{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 5.3, 294p

After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon Blake is removed from the Alabama forest where he was raised and sent to a boy's home, where, for the first time, he has contact with the outside world and learns about friendship, love, and humanity.

For as long as ten-year-old Moon can remember, he has lived out in the forest in a shelter with his father. When Moons father dies, Moon follows his fathers last instructions: to travel to Alaska to find others like themselves.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-}  RL 5, 252p
Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend's family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.

When Ruben and Jed find a dead body on the Rhode Island shore, they are certain it has something to do with smuggling liquor. Suddenly, the boys find themselves caught in a war between two Prohibition gangs.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 6.7, 295p

Twelve-year-old Colton, son of an African-American mother and a white father, takes a job with the Pony Express in 1860 after his father abandons the family on their California-bound wagon train, and risks his life to deliver an important letter that may affect the growing conflict between the North and South.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.8, 237p

Traveling to the New World in 1606 as the page to Captain John Smith, twelve-year-old orphan Samuel Collier settles in the new colony of James Town, where he must quickly learn to distinguish between friend and foe.

{IL 3-6, -Fic-} RL 5.9, 264p

Eleven-year-old Cornelia S. Englehart, a lonely daughter of famous pianists who lives in New York City, learns about language and life from a new elderly neighbor who shares stories about the fabulous adventures she and her sisters had while traveling around the world.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 5, 389p

In the early twentieth century, young orphan Maud Flynn hopes to finally be loved when she is adopted by the elderly Hawthorne sisters, but she is instead roped into the family's crooked séance business.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.9, 154p

While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an eight-year-old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the frightening Sinisteeds.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 5, 321p

While her father works on the Manhattan Project, eleven-year-old gadget lover and outcast Dewey Kerrigan lives in Los Alamos Camp, and becomes friends with Suze, another young girl who is shunned by her peers.

{IL YA, -Fic-} 

Alone in the world, teen-aged Hattie is driven to prove up on her uncle's homesteading claim. For years, sixteen-year-old Hattie's been shuttled between relatives. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she courageously leaves Iowa to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim near Vida, Montana. With a stubborn stick-to-itiveness, Hattie faces frost, drought and blizzards. Despite many hardships, Hattie forges ahead, sharing her adventures with her friends--especially Charlie, fighting in France--through letters and articles for her hometown paper. Her backbreaking quest for a home is lightened by her neighbors, the Muellers. But she feels threatened by pressure to be a " Loyal" American, forbidding friendships with folks of German descent. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home. "From the Hardcover edition."

{IL 5-8, -Fic-}  RL 5.6, 220p

Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof.

{IL 3-6, -Fic-} RL 5.6, 533p

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.

{IL YA, -Fic-} 228p

Certain that he is doing the right thing by donating his dog, Wolfie, to the Army's scout program in Vietnam, thirteen-year-old Mark begins to have second thoughts when the Army refuses to say when and if Wolfie will ever return.

{IL YA, -Fic-} 337p

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.9, 377p

Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.

{IL 5-8, 599.35} RL 5.1, 48p

Describes rat behavior and survival skills and aspects of their relationship with humans, including disease, rats as food, rats as pests, and the training of rats as rescuers.

{IL 3-6, -Fic-} RL 4.5, 274p

As she turns twelve during the summer of 1953, Penny gains new insights into herself and her family while also learning a secret about her father's death.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.8, 225p

Julia, a Korean-American, and her friend Patrick learn about tolerance, friendship, and patience while working together on a project about silkworms.

{IL 3-6, -Fic-} RL 3.5, 200p

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.4, 248p

Annemarie "Shug" Wilcox, facing junior high school, disgruntled with her appearance, and confused by changing relationships, decides there is nothing worse than being twelve-years-old.

{IL 5-8, -Fic-} RL 4.4, 293p

6,000 years ago, twelve-year-old Torak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.