April Reader’s Choice: Youth-Recommended Reads
DB104497 BR23819 Billy Miller Makes a Wish by Kevin Henkes
Annotation: On his eighth birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. Not one of his wishes is answered the way he expects, but he does have lots of surprises–and the final one is possibly the best one ever. Companion to The Year of Billy Miller (BR 20399). For grades 2-4.
DB102497 Unplugged by Gordon Korman
Annotation: Wealthy and spoiled Jett is miserable at an electronics-free wellness camp that he is sent to. But things look up as he leads a group of campers on a mission to try to stop a criminal. For grades 3-6.
DB104348 DB114907 JBR Llo Allergic by Megan Wagner
Annotation: Hoping to adopt a pet to find a sense of belonging in her busy family, Maggie discovers that she is severely allergic to anything with fur and tries to find a pet to love anyway. For grades 3-6.
DB103107 The Chance to Fly by Ali Sroker and Stacy Davidowitz
Annotation: After moving across the country, thirteen-year-old Natalie auditions for the community theater’s play and overcomes her fears and insecurities about performing in a wheelchair. For grades 3-6
DB123055 The Year of the Buttered Cat: a Mostly True Story by Susan Hass and Lexi Haas
Annotation: “A memoir from the point of view of a girl growing up with a severe form of cerebral palsy and preparing for an experimental surgery to address her condition.” For grades 3-6.
DB102242 JBR Hol The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
Annotation: Bell has spent his whole life–all eleven years of it–on Mars. When a virus breaks out in their colony and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. For grades 3-6.
DB110915 JBR Had JLT Had The Secret Letters by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Annotation: “When Colin finds a shoebox full of letters hidden in a stranger’s attic, he knows he’s supposed to throw them away. That’s his summer job, getting rid of junk. But Colin wants to rescue the letters–and find out what really happened to best friends Rosemary and Toby way back in the 1970s. Meanwhile, across town, Nevaeh also finds a mysterious letter. But this one reads like a confession to a crime. And Nevaeh knows her father, the Junk King, expects her to join the rest of the family in blaming a single suspect: his business rival, Colin’s mom.” Grades 4-7.
DB94644 JBR Had The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Annotation: In a story told in separate voices, Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone investigate why their mother went missing and uncover their family ties to an alternate world. For grades 5-8
DB104738 Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones
Annotation: Rosie and Baker need to keep up the illusion that their Great-Grammy is alive before the Grim Hesper takes away the only home they have ever known. For grades 4-7.
DB104330 The Accidental Invasion by Gregory Mone
Annotation: Fourteen-year-old Kaya, of the undersea, high-tech world of Atlantis, and twelve-year-old Lewis, of the climate-threatened world above water, embark on a dangerous adventure when Lewis enters Kaya’s realm. For grades 4-7.
DB899423 DB102931 JBR Slo The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Annotation: Missing her mother, who has returned to Turkey to resolve an immigration problem, Sila welcomes a big distraction in her life when she helps a surprising new friend rescue a circus elephant. For grades 4-7.
DB106044 Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen
Annotation: Memoir of the award-winning author of Hatchet (DB 30535), Paulsen’s survival stories reflect the experiences of his turbulent childhood. Paulsen recounts these significant events in his life in five sections: the farm, the river, the ship, thirteen, and soldier. For grades 6-9.
