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* The following list of books
was compiled by the ALSC Quicklists Committee for Reading Is Fundamental.
Armstrong, William N.
Sounder
The story of a dog, who tries to save his master a black sharecropper, who
has been driven to steal for his family's survival, from arrest, and a boy
who loves them both.
Babbit, Natalie
Tuck Everlasting
Ten-year-old Winfred Foster and a malicious stranger both accidentally
discover the Tuck family and their secret, a hidden spring whose water
prevents one from ever growing older.
Catling, Patrick
The Chocolate Touch
A boy acquires a magical gift: everything he touch turns to chocolate!
Cooper, Susan
The Boggart
After returning from a trip to Scotland, two school children find out
they've brought something extra home with them.
Fleischman, Paul
Bull Run
Northerners, Southerners, generals, couriers, dreaming boys, and worried
sisters describe the glory, the horror, the thrill, and the disillusionment
of the first battle of the Civil War.
George, Jean Craighead
Julie of the Wolves
Julie must find a way to survive in the harsh Alaskan tundra and the nearby
wolf pack may be her only hope.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Running Out of Time
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840s village, thirteen-year-old
Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation
by heartless scientist, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save
the lives of the dying children.
Hamilton, Virginia
The House of Dies Drear
Thomas Small discovers a secret in his family's home, which was once a stop
on the Underground Railroad.
Henry, Marguerite
Misty of Chincoteague
A brother and sister are determined to own one of the ponies their father
helps to round up on Chincoteague Island.
Hesse, Karen
Sable
Tate has always wanted a dog, and when Sable shows up, her dream
comes true. Will problems with the neighbors keep Tate and Sable apart?
Konigsburg, E.L.
The View From Saturday
An academic competition brings four students together, and each tells the
unlikely story of how they got there.
L'Engle, Madeleine
A Wrinkle in Time
Classic adventure in space and time.
Mead, Alice
Junebug
Living in the projects, Junebug must somehow withstand the daily pressures
of drugs and gangs while still holding onto his dream of sailing.
Namioka,
Lensey
Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear
Yang is the only one in his entire family to be totally lacking in
musical talent. He faces the agony of music lessons every day, when all he
really wants to do is play ball.
Patterson, Katherine
Jacob Have I Loved
While everyone adores and admires her twin sister, Sara Louise overcomes her
jealousy and finds her own identity and inner strength.
Raskin, Ellen
Westing Game
A millionaire's mysterious death, a fortune to inherit, and an unlikely
assortment of heirs- -can you figure out the mystery?
Rawls, Wilson
Where the Red Fern Grows
Having purchased two dogs for fifty dollars, young Billy is
determined to create the valley's best hunting team. Follows the friendship
of a boy and his two dogs and their adventures along the dark hills and
river bottoms of Cherokee country.
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry's a perfectly ordinary boy in a perfectly ordinary school--except for
the fact that he happens to be a wizard and his classes include
Transfiguration and Potions!
Spinelli, Jerry
Maniac Magee
Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, a twelve-year-old homeless boy, could hit a
ball better and faster than anyone in Two Mills. Even more remarkable, he
dares to cross the line that divides the white West End and the black East
End, confronting prejudice and racism head on.
Wojciechowska, Maia
Shadow of a Bull
Manolo Olivar demonstrates true courage as he faces his bull and
makes his decision.
Classic Authors & Illustrators
LLOYD ALEXANDER A skilled fantasy writer who touches
our deepest sense of characters and moral order.
The Cat Who Wished To Be A Man
The Black Cauldron
AVI His characters face issues of personal integrity
as they grow up in historical or contemporary settings.
Nothing But The Truth
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
SUSAN COOPER Fantasy writer whose characters face the
eternal struggle between darkness and light, between good and evil.
The Dark Is Rising
The Grey King
ROBERT CORMIER Teenage characters face realities and
choices -- not always happy or hopeful ones.
The Chocolate War
I Am The Cheese
PAULA FOX She captures strong emotions and vivid
images in superb understated and taut writing.
Monkey Island
One-Eyed Cat
VIRGINIA HAMILTON Graphic writer who weaves superb
plots and vivid characters into realistic, fanciful, folkloric, and
historical settings.
M.C. Higgins, The Great
The People Could Fly
MADELEINE L'ENGLE She probes the theme that everything
in our universe is connected and that all things, even the tiniest microbes,
matter.
A Wrinkle In Time
Ring Of Endless Light
WALTER DEAN MYERS He portrays an authentic view of
African-Americans in gripping novels and sound informational books.
Fallen Angels
Now is Your Time: The African-American Struggle For Freedom
KATHERINE PATERSON A perceptive writer whose
characters and dramatic themes live on in our memories.
Bridge to Terabithia
Lyddie
RICHARD PECK Time spent in schools talking with teenagers
helps capture the tone, language, and concerns reflected in the gripping,
authentic dialogue that permeates Peck's work.
Father Figure
Are You In The House Alone?
GARY SOTO He draws upon his Mexican-American heritage
to create vignettes in poetry and prose.
A Fire In My Hands
Living Up The Street
MILDRED TAYLOR One of the first African-American
authors to win major awards writes about the experience of rural Mississippi
in the 1930s.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Let The Circle Be Unbroken
CYNTHIA VOIGT An impressive novelist who addresses
thoughtful topics through realistic, fantasy, and historical stories.
Homecoming
Dicey's Song
LAURENCE YEP He probes his heritage for universal
themes of growing up in an Asian-American family.
Dragonwings
Star Fisher
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Good
Books for Grades 5-7