Thom’s Picks

	Aiken, Joan
	The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
	Bonnie Green and her cousin Sylvia come under the power of a wicked governess when Bonnie’s parents leave on a sea voyage.

	Anderson, Janet S.
	The Last Treasure
	Ellsworth Smith visits an ancestral home, where he’s needed to find John Matthew Smith’s "last treasure," which only a child can discover.

	Byars, Betsy
	Keeper of the Doves
	Amie McBee and her four sisters both fear and torment the reclusive and seemingly sinister Mr. Tominski, while their father continues to provide for his needs.

	Choldenko, Gennifer
	Notes from a Liar and her Dog
	Feeling alienated from her perfect family, Ant MacPherson takes comfort in the company of her best friend Harrison, her chihuahua Pistachio, and her supportive art teacher, Just Carol, until her truth-bending goes too far.

	Dorris, Michael
	Morning Girl
	At the beginning of this spare, elegant story, Morning Girl and Star Boy are siblings. The trials of pre-Columbian native life and culture forge a deep friendship between them.

	Dowell, Frances O’Roark
	Where I’d Like to Be
	When Maddie shows her beloved scrapbook to a new girl at the East Tennessee Children’s Home, this one gesture challenges her very idea of what home, and family, are all about.

	Esmé Raji Codell
	Sahara Special
	Miss Pointy’s unorthodox teaching style shakes up Sahara Jones’ fifth grade class, surprising no one more than Sahara herself.

	Farrell, Mary Cronk
	Fire in the Hole
	When all union miners in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District are arrested, Mick develops new respect for his father while taking over responsibility for his family.

	Fitzhugh, Louise
	Nobody’s Family is Going to Change
	What can you do if your parents simply refuse to listen to, let alone accept, your hopes and aspirations? Emma and Willie brave parental disapproval to try to achieve their dreams.

	Henkes, Kevin
	Words of Stone
	Quiet, shy Blaze Werla is fascinated by spellbinding new neighbor Joselle and the two become fast friends. But when betrayal threatens their bond, the pair must struggle to forgive and be forgiven.

	Ibbotson, Eva
	The Star of Kazan
	When Annika inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, a woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother takes her to a strangely decrepit mansion in Germany.

	King-Smith, Dick
	Spider Sparrow
	For Spider, the world may be a difficult place, but he lives each day with joy and courage, and an innate ability to communicate with animals.

	Leavitt, Martine
	Heck Superhero
	Abandoned by his mentally ill mother, thirteen-year-old Heck tries to survive on his own as his mind bounces between the superhero character he imagines himself to be and the harsh reality of his life.

	Levine, Gail Carson
	Dave at Night
	When Dave is orphaned and sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys, he sneaks out at night and is welcomed into the music- and culture-filled world of the Harlem Renaissance.

	Lyon, George Ella
	Sonny’s House of Spies
	There’s a secret about Sonny’s father that no one will tell him. So he goes off on his own to find the truth.

	Milne, A.A.
	Winnie-the-Pooh
	Eighty years after its original publication, Winnie’s indelible industry and irrepressible charm have lost none of their luster.

	O’Brien, Robert
	Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
	Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse, seeks help from a colony of mysteriously intelligent, sometimes dastardly rats.

	Osborne, Mary Pope
	Adaline Falling Star
	Feeling abandoned by her deceased Arapaho mother and her explorer father, Adaline Falling Star runs away from the prejudiced cousins with whom she is staying and comes close to death in the wilderness, with only a mongrel dog for company.

	Pam Muñoz Ryan
	Becoming Naomi León
	Life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho is peaceful until Naomi’s mother reappears after seven years, challenging her to discover who she really is.

	Philbrick, Rodman
	The Young Man and the Sea
	When Skiff Beaman realizes that it’s up to him to take care of himself and his father, he undertakes a perilous adventure to catch a huge bluefin tuna.

	Pratchett, Terry
	The Wee Free Men
	Tiffany, witch-in-training, teams up with a clan of six-inch-high blue men to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.

	Shusterman, Neal
	The Schwa Was Here
	The Schwa isn’t invisible - it’s just that no one notices him. Ever. His friends try to capitalize on his "invisibility," with problematic results.

	Spinelli, Jerry
	Crash
	John "Crash" Coogan, football star, and Penn Webb, self-proclaimed geek, couldn’t be more different. And yet, in a tender, believable novel, they discover much about what it is to be a friend.

	Stauffacher, Sue
	Harry Sue
	Harry Sue’s hardened heart gets a test (and so will yours) in a novel as uplifting as a prison-lingo-laden roller-coaster ride can be.

	Stolz, Joëlle
	The Shadows of Ghadames
	In nineteenth century Libya, Malika is torn between the constricted customs of her culture and her interest in the greater world.

	Wiles, Deborah
	Love, Ruby Lavender
	This enchanting read chronicles a struggling summer in the life of one Ruby Lavender, raising chickens, battling Melba, and missing her grandmother something awful.