While Adventure and Survival stories are different, they have a similar effect. They're stories of rising to a challenge, highlighting the unique desires of humankind to be challenged. While many of these novels contain challenges the character did not (and would not) ask for, it is hard not to be moved by their daring, strength, determination, and resilience in the face of the seemingly impossible. These are all chapter books containing such a challenge, rather in a journey, a quest, or dire situation, and will roughly be of interest to students in grades 3-7. Grade level interest and/or Accelerated Reader level indicated in notes when available. Selected and curated by SJPL Librarians.
Grades 5-7. "Sena treasures his life in rural Ghana—playing soccer, working on the family farm, striving to do his best at school—but he is increasin...Show more
Grades 5-7. "Sena treasures his life in rural Ghana—playing soccer, working on the family farm, striving to do his best at school—but he is increasingly aware of his family's precarious security in the face of poverty. When an alluring gentleman comes to town to befriend local teenagers, offering promises of a better future, it only takes one more unsettling turn of events to send Sena into the clutches of human traffickers. Sena's ordeal, escape, and remarkable survival makes for a page-turning adventure of self-discovery and empowerment."
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Grades 5-7. "Sena treasures his life in rural Ghana—playing soccer, working on the family farm, striving to do his best at school—but he is increasin...Show more
Grades 5-7. "Sena treasures his life in rural Ghana—playing soccer, working on the family farm, striving to do his best at school—but he is increasingly aware of his family's precarious security in the face of poverty. When an alluring gentleman comes to town to befriend local teenagers, offering promises of a better future, it only takes one more unsettling turn of events to send Sena into the clutches of human traffickers. Sena's ordeal, escape, and remarkable survival makes for a page-turning adventure of self-discovery and empowerment."
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Grades 4-6. "Twelve-year-old Eli is an apprentice librarian at the largest library in the world. But when his grandmother falls ill, he enters the Gl...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Twelve-year-old Eli is an apprentice librarian at the largest library in the world. But when his grandmother falls ill, he enters the Glorious Race of Magical Beasts to raise money for her treatment. Most participants seek out unicorns and dragons to help them on their conquest. But not Eli. He embarks on this journey with his trusted pet and friend, Humphrey, his moon tortoise. Moon tortoises aren't suited to racing and Eli is no natural adventurer. But he soon finds himself in an unlikely partnership with Raven, a rule-breaker and skilled archer, and her ice hare – one of the fastest animals in the world."
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Grades 4-6. "Twelve-year-old Eli is an apprentice librarian at the largest library in the world. But when his grandmother falls ill, he enters the Gl...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Twelve-year-old Eli is an apprentice librarian at the largest library in the world. But when his grandmother falls ill, he enters the Glorious Race of Magical Beasts to raise money for her treatment. Most participants seek out unicorns and dragons to help them on their conquest. But not Eli. He embarks on this journey with his trusted pet and friend, Humphrey, his moon tortoise. Moon tortoises aren't suited to racing and Eli is no natural adventurer. But he soon finds himself in an unlikely partnership with Raven, a rule-breaker and skilled archer, and her ice hare – one of the fastest animals in the world."
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Grades 4-6. "Being alone is something Raymond is used to.
Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley has never had a place to call home. His free-wheeling paren...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Being alone is something Raymond is used to.
Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley has never had a place to call home. His free-wheeling parents move their family from town to town, and he’s living in a trailer in a brand-new state when one day, they just up and abandon him. All alone with nothing but a duffle bag full of clothes and his reliable pup, Rosie, he is forced to live in the woods behind his middle school.
With a fishing pole in hand and survival guide checked out from the library, Raymond scrapes by and doesn’t tell anyone his secret. This isn’t the first time he’s had to rely on himself. However, when winter days get colder and finding food becomes nearly impossible, Raymond makes new friends, including a curious coyote, in unexpected places. Soon, he learns that his fate will depend not just on his wilderness skills, but on the people and animals he chooses to trust."
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Grades 4-6. "Being alone is something Raymond is used to.
Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley has never had a place to call home. His free-wheeling paren...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Being alone is something Raymond is used to.
Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley has never had a place to call home. His free-wheeling parents move their family from town to town, and he’s living in a trailer in a brand-new state when one day, they just up and abandon him. All alone with nothing but a duffle bag full of clothes and his reliable pup, Rosie, he is forced to live in the woods behind his middle school.
With a fishing pole in hand and survival guide checked out from the library, Raymond scrapes by and doesn’t tell anyone his secret. This isn’t the first time he’s had to rely on himself. However, when winter days get colder and finding food becomes nearly impossible, Raymond makes new friends, including a curious coyote, in unexpected places. Soon, he learns that his fate will depend not just on his wilderness skills, but on the people and animals he chooses to trust."
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Grades 4-6. "Eleven-year-old Rio Turner has lived all his life in London with his American mother. But when his mother’s depression worsens and she h...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Eleven-year-old Rio Turner has lived all his life in London with his American mother. But when his mother’s depression worsens and she has to be hospitalized, Rio is sent to live with his near stranger of a grandmother in California. As the story unfolds in waves of both nuance and perceptively delivered atmosphere—the ocean and California coast are evocatively rendered—Rio, resentful, lonely, and missing his adored mother, deflects his grandmother’s attempts at friendship. But then she gives him a shoe box of his mother’s childhood treasures, and Rio discovers drawing after drawing of whales. One drawing, titled White Beak, stands out for how lifelike it is, and Rio keeps it close in his pocket. Then, while walking the beach, Rio meets Marina, a girl about his age who lives on a whale-watching boat. Marina tells him that White Beak is an actual whale, and she invites Rio to come on a whale-watching trip, where he glimpses the actual White Beak on her migratory route to Mexico. Rio is entranced, and as he learns more about the magnificent creatures, including their plight as a result of human carelessness, he determines to help however he can. And then White Beak goes missing. " -- Kirkus.
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Grades 4-6. "Eleven-year-old Rio Turner has lived all his life in London with his American mother. But when his mother’s depression worsens and she h...Show more
Grades 4-6. "Eleven-year-old Rio Turner has lived all his life in London with his American mother. But when his mother’s depression worsens and she has to be hospitalized, Rio is sent to live with his near stranger of a grandmother in California. As the story unfolds in waves of both nuance and perceptively delivered atmosphere—the ocean and California coast are evocatively rendered—Rio, resentful, lonely, and missing his adored mother, deflects his grandmother’s attempts at friendship. But then she gives him a shoe box of his mother’s childhood treasures, and Rio discovers drawing after drawing of whales. One drawing, titled White Beak, stands out for how lifelike it is, and Rio keeps it close in his pocket. Then, while walking the beach, Rio meets Marina, a girl about his age who lives on a whale-watching boat. Marina tells him that White Beak is an actual whale, and she invites Rio to come on a whale-watching trip, where he glimpses the actual White Beak on her migratory route to Mexico. Rio is entranced, and as he learns more about the magnificent creatures, including their plight as a result of human carelessness, he determines to help however he can. And then White Beak goes missing. " -- Kirkus.
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Grades 3+. Graphic novel. "A girl goes to visit her grandmother, who lives in a house near the beach. She finds a pink feather at Lao Lao's house tha...Show more
Grades 3+. Graphic novel. "A girl goes to visit her grandmother, who lives in a house near the beach. She finds a pink feather at Lao Lao's house that sparks her curiosity. The book gently transitions between the real and the imaginary, as Lao Lao tells her a story about a girl who found an egg at the beach. Lao Lao tells her story a little at a time, gradually revealing that a tiny white chick hatched out of the egg, and that the chick grew up into a pink flamingo, which eventually flew away. When the girl returns home, she's inspired to write her own conclusion to the story, which (be forewarned) might make more sensitive readers cry. This book is mostly wordless, which will give readers more time to focus on the ethereal, and often breathtaking, artwork. " -- School Library Journal.
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Grades 3+. Graphic novel. "A girl goes to visit her grandmother, who lives in a house near the beach. She finds a pink feather at Lao Lao's house tha...Show more
Grades 3+. Graphic novel. "A girl goes to visit her grandmother, who lives in a house near the beach. She finds a pink feather at Lao Lao's house that sparks her curiosity. The book gently transitions between the real and the imaginary, as Lao Lao tells her a story about a girl who found an egg at the beach. Lao Lao tells her story a little at a time, gradually revealing that a tiny white chick hatched out of the egg, and that the chick grew up into a pink flamingo, which eventually flew away. When the girl returns home, she's inspired to write her own conclusion to the story, which (be forewarned) might make more sensitive readers cry. This book is mostly wordless, which will give readers more time to focus on the ethereal, and often breathtaking, artwork. " -- School Library Journal.
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Grades 2-6. " In 1939 Switzerland, 11-year-old Frances Stenzel, who longs to join her famed scientist parents at a Brussels science symposium, is dis...Show more
Grades 2-6. " In 1939 Switzerland, 11-year-old Frances Stenzel, who longs to join her famed scientist parents at a Brussels science symposium, is dismayed to be left behind as she always has been following the accident that took her ear seven years prior. This time, though, she’s left in the care of a specially engineered android tutor named Hobbes. Chafing under the attention of her indefatigable caretaker, inventive Frances searches for a way to power Hobbes down, and instead discovers her great-grandfather Grimme’s encoded journal and secret laboratory, which houses a corpse encased in ice. Deciphering the journal, Frances devises a way to complete Grimme’s final experiment: reanimating the body, which promptly escapes the manor into the nearby city of Bern. Wracked with regret and clad in a bow tie and fedora, Frances sets out in pursuit, aided by sardonic Hobbes; a kind local boy, Luca Frick; and Fritz, a chimpanzee with artificially enhanced intelligence. Bursting with wry humor and references to Frankenstein, Tuma’s (the What the Dinosaurs Did series) idiosyncratic, utterly original tale moves at breakneck speed through a richly imagined landscape, accumulating vividly rendered characters and settings—including a bear pit, a sewer, and the famous Zytglogge clock tower—while injecting considered discussions of modern themes such as gender roles and privilege. " -- Publisher's Weekly.
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Grades 2-6. " In 1939 Switzerland, 11-year-old Frances Stenzel, who longs to join her famed scientist parents at a Brussels science symposium, is dis...Show more
Grades 2-6. " In 1939 Switzerland, 11-year-old Frances Stenzel, who longs to join her famed scientist parents at a Brussels science symposium, is dismayed to be left behind as she always has been following the accident that took her ear seven years prior. This time, though, she’s left in the care of a specially engineered android tutor named Hobbes. Chafing under the attention of her indefatigable caretaker, inventive Frances searches for a way to power Hobbes down, and instead discovers her great-grandfather Grimme’s encoded journal and secret laboratory, which houses a corpse encased in ice. Deciphering the journal, Frances devises a way to complete Grimme’s final experiment: reanimating the body, which promptly escapes the manor into the nearby city of Bern. Wracked with regret and clad in a bow tie and fedora, Frances sets out in pursuit, aided by sardonic Hobbes; a kind local boy, Luca Frick; and Fritz, a chimpanzee with artificially enhanced intelligence. Bursting with wry humor and references to Frankenstein, Tuma’s (the What the Dinosaurs Did series) idiosyncratic, utterly original tale moves at breakneck speed through a richly imagined landscape, accumulating vividly rendered characters and settings—including a bear pit, a sewer, and the famous Zytglogge clock tower—while injecting considered discussions of modern themes such as gender roles and privilege. " -- Publisher's Weekly.
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Grades 4-7. "The teeming swamps of southwestern Florida play a large role in this rollicking tale of three young Gilded Age naturalists who discover ...Show more
Grades 4-7. "The teeming swamps of southwestern Florida play a large role in this rollicking tale of three young Gilded Age naturalists who discover and then struggle to protect a mother octopus—a new species—and her frisky brood. In hopes of seeing lots of exotic wildlife as well as keeping his asthma from developing into the pneumonia that killed his father, white 12-year-old Algie arrives at the isolated Hotel Paraíso—just in time to hear that it’s being shut down due to a rash of eerie incidents and marine die-offs. Algie joins the owner’s half Cuban daughters Francisca and Lourdes, themselves avid amateur “field biologists,” to investigate, and the mystery quickly leads to watery adventures and misadventures capped by a thrilling encounter with a huge, friendly cephalopod the trio names, appropriately, Octavia. How can they possibly keep her and eight curious, rambunctious offspring, who are all too catlike in character as well as size, from being captured or killed by grown-ups?" -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-7. "The teeming swamps of southwestern Florida play a large role in this rollicking tale of three young Gilded Age naturalists who discover ...Show more
Grades 4-7. "The teeming swamps of southwestern Florida play a large role in this rollicking tale of three young Gilded Age naturalists who discover and then struggle to protect a mother octopus—a new species—and her frisky brood. In hopes of seeing lots of exotic wildlife as well as keeping his asthma from developing into the pneumonia that killed his father, white 12-year-old Algie arrives at the isolated Hotel Paraíso—just in time to hear that it’s being shut down due to a rash of eerie incidents and marine die-offs. Algie joins the owner’s half Cuban daughters Francisca and Lourdes, themselves avid amateur “field biologists,” to investigate, and the mystery quickly leads to watery adventures and misadventures capped by a thrilling encounter with a huge, friendly cephalopod the trio names, appropriately, Octavia. How can they possibly keep her and eight curious, rambunctious offspring, who are all too catlike in character as well as size, from being captured or killed by grown-ups?" -- Booklist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 4.4. "Seventh-grader Charley Decker's mother is on vacation with her boyfriend, and Charley plans to spend the weekend watching movies ...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 4.4. "Seventh-grader Charley Decker's mother is on vacation with her boyfriend, and Charley plans to spend the weekend watching movies with her best friends Wade and Oona and her older brother, Greg; but Greg has a date and takes their mother's boyfriend's expensive, rare automobile, then manages to get it towed; Charley and her friends hatch a plan to get the car back--but things go seriously wrong when they discover somebody called Mitch hiding from a pair of scary dudes in the trunk of the car, and the three friends find themselves on the wildest ride of their lives." -- Novelist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 4.4. "Seventh-grader Charley Decker's mother is on vacation with her boyfriend, and Charley plans to spend the weekend watching movies ...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 4.4. "Seventh-grader Charley Decker's mother is on vacation with her boyfriend, and Charley plans to spend the weekend watching movies with her best friends Wade and Oona and her older brother, Greg; but Greg has a date and takes their mother's boyfriend's expensive, rare automobile, then manages to get it towed; Charley and her friends hatch a plan to get the car back--but things go seriously wrong when they discover somebody called Mitch hiding from a pair of scary dudes in the trunk of the car, and the three friends find themselves on the wildest ride of their lives." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-7. Graphic novel. "When their evil neighbor, aka the guardian of gloom, lays siege to Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary, turning them into p...Show more
Grades 4-7. Graphic novel. "When their evil neighbor, aka the guardian of gloom, lays siege to Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary, turning them into pimply teenagers and sullen adults, the survivors of the onslaught call out for Bea Wolf -- an unbreakable warrior with a penchant for mischief." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-7. Graphic novel. "When their evil neighbor, aka the guardian of gloom, lays siege to Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary, turning them into p...Show more
Grades 4-7. Graphic novel. "When their evil neighbor, aka the guardian of gloom, lays siege to Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary, turning them into pimply teenagers and sullen adults, the survivors of the onslaught call out for Bea Wolf -- an unbreakable warrior with a penchant for mischief." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-6. "After his father’s death at sea, former fisher boy Razi wants nothing more to do with the ocean. He prefers peaceful mornings on land, o...Show more
Grades 3-6. "After his father’s death at sea, former fisher boy Razi wants nothing more to do with the ocean. He prefers peaceful mornings on land, observing sea turtles on a deserted Sri Lankan beach. When a seemingly empty vessel drifts into view, Razi is shocked to spot an unconscious passenger. He rescues a bedraggled Zheng, fresh off a shipwreck and clinging to life. As Razi and his twin sister help Zheng regain his strength, they are taken with his outlandish seafaring stories, but it becomes apparent that there are dangerous people in search of Zheng and his mysterious treasure map. With a priceless cultural artifact at stake, the skeptical trio must learn to trust one another, and Razi must find the courage to trust the sea. It’s a thrilling, old-fashioned treasure hunt, and the Sri Lankan setting makes familiar arcs feel fresh." -- Booklist.
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Grades 3-6. "After his father’s death at sea, former fisher boy Razi wants nothing more to do with the ocean. He prefers peaceful mornings on land, o...Show more
Grades 3-6. "After his father’s death at sea, former fisher boy Razi wants nothing more to do with the ocean. He prefers peaceful mornings on land, observing sea turtles on a deserted Sri Lankan beach. When a seemingly empty vessel drifts into view, Razi is shocked to spot an unconscious passenger. He rescues a bedraggled Zheng, fresh off a shipwreck and clinging to life. As Razi and his twin sister help Zheng regain his strength, they are taken with his outlandish seafaring stories, but it becomes apparent that there are dangerous people in search of Zheng and his mysterious treasure map. With a priceless cultural artifact at stake, the skeptical trio must learn to trust one another, and Razi must find the courage to trust the sea. It’s a thrilling, old-fashioned treasure hunt, and the Sri Lankan setting makes familiar arcs feel fresh." -- Booklist.
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Grades 5-8/AR 6.2. "When sickness decimates his fishing village, an orphan named Leif flees north in a cedar canoe, journeying along a brutal but beautiful coastline." -- Novelist.
Grades 5-8/AR 6.2. "When sickness decimates his fishing village, an orphan named Leif flees north in a cedar canoe, journeying along a brutal but beautiful coastline." -- Novelist.
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Grades 5-8/AR 6.2. "When sickness decimates his fishing village, an orphan named Leif flees north in a cedar canoe, journeying along a brutal but beautiful coastline." -- Novelist.
Grades 5-8/AR 6.2. "When sickness decimates his fishing village, an orphan named Leif flees north in a cedar canoe, journeying along a brutal but beautiful coastline." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-7/AR 4.2. "When her hero, a girl known as the Desert Aviator, crashes during her livestream, 12-year-old Jolene, armed with a hand-drawn map...Show more
Grades 3-7/AR 4.2. "When her hero, a girl known as the Desert Aviator, crashes during her livestream, 12-year-old Jolene, armed with a hand-drawn map and a stolen cell phone, races against time across the treacherous Arizona desert to save her." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-7/AR 4.2. "When her hero, a girl known as the Desert Aviator, crashes during her livestream, 12-year-old Jolene, armed with a hand-drawn map...Show more
Grades 3-7/AR 4.2. "When her hero, a girl known as the Desert Aviator, crashes during her livestream, 12-year-old Jolene, armed with a hand-drawn map and a stolen cell phone, races against time across the treacherous Arizona desert to save her." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-6/AR 4.4. "Father Edik’s usual trepidation over approaching Answelica the goat’s enclosure skyrockets upon seeing a sleeping girl there, clu...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 4.4. "Father Edik’s usual trepidation over approaching Answelica the goat’s enclosure skyrockets upon seeing a sleeping girl there, clutching the foul-tempered creature’s ear. This turns out to be Beatryce, a girl with no memory aside from her name, a girl who can read and write despite laws prohibiting such a thing, a girl about whom Father Edik believes he may have written in his order’s prophetic Chronicles of Sorrowing: “There will one day come a girl child who will unseat a king and bring about a great change.” It isn’t long before word reaches the monastery that the king is also looking for Beatryce on account of the prophecy, so Father Edik disguises her as a monk and sends her off with Answelica, her fierce and loyal protector, and a bright boy from town named Jack Dory, who has an interesting story of his own." -- Booklist.
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Grades 3-6/AR 4.4. "Father Edik’s usual trepidation over approaching Answelica the goat’s enclosure skyrockets upon seeing a sleeping girl there, clu...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 4.4. "Father Edik’s usual trepidation over approaching Answelica the goat’s enclosure skyrockets upon seeing a sleeping girl there, clutching the foul-tempered creature’s ear. This turns out to be Beatryce, a girl with no memory aside from her name, a girl who can read and write despite laws prohibiting such a thing, a girl about whom Father Edik believes he may have written in his order’s prophetic Chronicles of Sorrowing: “There will one day come a girl child who will unseat a king and bring about a great change.” It isn’t long before word reaches the monastery that the king is also looking for Beatryce on account of the prophecy, so Father Edik disguises her as a monk and sends her off with Answelica, her fierce and loyal protector, and a bright boy from town named Jack Dory, who has an interesting story of his own." -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.8. "Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry, a rather shy, quiet homebody, looks forward to her adventurous mother’s return from the Arctic ...Show more
Grades 4-7/AR 4.8. "Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry, a rather shy, quiet homebody, looks forward to her adventurous mother’s return from the Arctic tundra, but one phone call soon derails that plan. Excited by the reported spotting of a loah bird, which was thought to be extinct, Dr. Londonderry, an ornithologist, has decided to track it down on her own for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Loah remains at home, under the care of elderly Miss Rinker and her brother. When both are hospitalized, she struggles to keep their absence a secret in order to maintain her independence. Another call brings alarming news from the Arctic, and Loah decides to act, though it will take all her wits, determination, and courage to save her mother. " -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.8. "Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry, a rather shy, quiet homebody, looks forward to her adventurous mother’s return from the Arctic ...Show more
Grades 4-7/AR 4.8. "Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry, a rather shy, quiet homebody, looks forward to her adventurous mother’s return from the Arctic tundra, but one phone call soon derails that plan. Excited by the reported spotting of a loah bird, which was thought to be extinct, Dr. Londonderry, an ornithologist, has decided to track it down on her own for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Loah remains at home, under the care of elderly Miss Rinker and her brother. When both are hospitalized, she struggles to keep their absence a secret in order to maintain her independence. Another call brings alarming news from the Arctic, and Loah decides to act, though it will take all her wits, determination, and courage to save her mother. " -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-6/AR 5.0. "A hazardous choice on a family trip generates cascading events that leave a teen struggling to survive in the Oregon wilderness.U...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 5.0. "A hazardous choice on a family trip generates cascading events that leave a teen struggling to survive in the Oregon wilderness.Unlike her father, 13-year-old Francie and her mother enjoy hiking. During the family’s drive from Penticton, British Columbia, to the Grand Canyon, Dad opts for a shortcut that his new GPS indicates should cut 100 miles from their trip. Mom’s doubts—his road’s not on her paper map—prove justified as the road grows rougher and night approaches. Francie reads her survival guidebook and naps until a rock takes out their truck. Making the best of things—they’ve got camping gear, though little food and no cellphone (her parents don’t like them)—they spend a night in the vast, beautiful forest. The next morning, Dad sets off for help, carrying their tent and the GPS. As days of waiting pass, Mom—mentally unstable since Francie’s twin sister died from a congenital heart defect—starts behaving erratically. Francie copes with her own fear by planning and preparing for contingencies. She’ll need all her hard-won knowledge as challenges mount. " -- Kirkus.
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Grades 3-6/AR 5.0. "A hazardous choice on a family trip generates cascading events that leave a teen struggling to survive in the Oregon wilderness.U...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 5.0. "A hazardous choice on a family trip generates cascading events that leave a teen struggling to survive in the Oregon wilderness.Unlike her father, 13-year-old Francie and her mother enjoy hiking. During the family’s drive from Penticton, British Columbia, to the Grand Canyon, Dad opts for a shortcut that his new GPS indicates should cut 100 miles from their trip. Mom’s doubts—his road’s not on her paper map—prove justified as the road grows rougher and night approaches. Francie reads her survival guidebook and naps until a rock takes out their truck. Making the best of things—they’ve got camping gear, though little food and no cellphone (her parents don’t like them)—they spend a night in the vast, beautiful forest. The next morning, Dad sets off for help, carrying their tent and the GPS. As days of waiting pass, Mom—mentally unstable since Francie’s twin sister died from a congenital heart defect—starts behaving erratically. Francie copes with her own fear by planning and preparing for contingencies. She’ll need all her hard-won knowledge as challenges mount. " -- Kirkus.
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Grades 3-7/AR 4.8. "Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It’s a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, lik...Show more
Grades 3-7/AR 4.8. "Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It’s a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, like clockwork, another accident strikes, this time while hiking in a remote Sonoran Desert canyon with her father. A flash storm sends a deluge of water down the canyon’s dry riverbed, carrying away Nora’s father in its strong current. As Nora fights waves of panic, her harrowing tale of survival unfolds through a mix of free-verse and concrete poetry. Flashbacks and nightmares fill in details about her mother’s death and the PTSD it imprinted on the lives of Nora and her father. Nora is an experienced outdoorswoman, but the storm washed away her pack of supplies, leaving her with only her ingenuity. " -- Booklist.
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Grades 3-7/AR 4.8. "Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It’s a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, lik...Show more
Grades 3-7/AR 4.8. "Life can change in an instant, a fact that Nora knows all too well. It’s a year since the tragedy that stole her mother, and, like clockwork, another accident strikes, this time while hiking in a remote Sonoran Desert canyon with her father. A flash storm sends a deluge of water down the canyon’s dry riverbed, carrying away Nora’s father in its strong current. As Nora fights waves of panic, her harrowing tale of survival unfolds through a mix of free-verse and concrete poetry. Flashbacks and nightmares fill in details about her mother’s death and the PTSD it imprinted on the lives of Nora and her father. Nora is an experienced outdoorswoman, but the storm washed away her pack of supplies, leaving her with only her ingenuity. " -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 6.2. "When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, a 12-year-old silent-film star finds herself navigating murderous plots and a runaway...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 6.2. "When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, a 12-year-old silent-film star finds herself navigating murderous plots and a runaway air balloon to rescue a kidnapped heiress from a band of dastardly criminals." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 6.2. "When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, a 12-year-old silent-film star finds herself navigating murderous plots and a runaway...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 6.2. "When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, a 12-year-old silent-film star finds herself navigating murderous plots and a runaway air balloon to rescue a kidnapped heiress from a band of dastardly criminals." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 5.1. "Finding freedom and friendship in 1848 San Francisco while her father searches for gold, Tory embarks on a mud-caked search for h...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 5.1. "Finding freedom and friendship in 1848 San Francisco while her father searches for gold, Tory embarks on a mud-caked search for her kidnapped brother throughout San Francisco Bay’s treacherous Rotten Row area and its hundreds of abandoned ships." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 5.1. "Finding freedom and friendship in 1848 San Francisco while her father searches for gold, Tory embarks on a mud-caked search for h...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 5.1. "Finding freedom and friendship in 1848 San Francisco while her father searches for gold, Tory embarks on a mud-caked search for her kidnapped brother throughout San Francisco Bay’s treacherous Rotten Row area and its hundreds of abandoned ships." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-8/AR 4.4. "Fourteen-year-old McKenna is about to embark on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter from her younger sister, Emma, to the Fou...Show more
Grades 4-8/AR 4.4. "Fourteen-year-old McKenna is about to embark on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter from her younger sister, Emma, to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. Why dangerous? Because McKenna has entered a dog sled race that follows the Great Superior Mail Run—the trail used by nineteenth century mail runners that extends north through Ontario, taking its travelers along and on frozen Lake Superior and over treacherous mountain terrain. McKenna’s parents don’t know she, like Emma, has the genetic retinal disease Stargardt and her vision is failing. On her first day out, she befriends another teen, Guy, who’s become the eyes for his blind lead dog, and the pair supports one another along the three-day race." -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-8/AR 4.4. "Fourteen-year-old McKenna is about to embark on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter from her younger sister, Emma, to the Fou...Show more
Grades 4-8/AR 4.4. "Fourteen-year-old McKenna is about to embark on a dangerous mission to deliver a letter from her younger sister, Emma, to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. Why dangerous? Because McKenna has entered a dog sled race that follows the Great Superior Mail Run—the trail used by nineteenth century mail runners that extends north through Ontario, taking its travelers along and on frozen Lake Superior and over treacherous mountain terrain. McKenna’s parents don’t know she, like Emma, has the genetic retinal disease Stargardt and her vision is failing. On her first day out, she befriends another teen, Guy, who’s become the eyes for his blind lead dog, and the pair supports one another along the three-day race." -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 4.5. "A boarding school girl desperate to connect with her unpredictable father persuades two friends to cut class for an off-the-grid ...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 4.5. "A boarding school girl desperate to connect with her unpredictable father persuades two friends to cut class for an off-the-grid adventure on a remote island, where they navigate formidable obstacles, including a gang of international jewel thieves." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-6/AR 4.5. "A boarding school girl desperate to connect with her unpredictable father persuades two friends to cut class for an off-the-grid ...Show more
Grades 4-6/AR 4.5. "A boarding school girl desperate to connect with her unpredictable father persuades two friends to cut class for an off-the-grid adventure on a remote island, where they navigate formidable obstacles, including a gang of international jewel thieves." -- Novelist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 4.5. "Twelve-year-old Sam Castine is at summer camp while his mother is in rehab, but when the camp is evacuated ahead of a fast moving...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 4.5. "Twelve-year-old Sam Castine is at summer camp while his mother is in rehab, but when the camp is evacuated ahead of a fast moving wildfire, he makes the mistake of going back for his phone, and finds himself left behind, disoriented, and running for his life, together with a girl, Delphy, from a different camp--finding an old jeep keeps them going, but in the wilds of Maine, there are only logging roads and the deadly crown fire is everywhere." -- Novelist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 4.5. "Twelve-year-old Sam Castine is at summer camp while his mother is in rehab, but when the camp is evacuated ahead of a fast moving...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 4.5. "Twelve-year-old Sam Castine is at summer camp while his mother is in rehab, but when the camp is evacuated ahead of a fast moving wildfire, he makes the mistake of going back for his phone, and finds himself left behind, disoriented, and running for his life, together with a girl, Delphy, from a different camp--finding an old jeep keeps them going, but in the wilds of Maine, there are only logging roads and the deadly crown fire is everywhere." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-6/AR 5.1. "In 1920s New York City, a young girl with a deformed foot recruits her new friends, a female pickpocket and two circus performers...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 5.1. "In 1920s New York City, a young girl with a deformed foot recruits her new friends, a female pickpocket and two circus performers, to help recover an emerald from her grandfather's mansion in upstate New York after he loses his home to an unscrupulous tycoon." -- Novelist.
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Grades 3-6/AR 5.1. "In 1920s New York City, a young girl with a deformed foot recruits her new friends, a female pickpocket and two circus performers...Show more
Grades 3-6/AR 5.1. "In 1920s New York City, a young girl with a deformed foot recruits her new friends, a female pickpocket and two circus performers, to help recover an emerald from her grandfather's mansion in upstate New York after he loses his home to an unscrupulous tycoon." -- Novelist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 5.6. "Mr. Penguin, shaped rather like a bulbous beaker, has invested everything he has into becoming a professional adventurer. He's pu...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 5.6. "Mr. Penguin, shaped rather like a bulbous beaker, has invested everything he has into becoming a professional adventurer. He's purchased the requisite bow tie and hat, daringly pierced by an arrow, and yesterday he placed an ad for his services in the newspaper. Yet his office phone has remained disappointingly silent. Just as he begins to have second thoughts about his new endeavor, he receives an urgent phone call from museum owner Boudicca Bones requesting his help in finding a hidden treasure within her Museum of Extraordinary Objects. His first adventure! He and his assistant, Colin (a spider), hightail it to the museum, where they're met by Miss Bones and her gigantic brother, Monty, who need the treasure in order to repair their crumbling museum. Maps, clues, and hidden rooms lead to a more perilous adventure than Mr. Penguin dreamed of, and a surprising twist adds a dash of suspense to this otherwise lighthearted and humorous mystery. " -- Booklist.
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Grades 2-6/AR 5.6. "Mr. Penguin, shaped rather like a bulbous beaker, has invested everything he has into becoming a professional adventurer. He's pu...Show more
Grades 2-6/AR 5.6. "Mr. Penguin, shaped rather like a bulbous beaker, has invested everything he has into becoming a professional adventurer. He's purchased the requisite bow tie and hat, daringly pierced by an arrow, and yesterday he placed an ad for his services in the newspaper. Yet his office phone has remained disappointingly silent. Just as he begins to have second thoughts about his new endeavor, he receives an urgent phone call from museum owner Boudicca Bones requesting his help in finding a hidden treasure within her Museum of Extraordinary Objects. His first adventure! He and his assistant, Colin (a spider), hightail it to the museum, where they're met by Miss Bones and her gigantic brother, Monty, who need the treasure in order to repair their crumbling museum. Maps, clues, and hidden rooms lead to a more perilous adventure than Mr. Penguin dreamed of, and a surprising twist adds a dash of suspense to this otherwise lighthearted and humorous mystery. " -- Booklist.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.0. "In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed." -- Novelist.
Grades 4-7/AR 4.0. "In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.0. "In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed." -- Novelist.
Grades 4-7/AR 4.0. "In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed." -- Novelist.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.2. "Thirteen-year-old Gus is a white boy from Nowhere. Literally. Nowhere, AZ: population depressed, poverty-stricken, and stagnant. ...Show more
Grades 4-7/AR 4.2. "Thirteen-year-old Gus is a white boy from Nowhere. Literally. Nowhere, AZ: population depressed, poverty-stricken, and stagnant. Dirt bike racing is the only blip on the town's flat-lining pulse. Gus is smart, but his small size makes him a natural target for Bo, the town bully. When Rossi, a Tohono O'odham girl with a talent for racing, stands up for Gus, she loses her beloved bike to Bo. Gus vows to get it back for her. Bo's terms require Gus to enter a closed mine with a history of collapses and find gold rumored to have been lost decades ago. Gus agrees and is joined by one of Bo's minions, an old friend, and Rossi. Each an outcast in some way, the kids form a bond through their harrowing 24-hour adventure." -- School Library Journal.
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Grades 4-7/AR 4.2. "Thirteen-year-old Gus is a white boy from Nowhere. Literally. Nowhere, AZ: population depressed, poverty-stricken, and stagnant. ...Show more
Grades 4-7/AR 4.2. "Thirteen-year-old Gus is a white boy from Nowhere. Literally. Nowhere, AZ: population depressed, poverty-stricken, and stagnant. Dirt bike racing is the only blip on the town's flat-lining pulse. Gus is smart, but his small size makes him a natural target for Bo, the town bully. When Rossi, a Tohono O'odham girl with a talent for racing, stands up for Gus, she loses her beloved bike to Bo. Gus vows to get it back for her. Bo's terms require Gus to enter a closed mine with a history of collapses and find gold rumored to have been lost decades ago. Gus agrees and is joined by one of Bo's minions, an old friend, and Rossi. Each an outcast in some way, the kids form a bond through their harrowing 24-hour adventure." -- School Library Journal.
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SJPL_KidsPicks
