Grade: 6

A huge sea monster has attacked and wrecked several ships from beneath the sea. Professor Arronax bravely joins a mission to hunt down the beast. He goes aboard the Nautilus, a secret submarine helmed by the mysterious Captain Nemo. At first, the mission is exciting, as Nemo takes Arronax on a voyage around the underwater world. But when things start to go wrong, Arronax finds there’s no escape from the Nautilus. He is now Captain Nemo’s captive 20,000 leagues under the sea!

Monsieur Hubert Noël isn’t quite what his fifth-grade class expected. First, he gives all his students a book of coupons as a gift: one coupon for sleeping late, one for lost work, one for cheating, and more of the same. At first the students use them, but it’s not until they realize that Monsieur Noël is giving them more important gifts for free — books read aloud, a whole year of lessons, and out-of-the-ordinary field trips — that they stop clipping coupons. This book about a quirky teacher in an unconventional school will teach readers a lesson about one of life’s most precious gifts — the love of learning.

This year’s Newbery Honor book is a collection of stories about a very different kind of grandmother. Each August from 1929 through 1935, Joey and Mary Alice leave Chicago to spend a week with Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois. The life and people there, especially Grandma, are very different from anything or anyone the children encounter in the big city. In seven funny stories, one for each summer, Grandma comes across as a tall-tale hero, surprising Joey and Mary Alice with her antics.

Fairies and other storybook characters that fly make wings seem magical. So does Marilyn Singer, even though this book is pure nonfiction. Facts about wings are just truly remarkable. Dragonflies can zoom up to 60 miles per hour. Ordinary houseflies can take off backwards or sideways. And did you know that not all wings are used for flying? Kid-friendly illustrations, interspersed with scientific drawings, bring the winged world to life!

Many tales handed down from one generation to the next are about “tricksters,” characters who get into trouble and rely on their wits to save themselves. This collection features some of the most popular trickster stories.

Matt is missing. Bonnie’s brother left his classroom to use the bathroom –and disappeared. A police dog traces his scent to the curb, where he apparently got into a vehicle. But why would Matt go anywhere with a stranger? Overwhelmed with fear, Bonnie discovers that her dog is gone, too. Was Pookie used as a lure for Matt? Bonnie makes one big mistake in her attempt to find her brother. In a chilling climax on a Washington State ferry, Bonnie and Matt must outsmart their abductor or pay with their lives.

The unforgettable story of young Jethro Creighton, who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War, by the Newbery Award-winning author of Up a Road Slowly. An impressive book both as a historically authentic Civil War novel and as a beautifully written family story.

Here’s a picture book version of Aesop’s fables that should be in every classroom. Pinkney’s watercolor creatures illustrate more than 60 tales that end with one of Aesop’s moral lessons. Try it as a crowd-pleasing read-aloud for younger grades and as a wonderful resource for older children.