- Vollmer Elementary School
- My Booklist
My Booklist
Battle of the Books
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A Week in the Woods
by Andrew Clements Year Published: AverageThe fifth grade's annual camping trip in the woods tests Mark's survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher who seems out to get him.Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo Year Published: ChallengingTen-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.Becoming Naomi Leon
by Pam Munoz Ryan Year Published: ChallengingWhen Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.Crispin
by AVI Year Published: ChallengingThe 2003 Newbery Award Winner and New York Times Best-seller. "Avi's latest novel is superb combination of mystery, historical fiction, and a coming-of-age tale... Breathlessly paced, beautifully written, and filled with details of life in the Middle Ages, this compelling novel is one of Avi's finest."-Book ReportEverything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath Year Published: ChallengingEleven-year-old Primrose living in a small fishing village in British Columbia recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea.Goodnight Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer Year Published: ChallengingAfter spending years fleeing from the Nazis in war-torn Europe, twelve-year-old Karin Levi and her older brother Marc find a new home in a refugee camp in Oswego, New York.Lone Wolf
by Kristine L. Franklin Year Published:When a large family moves into the house near where he and his father live in the woods, Perry's friendship with the oldest girl helps him come to terms with his sister's death and his parents' divorce.No More Dead Dogs
by Gordon Korman Year Published: ChallengingEighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.Poppy
by AVI Year Published: ChallengingPoppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.Regarding the Fountain
by Kate Klise Year Published: AverageWelcome to Dry Creek Middle School -- where the motto is "We Thirst for Knowledge." When Principal Walter Russ asks his secretary, Goldie Fisch, to write a letter to Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc. regarding the purchase of a new drinking fountain for the school, all sorts of hilarious chaos results. This delightful, engaging, and truly unconventional mystery is told through letters, newspaper articles, telephone and interview transcripts, postcards, faxes, memos, and other "official" documents. Reading this scrapbook-like story is like looking through other people's mail! - Courtesy Barnes and NobleSurviving the Applewhites
by Stephanie Tolan Year Published:Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.Touching Spirit Bear
by Ben Mikaelson Year Published: ChallengingDescription: Mikaelsen's provocative portrait of Cole, an angry teen who chooses banishment to a remote Alaskan island over detention as punishment for a brutal attack, has captivated reviewers and readers as it examines the alternative Native American Circle Justice. Courtesy of BordersMontgomery's Picks
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A Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park Year Published: ChallengingDescription: Tree-ear, an orphan, has become fascinated with the potters' craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes on Tree-ear as his helper, Tree-ear is elated--until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. However, Tree-ear is determined to prove himself. Courtesy of Borders The Newberry Medal Winner 2002 Mrs. Park lives in the Rochester area!Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis Year Published: ChallengingIt's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but he's on a mission. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: posters of Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression! Bud's got an idea that those posters will lead to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him. Bud, Not Buddy is full of laugh-out-loud humor and wonderful characters, hitting the high notes of jazz and sounding the deeper tones of the Great Depression.Danny the Champion of the World
by Roald Dahl Year Published: AverageDescription: Danny's dad had a secret, but now the secret is out and it's going to lead Danny on an adventure he'll never forget! Courtesy of BordersDon't you know there is a war going on?
by AVI Year Published: ChallengingWorld War II is on everyone's mind and in every headline, and Howie Crispers has a hunch that his school principal is a spy. With a little snooping around, Howie finds out something even more alarming. Principal Lomister may not be a spy, but he is plotting to get rid of Howie's favorite teacher. Howie's dad is fighting Nazis overseas, and his mom is working hard to support the war effort, so Miss Gossim is the only person Howie can depend on. With the help of his friends, and a plan worthy of radio show superhero Captain Midnight, Howie intends to save Miss Gossim!Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli Year Published: ChallengingDescription: He wasn't born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend. Courtesy of Borders Winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal.The Breadwinner
by Deborah Ellis Year Published: ChallengingDescription: Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because Parvana's father has a foreign education, he is arrested by the Taliban. The family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. Courtesy of BordersThe True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi Year Published: ChallengingIn 1832, Charlotte Doyle, a thirteen-year-old school girl, is returning to her family in America from her school in England. Charlotte's voyage takes place on the Seahawk, a seedy ship headed by a murderously cruel captain and sailed by a mutinous crew. Charlotte gets caught up in the bitter feud between captain and crew, which eventually leads to her being found guilty of a murder. This novel is thrilling and fast-paced, "A breathtaking, seafaring adventure...." -- School Library Journal, starred revieWMust Reads
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Heat
by Mike Lupica Year Published: ChallengingMichael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family's escape from Cuba, Michael's only family is his seventeen-year-old brother Carlos. If Social Services hears of their situation, they will be separated in the foster-care system -- or worse, sent back to Cuba. Together, the boys carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks too many questions. But then someone wonders how a twelve-year-old boy could possibly throw with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws. With no way to prove his age, no birth certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause, Michael's secret world is blown wide open, and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources. Courtesy of BordersMy Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George Year Published: ChallengingRunaway Sam Gribley is surviving in the Catskill Mountains with only a penknife, a ball of cord, $40, and some flint and steel. Along the way, he learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that will change his life forever.Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry Year Published: Challengingen-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think about life before the war. But it's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching in their town. The Nazi won't stop. The Jews of Denmark are being "relocated," so Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. Then Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission. Somehow she must find the strength and courage to save her best friend's life. There's no turning back now. Courtesy of BordersRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. Taylor Year Published: ChallengingThe story of one African-American family fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.The Devil's Arithmetic
by Jane Yolen Year Published: ChallengingAnnotation Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village in Nazi-occupied Poland. Courtesy of Barnes and NobleThe Giver
by Lois Lowry Year Published: ChallengingDescription: Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. Newberry Medal Winner- 1994The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White Year Published: AverageLouis, a voiceless Trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet.Travel Team
by Mike Lupica Year Published: AverageDescription: Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court -- but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.
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