Lowji Discovers America by Candace Fleming

When Lowji is upset about moving all the way from India to America, his father urges him to find the silver lining. It takes some doing, but Lowji finally thinks about having a cat - and a dog - and maybe a horse! His best friend Jamshed told him that people in America ride horses all the time.

But when they arrive in America, at their little apartment house that smells so lemony-fresh, Lowji discovers there isn't as much of a silver lining as he thought there would be. He still isn't allowed to have a pet, not even a tiny little mouse, and his family's landlady, Mrs. Crisp, keeps scolding him for making more work for her. The kids he sees around town mostly ignore him, and all-in-all Lowji is a little bored - and a lot lonely.

But he's sure he can find ways to help Mrs. Crisp with her workload. And there's the mystery of the footprints in the woods behind the apartment house. And there might not actually be any horses to ride, but there is... a pig???

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

"The land is no place for a Gribley," Sam's Dad always says, talking about the farm that Sam's Great-Grandfather built, plowed - and then left when he realized he truly wanted to be a sailor.

Dad had been a sailor too, but Sam isn't sure that means that all Gribleys are meant for the sea. As a matter of fact, he's determined to go out to the Catskill Mountains and find the old beech with the family name carved into it. And when he does... Well, he might as well stay out there and try living in the woods. All on his own. With only a knife, some string, and flint'n'steel in his pockets.

Join Sam as he learns about the wild animals of the forest, works out how to catch fish and trap animals, and figures out how to make clothes from deerskins he's cured. Worry with him as he tries to start a fire and makes a home, keeping it hidden from hikers and forest rangers. Learn with him as he raises Frightful, a young peregrine falcon, to be his friend and fellow hunter.

I think everyone dreams of running away from home at least once in their lives. For those of us who don't make it more than halfway down the block, here's the adventure we might have had.

100 Days and 99 Nights by Alan Madison

Meet Esme. At seven years old, she's already lived in Kenya, Korea, and Germany. That's because her dad, August Aloysius McCarther the Third, is a sergeant in the United States Army. That means that Esme, her little brother Ike, and their mom and dad go to live wherever the Army tells them to, whenever they are told to. It's their duty, which Esme knows means doing something that no one in the whole entire universe really wants to do.

But on the other hand, traveling all over the world has given her the chance to collect her bedzoo: thirty-one stuffed animals running the length of the alphabet (Aardvark to Zebra, with the eXception of X, because there are no animals that start with X) that remind her of all the places she's been and all the people she loves.

Besides, their family is always together, with their everyday routines that make life so good. Like making pancakes on Saturday morning, or movie nights on Fridays. Esme's Dad always has silly words or strange sayings - what does "than you can shake a stick at" really have to do with anything? - and he is, Esme knows, the strongest, bravest person alive.

But then one Saturday Dad tells them he has to go away for a tour of duty - one hundred days and ninety-nine nights in a faraway place. And gradually Esme learns that her Dad isn't the only strong, brave person in the family.

The Secret of the Attic by Sheri Cooper Sinykin

Blue-eyed Alison is the ultimate tomboy, who loves sports and playing outside. Red-haired Megan is a reader and a writer, imitating her journalist father. Keisha is African-American and loves to sing and play with animals, while dark-haired Heather is an artist who just moved into town a few months ago.

What do these four different girls have in common? Well, besides their fast friendship, they all have a secret: a magic attic that transports them to different times, places, and adventures!

The girls' plans to go sledding on Christmas Eve are interrupted when they meet Allison's next-door neighbor. Ms. Goodwin has long silver hair and eyes as blue as the heart of a flame, and always wears colorful clothing. When the girls return a golden key to her, she invites them in to explore the attic the key belongs to - just for a few minutes before they go sledding.

But the discovery of a trunk full of beautiful dresses leads the girls into a very different sort of adventure - when they look into the mirror they find themselves in a very different house, in the middle of nowhere. Why do the newspapers have headlines about President Roosevelt? How does a stranger know their names? And who is the young girl who seems so upset about her Christmas party?

Join Alison, Heather, Keisha, and Megan in this first book of the Magic Attic Club series!

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

The author of Ella Enchanted brings a unique mixture of two classic fairytales into one funny adventure!

Ellis (always called Cinderellis) lives on a farm with his two brothers. Burt and Ralph are the best of friends, but they never include Cinderellis in anything that they do. Not even when Cinderellis shows them all the amazing inventions he's perfected - growing powder to make things grow, shrinking powder to make them shrink, flying powder to make them fly, and so many more! Even when Cinderellis stops their hay from mysteriously disappearing once a year, his brothers don't pay any attention to him. He's got one last chance: the King has just announced a contest. If Cinderellis can win, his brothers will be sure to start including him!

Princess Marigold is widely known to be the sweetest, kindest, least uppity, and prettiest of princesses. Which is wonderful. Truly. But Marigold is also the lonliest of princesses. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father spends all of his time off on quests, bringing back really rather foolish things to put into the Royal Museum of Quest Souvenirs. The only good thing he ever brought back was a tiny orange-and-yellow kitten who promptly became Marigold's best and only friend. But now, the King has decided to hold a contest to find Marigold the perfect husband. Marigold is hoping that maybe - just maybe - the person who wins the contest will be funny and polite and nice to animals... but it could just as easily be: a monster?!?!

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

Aren't dragons just about the coolest things ever?

Jeremy Thatcher has always thought so. He likes to draw them, read about them, daydream about them - sometimes he even wishes that his dad's vet practice had a few dragons to take care of, instead of Fat Pete, who hisses and scratches at everybody.

Then one day, trying to escape Mary Lou Hutton (who for some reason, as the whole school knows, wants to kiss him - Yuuuuuuck!), Jeremy hides inside a store he's never seen before. A store with all sorts of magical things. A store with a grouchy old storekeeper who very reluctantly sells Jeremy the most amazing thing he's ever seen - a real, live, softly glowing dragon's egg.

But as cool as a dragon's egg is, imagine how neat it will be when it hatches! Dragons are just so much... trouble???

----

PS: If you enjoy Jeremy's adventure, there are lots of other books associated with the very magic shop for you to explore.

Gypsy Rizka by Lloyd Alexander

Rizka lives on her own in a vardo, or gypsy wagon, outside the town of Greater Dunista. She's skinny as a smoked herring, generous with all she has (which in truth is nothing at all), and can whistle every birdsong she's ever heard. She wears a pair of homeless breeches she rescued; boots cracked and split, hardly a memory of their former selves; and an old army coat so outnumbered by patches the original garment surrendered. She lives by her wits (and those being very quick wits, she makes rather a good living) and she unofficially manages the entire town.

After all, someone has to keep Chief Councilor Sharpnack too occupied to think of ways to increase his power or make trouble for Rizka herself. Then there's Mayor Pumpa and Merchant Podskalny, who are forever quarreling; someone has to keep their squabbles from causing trouble for the rest of the town. And if it weren't for Rizka, at least two beautiful romances in the little town would be doomed before they even began.

It's a good thing she has the able assistance of her big mustard-colored cat, Petzel; her apprentice, Sofiya; and the amiable town blacksmith, Big Franco. Dealing with General Hatvan's need for intelligence or soothing the effects of the Zipple - a yearly soft, cajoling breeze with uncomfortable effects - could easily become too big of a job for one person, even one so clever as Rizka herself.

And besides, Rizka won't stay there forever: she's half gypsy, after all. When the chiriklos birds return, so will the gypsies - and Rizka's father. And then Rizka will be able to spend the rest of her life with her true family.

The Barn by Avi

It's 1855, and nine-year-old Ben is called home from school to find that his father had suffered a 'fit of palsy' as Dr. Flanagan diagnoses it. Ben isn't sure what a palsy is; all he knows is that his father - always tall and broad and strong, with a joke or a story for every minute of the day - is now lying on the bed limp and small, not moving or speaking or even seeming to recognize his children.

Ben's older sister Nettie - 15 years old and ready to marry - and brother Harrison - 13 and nearly a man himself - are almost sunk with despair. Since their mother had died several years earlier, there are only the three of them now to work their claim and care for their father. And neither of the older children are convinced that their father will long live.

Only Ben believes stubbornly that their father can and will recover - and he believes that the thing that will cure his father is building the barn Father always said he would build one day. It will be long hard work, just the three of them, but Ben is convinced that they can do it - and that they can have their father back.

The Mystery of the Yellow Hands by Jake & Luke Thoene

When children are being kidnapped from their homes in London, who do you ask to solve the case? Why, Sherlock Holmes, of course! And who does Holmes ask for help when he's just the tiniest bit busy? The Baker Street Brigade!

Danny (thirteen and the leader), Peachy (an Irish redhead), and Duff (tall and cheerful) are three newspaper boys who work together for the Daily Telegraph and live together at the Waterloo Road Ragged School. They are incredibly excited to have the chance to help the great Sherlock Holmes and to be detectives - especially when a friend of theirs is the next one to be kidnapped...

The first of four books about these young detectives.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

This is one of those books that you read once, as a child or an adult - and then you keep coming back to it the rest of your life. Of course, for me that could just be because I have a sister named Katie who has the same grit, determination, and just plain stubbornness to get the job done as Katy does. But I think that's only part of it.

You see, Katy of our story is a big strong crawler tractor - a beautiful red crawler tractor - who works for the city of Geoppolis in their Highway Department. She has a bulldozer attachment for helping with road construction, and a big smooth snow plow for in the winter.

During the summer, Katy is always busy helping with the road construction and upkeep projects around the city. The bigger the task, the more she loves it and the harder she works - and she never gives up until the job is done.

But then during the winter, Katy mostly sits in her barn with her shiny snow plow and has nothing to do. The little bit of snow on the ground can be handled by the trucks - Katy's too strong for this job!

But then it begins to snow... and snow... and snow... and snow... When the whole town is snowed in and unable to move, who do you think can save the day?

Children will enjoy exploring the pen-and-ink drawings of construction equipment, town landmarks, and Katy's quest to clear the city.

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Twelve year old Heidi has lived all her life in one apartment, with her mother and their next-door neighbor, Bernie. Well, technically it's two apartments; Bernie has her own, but there's a door that connects hers to Heidi's, and it's always open.

Bernie is a big part of Heidi's life: she took care of Heidi when she was a baby, teaches her schoolwork, and in many ways is the mother that Heidi's real mother cannot be.

You see, Mama - or Precious, as Bernie calls her - has a hard time remembering things, or learning how to do them, or even talking. Bernie and Heidi keep a list and Mama has only twenty-three words that she says: things like good and hot and Heidi. But there's one word that only Mama says, and she says it often: soof.

It drives Heidi crazy, that she doesn't know what Mama's word means. It isn't in the M.B.F - Man's Best Friend, otherwise known as the big Webster's Dictionary - and neither Heidi nor Bernie have any idea what it could be. And of course, Mama can't tell them - in fact, she seems to get more and more agitated whenever Heidi asks.

But when Heidi finds an old camera in a drawer and gets the pictures developed, suddenly she has more questions - and the chance at a lot of answers.

Stuart Little by E. B. White

Imagine, if you will, that you have been born to a perfectly normal family in New York, complete with a father, mother, and much bigger brother. He's much bigger, you see, because you are only about two inches tall - two inches and a quarter, at full growth. And, for some reason, you look a bit like a mouse.

What would your life be like? Would you have to climb a ladder to get to the bathroom sink, and turn it on with a hammer? Would you get into competitions with the family cat? Would you pay your bus fare in tin-foil nickels so you could go sailing on the model boats on the pond in Central Park? Maybe you'd make friends with a small beautiful bird who comes to visit, and worry about her if she disappeared one day. Perhaps you might take a journey by miniature motorcar, or discuss the Chairperson of the World with school children.

Whatever you might do, it would probably be more difficult and a great deal more exciting than doing the same thing at human size. Don't you think?

Jake Drake, Class Clown by Andrew Clements

Jake Drake really likes school. In fact, he considers it his job - a full-time job, of course - and his teachers are his bosses. He's had some really great bosses over the years, and one boss who wasn't actually great really, but he learned a lot from her!

During Jake's second grade year, Miss Bruce came to teach his class. Miss Bruce was a student teacher - that means she was still in school, studying to be a teacher, and she was practicing with Jake's class. But there was one other thing that made Miss Bruce different from any of Jake's other teachers: Miss Bruce never smiled! She never smiled, she never laughed - she never even grinned!

But one day, entirely by mistake, Jake learns that Miss Bruce does smile - and even giggle! And he makes a life-changing decision: he's going to help her smile during class. And how is he going to do that? By becoming the class clown, of course!

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

Do you like stories of knights on horseback, or ladies in beautiful long gowns? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the very old days, in England during the times of ladies and knights and honor and courage?

If you have, I would like to introduce you to my young friend Robin. He is only ten years old, but he lives in those grand old times and has several adventures that are both ordinary and at the same time truly brave.

You see, Robin grew up as an ordinary young boy, the son of Sir John de Bureford, living with his mother and father and expecting that soon after he turned ten - as he is now - he would go to live with another lord of the realm as his page and learn from that lord all the skills he would need to be a brave and honorable knight - to fight, to speak, to lead people, to rule his own lands.

But not long after he turned ten, while his mother and father were away serving the King and Queen in the war, Robin fell very ill. Even when he recovered, he was too weak to walk around on his own. How on earth would he be able to serve as a page now? How would he even get to Lord Peter's castle?

With the help of Brother Luke and the minstral John-go-in-the-Wynd he will do it, but even then it's not an easy path. Robin will have to overcome challenges like learning to use crutches and dealing with robbers along the road. And even when he gets to Sir Peter's home, Robin will have one last challenge that will take every bit of skill he's learned over the past few months - but if he can overcome it, he will earn a reward befitting a truly noble knight.

Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer by JT Petty

Do you believe in fairies? And if you don't, would you ever say so out loud?

I hope you wouldn't, because you see, it isn't just Peter Pan who knows the power of belief over fairies: as Clemency Pogue discovers, indiscriminate use of those five small words - Eh? Which ones? Oh, I don't believe in - hey wait a minute! I am not going to say it! You can't make me say it. Why, saying that one little phrase could kill some poor unsuspecting fairy somewhere in Russia or Egypt or just down the street!

Not that this isn't sometimes a good thing: Clemency stumbled upon the power in the phrase as she was saving her life from the Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism. But what about the Tooth Fairy? Or the Fairy of Noninvasive Surgery? Or, for love's sake, the Fairy of Love and Tenderness? Where would the world be without the fairy of Love and Tenderness? We would all be writing horridly rubbishy poetry and never actually speaking with anyone!

So what, if you have just randomly killed seven fairies, some good and some bad, do you do? Well, if you're Clemency Pogue, you set out with the help of a rather rude and crude (but rhyming!) hobgoblin to set things right. Which could mean learning the personal name (not just the job description!) of every single fairy you killed that you didn't mean to kill, or it could just mean saying "I do believe in fairies, I do!" and taking your chances. But that Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism is pretty stubborn - and pretty nasty. I don't know if I myself would want to take my chances with her...

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Can you imagine if your dad brought home a penguin for a pet? How about twelve of them?

This is what Mr. Popper does, to the amazement of Mrs. Popper and his two children, Bill and Janie. This lucky family has a full dozen penguins living with them - sliding down the stairs, stealing the checkers, and startling the visitors.

But you know, penguins are very expensive to keep, especially when you live in nice warm Stillwater. You need snow for them, and ice, and fresh fish if you can get it - or canned shrimp, otherwise. And when you are only a house painter, as Mr. Popper is, well... the bills can add up quick!

How will Mr. Popper save the day? Why, by taking the penguins on the road in a variety act! But their troubles aren't over yet - how much mischief do you think twelve penguins can get into touring the major cities of the United States?

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

This is a sweetheart of a book, full of just enough adventure to keep you turning the pages, just enough detail to make you fall in love with the characters, and just enough intelligence to make you feel you've read something fully worthwhile.

Despereaux is a mouse who can be summed up quite quickly in the words of his Aunt Florence: "It simply isn't done!" He is born far too small and with far too big of ears - and if that were not enough, he reads books instead of eating them and he talks to humans!

Most specifically, he speaks to the Princess Pea, in whose castle he lives, and with whom he falls deeply in love. This is, of course, another thing that Is Not Done, but how can a young mouse help himself?

And this is only the beginning of the story. There is also Chiaroscuro, a most unusual rat, and his story of living in the dungeons of the castle, and Miggery Sow, a young scullery maid who dreams of being a princess.

This is a story of dreams and realities, of bravery and perfidy, of love and hate and light and darkness. But it is, most of all, the story of a young mouse who follows his heart.

----------

I also highly recommend the audio version of this story, read by Graeme Malcolm. He brings each character individually to life with unique, recognizable voices, and I - who have a terrible time listening to audio books - was fully entranced the entire story.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

This is probably my all-time favorite storytime book! Readers (or especially listeners!) are asked to watch over the bus while the driver is gone - oh, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Kids get a kick out of telling the adorable Pigeon "No you can't!" every time he makes a plea, demand, or suggestion for control of the wheel.

Whenever I read this book, I can't help but get into it. Willems' drawings are super-simple, but they do an amazing job of portraying all sorts of emotions - from sly to totally-innocent-I-wouldn't-do-that to totally enraged. In turn, I find myself acting out the part of the pigeon, making faces, altering my body language, and changing my voice for each panel.

This book is a true delight!