the Alex Rider series, by Anthony Horowitz
Traitor, by Andy McNab
the Danger Zone series, by David Gilman
the CHERUB series, by Robert Muchamore
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O'Brien
Thomas and the Dragon Queen, by Shutta Crum
The Underland Chronicles, by Suzanne Collins
Audio Books:
the Ramona books, by Beverly Cleary, read by Stockard Channing
the Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale
books by P.G. Wodehouse, read by various voices
Beach books:
Junonia, by Kevin Henkes
Books and movies:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Chick Lit:
The Summer Before Boys, by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Close to Famous, by Joan Bauer
The Anastasia books, by Lois Lowry
Classics:
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (ill. by Inga Moore)
on Death:
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
The Brothers Lionheart, by Astrid Lindgren
Dolls and other little people:
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Doll's House, by Rumer Godden
The Doll People, by Ann Martin
Little Plum, by Rumer Godden
The Littles, by John Peterson
The Racketty Packetty House, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Borrowers, by Mary Norton
The Mennyms, by Sylvia Waugh
Mistress Masham's Repose, by T.H. White (Annie's take) (Deborah's take)
Dystopian fiction:
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
sequels to The Giver: Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son, by Lois Lowry
Elsewhere in the World
A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park
Epic:
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Family:
Saffy's Angel , by Hillary McKay
The Ramona Books, by Beverly Cleary (also here, here, here, and here)
Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (and the other Fudge books), by Judy Blume
Finding oneself:
Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park
Fairy Tales:
The Fairy's Return, by Gail Carson Levine (Deborah's take) (Annie's take)
The Search for Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt
Fantasy:
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
The Sisters Grimm, by Michael Buckley (and here)
Friendship:
Summer of the Gypsy Moths, by Sara Pennypacker
Gay and Gay-friendly:
Totally Joe, by James Howe
Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence (anthology) ed. Marion Dane Bauer
Graduation gifts:
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Graphic Novels:
Travels of Thelonious
Smile
Historical fiction:
Countdown, by Deborah Wiles
Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
Dark Water Rising, by Marian Hale
Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson
Mr. Revere and I, by Robert Lawson
She was Nice to Mice, by Ally Sheedy
Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
Humor and Satire:
The Reformed Vampire Support Group, by Catherine Jinks
The Wonderful O, by James Thurber
Pigs Might Fly, by Dick King-Smith
Babe: The Gallant Pig, by Dick King-Smith
Three Terrible Trins, by Dick King-Smith
Linked stories:
Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman
Map books:
Three Tales of My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannet
Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air, by Stewart Ross
The Search for Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt
The Search for Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt
Orphans having adventures:
The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Mistress Masham's Repose, by T.H. White
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
Poetry:
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
Joyful Noise: video
Falling Up, by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein
The Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
A Wreath for Emmett Till, by Marilyn Nelson
Preposterous plots:
As Easy As Falling off the Face of the Earth, by Lynn Rae Perkins
Scary:
A Tale Dark and Grimm
Sports:
Six Innings, by James Preller
