6th Grade (Age 11)

In alternating chapters, warm, carefully chosen words show the reader how it feels to be Morning Girl, a 12-year-old Taino, and her younger brother, Star Boy. The powerful ending packs a wallop and will leave the reader thinking long after the last page has been turned.

IT ISN’T AS though Moxy isn’t grateful for her Christmas presents. She is. She’s just not thrilled that she has to write a thank-you note for each one by tomorrow . . . or she will not be allowed to fly to Hollywood to attend a starstudded Hollywood bash with the father she hasn’t seen in three years. And writing thank-you notes is not something that a world-class Creative Type relishes doing. But it is more than writing thank-you notes that finally prevents Moxy from taking her trip. When her father cancels at the last minute, Moxy is forced to …

The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Phillippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.

María Isabel Salazar López is a new girl in school. It’s hard enough to be a new girl, but when the teacher decides to give her another name, Mary Lopez, she is frustrated. María Isabel, who is so proud to be named after close family members, is lost without her name. When her teacher calls on her she doesn’t even recognize the name as hers. This leads to many misunderstandings that stand in the way of María Isabel’s getting along with her teacher and fitting in with the class. When María Isabel writes an essay about her greatest wish, let’s …

A girl. An iguana. An island. And e-mail. Meet Nim–a modern-day Robinson Crusoe! She can chop down bananas with a machete, climb tall palm trees, and start a fire with a piece of glass. So she’s not afraid when her scientist dad sails off to study plankton for three days, leaving her alone on their island. Besides, it’s not as if no one’s looking after her–she’s got a sea lion to mother her and an iguana for comic relief. She also has an interesting new e-mail pal. But when her father’s cell-phone calls stop coming and disaster seems near, Nim …

Is “power counting” like power jogging? It is in that it gets kids’ minds in great math shape. Professor X. P. Nential teaches kids to count using exponents of 10. From 1, kids power count to a googol (10 with 100 zeros) and beyond. Sidebars with real-world fascinating facts make these large numbers meaningful.

Fourteen-year-old Amir has bounced from foster home to foster home since the death of his parents. He now lives with the loving Smiths who have raised his youngest brother, Ronald, since he was a baby. Amir’s goal is to unite all of his brothers and sisters. His lifeline during this time is Doris, a friend from his old neighborhood in the Bronx. They write letters sharing their feelings and concerns. When Doris writes about a friend experimenting with drugs, Amir must come to terms with his family’s past. And when the Smiths locate his aunt, uncle, and siblings, he must …

A secret prophecy shapes the lives of Firestar’s grandchildren, but only one of the three knows about it. Jaypaw is captivated by the power it promises, and he believes the key to that power may lie buried in the distant past — with the ancient cats who once walked these woods and now prowl through his dreams. His search for answers leads him toward the mountains — the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water. Lionpaw and Hollypaw feel drawn to the mountains too, for different reasons. But the mountains hide secrets as well as answers, and if the three …