Janet S. Anderson.  The Last Treasure

Thirteen-year-old Ellsworth leaves his father to visit the relatives he has never met and eventually joins forces with Jess, his distant cousin, to uncover family secrets and search for their ancestor's hidden treasure.

Blue Balliett.  Chasing Vermeer

When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

Louise Borden.  Sea Clocks:  The Story of Longitude

John Harrison created a clock to help sailors figure out longitude.

Don Brown.  Mack Made Movies

A simple biography of the director whose silent films immortalized such slapstick clowns as the Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, and Ben Turpin.

Suzanne Collins.  Gregor the Overlander

When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  The Conch Bearer

In India, a healer invites twelve-year-old Anand to join him on a quest to return a magical conch to its safe and rightful home, high in the Himalayan mountains.

Kristine O'Connell George.  Hummingbird Nest:  A Journal of

Poems   When a mother hummingbird builds a nest on a family's porch, they watch and record her actions and the birth and development of her fledglings.

Katherine Hannigan.  Ida B...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun,

Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World   In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being home-schooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school.

Kevin Henkes.  Olive's Ocean

On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.

Deborah Hopkinson.  Sailing for Gold

Book 1 of the Klondike Kid trilogy.

Kathleen Krull.  The Boy on Fairfield Street:  How Ted Geisel

Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss   Introduces the life of renowned children's author and illustrator Ted Geisel, popularly known as Dr. Seuss, focusing on his childhood and youth in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Jessica Loy.  Follow the Trail:  A Young Person's Guide to the

Great Outdoors   A beginner's guide to camping and hiking, including what gear to bring, how to keep safe, and how to have fun.

Elizabeth Mann.  Empire State Building

Discusses the history, design, and construction of New York City's Empire State Building.

Carolyn Marsden.  Silk Umbrellas

Eleven-year-old Noi worries that she will have to stop painting the silk umbrellas her family sells at the market near their Thai village and be forced to join her older sister in difficult work at a local factory instead.

Sy Montgomery.  The Tarantula Scientist

Describes the research that Samuel Marshall and his students are doing on tarantulas, including the largest spider on earth, the Goliath birdeating tarantula.

Margot Theis Raven.  Circle Unbroken:  The Story of a Basket

and Its People   A grandmother tells the tale of Gullahs and their beautiful sweetgrass baskets that keep their African heritage alive.

Joan Sandin.  Coyote School News

In 1938-1939, fourth-grader Monchi Ramirez and the other students at Coyote School enjoy their new teacher, have a special Christmas celebration, participate in the Tucson Rodeo Parade, and produce their own school newspaper.

Lisa Wheeler.  Seadogs:  An Epic Ocean Operetta

A motley crew of dogs presents a rhyming tale of seagoing adventure.

William Wise.  Christopher Mouse:  The Tale of a Small Traveler

After being sold to an unscrupulous pet store owner, a young mouse lives with several owners and has many adventures, before ending up with an appreciative family.

Youme Landowne.  Selavi, That Is Life:  A Haitian Story of Hope

A homeless boy on the streets of Haiti joins other street children, and together they build a home and a radio station where they can care for themselves and for other homeless children.