The Secret School
by Avi
Published 2001 by Harcourt Children's Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0152163751

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Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. To do that, she needs to finish eighth grade and go on to high school. But when the one-room school in Ida's remote Colorado town closes unexpectedly, that dream seems unattainable. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher.

The World According to Humphrey
by Betty G. Birney
Published 2004 by Putnam Publishing Group

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0399241981

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With a fresh voice and an engaging, hamster's-eye view of school, families, and treats to hide in a cheek pouch, Birney's Humphrey will elicit laughter and demands for hamsters in every elementary classroom. 

Wenny Has Wings
by Janet Lee Carey
Published 2002 by Atheneum Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689842945

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When Will North survives a truck crash--but his sister Wenny dies--he deals with his grief by writing her touching, funny, and honest letters about their grieving family and his vascillating feelings.

12 Again
by Sue Corbett
Published 2002 by Dutton Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0525468994

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In this riveting novel, Bernadette McBride makes a wish she never expects to be granted--to be young again. Resurrected spirits, fairy charms, Irish folklore, and a compelling mother-son relationship make this an unforgettable debut novel.

Juliet Dove, Queen of Love: A Magic Shop Book
by Bruce Coville
Published 2003 by Harcourt Children's Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0152045619

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Juliet Dove is shy and doesn't like attention. When she ends up leaving the Magic Shop with an amulet once owned by Helen of Troy, soon every boy in town is swooning over her.

A Face First
by Priscilla Cummings
Published 2001 by Dutton Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0525465227

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The year is 1932, and the McFarland family has been hit hard by the Great Depression. When they lose their home just before Christmas, Grace, eleven, and her two younger brothers are sent temporarily to a children's home.

Under the Same Sky
by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Published 2003 by Farrar Straus Giroux

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0374380325

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To earn money for a coveted motorbike, young Joe Pedersen joins the Mexican laborers who work on his father's farm and soon discovers racism and romance while learning to see the world in a whole different way.

Dork on the Run
by Carol Gorman
Published 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers

Library Binding, English. ISBN: 0060294108

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Jerry Flack can't forget that last year he was a dork.

But this year, in a new town, at a new school, things have gotten better. His social life isn't quite as embarrassing as it once was. In fact, he feels almost normal. That is, until he thinks about running for class president.

At first it seems like a great idea -- being in the Student government might even be cool. But before Jerry can even decide to run, he discovers that he already has an opponent: someone willing to do almost anything to get Jerry not to run -- someone who wants to convince the whole class that no one wants a dork for president.

Is it worth the risk of running for class president if it means a return to the depths of dorkdom?

The House on the Gulf
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Published 2004 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689854226

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The award-winning author of "Just Ella" delivers another thrilling novel in which a 12-year-old girl realizes that, during the summer she and her family house-sit in Florida, nothing is what it seems.

Thunder from the Sea
by Joan Hiatt Harlow
Published 2004 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689864035

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The bestselling author of "Star in the Storm" pens a thrilling new story about family, loyalty, and the bond between a lonely boy and a remarkable dog.

The Stranger Next Door
by Peg Kehret
Published 2002 by Dutton Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0525468293

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Two boys, one with a deadly secret, become neighbors. When fires start happening and street signs get cut down, Alex wonders if the new boy Rocky is to blame.

Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing about Me
by Katy Kelly
Published 2004 by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0385732031

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"I'm Lucy Rose and here's the thing about me: I am eight and according to my grandfather I have the kind of life that is called eventful, which means NOT boring. According to my mom and my grandmother I'm what they call a handful. And according to my dad I am one smart cookie. Here's another thing about me: most of the time I am plain hilarious.

Meow Means Mischief
by Ann Whitehead Nagda
Published 2003 by Holiday House

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0823417867

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A stray kitten helps Rana to make friends in her new school and to connect with her grandparents. 

Three Days
by Donna Jo Napoli
Published 2001 by Dutton Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0525467904

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While driving in the Italian countryside, eleven-year-old Jackie's father suddenly collapses at the wheel. Fear for her father's life quickly turns to terror when two Italian men kidnap her and drive to their remote home in the countryside. Jackie soon discovers that her captors are actually a family, plagued by a mysterious secret. Award-winning novelist Donna Jo Napoli has created a haunting thriller that gives life to Jackie's utter desperation and determination to escape.

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia
by Barbara O'Connor
Published 2003 by Frances Foster Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0374322589

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All her life, all Bird has ever wanted is to be noticed in her small town and to get to Disney World. In O'Connor's funny new novel, a spunky young girl discovers that sometimes all it takes to feel famous is a little recognition from true friends.

The Young Man and the Sea
by Rodman Philbrick
Published 2004 by Blue Sky Press (AZ)

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0439368294

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From the award-winning author of "Freak the Mighty" comes this seafaring adventure. After his mother's death and father's ensuing depression, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman plans to trap lobsters to earn money. But when that plan is foiled, Skiff goes after a bigger fish in the sea.

Blue Jasmine
by Kashmira Sheth
Published 2004 by Hyperion Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0786818557

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With lyrical language and poignant scenes, Sheth unearths the meaning of "home" and "family" in this tender debut novel based on her own experiences as a teenager who moved by herself from India to America.

Cabin on Trouble Creek
by Jean Van Leeuwen
Published 2004 by Dial Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0803725485

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After clearing enough Ohio forest to build a log cabin in 1803, Pa sets off for Pennsylvania to fetch the rest of the family, while brothers Daniel and Will stay behind. But when Pa doesn't return, the boys must survive the winter with only an axe, two knives, a sack of cornmeal, and their ability to improvise.

Witch's Wishes
by Vivian Vande Velde
Published 2003 by Holiday House

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0823417891

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After Sarah helps out a witch on Halloween, the witch offers to grant the girl's wishes.

Skinny-Dipping at Monster Lake
by Bill Wallace
Published 2003 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689851502

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Fishing for trouble

We were just a bunch of guys pushing thirteen (okay, we were twelve) who decided to call a "time out" from playing war or seeing who could win some game, to spend a night camping and fishing at Monster -- I mean Cedar Lake. Ted didn't believe we could do anything as laid-back as fishing. He made us swear that there would be no competition. Reluctantly we agreed.

Everyone had heard about the monster of Cedar Lake. But no one believed it. Monsters are kid stuff. We aren't kids. It was just a fun overnight. Until dark.

We had to put bait on the bank poles. Since there was no one else around but us guys...well...who needed a bathing suit?

It's kind of a scary feeling -- strolling buck-naked -- out into a big lake at night. But it was "way past" scary when I first saw it -- THE MONSTER. Its huge yellow eyes were staring straight at me. And then it began to move....

The Meanest Hound Around
by Carol Wallace
Published 2003 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0743437853

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When fluffy-white Freddie is dumped near a junkyard by his boy's father, he's miserable, scared, lonely, and hungry. Then he meets Spike, a junkyard dog in training, and Tiger, the real junkyard dog. When danger threatens the dogs, Freddie protects them and becomes the "meanest hound around." Illustrations.