AUTHOR: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman GENRE: Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Children’s Fiction SUMMARY: The Alcatraz Escape (Book Scavenger series) follows Emily and her friend James as they take part in a large-scale puzzle competition set on Alcatraz Island. When a well-known game designer creates an elaborate challenge involving codes and clues, the pair works to…
AUTHOR: Aaron Johnson GENRE: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Children’s Literature, Adventure, Humor SUMMARY: Quest in Yosemite National Park (National Park Mystery Series) follows Jake Evans and his two friends, Wes and Amber, as they work to solve a new set of clues left behind by Jake’s late grandfather. The clues lead the group on a…
AUTHOR: Roald Dahl GENRE: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Children’s Literature, Adventure, Humor SUMMARY: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory follows Charlie Bucket, a kind but poor boy who lives with his parents and grandparents. When the reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka announces a contest to find five golden tickets hidden inside chocolate bars, winners will receive a…
AUTHOR: NIV Bible GENRE: Religious Text SUMMARY: The Book of Jonah tells the story of the prophet Jonah, who is commanded by God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. Instead of obeying, Jonah flees in the opposite direction by boarding a ship bound for Tarshish. During a violent storm,…
AUTHOR: Sarah Weeks GENRE: Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Children’s Fiction SUMMARY: Pie follows Alice, a young girl whose beloved aunt, a famous pie baker in their small town, passes away and leaves her pie shop to Alice. The will includes a condition: Alice must figure out her aunt’s secret pie crust recipe in…
AUTHOR: Ellen Raskin GENRE: Mystery, Middle Grade Fiction, Classic Children’s Literature, Puzzle Mystery, Realistic Fiction SUMMARY: The Westing Game follows sixteen people who are brought together for the reading of the will of the wealthy Samuel W. Westing. The will declares that one of them is responsible for his death and challenges the group to…
AUTHOR: Gordon Korman GENRE: Middle Grade Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Fiction SUMMARY: Unplugged follows Jett Baranov, the son of a wealthy tech executive, who is sent against his will to The Oasis, a luxurious but completely device-free wellness camp in the Arkansas woods. With no phones, internet, or screens allowed, Jett is determined to…
AUTHOR: Laura Ingalls Wilder GENRE: Historical Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Classics, Farm, Semi-autobiographical Fiction SUMMARY: Farmer Boy follows nine-year-old Almanzo Wilder through a year on his family’s large farm in 1860s New York. The story shows Almanzo learning the value of hard work as he helps with daily chores, cares for animals, and participates in the…
