BelvedereTiburonLibraryRecommendedReads2017
Avery,Tom.NotAsWeKnowIt.Gr4-6BrothersNedandJamiearetreasurehunters.They
considerthemselvesadventurerslikethecharactersontheirfavoriteshow,StarTrek.Afterastorm
theyfindastrange“fish-man”creature,washedupandill.Theycarryithomeandhideitinthe
garagethinkingtheywillcareforitsecretlyandthenreturnittothesea.Thingsaren’twhatthey
seem.IsthecreatureamermanwhomeanstocarryNedawayintotheseaforever?A
heartrendingbutultimatelyupliftingadventurenovelforreadersreadyforagoodcry.
HOLM,Jennifer.FullofBeansGr3-4KeyWest,Florida,wasn’talwaysavibranttouristdestination.
Holm(TheFourteenthGoldfish,2014)turnsbacktheclocktothe1930s,whentheGreatDepression
hadtheislandinitsgrip,leavingjobsscarce,feetbare,andhousesindisrepair.Timesmaybetough,
buttheyaren’tgettingdownBeansCurry,anenterprising10-year-oldwhowilldomostanythingto
earnadime.
Quinn,Spencer.ArfGr4-511-year-oldBirdieandherfearlesscaninecompanion,Bowser,area
crimesolvingDynamicduo.Birdie'sbeentoldshethinksalotlikeherfather,DetectiveCapt.Robert
Gaux.Doesshethinkenoughlikehimtosolvehisfinalcase?Readerswillberightwithher,cheering
heron.BirdieandBowserfanswillenjoythebrouhahainthebayouandhopemoremysteriesare
onthewayfortheirfavoritesleuths.
Spinelli,Jerry.TheWarden'sDaughterGr4-5MostpeoplewouldhatetocalltheHancockCounty
Prisonhome,but12-year-oldtomboyCammieO’Reillywouldn’thaveitanyotherway.Asthe
warden’sdaughter,shelivesinanapartmentabovetheprisonentrancewithherfatherandhasa
commandingpresencethat’searnedherthenicknameLittleWarden.Setin1959,thismovingand
memorablestoryfaceshardtruthsoftreatmentofprisoners,andCammie’smountingangerover
hermother’stragicdeath.Aninteresting,oftenheartbreakingglimpseintothe1950s.
Tarpley,Natasha.HarlemCharadeGr4-5Aremarkabletaleofdaringanddanger.Whenthree
strangersjoinforcestofindoutwhathappenedtoElvin'sgrandfather,theirdiggingleadsthemto
anartistwhosemissingmasterpiecesareworthafortune.Theymightjustsavetheirneighborhood
fromdevelopmentbyanambitiouspoliticianwhowantstoturnitintoaludicroushistorictheme
park.Butiftheydon'tfindthepaintingssoon,nothingintheirbelovedneighborhoodwilleverbe
thesame...
BelvedereTiburonLibraryRecommendedReads2017
Nesbet,Anne.CloudandWallfishGr4-5Lifejustgotreallyweirdforfifth-graderNoahKeller.In
fact,hejustgotabrandnewlife—includinganewhome(EastBerlin),name(JonahBrown),andage
(10)—andhe’snothappyaboutanyofit.Hisparentslayallthisonhimafterschoolonedaywhile
drivingstraightfortheairport.Alonglistofrulesaccompaniesthisbewilderingtrip,including
“don’tdrawattentiontoyourself”andnottoforgetthat“theywillalwaysbelistening.”Thisstory
givesreadersaglimpseintolifebehindtheIronCurtain,andeventsleadingtothefalloftheBerlin
Wall.Agreatchoiceforthoselookingforthrillinghistoricalfiction.
High,LindaOatman.OneAmazingElephant(SadStory)Gr3-4Lovingherfamilybutdislikingthe
circusthatishergrandparents'life,Lilyisdevastatedwhenhergrandfatherpassesaway,alossthat
leadshertodevelopanunexpectedbondwithhergrandfather'selephant,QueenieGrace.Queenie
Grace,isjustasheartbrokenaboutgrandfather’sdeathasLilyis.WhenQueenieGrace’sfreedomis
threatened,Lilydrawsonmemoriesofhergrandfatherandhernewfriendshipwithoptimistic
HenryJacktofindthestrengthtosaveher.Thiswarmstorydiscusseslifeanddeathandwhatit
meanstobeagoodfriendanddotherightthing.
Laso,MariaD.OtherwiseKnownasPossumGr3-4PossumPorterhashaditwithchange.First
shelostMama,leavingaholenothingcanfill.Andnow,insteadoftryingtoreturntosomekindof
normal,Daddy'ssendingPossumtoschool.Arealschool,whereyouhavetowearSHOES.Withthe
supportofcaringfriendsandneighbors,Possumfinallyallowsherbrokenhearttomend.Thisisa
tendergriefstorythatwillappealtofansofAliBenjamin'sTheThingAboutJellyfish.
Williams,David.Grandpa'sGreatEscapeGr3-4TwelveyearoldJack'sgrandpalivesinanursing
homeandoftenmistakesJackforhisWorldWarIIsquadroncommander.Whengrandpawantsto
escapehisboringsituation,Jackhastodecidehowhewillhelphim.Theplotthickensconsiderably
afterGrandpaissenttoforbiddingTwilightTowers(“Caringforyourunwantedoldfolk”),aformer
lunaticasylumrunbysuspiciouslyhulking“nurses.”Whattodo?Helphisgrandparoundupallthe
residentseniorsandengineeradaringnightescape,ofcourse!GreatforfansofRoaldDahl.
Oh,Ellen.(editor)FlyingLessonsandOtherStoriesGr4-510Inclusive,authentic,andtotally
awesomeshortstoriesfromastellarlistofauthors.Inonestoryaboutbasketball,roadblocksare
hurledatthemaincharacterfromtheotherplayers,he'stooyoung,tooskinny.Hestickswithitand
hasanamazingsummeronandoffthecourt.Inthehauntingstory"MainStreet"twofriendssuffer
fromdifferentlosses:Treetop'smotherhasrecentlypassedaway,andCelesteisn'tacceptedinher
newhome.Eachstoryinthiscollectionhasfascinatingcharactersreaderswilllove.
BelvedereTiburonLibraryRecommendedReads2017
Lambert,MaryE.FamilyGameNight.Gr5Seventh-graderAnnabelle'smotherisahoarder,and
theirwholehouseisfullofcannedgoods,brokentoys,fabric,andoldnewspapers--butwhenapile
ofnewspapers(organizedbyweatherreports)fallsonAnnabelle'syoungersisterLeslieandtheir
motherismoreconcernedaboutthenewspapers,itsetsoffachainofeventsthatbringstheirfixit-allgrandmotherin,andAnnabellerealizesthatifthereisanyhopeforchangeshecan'tisolate
herselfandkeepherfamily'sproblemssecret.
Wegelius,JakobMurderer'sApe.Gr4-5AquirkymysteryfeaturingagorillanamedSallyJones
whoisanengineer,ashipmate,andthefriendofsailorHenryKoskela.Notonlydoesshenarrate
thestory,shecanalsoreadandwrite.Shejustdoesn'ttalk.WhenHenryisfalselyaccusedof
murder,shevisitstherun-downdocksofLisbon,andembarksonadizzyingjourneyacrossthe
sevenseas,inanattempttoclearhisname.Thoughshemeetsmanyunsavorycharactersandis
oftenthreatenedwithzoos,hertalentwithmachinery,resourcefulness,andenduringgoodwill
seeherthrough.
Bohls,Steven.JedandtheJunkyardWarGr4-5Jed’squirkyparentsprimedhimforadventureand
survival,havingrecentlydroppedhiminYellowstoneNationalParkwith“fourdollarsandacanof
orangesoda”sothathecouldracehometoDenverforhis12thbirthday.Jedmakesithome,but
hisparentshavevanished,leavingbehindanironkey,strangewristwatch,emergencybackpack,and
instructionsabouttravelingtothe“junkyard”throughatunnelbehindthedishwasher.Oncehe
arrives,JedreliesonhiswitstopersuadethegrouchyCaptainBogtotakehimaboardhisskyship,
anduseshiscookingprowesstoearnhiskeep.Ariproaringpiratestory.
Iwasa,Megumi.YoursSincerely,Giraffe.Gr3-4Giraffeisbored,asusual.He'dloveafriend
tosharethingswith.Hemeetspelicanthemailman,andsendsaletterasfaraspossibleacross
theothersideofthehorizon.Therehefindsapenpal,Penguin.Theydon'tknowwhateach
otherlookslike,sogiraffedecidestomeethisnewfrienddisguisedasapenguinAgreatstory
aboutfriendshipandlivingindifferentpartsoftheworld.
Spalding,Esta.LookOutfortheFitzgerald-TroutsGr.3-4Moveover,BoxcarChildren—the
Fitzgerald-Troutsarehere.Kim,Kimo,Pippa,andTobyareacobbled-togetherfamilyoffourkids
wholiveinalittlegreencar,roamingaroundtheirtropicalislandhometryingtofindahouse.
SometimestheyhideinanIKEA-likestore,ordrivethroughatreacherousforestpopulatedby
blood-suckingiguanas.Readerswillrootforthespunkyyoungsterswholongforanormallifewith
goldfishinbowlsandroomstosleepin.
BelvedereTiburonLibraryRecommendedReads2017
Coville,Katherine.IvyGr3-4IvyandGrandmotherliveinanot-so-tidycottageontheedgeof
clean,orderlyBroomsweep.Theyarehappilydifferentfromthetownsfolk,nursingsickmagical
animalsbacktohealth.Whenthenewlycrownedqueenannouncesacontestforbesttown,
troublemakerMistressPeevishleadstheneighborsinpressuringIvyandGrandmothertotidytheir
cottageandgetridofthemagicalcreatures.Thecitizensareconvincedthattheycan'twiniftheir
townisn'tperfect.Soonthecommunity’sverysurvivalwilldependonGrandmother'sfriends:a
recuperatinggriffin,asmalldragon,andaswarmofpixies.
Gale,EricKahn.TheWizard'sDogGr4-5Merlin'sdog,Nosewise,cantalkanddoabitofmagic
withthehelpofaspecialstone,andinstructionfromapprentice,Morgana.WhenMerlin,is
kidnapped,Nosewisewillstopatnothingtogethimback.BeforelonghemeetsArthur,the“Poop
Boy”.TogethertheyescapeacastleandfacemanydangerslikethestrangeFaepeopleandtheir
magic-eatingworms.AgreatretellingofTheSwordintheStonefullofadventure,humorand
magic,perfectforfansoffairytales,legends,anddogs.