among the stars as the constellation Draco.

Carlson, Nancy
Start Saving, Henry!
When Henry the mouse wants to buy a Super Robot Dude, he discovers how hard it is to save money.

Cocca-Leffler, Maryann
Mr. Tanen’s Ties Rule
On Career Day, students run Lynnhurst School for the day while the teachers become students, but important surprise visitors arrive in the midst of the chaos.

Coven, Wanda
Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret series
After being homeschooled her whole life, Heidi Heckelbeck enters a real school in second grade, where she encounters a mean girl named Melanie who makes her feel like an alien.

Danziger, Paula
A Is for Amber series
Irrepressible and zany Amber Brown struggles with school, divorce, schoolteachers, and fellow classmates.

Demi
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl.

DiCamillo, Kate
Mercy Watson series
Mercy the pig’s love of buttered toast leads her to all kinds of hilarious adventures.

Fox, Mem
Where the Giant Sleeps
Illustrations and rhyming text portray the different residents of fairyland and where each one goes to sleep.

Ganeri, Anita
Eruption! The Story of Volcanoes
What spits out fire and ash? What sleeps for years but may explode with a bang at any time? In Eruption! The Story of Volcanoes, children learn all about volcanoes as the mechanics of an eruption are described and illustrated with simple, step-by-step pictures.

Gantos, Jack
Rotten Ralph series
Ralph is a nasty cat who enjoys playing practical jokes on his family.

Gaspar, Joe
Baseball’s MVPs series
These short biographies discuss the lives, careers, and accomplishments of various baseball players.

Gibbons, Gail
Behold the Unicorns
A look at notions about unicorns throughout time and across many cultures.

Hanlon, Abby
Ralph Tells a Story
Everyone in Ralph’s class writes a story for an assignment, but Ralph struggles with writer’s block.

Hosford, Kate
Infinity and Me
After the sight of a night sky filled with stars makes eight-year-old Uma feel very small, she asks people how they think about infinity and gets a variety of answers before realizing the comfort in knowing that some things go on forever.

Jacobson, Jennifer
Andy Shane series
Gentle Andy Shane lives with Granny Webb.  Bossy Delores Starbuckle lives next door with her family.  Andy and Delores are very different people but together they make a terrific team.

Jenkins, Steve
Just a Second
This non-fiction picture book explores time in a new way, as a series of events in the natural world that take place in a given unit of time.

Judge, Lita
Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why
An illustrated tribute to birds of all kinds and the funny, fascinating things they do.

Khan, Rukhsana
Ruler of the Courtyard
After confronting what she believes to be a snake in the bathhouse, Saba finds the courage to overcome her fear of the chickens in the courtyard.

Komiya, Teruyuki
Life-Size Zoo
See life-size photographs of various animals with fold-out pages and charts of interesting facts.

Krensky, Stephen
Big Bad Wolves at School
Rufus, a young wolf, has a hard time fitting in at the Big Bad Wolf Academy where he has been sent to learn to huff and puff—until the day he uses his true talent.

Kudlinski, Kathleen V.
Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!
Examines what is known about dinosaur bones, behavior, and other characteristics and how different the facts often are from what scientists, from ancient China to the recent past, believed to be true.

Kudlinski, Kathleen V.
Boy, Were We Wrong About the Solar System!
An informative look at how scientific theories have changed over time concerning the solar system.

Kvatum, Lia
Saving Yasha
The uplifting story of an orphaned bear cub who was discovered in the Russian wilderness. Two young scientists rescued him and raised him and two other cubs to be able to survive on their own in the forest.

MacLachlan, Patricia
The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm
In the year before they become the orphans known as the Boxcar children, the Alden siblings live with their parents at Fair Meadow Farm, where they take in a family who has been stranded in their car during a blizzard.

Marshall, James
George and Martha series
Best friends George and Martha always manage to help each other, have fun playing, and see the bright side of life.

McCarthy, Meghan
Astronaut Handbook
Do you have what it takes to become an astronaut?  Find out how to get started on your outer space career.

McClements, George
Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident
What will the evil genius Baron von Baddie do next, now that he has frozen the superhero Captain Kapow inside a block of ice?

McCloskey, Robert
Blueberries for Sal
Little Sal and Little Bear are both separated from their mothers while eating blueberries and almost end up with each other’s mother.

McPhail, David
Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
Pigs galore invade a house and have a wonderful party.

Nyeu, Tao
Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always
Four stories of friendship between squid and octopus highlight their appreciation of each other. The fish in the sea tell the story within the story that will initiate discussion and stir imaginations.

O’Connor, Jane
Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth series
In her chapter book debut, Nancy Clancy must find the culprit when a prized possession goes missing at school.

Palatini, Margie
Gorgonzola, a Very Stinkysaurus
Gorgonzola does not like to bathe, but then he makes friends with a brave birdie who teaches him the benefits of improved hygiene.

Parish, Herman
Amelia Bedelia Means Business
Young Amelia Bedelia will do almost anything for a shiny new bicycle. Her parents say they’ll split the cost with her, which means that Amelia Bedelia needs to put the pedal to the metal and earn some dough!

Parish, Peggy
Amelia Bedelia series
A literal-minded housekeeper causes a ruckus in the household when she attempts to make sense of some instructions.

Park, Barbara
Junie B. Jones series
The high-spirited Junie B. engages in madcap adventures with her family and classmates.

Pearson, Susan
How to Teach a Slug to Read
Anyone can teach a slug to read following these step-by-step instructions such as learning Mother Slug rhymes, sounding out slug words, and making lists of vocabulary words.

Pinkwater, Daniel
Irving and Muktuk series
Irving and Muktuk, two bad polar bears, are always blamed for missing blueberry muffins in their general area, but they never take them.

Preller, James
Mighty Casey
What happens when you mix Casey at the Bat with a pack of baseball playing dogs?

Prelutsky, Jack
My Dog May Be a Genius: Poems
Have you ever encountered an underwater marching band, a pig in a bathing suit, a pet orangutan, or a witch in a hardware store? You will have, once you’ve read this collection of poems.

Rathmann, Peggy
Officer Buckle and Gloria
The children at Napville Elementary School always ignore Officer Buckle’s safety tips, until a police dog named Gloria accompanies him when he gives his safety speeches.

Reynolds, Aaron
Snowbots
Young robots play in the new-fallen snow in this rhyming story.

Rylant, Cynthia
Annie and Snowball series
Annie and her rabbit Snowball share many adventures with Annie’s cousin Henry and his big dog, Mudge.

Schwarz, Viviane
There Are Cats in This Book
Follow the cats as they play with yarn, boxes, pillows, and fish.

Spradlin, Michael
Baseball from A to Z
From a pitching ace to a strike zone, this energetic alphabet book covers all the bases of America’s favorite pastime. Lively, action-packed illustrations will take readers right into the stands to root, root, root for the home team.

Various
National Geographic Readers series
Glossy, close-up pictures and simple text explain a variety of topics such as frogs and volcanoes, and engage children interested in science.

Various
DK Readers series
These easy-to-read books include Star Wars stories, superheroes, sports, and other nonfiction stories for young readers.

Various
Step into Reading series
These readers include stories about Barbie, the Berenstain Bears, non-fiction stories, and other popular topics.

Vernick, Audrey
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
Documents the story of the Baseball Hall of Fame honorees, tracing how the Acerra family of New Jersey formed their own semi-pro baseball team in the 1930s and became the longest-running all-brother team in history.

Willems, Mo
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
Three crafty dinosaurs lay a trap to lure young Goldilocks (or any other tasty child) to their home in hopes for a tasty snack.

Winter, Judy A.
Pebble Jokes series
A series for kids who can’t get enough jokes.  The series includes a book on knock-knock jokes, a book of monster jokes, and a book on sports jokes.

The above list was compiled by Wakefield’s K-4 reading teachers
and the librarians of Lucius Beebe Memorial Library.

Picture Books

Patricelli, Leslie. Higher, Higher. (2010) ISBN 9780763644338 $7.00 Board Book
How high can a dad push a swing? Higher than a tall building, a mountain an airplane?

Rinker, Sherri Duskey. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. (2011) ISBN 9780811877824 $17.00 HC
Work is done for the day, a crane truck, a cement mixer, and other pieces of construction equipment make their way to their resting places and go to sleep.

Gall, Chris. Dinotrux. (2009) ISBN 9780316027779 $17.00 HC/$7.00 pbk
Millions of years ago, the prehistoric ancestors of today’s trucks, such as garbageadon, dozeratops, and craneosaurus, roamed the Earth until they rusted out and became extinct.

Saltzberg, Barney. Beautiful Oops. (2010) ISBN 9780761157281 $12.00 HC
No worries! Tears, smudges or wrinkles can be turned into beautiful creations.

Early Readers (Series)

Willems, Mo. Elephant and Piggie: We Are in a Book! (2010) ISBN 9781423133087 $9.00 HC
Gerald the Elephant and Piggie discover the joy of being read to. But what will happen when the book ends?

DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. (2009) ISBN 9780763645052 $6.00 pbk
Mr. Watson’s usual Saturday drive in his Cadillac with his favorite pig, Mercy, turns into an adventure when an unexpected passenger shows up in the back seat and Mercy finds herself behind the wheel.

Chapter Books (Series, or one of many by the author)

Stone, Rex. Attack of the Tyrannosaurus. (2008) ISBN 9780545053778 $5.00 pbk
Tom and Jamie can’t believe their luck when they find a secret entrance to a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs! The first dinosaur they meet is a friendly wannanosaurus. It eats the fruit from super-stinky ginkgo trees. But soon, Tom and Jamie meet a much less friendly dino: a Tyrannosaurus Rex that would like to eat them!

Barrows, Annie. Ivy and Bean. (2007) ISBN 9780811849098 $6.00 pbk series
Bean knew she would never be friends with the new girl who had moved into her neighborhood. But then one day that new girl, Ivy, came to her aid when her big sister Nancy was after her. The rest is history and a delightful series of books.

Funke, Cornelia. Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost! (2007) ISBN 9781905294121 $8.00 pbk series
Timid nine-year-old Tom Tomsky reluctantly agrees to help professional ghostbuster Hetty Camomile dispell an IRG (Incredibly Revolting Ghost) from an old house.

Draper, Sharon. Sassy: Little Sister Is Not My Name. (2010) ISBN 9780545071550 $5.00 pbk series
Fashion-savvy Sassy does not like being the smallest student in her fourth-grade class, until a family emergency calls for a pint-sized hero.

Kinney, Jeff. The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition). (2011) ISBN 9780810989955 $13.00 HC
This is an interactive book that encourages you to write your own life story in the style of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever. (2011) ISBN 9781419702235 $14.00 HC
Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

Watson, Jude. A King’s Ransom (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Series #2). (2011) ISBN 9780545298407 $13.00 HC
When seven members of their family were kidnapped by a sinister organization known as the Vespers, thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, vowed they’d stop at nothing to bring the hostages home. But then the ransom comes in and the Vespers demand the impossible. Amy and Dan have just days to track down and steal an ancient map. The only catch? No one has seen the map for half a century.

Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1). (2005) ISBN 9780786838653 $8.00 pbk
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Mike Lupica. The Underdogs. (2011) ISBN 9780399250019 $18.00 HC
Small but fast twelve-year-old Will Tyler, an avid football player in the down-and-out town of Forbes, Pennsylvania, takes matters into his own hands to try and finance the city’s football team, giving the whole community hope in the process.

Nonfiction

National Geographic Readers $4.00 each volume
A high-interest, science inquiry series in an exciting and easy-to-read format. Subjects covered include dolphins, pandas, mummies, volcanoes, sharks and many more.

Komiya, Teruyuki. Life-Size Zoo. (2009) ISBN 9781934734209 $18.00 HC
You never know how big a tiger is until you meet one face to face. This book gives you that opportunity without leaving your comfy chair. If the tiger is too much, you can also see how long a giraffe’s tongue is.

Hillman, Ben. How Big is It? A Big Book All About Bigness. (2007) ISBN 9780439918084 $16.00 HC
This big title removes the confusion of the abstract by teaching size through eye-catching juxtaposition in “oh wow!” images. For instance, any idea about the size of the mysterious Giant Squid of the deep? Sure, you could read that it’s 59.5 ft. long. While that sounds impressive enough, it’s a little abstract. However, when you see a full-color illustration of a Giant Squid placed in front of the entire length of a farmhouse, you get a real idea of what 59.5 feet means!

Lipkowitz, David. Lego Ideas Book. (2011) ISBN 9780756686062 $25.00 HC
With The LEGO Ideas Book, you can take what you already have and make something new! The book is divided into six themed chapters—transportation, buildings, space, kingdoms, adventure, and useful makes—each with basic templates of key models and spreads to inspire you to create your own.

Guinness Book of World Records 2012. (2011) ISBN 9781904994671 $29.00 HC
It’s an Olympic year, and to celebrate, the latest incarnation of the world’s biggest selling annual unveils its most thrilling edition yet¬ with a dynamic new “widescreen” design, thousands of new and classic records, never-before-seen photos and an exciting selection of new topics and features.

Magazines

Babybug
babybugmagkids.com
$33.95 for 9 issues a year
A magazine for little readers in a board book format

American Girl
americangirl.com
$22.95 for 6 issues a year

Animal Baby (Ages 2-4), Big Backyard (Ages 4-7), Ranger Rick (Ages 7-14)
nwf.org (Click on Great Holiday Gifts for Kids)
Each $15.00 for 10 issues a year

Sports Illustrated for Kids
sikids.com
$19.95 for 12 issues a year

Mad

http://www.dccomics.com/mad

$19.99 for 6 issues a year

*A special Thank You to Gray Sawyer for this list*

• Angleberger, Tom – The strange case of Origami Yoda
• Atkinson, Elizabeth – From Alice to Zen and everyone in between
• Barry, Dave – Science fair : a story of mystery, danger, international suspense, and a very nervous frog
• Benton, Jim – Never underestimate your dumbness : by Jamie Kelly
• Benton, Jim – Okay, so maybe I do have superpowers : by Jamie Kelly
• Benton, Jim – The problem with here is that it’s where I’m from : by Jamie Kelly
• Benton, Jim – Never do anything ever : by Jamie Kelly
• Burns, Laura J – The case of the trail mix-up
• Burns, Laura J – The case of the prank that stank
• Burns, Laura J – The case of the Nana-napper
• Cohen, Tish – The invisible rules of the Zoe Lama
• Deriso, Christine Hurley – Talia Talk
• Gephart, Donna – How to survive middle school
• Gosselink, John – The defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter : a novel
• Holm, Jennifer L – Middle school is worse than meatloaf : a year told through stuff
• Holt, K. A – Brains for lunch : a zombie novel in haiku?!
• Houtman, Jacqueline – The reinvention of Edison Thomas
• Korman, Gordon – Framed
• Krieg, Jim – Griff Carver, hallway patrol
• Ludwig, Trudy – Confessions of a former bully
• McGhee, Alison – Julia Gillian (and the dream of the dog)
• Morgan, Melissa J – TTYL
• Nails, Jennifer – Next to Mexico
• Nesb=C – Doctor Proctor’s fart powder
• Peirce, Lincoln – Big Nate strikes again
• Peirce, Lincoln – Big Nate : in a class by himself
• Roy, James – Max Quigley : technically not a bully
• Russell, Rachel Renee – Dork diaries : tales from a not-so-popular party girl
• Salisbury, Graham – Calvin Coconut : trouble magnet
• Selzer, Adam – I put a spell on you
• Tarshis, Lauren – Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree
• Van Draanen, Wendelin – Secret identity
• Wojciechowski, Susan – Beany and the meany
• Zucker, Naomi Flink – Callie’s rules

Stories for a Safer Wakefield is a month-long community inquiry during May 2010, intended to provoke thought and discussion about violence and its deterrence. Beebe Library invites you to read from a selection of stories that draw awareness to the effects of violence in a community. Stories for a Safer Wakefield features forums and activities to better understand and mitigate violence in our lives. For more information on Stories for a Safer Wakefield: Brochure or Wakefield Alliance Against Violence.

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• Avi – Don’t you know there’s a war on?
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If reading your Newbery Award book is getting you down, take a look at Allen County Public Library’s website, where kids voted which Newbery Award winners were best-liked by the kids. Books are ranked by their popularity among kids, and not according to the most recently written.