Grade: 5

Extraordinary art and short, poetic phrases in this picture book for older readers show how a young soldier feels as he waits for battle in a forest in Vietnam. Readers’ hearts will beat quickly as the soldier anticipates an encounter with the enemy. Is the enemy the old man? the young woman? the farmer? the crying baby? When he is finally face-to-face with the enemy, they stare at each other in surprise and fright. Grifalconi’s collages enhance this poignant story that readers will find hard to forget.

In this action-packed finale to the Starcatchers series, Peter and Molly find themselves in the dangerous land of Rundoon, ruled by an evil king who enjoys watching his pet snake consume those who displease him. But that’s just the beginning of problems facing our heroes, who once again find themselves pitted against the evil shadow-creature Lord Ombra in a struggle to save themselves, not to mention the planet. It’s a wild desert adventure, with rockets, carpets, and camels all flying through the air, zooming toward an unforgettable climax…

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is PippiLongstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another!

There’s trouble at the Castle, and it’s all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?

Queste, like all the books in the Septimus Heap series, is filled with nonstop action, humor, and fantastical adventure as Septimus continues his journey of Magykal self-discovery.

“I felt the strike. There was stunning pain from the instant the twin fangs pierced the soft, fleshy side of my hand,” writes the author in this gripping account of how she was bitten by a rattle-snake at age nine. Fortunately, her history with snakes does not end badly. She was treated successfully for the bite, and a year later, she observed Hopi Indian “snake dancers” handling dangerous live rattlers.

In 1966 Ji–li Jiang turned twelve. An outstanding student and leader, she had everything: brains, the admiration of her peers, and a bright future in China’s Communist Party. But that year China’s leader, Mao Ze–dong, launched the Cultural Revolution, and everything changed. Over the next few years Ji–li and her family were humiliated and scorned by former friends, neighbors, and co–workers. They lived in constant terror of arrest. Finally, with the detention of her father, Ji–li faced the most difficult choice of her life. Told with simplicity and grace, this is the true story of one family’s courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.

The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling book! Secrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved. Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it. As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.

Safari gives armchair explorers an opportunity to visit African animals in their natural habitats. A naturalist who often travels to Africa to paint wildlife, Bateman offers 12 paintings of animals along with little-known facts. For example, watching giraffes run is like “watching a herd of galloping rocking horses,” he says, but to see how they coordinate the movement of their necks and legs, you have to rock, too.