Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. This book “and its cousins (Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great…follow Peter Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudgie, baby sister Tootsie, their neighbor Sheila Tubman, various pets, and minor characters through New York City and on treks to suburbs and camps. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first of these entertaining yarns. Peter, because he's the oldest, must deal with Fudgie's disgusting cuteness, his constant meddling with Peter's stuff, and other grave offenses, one of which is almost too much to bear.” Synopsis quoted from www.Amazon.com Picklemania! Jerry Spinelli. “Plumstead Middle School is full of secret plans. Eddie is on a mission to bulk up—he's sick of being the skinniest, scrawniest, runtiest kid in school. Sunny is plotting something that will keep the school bullies from ever bothering her again. Salem is trying to figure out who sent her that mysterious valentine message....And Pickles has been building his greatest invention yet—and it’s almost time to unveil it.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

TroubleMaker by Andrew Clements. “There’s a folder in Principal Kelling’s office that’s as thick as a phonebook and it’s growing daily. It’s filled with the incident reports of every time Clayton Hensley broke the rules. There’s the minor stuff like running in the hallways….But then there are also reports that show Clay’s own brand of troublemaking, like the most recent addition: the art teacher has said that the class should spend the period drawing anything they want and Clay decides to be extra “creative” and draw a spot-on portrait of Principal Kellings…as a donkey….” Synopsis quoted www.Amazon.com

Scary Stories Treasury by Alvin Schwartz. Schwartz's three best-selling collections of scary folklore—Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3—are made available in one book, each one in its complete form. Reviews "A wonderful collection of tales that range from creepy to silly to haunting. ...Gammell's drawings add just the right touch..." -- Jon Scieszka, Entertainment Weekly "Guaranteed to make your teeth chatter and your spine tingle." -- School Library Journal "Read these if you dare." -- The New York Times Synopsis quoted from www.Amazon.com

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. “In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.” Review "A marvelous reworking of old stories that manages to be fresh, frightening, funny and humane." --The Wall Street Journal "Gidwitz is terrifying and funny at the same time. His storytelling is so assured that it's hard to believe this is his debut novel. And his treatment of the Grimms' tales is a whole new thing." --School Library Journal, Starred Review Synopsis quoted from www.Amazon.com

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. “…[T]he book opens with a scary scene—a family is stabbed to death by "a man named Jack”... The sole survivor of the attack—an 18-month-old baby—escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody ("Bod"), and allow him to live in their tomb….Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Hothead by Cal Rikpken, Jr. “Connor Sullivan is an All-Star shortstop on his Babe Ruth League team, the Orioles. He can hit and field with the best of them, but he's got one big problem: his temper. When he strikes out or makes an error, he's a walking Mt. Vesuvius, slamming batting helmets and throwing gloves.… When the sports editor of the school paper threatens to do a big story on his tantrums - complete with embarassing photos - Connor realizes he has to clean up his act. But can he do it in time to regain his teammates' trust and help the Orioles win the championship against the best team in the league?” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Roberto & Me by Dan Gutman. “When Stosh travels into the past to meet Roberto Clemente, a legendary ballplayer and a beloved humanitarian, he's got only one goal: warning Roberto not to get on the doomed plane that will end his life in a terrible crash. In the sixties, Stosh meets free-spirited Sunrise, and together they travel across the country to a ball game that leaves them breathless—and face-to-face with Roberto. But when the time comes for Stosh to return to the future, he finds that the adventure has only just begun. Join Stosh and Sunrise on a journey that will take you into the past, from the excitement of Woodstock to a life-changing encounter with Roberto Clemente—and into a surprising future!” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com The Final Cut by Fred Bowen. “Four friends who share a love of basketball have to go through tryouts for the school team. Slowly it becomes clear that they may not all make the team.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

The Name of this Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. “When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician's diary and the hunt for immortality. Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won't stay secret for long.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery “For generations the curse had hung over the Baskerville family. Now another life had been claimed by the mysterious and terrifying beast. Was it a demon or an animal lurking on the desolate moor? Would the new master of the Baskerville home be its next victim? Sherlock Holmes and Watson set out to solve the most bewildering and bloodcurdling case of their careers in this world-famous classic of mystery and suspense.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick “Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. “In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. “Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Treasure Islandhas enthralled (and caused slight seasickness) for decades. The names Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With it's dastardly plot and motley crew of rogues and villains, it seems unlikely that children will ever say no to this timeless classic.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com Scorpia Rising: An Alex Rider Mission by Anthony Horowitz “Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parents, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how best to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now. The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke “Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. “It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger…. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. “Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart—such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong…” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com Geronimo Stilton, Secret Agent by Geronimo Stilton. “My sister, Thea, is the mystery-loving rodent, not me! But somehow I found myself going undercover to get to the bottom of a case. Slimy Swiss balls -- I hardly knew where to start! Geronimo Stilton, Secret Agent Mouse? Maybe I could get used to that. . . .” Who Is Geronimo Stilton? “That’s me! I run a newspaper, but my true passion is writing adventure stories….My stories are funny, fa-mouse-ly funny. They are whisker-licking-good tales, and that’s a promise.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. “‘Everyone take out your spelling books," said Mrs. Jewls. "It's time for arithmetic." Sue is so excited for her first day at Wayside School. But things at Wayside are far from normal-and Sue's teacher, Mrs. Jewls, is completely wacky. She expects the students to add and subtract words! Sue has never heard of anything so ridiculous. She knows adding apples plus oranges is impossible...or is it? Anything can happen at Wayside School.” Synopsis from www.Amazon.com Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka. How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead. Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit. Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

London Eye Mystery by Siobahn Dowd Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye, but after half an hour it landed and everyone trooped off—except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners, since the police are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery. Synopsis from www.Amazon.com

“After reading this book, I guarantee that you will never visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or any wonderful, old cavern of a museum) without sneaking into the bathrooms to look for Claudia and her brother Jamie. They're standing on the toilets, still, hiding until the museum closes and their adventure begins. Such is the impact of timeless novels . . . they never leave us. E. L. Konigsburg won the 1967 Newbery Medal for this tale of how Claudia and her brother run away to the museum in order to teach their parents a lesson. Little do they know that mystery awaits!” Synopsis from Amazon.com