The first Ramona book is a treat for all ages. Despite being more than 50 years old, Beezus and Ramona has lost none of its charm for this generation of young readers. While there is no Internet, PlayStation or cable television in the Quimby world, the frustrations of being an older sibling to a rambunctious preschooler are the same no matter what the era. Kids will still sympathize with gentle Beezus as she struggles with little sister Ramona. 176 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 12+. Common Sense Media

The first book of this humorous full-color graphic novel series describes the misadventures of the three Bone cousins as they explore a forested valley populated with frightening creatures. As the plot unfolds, the Bones meet strange characters and forces of evil. 138 pages. Children's Choices

In the Newbery Honor book, Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson learned to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness, armed only with his hatchet. As millions of readers know, he was finally rescued at the end of the summer. In this sequel to Hachet, Paulsen imagines our hero as if he hadn't been rescued, revisiting Brian at the onset of a punishing Canadian winter and portraying him surviving a winter in the wilderness. This book easily stands alone; one need not read Hatchet first, although it does make for an interesting discussion. Full of cliffhangers and tension, this is the perfect winter read for the adventurous child in your life. 144 pages. Danielle Marshall and the Kids' Team at Powells.com

James Henry Trotter leads a happy life until his parents are eaten by an escaped rhinoceros and he is thrust into the world of his nasty aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Then he becomes "the saddest and loneliest boy you could find." When a little man in a dark green suit gives James a bag of magic crystals, the story takes off. James finds an "ancient peach tree that never gave any peaches," but with the magic crystals, it suddenly does! A single peach grows and keeps growing until James can climb inside and roll away from his horrible aunts to a whole new life. James befriends overgrown garden dwellers, Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider and Centipede. James and the Giant Peach is considered by many to be one of the finest children's books ever written. 126 pages. Pauline Harris

Jon Scieszka, a former teacher and a popular author for boys, presents a hilarious read for anyone who suffers from a math phobia. Imagine how you would feel if your math teacher told you, "You can think of everything as a math problem." Would your head immediately start hurting? Would your heart start to race? Spend the day with a girl who wakes up one morning to find that every event in her life has been reduced to some sort of math problem. Have fun solving the problems she encounters, and see if you agree that she has been cursed! 32 pages. Jennifer Thompson

The richly detailed Pirateology (the latest of the popular 'Ology books) is a standout among pirate merchandise, and a treat for both children and adults. This hefty volume centers on the search for treasure left by the "notorious" (i.e., fictional) pirate Arabella Drummond and comes with a host of pirate gear: a compass, maps and scraps of flags, among others. Pirateology is loaded with envelopes to be opened, journals and letters to pore over, and codes to be deciphered. Along the way, children learn about navigation, history, zoology and more. Real pirate lore is seamlessly blended with fictional narrative (even the publishing credits are disguised so as not to break the mood), and the old-fashioned illustrations are top notch. Another notable feature is that the pirate pursued here is female, making this book appeal to readers of both genders. ... 32 pages. © Parents' Choice

Nothing is simple in this taut, unforgettable drama. Kids love this edge-of-the-seat story of a boy going up against a really scary mean man to protect an abused dog. 144 pages. Newbery Medal Award. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 9+. Common Sense Media

Ten year old Willy lives in Jackson, Wyoming on a potato farm with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight. When his grandfather falls ill and the tax collector comes calling for back taxes, Willy is determined to find the money to save the farm. But where can a 10 year old boy earn $500? He sees an advertisement for the National Dogsled Race, held each year in Jackson and decides to enter. He is convinced that he and Searchlight can beat the other racers, among them, an American Indian, Stone Fox. Stone Fox has a team of five Samoyeds and has never lost a race. He races to earn prize money so that he can buy back land taken from his people. John Reynolds Gardiner has written a beautiful story of faith and courage with strong, exciting scenes that move the story along at a fast pace. With its powerful, emotional ending, youngsters begin to understand that not every story has a happy ending and you have to learn to accept the good with the bad. Stone Fox is a story of two heroes, trying to win the race for good causes and in the end, they were both winners. A must read for children age 9-12 and the perfect read-aloud family book.

The Cricket in Times Square has been initiating bookworms since 1960 and shows no sign of stopping. These days, fantasy-series books rule the bookshelves, yet this quiet tale of friendship endures. Chester Cricket, Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat meet at a newsstand in a New York subway station when a lonely little boy, Mario Bellini, finds the cricket in a pile of trash. He decides to keep Chester as a pet, and a series of adventures follow. Perfect for a quiet read on a long trip this summer. 144 pages. Danielle Marshall and the Kids' Team at Powells.com

The Misadventures of Maude March is a Wild West story about two orphan girls who become outlaws. Set within the historical context of prairie life, 11-year-old tomboy Sallie March is a lover of dime-store novels. She and her sister become the main characters of their own "real-life" story when they escape their guardians and encounter rattlesnakes, cougars, an unsavory gang and a blizzard. The pages practically turn themselves in this roller-coaster ride of a book. 295 pages. Danielle Marshall and the Kids' Team at Powells.com

Eddie Mott has been in love with his friend Sunny from the first time he met her. The school dance is coming up and he has asked his friends Pickles and Salem for help. This hilarious story describes Eddie's varied and unsuccessful attempts to get Sunny to notice him, while avoiding Angelpuss and her boyfriend Weasel, a tough and nasty eighth-grader, whose attention Eddie's antics has attracted. 133 pages. Mindy Thuna

A terrific book for reluctant readers and discussion groups, it packs a load of emotional and intellectual depth into a very accessible package. 95 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 8-12, Read Aloud: 8+, Read Alone: 8+. Common Sense Media

Parents should know that this is exactly the kind of book you hope your kids will find and love — showing the best examples of kids and adults behaving in caring, intelligent and positive ways. 222 pages. To read the complete Common Sense Media review click here. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 8-12, Read Aloud: 8+, Read Alone: 9+. Common Sense Media

While studying about India, fifth-grader Dave Packer discovers that Gandhi did not speak for one day every week to bring order to his mind. This amazes Dave, as he and his friends are all so vocal they are called the Unshushables. Dave tries to stay quiet for a whole day. But when a girl at the table next to him just won't keep quiet, he can't resist and breaks his silence with an insult. This leads to a challenge: Which group, the boys or the girls, can be quieter for two days? How does this contest affect the fifth-graders, their teachers and their principal? What do they learn about language and the power of words? This is a very funny book that will make everyone think about how much we talk and all those wasted words. It is also the perfect choice for a book group or for a literature circle. 146 pages. Kepler's Books

Eddie, Sunny, Salem and Pickles are now in the sixth grade and their adventures are still going strong. Eddie wants to bulk up, Sunny desperately wants to take karate and Salem is trying to figure out who sent her a mysterious Valentine's Day message in the school newspaper. And Pickles? Well, he just finished building a new invention, but he won't unveil it until it starts snowing. 132 pages. Mindy Thuna

Readers will grin from beginning to end of this enchanting story. A kid getting a novel published — too ridiculous to be believable, right? Just ask Gordon Korman, whose first novel, which he wrote as a seventh-grade English project, was published when he was 12. It sold very well, and he had five more published before he graduated from high school. Publishers are looking for good school stories — who better to write one than a kid? This book should prompt many fruitful family discussions, and inspire young authors to reach for their dreams. 196 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 9+. Common Sense Media

This book tells the story of Bradley Chalkers, a boy who tells enormous lies, picks fights with girls, spits on people and is considered by his teachers to have behavioral issues. Bradley has no friends, is disliked by all the students and teachers in the school and, always sits by himself in the last seat, last row. Things start to change when Jeff Fishkin, a new student, arrives and is placed in the only empty seat left in the room, right next to Bradley. The school hires a new counselor, Carla, who sees potential in Bradley and works with him to make him see the potential in himself, a difficult task for a boy who sees himself as a monster. 195 pages. Mindy Thuna

The main character Greg is a kid who usually doesn't do the right thing the first time around. His cluelessness about what would keep him out of trouble and why parents, teachers and friends are upset with him is part of the book's humor, which leads the reader to any lesson Greg should be learning. Parents will appreciate that his friend's dad looks up video games on a parent Web site to see if they have too much violence. Also, you can tell that Greg's mom is working hard to raise respectful sons. When a bikini picture from her oldest son Rodrick's heavy metal magazine ends up in her youngest son's hands for show-and-tell, she makes Rodrick apologize to all women on paper. Parents will also be thrilled to know that despite the fact that the book is written in less-formal journal style with fun cartoons, everything is spelled correctly (i.e., no texting slang in sight!). 244 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 9+. Common Sense Media

"How to Eat Fried Worms," by Thomas Rockwell, tells the story of four boys. Billy and Alan make a bet that Billy cannot eat 15 worms in 15 days. Tom acts as Billy's "second" in the bet, with Joe acting as Alan's. Rockwell's set-up for the story is inspired in its simplicity, and he tells the tale with gusto. The contest turns into an all-out battle of wits and wills between the two teams--it's a sort of mini-epic whose plot contains some entertaining twists. It's also a great "gross-out" story, and Rockwell's characters really put their culinary imaginations to use as Billy attempts to achieve his goal. A hugely enjoyable comic tale that I recommend to readers of all ages.

On the 30th floor of the wacky Wayside School is Mrs. Jewl's class. Sharie falls asleep and rolls out the window. Joe counts all wrong and gets the right answer. Calvin is sent to the 19th floor to deliver a note, but there is no 19th floor - the builder forgot it. This nutty world is built on the sort of playful twists of logic that kids love. 128 pages. © Parents' Choice

The Herdmans are absolutely and without question the worst kids "in the entire history of the world." They are guilty of evey unmentionable childhood crime and have thought of more than a few original ones. When they take over the church Christmas pageant (although none of them has ever attended church, much less heard the Christmas story before), the first Christmas becomes new and real in some pretty surprising ways.

A prize-winning story of the biggest slave auction in history. Parents need to know that the way slaves are treated is disturbing - they are beaten into unconsciousness, treated like animals with no feelings and separated from their families. Readers will encounter the whipping of slaves, a forced fight in which a slave loses an eye, the death of a baby in a rainstorm and a suicide. Families who read this book could discuss the historical background of the American slave system. How could people who considered themselves to be good, decent people have treated others in this way? How could the slaves endure it? How could Sampson, a slave, come to identify so strongly with being a slave that he resisted freedom? 177 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 10+. Common Sense Media

Celebrated children's author Jean Fritz turns her eye on her own childhood. Born in China of American parents, young Jean feels torn between her homesickness for the America of her grandmother's letters and the devout love she feels for the Chinese people and their culture. 176 pages. Krisha Roach

Linda Sue Park is familiar to readers as the winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal for her book, A Single Shard. A daughter of Korean immigrants, Linda grew up outside of Chicago as an avid baseball fan. She wrote Keeping Score, about a girl living in Brooklyn during the Korean War, combining her passion for baseball with her own family's past. Being a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the early 1950s meant season after season of dashed hopes, but main character Maggie goes on rooting for the Dodgers. Against a background of major league baseball and the Korean War on the home front, Maggie looks for, and finds, a way to make a difference. A wonderful, heartwarming story that harkens back to the greatest children's literature. 208 pages. Danielle Marshall and the Kids' Team at Powells.com

Until the day his father returns to their cabin in the Maine wilderness with Matt's mother, twelve-year old Matt must try to survive on his own. He has expected that they will be back before winter, but they do not. His rifle is stolen and he has been attacked by a bear and then by bees. Rescued by an Indian, Saknis, and his grandson, Attean, Matt is asked to teach Attean the white people's ways. As the boys come to know each other, Attean learns to read English while Matt becomes a skilled hunter. Attean asks Matt to join the Beaver tribe and move north. Should Matt abandon his hopes of ever seeing his family again and move on to a new life? This Newbery Medal winner personalized the clash of values between whites and the Penobscot people of Maine.

The cover art on this book immediately draws children's attention. The concept of twins and the mystery of a prankster draw students into the story plot. 140 pages. Children's Choices

Chet Gecko plunges into another troublesome case when his mockingbird sidekick, Natalie, is suspended for a crime she didn't commit. Bullying, blackmail, and tongue-in-cheek humor run rampant at Emerson Hickey Elementary in this 10th installment of these private-eye mysteries. 136 pages. Children's Choices

Liza and her mother are seeking refuge in Gumbo Limbo, a lush hammock of trees in the Florida Everglades. Also in residence is Dajun the alligator, caretaker of this precious ecosystem. When Dajun is seen as a threat to the nearby condos in development, he is ordered killed and Liza becomes determined to keep him safe at any cost. 144 pages. Krisha Roach

Dahl's upbringing was, by any standard, eccentric. In Boy (FS&G, 1984), the first of his two autobiographical titles (the second is Going Solo), he details many of his more unusual boyhood adventures, such as almost losing his nose in a car accident, the "Great Mouse Plot" of 1924, and boarding school antics in prose that will leave readers laughing out loud.

Anne Sullivan Macy's work with Helen Keller is certainly ground breaking. A survivor of paternal abuse, abandonment in a poorhouse with her terminally ill brother and a nearly-lifelong battle with trachoma all hardened Ms. Macy's armor. She was so bright and determined that she made a good academic showing at the Perkins Institute for the Blind and it was through this noted institution that she was assigned to work with Helen Keller, who suffered the dual challenges of being blind and deaf.

This work is perhaps the most complete and enjoyable children's book ever written about one of the nation's most fascinating and important figures, Abraham Lincoln. Russell Freedman covers Lincoln's life and career in a balanced treatment that is enhanced by period photographs and drawings. The book won the Newbery Medal, the Jefferson Cup Award and the Golden Kite Honor Book Award, and earned a citation as School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Grade 4-7–Jean Fritz's award-winning book (Putnam, 1983) provides an historically accurate account of the life of Pocahontas. The favored daughter of Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas finds herself torn between two worlds when the British settlers come to Jamestown and she becomes a link between the two diverse cultures. In a move engineered to save the life of Captain John Smith, Pocahontas performs a ritual that marks Smith as her kinsman—a relationship she honors with devotion but that he does not truly understand. Her father's appetite for weapons and the British need for food and desire for wealth led to multiple conflicts in which the princess was used as a pawn by both sides. Pocahontas left no written record of her experiences, and much of the information presented in the book has been gleaned from Smith's journals. While there is very little dialogue, narrator Melissa Hughes does an excellent job of varying her voice to express emotion and hold listeners' interest. This well-written account of Pocahontas's life will educate youngsters.–Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT

A book to engender a lot of "Did you know...?" conversations, Extreme Animals will amaze readers with facts about animals that withstand earth's extreme conditions. The most amazing animal of all can live through all of the extremes scientists can produce. 64 pages. Children's Choices

This book outlines over a dozen famous frauds from the 1800s to the present, including P.T. Barnum's bogus Fejee mermaid, the Piltdown Man fossil fraud, Bigfoot film footage and the discovery of "mysterious" crop circles in England. The author begins and ends the book with familiar examples of present-day Internet hoaxes and encourages healthy skepticism by urging readers to ask themselves, "Would I have been fooled?" Kids will enjoy reading about how people were so easily fooled, and the resource list at the back of the book will encourage further research. 87 pages. Interest grade level: 4-6. Ellen Phillips

Making friends isn't always easy. In this book, girls learn the importance of friends and making a friendship work. These real-life stories, activities and quizzes can be read alone or with a friend. 80 pages. Children's Choices

NWith many natural disasters in the news recently, this book should answer questions that kids might have. Part of the Eyewitness Books series, it presents an overview of a wide variety of disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanoes, landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes and epidemics. Written in plain language and illustrated with spectacular photos, maps and diagrams, there is a wealth of valuable information contained here. The book includes a timeline of major disasters throughout history, a glossary of technical terms, an index and a "Find Out More" page that directs readers to useful Web sites and places to visit to learn more (in this case, natural history and science museums). There are more than 100 titles in this series, from Amphibian to World War II--something for every reader. 72 pages. Reading grade level: 6, Interest grade level: 3-8. Ellen Phillips

One of the book's diagrams depicts the number of survivors according to their station on the boat. It's tragic - although no shock - that the higher one's class, the higher one's chance of survival. You may want to discuss the concept of class differences with your kids. 48 pages. Read the complete review on the Common Sense Media Web site. Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12, Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 9+. Common Sense Media

Does the thought of memorizing your multiplication facts drive you crazy? Are you tired of those pesky speed drills in math class? If you want a fun way to learn how to multiply, you must read this clever picture book. Tang uses simple rhymes and puzzles to help students understand the concept of multiplication. Today's kids are mesmerized by rap and rhyme, so this book is sure to motivate as well as encourage children to use different strategies to solve multiplication problems. 32 pages. Jennifer Thompson

This revised new edition of the popular paper-airplane book soars with 112 ready—to—crease airplanes based on 20 very cool and colorful designs — all of them easy enough for young paper—plane pilots to cut out of the book, fold according to directions and toss into the air. The co-authors are gurus in the world of amateur aerodynamics. Aerospace engineer Blackburn holds the Guinness World Record for paper airplane tossing "time aloft," and Lammers is an engineer and part-time pilot. Together they share folding and tossing secrets that will make anyone into a paper—airplane connoisseur. ... But this book isn't about educational text; it's about educational experience and the thrill of flight. The real stars here are the paper airplanes themselves. From the Stunt plane to the Eagle, and the Space Shuttle replica to a Hammerhead, this book is fueled by science and fun. ... 256 pages. © Parents' Choice

This book has everything a budding spy or cryptographer wants to know about creating codes, ciphers, and the methods of concealment. An answer key provides a great opportunity to practice new skills from pictographs to Igpay Atinlay. 144 pages. Children's Choices