3-5 KBA Master List 2008-2009

Annie’s War / Jacqueline Levering Sullivan.  Eerdmans, 2007.  ISBN: 9780802853257

In 1946, imaginary conversations with President Truman help ten-year-old Annie cope with having to live with her grandmother in Walla Walla, Washington, her uncle's prejudice toward her grandmother's black tenant, and her intense desire for news of her father, a pilot in the Army Air Corps who was reported missing in action.

Attack of the Turtle / Drew Carlson.  Eerdmans, 2007.  ISBN: 9780802853080

During the Revolutionary War, fourteen-year-old Nathan joins forces with his older cousin, the inventor David Bushnell, to secretly build the first submarine used in naval warfare.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid / Jeff Kinney.  Abrams, 2007.  ISBN: 9780810993136

Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree / Lauren Tarshis.  Dial, 2007.  ISBN: 9780803731646

A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy everyday problems of her peers.

The House of a Million Pets / Ann Hodgman.  Henry Holt, 2007.  ISBN: 9780805079746

Learn about Ann and her life with all her pets.

How to Steal a Dog / Barbara O’Connor.  Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007.  ISBN: 9780374334970

Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen / Marlane Kennedy.  Greenwillow, 2007.  ISBN: 9780061140228

Although Aunt Arlene tries to interest her in clothing and growing up, ten-year-old Mildred is entirely focused on growing a pumpkin big enough to win the annual Circleville, Ohio, contest, as her mother dreamed of doing before she died.

The Mysterious Benedict Society / Trenton Lee Stewart.  Little, Brown, 2007.  ISBN: 9780316057776

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

No Talking! / Andrew Clements.  Simon & Schuster, 2007.  ISBN: 9781416909835

The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One / Judy Blume.  Delacorte, 2007.  ISBN: 9780385733052

Revisits the sometimes challenging relationship between a six-year-old (The Pain) and his eight-year-old sister (The Great One) through seven chapters featuring such events as learning to ride a bicycle, having a birthday party, and dog-sitting.

Where I Live / Eileen Spinelli.  Dial, 2007.  ISBN: 9780803731226

In a series of poems, Diana writes about her life, both before and after her father loses his job and she and her family move far away to live with Grandpa Joe.

The White Giraffe / Lauren St. John.  Dial, 2007.  ISBN: 9780803732117

After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a mythical white giraffe.