After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents’ divorce.

Liz says:

“At this point, we can call this book a classic. It is my favorite survival story of all time. Brian is an unforgettable character and Paulsen is an amazing writer. If you like this, there are sequels – The River (skip this one – it’s not on par with the others), Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return and Brian’s Hunt.”

When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.

Liz says:

“From the very first page, you will be laughing! Martin is hilarious. He’s sent to Edgewater Reform School (I think I have the name right) because he just can’t seem to keep it together enough to stay in regular school. At Edgewater he’s surrounded by kids who each have a particular “problem”. Bloodbath, the school bully, is terrorizing Martin. To fight him off, Martin rallies the support of his friends. He has figured out a way to take their “problems” and refocus them as talents. There’s a supernatural quality to all of this. The book is entertaining and meaningful. In addition to the regular text, there are graphic elements such as school memos, letters and pictures. Everyone loves this book!!”

Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.

Liz says:

“This is a fun and funny story of what can happen when a twelve year old boy gets a riding lawnmower for his birthday – big money, big business and sometimes big trouble.”

After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee’s life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.

Liz says:

“This is Jerry Spinelli at his best and is a must read for 5th graders.”

When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their disobedience.

Liz says:

“Told with sensitivity and without being heavy handed, Bauer delivers a strong message. Joel disobeys his parents’ wishes and he will have to live with the consequences. The story is extremely well-written and I highly recommend it.”

Cap lives in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie; but when she falls from a tree and breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has his first experience in a public school.

Liz says:

“Capricorn (Cap) knows nothing of life outside of the “hippie commune” that only he and his grandmother live in. When his grandmother has to go to the hospital for a broken hip, he goes to stay with an old friend of his grandmother’s and is sent to a local middle school. Cap is totally naive and is easy prey for the other students. In the end, his naivete makes him the most popular kid the school has ever seen! This is a sure winner!”

When overweight thirteen-year-old Elvin Bishop is sent to camp at St. Paul’s Seminary Retreat Center, he and his two best friends are forced to try out various sports in order to find out where they belong.

Liz says:

“Elvin is so funny, you cannot help but love him. If you like characters like Stanley Yelnats in Holes or Martin in Hidden Talents, you will want to read this as well. His summer at “camp” is filled with defeats and triumphs and MANY trips to the nurse’s office!” (Sequels – Extreme Elvin and Me, Dead Dad & Alcatraz)

When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

Liz says:

“Andrew Clements is just an amazing author. He can write about so many different topics but this one is the most amazing and fantastical. Bobby has gone invisible and he is desperate to reappear. His father is a physicist who just can’t seem to help him. One day when Bobby makes a trip to the local library he encounters Alicia who is blind. His invisibility, therefore, is irrelevant. Through their relationship, Bobby learns the true meaning of being invisible. This book sheds a lot of light on how people feel when they are disregarded.”

Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery about the concept of revenge.

Liz says:

“Cynthia DeFelice is a children’s librarian and storyteller and you can tell by the way this is written. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger and kids will love either reading this to themselves or having it read to them. Both a survival and an historical fiction book, it’s one of my all time favorites. However, it is a little frightening so please take that into account.”

As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town’s annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.

Liz says:

“Palmer LeRue is one of those unforgettable characters. He very much wants to fit in with other kids and with his community but also needs to be true to himself. This is a must read!”