•Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Yearling Books, 2000.

Young Stanley Yelnats is unjustly sent to a juvenile detention camp where the inmates must spend their days digging holes. Stanley must discover what's behind the camp warden's strange compulsion about holes in the desert.

•Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.

In Nazi Germany, an adolescent Jewish girl and her family hide from the Gestapo in the early years of World War II. Anne's experience includes a thoughtful examination of human nature through the eyes of a girl who hopes for and expects the best from people even when facing death at the hands of others.

•Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2000.

The fourth installment of the popular Harry Potter series finds its hero searching for the balance between leading the life of a typical fourteen-year-old boy and making wise decisions about his powers as a wizard.

•Taylor, Theodore. The Weirdo. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.

Two teenagers try to protect wild bears from hunters and poachers while investigating a murder. The experience teaches them important lessons about intolerance and respecting the environment.

•Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

A diverse fellowship sets out to save their world from the forces of evil. A mythical epic, the story emphasizes finding value and commonality in difference, respecting others, the tremendous power of love and friendship, and making moral decisions in the face of tempting alternatives.

What's your favorite book of all time?

•Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic, 2001.

In Rowling's third Harry Potter novel, the young wizard's powers are tested when notorious wizard Sirius Black, heir apparent to the evil Lord Voldemort, escapes from prison and goes in search of the boy-wizard, forcing Harry to not only fear for the safety of his friends, but suspect that someone close to him may be willing to betray him to Sirius.

•Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Yearling Books, 2000.

Young Stanley Yelnats is unjustly sent to a juvenile detention camp where the inmates must spend their days digging holes. Stanley must discover what's behind the camp warden's strange compulsion about holes in the desert.

•Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

A diverse fellowship sets out to save their world from the forces of evil. A mythical epic, the story emphasizes finding value and commonality in difference, respecting others, the tremendous power of love and friendship, and making moral decisions in the face of tempting alternatives.

•Dr. Seuss books
Seuss, Dr. (Theodore Geisel) The Cat in the Hat. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1957.

Sally and her brother are facing a dreary day stuck inside the house when the Cat in the Hat arrives to show them how much fun they can have indoors.

•Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1996.

Billy raises two puppies and trains them to be hunting dogs. They become reliable and trusted companions, but eventually, Billy must learn to hunt without his friends.

•Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

Brian is stranded in the wilderness when a plane taking him to visit his father in Canada crashes. To survive, he must not only face the unknown terrors of the wilderness, but the obstacles he has built in his own mind.

Age Group: Up To 10 Years Old

What book are you currently reading?

•Stine, R.L. Goosebumps: Stay Out of the Basement. New York: Scholastic, 1992.

In the second installment of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, Margaret and Casey fear that their father's science experiments in the basement have gone horribly wrong. But, to find out if their father is OK, one of the siblings must go into the basement and possibly face the monster they fear their father has become.

•Adler, David. Young Cam Jansen and the Pizza Shop Mystery. New York: Viking, 2000.

Cam and her friend Eric have lunch in a pizza shop, and afterward realize that Cam's jacket has disappeared. Cam must use her astounding memory to reconstruct the time spent in the pizza shop in order to discover what has become of her jacket.

•Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day. New York: Random House, 2001.

Junie B. is captain of Room Nine's team on field day. Can she lead her team to victory over Room 8, the team that always seems to win?

What's your favorite book of all time?

•Stine, R.L. Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1993.

The Halloween mask seemed wonderfully frightening and realistic, but its owner must decide what to do when it won't come off!

•Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 2001.

In Harry's second appearance, he anxiously returns to Hogwart's School after a miserable summer break. School is not the reprieve he had hoped for; Hogwart's students are being turned into stone, one by one. Harry must save his friends and prove that he's not the culprit!

•Dadey, Debbie. The Bailey School Kids: Zombies Don't Play Soccer. New York: Scholastic, 1995.

Molly fears that her new soccer coach is a zombie!

•Coville, Bruce. Monster of the Year. New York: Pocket Books, 1990.

Michael and Steve think holding a "Monster of the Year" contest is a great idea, until they become the hosts of one of the wildest beauty pageants ever!

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