At the end of the last school year I got to go to a local elementary school for a
booktalk. It was lots of fun and...I got to do it AGAIN!
The class is made up of 3rd-5th grade advanced readers. This time around my fellow librarian and I each brought 12 titles to share with the kids...okay, well I brought 13. Lucky 13! I just couldn't cut any of them! Here are the books I couldn't wait to share!
A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park
Salva is just a normal boy living in Sudan in 1985 - he goes to school, helps his family with their cattle, and spends time with friends. Then one day, his school is attacked by soldiers and Salva's teacher sends the boys running into the bush to hide themselves. This starts off many years of running and living in refugee camps for Salva. He is one of the lost boys of Sudan, a boy who has lost everyone and still manages to walk hundreds of miles across unforgiving terrain to safety in the camps. Salva's story is told alongside the story of a young girl living in modern day Sudan. Her family's biggest problem is water. They follow the water all year long, sometimes water that is mostly mud. Until the day two men come to their village and offer to help.
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, Barry Deutsch
Mirka is a spunky, troll fighting, fast talking, orthodox Jewish girl. She lives in the small community, Hereville, and dreams of adventure. Mirka's step mother wants her to focus on useful tasks (like knitting), her sister wants her to be mindful of the husband she will one day have, and her brother just tells her not to do things all the time. Mirka just wants to fight dragons, but first she needs a sword.
Gen is the greatest thief in the world, just ask him. When he brags that he can steal the King’s seal from right under the nose of his closest advisor, he is overheard by the wrong people. He is caught and jailed, kept alone in a cell and chained to the wall. Then one day, the very advisor who he had stolen from, takes him out of prison and offers him a deal. If Gen can pull off an impossible heist, he’ll be free, if not, he’ll be dead.
Rosa is a child of the Mills - she goes to a Mill school, her mother and older sister work in the Mills, and her father died in them. Her mother and sister get caught up in the Bread and Roses strike and soon Rosa is fearing for their lives. With no money coming in and less food than ever, Rosa also starts to worry that she'll be sent away. Meanwhile, Jake is a boy who works in the Mills to support himself and to keep away from his abusive father. Jake too finds himself in the middle of the strike, but as one of the workers.
Peter Schock has been sent away to the English countryside and he isn’t very happy about it. He soon befriends Kate Dyer, whose father is a brilliant scientist, studying anti-gravity. When Peter and Kate come across one of Dr. Dyer's inventions, they find themselves suddenly transported back in time to 1763. There they meet Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentleman. Gideon is on the run from the Tar Man, a villain who has stolen Dr. Dyer's invention and Kate and Peter’s only way home. This story is told from the perspectives of Kate and Peter, but also their parents in the 21st century as they search for their children.
Terrier, Tamora Pierce
Sixteen year old Becka Cooper was born in the lower city and earned her way into the home of the Lord Provost, a high ranking official. From there she trained hard to become one of the Provost's Guards, a Dog. Her first year of training is her Puppy year, but Becka already has what it takes to be a full fledged Dog. She is smart, dedicated, and has a little extra ability to help her out. Becka hears the voices of the dead in a most unusual fashion. Pigeons carry uneasy spirits and these spirits speak to Becka, telling her about their life and death. Through these voices she is able to find out things about crimes that other Dogs cannot. Her fellow trainees and Dogs call her the Terrier because once she gets her teeth into a mystery she won’t let go.
Airman, Eoin Colfer
Conor Broekhart was born flying. He knows it’s his destiny to fly again and devotes much of his time to studying flight with his tutor. His life on the Saltee Islands is a happy one until the day he uncovers a plot to overthrow the king. When he tries to expose the plot, he’s called a traitor and imprisoned. As an inmate, Conor must face horrible conditions to mine diamonds, all the while knowing his friends and family are in danger and that he is innocent.
We all know how Wendy, John, and Michael got to Neverland, but did you ever wonder how Peter Pan did? This series introduces readers to Peter before he became the flying boy who wouldn’t grow up. A group of orphan boys set sail on the Never Land for an island ruled by an evil king. Their ship doesn’t just carry orphans, it also has some very precious cargo that will take them on the adventure of a lifetime and turn a boy into a legend.
Mr. Zip has arranged for a game to be played all around an incredibly valuable item, he sends it out into the world, but before the game can start, he dies of a heart attack. The man transporting the box realizes that he has something he can use for his own gain, but then his truck, with the box inside, is stolen. Soon the box ends up in the hands of Zoomy, a 12 year old boy with a very unique way of looking at the world. Zoomy feels a connection to the item inside the box and starts investigating the history behind it, but all the while the mysterious man is still out there, searching for the box.
Mary Lou Finney is not excited about her summer school assignment. She has to keep a journal of her summer and her life is not interesting enough to make that any fun. Then her cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family and her best friend gets a little nuts. Then there’s Alex Cheevey, a sweet boy who starts to make her summer a lot more interesting. Now Mary Lou’s biggest problem is that her teacher might actually read her journal!
Tanya has a problem, she's being bullied...by fairies. They wake her up at night to pester and torment her, but no one else can see them. Her mother thinks she would benefit from spending some time away. Tanya finds herself at her Grandmother's home, an old English manor that's covered in ivy, surrounded by forests, and teeming with fairies. She is soon thrust into a years old mystery, discovering secrets about her own past, and making friends with some very unlikely people.
When Jane Goodall was a little girl she decided she wanted to know how a chicken laid an egg. She went out to her family’s hen house and waiting patiently for four hours to see how the task was accomplished. When she finally came out, it had gotten dark and her family was frantically searching for her - thus starting her long career as a naturalist. Jane was sent to the Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania by Dr. Louis Leaky in 1957 to study the chimpanzees there.
Set in our future, after global warming has raised sea levels to the point of cutting off huge chunks of land, Dark Life tells the story of the first sub sea settlers. Ty was the first baby to be born and raised sub sea. As such, there are several things about him that are entirely unique to his living situation. Due to the amount of bio luminescent fish he eats, Ty's skin has a permanent shimmer, he's extremely sensitive to sunlight, but most of all, seemingly has the ability to see even in the darkest depths of the ocean. When Ty meets Gemma, a "topsider" from the remaining world above, she sets in motion events that will change his life forever.
The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
Bread and Roses Too, Katherine Paterson 
Gideon the Cutpurse, Linda Buckley-Archer
Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson 
The Danger Box, Blue Balliett
Absolutely Normal Chaos, Sharon Creech 
13 Treasures, Michelle Harrison
The Chimpanzees I Love, Jane Goodall 
Dark Life, Kat Falls
