Library

The following books are recommended reading. Check one out and enjoy!

The Summer of the Swans

by Betsy Byars

I was living in West Virginia when I started this book. I was taking part in a volunteer program in which ordinary people, like myself, were trained to go into schools and help kids with learning problems. I tutored a third grade girl and a first grade boy. Although Charlie was one of those kids, I never would have written the book if I had not had the experience of knowing them. Not only did they have serious problems in learning, but also in dealing with the way other kids treated them.

The Egypt Game

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she's not sure they'll have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard behind the A-Z Antiques and Curio Shop, Melanie and April decide it's the perfect spot for Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians instead of two. After school and on weekends they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code.

Chester, a cricket from Connecticut, takes a ride in a picnic basket and winds up in a Times Square subway station. Mario Bellini discovers him beneath the papers in his father's newsstand, and pleads with his parents to let him adopt the bedraggled creature. Mario places his cricket in a matchbox lined with tissue and keeps him on a shelf among the magazines and newspapers. One lonely night, Chester encounters unlikely pals, Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse, who make their home in a nearby drainpipe. Together the three friends embark on an adventure that capitalizes on Chester's musical ability and helps turn the Bellini's unsuccessful newsstand into an overnight success.

The Bronze Bow

by Elizabeth George Speare

Set in Galilee in the time of Jesus, this is the story of a young Jewish rebel who is won over to the gentle teachings of Jesus. "A dramatic, deeply felt narrative whose characters and message will long be remembered."

Favorite Greek Myths

by Mary Pope Osborne

Here are twelve Greek myths, retold in an accessible style and magnificently illustrated with classic elegance.

Ranofer struggles to thwart the plottings of his evil uncle, Gebu, so he can become master goldsmith like their father in this exciting tale of ancient Egyptian mystery and intrigue.

Greek Myths: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters

by Ellen Switzer and Costas

This book examines the sources and stories of Greek mythology, recounting the tales of gods, heroes, lovers, and warriors.

Kidnapped

by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is the story of young David Balfour, an orphan, whose miserly old uncle cheats him out of his inheritance and schemes to have him kidnapped, shanghaied, and sold into slavery

Maroo of the Winter Caves

by Ann Turnbull

Maroo, a girl of the late Ice Age, must take charge after her father is killed, and lead her little brother, mother, and aged grandmother to the safety of the winter camp before the first blizzards strike

A boy living in the Ozark Mountains acquires two beloved coon hounds, and together the three of them experience danger, adventure, love, and sorrow.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

by Mildred Taylor

Facing a year of night riders and burnings, Cassie and her family continue their struggle to keep their land and hold onto what rightfully belongs to them, despite the difficult battles they must continue to endure.

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too. But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him. "This is the first chapter book I remember reading so I have fond memories of it. I still have the original book I read in fourth grade." -- Mrs. Pérez

Sounder

by William H. Armstrong

Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and with the help of the devoted dog Sounder.

Tales of Ancient Egypt

by Roger Green

This is a collection of the myths, the folk tales, and the legends of ancient Egypt.

Tuck Everlasting is a wonderful story surrounding the question of immortality. The Tuck family, consisting of a mother, father and two sons, unknowingly drinks from a magic spring which gives them eternal life. They live their lives as best they can under the circumstances. It is necessary to move about every couple of decades so as not to attract attention to their unaging appearance. Loneliness and isolation are a part of their existence. Winnie Foster, a ten year old girl, is extremely dissatisfied with her sheltered life. She wants to run away and make some kind of difference in the world. Like a whirlwind, fate throws Winnie into the path of the Tuck family. Their secret is revealed. A stranger lurks on the fringes trying to locate Winnie and the source of eternal life for his own financial gain. The effect on the Tucks is immense and through dealing with the calamity, all of their lives are changed forever.