Young Readers’ Choice Selections 2008- 2009
Grades 5 & 6
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac.
After her parents disappear and she is turned over to the care of a strange "great-uncle," Molly must rely on her dreams about an old Mohawk story for her safety and maybe even for her life.  (Lexile 730)
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. 
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.  (Lexile 630)
Free Baseball by Sue Corbett.
Angry with his mother for having too little time for him, eleven-year-old Felix takes advantage of an opportunity to become bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping to someday be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder. Includes glossaries of baseball terms and Spanish words and phrases.  (Lexile 800)
The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David.
King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry.
Follows the adventures of the Arabian stallion brought to England to become one of the founding sires of the Thoroughbred breed and the mute Arab stable boy who tended him with loyalty and devotion all his life.  (Lexile 830)

Mistakes that Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions and How They Came to Be by Charlotte Foltz Jones.
Presents the stories behind forty things that were invented or named by accident, including aspirin, X-rays, Frisbees, silly putty, and Velcro.  (Lexile 1040)

Abduction! by Peg Kehret.
Thirteen-year-old Bonnie has a feeling of foreboding on the very day that her six-year-old brother Matt and their dog Pookie are abducted, and she becomes involved in a major search effort as well as a frightening adventure.  (Lexile 740)

Maxx Comedy The Funniest Kid in America by Gordon Korman.
Eleven-year-old Max Carmody has wanted to be a stand-up comedian since he was five, so when a contest is held to find the "world's funniest kid," he goes through all kinds of craziness to win. (Lexile 770)

Worth by A. LaFaye.
After breaking his leg, eleven-year-old Nate feels useless because he cannot work on the family farm in nineteenth-century Nebraska, so when his father brings home an orphan boy to help with the chores, Nate feels even worse.  (Lexile 830)

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson.
An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly. (Lexile 800)