Beryl: A Pig's Tale, Jane Simmons. A cute story about Beryl and her brave escape from the slaughterhouse. When her Aunt Misery sticks a label on her meant for her fatter cousin, she is loaded onto the truck headed for the unknown. When the truck hits a rough patch, Beryl and the other pigs are bumped out of the truck, and she makes the quick decision to head for the forest. She soon meets Amber, a wild pig and her family. Beryl is not readily accepted by every member of the clan and several set off to form a new community, but not without a few trials and tribulations along the way and a deeper connection with Amber then she could have ever thought.

This is a lower level book, ideal for the struggling reader. Simpler vocabulary, many chapters and plenty of illustrations make this a story worth recommending.

Under the Egg, Laura Marx Fitzgerald. Times are tough for Theodora (Theo) Tenpenny and her mother, more obsessed with solving mathematical theorems, than being a mother. Theo's beloved grandfather, Jack, worked as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and she was a frequent visitor, becoming knowledgeable of famous pieces of art and their artists. Upon Jack's deathbed, he uttered these words to her, "It's under the egg. Look under the egg. There's . . . a letter. And a treasure." These few "misinterpreted" words, along with finding a painting in the house believed to be of significant value, leads Theo and her new friend, Bodhi, a famous, pampered movie star, on a hunt. With help from the local librarians, the Internet and primary resources, they learn that Jack was a POW during WWII and creatively hid a famous, unknown painting by Raphael. This leads to more questions about who her grandfather really was and how he came to have such a painting in his possession.

The author provides some background information on Raphael and his work, along with other famous painters. This is a great story; however, more for your sophisticated readers that are ready for an art history lesson, as well as Nazi Germany and the Monument Men.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, Karen Foxlee. Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard, a young cynic of anything beyond the ordinary, moves to a museum with her sister, Alice, and their father who takes the job as curator of swords. Upon exploring the seven floors of the museum which houses everything from stuffed elephants to crowns and tiaras, she comes across a boy trapped behind a door on the third floor. After accepting that he is real and needs her help to free him from the Snow Queen, she sets off on several adventures to obtain three keys necessary to open the door. She must endure talking ghosts, hungry birds and the watchful eye of Miss Kaminski. Throughout the story, she learns the story of how "the boy" came to lose his name and how he got trapped for hundreds of years behind the door.

This would make a great read aloud. I found it to be fun with just the right amount of intrigue to keep kids wanting more. Once the kids know the book, it would make a marvelous mentor text for how to use lists; they are prolific throughout.

Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson. The same author of my previous chat, has this Newbery Honor Book set three miles north and west of Vida, Montana during the height of WWI in 1918. Orphaned sixteen year old Hattie Inez Brooks is left 320 acres of land by her dying Uncle Chester. She, along with Mr. Whiskers, her cat for catching mice, decides to leave Aunt Ivy and Uncle Holt in Arlington, Iowa to stake her claim. Once there, she learns that she has to set 480 rods of fence and farm 40 acres within ten months. Hattie is hard working and determined to do all that is necessary to keep the land; however, lack of money, natural hardships and exhausting work make her task challenging. Perilee and Karl Mueller, with their three children and one on the way, become her steadfast friends. Leafie, Rooster Jim, Mr. Ebgard, the banker, also become important folk in her life. Then, there is charming, questionable Travis Martin, set on getting her land. Most chapters begin with a letter to Charlie, a childhood friend, off fighting the war in France, with whom she shares her life experiences. Never having been to Montana, Larson paints a lovely picture of this big sky country and its harsh beauty. For your historical fiction reader, this is a great read, with a strong female character sure to earn admirers.

The Friendship Doll, Kirby Larson. This sweet historical fiction story centers around Miss Kanagawa, one of 58 Japanese dolls sent to the United States in friendship. Miss Kanagawa, a beautiful doll with porcelain white skin, jet black human hair and red lips speaks to four different girls throughout the depression years spreading words of friendship and wisdom. Her first girl, Bunny Harnden of New York City in 1928, is angry because President Roosevelt's granddaughter is asked to speak at the doll presentation even though she is the better speaker. Wanting to play a trick on Belle, Miss Kanagawa steers her in a different direction. Next, Lous Brown of 1933, gets the chance to visit the Chicago's World Fair with her Aunt Eunice. She is given a quarter and wants desperately to fly high in the skies on The Sky Ride, but again, the Japanese doll steps in and guides her to a different decision. In 1937, Mrs. Weldon, an old lady hires Willie Mae Marcum to come and read to her, helping the family through tough times since her dad died. Along with Willie Mae, Miss Kanagawa helps lighten up the old lady's disposition, even if temporarily. Finally, she makes her way to Lucy Turner in 1939, when she and her dad leave Oklahoma for California, escaping the dust bowl and poverty.

For the girl with a soft spot for dolls this could be a perfect fit. Remind your reader that the font will change, along with an asterisk, indicating a voice change between the Japanese doll and the girls. A few pages in the back gives more history of how the story came to be.

The Gollywhopper Games, Jody Feldman. Inspired by Roald Dahl's, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this is an adorable story that will surely entertain students and make a fun read aloud. Gil Goodson, along with thousands of children, enters into the Golly Toy &  Game Company's contest so that his dad will keep his promise and move he and his mom away from the scandal surrounding the family. Almost two years earlier, Charles Goodson, was fired from his role as vice-president at the Golly Toy & Game Company for embezzlement. Distraught from all the ridicule Gil endures from classmates, he begs his dad to move them far away. The competition starts with thousands; however, is soon whittled down to two teams of five with the winning team solving puzzles and performing stunts faster than the other. The five remaining contestants must now compete against one another, and naturally, one of the contestants is Rocky, the kid most merciless in his teasing of Gil. The ending has twists and turns and a redemption for Gil's dad. The mind games are clearly spelled out, making this a possible interactive book to see how well students can solve them.

Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, Steve Sheinkin. This fabulous Newbery Honor award nonfiction account of the building of the atomic bomb will keep you mesmerized and intrigued. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book who has any interest in how the making of the bomb came to be. Physicist, Robert Oppenheimer (think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) was the key man behind the Manhattan Project, while Charles Fuchs and Harry Gold were American spies meeting up on street corners and giving information to the Soviets. Trinity was the name given to the test done in a remote desert region in New Mexico, proving to be successful, thus . . . Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Real photographs help put faces to the many parties involved and short chapters allow the reader to read a bit at a time, set it done and come back to it.

A Million Shades of Gray, Cynthia Kadohata. The year is 1975, the Americans have pulled out of Viet Nam and the Viet Cong have entered a small village in the Central Highlands, taking the villagers hostage; although, many of them were able to escape, including Y'Tin's parents and sisters. Thirteen-year old Y'Tin, the best elephant handler around, turned back toward the village because he thought he saw his little sister, Jujubee, sitting on the fence. He became one of the hostages forced to help dig the grave that would soon hold all those that perished at the hands of the North Vietnamese. Before the village was set ablaze, Y'Tin was able to escape and find his elephant, Lady,  in the jungle, along with childhood friends, soon to be ex-friends, Y'Juen and Tomas. Together, they forged ahead looking for their lost families, hoping to find them alive. They chance across a herd of wild elephants and Lady becomes agitated untl Y'Tin is able to win her back. The boys' families are found; however, Y'Tin learns that the commander wants to eat the expecting Lady and two other village elephants for sustenance. Y'Tin must make a decision to save her life.

Cynthia Kadohata is an award winning author (Kira Kira) and again writes a touching story that brings students in touch with another culture to see the devastation of a war torn country. It is a well written story that has you traveling with Y'Tin through the jungles of Viet Nam and gaining a fondness for Lady.

Doll Bones, by Holly Black. Middle schoolers Poppy, Zach and Alice are best friends and unashamedly use their imagination to play make believe using dolls as pirates, thieves and mermaids. The Great Queen, a China doll, rules from behind a locked cabinet inside Poppy's home. Tension arises, however, when Zach's dad, who has come back home after being absent for three years throws away all of Zach's action figures, hoping he will give up childish games and play basketball. Zach is devastated, and rather than tell the girls, he simply says he won't play the game anymore. The girls struggle with trying to determine the real reason for his sudden disinterest and yet keep their own secret from him. Poppy tells Zach and Alice of her dream requesting her to put the Great Queen in her rightful resting place, the cemetery in East Liverpool a couple of hours away. After some convincing by Poppy, they combine their money, along with backpacks full of necessities and head out for the bus that leaves in the wee hours of the morning. Many adventures await them, and strange things happen along the way, making Zach think that the Great Queen's ghost is real. Wanting to warm up, they sneak into a nearby library and accidentally fall asleep. The next morning, they are discovered by the librarian, who demands they each call their families. The quest is in jeopardy, until a final plan is put into place.

This Newbery Honor Book is a delightful story that would be a fun, juicy read aloud or to recommend to that student that likes a bit of spookiness but not too much to truly scare.