The River
by: Gary Paulsen

Two years ago Brian's accident left him stranded in the woods alone and amazingly he survived. (Read Hatchet) This time they want him to do it all again on purpose so they can learn survival skills from him.
Brian agrees, but the emergency supplies go back with the plane or Brian says he won't stay with Derek.  Derek is going to record the entire experience, and he agrees to send everything back except the radio.  Little did they know they would need those supplies and radios break.

A Long Way From Chicago
by: Richard Peck

1999 Newbery Honor

Joey and Mary Alice go to stay with their grandmother once a summer for a week.  Joey and Mary live in Chicago and Grandma lives in a small town a long way from Chicago where things are very different.  Grandma does things that Mary and Joey don't even tell their won parent about! Although Mary and Joey don't realize it at the time, those weeks with Grandma will become some of the best memories of their lives.

Bridge to Terabithia
by: Katherine Paterson

1978 Newbery Honor

A wonderful story about friendship, death, family, school, and secret enchanted places.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by: J.K. Rowling


Harry has a miserable life with the Dursley's, his horrible aunt and uncle and their son, Dudley. His room is a tiny closet at he foot of the steps, and he hasn't had a birthday in eleven years.  That all changes when an owl brings a message to Harry. Off to wizard school he goes and his life will never be the same.

A Wrinkle in Time
by: Madeleine L'Engle

1963 Newbery Winner

Meg and Charles Wallace's dad is lost in time or space or somewhere, but he is a great scientist.  So why can't he get back? Meg and Charles Wallace and a friend, Calvin, with some help from some other time travelers, set out to find him. 

Hatchet
by: Gary Paulsen

1988 Newbery Honor Book

Brian is on his way to see his dad when his single-engine plane goes down in the Canadian wilderness.  Does Brian have the physical and emotional strength to survive?

The Year the Swallows Came Early
by:  Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Elanor "Groovy" Robinson loves cooking and has big plans to attend college and become a professional chef. The year Groovy turns 11 a bunch of things go wrong, really wrong, and her hopes of becoming a chef crumble. As Groovy begins to expect the unexpected and learns more about the people around her she learns the power of forgiveness and hope. This is a wonderful story!