Ivy & Bean: Make the Rules
Written by Annie Barrows
Illustrated by Rachel Clowes
Age Level: 6 - 10                                             
​Grade Level: 1 – 5

​What would you do when your big sister goes off to camp, and you’re too little? You start your own – Camp Flaming Arrow! Imagine the fun Bean could have doing crafts, nature, dance, first aid, and women’s history at a ‘real’ kids’ camp. Then read and enjoy!
 
PS- It’s no wonder this is #9 in a series of 11 books. 

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Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen
Written by Candace Fleming
Illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Age Level: 8 - 12                                                             
​Grade Level: 3 – 7

This is a Cinderella story of a German dog who becomes an American movie star. Etzel’s taken away from his mother and litter mates as a puppy. Play and kindness are trained out of him to make him into a police dog.
 
Then Larry Trimble appears on the scene. He’s looking for the right dog to appear in his movies, and he sees something in Etzel, but it took his secretary/co-writer Jane Murfin to unlock it. How? She taught him how to play again. Jane’s also the one who renamed him Strongheart.  
 
That was the beginning of his film career. He made 6 movies, and people are still amazed by the emotion he showed on camera and in real life when he was falsely accused of attacking a girl. From the beginning to the end, this story is as full of heart as the real Strongheart. I loved every page of his story!

Stay Alive #1: Crash
Written by Joseph Monninger
Age Level: 8 - 12                                                            
​Grade Level: 3 – 7

​I loved this book. It reminds me of the  I SURVIVED series, but it’s definitely for older kids, with a readability score of 5th grade. Boys will love it, but girls will too!
 
The story starts with a team of kids flying to Alaska as part of a student news team.  Their plane crashes killing the pilot and a student. Her twin sister survives. The rest of the story is about the survivors, and how they fight to stay alive in the Alaskan wilderness, without phones or internet.
 
Side note- somewhere in the book is a list of 4 survival tips. It’s a good addition, given the theme of staying alive. 

Born to Fly
Written by Steve Sheinkin
Illustrated by Bijou Karman
Age Level: 10 - 14                                                             
​Grade Level: 4 – 6

​​I discovered this book at a writers’ conference. It was recommended as a model for  nonfiction. The details the author uncovered from a century ago were incredible.
 
In the first third you’ll meet fliers like Amelia Earhart, Marvel Crosson, Louise Thaden, and Elinor Smith as little girls. You’ll read about the kinds of things they did  as kids, the things that shaped them into the women they’d become.
 
The second third follows them into the 1929 Air Derby, the first  women’s race across the US. Women had just earned the right to vote in 1920, and now they were fighting to fly an airplane. The public believed women weren’t capable of flying, let alone doing it cross country.
 
The final third follows our heroines past the race and into their future. It’s the end to each of their stories. The back matter will show you the author’s source notes and photo credits. BORN TO FLY is well done from the start to the finish line!

​Piper Green and the Fairy Tree
Written by Ellen Potter
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Age Level: 7 - 9                                  
​Grade Level: 2 – 4

Looking for a cute story that takes place in an unusual setting? This is it! Piper Green lives on an island, and she goes to school in a lobster boat, but this year is different. Her brother is going away to school, but Piper isn’t. She misses him so much that she wears his earmuffs into class. It sounds sweet, but not to her teacher who tries to make Piper take off those earmuffs. When Piper gets in trouble at school, can a tree, even a fairy one, help her? You’ll have to read to find out how.
​PS – If you like this story, check out the two sequels – Too Much Good Luck and The Sea Pony.
 

Like Bug Juice on a Burger
Written by Julie Sternberg
Illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Age Level: 6 - 9                                           
​Grade Level: 1 – 4

​This title sounds absolutely disgusting, but that’s why kids love it! So much so that it’s the second in a series of books about icky foods. Check out the other 2 – Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and Carrot Juice on a Cupcake.
 
Meet the main character of all 3 books, Eleanor. In this book she’s so excited . . .  she gets to go to the same summer camp her mother went to as a kid. Her problem – it’s time to leave for camp. Have you had the same experience, excited to do something . . .  till it’s time to do it? I have!
 
Eleanor is prepared for the worst, even bug juice on a burger! So she gives her parents a code. If she writes Esmerelda, it’s a message to pick her up. Unfortunately  the camp  counselor discovers what it really means. She comes up with a deal. Eleanor must post 2 feeling letters on the camp wall, anonymously. Will it work? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
                                      
 

​ Misadventures of a Magician’s Son
Written and Illustrated by Laurie Smollett Kutscera
Age Level:  8 - 12
Grade Level: 5 – 6
 
I loved this story! It’s a mix of magic, mystery, fantasy, and realistic fiction. Meet Alexander Finn, the Magician’s son. He’s still grieving the death of his father when his mother moves them back to her hometown. It’s the last thing Alex wants to do, but things start to look up when he enters a magic contest. His ace in the hole – the cards his father left him. They aren’t just any cards – they come to life with real Kings and Queens, Aces and Jokers and numbered cards of each suit. They help Alex win easily but that’s when disaster strikes. The cards disappear leaving Alex heartbroken. How will he ever find them, and when he does, can he get them back from a mafia card shark? Follow the twists and magical turns until this mystery is solved. How? That would be telling! You’ll have to read this story for yourself!
 

Filigree’s Midnight Ride (At the Heels of History)
Written by Pam Berkman and Dorothy Hearst
Illustrated by Claire Powell
Age Level: 6 - 9   
Grade Level: 1 – 4

​I love history and historical fiction, and I couldn’t resist reading this book. Imagine combining dogs with history! Bow-wow-wow!
 
A British family throws out the Pomeranian for  causing problems. She is one lucky dog – Paul Revere, the one from that midnight ride, adopts her for his sick little girl. Frances. She gives Filigree her new name, but the neighborhood dogs, the Patriot Pack, see her as a Redcoat. That doesn’t change until Paul makes that famous ride. You’ll have to read for yourself to find out how Filigree saves the day for Paul, and the Patriots.
 
Please read the Author’s note. It explains what’s true, and what’s not. That’s one of my favorite parts of a book, discovering the truth about historical events. Enjoy – because this book is good to the last page!

Juana & Lucas
Written and Illustrated by Juana Medina
Age Level: 5 - 8                             
Grade Level: K – 3

​Would you like to travel to Columbia? Learn a little Spanish? This is the perfect chapter book for you! Meet Juana from Bogata, Columbia. She’ll show you the best things about growing up in Bogata from a kid’s point of view.
 
But life isn’t perfect. Juana is failing English at school, and if  she doesn’t pull up her grades, Mom  is canceling the trip to Spaceland. Juana speaks Spanish, and English makes absolutely no sense. The only one who understands – the dog, Lucas, and he’s no help. Will Juana make it to Spaceland? Read and find out!
 
PS – if you liked this book, there’s a sequel – Juana & Lucas: No Problemas.

Escape from Baxters' Barn
Written & Illustrated Rebecca Bond
Age Level: 8 - 12   
Grade Level: 3 – 7

​I loved this book back in 2015, and I still do. From the minute I saw it, I thought of Charlotte’s Web. So did School Library Journal.
 
The story starts when a stray cat named Burdock overhears someone say he’s going to burn the barn down for insurance money. Burdock calls a meeting of the farm animals, and it’s the beginning of a journey to save their lives. The animals must work together to plan an escape, or face a fiery death. There is a happy ending, but you’ll have to read to find out how the animals made it happen.
 
I admired this book so much I picked it as a mentor text for a story I’m writing. If I write half as well as Rebecca Bond, I’ll have a good story.