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The third in a suspenseful trilogy, the Bones and their new friends battle dangers — from rat creatures to their own personal tragedies. The author creates a mysterious and complex world as the setting for this dark, gripping drama.

Otis Spofford likes to stir up a bit of excitement at home and in his third grade class; nothing awful, of course, just enough to keep things interesting. But he meets his match when he teases Ellen Tebbits and gets his comeuppance!

Henry Huggins is a regular kid who longs for some excitement in his otherwise normal – and he thinks boring life. When it arrives in the form of a scrawny dog he names Ribsy, the adventures and laughs begin!

A young boy, Leigh, begins writing letters to a famous author, Mr. Henshaw, revealing what’s going on in his life — like his parents’ divorce — as he gradually matures and finds his place in the world. Leigh’s voice is plausible and poignant.

At just over 5 feet tall, no one thought Mamie Johnson, also known as “Peanut” because of her size, would become a baseball star. But she sure could pitch! The author collaborated with the actual Mamie Johnson to tell the riveting — and real — story of how Peanut Johnson became one of three women to play professionally in the Negro Baseball League.

Named “Ugly” by the other ducks but loved by his mother, the big, gawky, and awkward bird has a tough go of it until he finds his real identity as a swan. This novelization of Hans Christian Andersen’s now classic tale of “the Ugly Duckling” is richly told with details of Tasmania and other parts of Australia.

While on a family vacation in California, the Gridleys stay in an old hotel where a mouse named Ralph finds a toy motorcycle and meets Keith, the youngest Gridley. Thus begins a friendship and a memorable adventure of a mouse on a motorcycle. Ralph’s adventures continue in Ralph S. Mouse (1982).

A rich, sonorous voice with a hint of an English accent makes Kipling’s tales of the jungle come to life all over again in this retelling of Just So Stories.

More than just delicious food comes from Granny Torrelli’s kitchen. The recipes for friendship and family are there in abundance for Rosie and her pal Bailey as they listen to Granny’s timeless tales.

This spiral-bound book opens like a detective’s pad, holding the insight, advice, humor, and recipes of elementary-aged gecko sleuth, Chet. With comments inserted by Chet’s mockingbird friend Natalie, this cheeky, funny, pun-filled pad-folio can be used by itself, but may also lead young readers to other Chet Gecko mystery novels.

Meet the “stair and step” girls, Ella, Henny, Charlotte, Sarah, and Gertie who live with their parents on the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the nineteenth century. Though the girls lived long ago, their fears as well as their triumphs are a celebration of everyday doings and remain as fresh today as when the girls were first introduced more than 50 years ago.

Eight-year old Joe is about to become a big brother when he meets Mika from planet Eljo, where children hatch out of eggs and life in general is quite different from what Joe knows. The importance of questioning everything, from what’s a pancake to religious beliefs, makes this gentle story fun to read as well as eye-opening.

The adventure of Christopher Robin, his friends, Pooh (“the bear of very little brain”), and the other animals in the Hundred Acre Wood remain as fresh as Milne’s language and Shepard’s line illustrations, presented here on sturdy, cream-colored pages. The narrator’s voice of the audio book is well-matched for the tone of A. A. Milne’s writing.

Despite coming from different backgrounds, fifth-graders Jess and Leslie develop a deep friendship. Together they create an imaginary place where they alone rule as king and queen. This Newbery Medal book is told with humor and sensitivity and is filled with the joy of friendship, the pain of losing it, and the hope of healing.

When Aunt Tiger Lil comes to Chinatown, she and Lily, her niece and namesake, prepare for the New Year’s celebration, solve the mystery of a stolen pearl necklace, and help a sweatshop worker. Humor is used in this lively mystery with likable characters in an authentic setting.

The classic story of friendship and how a spider named Charlotte saves Wilbur, a small pig, from certain death with words in a web is now more than 50 years old. Nonetheless, it remains as fresh as the day it was first written.

Teddy discovers he has protective instincts when he sees his younger brother, Bobby, being bullied. How Teddy overcomes the bully without fists, acquires a pet cockroach named Hercules, and starts a new friendship creates a gently humorous story. Teddy and Bobby were introduced in Later, Gator (Hyperion, 1997).

The Lee family, first introduced in Star Fisher (HarperCollins, 1997), is Chinese. Living in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1927, they stand out in the community. Joan Lee and her siblings want to fit in and celebrate a non-Chinese holiday, Christmas. The children’s parents agree, but only if the children behave according to the parents high standards. Understanding and friendship gradually emerge in this touching novel based on the experiences of the author’s mother.

Lyddie is a resourceful, self-sufficient girl who leaves Vermont to work in a Lowell, Massachusetts factory. Historical detail about life in 19th century New England combined with a portrait of this fiercely independent girl create an unforgettable novel.

T.J. narrates the story of how he and his brother, nicknamed the Moondance Kid, become friends with Mop. Even after the boys are adopted they remain friends, though they worry about Mop – will she be adopted, too? A surprise ending which involves their shared love of baseball allows the children’s friendship to continue in this enjoyable novel.

Mr. Hawkins was a 19th century British artist with a passion for dinosaurs. This illustrated biography introduces the man, his time, and how he worked both to satisfy his own curiosity and stimulate that same curiosity in others. Additional notes from both the author and illustrator provide insight into the person and how his knowledge evolved.

Eleven-year-old Angel and her seven-year-old brother are taken to live with their great-grandmother on her dilapidated Vermont farm. While the old woman is ill equipped to handle children, she’s better prepared to commit to them than either of their parents. A “star man” and the town librarian end up helping the children in this poignant exploration of family.

One of the most well known of African American folktales are the Uncle Remus tales, originally written down by Joel Chandler Harris over a hundred years ago. This four-book series drops the heavy and difficult dialect of the original tales and adds contemporary language and references to Brer Rabbit’s fun.

After being badly scarred by smallpox, Ursula isolates herself in the family stagecoach stop in Whistle, Montana. An unlikely friendship with a cook at the station brings the old Ursula back as she leads the preparations for Chinese New Year in the small town, which is even more isolated than usual by a blizzard. This riveting book explores difficult themes in an accessible way.