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The Boxcar Children
by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Boxcar Children is mysterious and cool! There are a lot of books in this series. My favorite is The Chocolate Sundae Mystery. So, there are 4 children. First is Henry. He's 14, is good and takes on the responsibilities of being the oldest. Then Jessie, she's 12 and is very organized. she likes challenges. Violet is shy, sweet, likes art and photography and is 10. Benny is 6, is a jokester and is always hungry! My favorite is Violet. It is exciting to see all the clues put together in the end. I really like these books! Give it a try and read them!

Wildwood Stables Daring to Dream
by Suzanne Weyn

Wildwood Stables Daring to Dream is about a young girl about 13, who's name is Taylor. Her nextdoor neighbor is animal rescue lady, who has a call about a horse and pony abandoned, but she knows nothing about them. Thankfully Taylor knows a lot about horses and ponies! Taylor falls in love with a tan pony named tinkerbell and a black gelding named Albert. She wants them so bad, but her single mom can't possibly afford it! All along it's a great book for a horse loving girl!

Lost and Found: Three Dog Stories
by Jim LaMarche

Perfect for young dog lovers, each of the stories in this book by local author/illustrator Jim LaMarche has a happy ending. Molly is a golden retriever who helps her young mistress find her way home after the running away to the woods. Ginger is a terrier who disappears after chasing a deer into the woods, leaving her sad young master and his dad to return home from their hike without her. Yuki is a Siberian Husky who is found by a boy who would love to keep him, but his mom doesn’t have the resources to care for a dog. Beautifully illustrated in colored pencil and acrylic wash.

A Faraway Island
by Annika Thor

Two young sisters are sent to live with foster parents in Sweden when the Nazi occupation of Austria makes it unsafe for Jews in Vienna. They arrive at an island off the west coast where they are separated and sent to different families, although still close enough to see each other every day. Eight-year old Nellie moves in with a kind and warm "Auntie", learns Swedish and makes friends quickly. It's tougher for twelve-year old Stephie, whose Auntie is cold and strict, and who is victimized by the class bully. Annika Thor's writing gives a vivid picture of the girls' experience as they wait for their parents to join them and take them to America. This is the first in a series of four books about the Steiner sisters, and was the 2010 recipient of the Batchelder Award for the most outstanding children's book published originally in a language other than English.

When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead

I really enjoyed the way time travel was incorporated into this story in a way that almost makes it seem possible. Miranda is a 12 year old living in NYC in the ‘70s. She lives with her mom, a paralegal who is methodically training for The $20,000 Pyramid game show. One day when Miranda and her best friend, Sal, are walking home from school, he gets punched in the nose and stomach by a boy who hangs out with a menacing group of bullies. From that day on, Sal avoids Miranda and refuses to spend time with her. Why? is the question Miranda tries to answer, but the puzzle becomes much bigger and involves a homeless man who sleeps with his head under a mailbox, a privileged classmate, the chronology of time travel, and lots of period details from the 1970s.

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