Late for School by Mike Reiss

In this tale told in rhyme, Smitty has missed his carpool. Now he must navigate the streets of New York City, through snow, robots, even escaped zoo animals, to make it to school on time.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

From the Publisher:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends — one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena — Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Marked by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast

It is an awesome book with action, romance, and comedy! It is one of the best vampire books I have ever read! I would highly recommend it to others, but it's best for high school students (and higher) and possibly 8th graders. READ IT!
(If you like this one, there are more in the series!!!)

A Tight Lie by Don Dahler

If you enjoy a good murder mystery and golf, join Huck Doyle, a professional golfer who also holds a Private Investigator license.

A good friend and professional baseball player is accused of killing two women and asks Huck to help him.

Don Dahler's prose is so good that once you open the book it is hard to put down and you may end up finishing the book in one sitting. Enjoy a very good novel.

(Reviewed by R. M. Gordon)

Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

I first read this book when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I enjoyed it very much then, and have enjoyed it just as much every time I’ve read it since then.

The story is based on a pioneer practice of marrying a very young girl to a much older man, so that the man could claim twice as much land as if he were single. Since the girl was really too young to be a wife, she continued to live with her family until she was in her mid teens. Women were scarce in the west, so the girl’s family might get quite a bit of money out of the deal. But if the bridegroom were a successful farmer, and then suddenly died, the bride could be a very young and very eligible widow. And how would she deal with greedy relatives, winter isolation, local Indians, and suitors of all ages and varieties? How would she know true love when she found it?

This is a fun book to read aloud, full of memorable characters and vivid historical details.

The Black Book of colors by Menena Cottin

This book is a remarkable picture book in which the author ask us to imagine being blind. The illustrations of this book appear on the right-hand pages and consist of black-on-black embossed graphics. The raised texture of leaves,feathers and raindrops usher us into a world without color. On the left-hand pages spare lines of text are printed in flat white type against a solid black background beneath a Braille translation. Readers who turn to the last page can teach themselves the Braille alphabet, then go back and read the text by touch.

Rotten School "The Heinie Prize" by R. L. Stine

Belzer is a loser with a capital L. He does everything for Bernie Bridges--washes his dirty underwear, finishes his homework, even walks his smelly dog! Bernie has it good! But now Belzer's parents are taking him out of Rotten School. Bernie has to make Belzer stay! ( How else will he get his breakfast in bed every morning?) Bernie has only one choice--he has to help Belzer win the Heinie Prize for Most Outstanding Student. But can Bernie really make Belzer worthy of a Heinie?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2009 Newbery Medal Winner

Hear this tragic tale: a sleeping family, a talented murderer, and an adventurous toddler-----orphaned, but not assassinated. Small and alone, by accident and luck he escapes the scene of the crime and climbs a grassy hill to safety. At the top of the hill the boy finds a fence, and on the other side, a dark , quiet place...... The Graveyard is a sacred place and well tended by its various attendants. It is quiet and homey, and there are worse places by far where a boy might grow up. Here and there lurk dangers unexpected and perils uncharted by the living.

The House in the Night by Susan Swanson,illustrated by Beth Krommes

The House in the Night is the 2009 Caldecott Medal winner.

Inspired by a cumulative poem found in The Oxford Nursery Rhyme Book, Swanson's words are short simple. "Here is the key to the house / In the house burns a light / In that light rests a bed."

Richly detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Iluminated touches of golden watercolor evoke the warmth and the comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard first came to our attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This book is a collection of stories written for wizards and witches. In many respects Beedle's stories resemble our fairy tales. In muggle fairy tales , magic tends to lie at the root of the heroine's and hero's troubles. In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, on the other hand , we meet heroines and heroes who can perform magic themselves, and yet find it just as hard to solve their problems as we do.

Reading these tales gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.