Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

When Matt leaves his kindergarten class for a quick trip to the bathroom, he never imagines what will happen next. He suddenly finds himself in a stranger’s car traveling to an unfamiliar place. But who is this man, and is he really a "stranger"? When the school bell rings and Matt is nowhere to be found, his sister, Bonnie, is frantic. She quickly realizes that her little brother is not lost, but missing!... (more)

Free Baseball

by Sue Corbett

Felix knows his dad was a famous baseball player in Cuba—and that his father risked everything to send Felix to America. But his mom won’t reveal anything else. When a baseball team with Cuban players comes to town, Felix wonders if they knew his dad and sneaks into their locker room to ask. That’s when the players mistake him for their new batboy. Determined to uncover the truth about his mysterious father, Felix... (more)

Drita, My Homegirl

by Jenny Lombard

A poignant story about the difficulties of leaving everything behind and the friendships that help you get through it. Fleeing war-torn Kosovo, ten-year-old Drita and her family move to America with the dream of living a typical American life. But with this hope comes the struggle to adapt and fit in. How can Drita find her place at school and in her new neighborhood when she doesnÂ’t speak any English?... (more)

Victory

by Susan Cooper

Two Children, Two Struggles, One Battle... One child is Sam Robbins, a powder monkey aboard HMS Victory, the ship in which Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson will die a hero's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The other is Molly Jennings, an English girl transplanted from London to the United States in 2006, fighting a battle of her own against loss and loneliness. This extraordinary time-shifting adventure... (more)

The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)

The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)

by Sarah Masters Buckey

Samantha and Nellie set sail for Europe in 1906. Also aboard the ship is a world-famous archaeologist and the legendary sapphire he is carrying to a London museum. When his priceless jewel disappears, Samantha realizes that every one of the first-class passengers is a suspect--and one of them must be the thief!

Saving Shiloh

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

In Saving Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor brings to a conclusion the trilogy begun with the Newbery Medal winner Shiloh and its sequel, Shiloh Season. Judd Travers is physically on the mend from the truck accident that nearly took his life in Shiloh Season. But is he healing inside too? Can Marty and his family and the community trust that Judd will not return to his evil ways? Marty's parents tell him... (more)

The Sword That Cut The Burning Grass

by Thomas Hoobler, Dorothy Hoobler

When fourteen-year-old samurai apprentice Seikei is sent on a mission by the shogun, he believes it to be a simple one: convince the fourteen-year-old emperor to resume his ceremonial duties. But then the emperor is kidnapped, and Seikei finds himself in the middle of an elaborate plot to overthrow the shogun. With the help of a mysterious warrior, he must rescue the emperor before the sacred sword—said to... (more)

Tiger (5 Ancestors)

by Jeff Stone

Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Seh, Hok, and Long don’t know who their parents were. Raised from infancy by their grandmaster, they think of their temple as their home and their fellow warrior monks—their “temple brothers”—as their family. Then one terrible night, the temple is destroyed. Fu and his brothers are the only survivors. Charged by their grandmaster to uncover the secrets of their... (more)

Larry: The King of Rock and Roll

by Iris Rainer Dart

Did you know dogs can talk? Well, neither did Cathy and her father, Tom, a songwriter struggling with a new tune—that is, until their pet dog Larry opened his mouth and helped Tom finish the song! Once Larry reveals he can not only talk but sing, there’s no stopping him. In no time, he’s on stage singing for sold-out audiences. Even the President of the United States is a fan of Larry. But soon enough, fame... (more)

Friendship According to Humphrey

by Betty G. Birney

After a long winter vacation, Humphrey the hamster can’t wait to see his friends in Room 26 again. But on the first day back he gets a big surprise: Room 26 has a new class pet, Og the frog! Humphrey can’t wait to be friends with Og, but Og doesn’t seem interested. To make matters worse, the students are so interested in Og, they almost stop paying attention to Humphrey altogether. Luckily he still gets to... (more)

Weedflower

by Cynthia Kadohata

Twelve-year-old Sumiko feels her life has been made up of two parts: before Pearl Harbor and after it. The good part and the bad part. Raised on a flower farm in California, Sumiko is used to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Even when the other kids tease her, she always has had her flowers and family to go home to. That all changes after the horrific events of Pearl Harbor. Other Americans start to... (more)

Archer's Quest

by Linda Sue Park

In Dorchester, New York, Kevin is doing his homework when suddenly an arrow comes out of nowhere and pins his baseball cap to the wall. The man who shot the arrow claims he fell off a tiger . . . and wound up in Kevin’s room. It’s not long before Kevin realizes that the man, who calls himself Chu-mong, or Great Archer, is no ordinary burglar, but a traveler from far away in both space and time. A visit to the... (more)

Tadpole

by Ruth White

“Involving as the plot is, the power of White’s work derives from her seemingly easy evocation of ordinary people as they stumble into endearing truths about human strength and vulnerability.”— Publishers Weekly , Starred “White skillfully recreates the time and place, and her superbly drawn characters possess the resiliency of spirit necessary to transform themselves.”— School Library Journal , Starred A ... (more)

Pieces of Georgia

by Jennifer Bryant

Like her mother, Georgia McCoy is an artist, but her dad looks away whenever he sees her with a sketchbook. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what it was like when her mother was still alive . . . when they were a family . . . when they were happy. But then a few days after her 13th birthday, Georgia receives an unexpected gift–a strange, formal letter, all typed up and signed anonymous–granting her free admission... (more)

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama

by Laura Amy Schlitz

A feisty orphan is taken in by a band of phony spiritualists in this intriguing, engaging novel. Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception,... (more)

Rules

by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door... (more)

Roxie and the Hooligans

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Do not panic. Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them has taught Roxie Warbler how to handle all sorts of situations. If Roxie's ever lost in the desert, or buried in an avalanche, or caught in a dust storm, she knows just what to do. But Lord Thistlebottom has no advice to help Roxie deal with Helvetia's Hooligans, the meanest band of bullies in school. Then Roxie finds herself... (more)

Bartleby of the Big Bad Bayou

by Phyllis Shalant

Bartleby, the red-eared turtle, and Seezer, the American alligator, have swum the Mighty Mississippi to reach bayou country, their true home. But when they find the creek where Seezer was born, they discover it’s ruled by Old Stump—a giant gator with a gargantuan appetite. Fortunately, Bartleby has a knack for making friends, and there is soon a new crew to count on, including a red-ear named Lucky Gal.... (more)

Penny from Heaven (Newbery Honor Book)

by Jennifer L. Holm

It’s1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and baseball. But nothing’s that easy in Penny’s family. For starters, she can’t go swimming because her mother’s afraid she’ll catch polio at the pool. To make matters worse, her favorite uncle is living in a car. Her Nonny cries every time her father’s name is mentioned. And the two sides of her family aren’t speaking to each... (more)

Do You Know The Monkey Man?

by Dori Hillestad Butler

FOR THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD SAMANTHA, life consists of too many unanswered questions. Why has her father not tried to contact her all these years? How could he have allowed her twin sister to drown in Clearwater Quarry when they were only toddlers? And how can Samantha's mother expect her to accept some man she hardly knows as her new father? Samantha already has a father out there. Somewhere. A fateful decision... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: icc 08-09

by Peg Kehret

by Sue Corbett

by Jenny Lombard

by Susan Cooper

by Sarah Masters Buckey

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

by Thomas Hoobler, Dorothy Hoobler

by Jeff Stone

by Iris Rainer Dart

by Betty G. Birney

by Cynthia Kadohata

by Linda Sue Park

by Ruth White

by Jennifer Bryant

by Laura Amy Schlitz

by Cynthia Lord

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

by Phyllis Shalant

by Jennifer L. Holm

by Dori Hillestad Butler