William Allen White books
2019-2020
How It Works at HMS
- Read 4 books from EITHER the 3rd-5th grade list OR the 6th-8th grade list by Tuesday, March 31.
- Let Mrs. Buller or Mrs. Yoder know when you've read a book. Be prepared to share details and what you thought!
- For those who read the required number of titles on either list by March 31, come to a voting party Tuesday morning, April 7.
3rd-5th grade list
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
- Fantasy. F APP
- This book is told through the eyes of a tree named Red and his friend Crow.
- They are watching and reporting on changes that are happening in the neighborhood in which they live.
- When an immigrant family moves into the neighborhood and not everyone is kind, Red's experience is more important than ever.
- book trailer
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
- Historical Fiction (memoir). F BEH
- 11 year old Ruthie and her Jewish family have recently moved to America from Cuba. Ruthie has been in the special education classes at school because she didn't speak English very well, but now is being moved to the regular classes.
- But then tragedy strikes her family, and Ruthie is a victim. She ends up in a body cast, and her world shrinks from her neighborhood and the city of New York to her bedroom.
- During this time of not being able to move, Ruthie begins to realize the importance of friends, neighbors, and the arts.
- book trailer
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
- Realistic Fiction. F BOW
- Aven Green and her family have just moved to Arizona after purchasing a run-down western theme park. They are hoping to rebuild the park so it is popular and profitable again. But this means Aven must start at a new school and find new friends.
- She finds friends in 2 boys, one who is extremely quiet and one who has Tourette's Syndrome. They are used to having people stare at them. This is OK for Aven, because she's used to people staring too. She was born without arms.
- When they discover a secret at the theme park, Aven suddenly must solve a mystery, help her friends, and face her own fears.
The Losers Club by Andrew Clements
- Realistic Fiction. F CLE
- Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down. So when the principal tells him he HAS to start paying attention in class or face the consequences, Alec has to come up with a plan.
- His plan is to start a club--of one. It is called the Losers Club, and all he plans to do in this club is read.
- His plan doesn't go...like he planned...though, when more and more people start finding their way to his club, including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec maybe is starting to like.
- What happens when real life doesn't go just like the plot lines of Alec's favorite books?
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
- Realistic Fiction. F KEL
- This is the story of four kids whose lives come together in unexpected ways.
- Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet are all kind of on the outside, but when Chet's prank gone wrong puts one of the others in a bad situation, they all have to come together to solve the problem.
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
- Realistic Fiction. F KHA
- Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She has always been happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin, and spending time with her Pakistani-American family.
- But now Amina has started middle school, and things feel different. Soonjin is spending time with one of the "cool" girls in her class, and Amina starts to wonder if she should change too.
- When her mosque is vandalized, Amina must face these questions of who she is, and learns how to bring a diverse community together.
Pablo and Birdy by Alison McGhee
- Fantasy (magical realism). F McG
- When Pablo was a baby, he washed up on the shores of an island tied to an inflatable baby pool. With him was a lavender parrot. No one knows where he came from or who he is, but the village agrees to raise him as their own.
- Now that Pablo is ten, he starts to wonder more and more about his past. How did he get to the island ten years before? Also, Pablo's parrot, Birdy, is starting to act very strange. And the mysterious winds that were blowing the year Pablo came to the island are starting to blow again.
- Are these the winds of change? And how will Pablo find answers without also losing what he loves?
Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson
- Informational Non-fiction. 591 PAQ
- This book includes some crazy-but-true stories about the living world, as well as some stories that are too crazy to be true. But it is up to the reader to decide which is which!
- It's not an easy task--some of the false stories are based on truth and some of the true stories are unbelievable. And they're all accompanied by photos, maps, and illustrations that make it even harder to figure what is truth and what is a lie.
Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz
- Fantasy. F SCH
- Princess Cora is being raised by very busy parents, the king and queen of their kingdom. And her parents have goals for her--so many that she doesn't have any time to have fun and be a kid.
- Cora has always wanted to have a dog, and when no one pays any attention to her repeated requests, she finally asks her fairy godmother. Her wish is granted, but not with a dog--with a crocodile.
- Cora and her pet crocodile decide to trade places, and that is when the adventures start.
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
- Historical Fiction. F WOL
- Twelve year old Crow has lived her whole life on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. She arrived there as a baby in a boat, and a fisherman rescued her and raised her with the help of a kind neighbor woman.
- Now Crow is starting to wonder who she really is and where she came from. Why was she abandoned and sent off in a boat? This questioning leads to an unstoppable chain of events that puts Crow on a path of discovery and of danger.
6th-8th grade list
Posted by John David Anderson
- Realistic Fiction. F AND
- When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all over the school. It catches on, and soon the whole school is participating. Although for every kind note that is left, a cruel one is left as well.
- Then Rose arrives at school and begins sitting at Frost's lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at the school, and Frost soon realizes that his circle of friends isn't going to welcome someone new. As the sticky note war begins to escalate and kids are expected to choose sides, Frost realizes things will never be the same again.
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
- Realistic Fiction. F CHE
- Alex Petroski's plan is to take the Amtrak to New Mexico where he will go to a rocket launching competition. There he will launch his homemade rocket into space with his golden iPod attached. The iPod has recordings of conversations he's had with people. When aliens find the rocket, they'll be able to listen to the recordings and learn what life is like on Earth.
- However, like most of Alex's plans, things don't work out like he expected. Instead, Alex heads out on an interesting road trip with his iPod, his dog, a con artist, and a Zen master. And he continues recording conversations along the way.
Refugee by Alan Gratz
- Historical/Realistic Fiction. F GRA
- Three kids: Josef, a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015.
- All three go on dangerous journeys in an attempt to reach safety. All three face unimaginable horror, from drownings to bombings to betrayals. All three still have hope of tomorrow.
- Three kids who live in different decades and have different stories, but whose stories come together in the end.
Saving Marty by Paul Griffin
- Realistic Fiction. F GRI
- This is the story of the friendship between a boy and his pig--that thinks he's a dog.
- Renzo does not consider himself a hero, but when he saves a runt piglet named Marty he has that chance.
- Renzo and Marty have a close bond, so the family farm seems the best place for Marty to be. But soon Marty is no longer a runt--he's a 350 pound pig. And when he causes an expensive (and dangerous) accident, not only is Marty's location of home in question but Marty himself.
- Will Renzo be able to do whatever it takes to save his pig?
One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
- Poetry. 811 GRI
- Nikki Grimes pays tribute to the Harlem Renaissance in this book, featuring famous poets during that time. Then she uses the "Golden Shovel" method to use that poetry as inspiration for her own.
- Also included in the book are pieces of art by some of today's most well known African American illustrators.
- This book is impressive for its poetry, its history, and its color.
Slider by Pete Hautman
- Realistic Fiction. F HAU
- David Miller has a unique talent--eating. When he accidentally charges $2000 to his mother's credit card, he has to use that talent to win the money back before his mom finds out.
- His plan is to win the $5000 prize in a pizza eating contest at the Iowa State Fair. As he trains to win, he has to deal with weird things going on with his two best friends, though, and his added responsibility of watching his little brother Mal.
- Parts of his plan start to go well--training through local eating contests, his relationship with Mal--but other parts start to fall apart.
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
- Realistic Fiction graphic novel. PB JAM
- book trailer
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
- Mystery/Adventure Fiction. F SNY
- Nine orphans live on an island. This island is perfect in every way, providing everything the children need.
- Except for one day each year. On that day, a rowboat appears on the ocean, bringing a young child to the island and taking the oldest child away, never to be seen again.
- Now it is Jinny's turn to teach the young child everything she knows about the island, because she is the "elder" and she knows her day is coming when she will be taken away. But she doesn't want to leave the only home she's ever known.
- What will happen to the island if she stays? Will she have to go after all? Or will she risk everything to stay?