The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Despereaux Tilling is a small, sickly mouse with big ears who breaks all the Mouse Council rules by interacting with humans. Interacting with humans is potentially dangerous for mice that live in castles, so when Despereaux falls in love with Princess Pea, the Mouse Council sentences him to death by the rats that live in the castle's dungeon. Despereaux is a brave and special mouse. Will his love of the princess conquer the obstacles he must face?

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

When Molly and Michael's mom remarries and they have to move with her new husband, Dave and his daughter Heather to the country, they are not overjoyed. This has spoiled their summer plans with friends. Living in the country is boring compared to the big city but they try to make the best of the situation by exploring their new environment. The family's new home is an old coverted church which comes with its own graveyard. Molly notices a change in Heather's behavior after a visit to the graveyard and the discovery of a small tombstone. Strange things begin to happen around the house and Heather blames both Michael and Molly. Tensions begin to rip the family apart. Heather continues to manipulate the adults and threaten her new siblings with "Wait till Helen comes!"

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

The final book of the Inkheart trilogy, finds Meggie and her family still in Ink World. Mo is being hunted by the Adderhead, who wants Mo to rebind the book that has given him immortality. The Adderhead is furious over the trick that Mo and Meggie played in Inkspell and is wreaking havoc in Ink World. Fenoglio has lost his control over the story. Mo, as the Bluejay, and the Black Prince try to fend off attacks by the Piper and others sent by Adderhead to capture Mo, Meggie and Resa. Meanwhile, Elinor is stuck in our world wondering what is happening to her loved ones. This is an exciting end to Funke's extraordinary fantasy.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Quince's parents died in a car accident three winters ago. The most important thing she has left of them is the Italian restaurant that the family owns, which is now being run by her Uncle Davidson until Quincie turns twenty-one. Business has been slow in the downtown Austin restaurant, so Uncle D has decided to change Fat Lorenzo's into a vampire-themed restaurant. Sanguini's seems cursed from the start when Vaggio, the head chef, is violently murdered in the kitchen and the police begin to suspect Quincie's best friend and love interest, Kieren, as the murder. It doesn't help that Kieren actually is a hybrid-werewolf. When the new chef arrives and murders in the downtown area continue, Quincie finds her life taking a very unsettling turn.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Capricorn Anderson has lived a very sheltered life at Garland Farm with his grandmother, Rain. Garland Farms was once a thriving commune in the 1960s but now just Cap and Rain work the farm. Cap is homeschooled and hasn't had much contact with people. When Rain breaks her hip from a fall off a ladder in the orchard, Cap finds himself living in foster care with the Donnelly family and attending Claverage Middle School. He might as well be living on another planet! With his long blonde hair, tie-dyed clothes and woven sandles and his non-violent, trusting and naive personality, Cap is the perfect specimen for Zach Powers eighth grade prank. But Capricorn Anderson may have a few surprises in store for Zach and the other 1,099 students at C average Middle School.

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The Cahill family has gathered in the Great Hall for the reading of the will of its matriarch, Grace Cahill. Grace gives her last instructions to her family via a previously taped video. She offers them each a million dollars or 39 clues which lead to a secret that will make the individual or team that finds it the "most powerful and influential human beings on the planet". Dan and Amy Cahill loved their grandmother Grace and miss her greatly. They know that she was secretly training them for this mission but they must pit their wits against other more savvy members of their family to find the clues.

Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

Vladimir Tod lives with his Aunt Nelly since his parents were killed in a house fire. Vlad has a secret. He's a vampire. His father was a vampire and his mom was human. Vlad is the first known case of a vampire actually being born and not "created" through a vampire bite. So some consider Vlad special while others detest his existence.

Nelly, a nightshift nurse, keeps Vlad stocked in packets of blood from the hospital. She only takes the ones that will be destroyed because the packets are about to expire. Vlad has never killed anyone to feed. Vlad's best friend, Henry, knows his secret, too. But odd things soon start happening in Vlad's town. Mr. Craig, a favorite middle school teacher, is missing. His substitute, Mr. Otis is very different and Vlad believes Mr. Otis is on to his secret. The vice principal watches Vlad like a hawk just waiting for him to mess up so he can administer a severe punishiment. Mark and Todd, the school bullies, continually pick on Vlad for his "goth" appearance, while Vlad longs to have the courage to speak to his crush, Meredith. And, as his vampire powers become more prominent, he longs to know more about his father and his background. Check out Eighth Grade Bites to find out how Vlad handles it all!

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Duncan works in the lost and found at the Toronto Transit Commission. Items that are lost on buses and the subways are brought to the subbasement of the Bay subway station, and it is Duncan's job to retrieve them from the bins when a person comes to request their lost item. Sometimes when work is slow, Duncan sets a lawn chair up in front of the book bin and searches for an entertaining book. A plain brown leather journal catches his eye. As he flips through the journal, he finds newspaper clippings and very disturbing journal enteries. Duncan believes the journal writer is just one step away from committing murder but because he has a juvenile record Duncan thinks the police will not believe him if he brings the journal forward. But Duncan has a plan.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dressen

Macy is all set to have an uneventful summer. Her brilliant boyfriend, Jason, is off to Brain Camp. She's filling in for Jason at the public library reference desk. Boring! In the evenings, she studies vocabulary for the upcoming SAT. Yawn! Macy and her mother don't really talk much since the loss of her father. They haven't truly dealt with his death. When an opportunity occurs for Macy to work with Wish, a very disorganized but close-knit catering company, she decides to take it on. Through Wish, Macy meets Wes. Wes and his Truth-telling game help Macy break down the wall she's built up to hold back her feelings.

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is James Patterson's third book in the Maximum Ride Series. Max and her flock are genentically-altered humans that have wings. Yes, they can fly and each of these extraordingay kids as other powers. They are on the run from their enemies, evil scientists who want to control the world. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel and her talking dog, Total set out to save the world from the over-zealous scientists. Max struggles with trust issues. This third installment is action-packed. Check out the whole series: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, School's Out Forever and The Final Warning.

The Case of the Missing Marquess:An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes wakes up on her 14th birthday to find her mother missing. Her two older brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, find clues that suggest Mrs. Holmes has run off and plan to send Enola to boarding school. Enola deciphers clues left for her by her mother and decides to run away herself. On her journey, she gets involved in another mystery involving the missing Marquess of Basilwether, a young boy who's parents fear has been kidnapped.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

"...a car accident...called the ambulance...intensive care...nothing anyone could do...so sorry." The voices of the police at the door at three in the morning drift up the stairs to Alex as he listens from his bedroom door. Ian Rider, his uncle and the only parent he ever knew, is dead. But circumstances of his death don't sit right with Alex. Ian Rider, a banker, always wore his seat belt and he made sure Alex wore his; but he wasn't wearing one the night of the accident according to the police. Then when Alex returns from the funeral to see a Stryker & Son moving van pulling out of their home and discovers Ian's upstairs office is empty, Alex decides to do some investigating on his own. He locates Ian Rider's BMW at J. B. Stryker Auto Wreckers and discovers the driver's side has been riddled with bullets. After narrowly escaping danger in the wrecking yard, Alex is summoned to the Royal & General Bank, where Alex learns that Ian Rider was not a banker but a spy for the British Intelligence Agency, MI6. Ian was undercover on a case investigating the release of the Stormbreaker computer when he was killed and MI6 needs Alex Rider's help to finish the job.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

"You are so lucky."
Ellie's best friend Nancy tells her. Ellie Harrison gets a chance to start over at her new high school while her parents (college professors) are on sabbatical near Washington, D.C. Ellie has spent most of her summer in seclusion floating on a raft in the pool, but that will change when she starts Avalon High.
At Avalon High, she finds herself attracted to Will whose girlfriend, Jennifer seems to be attracted to Will's best friend, Lance. Complicated? That's just the beginning. Ellie soon discovers that she is wrapped up in an old legend. Will she have the courage to step-up when she is needed?

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

When Willie Stetson finds out he can't keep his beloved German shepherd in his new apartment, he decides to give Firecracker to the United States Army. Cracker is paired with Rick Hanski, her handler, and together they train to become part of the Scout Dog platoon destined for Vietnam. After a slow start Cracker and Rick become a great team, pass their training and ship out to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Cracker and Rick head out on different missions where Cracker alerts the team of booby-traps and the enemy. Both Rick and Cracker experience the intensity of warfare but they help each other through.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

Ingrid's parents are always running late. Unlike most students, she doesn't have a cell phone to check to see where they are. If she misses soccer practice, she'll be benched for the next game, so she decides to run to practice. On her way to practice she gets turned around and ends up lost in the Flats, a neighborhood in her Echo Falls community. Cracked-Up Katie, a woman who has seen a lot of hard times, helps Ingrid out by inviting her into her home and calling her a cab. The next day, to her horror, Ingrid sees Cracked-Up Katie's picture plastered across the front page of The Echo. Katherine Kovac was murdered! Ingrid, whose idol is Sherlock Holmes, launches her own investigation into Kate's background to discover why someone would want to kill her. Will Kate's killer feel that Ingrid is discovering too much?

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence

Tom Tim's father, Captain Tim, has been taken to debtor's prison in London because of the debt he owes to the calculating Mr. Goodfellow. His mother has been paralyzed with grief from the loss of his sister, Kitty, in a drowning accident years before and isn't much help. It is up to Tom to find a way to pay the family's debt. So Tom leaves home to find away to make things right for his family. Tom finds himself down by the river while contemplating what he should do next, he notices a blind man poking his cane in the mud to find coins. Tom decides to do the same and while walking barefoot in the mud finds a large diamond. The blindman laying claim to the area goes after Tom to get the treasure. Tom fights off the blindman and loses him on the streets. There he meets Worms who gives him a ride in exchange for some help with a job and a small payment. Worms is a grave robber and he needs help stealing a body. A body that turns out to be a dead ringer for Tom. In a rush to escape being caught at the grave, Tom leaves his coat with the diamond in the pocket. Events in the story escalate with Tom getting accused of murder and continually getting mistaken for someone called "Smasher". Who is Smasher and why won't anyone believe his story? How will he get out of this mess?

The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

The Fairy-Tale Detectives is the first book in a series about the Sisters Grimm. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been shuffled around from foster home to foster home and back and forth to an orphanage after their parents just disappeared. Ms. Smirt, their caseworker, delivers the girls to a woman claiming to be Grandma Grimm. Sabrina, the eldest, is skeptical that this woman is her grandmother because her father never talked about her. Daphne likes the kind but strange old woman who takes them to live with her, Mr. Canis (her assistant) and a Great Dane named Elvis. The town of Ferryport Landing isn't like most towns and Grandma Grimm has lots of rules, secrets and locked rooms in her home, weird things happen around the house, and odd people keep visiting Relda Grimm. Grandma Grimm informs the girls that they are the descendants of the Brothers Grimm, the ones who wrote the fairy-tales and they are not tales but true incidents. Now Sabrina believes that the old woman is crazy and decides to run away from Ferryport Landing the first chance they get.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties continues the story of Tally whom Scott Westerfeld introduced in Uglies. Tally is a pretty and she hopes to join the Crims. The Crims are a group of Pretties who plan and execute edgy tricks to make themselves feel "bubbly". Her friends, Shay and Peris, are Crims. Does Zane think she has what it takes to become a Crim? Zane plans to let her know at the masquerade bash at the Valentino mansion. While searching for Zane in the mansion, Tally notices she is being followed by someone dressed as a Special. The lurker appears again right as Zane is about let Tally know if she made it into the Crims. Tally leaves Zane in mid sentence and chases after the lurker who has a message for Tally. A message from her ugly past.

Pretties is part of the Uglies series. Read Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras to find out about all of Tally's adventures.

Blizzard! by Jim Murphy

On Sunday afternoon , March 11, 1888 the Great Blizzard hit the East Coast. Snow and wind whipped through cities and farms for four days dumping 40-50 inches of snow. Winds swept through the cities at up to 45 miles an hour snapping powerlines. Snowdrifts, some up to 50 feet high, blocked buildings. Transportation was shut down when trains could not move along the blocked tracks. Big cities like New York looked like ghost towns. Jim Murphy relates first person accounts of how different people experienced the storm that confined people to their homes for a week and froze the East River solid for a short period. If you find natural disasters intriguing, you should enjoy reading Blizzard!

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, a small fire broke out in the O'Learys' barn in Chicago, Illinois. Due to weather conditions and human error the fire became a roaring inferno that burned for 31 hours causing 100,000 people to flee the deadly flames. Through Jim Murphy's skillful writing, the reader experiences the confusion and terror of four characters as they flee the great fire. Illustrations, photos and maps enhance this Newberry Honor Book.

The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn

Diana and Georgie watch from the shadows of the woods as the new caretaker, his daughter and dog move into the trailer on Oak Hill Manor. Diana knows that caretakers never stay long because the Old Willis Place, as Oak Hill Manor is more commonly known, is haunted. But Diana decides to make friends with Lissa Morrison, the caretaker's daughter, even if means breaking all the rules.

Stormwitch by Susan Vaught

Ruba senses something wicked is coming to Pass Christian, Mississippi. Something that will take all her courage, strength and knowledge of magic to fight. After the death of her Grand-mere Ruba Cleo in a violent storm in Haiti, Ruba has left the world she knows and understands to live with her Grandmother Jones in Mississippi in 1969. Tensions between the blacks and whites in the small coastal town are high, and the fact that some of the "dangerous" whites in the town see Ruba as a "juju" girl intensifies emotions. Grandmother Jones has forbidden Ruba to use any of the old ways Grand-mere Ruba Cleo has taught her. Without using the magic that has been passed down to her from generations, how will Ruba fight the Stormwitch?