(AR Levels in Parentheses)
*Aliens on Vacation by Clete Smith (5.1)
David isn't happy about leaving Florida and his friends to summer with
his crazy grandmother in "Middle-of-Nowhere," Washington. Arriving at
her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, he isn't surprised by its
the-60's-meets-Star-Wars d cor, but he is
surprised by the weird-looking guests. It turns out that each room in
the inn is an off-earth portal and his grandma the gate-keeper, allowing
aliens to vacation on Earth. Grandma desperately needs David's help
monitoring the visitors, shopping for cartloads of aluminum-foil for
dinner, and taking rambunctious alien kids, that glow-in-the-dark and
look like trees, camping. The problem is, the town sheriff, already
suspicious about Granny, is a scout leader camping in the same spot.
Will David blow Granny's cover, forcing the B&B to shut down for
good, or will the intergalactic police have to intervene?
*The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger by Jenny Meyerhoff (4.4)
Fifth grader Louie Burger figures that with a goofy name like his, he must
be destined to be a king of comedy like his idol Lou Lafferman. But
he’s only ever performed his stand-up act in his closet, where he and
his dad created the most exclusive comedy club ever—if by “exclusive”
you mean that no one’s ever allowed inside. With the school talent show
coming up, Louie’s wondering if now is his moment to kill (that’s
comedian talk for “make actual people laugh”). And maybe, if he brings
down the house, he’ll win back his former best friend Nick—who seems to
be turning into one of those annoying sporty types—and fend off his
dad’s home-improvement obsession, which threatens to remodel Louie’s
comedy closet into a private bedroom for his older sister. Barftrocious!
*The BFG by Roald Dahl (4.8)
Kidsnatched from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends
his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a
plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.
*Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce (2.4-3.1)
Sixth-grader Nate Wright is on top of the world . . . with a little help
from his friends! His best buddies, Francis and Teddy, stick with Nate
through thick and thin—usually thin. They've seen it all. Nate's
disastrous love life, his chess tournament trash talking, even his
misguided attempt to be a "bad boy." Along the way, Nate and his pals
are joined by Artur, the gentle exchange student who's popular with
almost everyone. And don't forget Gina, the teacher's pet who gets an
"A" for annoying.
*Bunnicula by James Howe (4.2)
BEWARE THE HARE!
Is he or isn't he a vampire?
Is he or isn't he a vampire?
Before it's too late, Harold the
dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in
the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual
habits...and fangs! Though
scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human
family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.
*The Classroom by Robin Mellom (4.9-5.2)
Trevor Jones has been looking forward to seventh grade all summer, but
when his best friend Libby tells him that he HAS to ask a girl out to
the fall dance--his bright outlook suddenly takes a turn. It also
doesn't help that there's documentary crew to film his every awkward
move. Modern Family meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid in The Classroom, a new
middle grade series full of heart, laughs, and awkward documentary
footage.
*Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (5.2)
Wahoo Cray
lives in a zoo. His father is an animal wrangler, so he's grown up with
all manner of gators, snakes, parrots, rats, monkeys, snappers, and more
in his backyard. The critters he can handle. His father is the
unpredictable one. When his dad takes a job with a
reality TV show called "Expedition Survival!", Wahoo figures he'll have
to do a bit of wrangling himself—to keep his dad from killing Derek
Badger, the show's boneheaded star, before the shoot is over. But the
job keeps getting more complicated. Derek Badger seems to actually
believe his PR and insists on using wild animals for his stunts. And
Wahoo's acquired a shadow named Tuna—a girl who's sporting a shiner
courtesy of her old man and needs a place to hide out.
*The Clone Chronicles by M.E. Castle (5.7-6.2)
Meet Fisher Bas: 12 years-old, growth-stunted, a geeky science genius,
and son of the Nobel Prize-winning creators of the
Bas-Hermaphrodite-Sea-Slug-Hypothesis. No surprise: Fisher isn't exactly
the most popular kid in his middle-school, tormented daily by the
beefy, overgrown goons he calls The Vikings. But he senses relief when
he comes upon the idea of cloning himself--creating a second Fisher to
go to school each day while he stays at home playing video games and
eating cheetos with ketchup. It's an ingenious plan that works
brilliantly, until Fisher's clone turns out to be more popular than
him--and soon after gets clone-napped by the evil scientist Dr. Xander.
*The Creature from My Closet by Obert Skye (4.6-5.3)
Twelve-year-old underachiever Rob has better things to do than read. His
parents give him lots of books but most of them just end up in the
messy pile of junk he keeps locked in his closet that once doubled as a
makeshift science laboratory. One day, Rob hears weird sounds coming
from behind his closet door and discovers a funny little creature that
seems to be a cross between two characters from books he’s tried to
ignore. He names him Wonkenstein.
*Dark Lord by Jamie Thomson (5.6)
*Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton (5.1-5.9)
Read the hilarious, candid (& sometimes mean) diaries of Jamie
Kelly, who promises that everything in her diary is true...or at least
as true as it needs to be. In this book, Jamie contends with Angeline,
the school's prettiest, most popular girl (who Jamie thinks is a goon!)
and the impending visit of her troll-like little cousin. Will Jamie
survive? Will she go mad? Will she send her mom's nasty casserole to
starving children in Wheretheheckistan? You'll just have to read the
first installment of Dear Dumb Diary to find out!
*Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic by Mark Tatulli (4.6)
Meet Desmond
Pucket—master of mayhem! Will his monster-y special effects pranks get
him kicked out of middle school before the class trip to Crab Shell
Pier? Or will Desmond be able to keep his monster magic in check?
*Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (5.2-5.8)
It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into
middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids
who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up
before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as
Greg records them in his diary.
*Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russel (4.2-4.9)
Meet Nikki Maxwell! She’s
starting eighth grade at a new school—and her very first diary packed
with hilarious stories and art in Book One of the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series! Nikki confesses all in her first
diary ever: her epic battle with her mom for an iPhone, meeting her new
soon-to-be BFFs Chloe and Zoey, falling for adorably sweet crush
Brandon, dealing with her zany little sister Brianna’s antics—and the
immediate clashes with mean girl Mackenzie, who becomes Nikki’s rival in
a schoolwide art competition.
*Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon (4.2-4.8)
It's not easy for Danny Dragonbreath to be the sole mythical creature in
a school for reptiles and amphibians-especially because he can't
breathe fire like other dragons (as the school bully loves to remind
him). But having a unique family comes in handy sometimes, like when his
sea-serpent cousin takes Danny and his best iguana friend on a
mindboggling underwater tour, complete with vomiting sea cucumbers and
giant squid. It sure beats reading the encyclopedia to research his
ocean report . .
*Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (4.3)
"I bought the milk," said my
father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T
h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in
the air above Marshall Road."
"Hullo," I said to myself. "That's not something you see every day. And then something odd happened."
Find out just how odd things get
in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly
told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and
illustrated by Skottie Young.
*Frindle by Andrew Clements (5.4)
Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school — and he's always had
plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information
about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his
best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why
not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his
friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying
frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local
hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the
funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is
spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop
it.
*George Brown, Class Clown by Nancy Krulik (3.2-3.8)
The first day at a new school is always the hardest, right? No, not
always as George finds out the hard way. On the second day at . . .
Sugarman Elementary School, he is suddenly seized by uncontrollable
burps, burps so loud they practically break the sound barrier, burps
that make him do wild and crazy stuff and land him in trouble with a
capital T. One thing is for sure: these are not normal burps, they are
magic burps — and they must be stopped! But how?
*George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl (4.0)
George is alone in the house with Grandma. The most horrid, grizzly old
grunion of a grandma ever. She needs something stronger than her usual
medicine to cure her grouchiness. A special grandma medicine, a remedy
for everything. And George
knows just what to put into it. Grandma's in for the surprise of her
life—and so is George, when he sees the results of his mixture!
*The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies (5.1)
Anna and her brother, Tom, have always wanted a pet. And after their
latest pestering campaign, their mother finally gives in and lets them
choose a pair of hamsters from the local pet shop. But their happiness
soon turns to horror when the hamsters are found mysteriously dead in
their cage. Anna and Tom launch a full-scale investigation to determine
who—or what—is behind the hamster homicides. Can they solve the case of
the Great Hamster Massacre?
*How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (3.5)
Two boys set out to prove that worms can make a delicious meal.
*How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (6.3-6.9)
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a truly extraordinary Viking hero known
throughout Vikingdom as "the Dragon Whisperer" ... but it wasn't always
so. Travel back to the days when the mighty warrior was just a boy, the
quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans. Can
Hiccup capture a dragon and train it without being torn limb from limb?
Join the adventure as the small boy finds a better way to train his
dragon and becomes a hero!
*Jacob Wonderbar by Nathan Bransford (4.9-5.5)
Sixth-grader Jacob Wonderbar is a master when it comes to disarming and
annihilating substitute teachers. But when he and his best friends,
Sarah and Dexter, swap a spaceship for a corn dog, they embark on an
outer space adventure. And between breaking the universe with an epic
explosion, being kidnapped by a space pirate, and surviving a planet
that reeks of burp breath, Jacob and his friends are in way over their
heads.
*Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown (3.8)
Roan's one dream is to leave home and attend Pilot Academy like his
older brother, father, and grandfather. But just as Roan is mysteriously
denied entrance to Pilot School, he is invited to attend Jedi
Academy--a school that he didn't apply to and only recruits children
when they are just a few years old. That is, until now...
*Justin Case by Rachel Vail (5.2-5.3)
It’s the start of the school year, and nothing feels right to Justin. He
didn’t get the teacher he wanted, he’s not in the same class as his
best friend, and his little sister, Elizabeth, is starting kindergarten
at his school. Elizabeth doesn’t seem nervous at all. Justin is very
nervous about third grade. And to top it off, he’s lost his favorite
stuffed animal, but he can’t tell anyone, because technically he’s too
old to still have stuffed animals. Right?
*Lawn Boy by Gary Paulson (4.3)
One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old
riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to
mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the
stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism.
Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I
said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.
If I'd known what was coming, I
might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my
room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which
Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the
prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.
*Matilda by Roald Dahl (5.0)
Matilda is a genius. Unfortunately, her family treats her like a dolt.
Her crooked car-salesman father and loud, bingo-obsessed mother think
Matilda's only talent is as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong
in their miserable lives. But it's not long before the sweet and
sensitive child decides to fight back. Faced with practical jokes of
sheer brilliance, her parents don't stand a chance. Matilda
applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil,
child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice
teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
Matilda is a genius. Unfortunately, her family treats her like a dolt.
Her crooked car-salesman father and loud, bingo-obsessed mother think
Matilda's only talent is as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong
in their miserable lives. But it's not long before the sweet and
sensitive child decides to fight back. Faced with practical jokes of
sheer brilliance, her parents don't stand a chance. Matilda
applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil,
child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice
teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
*Middle School by James Patterson (3.9-4.5)
It's Rafe Khatchadorian's first day at Hills Village Middle School, and
it's shaping up to be the worst year ever. He has enough problems at
home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix, but
luckily he's got an ace plan for the best year ever—if only he can pull
it off. With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points,
Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of
Conduct. Chewing gum in class—5,000 points! Running in the
hallway—10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm—50,000 points!
*My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara (4.8)
*My Life as a Stuntboy by Janet Tashjian (5.0-5.2)
Derek Fallon gets the opportunity of a lifetime—to be a stunt boy in a
major movie featuring a pretty teen starlet. After accepting the job he
learns that he is the star's stunt double and must wear a wig! His
friends are never going to let him live this down. If that weren’t his
only problem, his parents are threatening to give away his pet monkey,
and his best friend just posted an embarrassing video of him on
Youtube. Can life get any worse? Still the irrepressible Derek takes it
all in stride and even manages to save the day.
*My Weird School by Dan Gutman (3.4-4.0)
Never before has school been this mixed up—or this much fun!
Miss Daisy, who teaches second
grade, doesn't know how to add or subtract. Not only that, she doesn't
know how to read or write, either. She is the dumbest teacher in the
history of the world! Miss Daisy's unusual teaching methods surprise her second grade students, especially reluctant learner A.J.
*Myth-O-Mania by Kate McMullan (3.4-4.2)
Think you know the real story behind the Greek myths? Think again. Most
people only know what Zeus wants them to. But the truth is, Zeus is a
total myth-o-maniac. Hades, King of the Underworld, is here to set the
record straight on how he ended up as Ruler of the Underworld and Zeus
became King of the Gods.
*Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman (5.1)
Ten-year-old Gabe has just been accepted to the Summer Center for Gifted
Enrichment. That means he’ll be spending six weeks at sleep-away camp
writing poetry and perfecting logic proofs. S.C.G.E. has been a summer
home to some legendary middle-school smarty-pants (and future Jeopardy!
contestants), but it has a reputation for being, well, a Nerd Camp.
S.C.G.E = Smart Camp for Geeks and Eggheads.
*N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley (5.0-5.3)
A group of unpopular fifth graders run a spy network from inside their
school. With the help of cutting-edge science, they transform their
nerdy qualities into incredible abilities! Their enemies? An array of
James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and
more ridiculous than the last.
*Ninja Meerkats by Gareth P. Jones (4.7-5.2)
Jet Flashfeet, Chuck Cobracrusher, Donnie Dragonjab, and Bruce Willowhammer . . . Together they are THE CLAN OF THE SCORPION!
Armed to the teeth with ninja
know-how, this ultimate fighting force has one goal—to thwart the evil
Ringmaster’s plans for world domination. Ninja-Boom!
*The Odd Squad by Michael Fry (3.5)
Nick is the shortest
seventh-grader in the history of the world (he's pretty sure), doesn't
fit in with any groups or clubs (who needs 'em?), and spends more time
inside than outside his locker (they're roomier than you'd think). Things only get worse when a
well-intentioned guidance counselor forces Nick to join the school's
lamest club-along with fellow misfits Molly and Karl-in her quest to
cure all three of their "peer allergies." What starts off as a reluctant
band of hopeless oddballs morphs into an effective and empowered team
ready to face whatever middle school throws at them, including bullies,
awkward romance, zany adults, and a brave new world of surprising
friendships.
*Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (4.6-4.9)
*The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow (3.4-4.3)
Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang are best friends with one goal:
to crack the code of popularity. Lydia’s the bold one: aspiring theater
star, stick-fighting enthusiast, human guinea pig. Julie’s the shy one:
observer and artist, accidental field hockey star, faithful recorder. In
this notebook they write down their observations and carry out
experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But
somehow, when Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, their
efforts don’t translate into instant popularity. Lydia ends up with a
bald spot, their parents won’t stop yelling, and Julie finds herself the
number-one crush of Roland Asbjørnsen. Worse, they seem to be drifting
farther and farther from their goal—and each other.
*Rumors from th Girls' Room by Rose Cooper (4.2-4.8)
Gossip from the Girls’ Room
fills readers in on all there is to learn about middle school life at
Middlebrooke, where Sofia has her very own blog and discusses all the
juicy gossip that comes out of the Girls’ room; read along to find out
just what happens when class is not in session.*Sidekicked by John David Anderson (5.4)
Andrew Bean might be a part of H.E.R.O., a secret organization for the
training of superhero sidekicks, but that doesn't mean that life is all
leaping tall buildings in single bounds. First, there's Drew's power:
Possessed of super senses—his hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell
are the most powerful on the planet—he's literally the most sensitive
kid in school. There's his superhero mentor, a former legend who now
spends more time straddling barstools than fighting crime. And then
there's his best friend, Jenna—their friendship would be complicated
enough if she weren't able to throw a Volkswagen the length of a city
block. Add in trying to keep his sidekick life a secret from everyone,
including his parents, and the truth is clear: Middle school is a drag
even with superpowers.
*Spaceheadz by Jon Scieska (4.2-4.4)
Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn't
hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently
aren't kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our
planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission
to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ. But with a hamster
as their leader, "kids" who talk like walking advertisements, and
Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their
cover and pull off their assignment?
*Stick Dog by Tom Watson (4.5)
Introducing everyone's new best friend: Stick Dog!
He'll make you laugh . . . he'll
make you cry . . . but above all, he'll make you hungry. Follow Stick
Dog as he goes on an epic quest for the perfect burger.
*Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (3.3)
Whether Fudge is swallowing a
turtle, digging up worms, or vowing to marry his neighbor Sheila, he'll
definitely be driving his older brother Peter crazy. One thing's for
sure, anything is possible when Fudge is around!
*Timmy Failure by Stephen Pastis (3.8)
Take Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the
best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his
impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total.
Throw in the Failuremobile — Timmy’s mom’s Segway — and what you have
is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so
rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of
course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose
name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is
so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a
no-brainer spy mission.
*Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins (6.7-6.9)
Nigel Mullet isn't your typical teenager . . . he's a vampire. But
unfortunately, when Nigel transformed he didn't become all broody and
interesting, and as for super strength and speed . . . well, forget it!
Instead he's got acne, a voice that squeaks, a tendency to break out in a
rash (not sparkles!) when exposed to the sun, and absolutely no idea
how to talk to girls.
*Vordak by Scott Seegert (4-7.7)
From selecting the most dastardly name, to choosing the ideal henchmen,
to engaging in witty repartee with disgustingly chipper superheroes,
experienced supervillain Vordak the Incomprehensible guides readers
step-by-step toward the ultimate goal of world domination (from his
parents' basement in Trenton, New Jersey).
With chapter titles like "Bringing Out the Evil" and "Building a Top-Notch Evil Organization," numerous bold illustrations, and detailed quizzes to assess your level of dastardliness, this book provides everything necessary to rise above the masses, and then rub your ascent in their faces.
With chapter titles like "Bringing Out the Evil" and "Building a Top-Notch Evil Organization," numerous bold illustrations, and detailed quizzes to assess your level of dastardliness, this book provides everything necessary to rise above the masses, and then rub your ascent in their faces.
*Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3.3-3.4)
You can imagine the confusion at Wayside School when the builder made a
terrible mistake. You see, instead of building 30 classrooms
side-by-side, he built them one on top of another.
Maybe that accounts for the wacky goings-on in Mrs. Jewls' class. Where
else will you find children being turned into apples, dead rats wearing
raincoats, and little girls who try to sell their toes? If you're
confused too, maybe Todd can explain it to you, but just remember, he
leaves at noon. Humorous
episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School,
which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.
*Zeke Mekes by D.L. Green (3.1-3.7)
comes down to it, she is still an awful girl.
*Zombie Chasers by John Kloepfer (4.6-5.3)
When brain-gobbling zombies
invade, a sleepover at Zack Clarke's house quickly turns into a Level-3
creep-over. The undead have infested the streets, filling the air with
deathly moans and the stench of rotting flesh.
Meet the Zombie Chasers:
Zack: His house is a wreck, his
sister's a zombie, and he's stolen his mom's Volvo. He's totally going
to be grounded if he survives the night. . . .
Rice: He's studied The Zombie Survival Guide, but is he prepared to fight the living dead?
Madison: She seriously cannot believe her best friend has become a zombie and left her alone with these dweebs!
They're on a mission to save the
world, but first they have to survive their flesh-eating, half-dead
neighbors—and one another. Can the Zombie Chasers make it out alive?
All book descriptions are from the Barnes & Noble website.
All book descriptions are from the Barnes & Noble website.
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