Animal Stories

FICTION BANKS, K.	Dillon Dillon by Kate Banks. (L520) During the summer that he turns ten years old, Dillon Dillon learns the surprising story behind his name and develops a relationship with three loons, living on the lake near his family’s New Hampshire cabin.
FICTION BLAKE, R.	Swift by Robert J. Blake. Johnny has wanted to help Pa and their dog Swift hunt for the winter’s meat almost since he was born. When a grizzly’s lightning attack mangles Pa’s leg, Johnny and Swift have to make their way through the forest and down the river to bring back help.
FICTION BRUCHAC, J.	Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac. Although the littlest student in his class, thirteen-year-old Baron Braun calls upon the strength and wisdom of his Mohawk ancestors to face both man and beast when he tries to get help for his classmates, who are being terrorized during a school field trip in the Adirondacks.
FICTION CHOLDENKO, G.	Notes from a Liar and Her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko. (L580) Eleven-year-old Ant, stuck in a family that she does not like, copes by pretending that her “real” parents are coming to rescue her, by loving her dog Pistachio, by volunteering at the zoo, and by bending the truth and telling lies.
FICTION CREEDON, C.	Blue Wolf by Catherine Creedon. Following the death of his mother, fourteen-year-old Jamie is sent to live with his mysterious aunt in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, where he discovers some long-hidden family secrets.
FICTION CUTLER, J.	Leap, Frog by Jane Cutler. (L600) Edward and his new friend Charley prepare for the First Annual Mark Twain Memorial Jumping Frog Contest.
FICTION DALGLIESH, A.	The Bears of Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh. (L490) A young boy sent on an errand over Hemlock Mountain is not so sure he likes going alone because there may be bears on the mountain, but with the help of the big iron pot he borrows, he completes his errand.
FICTION DEFELICE, C.	The Missing Manatee by Cynthia DeFelice. (L830) While coping with his parents’ separation, eleven-year-old Skeet spends most of Spring Break in his skiff on a Florida river, where he finds a manatee shot to death and begins looking for the killer.
FICTION DODER, J.	Grk and the Pelotti Gang by Joshua Doder. Tim and his dog Grk face kidnapping, a plane crash in the jungles of Brazil, and more as they pursue a gang of escaped bank robbers, the infamous Pelotti brothers, who were originally captured by the Raffifi children’s father.
FICTION FEIFFER, J.	A Room with a Zoo by Jules Feiffer. (L810) Nine-year-old Julie loves animals so much that it seems like she’s assembling a zoo in her room. But, what she really wants is a dog.
FICTION FLEISCHMAN, S.	The White Elephant by Sid Fleischman. (L770) In old Siam, young elephant trainer Run-Run and his old charge, Walking Mountain, must deal with the curse of a sacred white elephant.
FICTION GAIMAN, N.	The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman. (L500) Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of her house, although others in her family disagree, and when the wolves come out, the adventure begins.
FICTION GHENT, N.	No Small Thing by Natale Ghent. (L780) In Ontario, Canada, in 1977, twelve-year-old Nat and his sisters find that owning, training, and caring for a pony they acquired for free makes it easier to cope with the poverty they have faced since their father abandoned them.
FICTION GILLILAND, J.	Strange Birds by Judith Heide Gilliland. With her parents lost at sea, eleven-year-old Anna finds comfort in a tree with magical properties which suddenly becomes home to some amazing creatures who may need her help.
FICTION HAAS, J.	Jigsaw Pony by Jessie Haas. (L450) Twins Kiera and Fran have never agreed on anything but when their dream comes true and their father surprises them with a pony, they must learn to work together to care for their new pet.
FICTION HART, A.	Gabriel’s Horses by Alison Hart. In Kentucky, during the Civil War, the twelve-year-old slave Gabriel, contends with a cruel new horse trainer and skirmishes with Confederate soldiers as he pursues his dream of becoming a jockey.
FICTION HIAASEN, C.	Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. (L760) Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
FICTION HORNIK, L.	Zoo School by Laurie Miller Hornik. (L720) The students at the strange new Zoo School have never seen a school like it before, but when inspectors try to close it down because of irregularities, the students are surprised to find out how much they have learned.
FICTION HORSE, H.	The Last Polar Bears by Harry Horse. Letters from Grandfather, who has gone on an expedition with his little dog Roo, to find the last polar bears at the North Pole.
FICTION KADOHATA, C.	Cracker!: the Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata. (L730) A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.
FICTION KEHRET, P.	Spy Cat by Peg Kehret and Pete the Cat. (L670) A series of burglaries in their quiet community upsets Alex's family, particularly his younger brother Benjie, but the bad guys are no match for the very protective family cat and Benjie's "spy" skills.
FICTION KING-SMITH, D.	The Golden Goose by Dick King-Smith. (L900) Farmer Skint and his family on Woebegone Farm have fallen on hard times, but their luck changes with the arrival of a special golden goose.
FICTION LOIZEAUX, W.	Wings by William Loizeaux. (L890) Ten-year-old Nick, who misses his father, finds companionship after rescuing an injured baby mockingbird.
FICTION MACLEAN, C.	Mary Margaret Meets Her Match by Christine Kole MacLean. Mary Margaret is excited to be going to a dude ranch, but then finds herself stuck with an uncooperative horse.
FICTION MATTHEWS, L.	A Dog for Life by L.S. Matthews. (L910) When John, who has a special ability to communicate with animals, finds that his dog, Mouse is scheduled to go to the pound, he and Mouse decide to run away and find his uncle who may be able to help them.
FICTION ORR, W.	Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr. (L930) Nim loves her island home and the animals she shares it with while her scientist father is away doing research, but trouble is on the way and a new e-mail friend could be the only one who can help.
FICTION PATTERSON, N.	The Winner’s Walk by Nancy Ruth Patterson. (L830) Surrounded by a multitalented family, nine-year-old Case Callahan feels driven to succeed, but his failed attempts at various competitions discourage him until he finds a stray dog with a surprising past.
FICTION RYAN, P.	Paint the Wind by Pam Ryan. (L780) After her overprotective grandmother has a stroke, Maya, an orphan, leaves her extremely restricted life in California to stay with her mother’s family on a remote Wyoming ranch, where she discovers a love of horses and encounters a wild mare that her mother once rode.
FICTION SHALANT, P.	Bartleby of the Big, Bad Bayou by Phyllis Shalant. (L650) After making a dangerous voyage down the Mississippi from New York, Bartleby, who had started life as a pet turtle, and his alligator friend Seezer must learn to survive in their true bayou home.
FICTION WALLACE, B.	The Dog Who Thought He Was Santa by Bill Wallace. In 1957, problems at the mine threaten to ruin Christmas for fifth-grader Don, his family, and the rest of their Oklahoma coal town, but don’s bloodhound, Frank, is determined to do whatever it takes to make the holiday special for Don and his six-year-old sister, Susan. Alternate chapters are told from the human and canine points of view.
FICTION WHELAN, G.	Are There Bears in Starvation Lake? by Gloria Whelan. When Baylor and his fourth-grade class stay overnight at the Starvation Lake Ecology Center, he is nervous about what might happen, like getting lost or running into wild animals.
MYSTERY SHARMAT, M.	Nate the Great on the Owl Express by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. (L280) While traveling on the train to San Francisco with his cousin Olivia’s owl, Nate the Great and his dog Sludge must use all of their detective skills when the owl suddenly disappears.