Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson

Tom lives with his widowed mother in a old house chained to the top of a gigantic rock. One night, unable to sleep, he heads down to the stream that borders their property, where he has left a heavy piece of refrigerator packing foam. What starts out as aimless drifting down quiet water turns deadly when Tom's foam slab feeds into the rougher mountain water and he is pulled under a rock, ending up in an underwater cavern. The secrets he discovers while attempting to find his way out of the mountain caves are surprising, yet seamlessly executed.

Rules by Cynthia Lord

It is not always easy to deal with a brother that has autism, but Catherine teaches him rules to make him appear normal. Things make sense until she meets new friends and her view of "normal" changes.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

This is a fantasy about a group of poor village girls from the mountain learning how to be a proper princess. It is also about the value of family and friends, as well as a secret kind of language used when working in the quarry.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

A Sudanese refugee's impressions of America and his slow adjustment witnessing the murders of his father and brother, then getting separated from his mother in an African camp, Kek alone believes that his mother has somehow survived. The boy has traveled by "flying boat" to Minnesota in winter to live with relatives who fled earlier. An onslaught of new sensations greets him and ordinary sights unexpectedly fill him with longing (a lone cow in a field reminds him of his father's herd; when he looks in his aunt's face, "I see my mother's eyes/ looking back at me").

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine, a third grader, will become an unforgettable character after you read about her disastrous week.

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

This is a tale of a young girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship. When her family celebrates Chinese New Year, ringing in the Year of the Dog, Pacy (Grace is her American name) wonders what the coming months will bring. Her relatives explain that the Year of the Dog is traditionally the year when people "find themselves," discovering their values and what they want to do with their lives. The narrator moves through the next 12 months trying to figure out what makes her unique and how she fits in with her family, friends and classmates.

Champ by Marcia Thornton Jones

Riley wants to quit the baseball team, but his dad won’t let him give up. So when one bad swing brings a three-legged dog into his life, Riley feels like he's been thrown a curveball. How can he take care of a dog and make his dad proud?