Fiction


 * Fiction:**

//recommended by Mrs. Seltzer// When Aldwyn, an ordinary cat, escapes from a bounty hunter, he enters a unique pet shop where he is selected by an aspiring wizard to become his familiar. The cat and his companions - a magical blue jay and a very confused frog - experience many exciting adventures. In the course of their wanderings, Aldwyn discovers his true abilities. There are plans to make this book into a movie. Visit the great web site created by the authors: @http://www.thefamiliars.com/
 * ===**__The Familiars__** by //Adam Jay Epstein// and //Andrew Jacobson[[image:Familiars.jpg width="117" height="177" align="right"]]//===

//recommended by Mrs. Seltzer// For the past ten years, Amanda and Leo have celebrated their birthdays together, but this year something is different in their relationship so they are celebrating their birthdays separately. Will it be a happy birthday after all? Amanda has to celebrate her birthday over and over again until she can finally gets it right. Visit Wendy Mass on her web site and learn about other books she has written: @http://www.wendymass.com/mass-links.htm
 * ===__11 Birthdays__ by //Wendy Mass//===

//recommended by AJT in 5FB// Jason wakes up on a bus not knowing where he is. When he was sent to Camp Half-Blood, he didn't expect to embark on a quest to save the queen of the gods! @http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/heroes-of-olympus/the-lost-hero.aspx
 * ===__The **Lost Hero**__ by //Rick Riordan//===

//recommended by BG, ZB, OO and DW in 5FB// Alex Rider. This is a need-to-read book for anyone who likes excitement and suspense! Alex discovers that his recently murdered uncle was a secret agent killed by a contract killer. Now it is up to Alex to find the killer before he strikes again. singer who is much more than what he appears. While pretending to be a philanthropist, he is actually working against the government. Alex is determined to unravel the mystery with or without the help of MI6, the British intelligence agency. Visit the Alex Rider home page to learn about all of the books in thie series: @http://www.alexrider.com/
 * __**The Alex Rider Series**__ **by Anthony Horowitz**
 * __Stormbreaker__** is the first title in this adventure-packed series about 14-year-old
 * __Eagle Strike__** the 4th book in the series, has Alex investigating an international pop



//recommended by PA in 5FB// In the first book in a series of the same name, two young boys search for their missing father, an archaeologist, who is lost in a sinister world located below the streets of London. With bounty hunters in hot pursuit, the boys explore these hidden worlds and the perils they hold! (Be warned, this is not for the faint-of-heart.) @http://www.tunnelsthebook.com/
 * ===**__Tunnels__ by //Roderick Gordon//****﻿**===

//recommended by AH in 5FB// This book is a really great book for you if you like pictures, machines, and movies. When you first pick it up, the book may look intimidating because it has so many pages, but the majority of the pages are beautifully detailed full-page illustrations. The book deals with a young orphan named Hugo Cabret who lives in a London train station. Hugo is involved in a mystery dealing with his father and the strange automaton that his father was creating. Visit this web site to learn more about this fascinating, Caldecott-Award-winning book! www.theinventionofhugocabret.com
 * __**The Invention of Hugo Cabret**__ **by //Brian Selznick//**



//recommended by MD and VM in 5FB// This book is the first in a series about four girls, a boy, and some rabbits.
 * **__The Penderwicks__** by //Jeanne Birdsall//

The girls and their widowed father are vacationing at a country house on the the estate of a rich, eccentric lady. While there, the curious young girls have lots of adventures. Much to the dismay of their landlady, they befriend her lonely young son and open up a whole new world to him. Read this great book to discover what happens! Read what the author has to say about this series: @http://www.jeannebirdsall.com/@http://www.jeannebirdsall.com/

This book is a combination mystery and science fiction story about a girl who is receiving strange anonymous notes. Miranda must figure out who is sending the messages, what they mean, and why she is receiving them. Will she be able to figure out the answers? Read this Newbery award-winning book to find out.... ( Miranda's favoritebook is __A Wrinkle in Time__ which helps provide background for the story.) To read an interview with Rebecca Stead, visit this address: @http://timeoutnewyorkkids.com/staying-in/62173/rebecca-stead-interview Also visit the author's web site at this address: @http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/about.html
 * ===**__When You Reach Me__ //by Rebecca Stead//**//recommended by TP in 5FB//===

recommended by SM in 5FB This is the first title in a great series by Kate Klise and her sister Sarah. A middle school in Dry Creek, Missouri, needing to replace a leaking water fountain, contacts Florence Waters, an eccentric fountain designer. Filled with puns and word play, the story is told through notes, letters, memos, newspaper stories, and other documents. To learn about the "fishy" things that are happening at the school and who is behind them, read this clever book. To learn more about the authors and this book, visit their fun web site: @http://kateandsarahklise.com/
 * ===__**Regarding the Fountain**__ by Kate and M. Sarah Klise===



//recommended by TG in 5FB// Eleven-year-old orphan, Harry Potter, is living with his terrible "muggle" aunt and uncle. He attends Hogwarts Academy where he learns that he is a good wizard who is destined to fighte the most forces of evil controlled by Voldemort, the most powerful and most malevolent of all the wizards. Two great inter-active web sites dealing to visit are: @http://www.jkrowling.com/ and @http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/ You might want to read the books before you visit the web site since there might be some "spoilers" about what is going to happen!
 * **__Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ //by J.K. Rowling//**

//recommended by RC in 5FB// This book is an exciting mix of a survival story and a nature guide. Fed up with the world around him, 13-year-old Sam Gribley runs away from home and establishes a new "home" inside a hollowed-out tree. With only a falcon and a weasel for companions, he has to learn to survive off the land. to hear the author talk about her her book, visit her web site: @http://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/
 * ===__My Side of the Mountain__ **//by Jean Craighead George//**===

//recommended by DM in 5FB// This ninth book in the __Bone__ series is a great novel which combines humor and action. If you like graphic novels, this exciting series is one you will love! If you haven't read a graphic novelyet, be prepared to have a great time! Scholastic has created a Bone site with book summaries and games: []
 * ===**__Bone : Crown of Horns__ by Jeff Smith**===



//recommended by JG in 5FB // This humorous story is about a husband and wife who hate each other. They are constantly playing tricks on one another until one day, Mr. Twit goes too far. To find out how, read this funny book. For information about Roald Dahl, visit his official web site: []
 * **__The Twits__ by Roald Dahl**

//recommended by WS in 5FB// This book is about a boy named Nathaniel who runs away from home to join the British army. Soon he realizes that he has made a mistake. Furthermore, his friend Ben is really an American spy. Will he get shot? Read the book to find out. For more information about the Battle of Saratoga, considered the turning point in the American revolution, visit this site: []
 * **__Drums at Saratoga__** by Lisa Banim