ADVENTURE
Avi. Windcatcher. While learning to sail during a visit to his grandmother's at the Connecticut shore, eleven-year-old Tony becomes excited about the rumors of sunken treasure in the area and starts following a couple who seem to be making a mysterious search for something (RL 5.3).
Clements, Andrew. A Week in the Woods. The 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 (RL 5.3).
Cussler, Clive. The Adventures of Vin Fiz. Ten-year-old twins Casey and Lacey fly an enchanted antique airplane named the "Vin Fiz" across the United States and have several daring adventures along the way. Includes historical notes on the real "Vin Fiz," the name of the airplane that made the first transcontinental flight in 1911 (RL 5.7).
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories (RL 4.8).
Kehret, Peg. Earthquake Terror. When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where his family had been camping, twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives (RL 4.2).
Kehret, Peg. Escaping the Giant Wave. When an earthquake creates a tsunami while thirteen-year-old Kyle is babysitting his sister during a family vacation at a Pacific Coast resort, he tries to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied him for years. Includes an author's note which provides factual information on tsunamis (RL 5.9).
Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce (RL 6.0).
Paulsen, Gary. The River. Sequel to Hatchet. Because of his success surviving alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian, profoundly changed by his time in the wild, is asked to undergo a similar experience to help scientists learn more about the psychology of survival (RL 6.3).
Paulsen, Gary. Brian's Winter. Companion book to: Hatchet and The River. Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet (RL 6.2).
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Sign of the Beaver. Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills (RL 5.7).
FANTASY
Bellairs. John. The House with a Clock in Its Walls. A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday (RL 5.0).
Funke, Cornelia. Reckless. Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences (RL 5.3).
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted. In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her (RL 4.2).
Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure (RL 5.6).
Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods (RL 4.9).
SCIENCE FICTION
Colin, Beatrice. My Invisible Sister. Ten-year-old Frank's thirteen-year-old sister Elizabeth, invisible since birth, continually causes trouble, forcing the family to move again and again, but Frank wants to stay put and decides to find a way to make her visible (RL 6.0).
Coville, Bruce. I Left My Sneakers in Dimension X. Rod and his bratty cousin Elspeth are snatched into another dimension by the monstrous alien Smorkus Flinders (RL 5.2).
DiTerlizzi, Tony. The Search for WondLa. Living in isolation with a robot on what appears to be an alien world populated with bizarre life forms, a twelve-year-old human girl called Eva Nine sets out on a journey to find others like her. Features "augmented reality" pages, in which readers with a webcam can access additional information about Eva Nine's world (RL 7.5).
Haddon, Mark. Boom! (or, 70,000 Light Years). When Jim and Charlie overhear two of their teachers talking in a secret language and the two friends set out to solve the mystery, they do not expect the dire consequences of their actions (RL 5.6).
Ralles, H.J. The Keeper of the Kingdom. In 2540AD, the Kingdom of Zaul is a terrifying world controlled by 'Protectors' and ruled by 'The Keeper'. Humans are 'Worker' slaves, eliminated without thought. Thank goodness this is just a computer game... or is it? For Matt, Zaul becomes real when his computer jams and he is sucked into the game. (RL 6.1).
Robbins, Trina. The Drained Brains Caper (graphic novel). Megan Yamamura, who has a knack for investigation, tries to stop the students at a summer preparatory school from being turned into mindless automatons by the principal, the cafeteria lady, and the school psychiatrist (RL 3.6).
Service, Pamela. Stinker from Space. In the middle of an outer space battle, space warrior Tsynq Yr is forced to land on earth and switch into the body of a skunk. But earth is no place for him. Karen and her computer-whiz friend Jonathan hatch a hair-raising scheme involving all the local skunks and even the space shuttle to get their new friend back into orbit! (RL 5.3).
Shiga, Jason. Meanwhile. In this choose-your-own adventure graphic novel, a boy stumbles on the laboratory of a mad scientist who asks him to choose between testing a mind-reading device, a time machine, and a doomsday machine (RL 3.0).
Spiegelman, Nadja. Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework. Zig and Wikki arrive on earth to seach for a pet for Zig's class assignment (RL 2.1).
Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, all graduates of the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and members of the Benedict Society, embark on a scavenger hunt that turns into a desperate search for the missing Mr. Benedict (RL 6. 5).
