Novel Studies in the Classroom

Practical ideas for using novels in the classroom with the whole class, groups and independent activities. 
All grades     $7.45 

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Click on any cover to see sample pages from selected  Novel Studies. The format of each work book is similar.

Novel Studies are available for the following Literary Award Winners

Newbery Honors and Medal Winners

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Elijah of Buxton
The Wednesday Wars
Tuck Everlasting
Fog Magic
Olive's Ocean
The Tale of Despereaux
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
A Single Shard
Holes
Walk Two Moons
The Giver
Missing May
Shiloh
Maniac Magee
Number the Stars
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Jacob Have I Loved
Bridge to Terabithia
Summer of the Swans
The Door in the Wall
Rabbit Hill
Johnny Tremain
Whittington
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Because of Winn Dixie
The Hundred Penny Box
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
My Brother Sam is Dead
Family Under the Bridge
Charlottes Web
Across Five Aprils
Hatchet
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! -Voices from a Medieval Village

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Literature Collections, Thematic Units & Lesson Plans available on our site.

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A Christmas Carol  Grades 5-8
Charles Dickens' classic story of Scrooge, the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future and how they change his feelings about Christmas.  Order

A Night to Remember   Grades 9-12
This is the story of the sinking of the Titanic and what happened when the largest passenger ship of the time struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank with the loss of many lives.  Walter Lord's book written as an historical novel is based on extensive research and interviews and is considered by many to be the definitive account of the tragedy.   Order

A Perfect Gentle Knight  Grades 5-8
A game based on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, helps the Bell children deal with the  grief following the death of their mother.  Problems arise when Sebastian, the eldest is unable to distinguish between the game and reality. Order

A Single Shard    Grades 5-8
This Newbery  Medal winner is the story of an orphan in 12th century Korea, who overcomes many difficulties to become a potter.   Order

A Tale of Two Tails    Grades 4-6
Hank enters his dog, Cheerio, in a show to win the honor of being the school mascot. Problems arise while training Cheerio and Hank has to do community service at a senior's home. Cheerio is not successful at the show, but does win a prize as Mr. Congeniality.  Order

A Wizard of Earthsea    Grades 7-9
This is the story of a young man who is apprenticed to a wizard, where he discovers his true name and his destiny.  The first of four books in the Earthsea Cycle it is often compared with Tolkien's Middle Earth and C.S. Lewis's Narnia.   Order

After Hamelin     Grades 5-8
Penelope has a special gift that allows her to recue the children stolen by the Pied Piper. This novel by Bill Richardson is a fantasy based on the fairy tale.  Order

After the War      Grades 7-9
The story of a young girl who survives the Holocaust and her search for a family and a new life in Israel.   Order

Al Capone Does My Shirts     Grades 5-8
Newbery Honor Book for 2005. Moose's family move to Alcatraz where his father works as a prison guard and his mother hopes they can send there autistic daughter to a special school in San Francisco.   Order

Al Capone Shines My Shoes     Grades 5-8
This sequel to her previous award winning novel continues the adventures of Moose Flanagan and his friends culminating in their success in preventing the escape of three convicts.  Order

All Mars All Stars       Grades 4-6
Gordon Korman's amusing novels in a series about a hockey team from a small town in Canada.    Order

Awake and Dreaming     Grades 7-9
This novel uses a blend of fantasy and reality to tell how Theo, from a poverty stricken, dysfunctional family comes to accept her family, and gives her hope for the future.  Order

Barfin' In The Backseat     Grades 4-6
The twelfth book in the series about Hank Zipzer and his family tells of his adventures as they travel to a crossword competition.  Order

Because of Winn Dixie     Grades 4-6
Kate DiCamillo's story of a ten year old Florida girl and her scruffy stray dog named Winn Dixie. A Newbery Honor Book in 2001.   Order

Best Christmas Pageant Ever (The)      Grades 4-6
The Christmas pageant is a tradition, but things change and chaos ensues when the terrible Herdmans insist on taking part.  Although the pageant is different than previous productions everyone agrees it really was the best Christmas pageant ever.   Order

Best Halloween Ever (The)     Grades 4-6
Halloween has been cancelled because the terrible Herdman children have been up to their usual mischief.  Order

Best School Year Ever (The)       Grades 4-6
The terrible Herdman children wreak havoc throughout the school year in the hilarious sequel to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.   Order

Bread Winner (The)      Grades 5-8
The story of a young girl living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. It gives the reader a fascinating look at how the Taliban changed the lives of the Afghan people and how they have suffered through years of war. By Deborah Ellis.  Order

Bridge to Terabitha     Grades 6-8
Katherine Paterson's story of the friendship between a boy and a girl until tragedy strikes. Order

Canada Geese Quilt   (The)   Grades 4-6
With her grandmother's help and understanding Ariel accepts the news of a new baby in the family.  When her grandmother has a stroke, Ariel helps to nurse her back to health and is rewarded with a quilt of her own. By Natalie Kinsey Warnock.     Order

Cassandra's Driftwood      Grades 4-6
The story of how a young girl from Nova Scotia, deals with adolescence and finds a way to make her own mark. By Budge Wilson.     Order

Cat Ate My Gymsuit  (The)     Grades 5-8
The novel tells how Marcy, a student in the ninth grade, overcomes her lack of self esteem when she helps to defend a new teacher from dismissal.   By Paula Danziger   Order
 

Catch Me Once, Catch Me Twice      Grades 7-9
The story of a girl in Saint Johns, Newfoundland during World War ll and her friendship with a crippled boy who helps her to deal with the news that her father is missing in action, and how her life takes on new meaning. By Janet McNaughton.      Order

Catmagic        Grades 3-6
A young girl's adventures while staying at her uncle's magical pet store.  Order

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory      Grades 3-6
Roald Dahl's popular fantasy novel. Charlie Bucket finds a Golden Ticket that invites him to Willy Wonka's marvelous and very unusual candy factory.  Order

Charlie Wilcox      Grades 6-8

This biography tells the story of Charlie Wilcox who is determined to  follow the family tradition of going to sea and he doesn't intend to let his disability stop him.  He stows away on a sailing ship only to find that the ship is bound for Europe and the battles of the First World War.  The adventures that follow require courage and determination as Charlie proves his worth. By Sharon E. McKay.   Order

Charlottes Web and Stuart Little       Grades 3-6
Novel Studies for two of E. B. White's popular novels.  Order

Christmas Genie (The)     Grades 4-6
An unusual genie crashes into a fifth grade classroom on the day before Christmas vacation. He grants the class one wish, but this has to be decided in one hour. The discussion provoked when choosing the wish is both amusing and thought provoking, and the result is quite amusing.  By Dan Gutman     Order

Coast to Coast      Grades 5-8
A thirteen year old girl and her grandfather fly across the country in a Piper Cub, learning about themselves and their relationship as they travel.  By Betsy Byers.   Order

Code Red at the Supermall      Grades 4-6
This novel by Eric Wilson is one of a series of mysteries involving two young detectives.  Order

Cold Midnight in Vieux Quebec      Grades 4-6
Another Eric Wilson novel set in old Quebec City during the Winter carnival featuring super sleuth Tom Austen.  Order

Copper Sunrise      Grades 4-6
The story of a family who emigrates to Newfoundland and their encounters with the native Beothuks.  By Bryan Buchan.      Order

Crispin: The Cross of Lead       Grades 6-8
Crispin finds himself in danger after the death of his mother and has many adventures as he flees across 14th Century England. The novel is written by Avi.  Order

Crispin At the Edge Of the World     Grades 6-8
Crispin and Bear leave Wexly, but are pursued by followers of the brotherhood who have declared Bear a traitor. A sequel to Crispin:The Cross of Lead   Order

Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down (The)      Grades 4-6
Hank is chosen to play the part of the King of Siam in the School's winter musical.  However, his father insists he gain a B+ in a math test in order to do this.  Order

Daniel's Story       Grades 6-9
The story of a young Jewish boy from Germany who survives the horrors of the Holocaust, by Carol Matas.   Order

Day of Tears         Grades 7-9
This novel by Julius Lester was the winner of the 2006 Coretta Scott King Award.  Based on historical fact it tells of the largest slave auction ever held and its aftermath. Most of the book is told in the form of a script using dialogue and stage directions. These chapters are interspersed with Interludes in which the character recalls and thinks about the events.   Order

Dear Mr Henshaw       Grades 4-7
Leigh Botts is lonely after moving to a new home following his parent's divorce.  When he has to write a list of questions for his favourite author, he is surprised when Mr Henshaw replies.  The exchange of letters helps Leigh come to terms with his life.   By Beverley Cleary.  Order

Double Fudge                  Grades 4-6
The Hatcher family has more fun and adventures when cousins from Texas come to visit them in New York.  By Judy Blume.    Order

Day of the Iguana    (The)      Grades 6-9
Hank Zipzer plans a science project that requires little of the written work that is so difficult for him.   Order

Dragon in the Clouds        Grades 6-8
When her physically disabled cousin, Trevor, arrives, Nikki's summer plans are disrupted, and she feels angry.  A picture in the clouds helps them to overcome their mutual dislike as Trevor realizes his dream of competing in the British Columbia Games for the Physically Disabled.  By Rosemary Nelson.    Order

Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I'm On My Way Mom!      Grades 4-6
The sixteenth novel in the Hank Zipzer series, tells how he and his family have to return to New York by various forms of transport when his mother has a family.   Order

Elijah of Buxton        Grades 5-8
Buxton, a black settlement for escaped slaves in Ontario as seen through the eyes of Elijah, the first child to be born free in the settlement. Some incidents are related in an amusing manner, but the horror of slavery is apparent when  Elijah travels to Michigan to help a friend recover some stolen money.   Order

Emily Carr Mystery   (The)   Grades 5-8
Detective Liz Austen becomes involved in an exciting mystery at her friends wedding,  by Eric Wilson.  Order

Face on the Milk Carton  (The)     Grades 6-9
When Jane Johnson sees her own face on a milk carton featuring lost children, memories begin to surface and realizing she was kidnapped she begins to search for her lost identity. By Caroline Cooney.  Order

Family Under The Bridge  (The)     Grades 5-9
A hobo who lives under a bridge in Paris has to learn to share with three homeless gipsy children.  A story about love, family and sharing. By Natalie Savage Carlson.   Order

Far North      Grades 7-9
Two boys survive winter in the Northwest Territories after their aircraft crashes.  Helped by a Dene elder they learn to build a shelter, hunt for food and learn to respect the beliefs of the native people.   By  Will Hobbs.  Order

Finders Keepers              Grades 4-6
The story of a friendship which develops, in present day Alberta, between the son of Ukranian immigrants and a Peigan Indian boy and how they learned to help each other with their culture and deal with prejudice towards Native Peoples.  By Andrea Spalding.   Order

Flight of the Dragon Kyn  (The)   Grades 4-6
The king asks Kara to call the dragons who have been attacking his Kingdom.  When this results in the death of the dragon who cared for her as a child, she searches for a plan to satisfy the king and ensure the safety of the dragons. By Susan Fletcher.   Order

Fog Magic      Grades 4-6
A young girl who loves the fog uses it to travel to her own fantasy world.  By Julia L. Sauer. Order

Forbidden City         Grades 7-9
Seventeen year old Alex accompanies his father , a camera man, to Beijing.  When Alex is separated from his father he is befriended by some students and witnesses the demonstrations and massacre in Tiananmen Square. By William Bell.  Order

Freddy and the French Fries  Grades 4-6
Freddy wants to help the failing family business and thinks that  winning the prize for the best float in the  parade will achieve this.  He builds some model french fries for the float and when they are struck by lightning they come to life with amazing results.   Order

Frindle        Grades 4-6
Nick, a student in the fifth grade invents an alternative word for a pen as a joke to annoy his English teacher.  However, this escalates beyond anyone's imagination when the story is reported in the local newspaper.  By Andrew Clements.   Order

Gathering Blue      Grades 6-9
The second novel in The Giver series tells of a village society that lacks any modern technology and where brutality and self interest rule.  The novel centres on three talented young artists and their treatment by the repressive society in which they live.  Order

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!    Voices from a Medieval Village    Grades 5-8
The 2008 Newbery winner by Laura Amy Schlitz. Set in England 1n 1255, various people from the village , ranging from the Lord of the manor to the tanners apprentice, from a runaway serf to the millers son, speak in monologues and dialogues in prose and poetry about their lives.   Order

The Giver      Grades 6-9
Jonas's perfect world has no hunger, no war and no crime.  Life is ordered and organized: people are chosen for jobs to which they are best suited, families consist of two adults and a boy and girl and nothing is allowed to disturb this Utopian existence. Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of the community's memories and this reveals the truth and hypocrisy of this model society. By Lois Lowry.  Order

Half-a-Moon Inn   (The )  Grades 4-6
While searching for his mother, Aaron who is mute, goes into the Half-a-Moon Inn.  Here he is forced to to help the wicked owner pick pockets and read the dreams of people staying at the inn.  By Paul Fleischman.    Order

Hana's Suitcase        Grades 5-8

The true story of Hana Brady, a girl killed at Auschwitz, and how her suitcase came to be part of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center.   Order

Harriet the Spy         Grades 4-7
Harriet and  Annie, spy on the strange people selling Christmas  trees. Harriet is also intrigued by Annie's odd behaviour, and is determined to discover the reason for this. By Maya Gold.  Order

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone        Grades 4-6
Harry Potter, a young wizard makes friends and overcomes challenges when he attends Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.   Order

Hatchet      Grades 5-8
A boy survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness and survives with only his wits and a hatchet. By Garry Paulsen.  Order

Haunting of Frances Raine    (The)    Grades 6-9  
Lizzie finds a pair of old spectacles that allow her to see into her grandmother's childhood.  This helps her to solve the difficulties she is experiencing with her own family in the present day. By Margaret Buffie.   Order

Heart of a Samurai   Grades 5-8
A Newbery Award novel in 2011, it is based on the life of John Manjiro, a Japanese fisherman who was shipwrecked. Later he lived in America and when he returned to Japan he helped his people to open the country to foreign travelers.  By Margi Preus    Order

Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade!       Grades 4-6
It is the end of the school year and Hank Zipzer is horrified to discover that he might have to repeat the Fourth grade.  How can he prevent his parents from discovering this?   Order

Holes      Grades 5-8
Stanley Yelnats is sent to a detention camp in Texas after being wrongly accused of theft.  Unusual twists in the plot involve a female warden, an outlaw and an old Egyptian curse.  Order

Hollow Tree  (The )     Grades 5-8

This historical novel is set in 1777 and tells the story of how Phoebe Olcott travels to Fort Ticonderoga, accompanied by a cat, a bear cub and a young Loyalist, Jem Morissey, to deliver a vital message to the British general and saving the lives of Loyalists. By Janet Lunn.   Order

Holy Enchilada!        Grades 4-6
Hank Zipzer and his friends welcome a Japanese exchange student to their school and take part in a multicultural day.  Order

Home Child        Grades 5-8
The story of Arthur, one of the 100.000 children sent from Britain in the early 1900's to work on farms in Canada.  By Barbara  Haworth-Attard.     Order

Homecoming    Grades 7-9
This tells how the Tillerman children, led by the oldest, Dicey who is thirteen, find their way to there grandmother's house after their mother leaves them in the parking lot of a mall. By Cynthia Voigt .    Order

How Come the Best Clues Are Always in the Garbage?   Grades 4-6 
This is the first of the Stevie Diamond Mysteries and tells how Stephanie and a friend solves the theft of money from the environmental group that employs her mother.  By Linda Bailey.  Order

Hundred Penny Box (The)     Grades 4-6 
Michael and his hundred year old aunt have a close relationship.  He enjoys her tales of the past, particularly those based on the pennies in his great aunt's treasured box, and tries to prevent his mother from throwing out such 'treasures,' which she considers useless junk. By Sharon Bell Mathis.    Order

I Got a 'D' in Salami      Grades 4-6 
Hank Zipzer gets into more trouble when he tries to hide a poor report card from his parents.   Order

I Heard the Owl Call My Name     Grades 9-12 
A young minister learns about life, death and the power of love when he is sent to a native village in British Columbia.   Order

Jacob I Have Loved     Grades 6-9 
Set on a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay in the 1940s, this is a story of sibling rivalry.  Louise feels inferior to her talented twin sister, Caroline, and is unable to recognise her own talents and strengths.  The novel also explores other relationships and focuses on how other people react to the sisters. By Katherine Paterson.  Order

Jacob's Little Giant      Grades 4-7
A novel by Barbara Smucker about the conservation of wild life as a farm family raise a flock of Canada geese.   Order

James and the Giant Peach      Grades 4-6
Roald Dahl's story of a boy's adventures as he crosses the Atlantic Ocean with some strange companions.    Order

Journey      Grades 5-8   
Eleven year old Journey searches for reasons why his mother left him and his younger sister with his grandparents.  Using old  and new photographs, taken by his grandfather, he comes to recognize the love within his family.  By Patricia MacLachan. Order

Julie         Grades 5-8 
Julie is a young farm girl in western Canada who has inherited the gift of second sight from her Scottish grandmother.  Although it is frowned on by her family, who think she is strange, she uses the gift to save her father's life. By Cora Taylor.  Order

Life of Me    ( The )  Grades 4-6
Reading Gym seems a dull choice for Hank compared with Tae Kwon Do, until he develops a crush on one of the other students.  Order

Lightning Thief    ( The )   Grades 6-9
This is a fantasy novel by Rick Riordan that combines the trials of a modern twelve year old boy with adventures from Greek mythology.  The first of a series, it is excellent when used in conjunction with a unit on the Greek gods and mythology.   Order

Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe    (The) Grades 5-8
Four children have a series of adventures when they venture through a mysterious wardrobe into the land of Narnia . By C. S. Lewis     Order

Loser        Grades 5-8
The story of Donald Zinkoff as he progresses from grades one to six.  Donald is an average student, with a kind and considerate nature, but his failure to win a race earns him the nickname of Loser from his classmates. Undeterred by this bullying, Donald continues to be himself and the reader will consider who are the real winners and losers. By Jerry Spinelli.  Order  

Lost and Found     Grades 4-6
Twins Ray and Jay Grayson cause great confusion in their new school when they discover only one of them is registered.  This enables each twin to attend school on alternate days until an astute school nurse realizes what is happening.  By Andrew Clements  Order  

Lost in Cyberspace      Grades 5-8 
Josh Lewis and his best friend use computers to travel through time and bring people from the past into the present.  This is a fast paced and humorous book. By Richard Peck.    Order

Lost in the Barrens     Grades 6-9 
Two boys face a challenge when their canoe is destroyed.  They have to face the wilderness with no food, shelter or hope of rescue.  To survive, they build an igloo, battle a towering grizzly bear, track several wolves and slaughter caribou for food and clothing, before finding their way home. By Farley Mowat.  Order

Lord of the Flies    Grades 6-9      
This novel tells how a group of schoolboys react when they are stranded on a desert island without adult supervision.  By William Golding.   Order

Lunch Money  Grades 4-6
Two students learn to overcome their rivalry and opposition from the school administration when they develop a plan to sell their creative comic books in the school store.  By Andrew Clements  Order

Lyddie      Grades 6-9 
A young girl from Vermont is sent to work in the woolen mills of Lowell, Massachusetts.  This novel tells of the beginnings of the labor movement and makes reference to the abolitionist movement against slavery. By Katherine Patterson.     Order

The Maestro    Grades 6-9 
Burl Crow runs away from his abusive father and meets the Maestro, an eccentric pianist and composer.  This encounter changes his outlook and encourages him to seek a better life. By Tim Wynne-Jones.      Order

Maniac Magee     Grades 5-8    
This novel, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1991, is the story of a young boy, Jeffrey (Maniac) Magee, who faces racism and attempts to soothe racial tensions in a small town while searching for a new home. By Jerry Spinelli.      Order

Master Puppeteer   (The)   Grades 5-8  
The story of Jiro who is apprenticed to Hoshido in his puppet theater. Set in a time when robber bands roamed the countryside and people were starving. By Katherine Paterson.  Order

Meiko and the Fifth Treasure    Grades 4-6
This novel, by the author of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes, is set in Japan in the 1940's. Meiko, injured in the bomb blast at Nagasaki has to overcome her pain and fear so that she can once again take up calligraphy. By Eleanor Coerr.    Order

Messenger     Grades 6-9
The third book of The Giver series, it tells the story of Matty who leaves his village for one where he will be accepted and respected.   Order

Mick Harte Was Here      Grades 4-6  
Pheobe Harte tells the story of the death of her brother in a bicycle accident by recalling events in his life.  This helps her come to terms with his death and learn to deal with the loss. By Barbara Park.    Order

Missing May      Grades 5-8 
This is the story of how a young girl and her friend help her uncle to deal with the sudden death of his wife.  They learn that although they will always miss Aunt May,  their memories of her will help them get on with life. By  Cynthia Rylant.   Order

Morris Rumpel and the Wings of Icarus     Grades 4-6 
Morris visits his Grandparents, rides on an airplane and a horse for the first time, saves a family of peregrine falcons and becomes a hero. By Betty Waterton.    Order

My Dog's a Scaredy Cat    Grades 4-6
It's Halloween and hank Zipzer and his friends in the fifth grade plan revenge on Nick McKelty as they construct a haunted house. Order

My Mother's Ghost     Grades 6-9
The ghost of a young boy helps a family overcome their grief when they lose a child, by Margaret Buffie.   Order

Niagara Falls, or Does It?    Grades 4-6 
Henry Winkler, who is dyslexic, based the central character in this first of a series of novels, on some of his own experiences. By Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.    Order

Night         Grades 11-12
This biographical novel is about the horror of a Nazi concentration camp as seen through the eyes of a young boy.  He endures the loss of his family and witnesses the brutality and degradation of life in the camp.  The novel also contains a strong message about how such things can be avoide  in the future.  By Elie Weisel.   Order

Night I Flunked My Field Trip   (The )    Grades 4-6
More adventures with Hank Zipzer and his friends. The novel is set on a sailing ship with near disastrous results.  Order

No Talking      Grades 4-7
After reading about Mahatma Ghandi, Dave Packer begins a contest in his fifth grade classroom between the boys and the girls.  There is to be no talking but questions can be answered in three word sentences.  This turns a noisy class into a quiet one but the teachers reactions are quite surprising. Original novel by Andrew Clements.  Order

Notes From the Midnight Driver         Grades 6-9  
Following a car accident while drunk, seventeen year old Alex Gregory crashes on to a neighbors yard decapitating a garden gnome in the process.  At his court appearance he is sentenced to one hundred hours of community service and has to spend the time with an old man in a nursing home, with curious and unexpected results. By Jordan Sonnenblick.   Order

Nothing's Fair In Fifth Grade        Grades 5-8
When Elsie Edwards joins the fifth grade class she is ridiculed because she is very fat.  The situation worsens when money is stolen and Elsie is unfairly blamed.  Gradually the class realizes that Elsie is desperately unhappy and when they begin to see Elsie as a person with feelings and a desire to change she is accepted.
This novel shows that discrimination can take many forms and is always unfair.By Barthe DeClements.   Order

Number the Stars       Grades 4-6
Set in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, it tells how a girl and her family deal with life's daily difficulties, and save Jewish people from capture and transportation to concentration camps.  By Lois Lowry.    Order .

Olive's Ocean      Grades 5-8 
Following the death of a classmate, Martha  visits Nantucket with her family.  Here she develops a close relationship with her grandmother, experiences her first kiss and learns to accept acute embarrassment, her own mortality and that life brings constant changes.  By Kevin Henke.   Order

On A Canadian Day   Grades 5-8  
The book introduces nine fictional characters who tell about their life during important time periods in Canadian history ranging from a First Nations boy's first Buffalo hunt in 1680 to the adjustment necessary for a Vietnamese girl in 1970. By Rona Arato.     Order

Out of the Dark     Grades 6-9 
A novel that mixes Viking folk lore with a modern story, it tells how Ben's interest in a Viking village helps him to adjust to his family's move to Newfoundland.   By Welwyn Wilton Katz.   Order

Paddy's Pot of Gold    Grades 4-6
Brigid makes friends with a leprechaun who helps her to care for the animals by telling her of their needs.  After his death she is rewarded when she finds his pot of gold in her garden. By Dick King-Smith.   Order

Pelly    Grades 4-6
Pelly is the story of a young girl in western Canada who befriends a pelican.  This leads to problems as the pelican begins to depend on her for food and does not migrate for the winter.  Eventually with the help of her father she returns him the wild and sees him in his native habitat. By David Glaze.      Order

Phoenix Rising     Grades 5-9
Karen Hesse's story about a power plant accident and its effect on a fourteen year old girl.   Order

The Pinballs   Grades 5-8       
Three children who have been abused and abandoned find love in a caring foster home.  By  Betsy Byars.    Order

Pit Pony       Grades 4-6
The story of a young boy's life as a coal miner in the early 1900's by Joyce Barkhouse.   Order

Random Passage   Grades 5-8
The story revolves around the Andrews family who were exiled to Newfoundland and landed at Cape Random.   There was only one other family there, but through the process of the story, we see how the settlement grew amid trials and triumphs.  It is an exceptional look at life in the early days of Newfoundland's history.  Order

Robber and Me   (The )   Grades 5-8    
A mystery set in Nineteenth Century Germany tells the story of Boniface Shroll who is sent to live with a relative in a small village.  Here he has to overcome the small prejudices of the village people in order to tell the truth. By Joseph Holub.  Order

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry    Grades 5-8
The story of a family's struggle against racism and social injustice in rural Mississippi in the 1930's.   Order

Room One       Grades 4-6
Andrew Clements's novel about a school in a small Nebraska town with only ten students which is about to be closed down.  When Ted sees a face at the window of an abandoned farmhouse he thinks it would be a good idea for the family to move into town and increase the numbers of students at the school.   Order

Sarah, Plain and Tall       Grades 4-6
This is a story set in the late 19th century about love and family.  The novel tells how a widowed farmer advertises for a wife and the changes her arrival brings to his family.  An historical novel  that gives a clear picture of of pioneer life on a farm at that time.  By Patricia Maclachlan.  Order

Secret Life of a Ping-Pong Wizard  (The)       Grades 4-6
Hank Zipzer is now in Grade5. There is strong a strong emphasis on sports but Hank fails to make the soccer team due to his poor hand-eye coordination. He finds he is good at ping-pong but hesitates to tell his friends as they may not consider this a real sport. However, when his skills are revealed at a parade of athletes, his fears are overcome.   Order

Seedfolks        Grades 6-9
A collection of stories by Paul Fleischman about old and new immigrants living in an apartment building in Cleveland which has a vacant lot nearby where they start to plant a garden.  The whole novel shows that even working alone, people can make  difference to the world and society.  Order

Shiloh     Grades 4-6
Marty finds an abused dog and doesn't want to return it to its owner.  The story tells how he struggles with the ethics of hiding the dog and lying to his parents, and he eventually finds a way to solve these problems.  By Phylis Reynolds Taylor.  Order

Silverwing    Grades 6-9
Shade is a Silverwing bat. He is very small and teased about his size.  This leads him to want to see the sun, which results in a series of adventures and misadventures.  It is filled with examples of figurative language and provides an excellent opportunity to discuss different kinds of prejudice. By Kenneth Oppel.  Order

Sixth Grade Nickname Game   (The)       Grades 4-6
Gordon Korman's amusing story about an ex-football coach who becomes a teacher.   Order

Sky is Falling      (The )     Grades 7-9
Norah and her younger brother, Gavin, are evacuated from England during World War II and sent to Canada. The novel tells how they adjust to the new way of life. By Kit Pearson.  Order

  Snow Goose    (The)   Grades 9-12
Phillip Rhayader is shunned by society after being rejected because of a deformity.  He befriends Frith when she brings an injured snow goose to him.  During World War II when British soldiers are trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, Phillip makes many trips to help rescue them and is accompanied by the snow goose.  By Paul Gallico.  Order

Space Trap         Grades 5-7

A girl is trapped on a strange world where aliens are kidnapped for zoos.  She has to rescue her brother and sister and get them home safely.  By Monica Hughes.   Order

Stanley Yelnats Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake          Grades 4-6
Stanley's guide tells potential inmates how to survive Camp Green Lake, the juvenile detention facility, featured in the novel Holes.  Order

Stone Fox       Grades 4-6
This is the story of a young boy's efforts to save the family potato farm when his grandfather falls ill.  He takes part in a sled race which he wins in sad circumstances. By John Reynolds Gardiner.  Order

Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?      Grades 4-6
Hank Zipzer has to attend summer school.  He wants to take part in a magic show and his father agrees he can do this if his marks are satisfactory.  Hank works hard and in spite of some setbacks achieves his goal.   Order

Summer of the Swans      Grades 6-8
Teenage Sarah often feels discontented with her life.  One of her tasks is to care for her mentally handicapped brother.  She takes him to see the swans which fascinate him.  One day he wanders off and during the search for him she comes to understand that she does love and appreciate her family. By Betsy Byars.  Order

Sunwing        Grades 6-9
In this sequel to Silverwing, Shade continues to search for his father, finally rescuing him and bringing peace between the owls and the bats.  By Kenneth Oppel.   Order

Superfudge         Grades 4-6
The sequel to Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing tells how Peter copes with five year old Fudge, a new baby sister and relocation to Princeton.   Order

 Tale of Despereaux  (The)        Grades 4-6
The Newbery Medal winner for 2005 by Kate DiCamillo     Order 

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing      Grades 4-6
Judy Blume's humorous novel about how Peter Hatcher copes with the trials and tribulations of living with a younger brother.     Order

Taming the Star Runner      Grades 7-8

S.E. Hinton's novel about the difficulties a group of adolescents face and how they react to them.   Order

Ticket to Curlew        Grades 4-6
In 1915 a family moves from Iowa to Curlew, Alberta.  This novel tells how the family builds a home, survives a prairie winter and comes to terms with a new way of life.   By Celia Parker Lottridge.  Order

Time Cat          Grades 5-7
Lloyd Alexander's popular story of a cat who travels back in time to various places in the world.   Order

To Dance at the Palais Royale      Grades 7-9
The story of a Scottish immigrant to Canada as a domestic worker, and her coming of age.  By Janet McNaughton. Order

Torn Away   Grades 6-9
A young boy is caught up in the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. Caught by the police he is sent to his uncle's home on Vancouver Island where he adjusts to a new way of life. Order

Touching Spirit Bear      Grades 7-9
Cole Mathews seems destined for a life of violent crime.  After injuring a classmate he is sentenced by the native Council of Justice to live on a deserted island for a year where he gradually learns to take responsibility for his actions.   By Ben Mikaelson.   Order

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle   (The )       Grades 5-8

The story of a thirteen year old girl's adventures, as she joins the crew in a mutiny against the ship's Captain, when she travels from England to Rhode Island aboard the Seahawk in 1832.  By Avi.    Order

Tuck Everlasting  Grades 4-6
The Tuck family have a spring of water that gives everlasting life.  When an outsider discovers it, they have to convince her that it should be kept a secret. By Natalie Babbitt.    Order

Underground to Canada     Grades 6-8
Two slave girls escape from a plantation in the southern states and overcome many difficulties as they make their way to Canada using the underground  railway. By Barbara Smucker.

 Order

Vancouver Nightmare        Grades 4-6
Another Tom Austen mystery set in Vancouver   by Eric Wilson   Order

Walk Two Moons      Grades 7-9
A young girl searches for answers following her mother's death.  There is also a parallel story of Phoebe whose mother leaves the family, but later returns.  By Sharon Creech.   Order

 Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963   (The)       Grades 6-8
This story is about a family living in Flint, Michigan. It begins humorously telling about the escapades of two young brothers. The parents concerned about their behavior decide to take them to stay with Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama. The novel develops a serious tone when it uses the historical event of the bombing of the Eleventh Street Baptist Church which killed four girls.  By Christopher Paul Curtis.     Order

 War of the Eagles   (The)    Grades 6-9
Eric Walters' story about a young boy growing up in British Columbia in the 1940's. He learns to deal with racism, world conflict and to be proud of his cultural heritage.  Order

We All Fall Down        Grades 5-9
Will is visiting his father who works in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  The novel tells how they escape from the South Tower after the plane crash, and how this event changed their relationship and increases their understanding of each other.  By Eric Walters.  Order

Wednesday Wars  (The)         Grades 6-8
Set in the 1960's this Newbery Honor Winner, by Gary D. Schmidt, tells of a boy's growing maturity as he tells of his problems at school and home, the political events of the time and a growing enjoyment of William Shakespeare's plays. Order

What's a serious Detective Like Me Doing in Such a Silly Movie?  Grades 4-6
Stevie Diamond solves a murder mystery while working as an extra  on a film set. A novel written by Linda Bailey.   Order

Which Way Freedom?             Grades 6-8   
The story of Obi, a young slave, who decides to make a break for freedom, even if it costs him his life.   Order

White Jade Tiger     Grades 5-7
As Jasmine travels through time to help a young Chinese boy find his father, she learns about her own history.  By Julie Lawson.  Order

Whittington       Grades 4-6
A retelling of the English folktale, Dick Whittington and His Cat.  A battered tomcat tells the story of his namesake Dick Whittington to an audience of a group of animals that live in a barn and two orphaned children Abby and Ben.  Dick Whittington's trials mirror those of Ben, who overcomes dyslexia and learns to read. By Alan Armstrong.   Get This Novel Study FREE!!

Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!    Grades 4-6
In the thirteenth book of the series Hank learns that his mother is pregnant, and decides to practice being a big brother by buying a pet.  When he chooses a tarantula for a pet not everyone is pleased.  Order

Wild children   (The )     Grades 8-10
Alex, whose family have been taken away by the communists following civil war in Russia in 1917, finds a home with a group of homeless children.  He learns that in spite of oppression, poverty and hunger, goodness and kindness still exist. By Felice Holman.   Order

Willow and Twig  Grades 6-8
Abandoned by their mother, ten year old Willow and her four year old brother go to live with their grandmother.  The novel tells of their adjustment to this new life and a sense of security that neither has experienced before. By Jean Little.   Order

Wings to Fly      Grades 4-6
In this sequel to Ticket to Curlew eleven year old Josie helps a new friend adjust to prairie life and begins to think about her future. By Celia Parker Lottridge.  Order

Winter Room  (The )     Grades 6-8
Two boys growing up on a farm in Minnesota in the early years of the Twentieth Century listen to stories of the past told by their uncle.  By Garry Paulsen.    Order

Zippety Zinger (The)          Grades 4-6
Hank Zipzer loves baseball but lacks skills. However, one day he wears his sisters lucky monkey sock with surprising results.    Order

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