2011 - 2012
Sunshine State Readers
Grades 3-5
The 100 Year-Old Secret - Tracy Barrett
Imagine finding out that you’re related to Sherlock Holmes! Xena and Xander, a brother and sister who have just moved to England from Florida, are playing in front of their hotel when they are handed a note written in disappearing ink. Following the clues written in the note, they come into possession of Sherlock Holmes’ “Unsolved Cases” notebook. With the help of Watson’s great-great-great-grandson Andrew, they set out to solve the cases their famous ancestor couldn’t. |
The Magic Half - Annie Barrows
Have you ever wished you could travel in time? Soon after moving into their new house, Miri is sent to her room for hitting her annoying brother. Spotting a piece of glass taped to her bedroom wall, she realizes it is a single glasses lens. Looking through it, Miri finds herself back in her room in 1935 where she meets a girl called Molly who believes that Miri has come to rescue her from her abusive family. |
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society - Michael Buckley
Jackson Jones is a very popular 5 th grader, until he gets braces with headgear. Overnight is labeled a nerd and shunned by his previous friends. Trying to solve the puzzle of a group of kids he labels the “nerd herd”, Jackson discovers that they are really secret agents whose weaknesses have become strengths with the help of technology “upgrades”. Can Jackson and the “nerd herd” manage to save the world and make it through 5th grade?
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Extra Credit - Andrew Clements
Abby Carson is about to fail 6 th grade unless she can do well on an extra credit project which involves writing to a pen-pal in another country. From the list of countries the teacher provides, Abby chooses Afghanistan and starts a correspondence with a girl called Amira. However, the letters are really being written by Amira’s brother who is the best writer in the village. When he lets Abby know the truth it causes serious problems in his community.
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DiTerlizzi, Tony. Kenny & the Dragon. Simon & Schuster, ©2008.
The villagers in Roundbrook hear that a dragon is running loose across the countryside and the folks get the wrong idea. Now, in the typical dragon story style, it is time for a fight to the death. But wait a minute! This dragon is special and the friend of Kenny Rabbit. What should Kenny do? How will he save the day and give the villagers front-row seats to the famous battle between St. George and the dragon? Does Kenny succeed? Join other readers in the front-row seats to watch this enticing tale unfold. (Grades 3-6) (AR 5.4) |
Feldman, Jody. The Gollywhopper Games. Greenwillow, ©2008.
Join the fun of these promotional games to solve puzzles and win physical challenges with Gil, who enters the games to improve life for his family. Since his father lost his job in a complex series of events, 12-year-old Gil has experienced difficulties at home and school. Now these games offer a chance to turn things around if he can beat out the other contestants in a series of brainteasers. The plot invites readers to work out answers to puzzles as they follow the fast-paced action of this suspenseful story. (Grades 4-7) (AR 3.9) |
Forester, Victoria. The Girl Who Could Fly. Feiwel & Friends, ©2008.
Piper McCloud is not your ordinary girl. From the time she was a baby, she is aware that she has a special talent. Piper is able to fly! Unfortunately, her ordinary family and the folks of Lowland County are not able to cope with Piper's special talents. Piper jumps at the opportunity to enroll at Dr. Hellion's top secret school, I.N.S.A.N.E. There she meets other children with extraordinary talents like telekinesis, X-Ray vision, and the ability to create their own weather. Will the special school be a safe haven for students with unique talents, or possibly the most dangerous place in which they can find themselves? Read The Girl Who Could Fly to find the answer to that question. (Grades 3-6) (AR 6.0) |
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Eleven. Wendy Lamb, ©2008.
In his grandfather's attic, eleven-year-old Sam MacKenzie finds a mysterious newspaper clipping that appears to be about him. Unfortunately, Sam cannot read. However, he recognizes his name and manages to decode the word “missing.” Sam's curiosity about his identity leads him to an unlikely friendship with Caroline, a new girl in his class. Sam is talented with wood and Caroline can read and write. Together, they build a wooden castle for a school assignment. During this collaborative project, Sam eventually finds out where he belongs and Caroline, whose family moves around a lot, gains a friend—something she never expected to happen. Readers will eagerly join the duo in this fast-paced mystery. (Grades 3-6) (AR 4.1) |
Henkes, Kevin. Bird Lake Moon. Greenwillow, ©2008.
Mitch, 12-years-old, and his mother are spending the summer with his grandparents in their lake house. Since his parents are divorcing, Mitch has a secret plan for the empty house next door. When ten-year-old Spence and his family move into the vacant house, Mitch is motivated to stage some ghostly events in an effort to scare away the family. Fortunately, Mitch's plan doesn't work. He and Spence become friends who help each other begin to cope with their own family problems. With chapters written from the alternating point of view of the two boys, Henkes delivers a story about the power of friendship that you will not want to miss. (Grades 5-8) (AR 4.9) |
Holt, Kimberly Willis. Piper Reed: Navy Brat. Henry Holt, ©2007.
Piper is sad about leaving her home and friends behind when her father, a Navy aircraft mechanic, is transferred yet again. With help from her often-annoying sisters and a surprise from their parents, she finds happiness in their new home in Pensacola, Florida. Readers will quickly join the family's journey in this engaging, heartwarming story. (Grades 3-6) (AR 3.5) |
Lupica, Mike. Safe at Home. Philomel, ©2008.
Nick is a star catcher in junior varsity baseball at his school, but has trouble handling the pressure when he is called up to varsity. Nick's 8th grade teammates resent having a 7th grader on the team and his new adoptive parents don't understand his love of sports. Pressure mounts as Nick's baseball skills, as well as his schoolwork decline. In this heartwarming story, readers will be rooting for Nick to get his life together both at home and on the field. (Grades 3-6) (AR 5.6). |
Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. Scholastic, ©2009.
Amanda and Leo share the same exact date of birth and happily celebrate their birthdays together for the first nine years of their lives. During the tenth party, Amanda overhears Leo making an unkind remark about her to another classmate. After avoiding Leo for a year, the two plan separate parties for their 11th birthdays. However, they find themselves in a weird time loop which forces them to relive their 11th birthdays over and over. Amanda discovers that by teaming up with Leo again, she can adjust her attitude and actions to achieve much better results. Read all about it in this witty story of friendship. (Grades 3-5) (AR 4.1) |
Napoli, Donna Jo. Mogo, the Third Warthog. Hyperion, ©2008.
Like the third little pig in the folktale, Mogo is practical and smart. But this warthog also has a heart, and one day he feels as if his heart will break. His beloved mother tells him and his two brothers that they must leave the family and find their own solitary way in the world. It is the way of all boars. Now alone, Mogo must face the constant dangers of the African savanna. He uses cunning and intuition to evade Monster, a nasty wild dog who has made it a point to hunt him down. Through it all, Mogo manages to delight in the world around him and even make friends. And as he tries to survive, Mogo decides there's more: “It's not enough just to stay alive. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, and enjoyed.” Readers will thoroughly enjoy this delightful, heartwarming story. (Grades 3-6) (AR 3.6) |
Wolfe, Joan M. Someone Named Eva. Clarion, ©2007.
The night after her 11th birthday celebration in 1942, blond and blue-eyed Milada and her family are taken from their home in Lidice, Czechoslovakia, by Hitler's Nazis soldiers. Though not Jewish, they are caught up in Hitler's plan for world dominance. Milada and her family members are separated and she is sent with other blond, blue-eyed children to Lebensborn, a training camp, to be immersed in the German language and Aryan culture. Milada is given a new name, Eva, and schooled to be a proper German girl. She is adopted by a wealthy German family and adapts to her new life with a loving mother and sister, though she never forgets her real identity and the family she left behind. This dramatic historical fiction story of World War II is based on a true account of events in Czechoslovakia. (Grades 5-8) (AR 4.1) |
Yep, Laurence. The Earth Dragon Awakes: the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. HarperCollins, ©2006.
Eight-year-old Henry Travis is living in San Francisco in the spring of 1906. His friend Chin, nine, helps in the Travis household where his father, Ah Sing, is cook and houseboy. Nothing could prepare the boys for the fateful events of April 17, when the Great Earthquake and Fire hit the city, consuming houses and lives and practically destroying San Francisco. The friends, each with his family, try to make their way to safety amid the chaos and devastation. As they do, they learn to face dangers, make life-saving decisions, and understand the true meaning of courage. (Grades 3-6) (AR 4.7)
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