Summer of the Gypsy Moths

By Sara Pennypacker

275 pages

 

A surprising opening event sets this story on a suspenseful and worrisome path.Stella and Angel are two sixth grade girls, fostered by Stella's great aunt Louise, who have nothing else incommon except their knowledge of a terrible secret.It is this that forces them to find inner resources, make difficult choices and eventually forges a connection between them.  Grade 6.

A Nest for Celeste

By Henry Cole

342 pages

 

Told from the perspective of a mouse named Celeste, this beautifully illustrated novel describes the artistic work and study of John James Audubon (1785-1851) who spent most of his life travelling across eastern North America sketching plants and animals. The array of pencil drawings (often 2-page spreads) bring the story to life and make its 342 pages fly by. Grade 3.

 

Wildwood

By Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis

541 pages
 

Prue McKeel lives an ordinary life - until the day her baby brother is snatched and carried off by a murder of crows into Wildwood, an "Impassable Wilderness."  Prue and her friend Curtis know they have to rescue him, but they are not prepared for the world they find there.  A fantastical quest journey full of animals; illustrations by Carson Ellis (The Mysterious Benedict Society).  Grade 5.