Picture Books
Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War
by Mireille Messier
When the Fifth Canadian Battalion marched through Broadview, Saskatchewan in 1914, they came away with a four-legged souvenir, a goat named Billy. They promised his owner, Daisy Curwain, that they would return him safe and sound when they passed through again. The soldiers made good on that promise, but not before taking the goat all the way to the front lines in Europe. The last few pages of this book show real photographs of Sergeant Billy, his owner, and the men he served alongside in the trenches.
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
In response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the government forcibly moved all Americans of Japanese descent to internment camps. This is the fictional story of one young boy who reclaimed his rightful place in his community after the war by using the baseball skills he'd honed while imprisoned.
Waiting for the Biblioburro
by Monica Brown
Ana's small Columbian village has no library. She desperately wants to read more stories. One day, a man comes into town riding a burro laden with books. In his hands, he carries a sign that reads Biblioburro. He's a traveling librarian with a mobile library! Not only is Ana able to read new stories, but she's also encouraged to write one of her own.
The author has sprinkled several Spanish words throughout the text and has packed the story with helpful context clues to help a reader learn what each word means.
by David Small
One morning, Imogene awakens to find that she has grown antlers. She is unfazed. Her mother, on the other hand, faints straight away. This is a whimsical look at how one girl finds the bright side of unexpected and inconvenient circumstances. She learns to resourcefully use what she's been given even when it's not what she would have chosen for herself.
Leveled Readers
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Stuck in the Mud
by Ree Drummond
Part of the Charlie the Ranch Dog series by The Pioneer Woman, this book finds her beloved basset hound trying to rescue Abigail the calf who unexpectedly gets stuck in the mud. Unfortunately, Charlie is not the best ranch dog and gets stuck himself. Who will rescue the rescuer?
Please note: I would not recommend this book for Level 1 readers but for those who have mastered most of their phonics sounds and need additional phonemic practice before moving on to chapter books. It is a clean and cute story with just a few sentences on each page but like so many other traditionally published (non-phonics-based) readers, it contains words with tricky diagraphs like "tongue" and "around."
Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
by Eleanor Coerr
This Level 3 reader is a historical fiction based on the legendary life of William Frederick Cody, more commonly known as Buffalo Bill, who at the age of 15 joined the rough-and-tumble riders of the Pony Express. While on the trail, Cody outruns wild animals, savage storms, and even a few outlaws.
Illustrated Chapter Books
The Chicken Squad: the First Misadventure
by Doreen Cronin
First in a delightfully funny 6-book series by the critically acclaimed author of Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type, this story is narrated by J.J. Tully, a retired search and rescue dog. His job is to keep track of the yard chickens. Trouble is, the baby chicks have formed a detective agency and have just received a new case. Tail, the squirrel, is certain that a UFO has landed on the patio and that the aliens aboard are after him. Truth be told, there is a large green, round object “floating” by the house, and from the chick's low-to-the-ground perspective, it does appear to be an Unidentified Flying Object. After disguising themselves, they head out to investigate. As always, J.J. Tully has to rescue them from their own foolish misadventures before it’s too late.
Please note: In Book 3 of the series (Into the Wild), one of the characters mentions his need to pee and one of the chicks "fibs." Book 4 (Dark Shadows) contains the following dialogue: "Flatulence," declared Sugar. "What does Flatulence mean?" asked Poppy. "It's Latin for 'who cut the cheese,'" replied Sugar. In addition, it mentions "millions of years" when referring to the length of time between the dinosaurs and "cave people."
by Judith Griffin
Phoebe, the daughter of the local tavern owner, gets sent to George Washington's house to be a housekeeper, or so she's supposed to pretend. In reality, she's been sent there as a spy to thwart a plot to poison the colonial general.
Loosely based on the true story of Phoebe Fraunces, of Fraunces Tavern in New York City who saved the life of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, this book will not only teach young readers about a pivotal time in the nation's history but will also leave them on the edge of their seats.
Middle-Grade Novels
by Carole Estby Dagg
When the mill in Terpsichore's small Wisconsin town closes, leaving her family with little food and even less money, she secretly signs her parents up for the president's new economic plan. The year is 1934 and as part of his New Deal, midwestern families are encouraged to head to Palmer Alaska where they'll work alongside the Civilian Conservation Corp to establish a new colony of farmers. Terpsichore knows that life in the bush of Alaska won't be easy, but she's determined to help make the budding community a great place to call home.
This is a well-researched living book that paints a fascinating portrait of a little-known portion of American history.
Please note: on page 111, one of the characters says, "d*mn."
Heart of a Samurai
by Margi Preus
This is the true-ish story of Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy who is lost off the coast of Japan with several of his fishing companions. They get rescued by the "barbarians" of an American whaling vessel. Manjiro makes quite an impression on the captain and is given the opportunity to go to New England and establish a new life. After years in the States, however, the boy longs to return to his native land. But will they accept him now that he's been "polluted" with Western ideals?
The Only Game
by Mike Lupica
All seventh-grade baseball phenom Jack Callahan has ever wanted was to take his team to the Little League World Series. And this year, he and his fellow Tampa Bay Rays have a real shot at the top spot. But to everyone's surprise, Jack quits the team before the season even begins. Reeling from the unexpected death of his older brother, Jack begins to flounder on the field and in his friendships. He turns to Cassie, the bossy star of the girls' softball team, and Teddy, an overweight classmate who often gets bullied at school, and slowly learns to love the game again.
While it's not necessary to know and appreciate baseball while reading this book, it is helpful.
Please note: Due to the nature of middle school dynamics and the weight of family grief, I'd recommend this book to older middle-grade readers (10+) There are a few pop culture references to the movies Top Gun, Mean Girls, Happy Gilmore, The Hangover, and Sons of Anarchy. These films are not elaborated on in the slightest only casually mentioned in reference to posters hanging in Jack's older brother's room. In addition, "You're acting like an idiot," and "shut up," are used a handful of times in the text.
By the Great Horn Spoon
by Sid Fleischman
Desperate to save his aunt from impending poverty, 12-year-old city slicker Jack and his butler, Praiseworthy, head to California to strike it rich in the Gold Rush. Using only their wits and charm, they manage to stow away aboard a passenger ship, win a few street brawls, and earn plenty of gold--one haircut at a time.
Parents, Be Aware
I Love My Tutu
by Frances Gilbert
The little girl in this Level 1 reader loves her tutu so much so that she wishes she could wear it everywhere--to school, to swimming lessons, to soccer practice, to art class. In the end, she learns that ballet class is the perfect place to wear a tutu.
Things to know: On the last page of the book, the text reads, "We love our tutus, too!" and shows a picture of a handful of girls and one boy wearing pink and purple tutus in a ballet studio.
Gooseberry Park
by Cynthia Rylant
When a terrible ice storm hits Gooseberry Park, all Kona can think about is his good friend Stumpy the Squirrel and her new babies. When Stumpy goes missing, the beloved dog, with the help of Gwendolyn the hermit crab and Murray the bat, makes it his mission to find the new mama squirrel and return her safely to her little ones.
Things to know: Murray claims that Alex Trebek is his idol and proceeds to make several comments about Jeopardy that will not resonate with most early readers. In addition, the hermit crab continually references her 17 reincarnations/past lives and her ability to read palms. This is the first in a series of three books about Kona and his friends. I have not read the other two titles.
Framed!
by James Ponti
Florian Bates has a skill. He notices things—tiny incidental things that go unnoticed by others. One day while touring the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., he notices something unusual about one of the other tourists. Later, when he learns that three valuable Impressionist paintings have gone missing, he knows exactly who’s to blame. He’ll join forces with the FBI to bring down a Romanian crime ring…or will he?
Things to know: This is the first in a series of three fast-paced spy thrillers starring Florian and his friends. The plot is quite complex and is best suited for 10+. The story is so well-written that even I didn’t see the ending coming!
The text includes one incident of the following: “stupid,” “God, help us,” and “sucks.” In addition, one of the characters refers to Romanian curse words (although he never actually says any of them), another makes a joke about the “zombie apocalypse,” and a criminal lies in order to protect the FBI agent who has caught him.
I have not read the other two books in the series.