Powered by a book like {foo}
Recommendations based on Maniac Mageeby Jerry Spinelli
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
The View from Saturday
by E.L. Konigsburg
Four sixth graders and their teacher compete in a trivia contest, revealing their unique stories and bond.
How has Mrs. Olinski chosen her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they ... (Goodreads)
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
An uplifting story of a unique girl who challenges her classmates to be their true selves.
The book begins with a brief introduction to the main character, Leo, at an early age, which is followed by his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona when he is 12. Before the move, his ... (Wikipedia)
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
A boy must learn to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash leaves him stranded.
Brian Robeson is a thirteen-year-old son of divorced parents. As he travels from Hampton, New York on a single engine Cessna bush plane to visit his father in the oil fields in Northern Canada for ... (Wikipedia)
Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
A young boy searches for his father during the Great Depression, encountering adventure and unexpected kindness along the way.
The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses'. Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their 12-year-old son, who teases him mercilessly and calls him Buddy. After a fight with Todd, ... (Wikipedia)
Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
A young boy embarks on an adventure with his beloved hunting dogs, learning valuable life lessons.
An old man named Billy Colman rescues a redbone hound under attack by neighborhood dogs. He takes it home with him so that its wounds can heal. In light of this event, he has a flashback to when he ... (Wikipedia)
A Light in the Attic
by Shel Silverstein
A whimsical collection of poems, stories and drawings exploring life, love and the power of imagination.
Last night while I lay thinking here, Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear, And pranced and partied all night long, And sang their same old Whatif song:, Whatif I flunk that test?,Whatif green hair ... (Goodreads)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watson family travels from Michigan to Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, experiencing racism and tragedy.
The Newbery Honor-winning American classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 , celebrates 20 years with this anniversary edition featuring a special letter from Christopher Paul Curtis and an ... (Goodreads)
Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt
A young girl discovers the secret of a family that has found the key to eternal life.
12-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family because they keep her cooped up in the house, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap. One day, while in a wooded ... (Wikipedia)
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
A young girl embarks on a road trip with her grandparents to find her missing mother, while reflecting on her own life and relationships.
The novel is narrated by a 13-year-old girl named Salamanca (Sal). Sal's mother has recently left Sal's father, and Sal's grandparents are taking her on a cross-country car trip to Lewiston, Idaho to ... (Wikipedia)
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
A poetic story of a young girl's endurance through a time of great hardship.
When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it ... (Goodreads)
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
A coming-of-age story of a student facing the challenges of the Vietnam War era.
In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a teenage boy’s mishaps and adventures over ... (Goodreads)
The City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau
A city on the brink of destruction, two young people race against time to unlock its secrets.
As the book starts off, a coalition of architects, scientists, and doctors known as "The Builders" have built Ember, an isolated, underground city with enough supplies for its inhabitants to survive ... (Wikipedia)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.
Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
A young girl from a wealthy Mexican family is forced to flee to California during the Great Depression and learns to adapt to a new life as a farm worker.
Esperanza is a child in Aguascalientes , Mexico, daughter of wealthy landowner Sixto Ortega. She lives on her family's ranch, El Rancho de la Rosas, with her mother, father, and grandmother Abuelita. ... (Wikipedia)
Freak the Mighty
by Rodman Philbrick
The story of two unlikely friends, united by a shared sense of bravery and courage.
The novel is set in a version of Portsmouth, New Hampshire . , In the beginning of the book, Maxwell Kane is a young boy with low self-esteem . He lives with his grandfather, Grim, and grandmother, ... (Wikipedia)
The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
A mysterious game of wit and skill, with a fortune as the prize.
BE CLASSIC with, The Westing Game, introduced by, New York Times, bestselling author Mac Barnett. A highly inventive mystery begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of the very ... (Barnes & Noble)
Milkweed
by Jerry Spinelli
A story of a Jewish orphan’s survival in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation.
He’s a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham. He’s a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He’s a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He’s a ... (Goodreads)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
Two adventurous children who run away from home and hide in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere — to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably, ... (Goodreads)
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
A whimsical adventure through a magical land, searching for a way out of the boredom of everyday life.
Milo is a boy bored by the world around him; every activity seems a waste of time. He arrives home from another boring day at school to find a mysterious package. Among its contents are a small ... (Wikipedia)
Ender's Shadow
by Orson Scott Card
A boy competes in a battle school to save humanity from a deadly alien race.
Welcome to Battleschool. Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to ... (Goodreads)
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
by Jon Scieszka
A humorous reimagining of the classic fairy tale, as told from the wolf's side of the story.
You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young ... (Goodreads)
The Thief Lord
by Cornelia Funke
Two orphaned brothers navigate a magical world in Venice, searching for a way to be reunited with their mother.
The Thief Lord follows the story of two brothers, Prosper and Boniface (Bo), who run away to Venice, Italy. They are taken in by a group of street children who live in an abandoned movie theater, the ... (Wikipedia)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. Taylor
A family's story of struggle and survival during the Great Depression in the segregated American South.
Nine-year-old Cassie Logan is walking to school with her siblings Stacey (twelve years old), Christopher-John (seven years old), and Little Man,(six years old), in rural Mississippi . Cassie talks ... (Wikipedia)
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
A coming-of-age story about two boys and their complex friendship set during World War II.
Gene Forrester returns to his old prep school, Devon (a thinly veiled portrayal of Knowles's alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy ), , 15 years after he graduated, to visit two places he regards as ... (Wikipedia)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi
A young girl's adventures on the high seas, fighting for justice and freedom.
The story starts in the early summer of 1832, as thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle prepares to take a voyage from Liverpool , England, to her family's home in Providence, Rhode Island . Her upper ... (Wikipedia)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
A young girl's adventures and misadventures as she navigates school and family life.
The schools in Ramona Quimby's neighborhood have been reorganized, and now she gets to ride the bus to Cedarhurst Primary, where she and her fellow third graders will be the biggest kids in the ... (Wikipedia)
Frindle
by Andrew Clements
A boy's simple idea revolutionizes the English language, sparking a debate among teachers and students.
Nicholas "Nick" Allen is a class clown who has been formulating creative schemes throughout grade school . At the start of fifth grade in 1987, he is unhappy because his English teacher is the ... (Wikipedia)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
by Louis Sachar
A collection of humorous tales set in an offbeat school, featuring a cast of eccentric characters.
There was a terrible mistake - Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened ... (Goodreads)
Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and
by Katherine Hannigan
Ida B. is a spunky, imaginative girl who loves her apple orchard, but when her mother falls ill, she must learn to cope with change.
Ida B. Applewood believes there is never enough time for fun. That's why she's so happy to be homeschooled and to spend every free second outside with the trees and the brook. Then some not-so-great ... (Goodreads)
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
A young girl in 1970s New York City receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. She must unravel the mystery before it's too late.
Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her ... (Goodreads)
