FICTION FOR MIDDLE GRADES AND UP
ANNOTATED

In Alphabetical Order by Title
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An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi.  Harcourt Gulliver Books, 1997. Just after President Lincoln was assassinated, fourteen-year-old Emily is sent to live with her Uncle Valentine after her her mother's untimely death. And then she discovers that one of her best friend's parents was involved as an accomplice in Lincoln's murder. But the worst discovery is made on the night of her mother's burial, and she cannot ignore it and remain true to her mother's memory. 294 pages. BTH-2646.  $5.40-D

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh. Aladdin, 2000. When he is eight years old, Jonathan's mother sends him over Hemlock mountain alone for the first time -- to borrow a very large pot. He's been told there are no bears on Hemlock Mountain, but he's not convinced. His carelessness causes him to encounter the "non-existent" bears in the dark on the way home. He learns a lesson about following instructions, but still manages to get home safely. BTH-2611. $4.49-D

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dover Evergreen Classic, 2001. Classics in this series are newly set in easy to read type. They are sturdy, regular size softcover books with attractive, colorful covers to arouse interest. Unabridged. This historical romance is set in the fifteenth century. The historical background of this exciting adventure story is a minor battle in the War of the Roses.  236 pages.  BTH-2020. $2.70-D

Brady, by Jean Fritz. Penguin, 1998. Brady has never been trusted with secrets, until now. When he discovers an Underground Railroad station near his family's farm, he is forced to make his own decision about the slavery controversy. Whatever his decision may be, he knows that this is one secret that must be kept. Reading level 5.6. Target age group, middle school. 128 pages.
 BTH-2603. $6.29-D

A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi.  Harcourt Gulliver Books, 2003. Susanna desperately wants to be part of the group of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. But she later discovers that the leader of the group, Ann Putnam, is about to destroy the peace, and even lives, of a lot of innocent people she accuses of witchcraft. After figuring this out, Susanna has to make a painful choice -- she can keep quiet and let the witch-hunt continue, or she can "break charity" with the group and risk having her own family accused in retaliation. 298 pages. For ages 10-14. BTH-2645. $6.26-D

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. HarperTrophy, 1987. Terabithia is a magic kingdom created by two inseparable friends. Jess and Leslie reign as king and queen in this kingdom in their woods, until tragedy strikes. And then Jess has to go on without Leslie and come to grips with her death. A Newbery Medal winner. BTH-2643. $5.36-D

The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz. For Ann Hamilton, life out west was anything but adventurous. In fact, she had never been lonelier. She longed for the ease and comfort of the days with friends back in Gettysburg -- until a stranger rode into Hamilton Hill and changed her life forever. 124 pages. Reading level 5.1. For ages 9-12. BTH-2609. $5.39
 

Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South  by Ann Rinaldi. Harcourt Gulliver Books, 1998. For ages 12 and up. A fictionalized account the American Revolution in South Carolina. As 14-year-old Caroline sees the toll the war takes on her family and friends, she begins to realize the true nature of war. 281 pages. BTH-2222 $5.40-D

The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G.A. Henty. Dover, 2002. This exciting novel for young people is set in 1250 B.C, at the time of Moses. This thrilling adventure story offers the readers a glimpse of the ancient Egyptian world, with accurate details about Egyptian religion and geography, how the NIle was used for irrigation, and how the Egyptians made war and were prepared for burial. 308 pages. BTH-1938. $6.26-D

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh. Aladdin, 1991. Set in 1707 in the wilderness of Connecticut, this chapter book portrays an eight-year-old girl's courage as she and her father travel to build a new family home. She bravely handles the new challenges in adjusting to a dark woods full of strange wild animals, camping out amidst them on the journey, and she cares for her father, cooking over the fire outdoors, as he concentrates on building a cave for shelter. Then John Noble begins to leave Sarah alone during the day while he crosses the river to build the house, and Sarah reads the Bible for both courage and entertainment. Eventually her father asks her to live with the Indians, whom she had feared at first but had become friends with, while he goes to bring the family to the new home. 52 pages long. Beginning reader-friendly print. BTH-5280. $4.46-D

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson. HarperCollins, 1989. How can a crusty old independent hobo who lives under a bridge in the streets of Paris stand up to a struggling mother with three appealing children who claim squatters' rights to his spot on the day before Christmas? Seems the only way he can have any peace is to share his home. But he knows they won't be happy until they have a real home of their own again. Can he help? BTH-2584. $5.39-D

The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre  by Ann Rinaldi. Harcourt Gulliver Books, 1993. For ages 12 and up. A fictionalized account of the Boston Massacre from the point of view of a 14-year-old indentured servant of John and Abigail Adams.  BTH-2221 $5.40-D

Finishing Becca: A Story About Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold  by Ann Rinaldi. Harcourt Gulliver Books, 1994. For ages 12 and up. Fourteen-year-old Becca's family has fallen on hard times, and she is forced to take a job as maid to the wealthy and beautiful Peggy Shippen in Philadelphia in 1778. While in the employ of the Shippen family, she witnesses the events that lead up to General Benedict Arnold turning traitor to the American revolutionaries. 362 pages. BTH-2647.  $5.40-D

Gratefully Yours by Jane Buchanan. Penguin Puffin, 1994. Hattie's family died in a New York tenement fire, and people tell her she should be grateful to be alive. Then she was to told to be grateful for the orphanage that took her in. In 1933 she'd supposed to be grateful for the Orphan Train that brought her to a new home in Nebraska, where she still feels unwanted. Can these new parents ever really love her as their own child? BTH-2227. $4.49-D

Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley by Ann Rinaldi. Harcourt Gulliver Books, 1996. For ages 12 and up. A fictionalized biography of the first black American poet to be published. 336 pages. BTH-2220. $5.40-D

The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R.Tolkien. See the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien for different versions.

In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce by G.A. Henty. Dover, 2002. The story of the Scottish rebellion against the English ruler Edward Longshanks, led by William Wallace and Robert Bruce. 305 pages. BTH-1937. $6.36-D

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. Yearling, 1987. Digest size. Reading level 5.5 for ages 10 and up. Johnny is a young apprentice to the silversmith, Paul Revere, and like most people is caught up in the fever of excitement building in Boston in the 1770s, just before the Revolutionary War. Like most people surrounding him in Boston, Johnny is swept along by the events that lead to the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. But even more fascinating than the events all around him are the important discoveries Johnny is making about himself. This is one of those books not to be missed. A Newbery medal winner. 322 pages. BTH-2692. $5.85-D

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dover Evergreen Classic, 2000. Classics in this series are newly set in easy to read type. They are sturdy, regular size softcover books with attractive, colorful covers to arouse interest. Unabridged. Set in 1751, this classic adventure centers around a young Scottish orphan whose treacherous uncle gets him shanghaied and on his way to bondage in the New World. When things look blackest, he is rescued by the Highlander, Alan Breck Stewart. The two flee through the Highlands, pursued by both the King's forces and a clan of Jabobites. Full of adventure and suspense, the author considered this his finest work. 256 pages. BTH-2019. $2.50-D

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight. Dell Yearling, Digest size. Reading level 5.8 for ages 10 and up. Joes' family , which has fallen on hard times, has to sell his beloved collie, Lassie, to a wealthy, bad-tempered duke. Joe is devastated, since the Duke will take Lassie to his estate in Scotland, four hundred miles away. But Lassie can't be separated from the family she loves, and she makes the long, dangerous journey home, led by instinct, to be reunited with her family. First published in 1940, this book has been loved by many generations. 202 pages. BTH-2681. $4.95-D

Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff. Yearling, 1999. Reading level 4.6. For ages 10 and up. Lily has always spent her summers in the family's summer house in Rockaway, by the Atlantic Ocean. But it's 1944, and the war has changed everyone's life this year. Her best friend has moved to a wartime factory town, and her father will have to go overseas to the war. Lily expects there will be no one her age in Rockaway this summer, but then Albert, a refugee from Hungary arrives, with a secret sown into his coat. He has lost most of his own family during the war and been through horrors Lily can't even imagine. They soon become friends with secrets to share. Both of them have told lies. Will one that Lily told cost Albert his life? 180 pages. BTH-2691. $5.85-D

Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat. Bantam, 1982. Drawings by Charles Geer. Reading level 7, for grades 12 and up. In this exciting adventure novel, two boys face a challenge many mountain men would not endure. Their canoe is destroyed in the rapids, and they find themselves stranded in the the Arctic wilderness with no food and no hope of rescue. They build an igloo, battle a huge grizzly bear, track savage wolves, and slaughter caribou for food and clothing. They tame two lost huskies who provide some companionship --and maybe even a way to get home. 192 pages. BTH-2682. $5.39-D

A Ring Of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle. Laurel-Leaf, 1990. Mass market size. Reading level 5.5. This coming of age novel deals with serious issues such as death, but also includes the light of joy. As 16-year-old Vicky watches a close friend of the family lowered into his grave, she notices a young man standing beside her brother John. She didn't know who he was, but assumed he must work with John at the Marine Biology Station. She's right, and he later offers her the chance to work with him in his experiments with dolphins. This adds a gleam of joy to a summer that's sad,  because not only has Commander Rodney died saving the life of a rich kid who was careless, but Vicki's grandfather has a rare leukemia that is lethal. She has a lot of questions she wants answers to.  And she also has three different boys in her life to complicate it. As she searches for answers to life's tough questions she talks a lot  to her grandfather, who as sick as he is, helps her to understand God's care. 328 pages. BTH-2685. $5.85-D Out of stock.

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox. Dell, 1975. A Newbery Medal winner. Mass market size. Reading Level 5.9. Jessie often played his fife near the dock in New Orleans to make a few pennies, but slavers wanted his services for free -- aboard one of their slave ships -- so they kidnapped him dumped him on "The Moonlight." He was forced to play his fife music for the slaves on board to dance to so that they could keep their muscles strong. The whole nasty business makes Jamie sick, but there is nothing he can do. He sees more than he ever wanted to in human suffering and cruelty, but he still has one final horror to witness. 138 pages. BTH-2683. $4.95-D

The Story of Rolf: A Viking Adventure by Allen French. Dover, 2005. Set in ancient Iceland, this suspense-filled novel for young people pits Christian fighters against pagan warriors in Christianity's early days. Rolf, a young Viking Bowman, vows to pursue the men responsible for his father's death and bring them to justice.. There is plenty of action and adventure in this work, and it's loaded with exciting stories of brave men and women. 154 pages. BTH-2026. $8.06-D

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss. Dover Evergreen Classic, 2001. Classics in this series are newly set in easy to read type. They are sturdy, regular size softcover books with attractive, colorful covers to arouse interest. Unabridged. Almost everyone has head about this loving family of six left by a shipwreck to fend for themselves and survive on an island with only the resources there and what they were able to salvage from the ship. Instead of losing hope, they use their resourcefulness to construct a new life. They build a tree house, hunt for food on the island, and try to protect themselves against possible dangers. They have many adventures as they explore the island, encounter wild animals, plant crops, and build a better house. They show how a family can stick together under pressure and live and work together in harmony. 236 pages.  BTH-2021. $2.70-D

 A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith. Harper Trophy, 1988. Chapter book for children 7-10. While all the neighborhood kids are picking Japanese beetles off the fussy Mrs. Houser's grape vines for a quarter a jar, Jamie, shown earlier in the book to be somewhat of a daredevil, decides to poke at stick into a bee's nest in the ground. Bees swarmed out of the hole and most of the children ran away to their homes, with the bees chasing after. Jamie's best friend who saw it all but hadn't run, saw that Jamie had made it next door to his home, where he screamed, gasped, and fell on the ground. His friend, who is telling the story, saw Jamie writhing on the ground, but thought Jamie was just faking, as usual, trying to attract attention. He ignored him to go home and eat a popsicle. It happens that no one knew Jamie was allergic to bee stings, and he dies. The narrator, whose name we never learn, is forced to deal with his grief. His parents and Jamie's mom are helpful as he realizes that Jamie is really gone and that he must go on with his life as Jamie would want him to.85 pages.  BTH-5637. $4.26-D

Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude. Houghton  Mifflin, 2004. Hardcover. After the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and America goes to war, Joe and his family, like other West Coast Japanese Americans, begin to be looked at with suspicion by their neighbors. Finally the American government orders people of Japanese heritage to move to internment camps, and Joe turns to his diary to record his thoughts and feelings as he endures life at Tule Lake War Relocation Camp. 230 pages. BTH-1776. $9.93-B

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Laurel-Leaf, 2005. Mass market size. Reading level 5.8. A Newbery medal winning fantasy. A strange visitor, Mrs. Whatsit,  who lives in a "haunted" house, suddenly appears while  Meg and her small brother, Charles, and their mother gather for a snack in their kitchen on a dark, very stormy night. And thus begins an eerie adventure that leads the children into a tesseract -- a wrinkle in time. A This book is a special edition with an essay about the real-life science behind the fantasy.  word of warning: Some people believe this book has occult elements, and if these concern you, I want you to be aware of them. Some people also believe the Chronicles of Narnia have occult elements because of the White Witch. You will have to judge for yourself whether the presence of a medium in A Wrinkle in Time is occult or symbolic. 226 pages. BTH-2684. $5.85-D

The rest of this page is under construction. We will be adding many more titles as time goes on.