MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

The Lucky Ones - Greenwillow, 2008
A coming-of-age novel set on a private island off the coast of Long Island in the 1960s.

Sophie Hartley on Strike
Clarion, 2006
ISBN 978-0-618-71960-0
After their mother comes up with a list of household chores for everyone, Sophie and Nora feel as if their brothers have fewer chores to do and go on strike. When Thad and John find out, they go on strike, too. It's up to Sophie to negotiate the hilarious family-wide feud.

Awards:
Junior Library Guild Premier Selection

Queen Sophie Hartley
Clarion, 2005
ISBN 978-0618494613
A suggestion from her mother leads Sophie to befriend the new girl at school, and an elderly, grouchy woman, and helps her overcome the feeling that she is not good at anything other than "crying" and "stopping crying." She also gains some insight into the uneven behavior of her older sister Nora.

Awards
2006 ALA Notable Book; Junior Library Guild Selection

Falling Into Place
Clarion, 2002
ISBN 978-0618177448 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-618-68928-6 (paperback)
As eleven-year-old Margaret struggles to find a way of coping with the hassles of a new stepfamily, she learns that her Gran is facing similar concerns after moving to a retirement community and becoming a widow. Margaret takes charge of the situation with hilarious, yet poignant, results for both her and Gran.

Awards
Junior Library Guild Selection; South Carolina Children's Choice nominee 2005-2006

CHAPTER BOOKS

Christmas at Stony Creek
illustrated by Chris Sheban
Greenwillow, 2007
ISBN 978-0061214868
It's almost Christmas. Pipsqueak wishes she could spend the days at the pond, then curl up in front of a glowing fire with her family. But Papa has gone away to search for food and hasn't come back. Pip is worried. What will they eat for Christmas dinner? How can they celebrate without Papa? Pip knows she must do something. And braveness starts with a single step.

Owen Foote, Mighty Scientist
illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith
Clarion, 2004
ISBN 978-0618430161
Third-grade best friends Owen and Joseph struggle to come up with a great science fair project that they will both enjoy doing; then something goes wrong and they have to change their plans two days before the fair. They're awarded a first-ever purple ribbon for their efforts.

Awards
South Carolina Children's Choice nominee; Young Hoosier Master List finalist 2006-2007; 2007 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Nominee; Junior Library Guild Selection.

Owen Foote, Super Spy
illustrated by Martha Weston
Clarion, 2001
ISBN 978-0618117529 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0618551590 (paperback)
Owen and his friends decide that spying on the principal at his own home will be a fun challenge. That is, until the principal - an ex-Marine - catches them at it and hands them an unusual punishment.

Awards
Junior Library Guild Selection; 2006 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Master List

Owen Foote, Money Man
illustrated by Martha Weston
Clarion, 2000
ISBN 978-0618023691 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0618378371 (paperback)
Ingenious eight-year-old Owen wants to make money for those things he absolutely needs, like plastic vomit, but he tries to come up with some alternatives to making an allowance, which sounds like too much work.

Awards
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; Junior Library Guild Selection

Owen Foote, Frontiersman
illustrated by Martha Weston
Clarion, 1999
ISBN 978-0395615782 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0618551590 (paperback)
Second-grader Owen Foote is looking forward to spending time with his friend Joseph in their tree fort until some bullies visiting his neighbor, Mrs. Gold, threaten to wreck the fort. Using everything he's learned from Daniel Boone and his life in the woods, Owen shows the boys a thing or two.

Awards
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Bank Street College Best Book of the Year; Children's Choice nominee: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina

Owen Foote, Soccer Star
illustrated by Martha Weston
Clarion, 1997
ISBN 978-0395861431 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0618130559 (paperback)
When eight-year-old Owen and his best friend, Joseph, join a neighborhood soccer league, they not only face a test of their game skills but also of their friendship. Owen not only learns what loyalty means, but that if he and Joseph and the whole team stand together, it's a winning combination.

Owen Foote, Second Grade Strongman
illustrated by Dee DeRosa
Clarion Books, 1996
ISBN 987-0395720981 (hardcover)
ISBN 987-0618130542 (paperback)
Owen, a second-grader who's being teased for his small size, discovers that his friend Joseph is just as concerned about being overweight and they share their feeling of being humiliated by the school nurse. When Owen sticks up for Joseph, problems ensue. But it's nothing that Owen, in his inimitable fashion, can't handle.

Show and Tell
Clarion Books, 1998
ISBN 978-0395888988 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0439145534 (paperback)
When second-grader Woody brings his dead fish to show-and-tell, Miss Plunkett, the new student teacher, sends him in out into the hall in disgrace. That, on top of Woody having to spend his afternoons with Ethan, the lonely new boy across the street, gives Woody a few things he has to learn to cope with.

EARLY READERS

The Show-Off: Moose and Hildy Series
Illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Marshall Cavendish, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5374-1
Hildy's cousin Winston is gifted. When he arrives for a visit and bores all her friends by bragging about his intelligence, it takes some wise help from Moose to set things right.

Pig Pickin': Moose and Hildy Series
illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Marshall Cavendish, 2006
ISBN 978-0-7614-5324-6
When she is invited to a "pig pickin'," Hildy believes it is a contest to pick the prettiest pig and she hurries down south to enter, accompanied by her good friend Moose, who soon discovers how wrong she is.

Awards
Junior Library Guild Selection; Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award nominee

Moose Crossing: Moose and Hildy series
illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Marshall Cavendish, 2005
ISBN 978-80761452331
Moose gets a swelled head when a "Moose Crossing" sign is put up near his house. He thinks it's meant for him, while his best friend Hildy disagrees. A fractured friendship, noisy tourists, and more fans than even Moose hoped for, turn out to be exhausting. It's up to Moose to get rid of them.

Awards
Best Children's Book of the Year, Bank Street College; Junior Library Guild Selection; Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Honor Book

Moose's Big Idea (Moose and Hildy series)
illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Marshall Cavendish, 2004
ISBN 978-07611452126
Moose, who is good at drawing and making doughnuts, is upset when he loses his antlers, but his funny encounters with a hunter help them both gain self-respect.

Awards
Junior Library Guild Selection