The False Prince Jennifer Nielsen In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war.
Jinx Sage Blackwood An orphaned boy named Jinx encounters magic and danger as he grows up in the deep, dark forest known as the Urwald and discovers that the world beyond and within the Urwald is more complex than he could imagine.
Savvy Ingrid Law Mibs Beaumont's thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy," a magical power unique to each member of her family, just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.
The Colossus Rises Book 1 of the Seven Wonders series Peter Lerangis Teens Jack, Marco, Aly, and Cass begin a quest to find seven pieces of Atlantis's power that were hidden long ago and that will, if returned to Atlantis, save them from death due to the genetic abnormality that also gives them superior abilities.
The Ruins of Gorlan John Flanagan Book 1 of the Ranger's Apprentice series When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.
Adventure
Conspiracy 365: January Gabrielle Lord On New Year's Eve, Cal is chased down the street by a sick man with a deadly warning. Hurled into a life on the run, the fifteen-year-old fugitive is isolated and alone. He has 365 days.
Lawless Jeffrey Salane M Freeman's unconventional homeschooling has given her a firm grasp on reading, writing, and always having an escape strategy from any room, but she had no idea that her education has been to prepare her as a star pupil of the Lawless School.
Independence Hall Roland Smith Book 1 in the IQ Series Quest and his stepsister Angela are thrust into the dangerous world of the American Secret Service and the Israeli Mossad when they learn Angela's real mother was a former Secret Service agent who was killed by a terrorist group.
Found Margaret Peterson Haddix Book 1 of The Missing series Thirteen-year-old Jonah, his friend Chip, and Jonah's sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere, and people who seem to appear and disappear at will.
Humor
Ungifted Gordon Korman Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.
The Worst Class Trip Ever Dave Barry AR: Level 4.8, 6 pts. Attending a class trip in Washington, D.C., Wyatt and his friends encounter a group of mysterious men and find themselves dodging their long-suffering teachers to stop what may be a plot against the president.
Friends & Family Stories
Moo Sharon Creech Following one family’s momentous move from the city to rural Maine, an unexpected bond develops between twelve-year-old Reena and one very ornery cow.
The Mother Daughter Book Club Heather Vogel Frederick When the mothers of four sixth-grade girls with very different personalities pressure them into forming a book club, they find, as they read and discuss Little Women, that they have much more in common than they could have imagined.
Blackbird Fly Erin Entrada Kelly Bullied at school, eighth-grader Apple, a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles, decides to change her life by learning how to play the guitar.
My Life in Pink & Green Lisa Greenwald When the family's drugstore is failing, seventh-grader Lucy uses her problem-solving talents to come up with a solution that might resuscitate the business, along with helping the environment.
In Front of God and Everybody K.D. McCrite In the summer of 1986, eleven-year-old April, who lives on a rural Arkansas farm with her family, has her sense of Christian charity tested when a snooty couple from San Francisco moves into a dilapidated house down the road.
Historical Fiction
Countdown Deborah Wiles As eleven-year-old Franny Chapman deals with drama at home and with her best friend in 1962, she tries to understand the larger problems in the world after President Kennedy announces that Russia is sending nuclear missiles to Cuba.
The Lions of Little Rock Kristin Levine AR: Level 4.1, 10 pts. In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism.
Okay for Now Gary D. Schmidt AR: Level 4.9, 11 pts. Fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck faces an abusive father, a brother traumatized by Vietnam, and suspicious teachers and police officers, but when he meets a girl known as Lil Spicer, he finds a safe place at the local library.
One Crazy Summer Rita Williams-Garcia AR: Level 4.6, 7 pts. In 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland to spend a month with the mother they barely know, 11-year-old Delphine and her sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover their mother wants them to attend a Black Panther summer camp.
The Green Glass Sea Ellen Klages AR: Level 4.6, 10 pts. In 1943, 11-year-old Dewey is going to live with her father in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is working on a top-secret government program with other eminent scientists. No one knows how the gadget is about to change the world.
Sports
The Only Game Mike Lupica Sixth grade is supposed to be the year that Jack would lead his team to the Little League World Series, but after the death of his brother, he loses interest in baseball, and only Cassie, star of the girls' softball team, seems to understand.
Unstoppable Tim Green Foster child Harrison, who dreams of playing in the NFL, is happy in a home with loving parents and a foster father who is a football coach, but after becoming the star running back and suffering an injury, a cancer diagnosis threatens his future.
Rising Above Gregory Zuckerman Athlete after athlete in this book found discipline, hope, and inspiration on the playing field, rising above their circumstances.
Mystery & Suspense
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer John Grisham Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone, a legal whiz kid, gets caught up in a high-profile murder trial in his town.
The Gallery Laura Marx Fitzgerald It's 1929, and twelve-year-old Martha has no choice but to work as a maid in the New York City mansion of the wealthy Sewell family. But, despite the Gatsby-like parties and trimmings of success, she suspects something might be deeply wrong in the household.
The Book of Lost Things Cynthia Voigt Book 1 in the Mister Max series When Max's parents leave the country without him, he must rely on his wits to get by, and before long, he is running his own rather unusual business.
The London Eye Mystery Siobhan Dowd When Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye, the two siblings must work together, Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat, to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.
The Mysterious Benedict Society Trenton Lee Stewart After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where their mission is to stop the plan of the evil Ledroptha Curtain.
Nonfiction
The Great White Shark Scientist Sy Montgomery How many great white sharks are swimming off Cape Cod's famous beaches? Scientist Greg Skomal is one of the scientists working to find out, but studying these misunderstood animals isn't easy.
How to Babysit a Leopard Ted & Betsy Lewin Ted and Betsy Lewin roam Earth, from Africa to Asia Pacific and from Europe to the United States, taking on snakes, tracking gorillas, and trying to avoid being eaten by various jungle creatures.
Vanished: True Tales of Mysterious Disappearances Elizabeth MacLeod Six compelling stories about some of the world’s most bewildering disappearances.