Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson JFIC

Jessie Aarons doesn't feel like he has alot going for himself. Adults don't appreciate his artistic talents and he trained all summer to be the fastest runner in fifth grade but the new next door neighbor Leslie beats all the boys in the entire school on the first day. Jessie overcomes his pride and befriends Leslie who is feeling lonely and outcasted. Their special friendship grows in Terabithia, a fantasy play world they have made up in the woods. It is their secret spot that no one knows about. Themes of loss and poverty are expressed as Jessie learns how different Leslie is from other people in town. I won't tell you the ending but I needed a tissue.

If you liked this book, you might also like The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

Food for thought: How does this book compare to the new movie out? Is Terabithia how you imagined it would be like in the movie?

The Witches by Roald Dahl JFIC

When an orphaned boy and his gradmother take a vacation they stumble upon the Annual Witches convention. When he accidentally sits in on a meeting, he learns about Formula 86 Delayed Action Mouse-Maker which will turn all the children of the world into mice. Unfortunately, he must experience this firsthand as the witches smell him in the room. With no toes and rotten worm eating faces, the descriptions and illustrations are both comical and scary. The boy and his grandmother must come up with a way to turn him back into a human and stop the witches before it is too late. Great read for grades 3 and up. Roald Dahl has MANY books about fantasy and magic for younger readers. I recommend the BFG as well.

Food for thought: If you were a mouse, what is one thing you would do?

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo JFIC

This is the another book by the famous author of "Because of Winn Dixie" and "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane". This one isn't as sweet as the others. Rob Horton, an outcast, discovers a caged tiger while walking in the woods. After he befriends another outcast from school, Sistine Bailey, they begin to devise a plan to free the tiger. The caged tiger becomes a metaphor for the caged emotions of the two main characters. Both Rob and Sistine must come to terms with loss. Does Rob free the tiger even if it would get his father in trouble? Read more to find out. Good for fourth grade and up.

Food for thought: What would you have done if you were Rob?

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skeene Catling JFIC

John Midas loves chocolate more than anything in the world, including his friends and family. His greed is punished when he is given the chocolate touch. Everything John puts near his mouth turns to chocolate! It sounds great at first because everything from toothpaste to his pencil turns into delicious chocolate but it becomes disasterous. A very funny read for third grade and up. Kids will be interested to learn more about an ancient Greek myth about King Midas who was given the golden touch.

Food for thought: If you could turn anything to chocolate what would it be? AND Do you think John learned his lesson?

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier JFIC

Whose side are you on? A historical fiction piece based on how the American Revolution tore a family apart. Tim Meeker's family are Tori's, who support the British King, during the American Revolution. Tim's father kicks his son, Sam, out as soon as he realizes that he is going to fight with the American rebels. What would you do if your brother fought with the rebels? Tim has to decide who side he should be on. A very chilling book about the casualities of war on both sides. Grades 5 and up due to graphic scenes of warfare.

Food for Thought: Which side do you think was right?

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan JFIC

What if you could be your own teacher? Jake Dugan, the baddest kid in school, is given to the Applewhites for home schooling as a last resort. Jake finds out that he is no match for the crazy eccentric family of the Applewhites. The Applewhites are all passionate talented artists along with a crazy goat, loud mouthed parrot, and quirky dog. Slowly, they break down the reputation he has been trying to keep up for so long. Jake even finds out he has an artistic talent of his own. The family is very loveable. It teaches a great lesson to pursue your dreams with passion. A good comedy for grades 4 and up.

Food for thought: If you could be any kind of artist, what would you be? Do you think you could live with a family like the Applewhites?

Where to find ebooks?

In case you can't get to the library Ebooks are a good second option. Ebooks are books that you can read for free online. How awesome is that? Personally, I find a real joy in holding a book in my hands.

Here are three sites I recommend checking out:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page this has any book that is in the public domain. You can find many classical works including Shakespeare and the Bible here for free.
http://books.google.com/ Google makes it easy to search for new and old books. Some of them are available in full text but others include just bits and pieces of chapters.
http://www.icdlbooks.org/ this one is specifically for children's literature in multiple languages.

Useful Website

http://www.bookhive.org/ This is a great website for exploring the different genres of books out there. Each review includes parental notes and comments from readers. The books range from picture books-juvenile fiction. They have also condensed them into booklists that you can view if you have adobe acrobat reader. Enjoy!