Parade information from Wicked Local

West Side Social Club events for children.

Pursuing a big story in anticipation of his imminent layoff, Los Angeles reporter Jack McEvoy (The Poet 1996) investigates the murder confession of a teen drug dealer and realizes that the youth may be innocent, a discovery that pits him against a serial killer operating below police radar. He teams up with his old flame FBI agent Rachel Walling and both sexual tension and brilliant detecting ensue.

In this effort, Connelly describes a horrendous serial killer chase juxtaposed to his elegy to newspaper reporting and the print medium. The whole growth of the Internet and the tension it presents between old and new methods of communication and data storage as well as a brand new supply of crimes is very well researched and explicated.

Using alternating point of view between villain and reporter, Connelly builds tension expertly, using dramatic irony to its fullest potential. The worst part of reading a Connelly novel is that it inevitably ends. Heavy Sigh.

Leane

This first novel is both homage and a satiric look at detective fiction and is also reminiscent of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series twisted take on literature and the nature of writing, as well as the intrigue of undercover work. This clever novel both amuses and confuses as the reader discovers puzzle boxes within puzzle boxes and you wander through the characters waking and sleeping moments. Critics have compared Berry to both Kafka and Paul Auster and agree that this first effort is wildly inventive and loads of fun for both mystery and fantasy lovers alike.

Leane

Berentson, Jane. Miss Harper can do it. [Smart Funny Women]
Diary format

Bond, Larry. Cold choices. [SUSPENSE]
Captained by former naval pilot Jerry Mitchell, the USS Seawolf is on a reconnaissance mission deep in the frigid Barents Sea when the Russian nuclear sub Severodvinsk attempts to run it off. A miscalculation on the Russian captain’s part, however, damages the Seawolf and sends his own sub to the sea floor. As the air runs out in both subs, Captain Mitchell must decide–does he put his own crew at risk in a desperate attempt to rescue the aggressors, or does he return his badly damaged sub to port?

Brennert, Alan. Moloka’i. [HISTORICAL]
Seven-year-old Rachel is forcibly removed from her family’s 1890s Honolulu home when she contracts leprosy and is placed in a settlement, where she loses a series of new friends before new medical discoveries enable her to reenter the world.

Bruen, Ken. Sanctuary. [MYSTERY]
When a letter containing a list of victims arrives in the post, P.I. Jack Taylor tells himself that its got nothing to do with him. He has enough to do just staying sane. His close friend Ridge is recovering from surgery, and alcohols siren song is calling to him ever more insistently. A guard and then a judge die in mysterious circumstances. But it is not until a child is added to the list that Taylor determines to find the identity of the killer, and stop them at any cost. What he doesnt know is that his relationship with the killer is far closer than he thinks. And its about to become deeply personal.

Cantrell, Rebecca. A trace of smoke.
Even though hardened crime reporter Hannah Vogel knows all too well how tough it is to survive in 1931 Berlin, she is devastated when she sees a photograph of her brothers body posted in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead. Ernst, a cross-dressing lounge singer at a seedy nightclub, had many secrets, a never-ending list of lovers, and plenty of opportunities to get into trouble. Hannah delves into the city’s dark underbelly to flush out his murderer, but the late night arrival of a five-year-old orphan on her doorstep complicates matters.

Chenoweth, Emily. Hello goodbye.
Mothers & daughters/New Hampshire

Child, Lee. Gone tomorrow: a Reacher novel. [SUSPENSE]
In this 13th Reacher novel, the former army MP confronts a possible suicide bomber on a nearly deserted Manhattan subway car — a confrontation that will lead him back to the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and forward to the war on terrorism. It turns out that Susan Mark’s life was critical to dozens of others in Washington, California, and Afghanistan … from a former Delta Force operator now running for the U.S. Senate to a beautiful young woman with a story to tell, but can Reacher sort through their lies in time to save himself and help a woman police officer.

Coben, Harlan, Long lost. [SUSPENSE]
Myron Bolitar hasn’t heard from Terese Collins since their torrid affair ended ten years ago, so her desperate phone call from Paris catches him completely off guard. Now a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband in Paris, Terese has nowhere else to turn for help. Myron heeds the call but then a startling piece of evidence turns the entire case upside down.

Connelly, Michael, The scarecrow. [SUSPENSE]
Newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to use his final days at the LA Times to write the definitive murder story of his career. Focusing on the case of Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder, Jack realizes that Winslow’s so-called confession is bogus and that the real killer is operating completely below police radar–and with perfect knowledge of any move against him.

Cook, Claire, The wildwater walking club.
Female friendship

Coyle, Harold, Rapiers and goose quills. [SUSPENSE]
Friendly Fire Iraq

Davis, Lindsey. Alexandria: a Marcus Didius Falco novel. [MYSTERY]

De Jonge, Peter. Shadows still remain. [MYSTERY]
New York

Drake, John, Flint and silver: a prequel to Treasure Island. [HISTORICAL ADVENTURE]

Fitten, Marc, Valeria’s last stand.

Freveletti, Jamie. Running from the devil. [SUSPENSE]

Gordon, Emily Fox, It will come to me.
Teachers

Grant, Andrew, Even. [SUSPENSE]
David Trevellyan is a Royal Navy intelligence operative who usually works undercover, sometimes with the approval of his masters and sometimes not. Now he has no choice but to go it alone. If Jack Reacher had a younger brother, he’d be David Trevellyan. Lee Child does have a younger brother, and his name is Andrew Grant.

Gunn, Robin Jones, Sisterchicks in wooden shoes!: a sisterchicks novel. [Smart Funny Women]

Hart, John, The last child. [MYSTERY]
After his twin sister Alyssa disappears, thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon is determined to find her. When a second girl disappears from his rural North Carolina town, Johnny makes a discovery that sends shock waves through the community in this multi-layered tale of broken families and deadly secrets.

Housewright, David, Jelly’s gold. [MYSTERY]
Rushmore McKenzie, a retired St. Paul policeman and unexpected millionaire, often works as an unlicensed P.I., doing favors as it suits him. When graduate students Ivy Flynn and Josh Berglund show up with a story about $8 million in missing stolen gold from the ’30s, McKenzie is intrigued. But they aren’t the only ones looking. So are a couple of two-bit thugs, a woman named Heavenly, a local big-wig, and others. When Berglund is shot dead outside of Ivy’s apartment, the treasure hunt turns unexpectedly deadly. McKenzie is looking for more than a legendary stash from seventy-five years ago, he’s looking for a killer and the long hidden truth behind Jelly’s gold.

Huston, James W. Marine One. [SUSPENSE]
On its way to a top-secret meeting at Camp David, the helicopter carrying the president crashes, killing everyone on board. Annapolis attorney Mike Nolan is hired by the helicopter’s manufacturer to defend it against lawsuits, but the more that Mike learns, the more questions he has. First of all, was there a mechanical defect, or was the helicopter sabotaged?

Jones, Wendy P. Waves crashing.
Riley Brennan is a freshman at the only high school in the small, quaint New England town. When tragedy strikes her family, she is forced to search deep inside her core for the strength to handle its rip tide effects. Riley’s journey compels her to discover who she is, as well as the difference between family values and the value of family.

Keane, Mary Beth. The walking people.
Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York. Labeled a “softheaded goose” by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living. Though she longs to return and show her family what she has made of herself, her decision to spare her children knowledge of a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate from the life she once loved in Ireland, and tears her apart from the people she is closest to. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of present day, she fears that it is still possible to lose all when she discovers that her children–with the best of intentions–have conspired to unite the worlds she’s so carefully kept separate for decades.

Khoury, Raymond. The sign. [SUSPENSE]
In this gripping thriller, a scientific expedition in Antarctica stops for a live news feed. As the CNN journalist Gracie Logan begins her report, a massive, shimmering sphere of light suddenly appears in the sky, enveloping the ship in luminous white light before disappearing as mysteriously as it arrived–the entire event witnessed by an incredulous world audience. Meanwhile, a monk in Egypt experiences visions that seemed connected, and back in Boston, Matt Sherwood learns that his brother’s death may have been actually murder related to this erupting worldwide controversy over the meaning of this “sign” in the sky.

Lalami, Laila, Secret son.
Morocco

Larsen, Reif. The selected works of T.S. Spivet.
Debut–with drawings & text

Leonard, Elmore, Road dogs.
LA Swindlers

Liang, Diane Wei, Paper butterfly: a Mei Wang mystery.

Lipman, Elinor. The family man.

Listfield, Emily. Best intentions.

Lowry, Elizabeth. The Bellini Madonna.
Art Historians

Mandanipur, Shahriyar. Censoring an Iranian love story.

Marshall, Michael, Bad things. [SUSPENSE]

Marsot, Vanina. Foreign tongue: a novel of life and love in Paris.

McNulty, Bridget. Strange nervous laughter.
Set in the hottest summer Durban has ever known, this debut novel follows six quirky characters as they muddle their way through life.

Michaels, Anne, The winter vault.

Michaels, Fern. Razor sharp.
Sisterhood

Milne, Kevin Alan. The nine lessons: a novel of love, fatherhood, and second chances.

Palahniuk, Chuck. Pygmy.

Parker, John L., Jr. Once a runner.
Reissue

Patterson, James, The 8th confession. [MYSTERY]
The Women’s Murder Club faces its toughest challenge as Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder of two San Francisco millionaires and reporter Cindy Thomas digs into the brutal slaying of a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless.

Pears, Iain. Stone’s fall.
In this dazzling historical mystery, John Stone, financier and arms dealer, dies falling out of a window at his London home. The quest to uncover the truth behind his death plays out against the backdrop of high-stakes international finance, Europe’s first great age of espionage, and the start of the twentieth century’s arms race.

Pelecanos, George P. The way home. [MYSTERY}

Peterson, Tracie. A dream to call my own.
Brides of Gallatin County; 3

Preston, Douglas J. Cemetery dance. [SUSPENSE]
After New York Times reporter William Smithback and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Pendergast–the world’s most enigmatic FBI Special Agent–returns to New York City to investigate a murderous Obeah cult.

Robinson, Patrick. Diamondhead. [SUSPENSE]
Iraq War

Rosenberg, Liz. Home repair.

Sandford, John, Wicked prey. [SUSPENSE]
Danger stalks Lucas Davenport at work and all too close to home when petty thief and paraplegic Randy Whitcomb targets Lucas’s pretty fourteen-year-old adopted daughter and a young man with the .50 caliber sniper rifle and the right-wing-crazy background roams through the city filled with the most powerful politicians on earth . . . .

See, Lisa. Shanghai girls. Two sisters leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles in this fresh, fascinating adventure.

Sekaran, Shanthi. The prayer room.
Searching for identity

Smith, Tom Rob. The secret speech. [MYSTERY]
Soviet Union

Smith, Wilbur A. Assegai. [SUSPENSE]
Espionage

St. John Mandel, Emily, Last night in Montreal.

Toibin, Colm, Brooklyn.

Updike, John. The widows of Eastwick.
Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie return to the old Rhode Island seaside town where they indulged in wicked mischief under the influence of the diabolical Darryl Van Horne.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. Into the Beautiful North.
Immigration

Waters, Sarah, The little stranger.
Ghost Story

Whitehead, Colson, Sag Harbor.
Adolescence

Books can be found in the Youth Room on the Lower Level.  Books for students entering Grade 1 are shelved under the 1&2 sign and have orange labels on the spines. 

Browne, Anthony Little Beauty
When a gorilla who knows sign language tells his keepers that he is lonely, they bring him a very special friend.

Cannon, Janell Pinduli
Pinduli, a young striped hyena, is hurt by the unkind words of Dog, Lion, and Zebra, but her clever trick in return promotes her clan’s survival and spreads harmony throughout the savannah.

Carter, Don Old MacDonald Drives a Tractor
Old MacDonald and his tractor can handle most of the work on the farm, from pulling a plow, to following a combine, to going home at night, in a rhyming tale reminiscent of the children’s song, Old MacDonald had a farm.

Child, Lauren I Want to Be Much More Bigger Like You
Lola is convinced that she is finally tall enough to ride the “Super Dooper Loop the Looper” at the fair, but her older brother Charlie gently tells her that she is still too short, but that there are many good things about being small.

Chorao, Kay Number One, Number Fun
Acrobatic circus animals perform their routines, each group countable by their distinctive costumes, props, and activities.

Cohen, Miriam Will I Have a Friend?
Jim’s anxieties on his first day of school are happily forgotten when he makes a new friend.

Cuyler, Margery Princess Bess Gets Dressed
A fashionably dressed princess reveals her favorite clothes at the end of a busy day.

Ehlert, Lois Oodles of Animals
Short, easy to read rhymes reveal what is unique about various animals, from ape to wolf.

Foster, Kelli Dwight and the Trilobite (Get Ready, Get Set, Read series)
Dwight and his mother Mrs. Knight go hunting for trilobites.

Grey, Mini Traction Man meets Turbo Dog
Traction Man, an action figure, teams up with the high-tech but not-so-bright Turbodog to rescue Scrubbing Brush, his missing sidekick, from the terrible underworld of the bin.

Grossman, Bill My Little Sister Ate One Hare
Little sister has no problem eating one hare, two snakes, and three ants, but when she gets to ten peas, she throws up quite a mess.

Guiberson, Brenda Z. Ice Bears
A year in the life of a mother polar bear and her two cubs.

Hamsa, Bobbie Dirty Larry (Rookie Reader series, Level A and Level B)
No matter what he does, Larry always gets dirty–except in the shower.

Harper, Charise Mericle The Little Book of Not So
Presents a series of comparisons, such as “Big,” “Not so Big” and “Tasty,” “Not so Tasty” on successive pages.

Henkes, Kevin Birds
Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

Hoban, Tana I Read Signs
Signs and symbols frequently seen along the street challenge children to recognize whatthey mean.

Hoberman, Mary Ann You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
Using rhyme, rhythm and repetition, the scary text invites young children to read along with an adult. Together the adult’s text and the child’s responsive text create stories with a scary theme.

Keller, Laurie Do unto Otters: A Book about Manners
Mr. Rabbit wonders if he will be able to get along with his new neighbors, who are otters, until he is reminded of the golden rule.

Kitamura, Satoshi Stone Age Boy
One day a boy falls down a hole, and an amazing thing happens - when he wakes, he’s in a camp full of people wearing animal skins!

MacDonald, Ross Bad Baby
Superhero Jack finds his life turned upside down by the arrival of a very big, and very naughty, baby sister.

McDonald, Megan Hen hears Gossip
When Hen overhears some news on the farm, she runs to tell Duck, who tells another animal, and as the gossip is repeated from one animal to the next, it becomes unrecognizable.

Mortensen, Denise Dowling Wake Up Engines
Rhyming verses describe the sights and sounds of morning traffic as cars, trucks, and airplanes rev up their engines and go!

Noyed, Robert Cute! (Wonder Books series)
Simple text about babies and repetition of the letter “u” help readers learn how to use the “long u” sound.

O’Connor, Jane Fancy Nancy series
A young girl who loves fancy things helps her family to be fancy for one special night.

O’Malley, Kevin Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude
Cooperatively writing a fairy tale for school, a girl imagines a beautiful princess whose beloved ponies are being stolen by a giant, and a boy conjures up the muscular biker who will guard the last pony in exchange for gold.

O’Neill, Alexis The Recess Queen
Mean Jean is the biggest bully on the school playground until a new girl arrives and challenges Jean’s status as the Recess Queen.

Opie, Iona My Very First Mother Goose
A collection of more than sixty nursery rhymes including Hey Diddle, Diddle, Pat-a-Cake, Little Jack Horner, and Pussycat, Pussycat.

Pallotta, Jerry Ocean Counting
A number demonstration featuring creatures, from one striped bass to 50 blue sharks.

Pelletier, Andrew T. Amazing Adventures of Bathman
Bathman saves rubber Ducky from the evil Cap’n Squeegee.

Raschka, Chris Talk to Me about the Alphabet
Illustrations and simple text for each letter of the alphabet demonstrate the sounds made by that letter.

Rau, Dana Meachen Firefighter (Benchmark Rebus series)
One in a series of easy readers with rebuses that explore various subjects from butterflies to police men.

Ross, Dev Frank and the Giant (We Both Read series, Level K-1)
Frank, an adventurous little frog, is playing with his friends, when suddenly his ball flies off and bounces into the house of a giant. Frank’s friends are too scared to help him get his ball back, so he sneaks into the huge house all by himself. Little Frank hopes he can find his ball before the big giant comes back.

Saltzberg. Barney Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby?
Cornelius has a new baby brother.

Schwartz, David Where in the Wild?
Animals and their camouflage are expressed in poetry.

Seuss, Dr. Horton Hears a Who
A city of Whos on a speck of dust are threatened with destruction until the smallest Who of all helps convince Horton’s friends that Whos really exist.

Sierra, Judy Ballyhoo Bay
Mira Bella mobilizes her art students, from grandmothers to children, crabs to seagulls, to stop a dastardly plan for turning the beach at Ballyhoo Bay into an exclusive resort, and offers an alternative–leave the beach as it is.

Stuve-Bodeen, Stephanie Elizabeti’s Doll
When a young Tanzanian girl gets a new baby brother, she finds a rock, which she names Eva, and makes it her baby doll.

Thong, Roseanne Red Is a Dragon
A young girl introduces colors though dragons, noodles, incense, and other objects commonly occurring in her Asian culture.

Waddell, Martin It’s Quacking Time
A duckling and all his family happily await the hatching of his parents’ new egg.

Willems, Mo Watch Me Throw the Ball (Elephant and Piggie series)
Gerald the elephant tries to tell Piggie that ball-throwing is serious business, but Piggie just wants to have fun.

Wood, Audrey When the Root Children Wake Up
The Root Children, who have been sleeping all winter, awake to become Blossom Children and experience the new life, the color, and the joys of spring.

Woodson, Jacqueline The Other Side
Two girls, one white and one black, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town.

Zemach, Kaethe Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw
Dudley Ellington struggles to learn anything at school, but when his very patient teacher, Mrs. McGraw, is unable to draw a face on the board, he helps her figure out how to do it.

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

Books can be found in the Youth Room on the Lower Level.  Books for students entering Grade 1 are shelved under the 1&2 sign and have yellow labels on the spines. 

Adler, David A. Young Cam Jansen and the Lion’s Lunch Mystery (Young Cam Jansen series)
On a field trip to the zoo, Cam Jansen uses her photographic memory to help solve what happened to Danny’s lunch.

Adler, David A A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart (Picture Book Biography series)
Discusses the life of the pilot who was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by herself in a plane.

Banks, Kate Monkey Reader (series)
Brothers Pete and Max get into all sorts of adventures.

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

Bunting, Eve Mouse Island
Mouse enjoys living on his island but feels that something is missing from his life until the day he performs a daring rescue and acquires an unlikely friend.

Carlson, Nancy I Don’t Like to Read
Henry the mouse likes everything about first grade except reading, but with some extra help at school and home, he is delightfully surprised.

Christelow, Eileen Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek
The five little monkeys try to avoid going to bed by playing hide-and-seek with the babysitter.

Cronin, Doreen Thump, Quack, Moo: A Wacky Adventure
The annual Corn Maze Festival is coming and everyday the chickens, cows, and Duck help Farmer Brown–with a few bribes–to create a special Statue of Liberty corn maze, and every night Duck works hard recreating his own surprise.

Danziger, Paula Get ready for second grade, Amber Brown (A Is for Amber series)
Amber is nervous about starting second grade with a new teacher, but despite being in the same class as mean Hannah Burton, things turn out just fine.

Demi One Grain of Rice
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 Fights Crime (Mercy Watson series)
Mercy the pig’s love of buttered toast leads to the capture of a small thief who would rather be a cowboy.

Fowler, Allan It Could Still Be a Robot (Rookie-Read-About Science series)
A simple introduction to smart machines performing tasks too dangerous, too boring, or too difficult for people to do.

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

Gantos, Jack. Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten (Rotten Ralph Reader series)
Ralph, a very, very, nasty cat, finally sees the error of his ways–or does he?

Gibbons, Gail Behold the Unicorns
Looks at ideas about unicorns through out time and across many cultures.

Grimes, Nikki Oh, Brother!
Xavier is unhappy when his mother remarries and he suddenly has a new stepbrother, as well as a stepfather, in his home.

Hoff, Syd Littlest Leaguer
Littlest of all the little leaguers, Harold has a hard time finding some way to really help his team.

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.

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.

Krull, Kathleen M Is for Music
An alphabet book introducing musical terms, from allegro to zarzuela.

Lobel, Anita Hello, Day!
Various animals greet the sunrise in their own unique voices, except for the owl who welcomes the night.

Marshall, James George and Martha series
Relates several episodes in the friendship of two hippopotamuses.

McCarthy, Meghan Astronaut Handbook
Discusses the requirements for becoming an astronaut.

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 both lose their mothers while eating blueberries and almost end up with the other’s mother.

McKay, Sindy Baseball Fever (We Both Read series)
A boy who loves to play baseball is disappointed to get sick and miss the first game of the season, but his friends on the team do their best to keep him filled in.

McMullan, Kate Pearl and Wagner
Pearl the hardworking rabbit and Wagner the daydreaming mouse are the stars of this series. Sometimes, they argue or let a secret come between them, but in the end, they know how to patch things up.

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

Various Authors National Geographic Kids Science Readers
An easy-to-read series for curious kids! The books are perfect for those who are ready for longer sentences and more complex vocabulary. New words are defined on the page but occasional adult help might be welcome.

Papademetriou, Lisa Lucky Me (Real Kid Readers series, Level 2 and 3)
Ted is embarrassed by his unusual grandmother but when she takes him to a ballgame and helps him catch a home run ball, he decides she’s pretty cool after all.

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

Pinkwater, Daniel Bad Bear Detectives
Irving and Muktuk, polar bears at the zoo in Bayone, New Jersey, are the natural suspects when someone steals a shipment of imported muffins, but they decide to prove that they are not bad bears by finding the real thief.

Polacco, Patricia Emma Kate
Emma Kate and her best friend, a toy elephant, share many activities, such as homework and soccer practice, and even have their tonsils out at the same time!

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.

Provensen, Alice A Day in the life of Murphy
Murphy, a farm terrier, describes a day in his life as he gets fed in the kitchen, hunts mice, goes to the vet, returns for dinner, investigates a noise outside, and retires to the barn to sleep.

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.

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

Van Allsburg, Chris Zathura
Left on their own for an evening, two boisterous brothers find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical space adventure board game.

Viorst, Judith Just in Case
Charlie likes to be ready for anything, imagining that his house could be flooded or a mermaid might kidnap him, but he learns that it is sometimes good to be unprepared.

Walker, Pam Subway Rides (Welcome Books series)
Photographs and simple text describe a subway ride, including walking down into the station, going through the turnstile, waiting for the train, riding inside the crowded car, and waving to the conductor after exiting.

Willems, Mo Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus series
Pigeon is an unflinching and hilarious look at a child’s potential for mischief. In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of unreasonableness in the very young.

Woodson, Jacqueline Show Way
The making of “Show ways,” or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author’s family.

The above list was compiled by Wakefield’s K-4 reading teachers and the librarians from the 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.

Books can be found in the Youth Room on the Lower Level.  Books for students entering Grade 1 are shelved under the 3 sign and have green labels on the spines. 

Abbott, Tony Secrets of Droon series

The adventures of Eric, Julie and Neal in a magic kingdom they reach from a staircase in Eric’s basement.

Adler, David Cam Jansen series

The adventures of a fifth-grader with a photographic memory as she solves mysteries.

Baglio, Ben M. Animal Ark Pets series

Mandy Hope, the daughter of two vets, knows and loves animals and is always ready to help her friends with their pet problems.

Baker, Sharon Rheiss A Nickel, a Trolley, a Treasure House

Lionel, a Jewish boy growing up in a New York City tenement, draws pictures on every scrap of paper he can find, but he does not see any value in his efforts until his teacher takes him on a streetcar journey to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Barrows, Annie Ivy and Bean series

When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from Ivy, the new neighbor, who is less boring than Bean first suspected.

Base, Graeme Enigma

When Bertie the badger visits his grandfather at a retirement home for magicians, he learns that his grandfather’s rabbit, Enigma, has disappeared along with everyone’s magical things, and the reader is invited to help break a code to find the items hidden throughout the book.

Blume, Judy Going, Going, Gone! With the Pain & the Great One

Further adventures of first-grader Jake “the Pain” and his sister, third-grader Abigail “the Great One,” include a trip to the beach with Grandma, to a county fair with Aunt Diana, and to a mall with Dad.

Brown, Jeff Flat Stanley series

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

Bruchac, Joseph Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path

A biography of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe, focusing on how his boyhood education set the stage for his athletic achievements which gained him international fame and Olympic gold medals.

Cleary, Beverly Ramona series

Beezus worries because there are times when she doesn’t like her little sister Ramona, until their mother and Aunt Beatrice tell Beezus what they were like while growing up.

Clements, Andrew Jake Drake: Bully Buster series

When Jake was three years old at Miss Lulu’s Danity Diaper Day Care Center, what did he know about bullies? Nothing. But he learned fast–too fast!

Collard, Sneed B. Wings

Discusses the many animals and insects that have wings, the various types of wings, and how they are used.

Creech, Sharon Hate That Cat

Jack is studying poetry again in school, and he continues to write poems reflecting his understanding of famous poems and how they relate to his life.

Curry, Marion Horse and Pony Competitions

A discussion of horse shows, dressage and showing, show jumping and other competitions including the Olympics.

Dahl, Roald The Enormous Crocodile

The enormous crocodile devises secret plans and a few clever tricks to secure his lunch only to have them foiled by his neighbors.

Dalgliesh, Alice The Courage of Sarah Noble

Remembering her mother’s words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new home in the Connecticut wilderness and to stay with the Indians when her father goes back to bring the rest of the family.

Danziger, Paula Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon (Amber Brown series)

The year she is in the third grade is a sad time for Amber because her best friend Justin is getting ready to move to a distant state.

Friedman, Laurie Mallory MacDonald series

The tales of eight year old Mallory McDonald, a lively character with a penchant for jokes and creative situations that have comical yet mixed results. Readers will relate to her thoughts and experiences from girlfriend activities to sibling issues to the rewards of friendship.

Funke, Cornelia Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (Ghosthunters series)

Timid nine-year-old Tom Tomsky reluctantly agrees to help professional ghostbuster Hetty Camomile dispel an IRG (Incredibly Revolting Ghost) from an old house.

Hicks, Betty Gym Shorts

Action-filled sports books that pack the energy of the gym into short novels.

Hopping , Lorraine Wild Weather: Tornadoes!

Describes the work of two people who study tornadoes in the Midwest by discovering and following them.

Hurwitz, Johanna Mighty Monty series

Montgomery Gerald Morris sounds like the name of a mighty and important person, but it’s actually the name of a quiet first-grader known to his family and classmates as Monty. Monty may be small and shy, but he’s also a mighty smart kid who, despite his asthma, always finds his own way of doing things.

Ibbotson, Eva Haunting of Granite Falls

Odge Gribble, a young hag, accompanies an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on their mission through a magical tunnel from their Island to London to rescue their King and Queen’s son who had been stolen as an infant.

Janeczko, Paul A Foot in the Mouth. Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout

A collection of lively rhymes and tricky tongue twisters, poems for more than one voice, bilingual poems — from classic Shakespeare and Lear to anonymous rhymes to contemporary riffs on everything under the sun.

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.

Keene, Carolyn Slumber Party Secrets (Nancy Drew Notebooks series)

The first in a series that features Nancy Drew in her first case, when she was in third grade.

Keene, Carolyn Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series

Nancy Drew, girl detective and her friends George and Beth solve mysteries and crimes.

Kerrin, Jessica Scott Martin Bridge Series

Third-grader Martin Bridge usually has a scheme or project under way. The book’s delightful characters and engaging stories provide a boy-centered alternative to the Junie B. Jones books and the Magic Tree House series.

Kline, Suzy Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion (Horrible Harry series)

Horrible Harry of classroom 2B cuts back on his mischievous pranks after falling for Song Lee.

Krulik, Nancy Anyone but Me (Katie Kazoo Switcheroo series)

Katie Carew wishes she could be anyone but herself, and turns into a hamster.

King, Darren Mouse Noses on Toast

In a fancy human restaurant Paul Mouse gathers a group of mouse activists to uncover the mystery behind the delicacy known as “Mouse noses on toast.”

LaBatt, Mary Ghost of Captain Briggs (Sam, Dog Detective series)

The adventures of superdog sleuth Sam and his human friends as they solve mysteries.

Landon, Lucinda Meg Mackintosh series

Detective Meg Mackintosh solves a series of mysteries. In each one, the reader is encouraged to solve the mystery along with Meg.

Le Guin, Ursula K. Catwings series

Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live, finally meeting two children with kind hands.

Lester, Julius Let’s Talk about Race

The author introduces the concept of race as only one component in an individual’s or nation’s “story.”

MacLachlan, Patricia Grandfather’s Dance

The story of Cassie, a fourth-grader in the prairie school of six pupils, Cassie’s little brother, Jack, and their stubborn, cranky grandfather, whose health is failing.

McCall-Smith, Alexander The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean (Harriet Bean series)

When her absent-minded inventor father suddenly remembers that he has five sisters, nine-year-old Harriet Bean, who has never heard of them before, determines to find her unknown aunts so that the unfinished family portrait can be completed.

McDonald, Megan Judy Moody series

Third grader Judy Moody is in a first day of school bad mood until she gets an assignment to create a collage all about herself and begins creating her masterpiece, the Me collage.

McDonald, Megan Stink series

More raucous adventures follow with Judy Moody’s little brother, Stink.

McMullan, Kate New Kid at School (Dragon Slayers Academy series)

The adventures of young Wiglaf, a boy born to be a hero, when he enters the Dragon Slayers Academy.

Napoli, Donna Jo Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries (Sly the Sleuth series)

Sly the Sleuth, also known as Sylvia, solves three mysteries for her friends and neighbors, all involving pets, through her detective agency, Sleuth for Hire.

Meadows, Daisy Ruby the Red Fairy (Rainbow Magic Fairies series)

Rainbow Fairies Rachel and Kirsty must find the other Rainbow Fairies in order to prevent Fairyland from losing its colors and turning gray forever

Miles, Ellen Puppy Place series

Charles and Lizzie Peterson know a lot about puppies. That’s because 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 extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.

Osborne, Mary Pope The One-Eyed Giant (Tales from the Odyssey series)

A retelling of the Odyssey, the adventures of King Odysseus as he returns from the Trojan War.

Paterson, Katherine The Field of the Dogs

Josh, who has just moved to Vermont with his mother, stepfather, and new baby brother, must deal with the bullying of a neighbor boy and discovers that his dog, whom he hears talking with other dogs, is also facing a bully of his own.

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”).

on their hands.

Polacco, Patricia Ginger and Petunia

When her beloved Ginger, a piano-playing socialite and very snappy dresser, makes a last-minute trip to London not knowing her housesitter has cancelled, Petunia the pig does more than fend for herself, she becomes Ginger.

Prelutsky, Jack Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems

An illustrated collection of humorous poems on a variety of topics.

Roy, Ron Who Cloned the President? (Capital Mysteries series)

KC discovers that the President of the United States has been replaced by a clone and sets out with her friend Marshall on a dangerous mission to set things right.

St. George, Judith Stand Tall, Abraham Lincoln

Growing up poor in the backwoods of Kentucky and Indiana, Abraham Lincoln lost his mother before he was ten. But Sally Johnston, who married Abe’s father a year later, brought a library of books to their log cabin home and turned young Abe’s life around.

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.

Scieszka, Jon Time Warp Trio series

With the help of a magic book, Joe, Sam and Fred are able to travel through time.

Stewart, Melissa Tell Me Why, Tell Me How Series

This series answers some basic questions about complex topics. In five short-sentenced chapters such topics as “how do chameleons change colors” and “How do fish breathe underwater” provide a concise and easy to understand review of each subject followed by a review question and activity.

Stilton, Geronimo Lost Treasures of the Emerald Eye (Geronimo Stilton series)

The discovery of an old map by his sister Thea leads Geronimo and his family to search for buried treasure on a faraway island.

Williams, Vera B. Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart

Lucid verse and lustrous color-pencil drawings illuminate the inner lives of two resilient sisters as they turn to one another during hard times, revealing their thoughts, dreams, fears and triumphs.

The above list was compiled by Wakefield’s K-4 reading teachers and the librarians from the 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.

Books can be found in the Youth Room on the Lower Level.  Books for students entering Grade 1 are shelved under the 4  sign and have hot pink labels on the spines. 

Blume, Judy.   Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing
Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem.

Bosch, Pseudonymous.  The Name of This Book Is Secret
When Cass and Max-Ernest find an encoded message asking for help, they encounter the dark and looming Dr. L who has kidnapped one of their classmates in a desperate attempt to unlock the secrets of immortality.

Bowe, Julie. My Last Best Friend
After her best friend moves away, fourth-grader Ida May is determined not to make another best friend, despite the efforts of a new girl in her class.

Bryant, Anita. Worst Enemies, Best Friends (Beacon Street Girls series)
Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl again, and ready to make friends and stay in one place. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in the history of Abigail Adams Junior High School, Charlotte’s assigned lunch partners, Katani, Avery and Maeve, can’t wait to dump her. Can it get any worse?

Burns, Laura J. Case of the Prank That Stank (Wright and Wong Mysteries)
Seventh-graders Agatha Wong and Orville Wright, who has Asperger’s syndrome, try to prove that the prank they organized did not cause the fire that burned down their rival school’s field house.

Byng, Georgia.     Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism series
Unlucky and unloved, Molly Moon, living in a dreary orphanage in a small English town, discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way to stardom in New York City.

Cabot, Meg.      Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls series
The first in the series, Nine-year-old Allie Finkle has rules for everything and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules.

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

Child, Lauren.     Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now (Clarice Bean series)
Clarice Bean has a list of things to worry about. How does she handle them?.

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.

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 transformed forever.

Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach

A wildly imaginative tale about a little boy who journeys to a wondrous city where dreams come true.

Davies, Jacqueline. Lemonade War

Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade and 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.

DeFelice, Cynthia. Ghost of Poplar Point

Prompted by the ghost of a young Seneca Indian girl, twelve-year-old Allie and her friend Dub are determined, despite the opposition of an unscrupulous property developer, that the historical pageant celebrating the founding of their town tells the truth about the fate of the Seneca people who lived there during the Revolutionary War.

DiTerlizzi, Tony.     Spiderwick Chronicles series

When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda’s worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.

Dowd, Siobhan.      London Eye Mystery

When Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together–Ted with his brain that is “wired differently” and impatient Kat– try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

Fleischman, Sid.     Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini

A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926.

Fritz, Jean.     What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin

A brief biography of the eighteenth-century printer, inventor and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States.

Giff, Patricia.     Reilly Eleven

When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday, it brings forth memories from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are eventually answered.

Gifford, Peggy.        Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-you Notes series

Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has promised to write twelve thank-you notes by the day after Christmas so that she and her twin brother Mark can go to Hollywood to visit their father, but all her brilliant ideas to help finish the task more efficiently end up creating chaos in the house.

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.

Gutman, Dan.       Shoeless Joe (Baseball Card Adventure series)

Joe Stoshack travels back to 1919, where he meets Shoeless Joe Jackson and tries to prevent the fixing of the World Series in which Jackson was wrongly implicated.

Horvath, David.       Uglydoll series

The Uglydolls provide guides to their uglyverse and the world they live in.

Howe, James.      Bunnicula series

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their baby bunny must be a vampire.

Jonell, Lynne. Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls series

Ten-year-old Emmy wants to be an ordinary girl, but the evil nanny Miss Barmy, now a rat, has trapped five of her former charges and when she uses them to steal jewels belonging to Emmy’s parents, it is up to Emmy, Joe, and their rodent friends to stop her.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Jones, Diana Wynne.    Lives of Christopher Chant (Worlds of Chrestomanci series)

Young Christopher Chant, in training to become the next Chrestomanci or head of magic, becomes a key figure in a battle with renegade sorcerers because he has nine lives.

Klise, Kate.      Regarding the Bathrooms (Regarding the. . . series)

In this novel told through letters, newspaper articles, and police reports, a middle school principal’s bathroom renovation project leads to the discovery of stolen Roman antiquities.

Krensky, Stephen.      Werewolves (Monster Chronicles series)

Discusses how werewolves are portrayed in history, literature and the movies.

Lawrence, Caroline. Thieves of Ostia (Roman Mysteries series)

In Rome in the year 79 A.D., a group of children from very different backgrounds work together to discover who beheaded a pet dog — and why.

L’Engle, Madeline.       A Wrinkle in Time

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a 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.

Macaulay, David.      The New Way Things Work

Text and numerous detailed illustrations introduce and explain the scientific principles and workings of hundreds of machines. Includes new material about digital technology.

Miles, Ellen.        Puppy Place

Charles and Lizzie Peterson know a lot about puppies. That’s because 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.

Montgomery, R. A.     Abominable Snowman (Choose Your Own Adventure series)

Create your own adventure as you make choices and face the consequences.

Park, Barbara.      Mick Harte Was Here

Thirteen-year-old Phoebe recalls her younger brother Mick and his death in a bicycle accident.

Pinkwater, Daniel. Fat Camp Commandos series

After Ralph and Sylvia Nebula flee a fat camp ashram to join their friend Mavis at a dude ranch, they help her unite the Western town’s factions by preparing for the arrival of an unidentified flying object.

Riordan, Rick.    The 39 Clues

Rick Riordan’s newest mystery centers around the Cahills - the most powerful family the world has ever known. The source of its power is a mystery that can only be unraveled by assembling 39 clues that have been hidden around the world throughout history. Follow the Cahills as they find the 39 clues, and play the game online.

Rupp, Rebecca. Sarah Simpson’s Rules for Living

In a journal, twelve-year old Sarah Simpson records important lists and the daily events of her life at home and in school, beginning one year after her father moved from Vermont to California to divorce her mother and marry someone else.

Sabuda, Roberts.     Sharks and Other Sea Monsters: Encyclopedia Prehistorica

Pop-up master Robert Sabuda discusses the giant sharks and other creatures that lived in the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs.

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 toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Spinelli, Jerry.     Crash

Seventh-grader John “Crash”Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather’s stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

Stewart, Paul.      Beyond the Deepwoods (Edge Chronicles series)

Thirteen-year-old Twig, having always looked and felt different from his woodtroll family, learns that he is adopted and travels out of his Deepwoods home to find the place where he belongs.

Wheeler, Chase.      Speed Racer series

The adventures of expert race car driver, Speed Racer and his friends as they battle the fiendish Racer X.

Woodward, Chris. Cool Stuff and How It Works

Diagrams, words and pictures on how a number of gadgets work.

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