Fish in a Tree

1. Ally doesn’t fit in. She draws beautifully and can create movies in her mind, but she is often bullied and hides the fact that she cannot read. Now in her seventh school, she plans to pull the wool over the eyes of her sixth-grade teacher, as she has done with many other teachers in the past. But Mr. Daniels is different. He believes in Ally, insisting she is smart, and it’s almost enough to make her want to try his different way of learning. Could she actually, possibly learn to read? Fish in a Tree Hunt, Lynda Mullaly

2.  "A...novel about the effects of trauma on the mind of an eleven-year-old girl. ... I don't know if you've ever seen a house burn, but it's not like anything else ... Clem Timmins has lost it all--her house, possessions and clothes. Now living in a tiny flat with her dad, she has to go to a new school far from what she knows. On her first day, Clem meets Ellie. To fit in, Clem reveals a secret and immediately regrets sharing too much with her new friend. How can Clem face everything in her life when all she wants to do is run away. The Secrets We Keep Weetman,Nova

3. Annabelle is plagued by intense and violent bullying by new girl Betty-until Betty goes missing. The prime suspect is a local World War I vet and resident oddball, Toby. Annabelle knows Toby is innocent and sets out to prove it. Prejudice is not sugarcoated; Wolk displays deep respect for readers and trusts them to grapple with complex moral themes. Wolf Hollow Wolk,Lauren

4. "Twelve-year-old Lily Pruitt loves her grandparents, but she doesn't love the circus-and the circus is their life. She's perfectly happy to stay with her father, away from her neglectful mother and her grandfather's beloved elephant, Queenie Grace. Then Grandpa Bill dies, and both Lily and Queenie Grace are devastated. When Lily travels to Florida for the funeral, she keeps her distance from the elephant. But the two are mourning the same man-and form a bond born of loss. And when Queenie Grace faces danger, Lily must come up with a plan to help save her friend"- One Amazing Elephant High,Oatman Linda

5. Mystery buffs and fans of Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" series are in for a treat. Protagonist Florian uses a special technique he calls T.O.A.S.T. (Theory of All Small Things) to solve mysteries. The technique enables Florian to draw conclusions based on noticing tiny details. Florian has just moved with his family to Washington, DC. He has never had many friends before. When he meets Margaret, the girl who lives next door, she is intrigued and fascinated by T.O.A.S.T. and begs Florian to teach it to her. When they go to the National Gallery of Art so Florian can teach her his method, they discover details that may be linked to the theft of three paintings. FRAMED ! A T.O.A.S.T.Mystery Ponti,James

6. Thirteen-year-old Chess and his friends Hazel, Bea, and Swedish sail their rickety air raft over the deadly Fog, scavenging the ruins for anything they can sell to survive. But now survival isn't enough. They must risk everything to get to the miraculous city of Port Oro, the only place where their beloved Mrs. E can be cured of fogsickness. Yet the ruthless Lord Kodoc is hot on their trail, for Chess has a precious secret, one that Kodoc is desperate to use against him. Now Chess will face any danger to protect his friends, even if it means confronting what he fears the most. The Fog Diver Ross,Joel

7. Everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father… Story Thieves Riley, James

8. When a freak lightning strike kills all adults on the island just a day after Jonathan arrives, he convinces the other boys to stay, free from adult interference. They call themselves the Scars, unable to be picked off and thrown away like the scabs of society. When tough guy Sebastian declares himself the leader and becomes a punitive dictator, Jonathan and the other boys who oppose Sebastian find themselves in danger. A storm threatens to sink the island, and Jonathan must confront his troubled past and become the leader the Scars need to survive. Scar Island Gemeinhart,Dan

9. When Daniel's father loses his job as an executive, his family is forced to move from their comfortable Connecticut home to a run-down house in Brewster's Hill, MA. As if moving to a dilapidated house and leaving behind all his friends is not enough, no one in Brewster's Hill will speak to Daniel or his little sister Erica, except to tell them scary stories about a girl who disappeared from their house and an old witch who haunts the woods with her monster Bloody Bones. Thankfully, Daniel and Erica have each other, and they do their best to ignore the cruel taunting. However Erica begins to withdraw, acting strange and constantly talking to her doll, before she disappears leaving Daniel to rescue her and keep his family from falling apart. Took: A Ghost Story Hahn,Downing Mary

10. Jake Atlas and his family embark somewhat gloomily on a trip to Egypt. His mother and father are their usual quiet and dull selves – which is a little strange considering they are Egyptology professors headed for their place of expertise. His Goth twin sister Pan is disdainfully silent, and Jake… well Jake just can’t seem to help causing trouble. This time though, the trouble immerses his whole family in an extraordinary adventure and turns their lives upside down. Things begin to look up once they arrive in Cairo; mum seems to come alive, there is a spark in her eyes and even Pan can’t quite hide her interest in the ancient city. It may just be that this trip will help bring the family closer which is what Jake is hoping for. And it certainly does, but not in the way he thinks. . Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake Jones,Rob Lloyd

11. World War II has ravaged England, including the homes on Mulberry Road. Ten-year-old Barney and his mother are headed out to the country to Aunty Mavis's home with all they have left in the world inside their luggage. A stranger boards the train and takes the seat across from them. After some small talk, the train begins to trudge forward, and they settle in for the ride. Suddenly, a German fighter plane surges from the sky and attacks the train. With the rat-a-tat of bullets pelting the train, the conductor races down the track toward a tunnel. As he slams on the brakes, everyone is plunged into total darkness. Barney, being afraid of the dark, starts to panic. The stranger dispels the boy's fears with a small box of matches. He has four and will light them only when Barney feels he needs the light. An Eagle in the Snow Morpurgo,Michael

12. Luna lives in a swamp. It didn't used to be a swamp. Back in Granny Tu's time, it was a lovely flowing river, filled with sprites and fairies and magic where all of the people of the village were happy. Now the fairies are gone and the magic has turned dark and there is a sickness in the water. Or so they say. Luna doesn't believe a word of it. She only believes what she can see and touch and hear. When Luna's beloved younger sister, Willow, falls into the swamp and catches the river sickness, Luna's family is torn asunder. Willow has three weeks until she wastes away and dies, just like their father did years earlier. Luna's brave journey to save her sister takes her to places her mother told her never to go and to the very heart of the dark magic. A Nearer Moon Crowder,Melanie

13. Noah's the quiet type, which makes him a great friend for Veronica. She chats. He listens. She gabs. He nods. Perfect! So when Veronica spots Noah getting teased, she decides that if he won't speak up for himself, she will! What she doesn't expect is that the teasing will turn on her -- and her sense of style. Veronica's so embarrassed that she agrees to a mega Makeover from Cora, the Queen of Cute. When this only makes the name-calling worse, Veronica and Noah know just who to call for back-up: the one-and-only problem-solving team, the Fix-It Friends! Sticks and Stones Kear,Nicole C

14. Four modern-day Boston tweens each receive a mysterious yellow envelope promising them "a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience": the chance to time travel to 1863 and photograph President Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. Things don't go quite as smoothly as planned, however, and the four find themselves knee-deep in an adventure wilder than they could have imagined. Flashback Four: The Lincoln Project Gutman, Dan

15. Nikel and his sister Flora are caught in a blizzard. Left in a car by their mother, who went to get help and did not return, they are saved by Teddy; it's a heroic act for a human but all the more impressive for a dog. Teddy was once rescued himself, taken from a shelter by a poet named Sylvan, who surrounded him with words and read him Shakespeare, James Joyce, and C.S. Lewis, as well as his favorite book, Donald Hall's Ox-Cart Man. Though Teddy comprehends words, only poets and children can understand the canine. Nikel, Flora, and Teddy spend several days together at the dog's cabin while the blizzard rages on, and Teddy tells the children about his life with Sylvan and how Sylvan recently passed away. The Poet’s Dog MacLachlan,Patricia

16. The boy, (we don’t learn his name until the end of the book) is called what’s his name by the terrible Gertag. He has mastered the art of being invisible. This ability is raised a notch when he literally becomes unseen as his skin and clothes change, and he becomes what he is closest to at the time of his fear. His father left him and his mum when he was three. His dad’s reason for leaving was his own fear, and the shame that came with it. The boy longs to find him, and thinks about him constantly. This abandonment appears to be the cause of the boy’s shyness, sadness and his inability to make friends. The Unforgettable What’s His Name Jennings, Paul

17. After a tragic accident leaves her younger sister Robin hospitalized, 12-year-old Sarah must move in with her grandparents. Miss Irene is Granny's neighbor and friend, and her granddaughter Ruby Lee has been Sarah's best friend since she can remember. The trouble is, Sarah is white and Ruby Lee is black-and it's 1969 in North Carolina. The local school will be integrated this year, and the first black teacher has been hired. Tension is high in the tiny town of Shady Creek. Forced to leave her home and start over on her grandparents' farm, Sarah must come to grips with her guilt about her sister, her anger and confusion about Ruby Lee, and the uncertainty of relationships among whites and blacks in the rural South. Ruby Lee & Me Hitchcock,Shannon

18. Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only asBlarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Qu∫ the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack's crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! After a The Last Kids on Earth Braillier, Max

19. The Bass family are facing financial ruin and, unless they can turn this reluctant racehorse into a winner, they will have to leave their beloved dairy farm. Noble Warrior refuses to run without his trusty pony-pal at his side: problematic for a racehorse. But Charlie and her family work together as a team to get him ready for the race of his life. With its terrific cast of characters – both human and animal – this is a heart-warming tale that will appeal to young readers. It’s impossible not to be cheering for Charlie and Noble Warrior by the end. The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop Balding,Clare/Ross ,Tony