I've been book obsessed since I was nine years old and always seemed to gravitate toward realistic stories about animals—especially dogs—and kids facing tough times. So when I became an author, those were naturally the same type of stories I wanted to write. So far I’ve penned seven middle-grade novels. All the books in this list provided inspiration to my own writing in one way or the other and helped me to become a more compassionate and empathetic storyteller. I hope you find the same joy and inspiration when you read them.
When her Grandma Beth ends up in the hospital after a stroke, twelve-year-old Poppy Parker realizes she has to come up with a plan that will get their life together back to normal. Somehow. But how is she supposed to do that when there's a robber seeking to shut her up for good?
Frightened, but refusing to give up, Poppy soon ends up in the most unusual witness protection program ever: she'll be temporarily staying with the lead detective's mother. Poppy starts feeling almost at home. She even makes sort-of friends with a girl named Lizzie, and happily befriends Gunner, a beautiful dog with an uncertain future. It's time for new plans now. Get Grandma Beth back home. Don't let the robber catch her. With Lizzie's help, save Gunner's life.
When I was first assigned to read this book in 7th grade, I turned up my nose as did most of the other girls in my class. Why in the world would I want to read a book about three teenage brothers from the wrong side of the tracks? But in no time at all I was swept up in this poignant and powerful story about love, loyalty and family overcoming the injustice of class distinctions and poverty. The Outsiders is a true classic, and an unforgettable story that every middle grade student should read.
50 years of an iconic classic! This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging.
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No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends-true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is…
I first picked up this book because I love dogs and there was a cute dog on the cover. But it wasn’t long before I was engrossed in the story of Fred, a young girl who ends up in foster care while her mother is battling drug addiction. She’s being cared for by a tough, motorcycle-loving foster mother named Margery. At first, they seem like such an unlikely couple. But they end up bonding over their love of animals and art. It’s a sweet and poignant story with a happy ending.
From the award-winning author of The Patron Saint of Butterflies andThe World from Up Here comes a story of a girl who finds friendship where she least expects it.
From the moment Fred (never Winifred!) spots a scruffy little mutt with sad eyes, she knows she's in big trouble. Toby's in bad shape, and Fred longs to rescue him from the old man with the mile-long mean streak who lives next door. But Margery -- the straight-talking woman who is fostering Fred -- says going over to their house is against the rules. And since Fred will only be around…
I first discovered this little gem of a book while researching a historical fiction novel of my own. Set in the 1920s, it’s about a little orphan girl named Bo who's being raised by two rough and tumble gold miners—both men. It’s a fun and exciting adventure story, while at the same time providing an insightful and authentic look at life after the famous Alaska gold rush. A perfect read for ages 8-12.
It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village. Bo learns Eskimo along with English, helps in the cookshack, learns to polka, and rides along with Big Annie and her dog team. There's always some kind of excitement: Bo sees her first airplane, has a run-in with a bear, and meets a mysterious lost little boy. Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill is an unforgettable story of a little…
This is another classic story that has the honor of a spot in my ridiculously small bookcase. It’s the fairy tale-type story of poor James, a young orphan boy being raised by two horrible aunts. One day he discovers a peach tree with a peach as big as a house—full of giant, intriguing creatures. Then one day, the peach falls and takes off on a rollicking journey. It’s a funny, heartwarming, and just plain fun read.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl in magnificent full colour.
James Henry Trotter lives with two ghastly hags. Aunt Sponge is enormously fat with a face that looks boiled and Aunt Spiker is bony and screeching. He's very lonely until one day something peculiar happens. At the end of the garden a peach starts to grow and GROW AND GROW. Inside that peach are seven very unusual insects - all waiting to take James on a magical adventure. But where will they go in their GIANT PEACH and what will happen to the horrible aunts if they stand…
Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Sometimes that’s what it takes to get us through hard times. And this is the case with Jackson, a young homeless boy whose family is forced to live in their mini-van for a time. At Jackson’s lowest point, he’s joined by a giant, sharp-witted, imaginary cat named Crenshaw. This story does a great job of portraying the realities of being homeless, while at the same time being uplifting and hopeful. It’s a great book for young readers facing tough times.
The heart-warming new story about family and friendships from Newbery Medal-winner Katherine Applegate.
Life is tough for ten-year-old Jackson. The landlord is often at the door, there's not much food in the fridge and he's worried that any day now the family will have to move out of their home. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken and he's imaginary. He's come back into Jackson's life to help him but is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
A heart-warming story about family and friendships from Newbery medal winner Katherine Applegate.
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austen’s high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who don’t fit London society’s strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this exciting historical series "completely original and totally engrossing."
A School for Unusual Girls is the first captivating installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure "completely original and totally engrossing."
It's 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England's dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society's constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young…
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