Adventures are only beginning to begin in books for this age! The importance of family, friends, teachers is reflected in these recommended titles and lovable animal characters still take center stage behind the drama and the imagination.

Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt           
This book is really a charming collection of linked stories about the gentler side of pirate life aboard the Avarice. Perceptive readers will figure out long before Jack precisely what profession he's perfect for. 128p.

Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen Will Travel by Ruth Barshaw
Eleven-year-old Ellie McDoodle illustrates her sketchbook with chronicles of her adventures and mishaps while camping with her cousins, aunt, and uncle. 170p.

My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe
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. 146p.

The Sisters Grimm (series)   by Michael Buckley
Orphans Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are sent to live with an eccentric grandmother that they have always believed to be dead 284p.

Tank Talbott’s Guide to Girls  by Don Butler
Having agreed to get math tutoring and to practice writing over the summer to avoid flunking fifth grade, Tank learns some important lessons about both family and fighting while writing a boy’s guide’s to understanding girls. 177p.

Slam Dunk   by Matt Christopher
When a new school year starts, and thirteen-year-old basketball star Julian feels a lot of pressure as he realizes he is the only remaining player from last year's winning team, a friend's health crisis helps him regain perspective. 118p.

No Talking!   by Andrew Clements
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest. 146p.

Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Twelve-year-old private investigator Fletcher Moon, nicknamed "Half Moon" because of his shortness, must track down a conspiracy or be framed for a crime he did not commit. 290p.

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo           
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie. 182p.

Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories. 198p.

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
Book-loving Kenny the rabbit has few friends in his farming community, so when one, bookstore owner George, is sent to kill another, gentle dragon Grahame, Kenny must find a way to prevent their battle while satisfying the dragon-crazed townspeople. 151p.

Jack and Rebel, the Police Dog by Patricia Finney        
Jack the labrador retriever tells the tale of his adventures at home and with his old friend Rebel, the police dog, and how the two of them broke up a burglary ring that had been robbing houses while police were occupied with political protests. Includes explanatory footnotes written by the cats, and a glossary explaining Jack’s terminology. 183p.

Disappearing Act by Sid Fleischman
After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities will keep them safe. 133p.

R My Name is Rachel by Patricia Giff
Three city siblings, now living on a farm during the Great Depression, must survive on their own when their father takes a construction job miles away. 166p.

The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes
Inconsolable at being separated from her older brother, eight-year-old Paris is apprehensive about her new foster family but just as she learns to trust them, she faces a life-changing decision. 153p.

Nightmare at the Bookfair by Dan Gutman
When fifth-grader Trip Kindleman, who does not like to read very much, is hit on the head by a heavy box and becomes a character in a series of different books--from a sports story to a science fiction novel to an adventure tale--his view of reading is changed forever. 230p.

Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
Along a magic-saturated stretch of the Mississippi River near Blue Wing, Minnesota, twelve-year-old Claire and her bullying cousin Duke are drawn into an adventure involving Bodacious Deepthink the Great Rock Troll, a helpful fairy, and a group of trolls searching for their fathers. 357p.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. 292p.

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath
Twelve-year-old Jane, who lives at the beach in a run-down old house with her mother, two brothers, and sister, has an eventful summer accompanying her pastor on bible deliveries, meeting former boyfriends of her mother's, and being coerced into babysitting for a family of ill-mannered children. 260p.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat   by Lynne Jonell
When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal. 346p.

Philippa Fisher’s Fairy Godsister   by Liz Kessler
Philippa Fisher is just your average 11 year old. But that changes when Daisy, her fairy godsister, enters her life. 274p.

The Stray   by Dick King-Smith
When seventy-five-year-old Henny Hickathrift runs away from the old people's home, she meets five children and their parents who welcome her into their family. 139p.

Gooney the Fabulous   by Lois Lowry
Gooney Bird Greene takes charge of a class project as she and her fellow students in Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class learn about fables by each making up their own based on an animal that begins with the same letter as their first name. 94p.

When Heaven Fell  by Carolyn Marsden
When her grandmother reveals that the daughter that she had given up for adoption is coming from America to visit her Vietnamese family, nine-year-old Binh is convinced that her newly-discovered aunt is wealthy and will take care of all the family's needs. 183p.

A Dog’s Life   by Ann Martin
Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. 182p.

The Boy Who Spoke Dog   by Clay Morgan
After being marooned on an island near New Zealand, Jack, an orphaned cabin boy from San Francisco, becomes allied with a group of dogs who protect the local sheep from wild dogs. 166p.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester   by Barbara O’Connor
After Owen captures an enormous bullfrog, names it Tooley Graham, then has to release it, he and two friends try to use a small submarine that fell from a passing train to search for Tooley in the Carter, Georgia pond it came from while avoiding nosy neighbor Viola. 168p.

The Winner’s Walk   by Nancy Ruth Patterson
Surrounded by a multitalented family, nine-year-old Case Callahan feels driven to succeed, but his failed attempts at various competitions discourage him until he finds a stray dog with a surprising past. 114p.

Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse   by Judith Rossell
With the death of his Great-Uncle Mungo, Jack learns to his dismay that, as the tenth-generation descendant of the Caribbean pirate Blackstrap Morgan, he is next in line to inherit the Pirate Curse and is fated to spend his life running from a vengeful band of pirates--unless he finds a way to outsmart them. 166p.

Invention of Hugo Cabret   by Brian Selznick
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. 533p.

Hugo Pepper   by Paul Stewart
A boy, orphaned and raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, boards his birth parents' sled and sets its special compass to "Home," where he uncovers a plot that threatens his mermaid godmothers and other friends of his family. 250p.

Pete and Fremont   by Jenny Tripp
When circus owner Mike decides Pete the poodle has grown too old to continue as the starring act, Pete forms an unlikely alliance with a young grizzly bear, who only wants to go home to the woods. 180p.

Oggie Cooder   by Sarah Weeks
Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder goes from being shunned to everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular television talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--and having a neighbor girl as his manager. 172p.